The current economic situation has made the job scenario extremely dynamic. Gone are the times when parents used to think that they knew exactly what their children should study to attain the right profession and be thrilled ever after. What is a hot, high-indemand sector becomes outdated all too soon now.
We have experienced cycles when civil engineering was considered bottom of the rung to when it was crucial for all infrastructure tasks and now again when there is a slowdown and layoffs. Yet investment banking, considered the gold standard of successful professions, is now in doldrums. And it is not merely the jobs, but also where you find them that is changing along with seasons. Dubai, once a hot vacation spot, is now a hard position to stay, expensive and, therefore, an unattractive profession destination. Same for the United States. In such a scenario of uncertainty, how do you get hold of yourself ? How do you guarantee that you are not in the eye of the storm every time a downturn hits?
Differentiate yourself Cultivating a separate identity is just like shopping a product or service the most outstanding one catches attention. Talent has the same standards as well. In fact, this is the most crucial thing we should do well at the commencement of our profession.
The first step is to identify what makes us exceptional -- communication abilities or technical depth or interpersonal relationship or the capability to think out of the box. This pensive analysis has to be done truthfully , perhaps with help from peers and superiors to get clarity on the key abilities that we can potentially build up to create that difference.
For instance, if you are a great coder, start emphasising it by taking part in as many coding contests as possible. Start monitoring your performance metrics in coding, which can establish that you are a skillful coder. Guess what? Still in the worst economic scenario, there is always a need for the most productive, efficient coder, so you will be secure.
Golden regulations Learning is directly proportional to exposure: The first job is based on what and where we studied.
However, as we progress to the second and third job, this pales in front of our experience -- what have we learnt on our profession?
A significant part of what we study is dependent on what we were exposed to in our different stints. If our profession took us to international markets, we study more about working with separate cultures and competing internationally . If our job gave us the chance to wear multiple hats, say , selling along with marketing, we have learnt more. What it does is that it enhances our upcoming opportunities far more than the raises we have received or the designations we hold.
So, especially in the first stage of your profession, target on generating opportunities for learning. Offer less importance to stability and compensation, for they are the outcome of what you learn. Working for start-ups is a high way to leapfrog your education. It comes at the cost of stability and current earnings but you will gain manifold in the upcoming and that is something you require to quantify properly when you evaluate your choices.
Do not neglect soft talents: In the early part of our job, we are often busy learning the basic talents and becoming better and better at it.
Often, in this fixation, we lose sight of building our repertoire of soft talents. In fact, some of us believe that it will automatically `come' when we go up the ladder. However, the truth is that soft abilities start becoming more and more critical once we reach the mid-management stage. By then, we are too old to study these talents as our personalities are formed and perceptions are set. Interpersonal skills, oral and written communications, creative thoughts, are all as important as receiving a postgraduate degree and should be accomplished correct from the beginning.
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