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SWINGING CAREER TURNSBy Lima Sehgal / Jobnet Magazine It's the talk of the town. The new mid-life crisis. The mid-stream career change. It's simple enough if you find the spark of entrepreneurship in you. Go in for your own / business venture and all your problems are solved. Not so simple if, like most of us, you want to continue in the rat race, it's not so easy finding a foothold in a new sewerage system. There comes a time when you find yourself either at a deadend in terms of growth, plain bored or maybe in danger of getting redundant. The basic problem is — How to convince employers in other businesses you're fit for their field'?' That you are as capable of selling toothpaste as you are of selling earth moving machines'? Michael Schwab, a senior vice president with an international recruitment consultant, advises. "Begin by identifying and marketing your transferable skills." For example, you may be an accounts person in, say, the Consumer Durables industry, and would like to look for a fresh opportunity in a company in the IT industry. Your basic job is numbers crunching, except that the jargon changes from industry to industry The mathematical and financial abilities would remain the same. People who make the easiest career transitions are those who capitalize and build on existing areas of expertise, whether those skills are in sales, project management, communications, data analysis, or a host of other areas. Take the example of Mr. Hariram. He spent his entire career in the Indian Railways, and rose to be a General Manager. On his retirement, he effectively sold his skills to the World bank to join them as a transportation specialist. On his retirement from the world bank, he successfully used his skills to become a Projects consultant to leading firms in the US, helping them out in setting up projects in India (his core specialization) in as diverse sectors as power and information technology. The lesson to be learnt here is that, even though he may not be an expert in power or in information technology, he is an expert on India and Indian conditions! So that is the skill he has effectively marketed. Two angles have to be kept in mind. One. what skills is my employer looking for? And two. what are my employers goals. Once the focus is clear, it becomes easier to project your productivity to an organization. Most people have blinkers on While scanning appointment advertisements, many good jobs are missed because one searches on the basis of designation or category. take for example the- post of sales representative How does it read; We are quick to jump to conclusions It may be a requirement for a Junior sales person Or a country head for representing sales. Or. A commercial cum logistics person Or, maybe, a branch head Or. an Export professional. I remember sending a Jobnet Magazine copy, to the director of a well known management school, with a note suggesting that the students apply for a particular position advertised for. I got a note — Thank you, but our students are not accountants — they are management professionals. The post was for Management Trainee Accounts, with one of the worlds' leading corporations, based in the US. The job was of total client management and required handling organizational solution management. Enhancing your existing skill sets with educational credentials and association memberships that will resonate with employers in the new field being pursued is definitely useful, but unless we are clear about its application it has little use. For example if you do a computer course, choose a course that is oriented towards your secretarial requirements. But if you decide to switch to Editing then make sure that your course covers all that will bo needed for the change in line. We are fortunate. We live in an era where companies in their attempt, to streamline productivity, are always on the lookout for people who can produce results irrespective of their educational backgrounds. It gives us options to explore-new dimensions in our jobs, and reach higher level of productivity— and of course, job satisfaction Website: jobnetonline.com Lima is the Editor of the Delhi based Jobs/career Magazine - Jobnet If you want to contribute an article (share your views, experiences and thoughts) write in to us at info@123oye.com send us your jobs / career related articles. Submit / Add your Article We promise to give you a chance to put your thoughts across to our visitors. |
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