What should my maiden job be?

A job does not imply an obligation for the next four decades. You should wait until you know all facts before forming an opinion about any possible career option. A truthful self-evaluation should also be conducted; besides helping you to generate a credible resume, it will prepare you to lever situations when you apply for jobs and during interviews. Therefore, it is essential that you:

·   Research and be aware about the assortment of career paths existing. 

·   Appreciate your capabilities, inadequacies and aspirations.

·   Have the ability to go with your handiness vis-à-vis the prospects ahead of you.

·   Be sentient to your prevailing state of affairs, domestic influences and liabilities. 

A plush job to start with is not possible. But you have to start somewhere down below, notwithstanding that you may have a string of degrees or diplomas attached to your name. You will have to gear up progressively to attain a position that you may be aspiring for. If this be so, you should always be on the lookout for occasions to talk with friends and associates; and in the process, get to know the plethora of openings that may exist.

To be able to get a toehold, your experience, albeit short or temporary will definitely count. Moreover, such experience will never be a restraining factor for you to shift elsewhere. Your prospective employer would see it as a manifestation of your drive and determination.

You should keep your wits about and try to find out about job openings; and evaluate your suitability for them. To know more about what various qualitative requirements that prospective employers may be looking for, you must maintain regular liaison with your network or administrative department in case you are in a contractual appointment. Remember that even a temporary job can be transformed into a permanent one. Therefore, you should create the right impact because even if you are not there, your organization would surely recall your name whenever a post falls vacant.   

Sooner or later, you should be able to identify a field of work or type of organization that strikes a chord with you. Thereafter, you should embark upon a job hunt. Here again, success may evade you initially, but your efforts will be rewarding in themselves even if you are able to shoot out letters to prospective employers to solicit information about unpublicized positions.   

The crux of the matter is that you can be selective about the company you join. The factors that should prompt you towards this could well be its proprietorship, workforce strength, work ethics, administrative configuration and training facilities provided. Different people have different preferences; so you ought to decide what you want. While on job hunt, you should peruse each want ad carefully and weigh each prospective employer in the light of the following aspects so that you are able to perceive their good and bad points:

·   Details:  Does the advertisement talk explicitly about your charter or does it simply give a broad brush to what you would be expected to do? A good company would provide all possible details about it and your definite responsibilities.     

·   Exclusions:  You should be able to make out gaps in the information provided; they could be deliberate or inadvertent. It is a known fact that companies do not elucidate details in recruitment adverts. Therefore, you should ascertain all organizational information from the internet and through interaction with friends and acquaintances.

·   Approach:  Just as you want to be captured through your resume, so should be the company’s aim through any advertisement. Does its advertisement strike your consideration? You should be able to discern the seriousness of the organization, both in the projection of its image and recruitment of the best talent. 

·   Periodicity: If companies advertise frequently for recruitment, it is likely that they either suffer from a high rate of staff desertion because of poor management. Organizations like these are best avoided.

Windows of opportunity abound in the job market; all you need to do is identify one that is most suited for you and take a plunge. Your decision to do so has to be upbeat and hence you should refrain from accepting just any job.