Looking out for a good job is as tedious an exercise as playing a cricket test match – don’t expect results in a jiffy! An anonymous HR intellectual once quipped that a working professional is like a rolling stone, the more he rolls, the more he “grosses”. Well, that may not be true in all cases as each of us might have a separate reason to look for a change. It could be out of choice for more greenbacks, better learning opportunities, higher job responsibility or it could be out of volition in which case, the process is more likely to be labeled “Re-engineering” and conveniently blamed on Michael Hammer and James Champy.
Whatever be the case, it’s always advisable to analyse your career once in an year to see if it’s headed in the right direction. Here are some tips that will enable you to play the test match with more confidence and give you a better chance of winning it too!
Got your horoscope updated?
It may not exactly be a horoscope but the CV/Bio-data is an important document in your professional career till the day you retire. It’s advisable to update this document ideally once in six months, if not more frequently, for you never know when opportunity comes knocking on your windows (sic!). We learn a whole lot of things, undertake additional responsibilities and have our fair share of successes during a calender year. Therefore, make sure that you these changes are adequately reflected in your CV.
Have your “Network Interface Card” plugged in at all times!
Not literally! It pays a lot to cultivate a lot of contacts across the industry but what is more important is to keep in touch with these contacts on a regular basis. You may not call them up everyday and pester them for a job in their organization but do keep in touch dear! Relationships are built gradually over a period of time. As and when you feel the need to jump your job, let your contacts know that you are out in the market hawking your skills and talents. Most companies have “Employee Referral Programs” wherein the candidates recommended by existing employees get a clear preference over others. The bottomline is simple – the more contacts you have in the industry, the better your chances of landing a job in quick time!
Who are you anyway?
A CV might contain all relevant details but there are a lot of things that just can’t be put in a CV. Make sure that you highlight these points to your contacts when you put yourself on the line. Having struck a fine relationship, be confident that your conduits know you well personally too. For example, you might not mind sitting late at office and finishing off some important work. Obviously that can’t be put in a CV. On the other hand, if your contact knows this, he can probably speak to the potential employer and convince him of this ability of yours.
Talk to me!
In case you propose to go through a professional HR consultant, they might be interested in calling you over for an interview or two before they recommend you to recruiting companies. The consultants basically want to see if you are the kind of guy who fits like a glove into their client’s scheme of things. Present yourself and your skill sets well at these interviews. When called for an interview, be frank and answer all questions without hiding anything. If you are asked regarding your experience in a particular field and you don’t have the same, please don’t say “I’ve never done that”. Instead say something more positive like “I’m a fast learner and will learn it soon”. There’s a lot of difference between those two sentences.
Hi! How’re things?
Make it a point to call your HR consultant not less than once a week or a month – depending on how desperate you are for a new job. Just place a casual call to enquire if any new opportunities have cropped up in the intervening period since your last call. Don’t take this opportunity as a blessing in disguise to chat for hours together if you find a sweet sounding female at the other end! Keep the calls short and crisp like my reviews (sic!). In case the consultant drops a hint or two that he/she doesn’t want you calling too frequently, polish those grey cells, stop acting like a desperado and bide your time for a month or so before you place your next call.
Stick to those edicts like a leech and you’ll have a lot to thank me for some day ;-)