Why are you jobless?

Have you been unemployed for some time and have failed to get any job offer? Are you dejected and have been cursing yourself and the world for this affliction? Remember that there are thousands of people like you. In fact, unemployment is like a headache - unpleasant and exhausting but sans any explanation of its cause. Just as you need to get up and go to a doctor to become fit, getting a job also requires efforts.

The fact that you are unemployed manifests lack of an outcome commensurate with your efforts. Therefore, it will not be presumptuous to state that any continuation of similar endeavour will not guarantee a positive result. Perhaps you need to be more venturesome and enterprising; indulging in something new is advisable. A bold outlook coupled with a propensity to take risks is what will possibly pay dividends.

There could be a horde of reasons why jobs have been eluding you.  It is likely that you are not exerting yourself adequately or you have great expectations. The major reasons can be determined by asking yourself the following questions; remember your answers will make you recognize your shortcomings and facilitate corrective action:  

·   Do you wait for others to revert to you? You should understand that nobody will ever dole out a job to you. You may have taken pains to draft your resume and applied for several jobs and then have been hoping like hell that you will get a call or email in response. If you have forwarded an application and have not got any response within a reasonable time after the deadline for its submission, you need to get into a chasing mode. You should make periodic enquiries and track each and every prospect and opening; this will reflect your eagerness, zeal and doggedness. It is only when you are informed of a negative decision that you should put it out of your mind. You simply cannot afford to keep passing time in anticipation that a call letter is on its way.

·   Do you feel that the job hunt pertains to only you? Your center of attention should not be restricted to you alone or on your expertise and knowledge, understanding and familiarity. Most people embark upon their job hunt based on this premise and fail in their endeavours. You should alter your mindset and concentrate on the organization that you aspire to join. Their identity, status, requirements and objectives should be of greater interest to you so that you can prepare yourself for the interview and negotiations that follow it.

·   Do you have a mind-set problem? Whatever you think and do manifests your outlook – constructive or off-putting. If you harbour a negative mindset, take it that you may not get the job you have applied for and that the result of your interview will not be favourable. Unemployment invariably leads to certain amount of glumness, but it is important that you take things positively. This can best be done by taking all actions that are necessary and ensuring that you do not get demoralized. Remember that zest and zeal are transmittable; and that they create a stronger impact vis-à-vis negativity in any form.

·   Do you have fixations? A lack of flexibility will adversely affect your job hunt and so will an absence of a bold outlook. Your curriculum vitae should indicate that you keep abreast with various modern-day facets; adding links to social networking sites will help you convey just that. If you feel that you are not well-informed or well-versed with latest applications, undergoing a course to enlarge your knowledge base will stand you in good stead. Besides being conveyed a message indicating your lithe approach, your prospective employer will get to know about your dedication to do well in life.

A person who is willing to work but is unable to find any is perhaps the most heartbreaking vista that kismet’s inequality displays in this world. And nobody can understand joblessness better than a jobless. If you go to bed as a jobless person, the moment you wake up the following day, you should be on a job to find it.

Sustaining your career

“Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it.”

--- Buddha

Conjecture this – you get up one fine morning and get ready for work rather halfheartedly. The writing on the wall is clear - you no longer like what you do for a livelihood. Perhaps it is time to either take a break or go for a change of job. This phenomenon is not unusual because in present times, an elastic approach towards work and switching over from one profession to another has become common.

Some factors that contribute to sustaining your career are:

·   Commitment:  Any workplace is a group of people who are capable of achieving targets which a single person cannot achieve. This feature is as old as humanity itself. Every person acknowledges that it is really exciting to be part of a team that shares a similar outlook- a team that believes that unity is strength, stands united at all times and moves forward in unison. If you are committed, you can even storm the gates of hell!

·   Standards:  Be it loyalty or truthfulness, excitement or ingenuity, they are all an array of recipes for arriving at resolutions. If we are aware of our values, our decision-making ability gets a boost because they provide us with a frame of reference. And if we have to derive job satisfaction, our workplace atmosphere has to be in concord with our values; if this is not so, the sustainability factor as pertinent to our careers gets diluted.

·   Intrinsic skills:  Every individual possesses an inherent talent and that is precisely why some people are more adept at some things than others. But the irony is that people do not pursue what they actually love. You may do things well, but that does not necessarily imply that you enjoy doing them; consequently, you tend to feel disinterested and eventually fatigued. Pondering over the career option that you exercised vis-à-vis things you are passionate about could well change your life for the better.

·   Having an effect:  Every person, man or woman, young or old, wants to be different and make a difference. Likewise, every organization and company seeks to do the same, which, is evident from their proclaimed visions and missions. This inherent desire becomes prominent when you taste success. If you genuinely seek to sustain your career, you should know that you have an effect. More often than not, all that this entails is having a widened outlook vis-à-vis prevalent circumstances.

·   Persistent learning:  Your head is an astounding mechanism that can execute astonishing acts. The human mind does its best in an expansive mode. This implies acquiring new skills and learning new things and moving towards new horizons. You have to be emotionally and psychologically strong to keep your career going. You must view life as a continuous learning experience and need to think big and chase big.

To find a career to which you are naturally inclined to adopt and then to work hard at it, is about as close to a recipe for glee that the world offers. One of the auspicious facet of this recipe is that if a correct career has been embarked upon, your uphill struggle will do the needful. Your uphill struggle will not be a great effort at all. 

Is it an intricate matter to keep your career going? Not really because all that it entails is adopting a rational approach and display of due consciousnesses while doing whatever you seek to do. Remember that it is the establishment that you work for that will find situations exigent. The difficulty of trial will increase when they concede to these concerns and set the ball rolling to exert a pull and concurrently hold on to the best available talent.

Don’t hold back your success

Notwithstanding impediments, complexities and peripheral tensions related to workplace, quite a few amongst us are blameworthy of holding back our career success, whether knowingly or otherwise.  The major causative factors for our career collapse are our mislaid mind-set and imprudent conduct.

Some widespread gaffes that are known to wreck havoc with anybody’s career are:

·   Not keeping your word: If you want your reliability to be undamaged, you should always strive to keep your word. You should never make false promises or tall claims. People should regard you as a personification of dependability.

·   Absence of people skills: In any sphere of activity, people skills contribute greatly to success. In case you are affable, your bosses, associates, subordinates and clients will hold you in high regard. Your amiable approach makes you a victor halfway through; but if you are a difficult person to get along with, people will keep you out of their loop.

·   Lack of answerability: Answerability and truthfulness are siblings; these qualities are sought after in any organization. You should ensure that you are not labeled as a person who seeks only acclaim and passes the buck in case of a failure.  Acknowledging your mistakes is a sure method to boost your image and sensibleness.  

·   Not being a team-player: You should display a high degree of cooperation, fit well in a team and make useful contributions. If you are unable to look beyond your selfish self, you will be shunned. As a team player, you should be patient yet assertive and be appreciative of others. Courtesy and respect for others point of view will always stand you in good stead.

·   Failure to withstand stress: There is no job that does not pose strain; it is expected that you handle it pragmatically. You should know what stress is all about. It is quite possible that it is a result of other gaffes done by you or on account of your incapacity to work under given situations.

·   Tendency to individualize:  While ability to function in a team is a prerequisite, any effort to run a race alone will lead to separation. You should remember that selling yourself and sustaining effectual bonds are prime contributors to success. Therefore, you should always direct your efforts to make known your individual accomplishments to your immediate boss so that your career progress is facilitated.  

·   Failure to improve personal skills: You could feel fairly comfortable in whatever position you may be, but that may cause stagnation. You may become dejected and eventually lose your peace of mind. You should set objectives and decide on timeframes for their attainment so that you improve yourself on a continual basis. 

·   Lack of requisite dynamism: Smugness will lead you nowhere. If you have to be successful, then it is essential to be upbeat enough. It is you and you alone who are responsible for your individual progress; and to be able to achieve it, you need to continually acquire newer qualifications. An easy going approach vis-à-vis others who take their responsibilities seriously can seriously jeopardize your future prospects.

·   Inability to manage time: Any person will lose his trustworthiness and esteem if he is not punctual or is unable to meet assigned deadlines. In addition, displaying scant regard to standard or agreed timetables also contributes to diminishing reliability. You should endeavour to appreciate and attach importance to each passing second, minute and hour.

·   Absence of professionalism: It is highly unprofessional of any employee to waste his or her time at work or remain engaged in personal occupation there. You simply cannot display blatant impertinence to your organization’s assets either. Gossip-mongering, scandal-mongering and rumour-mongering are pursuits that do not go with professionalism.

 You should always keep in mind that it is not what you achieve, but what you overcome that defines your career. If you take steps to guard against the above gaffes, your career will be smooth sailing. Remain committed and keep it going!

Don’t take on a job that isn’t your cup of tea

It is possible that your sense of right and wrong frequently reminds you that you are stuck in a wrong job. If yes, do you ponder over what work you should actually be in?

To be able to respond to the above focal issue, you should first scrutinize your inclinations, convictions, abilities and requirements for their conformity with your present career course. To facilitate this, you need to look within yourself and discern what you are cut out for. A simple three step process will help you do so:

Introspection:  You should ponder over the following questions and jot down your answers:

·   Does your mind wander? What is that you fantasize or contemplate about?

·   Do your leisure interests entail indoor or outdoor pursuits?

·   If you like to make friends, what are the types of people in whose company you feel comfortable?

·   Do you still have the child in you? If yes, what games and toys do you like playing with?

·   If you political inclinations, are your beliefs radical, neutral or tolerant?

·   In your circle of friends, what are the issues that you generally talk about?

·   While studying, what were your preferred subjects?

·   Which extracurricular activities at school or college inspired you the most?

·   If you watch films, what categories interest you?

·   Do you do reading for pleasure or for gaining knowledge; and what subjects do you interest you the maximum?

·   Do you watch television or listen to the radio? If yes, which programmes do you enjoy the most?

·   Have you ever tried your hand at painting? If yes, what is that you are adept at sketching?

·   If this is not your first job, what have been your most liked jobs?

·   Which amongst your useful contributions at work have been appreciated the most?

·   If you were to reign the world, what transformations would you like to bring about?

·   If you were to win a lottery, how would you spend the prize money?

·   Do you get annoyed at others? If yes, what are the issues that irritate you?

·   What is that facet of your life that you cherish the most and why?

·   Do you like working for the society and willingly participate in social service activities?

·   Do you harbour a desire to do things that you have not tried before? If yes, which amongst them do you feel you will excel at?

·   Do you ever think of your death? If yes, how would you, as an individual be liked to be reminisced as?

Evaluation:  The next step now is to examine your answers. You will be able to discern precise and specific performances that are common in several facets of your life. If you can segregate the common information, you will recognize a set pattern of preferences and conduct. In addition, you will also be able to fathom your ongoing and long-term interests. Having done so, you will be able to etch out a picture of yourself – something that will be representative of what you stand for. You will be able to arrive at conclusions pertaining to the following prime aspects of your personality:

·   Prime concerns and appeals.

·   Convictions and principles.

·   Aspirations and purpose in life.

·   Obligations and necessities.

·   Fields you can excel in.

Weighing things:  Having found out what is your cup of tea, you should now ask yourself if your current job facilitates attainment of the six prime aspects of your personality. If your answer is in the affirmative, you are almost certainly in the correct place and moving in the right direction. But if you have a gut feeling to indicate otherwise, then it is probably time to find something else.

Remember that no man can succeed in a line of endeavor which he does not like. Analyzing what you have not got as well as what you have is a necessary ingredient of a career.