Graduated? Or Graduating? Or been graduate for a while and didn’t land on any job? Here are a few tips that may help you shortlist yourself in a company (which btw is a cliche in itself).
- Emails. What am I doing wrong? Emails are certainly the mode, 95% of the HR and companies use to get fresh or experienced talent on board. And often times, we are only interested in applying to jobs, not considering the other email ethics. This leaves a bad impression on the recruiter especially when he has quite a huge bundle to handle.Suppose, you read an advertisement that says “Drop your cv at [email protected]” What normally grads do? they open their email id (which by the way goes something like [email protected]) and attach their poorly titled CV in .docx form. Often they dont even put subject and press send button. If you got a job after doing this, you’re lucky but if you didn’t you have nothing to blame since you didnt put any effort in applying.So what should an email look like? here are a few points:a. An email always always have a title. If it is specified in the advertisement, use that. Don’t try to alter as these contain specific words that filter email into a specific folder. In case you alter that, it will not be filtered and your email will never reach the recruiter.In case your advertisement doesnt tell anything about subject, it should be self-explanatory, i.e. it should tell that it has a CV, it should tell what job you are applying for and maybe your name’s initials at the end for verification. Examples maybe include :: CV – Instrumentation Engineer – Ahsan Farooqui or CV- Ahsan Farooqui – Instrumentation Engineer. Or you may add “Job Application – Ahsan Farooqui – Instrumentation Engineer”.NEVER leave an email with (no subject). Its frustrating.
- Attire. Does it matter? For an interview? Yes, For when you got the job? depends… First things first, for an interview, you should be in your best clothes. Especially if it is your first job. Don’t get over dressed or something that makes you uncomfortable. Especially if you are travelling for an interview. Although, here again, the position you are applying for matters. If your prospective job requires a suited booted attire for the whole time you are on job, you should wear the same to interview. If that’s not the case, you can dress in a semi-formal dress i.e. maybe skipping coat and go for a short sleeve or full sleeve sweater. Or if its summers, just a shirt and a dress pant would do. For shoes, black or brown leather shoes should be your only option. Sneakers, joggers and other such alternatives are a big NO for job interviews.While at our university, a professor of ours never allowed us a slipper or anything that doesn’t cover the back of foot. An that is the attire for footwear that you need to follow in the offices as well. anything without strap or not full closed should not be worn to the office.
- Costly Degree guarantees good job? Let me shatter your dreams for a while. NO! It doesn’t. Remember, people are paid for their skills and not their degree. So your boss might be from some university that you didn’t know offer programs in your field. Skills, Talent is the only thing that matters. This only means you have to stick to what you do and you need to be best in it. Even if you wish to become a cobbler after doing mechanical engineering, you need to be the best of the best. Otherwise it will just be a deal breaker.
- Discipline. Does it matter? Perhaps the single thing that I couldn’t emphasize enough. Discipline is the key to success. You need discipline in every aspect of your career. Be it an internship or a starting job or a job where you spent 5-10 years. If you don’t have discipline to learn, discipline to collaborate, discipline to dress up, discipline to be on time, it will not help.
- Boring Job? Unwanted Donkey work? What to do? Two solutions. Either change it or live with it. Don’t quit just because its boring and sit home. Make your boring job easy for yourself. If you think you are too lazy to do this repetitive stuff, be creative, automate! Always remember your primary task that your boss assigned. If you like some other work, you have to create some time for it without disrupting your primary task. Automate it, make it work and then find some time within office hours to learn other things before you completely switch.
- Job or Entrepreneurship Buzz word everywhere! Entrepreneurship, Startups, be your own boss! Even if you are working, consider job as an institution where you are paid to learn how businesses run. So even if you are motivated enough to bring an idea into reality, you have to work hard. Utilize weekends, don’t sit idle, learn new things, join hackathons and startup events and gather ideas. But! don’t leave job straight away as you will eventually need funds for your idea and unless it has proven its worth, no one’s going to invest. So you need this money then!
Finally! Enjoy! Enjoy everything you have. Don’t remain tensed for what you don’t have. Good Luck!