Don’t accept any job for job sake

There are thousands and thousands of young men and women who are unemployed and desperate to settle down in their lives. Unable to get a job of their liking, they are do not know what to do. Should they accept any job that comes their way? Is a job for job sake okay? The answer in the plainest of plain terms is, “No.”

Opportunities to move forward and rise are what a career should provide.  You may question the very logic of not accepting a job, even if it does not meet your aspirations, particularly when you desperately need one. But the answer once again is that you should not get into a place that does not go with your desire.

In a perfect career span, you can have a number of jobs. And every successive one will give you a learning experience so that you inch forward in achieving your dream job. The journey may not be smooth; in fact, it will be a dawdling experience. Remember that you cannot everything in one go.

Your career is yours and yours alone. People may advise, encourage or dispirit you, but it is you who should be in control of everything. You are your own boss and hence responsible to recognize your potential and make a roadmap for your future. You need to do careful planning and not take a hasty decision or make a ludicrous move based on impulse or compelling circumstances. Waiting for a job should be viewed as a positive sign, even if there is delay; financial considerations should be secondary.

You simply cannot take up any job for the sake of starting off with earning small sums. You should be forward looking in your approach. You ought to always think of your prospects and what the future holds out for you. In addition, you should ask yourself if you would gain the desired experience that will serve your interests in the long run and facilitate your move forward in life. In other words, would you be able to get into your perceived ideal career and be able to give wings to your passion.

Given the problems besieging the job market, what should you be doing if you simply cannot get a job that you have been dreaming of? You should adopt a three phase strategy as under:

·   Phase 1: You ought to first ensure that you know what you intend to do and be sure about it. You should have an absolutely unambiguous picture of what your model career is. Since this is going to be the very basis of your career and your future will be contingent on it, you have to be very deliberate and painstaking in your planning. You should spend maximum time on this phase as everything will depend on how conscientious and purposeful you are.

·   Phase 2:  After having decided what you want to do, you should do what is could be termed as a deficiency evaluation. You are clear about your ideal career and hence should view various job depictions therein. They would make you aware of the qualifications required, the expertise necessary, experience sought and the familiarity needed. You will realize that you may be lacking in many spheres. These shortcomings have to be identified and noted.

·   Phase 3: The deficiencies that exist in your curriculum vitae have to be made up. You need to acquire all necessary qualifications and fill up cracks and gaps in your profile. Jobs that facilitate the foregoing only should be taken up. To illustrate the point, you may be thinking of becoming a college professor. You do your post-graduation but still do not find an opening. So you decide to work on low remuneration with an NGO engaged in teaching slum children. Noble it may be, but not very paying vis-à-vis jobs in other fields. But it will eventually stand you to advantage because of the varied experience to your credit.

            While an early bird may catch the worm, it is the slow and steady that wins the race. This is applicable to your career planning, job hunt and career advancement too. Do you still want to take up a job that is not what you have been dreaming of?