It has been almost two hours since the two potatoes in 3/32 Grosvenor Road had seen any TV. (Me and my Flatmate Jessica) But she still could not sleep. She was tossing around like a boiled egg in a boiler.(I love analogies!) The sad truth is, finally, even Jessica, the most conformed “living-of daddy’s money” girl, had been bitten by the Job crisis.
Jessica Barnes has finished her double degree in Law and Environment Studies, and is currently doing her Doctorate in Environment protection. She has been doing her doctorate for the past 3 years. With every passing year, the tunnel seems to get longer and she has no idea if there is that proverbial light at the end of it. In these years, she has been convinced that Sachin Tendulkar is an avatar of God and been educated in the Indian concept of arranged marriages by her flatmate (me!). But those thinkings were nothing compared to the present intense brooding she was subjecting herself to. She tried to smoke herself to sleep. But to no avail.
It all started with her dad’s phone call the previous day. The call started innocuously with the usual inquiries about Munnu, Pappu, Pinky and Goldy (or whatever her relatives are called). Then she told her dad about the prevailing weather, at which point, the dad called her a bumbling idiot. If she didn’t wrap up her thesis and do something useful to the society, her dad threatened to cut her out of his Will
Those were the days when calls from home used to be so tearful her ears used to get wet. She remembered the time when her father asked her to bring five kilos of gold with her the next time she showed up in Ireland, instead of the usual plastic junk. Jess remembered telling her dad that with her savings, she could barely afford to buy five kg of potatoes. However, if her dad was willing to pay, she would buy the gold, but at the airport she would look her dad in his eyes and tell him, ’Boss, maal layi hoon’. In fact, following this exchange, they also exchanged several other forgettable smart jokes and had a great time. Is this the same dad or what?
So, Jess did the unthinkable. She actually started searching for a job. The first thing she did was to sit with a guru (me) and list out the kind of job she wanted. This is very important for all you job hunters and in Jess’s case, very simple. She wanted to make a living suing companies and corporations who flout the environment protection laws. Well and good. Jess had made a list of the Top companies in her field: Law Firms, which specialize in Environment litigation. I would strongly recommend this. Identify your potential employer and then target them. (Stalking the CEO is not an option) Make a list of companies and try to get an initial interview with them.
Then, (with her flatmate doing the compilation of a list), she called all the Placement consultants listed in the Yellow pages. She fixed appointments with them, with her secretary (me) ensuring that the times did not clash. During her meetings with the placement consultants, Jess told them the kind of job she was looking for, and the PC in turn, told her that she was a worthless piece of....actually, the PC and Jess talked about her career options and which companies might be the ones to meet her criteria (desperate enough). She had to take some HR tests, which helped the PC match Jess’s skills with what the employer is looking for.
The next step in this battle was the Internet. My computer was hijacked for 2 whole days for finding and registering with various companies and online jobs. When I protested that the good people at MS would miss me and probably send the Mumbai police to search for me, I was sworn in choicest Irish swear words. This also helped broaden my language skills and helped me appreciate the wide diversity and rich heritage of Ireland.
When applying for jobs, it is important to attach a cover letter with your CV. This also holds true for applying online. Jess made a basic cover letter, which she modified for company to company. Another important consideration is the format of your CV; I mean some companies want the CV in MS-Word, some in Text and some in other weird formats. Ensure you submit the CV in the required format. Another important consideration is to always check with your list and to ensure that you do not apply to a company where you have applied through your PC.
Since Jess’s goal was to continue her studies part time, while working full time, she clearly stated this in her CV. A word of advice here: spell out your objectives clearly and concisely in your CV. Read a superb review by Sujay Marthi on job interviews https://mouthshut.com/readreview.php?rid=18990&r=1
After her meetings with the placement consultants, and through her applications on the Internet, Jess found that there were 2 law firms to which she had not applied. She called up the HR departments of both the Law Firms and made an appointment with the HR manager. Tip: Do not hesitate to approach the company directly.
The net result of her shenanigans was that she got an initial interview call from 12 law firms. I never knew the economy was in such a bad shape as to want to hire her. Out of the 12, 4 law firms made her concrete job offers, accepting her request to continue her Doctorate part time.
Hunting for a job is all this and much more. It requires lots of patience and more patience.
I hope some of this has been helpful. If yes, thank you. If not, you are probably too dense to figure it out. Come here, we will watch TV together.