We often hear this right?

I am looking for a change, open to new opportunities, lost my job, am not sure about my career as I am a fresh graduate who is seeking an opportunity in the industry due to a pandemic. Can you please refer me to this opening as I can handle this profile though my current role is different than the openings etc.?

Most of them looking to get a job through known sources & references which is a very valid thing to do with but sometimes what happens is the requirement vs potential reality of the people differs hugely due to which the hit ratio is less. Similarly, we have come across many posts which talk about opening, we are hiring, we are looking for a dynamic, potential candidate for various positions, etc.,

Cross Roads

This pandemic has given us every possible opportunity to enhance our skills & knowledge as we have learned to manage and get a lot done sitting at home.

Every challenge opens up some opportunity of which we all are aware. Today most of us are @ Cross Roads- -a point at which a crucial decision must be made which will have far-reaching consequences.  

In my observation most of the time we have an approach of One way (moving or allowing movement in one direction only). At this juncture instead, we all should have an approach of Runway- (a strip of hard ground along which aircraft take off and land before & after flying). As we all know change is inevitable, it requires a “PARADIGM SHIFT” -a fundamental change in approach.

Market reality

Several openings & people looking for an opportunity both carry similar weightage. When we talk to recruiters their feedbacks are different. Though they get a huge no of profiles for the given openings the relevance & suitability of the profiles are hardly a few %, rest of it does not hold good for the position they are looking to fill. 

Current openings demand a slightly different approach than the conventional methods of fulfilling only the job description deliverables. Many a time they are also missing in many of the candidates & they are not in line with market movements in terms of knowledge & skill acquisition whereas their expectations are higher in terms of the package, monetary benefits, infrastructures, growth, etc.

One way

Let’s talk about one way in detail. 

We can categorize the job-seekers broadly into 2 types. 

1.Experienced professionals

Some of the professionals keep a certain set of templates & mental models while searching for a job. They apply and expect things to happen without much of an effort from their end. 

I have seen many individuals who share their profile without even updating it, they do not show interest in completing the details as well. 

One should share their profile in a way that the HR and hiring managers should feel that the candidate is suited for the position they are looking to close.

A few of my observations are:

• Is it not our responsibility to make sure recruiters know our strengths & capabilities through our profile?
• Shouldn't the recruiter feel compelled to get more information and reach out to you? This does not happen in many cases.
• We keep a certain set of companies in our mind & try getting the jobs selectively from them - showing reluctance in working in smaller organizations, companies, small owner-driven factories.
• not willing to work at regional/ textile hubs, preferences of working place over work.
• fear about knowing & learning new-age ERP solutions & digital tools etc., this list continues……

2.Freshers

New generations are smarter & sharper than the previous era people in many aspects. But the wise knowledge on career selection & application towards their career growth is something which is missing. People who have finished their courses in recent times have big question marks over their careers. They have a big lapse in understanding on 

• Schooling over education, Curriculum vs company’s requirements 
• Communication skills
• Learning new & additional things relevant to industry & career. 
• Importance of data & MIS over dealing on social media.
• Not realizing the importance of being an expert in knowing excel, PowerPoint, Word, &, etc., 
• this list continues……

Introspection - question one should ask oneself? 

In our life journey, what is the number of training & courses we volunteered to attend & shown interest to gain knowledge for improving ourself to match & compete with market demands other than the ones which are being organized by companies & parents? For that matter, is it wise to ask about the number of books we paid & bought for self-learning & evolvement purpose? 

I would prefer to call the above a conventional one-way approach.

Runway

In order to have a clear understanding of the runway, let’s refresh our memory with the story which is known to most of us. 

Story of the Woodcutter

Once upon a time, there were two woodcutters named Peter and John. They were often at loggerheads over who chopped more wood. So, one day, they decided to hold a competition to determine the winner. The rules were simple—whoever cuts the most wood in a day wins. So, the next day morning, both of them took up their positions in the forest and started chopping away at their fastest possible speed. This lasted for an hour before Peter suddenly stopped. When John realized that there was no chopping sound from his opponent’s side, he thought: “Ah Ha! He must be tired already!” And he continued to cut down his trees with double the pace. A quarter of an hour passed, and John heard his opponent chopping again. So, both of them carried on synchronously. John was starting to feel weary when the chopping from Peter stopped once again. Feeling motivated and smelling victory close by, John continued, with a smile on his face. This went on the whole day. Every hour, Peter would stop chopping for fifteen minutes while John kept going relentlessly. So, when the competition ended, John was confident that he would take the triumph. But to John’s astonishment, Peter had cut down more wood. How did this even happen? “How could you have chopped down more trees than me? I heard you stop working every hour for fifteen minutes!”, exclaimed John. Peter replied, “Well, it’s really simple. Every time I stopped work, while you were still chopping down trees, I was sharpening my axe.” 

Self-renewal

Self-renewal is the principle - and the process - that empowers us to move on an upward spiral of growth and change, of continuous improvement. Everybody everywhere seems to be busy. Most people are just too busy doing and trying to achieve routines, that they do not take the necessary time to renew themselves, to learn and grow—to sharpen the “saw”.  

Sharpen the Saw is about taking time for self-renewal. When you sharpen the saw, you preserve and enhance the greatest asset you have - yourself. We must never become too busy sawing, to take time to sharpen the saw. 

Sharpen the saw?

We overwork ourselves amidst the overwhelming tasks at hand. We feel drained, exhausted and our productivity declines. Do we simply take a break, rest, and relax? That isn’t sharpening the saw—that’s just putting the saw down. The blade will still be dull after your break. It’s only when one sharpens his/her blade, learns new techniques, trains up his/her strength and stamina, that he/she becomes more productive. Remember that every day is a brand-new opportunity to recharge, renew, and refine yourself. Devote some moments into sharpening your saw instead of chopping away doggedly:  

Self-renewal & sharpen the saw - I would prefer to call them the run-way approach.

To conclude

In my observations, bigger companies will be forced to reduce their strengths due to high pressure on operating costs. Regional hub-based working will increase in the future. 

Smaller & owner-driven companies will prefer to look for candidates who have worked in reputed & bigger organizations with the runway approach.

Though I can quote plenty of examples for the above points. I can give a classic example of my friend Mr.Jaykumar –Director (one of the) of M/S. Mg cotton company limited., -Tirupur. He had always shown great interest in acquiring a talented set of people in both experienced as well as fresher category towards his company requirements. He made sure candidates who had a spark in their approach, showed self-renewal, sharpen the saw attitudes are recruited & ensured the right growth paths for them both professionally & personally. The number of candidates who have been benefitted from him is plenty. I am happy to register this point here as this will be an eye-opener for the candidates who are looking for the openings as well as the SME owners who are looking to get the right candidate for their firms. 

In a nutshell, the future is going to be for someone who is 

-open enough & have a runway (focus on self-renewal & sharpen the saw) approach.

-coming out from the conventional one-way approach is a mandatory failing which their survival will be a challenge. 

Please spare your time to watch this small video on developing people

It is wise to “Start working smarter instead of longer” with the runway approach ...

I am sure you might have your views on this article & I prefer to hear your views & feedback on this so that the same can help to enhance people for making them better to meet out the present expectations……….

RELATED TOPICS:#Apparel,Ramesh Gunasekaran