Move from one job to another, but only for the right reasons

It’s yet another day at office. As I logged on to the marketing andadvertising sites for the latest updates, as usual, I found the headlinesdominated by ‘who’s moving from ne company to another after a shortstint’, and I wondered, why are so many people leaving one job foranother?

Is it passe now to work with just one company for a sufficientlylong period?
Whenever I ask this question to people who leave a company, the answers Iget are: “Oh, I am getting a 200% hike in salary”; “Well, I am jumpingthree levels in my designation”; “You know, my job profile is verydifferent there”; “Well, they are going to send me abroad in six months”.
Then, I look around at all the people who are considered successful todayand who have reached the top – be it a media agency, an advertising agencyor a company. I find that most of these people are the ones who have stuckto the company, ground their heels and worked their way to the top. And,as I look around for people who changed their jobs constantly, I find theyhave stagnated at some level , in obscurity!

In this absolutely ruthless, dynamic and competitive environment, thereare still no short-cuts to success or to making money. The only thing thatcontinues to pay, as earlier, is loyalty and hard work. Yes, it pays!Sometimes, immediately, sometimes after a lot of time. But, it does pay.
Does this mean that one should stick to an organisation and wait for thatgolden moment? Of course not. After a long stint, there always comes atime for moving in most organisations, but it is important to move for theright reasons, rather than superficial ones, like money, designation or anoverseas trip. Remember, no company recruits for charity. More often thannot, when you are offered an unseemly hike in salary or designation thatis disproportionate to what that company offers it current employees,there is always an unseen bait attached. The result? You will, in thelong-term, have reached exactly the same levels or maybe lower levels thanwhat you would have in your current company.

A lot of people leave an organisation because they are “unhappy”. What isthis so-called-unhappiness? I have been working for donkey’s years andthere has never been a day when I am not unhappy about something in mywork environment-boss, rude colleague, fussy clients etc.
Unhappiness in a workplace, to a large extent, is transient. If you lookhard enough, there is always something to be unhappy about. But, moreimportantly, do I come to work to be “happy” in the truest sense? If Ithink hard, the answer is “No”. Happiness is something you find withfamily, friends, maybe a close circle of colleagues who have becomefriends. What you come to work for is to earn, build a reputation, satisfyyour ambitions, be appreciated for your work ethics, face challenges andget the job done. So, the next time you are tempted to move, ask yourself why are you moving and what are you moving into? Some questions are:

* Am I ready and capable of handling the new responsibility? If yes, whatcould be the possible reasons my current company has not offered me thesame responsibility?
* Who are the people who currently handle this responsibility in thecurrent and new company? Am I as good as the best among them?
* As the new job offer has a different profile, why have I not given thecurrent company the option to offer me this profile?
* Why is the new company offering me the job? Do they want me for myskills, or is there an ulterior motive?

An honest answer to these will eventually decide where you go in yourcareer- to the top of the pile in the long term (at the cost of short-termblips) or to become another average employee who gets lost with time inthe wilderness?So decide before changing your job!!!!!!!!!

SOURCE : www.economictimes.com
DATED : 27/07/05

Ritesh Kapoor had been working in the steel sector for close to five years now. He had stuck to the same company in Delhi over these last few months. Recently he was offered an opening with an oil retail giant. At the same time he was due for a promotion in his present employment.

He was in a dilemma regarding which offer to take up. Which of the two offers to take up? If he took up the ‘oil’ offer he would be posted to his hometown, be with his family and take up a challenging job. If he continued with his present company, he would be a senior, be comfortable in a ‘known’ environment, continue to maintain his present lifestyle and be close to friends he had made over the last few years.

Kapoor chose the first option as he felt that his family was the most important thing in his life and he would consider himself lucky if he could be back with them.

A B-school finance graduate, Amitabh Sen landed a job in a UN organization, as a research associate. “I always wanted to work in a bank,” he says. So when ICICI offered him a job as officer, retail liability group, he submitted his resignation without a second thought, though many people would never let go of a job with the UN.

“I knew what I wanted to do all my life so I never had any insecurity about this switch. I knew I would be happier and content in with my new job profile” says Sen.

Choosing ‘that’ specific offer out of many is not an easy task. One should try to think and analyse strategically to reach to a final selection. ‘Money’ should not be the driving factor if it is a ‘career’ you want and not just a mere job switch.

Impulsive selection should be avoided as one cannot revert to earlier times. Playing games with your job profile is certainly not advisable.

Experts say that the most important factors which cross the mind of an average employee before making that crucial selection are brand name, job profile, location, compensation, other benefits, peer group and an opportunity to grow.
Factors to be kept in mind before making that ‘final’ selection:

Brand – The image of the organisation is a very important factor; it is always advisable to work with a growing organisation. If you care for a switch in the future try moving to a known ‘brand’ as it will add weight to your resume and put you in a favoured position.

Compensation – Money is the biggest motivating factor. One should be amply rewarded for his or her inputs, and assessment is done on the basis of peer group’s status. One should also keep in mind the cost of living. For example, it is no use moving from say Meerut to Mumbai for just a Rs 5,000 hike. Factoring in living expenses, especially if one moves to another city, is a must before one decides to switch jobs.

Job profile – One should always choose a profile that is interesting and challenging. Try to get as much information on the job profile. Nobody wants to move to a new position and find boredom creeping in. This will have an adverse effect on your performance levels.

Office environment – This is a sum total of aspects such as office hours, dress code, work space, co-workers, employers, organisation’s interests and beliefs. Be clear if you want to be part of the prospective organisation’s work ethos. Otherwise you might stand out like a sore thumb.

Benefits – This includes the variable part of the compensation such as bonus, incentives, group insurance and pension plans, medical allowance, conveyance allowance, etc. At the outset one should have a clear idea of what the new company offers. Your new employers will consider you extremely unprofessional if you join and start haggling about benefits.

Growth prospects – This is one of the most important aspects when you are looking for a job switch. It is calculated both from the view of growing inside the present organisation as well as in terms of a probable job switch in future. Check where you will be five years hence. Does your new organisation have a clear earmarked promotion channel? Will you be likely to be given additional responsibilities? Will your work in your new organisation add value to your CV? These are some of the questions you should ask yourself before you sign on t he dotted line.

Says the HR manager of a leading BPO, “Although compensation is a driving factor, paramount is the brand name.” He goes on to add, “Financial compensation is not the only reason for people to switch. They should aspire for something more. Managers in your new organisation should treat you well, and the office culture is what matters”.

In today’s age very few people look out for long-term stability in one organisation. For today’s young people constant growth is what pushes them on. Many people opt for jobs which will help them in carving out a ‘growing career path’. The present company should be strong enough to open arenas for offers from other big brands in future.

Vijay Kranti, GM, corporate communication, Essar says, “One should go for a company which offers professional growth prospects and offers challenges.” He adds, “I would choose to work for lesser compensation with a good brand as it certainly is a huge motivating factor.”

An employee after deciding to switch should inform the present company of the same, any sort of sourness should be avoided. Also, he should make the organisations from where he had other offers know that he would not be joining them. After all one never know ones next destination!!!!

Source :www.economictimes.com
Date:12/05/05

Success is 1per cent hard work and 99 per cent public relation. All of us know this but never knew this will strike the technology professionals also. And if you thought this is just one of the tips management gurus give, here are the facts.

“The world belongs to those who are a complete package and that’s true for the technology sector also,” says Geetanjali Khatri, global head, recruitment for Kanbay Accurum. Companies are more keen on recruiting techies with good communication skills now than ever because of the increasing client needs.

“This is the second coming of the IT sector which is propelled by real business needs. Clients and consumers are the most important and so is interacting with them,” says Rajul Garg, COO and VP of Induslogic.

Garg says that given a choice he would actually recruit for a person who can interact with the clients and communicate the company’s stand.

Anuradha Chowdhary who specialises in recruiting people for the technology sector says, “Clients actually impress upon candidates who are good talkers apart from having the desired skill sets.”

She goes on to add: “One of the candidate who I placed in a Gurgaon-based MNC is earning more than many of his peers, just because he was able to sell himself well.”

Kanbay Accurum has a well-planned group discussion and panel interview to check the level of communication skills in a candidate. “We basically test a person’s ability to tackle a difficult situation in panel discussions,” says Khatri. “We look for lifetime learners who can understand business goals and have skills to put them across to other people,” she added.

Many technology companies actually have the position of a business analyst for someone who is a combination of a technology professional and a business manager. A technically qualified person with a decent management experience and understanding of how to drive technology to attain business goals can become a business analyst in a tech company.

The starting salary for such a rank is about Rs 7-8 lakh per annum and of course increases with experience. Software companies sure need programmers. But what will the programmers do if there no projects. To get new projects you need people who are glib talkers who can sell ideas and attract new businesses.

Hence project getters are definitely more required than project implementers. So, you could be a project getter along with a programmer.

Founder, chairman and managing director Virinchi Technologies Ltd, Vishwanath Kompella says, “You can be from any industry but you definitely require a sound and deep knowledge of that industry, network within the industry and also have above average communication skills.

With that, if you are also a top people’s person you automatically become a hot cake for the recruiters! Recruiting you would be big news for the software company. Your appointment will appear even in press the next day and you still can get away saying, ‘Java for me is an island for reclusive holidaying’.”