A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
--- Laozi
Most people retire from the job
market, some become employers after work for some time. There is no right or
wrong choice, it is the result of one’s personality and the opportunity of
business.
Like or dislike
People often get annoyed when
what they are doing is not what they like to do. When looking for a job, the
first step is to decide what kind of job to take up, this is the period when
you can determine your choices based on your likes or dislikes.
After you have decided to take up
a job, it is your responsibility to do it well – whether or not you like or
dislike the job no longer matters.
Note that your likes and dislikes
may change without you realizing it. It does not take one moment for friends to
become enemies – it is the result of a string of events that eventually leads
to this change in a relationship. When
you work in a company, if you work hard and get recognition from your colleagues
and your boss, you will feel good and may start to like the job more.
Once you have joined a company,
put your heart and soul into it during the contracted period, either throughout
probation or after confirmation. By doing so, you will learn the most from your
job and make your time worthwhile. Your boss will notice your commitment to
work, and a good impression will be left on him (or her).
Understand the hiring process
We have discussed where you may
look for a job, but we also need to understand the hiring process. In general:
1. The business department gives the required details to the
human resource department (HR)
2. HR publishes the advertisement
3. You see the advertisement and submit your resume to HR
4. HR shortlists the resumes
5. HR contacts you for an interview if you are shortlisted
6. HR and the business department interview you
7. Contract is signed if all parties reach an agreement
From this, you can see how HR
plays the most important role because it is involved in all the steps. For you,
first, you need to pass HR’s filtering procedure.
There is a lot of valuable
information online you can find on how to create your resume, here I will not
repeat it. The key point is that HR may not necessarily know the actual
technology or business requirements but they have the right to discard your resume.
When you create your resume, do it from the viewpoint of HR first, so that you
can get the opportunity to be interviewed by the business department with whom
you will work.
Know your limitations
Psychological studies show that
most people tend to overestimate their capabilities. For example, 90% of the
crowd think they are cleverer than others. In the stock market, only 10% of the
investors make money, 70% of them make losses, 20% of them break even without
considering the time and effort they have put in.
When you are working, remind
yourself to look for opportunities in your current situation. Do not look down
at the current job and your colleagues. Your capability is highly likely to be
the same as others, so what you can do is work harder, learn more, and seek to
move to a higher level.
Remember, your career phase is
the same as the learning phase such that you have to upgrade yourself. Imagine
in your learning phase, you always stay at primary 3, after many years, your
knowledge will remain at the same level.
Understand your emotional quotient
Animals are not typically
aggressive and their actions could have been triggered by their perception of
threat. On 30 November 2021, a man was doing his morning walk at the Singapore
Botanic Garden when he encountered a bevy of about 20 otters. Unfortunately, he
was mistaken for a runner who had passed by the otters and may have
accidentally hit one of the otters. He was attacked and suffered more than 20
wounds, with some requiring stitches. Luckily, his friend “screamed and shouted
at the animals, who stopped their actions momentarily. The duo ran towards a
nearby visitor center with the otters giving chase for a short distance.”
-
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/i-actually-thought-i-was-going-to-die-man-who-was-attacked-by-otters-at
This is the real world. Human
beings could be attacked innocently by animals with lower emotional
intelligence. Think of the work environment - some people with a straight
temper may be easily irritated, and some introverted staff may burst out
suddenly. Think of a gathering among friends, the harmonious ambiance may
suddenly be broken because someone mentions something unpleasant. In most
cases, losing one’s temper does not make the situation better. In general,
containing your negative feelings in the working environment is helpful to your
career.
There is a lot of information you
can find online about emotional intelligence, about how to train yourself in
self-management, self-awareness, social awareness, and relationship management.
The following picture about otters tells you the key points to maintaining a
good relationship with others.
Know your colleagues
A. Active working with high efficiency
B. Active working with low efficiency
C. Passive working with high efficiency
D. Passive working with low efficiency
Active and passive reflects the
attitude, and efficiency reflects the skills. You need to find out your
category for this job. If you find you are A and B, there is a high chance you
are doing a job in your favourite area. If you are C and D, you probably need
to consider changing jobs after some time if you still cannot switch to A and
B.
Knowing your colleagues’ types
may help you determine the way to best work with them. Minimize your time spent
with D, tell C what to do, help B to improve his or her skills, cooperate with
A. Remember, people’s categories may change over time as well.
Office politics
You may also know office politics. Yes, that’s also part of the real world. A company is a small society of the outside world. In every country, there is a government; in every government, there are people who play politics.
We often hear about dirty politics.
However, not all politics are bad. A system with positive politics does good to
the society, motivates people to behave well, and increases the efficiency of
accomplishing the goals of the society.
Office politics is unavoidable,
it is part of the company’s culture. But in most cases, it is an art of
socializing and managing relationships. If you cannot handle it in one company,
everything you try to do is out of tune, then you have to make a decision,
change yourself or change the boss. If you do not realize your weakness or
shortcomings, changing the boss will not solve the problem.
Set a goal for your job
A boat without a destination can never reach the shore. Working is progress that needs a goal to achieve. Without a goal, your life may look busy but in the end, you would not feel the sense of accomplishment – you will not feel satisfied.
You need to set a goal for the
job you will take up. The goal you set should have a deadline, which can be a
6-month goal, 1-year goal, or 5-year goal. Longer-term goals are not necessary
because, in this ever-changing world, we are unable to predict the future after
5 years.
After the deadline, be sure to
review and define the goal for the next period.
If you have not set a goal, do it
now. It is never too late.
Be a happy person
When you are in a good mood,
perhaps you are talking to your favorite person, time flies; if you are talking
with a boring person, just one minute is too long. This is the layman’s
explanation of Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. If you enjoy doing something,
hard work will become less of a burden, because you will concentrate on it and
do it well.
Feelings are mysterious.
Something you disliked at first may be your favorite after some time. Smile
when you are working, it will make you feel better.
Of course, you cannot pretend to
be happy. You have to have accepted the current situation, yourself, and the
external environment, and you need to have made a goal. Only then will you feel
free and at peace to accomplish the goal.
We know we have a 40-years career
phase in general. Don’t waste time – it will never come back again. You have a
dream, stick to the dream, find a job, and absorb new knowledge from the job
while contributing to the company. Every job you do, there should be a target
for that job, after you learn enough from that, you realize the target, then
you may restart the process of the next job cycle.
This is the life that is under
our control, a life with a goal.
