Raw and ready to wrestle!
SEARCHING for a job with minimal or no experience can be an onerous task. As most ambitious freshers find out the hard way, a much-touted combination of education, intelligence and effort does not always result in jobs. Unless you have managed to strike gold in the campus interviews, you may be left to fend for yourself in the big bad corporate world, and nothing they teach you in college prepares you for the harsh reality outside the hallowed campuses. The competition out there is fierce, rivalry is intense, office-politics absolutely logic defying, and the perpetual uncertainty, pressure and anxiety is certainly enough to scare the life out of normally calm and composed individuals. Corporate jumanji is a tough game to play, especially for inexperienced tenderfoots having their first taste of reality.
Here are some tips to help you win at the game:
Cultivate a marketable corporate persona. A well-crafted résumé may bag you an interview, but from thereon, you are on your own. You absolutely have to stand apart from the rest of the crowd, be it the way you dress (a cut above the rest please, but not wildly out of the ordinary), the way you talk or promote yourself. Capitalise on your strong points and assert your achievements. Step forward with your most mature, professional, and competent face.
Remember, your degrees are not going to do the talking for you at interviews. Mastering transferable skills such as goal setting, effective communication, and time management serve you well no matter what future path you decide to pursue.
Network neighbourhood. Business thrives on business networking. Work on establishing contacts and building profitable relationships with people who can help you gain a foothold in the corporate world. Networking is a valuable tool to gain information, increase your visibility in your field and make connections that matter. Seek out new contacts and potential mentors who can set the ball rolling for you.
Put your ego aside or else it will have to take a few bad knocks on the way. Be willing to start at the lowest rung. Remember, the longer you are without a job, the tougher you are going to find landing one. Even an entry level/ part-time/temporary job can get you more experience and place you better when compared to a competitor with no experience. So don't veto a job offer (any job offer, for that matter) without thinking over it first.
Be proactive in your approach and search. Find out how best you can improve your chances of landing the job you want. Identify and work on career goals, take additional courses or training if need be and be prepared to make sacrifices if it will serve your supreme objective.
Try and stay positive despite trying circumstances. A job hunt can be long drawn and wearisome. Hence make a conscious effort to remain hopeful and motivate yourself to face every challenge with the same enthusiasm you started out. Even if you are smart, talented, hardworking and conscientious you may have to encounter failure or have to deal with obnoxious and insufferable individuals who treat people without sympathy or courtesy. You may be forced to watch by the sidelines as people with half your intelligence and commitment whiz past. Never let that get to you. It is all part of the `job-hunt' game, and remember, every man who ever went on a job-hunt probably has a few dents in his pride.
BINDU SRIDHAR
faqs@cnkonline.com
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