Falsify your resume & jeopardize your job prospects

Everyone seeks to show his or her talents and interests to prospective employers. When you are trying hard to get a job, the temptations are always great to inflate your resume.

Can you afford to falsify your resume? If you do so, the most horrible thing that can happen is that you, unexpectedly though, is that you get the job that you are seeking. But subsequently, you will always be tense and constantly praying that no one gets to know about the fabrications that you indulged in.

It is therefore, essential that you do not misrepresent information in your resume. Most organisations carry out background checks and if any discrepancies are discovered, you will be dealt with unceremoniously. In the light of the foregoing, it is important that you should pay particular attention to the following aspects while drafting your resume:

·       Qualifications & experience: Do not inflate your qualifications or experience because subsequently your competency or incompetency will stand out. If they are not in line with what you have claimed, being shown the door will be reality. For example, if you have undergone a certificate or diploma course, do not project it as a degree. Likewise, if you have not completed a course, do not assert that you have.

·       Appointments & responsibilities: Falsification of designations held by you while working with past employers is a serious matter. Do not claim to have held appointments or discharged responsibilities that you actually did not. To illustrate the point if you have been an executive, do not aver that you were a manager.

·       Remuneration: Do not inflate your salary figures for the simple reason that the same can be made out from your age, qualifications, experience and the companies that you mention to have served with.

·       Gaps: Do not avoid mentioning jobs that you undertook for short durations. If you hide information pertaining to jobs that you had for short durations, discrepancies will crop up in the form of gaps which will stand out and you will find it difficult to explain.

            The question therefore, is how can you succeed in getting a job that you have applied for without falsification of any type in your resume? Here is how you can do so:

·       Be open & honest:  You need to be candid about the skills you have and the experience you possess. It is likely that your expertise is much sought after and you are fairly well qualified for a post that you are applying for. Under such circumstances, if at all there are any hitches, you will be able to overcome them, provided you are frank and straightforward and have no reservations in stating the truth. 

·       Improve your qualifications: Rather than misrepresenting facts about your qualifications, that is, trying to inflate them, it is recommended that you actually acquire them. Today, there are many institutions that enroll working people for degrees and diplomas. You can also consider subscribing to a distant-mode programme or even a recognized program online. It is essential that you strive to improve yourself, because if you do not, you are bound to get into a retrograde mode.

·       Utilise your contact base:  Every applicant may not be fully qualified for a job. There will be some deficiencies of qualifications, experience or expertise. You can surely rise above them by swaying somebody who is well-connected or has an important role to play in the decision-making loop to recommend you. In the entire job-hunting process, references and endorsements matter a lot. Your chances of success in getting a coveted job are more if you spend time in building a solid contact base and convincing others that you will come up to the expectations of the concerned employer.

·       Publicise your expertise on internet: You may have some shortfalls vis-à-vis qualitative requirements for a job. You can prevail over them to a large extent by publicizing your skills on the internet and various social media sites. You should author a blog and maintain association with people who matter. If people in large numbers acknowledge your skills, you will not feel any requirement to falsify your resume. Remember that if you are able to create a convergence and exhibit know-how, the flow of jobs will be towards you. 

A resume should give an account of your commitment, passions and resourcefulness - all of which are key attributes employers look for in job candidates. Prevarication and misrepresentation of any type will get exposed some day or the other. So why take recourse to this? 

Career progression in today's environment

During the last ten or fifteen years, there have been intense alterations in the manner in which people talk, connect, cooperate and perform operations. But when it comes to career advancement, they seem to get entwined in a fallacy that it implies moving up in organisational hierarchy to occupy a coveted chair in a plush office.  The fact is that career progression does not necessarily imply moving up. Even moving sideways and also occasionally down also helps in career advancement and attaining career objectives. Therefore, it is no surprise that career progression is a monumental trial of strength and capacity as also a cause for disenchantment to a large number of people. 

You need to admit various new parameters of the working environment. The concept of striking a balance between work requirements and personal obligations is no more valid. The wide space that divided the two hitherto fore has reduced drastically due to technological advancements and foolproof means of communications.  With resource crunches, there has been a diminution of pecking orders. The pyramid has become steeper than ever before and more or less rendered to a sheer flake. So where is the ladder that one aspires to climb? Also, the foreseeable advancement from one instituted point to another has resulted in new-fangled career configurations. These are more adaptable and less rigid with a marked approachability as far as organizational and individual requirements are concerned. Taking a note of this, one cannot subscribe to restrictive career planning.

Men and women have come to realize that they cannot eat and have the cake too. Hence, they are more than willing to forfeit significant aspects of their personal life for a job. They are progressively agreeing that it is their work that has to be kept going. And for that, it is essential that you develop yourself by understanding how careers come to pass. Career progression is no longer about being regarded as a senior with a larger strength of people to administer, having more responsibilities and drawing greater remunerations. Today, it is not about moving vertically but is all about moving ‘to the fore’ and ‘on the way to’.

Since there is no career ladder resting against the wall in the true sense of the word, career progression can be achieved by moving up, laterally and even downwards. In actuality, the entire process of career progression has become like a fence-negotiating exercise; the fence is spread-out and with gaps that can be traveled around by following many routes and relished as one approaches his or her visualization of triumph.

It is therefore, inescapable for you to be clear about your perception of success, the type of work that you ought to be doing, the objectives that you wish to attain and the skills that you have or are willing to acquire. In case, you can arrive at your answers with ease, the organization with which you are associated with is indeed good.

You need to understand what career progression means to you and how it can enunciate success for you; it is only then that you will be able to discern if you are ‘moving to the fore’ or ‘on the way to’. You should introspect to discern what precisely you seek since there is no specific and off-the-shelf readily available technique or recipe for your career advancement. In addition, you should also have a clear perception of where you envision yourself in the years to come and the method you intend adopting for reaching there to include the organization that will facilitate the same.

The above notwithstanding, a vertical growth is also necessary for career progression. And from the viewpoint of all employers, growth is possible only if there is a bank of people available to take on higher responsibilities. But given the environment that exists in most organisations, this may not be possible for everyone to achieve. Hence a lateral side-stepping is also a ‘move forward’ and should not be seen as being relegated. It is the knowledge expansion that is important and which should be seen in the correct spirit; and hence even if it entails a downward move, there is no harm in it sine the long-term advantages could be immense.

The career path today is like a busy road. You will have to take turns left or right, change lanes and even take a pause to be safe so that you are able to reach your destination. You should not forget that the road to career success entails taking resolute actions; any obduracy to remain on a specific path should be shed and instead, obduracy in the pursuit of your objectives be maintained. 

Guard against career-detrimental conduct

Tensions brought about by exterior sources, impediments, irritants and struggles apart, we are still to blame for inadvertently debilitating our own prospects of succeeding in our careers. This is largely on account of our mislaid and injudicious dispositions and conduct.

There could be several contributory factors that can wreck your career. The more common gaffes that need to be guarded against are:

·  Inability to manage one’s time:  You simply cannot afford to violate punctuality norms or pre-decided time schedules. If an assignment has to be completed by a certain date, you have to ensure that it is completed. In case you fail to abide by such stipulations, your credibility rating will take a beating. You must endeavour to respect your and other’s time.

·  Failure to keep one’s word: Any failure to live up to your word will project you in poor light. As a matter of practice, you should not make promises that you cannot fulfill. If you err on these aspects, you may be deprived of handling important projects and even superseded. A system of feedback should be followed as this will manifest your responsible attitude.

·  Lack of liability:  Liability and integrity are cousins; you have to display a sense of responsibility to acquit well. You should avoid indulging in any sort of blame game; on the contrary, if you make a mistake, you must take responsibility for it. That is what leadership and professional honesty is all about.

·  Deficient people skills:  Good people skills have a big role in your career success. Your dealings with people of your organisation and even outsiders matter a lot; your reputation is contingent on the relationships that you build. If you are not affable, people will be reluctant to speak to you and in the process your capability to make collective use of resources severely impaired.

·  Absence of camaraderie:  Today, team players are in and individual players are out. You should always work hard keeping team interests in mind and never keep yourself above them. For that, you have to considerate and respectful to others and their viewpoints; serving to inspire others will always boost your image.

·  Non-adherence to ethics:  You just cannot be a time thief or use organisational assets for personal use. Wiling away your time when you can put it to gainful use and gossiping are to be avoided at all costs. In other words, your presence at the workplace should be utilised to better productivity and nothing else.

·  Lack of enterprise:  If you are smug and slothful, you will be doomed. You must exhibit dynamism, be positive and take initiative. Your own progress is your responsibility and you have to work towards it. If you remain complacent and lackadaisical in your approach, others will overtake you in your career race.

·  Succumbing to stress:  There is no work that does not have inherent pressures. You have to acknowledge them else your output will nosedive. You have to mentally and physically robust to live with and tackle them. Stresses and strains could be a result of certain deficiencies in you and hence you must improve upon yourself in matters that make things difficult for you.

·  Tendency to remain aloof:  You have to make your presence felt and there is no better place than in a team. Ant tendency to live in isolation can be disastrous and should be curbed at all costs. Simply by working hard may not be enough; if you have to be successful, you must make your achievements and plus-points known. Remaining aloof will take you nowhere.

·  Suffering periods of inactivity:  You could be contented with yourself and whatever you may be doing. But if you do not challenge yourself to excel, you will be a failure. You will find that staying too much in the confines of your comfort zone will lead to instability sooner or later; and hence it is necessary that you do not devoid yourself of a career vision. Remember that n today’s competitive work environment, you have to make serious efforts to improve your skills on a continuous basis and not fall prey to any period of inactivity.

There will be many instances when you perhaps knowingly or unknowingly enfeeble yourself with your actions and activities. This type of conduct precludes your optimal output and affords others around you an opportunity to discount you as an individual entity. But if you become responsive to yourself, display determination and take initiative, you will emerge successful.

Learn & grow on your job

The world today is plagued with stiff contests and struggles; and your job and workplace is no exception. Under such circumstances how do you keep moving forward? Given the competitive environment, how do you outshine others and stand out in a crowd? To be able to survive and bring out the best in you, it is essential that you keep yourself abreast with the newest and cutting-edge expertise as pertinent to your field of work.

You may be armed with requisite academic and other qualifications; and into a job of your liking. Do you think that this is enough that would guarantee you a brilliant career? Perhaps no, because as you settle down at work, the zest and eagerness that you have vis-à-vis applying your expertise and know-how dies down and your work tends to become ordinary. In a number of cases, the work schedule even kisses the periphery of smugness and contentment.

To be able to progress in your career, it is necessary that you acquire and practice latest skills in consonance with the requirements of your work imperatives. It does not really matter if you have just embarked on your career or have traversed some years in it; you can always improve upon your skills and affect better performance today, tomorrow and always.

Here are three methods that will help you to keep the on-the-job learning processes alive:

·  Inaugurate the picking-up procedure:  You should be clear about your enduring objectives as also what you seek from your job and career alike. It is necessary to visualize the place where you intend to be in about a decade’s time from now. You must introspect and query yourself on these issues to discern what you require so that you can formulate a tailor-made plan and chart a road map for your career. You can keep abreast of the latest knowhow, expertise and tools related to your work by subscribing to literature and other published material. Even getting to know about latest rule schemes and strategy proposals will be of immense advantage. These could also be obtained by joining professional clubs and attending workshops and presentations. All your initiatives will position you in the vanguard of professional affairs. Remember that if you want to fly one day, you must first learn to stand, walk, run and climb; you simply cannot fly into flying.

·  Discover superior methods of doing an assignment:  The maiden action to progress is a readiness to learn and enrich you. You must have a practical and preemptive outlook towards your work; and this entails employment and application of your expertise optimally. In case you get bogged down, it will not be out of place to seek appropriate direction and regulation. Your sources to gain awareness and familiarity could well be journals and books; and colleagues and other contacts with whom you could deliberate matters and get to know more about prevailing vogues, drifts and emerging developments. You have all the reason in the world to achieve your grandest dreams; remember that your imagination combined with innovation will bring about their realization. It is an established fact that if you adopt innovative procedures, your advancement will be accelerated and everything in front of you will be larger than anything that has ever happened before.

·  Monitor your progress periodically:  Learning is an endless process. However, you need to periodically watch closely and keep track of how you are performing and advancing. This will condense the time required by you to pick up things as also render it more fruitful.  You will draw inferences and make assessments; and these together with the feedback provided by your line manager and seniors alike will facilitate getting a near perfect standpoint of your progress map. Your aim should be to challenge the dark portions within you and simultaneously work to drive them out with insight. Remember that your preparedness to grapple with your whizzes will cause your spirits to sing.    

It is the best who prevail and this holds good even at your workplace where intense competition will always exist. Your spirit will invariably find a way to be born and your predisposition will seek ways to survive. If you integrate fresh expertise into your professional contours and remain updated with all new advancements in your sphere of work, you will usher in job stability and demonstrate a high degree of dedication. Your seniors will appreciate you and help in the building of a robust time ahead. The prerequisite however, is that you must try to learn something about everything and everything about something related to your job and career.

Characterising career success

Characterising career success is one of the most vital activities that you can indulge in, primarily because unless you go through it, you will never be able to discern what is paramount for you. Moreover, you will not be adept at arriving at any meaningful assessment related to your career in the absence of a proper comprehension of success. If you do not have a feeling of accomplishment, the question of being content and blissful does not arise.

The issue will always be pertinent to you throughout your career journey. Therefore, any time that you think proper to understand and enunciate your characterization of career success is the right time. Financial ground realities will render the timing even better, particularly if your career has not been moving as per your visualization. And even if it has been on rails so far, a fresh re-evaluation of your aspirations will bring about a better tomorrow. Needless to state, you will come out to be a better-off, more contented and pleased person. 

·  You must set your own provisos: You ought to attaining success sans any external stipulations. It is possible that you may be going behind some prototype of career success originally conceived by or thrust upon on you. Though there is no guarantee that you will get success, it is essential that you appreciate, realize and comprehend all your suppositions and query them accordingly. The most exigent action is to discover and characterise your objectives and description of success as relevant to you. This will ensure that at the end-point, you get a true feeling of triumph and accomplishment.

·  You are the key player: Your current work is the only contributory factor towards your delight and satisfaction. You have to ensure that your concentration and mental stability stay at peak levels to assert and approve all success models. What is required is just plain, sincere ideation; and for which, you will have to have a steadfast and unambiguous disposition. In addition, strict adherence to your principles, standards and ethics today, tomorrow and always is inescapable.

·  You must have a flexible approach: A flexible mind with a readiness to accept changes and substitutes is essential. Most people do not raise any queries with regard to the career path that they set their foot on, largely because of ignorance and lack of knowledge. You have to accept that there are alternatives to things and opting for them is perfectly in order.  

·  You must evaluate & re-evaluate: An important aspect is to scrutinize your career path too. You need to ask yourself if you are keen on whatever you are doing. If in case you are, you would definitely be doing great work. The work that you perform should be in conformity with your individual and domestic obligations. Additionally, you need to be thrilled with regard to your own visualization of the future and make optimum use of available time and resources.

·  You must look within: You must ask yourself if you are contended and what is that brings about such a feeling. In addition, you must also seek to know from yourself what is it that you are aspiring for in your life and career. The degree of success attained by you so far would thus be generally known and you will be able to set your career compass on the correct track. Success could well be depicted in many forms to you; and all of them would be germane so long they do not cancel out each other.

·  You must sieve & sift your answers: This can be done by asking yourself the reason for each of your responses and whether that is precisely what you seek. For example, you may feel that you will be successful when you have assets worth ten crore rupees. Seeking to know why you want those assets will clarify the position and facilitate making plans and taking decisions that will help in attaining your objective.

To conclude, remember that success is a singular thing, though it could manifest in various forms. And the essence of it lies in being able to live life king size on your own terms and conditions. If you can characterise success and its importance to you, surely it will be yours.

Job hunting formulae for fresh graduates

Economy being what it is today, the job market is not very encouraging. And if you have recently passed-out from college, a degree to your credit notwithstanding, getting a job with ease may be difficult. But there is nothing to be embittered about. You need to be positive and optimistic; and see opportunity in every difficulty.

Since you have no control over the environment, you simply cannot criticize the wind. On the contrary, you should expect it to change and adjust the sails so that you are able to find a job faster. It is not that there is no light; you have to work your way with sincerity and hard work to find it.

The job search process can be an unnerving and very hectic process. It is often a challenge by itself to stay enthused, particularly in the current economic climate.  You may submit your resume by dozens, but get no response. You may have limitless job leads, but all of them turn out to be dead ends. It is tough to stay driven and not let the difficulties thrown in your way shatter you. Here are three strategies that will help you:

·       Be proactive and determined:  Companies want to employ people with some experience, though it is not that they disregard fresh graduates. If that be so and given the difficult job market trends that prevail, you cannot wait for companies to reply to your application. You will have to direct your efforts and deal with people who take make evaluations and take decisions. There is nothing wrong in establishing contact with the appointment holders in the branch of an organization that you want to work in. While it is the Human Resources department that is generally responsible for hiring, decision making is generally not their domain and more often than not simply oversee resume transfers and flow. Therefore, if you are tenacious and upbeat, you stand a better chance. It is likely that initially, you may not get positive reactions; however, they are certainly going to lead you to an encouraging one, that is, one that promises you of help and placement. The important point is to think highly of yourself because the world takes you at your own estimate.       

·       Ascertain company information:  You need know the organization that you want to work with in detail. Your understanding will help you draft an appropriate resume, a document that will stick out and be noticeable. The all-encompassing information that you gather will help you approach their glitches and hitches pragmatically.  When you try to find out details about your prospective employer, you must go through its turnover and profits as also a list of their clients. And needless to state, but important is the point that if your resume has been noticeable, you stand better chances of doing well in the interview that will follow.  

·       Plough into your linkages:  Everybody admits that making use of the contact base is an extremely vital apparatus for any person out hunting for a job, whether you are a greenhorn or practiced notwithstanding. But regrettably, it also the most ignored one. To be able to make use of your network well, identify people who have influence and then solicit their help in approaching people who matter in the organization that you wish to join. There are many types of influences that work and it is up to you to determine which is likely to work as you have already researched the company concerned. You may have met an individually casually; you can meet them and seek their opinion on how to go about. Who knows that they may be acquainted to someone who can be instrumental in getting you the job! If you have researched a company well, you would know the who’s who there; an appointment with them on your own initiative or with the recommendations of someone else can be a very useful exercise.      

Remember that you can ensure that your future belongs to you if you believe in the beauty of your dreams. You have to be confident in yourself and for it you have to do your homework well. You may prepare soundly, but yet not be able to succeed in getting a job. Here is when your perseverance counts. You will have to take rejections and failures in the correct spirit and make certain that your enthusiasm does not take a beating. Success will not come to you easily; you will have to go after it. 

Q & A session – a vital component of any presentation

Presentation skills are necessary for doing well at work. Your control over the language and articulation is important alright; however, it is also necessary that you clarify all doubts that may exist in the minds of the audience. After all, people who attend your presentation are there for a purpose and if you are unable to clear their uncertainties, your presentation has no meaning.

The idea behind any presentation is boosted if you urge the audience to ask questions and more importantly, respond to them well. This expertise is as important as your ability to be fluent in delivery. Here are some methods by which you can manage question and answer sessions successfully:

·  Discern your audience:  You should be able to make out the type of the people who are in attendance and their capability to comprehend and retain issues. Accordingly, you should figure out their possible doubts in advance and decide on the plane or degree of your responses.  The very fact that you are giving a presentation implies that you are considered a specialist in your field; and hence the audience evidently seeks to gain knowledge.

·  Foresee audience queries:  When you prepare for a presentation, you delve into details. But you must think a little beyond and reflect on the grey areas about which questions may be posed by the audience. You should prepare yourself well to respond to such queries. In case, your audience happens to be seniors and experienced people, it is important that your preparation is directed to details about theoretical issues and related perceptions as also their practical relevance. 

·  Rehearse listening abilities:  Good listening skills entail letting any person having a doubt to put across his query uninterruptedly and then restating the same differently so that you convey your understanding of the question. Paying attention to accompanying gestures will also help you understand the intensity of the doubt and proceeding with your response appropriately and sans any supposition. You may also feel that the question put forward has not been done accurately; under such circumstances. You should indulge in a short conversation to elicit a reasoned inquiry that can be suitably attended to. 

·  Evaluate and speak:  You must not attempt to reply in haste. After reflecting for a while during which time you should be able to shape your reply, you must communicate unmistakably and in a manner that you are understood by all. If your response is byzantine or bombastic, you will be seen as a person sans lucidity and intelligibility. Your answer should be accurate, brief and clear; it will go a long way if you illustrate it with examples. If you think that a question by itself comprises more than one query, you must proceed with your answers accordingly.

·  Confirm approval: After you finish responding to a question, you must ask the person question if he or she is satisfied. This will help you to be certain that the question asked was put across and inferred correctly. In case you do not do so, you may think that you responded intelligibly but your answer may not have achieved the desired impact. If you have the slightest doubt in this regard, you must visit the question all over again and respond fittingly.

·  Confess your inability to respond:  If you are not in a position to take on a question, there is nothing wrong in admitting the same. You could assure the questioner that you will get back to him with an answer at the earliest; and you have to ensure that you do. There can be nothing more dangerous than to fabricate an answer that is extraneous or not pertinent. In doing so, you would be misinforming many who would have come to learn from your presentation.

·  Guard against possible hitches:  There will be an odd person in the audience, who because of professional rivalry may try to let you down by asking unwarranted questions and show that he or she is equally knowledgeable. You should avoid any disagreement and exhibit sensibleness and mellowness in handling such people.   

Presentations or for that matter question and answer sessions are communication processes. The major quandary with any communication process is the false impression or delusion that it has been brought about well. When you stand in front of an audience as an expert, your duty is to make sure that what you speak in general and what you clarify in the form of answers to queries raised in particular do not leave any question mark.

Stage a career coup

What do you plan to do with your career? Do you want to continue wherever you are or do you intend changing your career? Do you have it in mind to move somewhere else where you may get a higher appointment, have an opportunity to earn more and be more contended? Perhaps you seek to work in a more challenging environment, apply your current skills more meaningfully or acquire additional qualifications.

You may be prompted to do a career change by several factors. However, the major one is undoubtedly your desire to realize the unfathomable capabilities that are inherent in you. The following three initiatives will stand you in good stead and help you succeed in your career:

·  Assess & appreciate:  You need to figure out where you stand today and where you would like to be tomorrow. There will be none who would seem to not be in the correct slot – by virtue of their good luck and the influence that they were able to exert. To bring about such circumstances, you have to work hard. Getting into an ideal job calls for keeping your wits about; keeping your eyes and ears open; maintaining poise; having resolve; and understanding yourself. The maiden step therefore, is to know your inclinations, talent, qualifications, capabilities and expertise. Based on them, you should be able to discern organizations that would take you and identify appointments that could be tenable by you. You will have to research seriously and evaluate acutely all the pros and cons of a career before actually taking it up.       

·  Believe & build:  It is essential that before you start, you should be clear about the wherewithal necessary to take you where you seek to be. You need to plan, even if it is a broad-spectrum one. Remember that if you have a dream, you still need a plan to make it an actuality. Every activity has six components – five Ws and one H – what you intend doing, where you want to do, who would you like to be doing with, why you want to do it, when you will prefer doing it and how you would be going about. Your plan should also encompass these aspects and may extend to a period of ten years or even more. It could well entail gaining an employment, acquiring additional educational qualifications, starting a business venture or simply going around the world. The aim of making a plan is to maintain focus on your doings by having an arrangement for execution. The journey will have its ups and downs; and you will have to modify your plans from time to time. And of course there will also be pleasant developments that will usher in other changes as well, necessitating alterations to your plan. You may embark on something altogether new and what you never thought of initially. That is what the spice of life is all about; you will realize that mid-term corrections will bring about satisfying expansions too.  

·  Compose & combine:  Having made a plan, you need to identify ways and means to get into the movement mode. It is all about putting your plan in place by deciding on the best option available to you. You would have done some things already without having realized them. But there will be numerous ones that call for serious contemplation and effort. Career success demands time, judgment and vigour. If you have a mentor, you will be guided in all your actions. His or her partnership will be valuable; you should clarify all your doubts. It is important that you commemorate every inch of success and not get disillusioned; if there happens to be dull moments, you should work harder still to recover from them. In other words, you should not abandon the wheel and remain at the helm of your plans. You should strive to pursue excellence and nothing below it.

Opportunity is rather difficult to recognize; it will never beckon you. It is a bird that will never perch. You will find it tough to distinguish its knock from other raps in your life. You have to be out and seize it – by its very beard because it is bald behind. And once you clutch it, you are on the way to stage a career coup.