Tonight’s entry will be an “off-beat” take on a subject many of us can relate to. In reference to the above title, I will be leaving the job I have held for more than a year. Although I have learnt a lot during my time there and I’m certainly grateful for the opportunities that were given to me, there are a few insights, or arguments (depending on whether you agree with them) that can be a viable starting point for further discussion.
But first, a cautionary note: the ABCs of career planning are derived from my experience in a SME (small-medium enterprise). Certain aspects may or may not be similar to what goes on in a MNC, so it would be good if readers working on the other side of the fence can offer their views.
In my humble opinion, finding that perfect fit for our career should always include these three aspects:
Advancement
I have been led to believe that there are two kinds of people in any given company. They are namely, the ones who treat their job as a career and those who are just doing their job. For the latter group, it’s all about paying the bills, so salary takes precedence over climbing the corporate ladder. While this used to be the dominant trend with older and perhaps more conservative groups, younger professionals—who are brought up in a more affluent society—are learning to place an emphasis on prospects and opportunities instead. Questions such as “how can this job help me develop my potential?” or “are there any marketable skills thant I can acquire?” are now the issues to consider when it’s time to check out the Recruitment page. I personally feel it’s important that job-seekers be clear about their own career goals, as some employers may not share or understand them.
Bosses
Despite the multitude of opinions on “effective management”, not everyone in a position of authority has the ability to lead. Good leaders are always a gem, and the best ones are still able to retain subordinate loyalty even when it seems the work couldn’t get any worse. Unfortunately, it does become problematic when individual output is used as an indicator for a manager’s promotion. Being able to perform exceptionally well as an individual is radically different from getting an entire team to work effectively in unison. These people, otherwise known as “soloists”, often have trouble setting realistic and replicable goals for the rest of their department. Therefore, if a process cannot be replicated, the team will not be able to meet the target!
An effective boss, or leader, must also be open to feedback from his/her subordinates. For me, it was very trying when a manager or supervisor did not take enough time to listen and understand the difficulties that the team was going through. To quote General Colin Powell on the meaning of leadership:
“Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help or concluded you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.”
Culture
Perhaps the hardest and most intangible part to assess would be the culture of the company, and most of us will not get a feel of it until we’ve been there for a considerable period of time. Nevertheless, it defines the social make-up of a working group, and it has the potential to make a team… or break it. Here are just a few questions that can be used to review a company’s culture:
1. Do your colleagues take the initiative to know you better, or do they just mind their own business?
2. Apart from work-related matters, are you able to appreciate and identify with the things your colleagues are talking about?
3. When something goes wrong with a project, do the people in the team work together to resolve it, or is there a tendency to pass all the responsibility to just one person?
So there, my final take on finding the “career of your choice.” For those entering the job market, I hope this will help resolve some of the apprehensions you might have during these uncertain times. As for everyone else contributing to the economy, it’s about time you contribute your comments too!
