Better Communication or just 'The Right Thing to Do'?
"Location! Location! Location!" is the Real Estate Agent's mantra, while those looking for work in a sluggish economy might be better served with "Patience! Patience! Patience!"
It's been almost 3 months since my return to Mumbai, India. And I am still unemployed. I don't know what to make of it. After having worked for 2 years in Italy as an Indian Market Consultant for the Business Promotion and Development arm of a State Agency successfully and having completed my Executive MBA (EMBA) from a school considered worldwide to be in the top 15 for the EMBA program, I am still unemployed. I now have over 6 years of work experience working for several sectors and am about to make a new journey post my EMBA.
I wish it were the lack of skills or 'holes' in my profile that should lead to the above situation, but perhaps there are several reasons added on to it; The slowing economy even in India, the end of the financial year, the uncertainty of corporate budgets, etc., but what really gets my goat is how several HR practitioners and job recruiting agencies, both in positions of power, could worsen or at least attempt to worsen a candidate's enthusiasm by not communicating at all. This happens to a greater degree when they fail to update you or communicate with you on what's going on - how your interview went, getting back with their interests either way. I don't care if I don't fit their profile, but it would be great if they at least let me know the results of an interview.
I remember going all the way to a suburb of Milan, Italy, for a dream interview call that was arranged at the last minute a couple of days before I was to leave Torino for good. Being me, I did leave some things to pack for the proverbial eleventh hour. But this was a dream opportunity. So, the day of the interview, I changed two trains and took a cab to the company since it was extremely cold and couldn't wait for a bus although I had plenty of time, gave - what I thought was a fantastic interview with follow-up promised by mid-January... It never came. I wrote a thank you letter (a must) immediately upon reaching home, wished them Happy New Year, requested them twice for a revert post mid- January and again during the first week of February - Nothing! Perhaps it was an Italian thing :) But, this happens in India too. Prospective employees aren't giving their skills, time and expertise for free. The employers too need their skills, time and expertise for a price. Both sides rely on each other, so communicating candidly will save a lot of time for an interested or potential employee.
One of the best things that HAS happened in the course of these 3 months is that I have met with several leaders and friends from various industries - some have promised a lot and forgotten for whatever reason, some have promised and delivered, some have candidly questioned my choice of work / industry or if I am indeed applying to the right places - a question of what I am capable of and what I can leverage from my past experiences to what I wish I was doing even though I might not be cut-out for a particular post. As networking goes, I am truly blessed to have amazing parents; not only providing me with the financial backing, a roof over my head and tons of encouragement, but also letting me make avail of the goodwill they have garnered from people over several years - these are the same people who are readily helping me with my job search. Communicating once a week or more.
It is not easy staying at home, customizing applications and waiting for responses. It is not my naïvity or idealism, but I feel that communicating one's interests, promised help, especially for your good friends should be the 'right thing to do'. I have begun to receive some interesting job offers with proposed interview dates to be decided and have also met and spoken with some very old contacts from different industries, which seem interesting. Being an optimist helps a lot too ... but until I sign on the dotted line - Pazienza! Pazienza! Pazienza! :)
It's been almost 3 months since my return to Mumbai, India. And I am still unemployed. I don't know what to make of it. After having worked for 2 years in Italy as an Indian Market Consultant for the Business Promotion and Development arm of a State Agency successfully and having completed my Executive MBA (EMBA) from a school considered worldwide to be in the top 15 for the EMBA program, I am still unemployed. I now have over 6 years of work experience working for several sectors and am about to make a new journey post my EMBA.
I wish it were the lack of skills or 'holes' in my profile that should lead to the above situation, but perhaps there are several reasons added on to it; The slowing economy even in India, the end of the financial year, the uncertainty of corporate budgets, etc., but what really gets my goat is how several HR practitioners and job recruiting agencies, both in positions of power, could worsen or at least attempt to worsen a candidate's enthusiasm by not communicating at all. This happens to a greater degree when they fail to update you or communicate with you on what's going on - how your interview went, getting back with their interests either way. I don't care if I don't fit their profile, but it would be great if they at least let me know the results of an interview.
I remember going all the way to a suburb of Milan, Italy, for a dream interview call that was arranged at the last minute a couple of days before I was to leave Torino for good. Being me, I did leave some things to pack for the proverbial eleventh hour. But this was a dream opportunity. So, the day of the interview, I changed two trains and took a cab to the company since it was extremely cold and couldn't wait for a bus although I had plenty of time, gave - what I thought was a fantastic interview with follow-up promised by mid-January... It never came. I wrote a thank you letter (a must) immediately upon reaching home, wished them Happy New Year, requested them twice for a revert post mid- January and again during the first week of February - Nothing! Perhaps it was an Italian thing :) But, this happens in India too. Prospective employees aren't giving their skills, time and expertise for free. The employers too need their skills, time and expertise for a price. Both sides rely on each other, so communicating candidly will save a lot of time for an interested or potential employee.
One of the best things that HAS happened in the course of these 3 months is that I have met with several leaders and friends from various industries - some have promised a lot and forgotten for whatever reason, some have promised and delivered, some have candidly questioned my choice of work / industry or if I am indeed applying to the right places - a question of what I am capable of and what I can leverage from my past experiences to what I wish I was doing even though I might not be cut-out for a particular post. As networking goes, I am truly blessed to have amazing parents; not only providing me with the financial backing, a roof over my head and tons of encouragement, but also letting me make avail of the goodwill they have garnered from people over several years - these are the same people who are readily helping me with my job search. Communicating once a week or more.
It is not easy staying at home, customizing applications and waiting for responses. It is not my naïvity or idealism, but I feel that communicating one's interests, promised help, especially for your good friends should be the 'right thing to do'. I have begun to receive some interesting job offers with proposed interview dates to be decided and have also met and spoken with some very old contacts from different industries, which seem interesting. Being an optimist helps a lot too ... but until I sign on the dotted line - Pazienza! Pazienza! Pazienza! :)
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