Over the last few articles, we have looked into several topics that are associated with anyone growing up from being a young kid to a young adult about to step into the bigger shoes, and start to travel on their own. For some, the journey to travel alone might have started earlier, and the learning phase would be exponentially different compared to those that start with the phase after entering their first professional job or venture. Yes, in the modern age it is very much possible that a venture right after or even during the student phase is possible through various means and methods.
When a person graduates out of university after gaining a bachelors degree or a masters degree, the next logical step is to find a way to appease the knowledge buds that have been accumulating knowledge since the age of three, by providing the leeway to exhibit them. Over time, it will be clear that success is not a one time occurrence, and with adequate skill can be recreated in several fashions. One such instance would be the interviews for a professional job. At the start everything looks gloomy, and probably the size of Mount Everest and a bit more.
As with any aspect of life, looking at a difficult aspect from a bird’s eye view without knowing what is the reality, and trying to fully understand the requirements is impossible. Over time, adopting a Yo-Yo approach where alternating between being close to the action and staying farther away to consolidate the observations help. The duration of time spent near the action has to be modulated depending on the person’s capability to consolidate situations and interpret them. Over the course of time, the ability will improve. So, trust the process. Nobody can understand the complete story in one sitting and devise a perfect plan. Believe in the fact that a trial and error methodology will go a long way in defining one’s own character and allows for us to adapt our skillset.
Focus during the interviews:
Some of the major focus areas before and during an interview to be mindful of are:
- Be Authentic
- Be Yourself. One of the best pieces of advices I have received when trying to gather feedback from my seniors and team leaders whom I worked with was, never try to be someone you are not. Believe that you are good for what you are aspiring for, and work towards it. When you try to pose as someone you are not, either situations directly during the interview or immediately after will catch you off guard. And as the famous saying goes, “A lie, however good and however well thought of, never stops at just one.” Trying to be someone else is something you should avoid at all costs.
- Practice
- Practice is never sufficient just in the mind, and thoughts. Prepare yourself to handle difficult situations by making the most of mock interviews among peers. Assume roles on the other side of the table to frame questions you think you might be asked. And when you do it as a group of five or ten, make sure all of you are present during all the questions. You will be amazed at the pool of questions and possible thought processes into answering that you can observe. Again, remember the previous point, and stay authentic during this phase. The best answer is always what would you do in that situation, and not what someone else would do.
- Stay Confident
- Confidence is the fuel that will keep you running in this race, and successfully complete it. Everyone who finishes the race is a winner. Technically there is no pole position and last place on the grid. Everyone who does due diligence, and competes with the best of their abilities is a winner. During the process, you will for sure face some obstacles, some disappointments (results that do not match your expectations, or even wishes), and some difficult moments. Stay confident during such situations, and keep in close touch with your mentor. The process cannot be completed without a confident approach. Confidence.
- Believe
- Money vs Passion
- Many young students lose track of their aspirations due to the longing desire and need to earn more money with their first jobs. In the process of setting the goal of earning a certain salary with their first salaries (baseline created based on friend’s circle, or relatives or neighbours or advertisements) one can easily lose touch with what one really wants to do. The purpose of acquiring the job must be set very firmly. If it is set for earning money right from Day 1, you are doing the process that will not suit the methods defined on any of our pages. The sole purpose of starting in a job must be to satisfy a passion, a means to learn new concepts, new ways to address a requirement. With time, one gets to increase the brand value of oneself, with which more money can be earned. But to start establishing the brand on a big scale, it requires a strong foundation, one that can be built with values gathered in university, and the initial years of professional life. Stay true to your beliefs and core values. Do not compromise on those for the sake of earning more money. You might fall into a soft-sand pit.
Professional life:
Upon completion of a successful of the interviews, and getting into a job of your choice, the doors to a completely new universe opens. One that has weak connections with the bonds you created during your university life, but with strong connections with the values and knowledge you built over the last 10-15 years of your life. When you enter this realm, just like the one after your first transition phase, you might have none of your school or university based connections in the same organisation, and in the same team as you do. However, do not lose connections that have been established over time due to being employed in a different organisation. Remember the following golden rules when navigating communications with your friends, family, and any relative/stranger who wants to know things about the organisation you work for, and the job you do:
- Integrity
- Over time, you will find a lot of forums and places where you will hear this term. Do not confuse this with your relationship with a person and what you share with them. Doing right when everyone watching is one thing, but doing the right thing irrespective of who is watching is what defines integrity. Staying true to your values, the values of the organisation, and staying true to all the regulations that bind your actions is of utmost importance. Any loose ends on this front will definitely not end in a happy storyline.
- Confidentiality
Data Protection
- Another topic least considered in close circle conversations is data confidentiality. By data it does not include just numbers and figures, but any processed information about the organisation not available on the public domain (could be upcoming products, design considerations, methodologies, any special processes defined inside the organisation, etc). For sure, there is always a very inquisitive friend or uncle or relative who seems to know a lot about what you do, and can make it seem like a normal conversation. But, know these boundaries on what you can speak w.r.t. your job outside of your work place, and not. Every organisation offers a variety of trainings on the Integrity and Data Protection topics for the benefit of their employees. DO make sure that these are the first two trainings you undertake in your new job.
- Respect
- While staying true to your integrity, situations might arise where there are difficult confrontations with your immediate superiors or your peers. Confront these situations with a generous dollop of respect. Stay calm, and assert your position in a respectful manner. If your voice is not heard the first time, do voicing it unless there has been a view/confirmation that says otherwise. Just like the other two topics on the list so far, the lack of attention to this topic could also lead to falling off the cliff quite soon, and the world is too small to perform a Houdini act (no matter how well the MCU feels out of this world, it all falls inside the imaginative part of the world we all live in, and before you blink an eye, you will be back in your own chairs).
- Passion
- Demonstrate passion in your job through your actions. Various ways of doing this are definitely not by staying back after the usual work times every day, and by coming in on weekends to be ahead of the curve. 😋😄😄 However, this can be demonstrated by showing adroitness in learning new concepts, ability to deconstruct complex problems into small achievable problems that have solutions, and attacking the low hanging fruits. For sure, on Day 1, Rome cannot be conquered and Caesar cannot be defeated, but you can make progress slowly towards achieving your goals. Focus of areas where improvement is required, show willingness to receive feedback, and also eagerness to work on the improvement points identified from these feedbacks. A feedback need not come from just your supervisor, but from your contact partners.
- Networking
- The true strength of a professional isn’t only about their technical skills or team leadership abilities, but also their networking ability. In your first few years of work, you’ll have plenty of time and meet lots of people. This period is less stressful than the coming years. Use this time wisely to show your passion, trustworthiness, and integrity. This way, people will see you as a respectful and reliable person. The network you build during this phase will help you tackle several difficult situations that might arise in the future. In a way, they will form to become your Doc analogy as Marty had in Back to the Future.
- Ignore Politics
- Ignore the political hinderances you face. Take note, and just do not respond to the political incidents with any comment. Stay aloof. Getting involved in politics in the office space will only hinder your progress both as a person and as a professional.
That said and done, the journey inside a professional setup is a truly thrilling one. The journey might look challenging from outside, but the journey holds infinite outcomes with infinite possibilities to enjoy oneself. A plethora of paths can be undertaken after spending time in one of the areas inside the organisation. Do choose your first organisation and job wisely, and the first choice will always help you create a truly fulfilling experience that you will never regret 40 years from now. Stay Confident.
And on that note,
Stay Healthy, Stay Confident, Stay Safe, Stay Motivated, and let us keep the world moving….
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