Ring in the Change!
I HAVE a boss who means so well, the whole establishment worries that it is their chance that day to have good done to them. If there is a right way and a wrong way to get things done, even a novice can guess that he will choose the wrong way - <110>every time<111>. The attrition rate here is quite easily the most phenomenal in the industry with the streets of several cities lined with our dropouts. Things have become so bad of recent months that employees do not mind forfeiting a couple of months' salary to shake the dust of the company off their feet. With employees deserting like dandruff cascading off a desperately alopecic head, one begins to wonder where all of them find jobs.
Quitting and swapping jobs is never easy. At least half your acquaintance thinks you've lost your grip on things, recruiters tell you that you will never land another job as good again and your parents bite their nails right down to the quick with worry and angst. If you are married, the spouse goes banshee with visions of being cast out onto the street with the furniture and the kitchen sink.
Though the end of the world may be a very real vision for the world and its brother, the escapees still feel that they have escaped a fate worse than death.
Many of my former colleagues, and I perhaps hold the record for the largest number of former colleagues, were hassled or bored with what they were doing despite being blessed with all the talent in the world, with skills and the attitude to match.
The fact is, I hired them, diabolically not telling them what a termagant the big boss was. So they leave before they lose their minds - completely.
Unfortunately, not all of those who leave, transit to jobs they are happy in because they were so hasty to get a job they took the first one that came up simply because any place would be better than the one they left. They come back to me - thankfully not holding a grudge - and ask me what they did wrong and I invariably give them this answer that enumerates the mistakes they make - ergo, should you have the Devil's cub himself as a boss try to avoid doing the following:
Not Looking before you Leap: Many quit because they could not stand the boss and fell into the next job that came around because it <110>seemed<111> to offer more to do than what they were doing and more freedom to do it. They ended up, all of them relieved to be free from the devil of their nightmares only to find that they have leapt from the top board into an empty swimming pool
Look at the Pop Charts: Just because IT is the hot job to be in today, does not mean that it is tailor made for you. BPOs are the top recruiters today and there appears to be room for every one. Please be sure that though there may be room for every one, that room may not be to your liking. It may pay well but you may be a `day' person while they really want the owls to work for them
Follow the Herd: In several instances I found former colleagues headhunted by and following other colleagues into jobs. Nothing could be more fatal. Find out about the job independently and then make up your mind if you want to do it. Remember you may have worked together before but you may have left for different reasons
Neglect Your Strengths: You have been in a career for some years and when something new comes up, you decide to go for it because Archana, your friend and colleague, went into it and is doing well. So throwing your boss and his job out of the window in pursuit of <110>her <111>dream may not be the best thing <110>you<111> could do. Remember that though you were in the same team at one time, your qualifications never did match
Look Only at the Money Honey: Salaries are going through the roof today and can prove to be very tempting - however, beware of the fact that though the remuneration may be high the expectations may be higher than you are ready to commit. On the other hand your researches will reveal if the company of your choice is one of those that revel in mediocrity and pay as if it were going out of style
Expect real guidance from a recruiter: Recruitment counsellors' stock in trade is to endorse your views till you actually ask them to find you a job. Then they tell you why and how you are so unfit for the job you want and that you are lucky as you have the one you have. Unless they have assessment engines and can tell you on their basis what you should be doing, avoid going to a placement organisation. The best of them dither about, till the job is filled by another agency slightly less slow than the others. I know that one of the best keeps misplacing CVs and profiles with the frequency of a metronome that I am amazed they have any clients at all
Be in a Hurry: A job switch must never be done in a hurry. Take your time, plan out your move, check with friends, kith and kin, and then move - with your eyes wide open.
A well-orchestrated move should take about three to four months and it should be smooth. Never storm out in a huff and live to regret it. Plan your move carefully and remember to tie up all loose ends before you go It is important to quit when you know you have had enough, but do not let the first provocation chase you away.
You need to think over matters carefully and make your choices wisely. Never be spurred by impulse or allow external influences to guide you - remember that you are the captain of your ship so do not be enticed onto the rocks of delusion by well-meaning friends.
ABHIMANYU ACHARYA
aa@cnkonline.com
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