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Demystifying Job Interviews

Nov 27th, 2011 by Dilip Saraf

When clients get a call for a job interview I strongly suggest that they work with me for practicing their interviewing skills. There is so much riding on how well you do in an interview that most underestimate its real importance. They also think that merely working hard on giving the right answers, especially in their area of technical expertise, will get them the job offer they are seeking.

Wrong!

Although one reason for an interview is to check you out and to evaluate the depth of your knowledge in the technical—or management—area of the job you are seeking, the main reason is to evaluate how well you fit in with the culture of the company and how well you work with the team that is part of your working group in your potential place of work. I say this because many of my clients, who come to me after an interview, bragging about how well they answered all the technical questions that were posed to them, are flummoxed by the rejection they get when the recruiter calls them and tells them that they have found a “stronger” candidate. I have to explain to my clients that “stronger” does not merely mean a candidate, who has better knowledge of that particular area, but it means someone with a better fit for that job.

Let me explain:

There are five factors that are important in a selection process as a result of a job interview. They are listed below with the percentage weight assigned to each:

Technical (or managerial) expertise (30%)

Chemistry and Compatibility (25%)

Attitude (25%)

Risk (10%)

Salary (10%)

The percentages for each factor are anecdotal based on my personal experience with thousands of data points. Let us look at each factor and what they mean to you and your interview.

  1. Technical or Managerial Expertise: This is the main reason a company is hiring you—your expertise. So, if you are going in for an interview as a Marketing Analytics expert in the consumer web business, make sure that you are equipped with the latest knowledge of that area.
  2. Chemistry and Compatibility: This item has to do with how well you get along the hiring team, and the hiring manager in particular. Although there is no set way to prepare for this item, using some of the psychological principles of body language, communication (eye-contact, for example), and confidence (not cockiness) can help you better deal with some of the issues that can come up on this front. Having a conversational exchange, instead of subjecting yourself to an interrogation, also helps on this front.
  3. Attitude: This item takes on the same weight as the previous one. Attitude is important because it will project you in a way that will amplify your positive attributes. Having an upbeat attitude in an interview creates a positive energy during the interview process, which can help you overcome some of the glitches that are inevitable in any interview. Projecting a positive attitude is important in acing an interview.
  4. Risk: This is a factor that a hiring manager is concerned about. This risk can stem from your not staying at the new company long enough to make it worth their while to offer you a job. Recruiters and hiring managers look at this risk based on your chronology (and gaps) from your résumé. They look for both, the risk of inertia (staying too long) and risk of job-hopping (not staying long enough at one place). In the case of one client, who was at a consulting company for almost 10 years a young high-tech company withdrew its original offer when that company’s CEO felt that the candidate had stayed at one company too long, and was hence risk averse.
  5. Salary is an important factor when all else is equal. If your salary is too low at your current place, the prospect employer may find you not ready for the level of responsibilities that the open job offers. If it is too high then they may be unwilling to match it, or wonder if you will stay in the job after accepting a lower salary.

The above factors are not all-inclusive, but provide a good glimpse of what factors go into making a hiring decision. Knowing how these factors play out in a job interview may help you present yourself in the proper light so that your chances of getting that job offer are protected. There are also ways to deal with some of these factors by being aware of them and then by neutralizing them with specific strategies.

Good luck!

 

Posted in career growth, Career Tips, Enterpreneurship, Interview Skills, Job Search, Life & Living, Mentoring | No Comments »

How Gen-Z Will Transform Our Workplace!

Nov 20th, 2011 by Dilip Saraf

Over the past 50 or so years each generation has helped our workplace turn into a better environment in which to work. In the mid 1900s people worked at one place, which was run more like a military unit, and retired from there at the end of their career. Then came the boomer generation (those born between 1946 and 1964), who for the first time experienced the vicissitudes of the economy and how that affected the workplace; layoffs became part of the job-market lexicon. The next generation of the workforce, Gen-X (1965–1980)—also called the Me Generation—became more resilient and became more immune to the workplace loyalty ethos, turning their focus on their own economic needs. Then came the Gen-Y (1988–2001), also known as the Millennials, which came of age during the Internet era.

The Generation-Z (born in the 1990s) will represent a major shift in their workplace attitudes. Although they will be entering the workplace in the decade ahead, they represent radically different ideas of how they want to work and what they want to get out of it. A recent study (of 2,800 college students and young professionals conducted in 14 countries) published in the 2011 Cisco Connected World Technology Report reveals some interesting and radical shifts in how the coming generation of workers look at work and at the places that will employ them:

  1. A majority—56%—of college students expressed that if they encountered a company that banned access to social media they would either not accept the job offer of would join and find a way to circumvent corporate policy.
  2. Nearly a third of the respondents under 30 said social media freedom and workplace mobility were important than salary—a major shift from the Millennials’ mindset.
  3. Nearly 25% of the college students expressed their unwillingness to accept a job from a company that has restrictive social media policies.
  4. In India and China more than 80% of young survey respondents expected that their primary work device should be mobile—a laptop, a smart phone, or a tablet.
  5. More than 70% also say that they want to be out of the office regularly, working remotely.
  6. Almost the same percentage of college student respondents also said that they did not want to differentiate between “personal devices” and exclusively work-related devices. This implies that company issued devices should be allowed for personal and business use because of the blending of work and personal communication in their daily lifestyle.

The reason these findings are significant is because, to attract the new generation of workers, employers must consider providing this environment to ALL its employees, not just the new comers. If these changes happen during the next 10 years—and they will—many of the commonly held beliefs about how we work will slowly diminish. Concepts such as work-life integration, telecommuting, and separation of personal and company IP will take on a whole different meaning in tomorrow’s workplace.

Despite these radical workplace changes that will be inevitable for employers in the decades to come, what will not change, though, is how each employee will create value at their company and how that company will deliver that value to the end customer and its investor. What this means to everyone is that unless they see these newly evolving work-place freedoms as enablers of value creation for their company and for their company’s customers and investors, the age-old rules of retaining those employees who contribute the greatest value to their company will still apply, and, in many ways, nothing will really change!

Thank goodness for that!

Posted in career growth, Career Repositioning, Career Tips, Enterpreneurship, Job Search, Life & Living, Office Behaviour | No Comments »

Stressed for Time? Manage Your Energy, not Your Time!

Nov 13th, 2011 by Dilip Saraf

One of the reasons many professionals come to me is because they are constantly stressed from their “unmanageable” workload, and the feeling they get that they simply cannot keep up. They’d also like to better manage their “work-life balance.” Thus, their quest is how to save time during their busy day, and how to manage their priorities, so that they feel less stressed and more fulfilled. There have been many postings on this topic in the recent weeks. For example: If money does not buy you happiness, consider time: http://bit.ly/ManageTime , and http://bit.ly/Reenergize . This blog is my perspective after reviewing these and other postings, and what I tell my clients:

  1. Instead of managing your time manage your energy. What do I mean by that? During the course of our day we all have energy levels that cycle from peak to valley; we cannot function like a machine creating constant output throughout the day. So, when you recognize your peak energy (and creativity) periods, synching-up your energy-time demands to match those periods, you can be more efficient in how you create outcomes. Become conscious of your rhythms and synch up your workload accordingly.
  2. No one can save time; you can only spend it! How you chose to spend that time is up to you, and freeing time that can be more productively utilized. Studies have shown that up to 70% of the meeting time is wasted, which can be utilized more productively. In today’s business culture many meetings are actually conference calls—virtual meetings. This makes them even less productive, because people cannot see each other face-to-face, which is often further exacerbated by technical glitches in these meetings. So, unless your presence is mandatory in such meetings stay away from them, and use that time more productively. See if you can report your status by email to the meeting leader, so you do not have to be sitting through the entire meeting. Insist that the leader provide meeting minutes and action items.
  3. When attending to tasks only select those that get your FULL attention. Do not multi-task. So, do not sit in a meeting catching up on your emails. Studies have shown that engaging in a distracted task takes up to 25% longer to complete that task. So, if you’re pretending to be paying attention to what is going in a meeting you are attending, while catching up on your emails, you are missing out on important proceedings AND taking longer to do your emails. You’re also apt to make serious mistakes in completing such tasks—such as cc’ing the wrong person on such emails. If you are on the phone with someone, and are also catching up on your emails, the other person generally knows what is going on, and will have less respect for that conversation. So, avoid this habit.
  4. Do not spend time on tasks that stem from lack of good communication. In one case, my client—a software developer—spent an entire week and a weekend rewriting the code he had just written and tested, because someone, who attended a meeting, overheard his boss telling others that the code could have been more robust. Without checking with his boss first-hand my client went ahead and decided that the code should be re-written, instead of first talking to the boss and getting specific guidance on what needed re-work. Actually, he later found out that the boss was talking about something entirely different in that meeting.
  5. When a task is important or significant do not take oral orders. If your boss or someone senior orally tells you to do something, do not just jump on it and start working. Go back and write down what you heard, and communicate that in an email with copy to others, so that if you are afraid to ask for written requirements before you begin a task, you are holding the “order givers” accountable for misguided or miscommunicated orders.
  6. Stop thinking of “work-life balance,” think of work-life integration. In today’s highly connected world it is virtually impossible to get out of staying connected with your work. Telecommuting further exacerbates this, where people work out of their home offices most of the time. The word “balance” connotes a weighing scale in perfect balance. This image alone can be stress inducing. Instead, integrate your work with your life—work-life integration—so that you can find time to manage both activities with some control.
  7. Make a periodic audit of your workload and re-arrange your tasks so that you are always working on tasks that create the greatest impact. Do not be afraid to tell others, including your boss, that in doing certain tasks you are not creating the impact your expect, and that those tasks are better done by someone else. Learn how to say no!

Much of our stress that we experience comes not from the excessive workload we all face, but how we deal with it. Using some of the ideas in this blog, hope you can find some time to make your work-life less stressful.

 

Good luck!

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Posted in career growth, Career Tips, Enterpreneurship, leadership, Life & Living, Office Behaviour | 2 Comments »

Intrapreneurship: An Antidote to Enterpreneurship!

Nov 6th, 2011 by Dilip Saraf

 

There must be something very seductive and sexy about being an entrepreneur or being an early employee—especially a member of a company’s founding team—of a start-up venture. Why do I say that? Every week about 4-5 of my clients, of all ages, bring this up as they complain about their stalled career, their prospects at their company, and about their overbearing and micromanaging boss.

They desperately want to launch a start-up and go on to become a Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook) or Andrew Mason (Groupon) in short order. Don’t get me wrong; not all those, who come to me seeking advice, are Millennials. Some of them are in their mid 40s, who have come to realize that their career is stalled, and the only way out for them is to become their own boss and to get rich in the process!

How naïve!

Most do not realize that being frustrated with your current job or your boss is not a necessary and sufficient reason to start a company. Nor is it a requirement! Most do not also realize that nearly 90% or more of the start-ups just do not go anywhere after their launch, and end of going out of business.

So, what do I tell them?

My advice to most clients is to first have a very compelling idea for a business to even start to noodle with it before taking it to the “launch state.” Keeping your day job is critical until you have reached some key milestones in your venture before you can take the risk of quitting your day job. During this state you are doing two jobs, not an easy thing to manage!

When they are sufficiently disheartened, I suggest to them that they could pursue a low-risk approach and still have the best of both worlds: entrepreneurial adventure and “job security.” When they are intrigued by this idea I tell them how they could do something different at their current company—through intrapreneurship—to put their career in high gear.

Here’s is what I tell them:

  1. Stop doing your job by merely taking orders. Identify one or two initiatives right where you are that could dramatically change how your company creates value. For example, if you are in customer support, identify what changes you could make to the entire customer support infrastructure to dramatically improve customer experience. This is not as hard as it may seem. You can ask those (customers) calling and get some ideas.
  2. Develop a plan to improve what you think will create the greatest value for the company and validate that idea with those within your immediate area of work. Socialize the idea before you present that plan to your boss and to her boss.
  3. Get your immediate chain of command involved in how the change could be implemented and get them to champion the initiative. Let them sponsor your idea and champion it.
  4. Once you get the initiative approved show leadership and achieve your objectives. Set up measurements to show how things have changed for the better by carefully setting up the right metrics that are agreed-to beforehand.
  5. Before you launch the change initiative be specific about how its success is going to translate into something that will benefit you: a promotion, a raise, a sponsorship for an advanced degree, etc.

Corporate intrapreneurship is one of the most overlooked and underutilized avenues for career growth and self-fulfillment available, especially in today’s fragile economy. During my current stint as a career coach I have worked with hundreds of clients, who went on to become successful intrapreneurs by taking charge of their career using this approach, and who felt rewarded and fulfilled by what they went to achieve without taking unwarranted risk. When I was working in the corporate world I did the same to advance my own career.

 

So, what is stopping you?

 

Good luck!

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Posted in career growth, Career Repositioning, Career Tips, Enterpreneurship, leadership, Life & Living | No Comments »

Demystifying Salary Negotiations!

Oct 30th, 2011 by Dilip Saraf

In this tough economy those changing jobs are often stumped when it comes to their salary. In many companies employees have not received their annual salary increases. In some cases their salaries have even been cut by as much as 20% during the last downturn. In many cases promotions have been held in abeyance indefinitely, which has exacerbated the reasons for people to leave their existing place of employment, looking for greener pastures.

During the early employment conversations with the recruiters, salary is one of the first items that comes up before candidates are waived on through to see the hiring team. This is where most people make a mistake of not disclosing the right information. There is a tendency to inflate the salary at this stage, with the hope that you will be eligible for a higher number based on what you disclosed to the screening recruiter. This is often a misguided notion.

Why?

In the initial screening the recruiters are merely trying to assess if your current salary range qualifies you to be a candidate for the open position. If you salary is too low you may be perceived as under qualified, and if it is too high then you may be too expensive for the company. Recruiters are merely trying to protect their role when screening for this information. In either case you want to make sure that you get what you deserve regardless of either numbers. So, what is the strategy to get what you deserve? Here are some strategies that have worked, even in today’s job market:

  1. The recruiter is screening merely to assess if you fit the criteria that they have established for stepping you through the recruitment cycle. If the number you disclose for your salary is outside this range then you may get disqualified from moving ahead. Also, remember that whatever salary you disclose at this point, you may need to substantiate it later with a W-2 or something that supports your claim. So, if you think that your salary is on the lower side (because you have not received a raise lately) disclose the salary range (for your current position) instead of your salary. If the recruiter insists on a number, then give them your actual salary and tell them that you have not received a raise for the past three years and are due for a promotion (if that is the case).
  2. During the interview with the hiring team—particularly with the hiring manager and their boss—clearly establish your value and how you will make an exceptional candidate for the open position. Once you have established this key fact, your final salary will be driven by how compelling this value proposition is to the decision makers.
  3. Regardless of what you have told the recruiter, when it comes to the salary discussion with the hiring manager, first ask what position they are considering as appropriate for you. Do NOT assume that they will consider you only for the applied position. If you have established your value proposition in a compelling way they may consider you appropriate for the next level. Here you may need to emphasize that you are awaiting a promotion at your current place of work (if it is true).
  4. Once they tell you your fit for the position they are considering, ask them the salary range for that position. Once you know that range tell them that you have been a top performer, and expect to be compensated accordingly. At this point, without mentioning a number, the hiring manager is likely to consider you bringing in at about the mid-point of that range. Once that number is disclosed in the discussion, consider that a starting point.
  5. Negotiate the entire package after considering all other factors, including any monies that you may be leaving on the table when you quit your current job. In many recent cases when my clients told the hiring manager the value of their stock options that they could not exercise as result of having to leave their employer, they were given sign-on bonuses to offset those losses.

As an object lesson, one client last week was able to land an offer, which bumped him from making $131K (same salary for the past two years) to making $177K annually in total comp using these strategies. These numbers are not that unusual!

Bottom line: Do not hold your current (or past) salary hostage to your future salary that you deserve. Sell yourself to the prospect employer based on your value, and not on your current (or past) salary!

Good luck!

Posted in career growth, Career Repositioning, Career Tips, Interview Skills, Job Search, leadership, Life & Living, Office Behaviour | No Comments »

In a Tussle Between Your Heart and Mind, Let Your Gut Win!

Oct 23rd, 2011 by Dilip Saraf

In my coaching practice I often encounter clients who come to me for changing careers, jobs, or some aspect of their professional life. Often, I am successful in understanding their issues, helping them create options, and guiding them through their transition.

Often, the real problem comes when there are multiple options: a choice between two very different careers, choosing between two or more equally appealing companies to work for, selecting the right option between pursuing higher studies and landing a plum job.

In most of these cases my clients go through a detailed analysis of their options. In the case where a client has multiple job options they will analyze the salary package, promotional possibilities, a company’s competitive position, market trends, and so on. Once they have armed themselves with these analyses they come to me with their preference, which is often a result of picking something based on pure analysis.

But, when I ask them how do they feel about working at the company—or the boss—they have selected, sometimes the response I get from them is different from the one stemming from the pure analysis of the parameters they chose to dissect. As we get in a deeper discussion about their feelings, if there is a conflict between what the analysis (logic) indicates and what their feeling (heart) prompts they often feel paralyzed by their inability to choose between what their mind is telling them and what their heart is prompting them.

It is here when I intervene and ask them to listen to their gut (intuition). In my view your gut derives its signals from your intuitive powers. In most cases your intuitive powers have the ability to dig far deeper than any complex analysis, and any emotional sense you may have about a decision. Intuition is a gift that we all have, and it comes from synthesis of many factors that go beyond merely what your mind and heart can fathom. It often comes as a flash!

In most cases when they are confused between competing options, after listening to the logical (mind) and emotional (heart) components to choose from, the winning choice for the client comes from listening to their intuition (gut). So, when you are faced with a difficult choice between competing options, here is my guidance on how to come to the right decision:

  1. If you have many options from which to choose, discard those that are unworthy of any further consideration and narrow your choice to a select few.
  2. Do a thorough analysis of each remaining option through rigorous breakdown of elements that have impact in your life now, and in the future.
  3. Consult your loved ones and share your analysis, and why that is prompting you to choose the best option so far. Present your conclusion to those, who are going to be affected by your choice, and have an open discussion of the pros and cons.
  4. It is at this point that you need to bring in the feeling factor (your heart) in the decision-making process. Your family members will give their inputs based on their own needs and how they see you in your everyday relationships with them now and in the future (when you make the impending change).
  5. If there is conflict between what your analysis (mind) is prompting you to do, and what your feelings (heart signals) are suggesting as a result of your discussion with your family, it is time to rely on your intuition.
  6. Go away and reflect on the pros and cons of your decision based on your analysis and your feelings, and meditate on the possibilities in the privacy of your own thoughts.
  7. Consult an expert—in the matters of job and career, a career coach—and present your thoughts using the expert as an objective sounding board. Let the expert challenge you in your assessment of which choice would be best. Do not let the expert dictate you the final choice. If they do walk away from them.
  8. As you get involved in coming to the right decision you will often have a sudden flash of new insight (your intuition is now kicking in), which will give you a very different perspective of what the change means, and what the right change to make for you is.
  9. Loop back with your family and share your insight. Let them share their thoughts about your insights. At this point you must listen to all inputs with care. At this point you may be surprised to learn how your intuited decision suits everyone’s agenda.

10.  Once you have gone through these steps you are ready to make the final decision. Go ahead and take the plunge, and do not look back. In most cases a decision so made will be the best one for you.

Good luck!

Posted in career growth, Career Repositioning, Career Tips, Enterpreneurship, Job Search, leadership, Life & Living, Mentoring, Uncategorized | No Comments »

The Perils of Mimicking Someone’s Success!

Oct 16th, 2011 by Dilip Saraf

“We’re here to put a dent in the universe.” – Steve Jobs, entrepreneur and inventor (1955-2011)

Some of my clients come to me asking for advice on how to be like someone they know, who has gone to become “successful.” Also, when I ask them what direction they want to take in their career, they often respond by saying, my father wants me to be a like Jim Smith, who is a successful architect, or like Sally Jones, who became a star attorney, etc. Yet, when I ask them what they want to do, I get a blank look. I find this very puzzling, because I do not know the circumstances under which their role model that they plan to mimic became successful. I also do not know if their parents or those asking them to follow a certain career path are goading them to carry out their own vicarious wish.

Secondly, even if I knew all that there was to know about that person they wish to mimic and their success, I would not advice my clients to exactly follow the path of their role model. Although there is nothing wrong with deriving inspiration from someone, who has gone on to epitomize what you aspire, to mimic someone’s success is a misguided notion.

Why?

Each one of us is unique, and each one of us embodies gifts that are our own. We are given these gifts to harness them, and to achieve something that is unique to our gifts. We are also destined to seek our own unique path. By succumbing to our temptation to mimic someone, just because they are successful in our eyes, we are resigning to leading a life that is not ours, and are surrendering to a life that is not as rich as it could be. So, what do we need to do to lead a life that is our own?

  1. If someone inspires you by their accomplishments, and you wish to pursue what they went on to accomplish, find out what they are doing (or did) to be rewarded with that success, rather than merely imitating how they did what they did.
  2. Instead of merely following their path with a desire to become someone you admire, chart out your own path and conquer your own quests. In the process you will discover who you are, and find new untapped inspiration to continue on your path.
  3. Connect with the person you admire and derive inspiration from them. If that person is no more, learn about them through their writings, works, and those whom they touched.
  4. Remember, even the person, who went on to accomplish their original quest cannot often beat or even repeat that success, because it is impossible to replicate an inspired creation. This is why second acts, even by the most celebrated achievers, often fail to make the impact of their original feats!
  5. Do not be afraid to fail, but do not focus on the failure. If you plan, apply your gifts to the cause at hand, and stay focused on your purpose, any “failure” you encounter will only advance your resolve.
  6. Discover your gifts as you pursue your own path and then use those gifts to further your quest. In this quest you will find your own gifts becoming even more valued as you advance your journey.
  7. As the late Steve Jobs said in his 2005 Stanford commencement address, “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other people drown out your inner voice. And, most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary. Stay hungry, stay foolish!”

Good luck!

Posted in career growth, Career Tips, Enterpreneurship, leadership, Life & Living, Mentoring | 1 Comment »

Re-Discovering Joy in Your Job!

Oct 8th, 2011 by Dilip Saraf

In my career coaching practice I am often a witness to the stress my clients feel at work. Although some stress (the positive kind) is inevitable and good for you to get going, excessive stress (the negative kind) is detrimental to your performance, health, and to your family life. Studies over the past 50 years have consistently shown that nearly 80% of those working are unhappy in what they do—and hence are stressed, and almost 60% are ready to quit their job, even without knowing what the next job would bring them. In majority of the cases that I encounter in my practice, it is their boss that causes them to suffer this fate. Next in line: their work environment, toxic colleagues, overall compensation, and promotional prospects.

Regardless of what is making you suffer this work malaise, I am convinced that there are ways of finding joy in what you do. Here are some of the tips I give my clients:

  1. Make a periodic audit of your job and write down what makes it great, and what makes it a threat (to your well being, career, and future).
  2. Now make a prioritized list from the “ threat” column and write down actions you can take to eliminate or neutralize those threats. For example, if you boss is causing you grief (majority of the complaints in my practice), then further analyze what aspect of your relationship with the boss is causing you grief, and identify remedies.
  3. If you are suffering from excessive and mounting workload, make a list of tasks that you are expected to complete and have a discussion with your boss about the right priorities, resources needed to complete those tasks, and what support you need to do your job. I find that many clients suffer this burden in silence to show how brave and loyal they are to their boss and to their company. Yes, certain amount of loyalty is good, but it is not worth the bad effects it creates, including to your health and well-being.
  4. If you are suffering from less than ideal relationships with your peers and colleagues, try to identify what you can do to improve those relationships. Do not expect to change them (you cannot change people, but merely changing your attitude in your relationship with others does wonders!). Meet with them and have a meaningful conversation that will allow you to change your role in that relationship, one peer at a time!
  5. If your work environment is toxic, see what you can do to change it, one item at a time. Take on some initiatives on your own and show that you care to change, rather than merely complaining about what is wrong. Once others see the positive change, they, too, will follow your lead!
  6. Try to expand your skill set by learning a new skill and taking on a new assignment. Volunteering for such assignments is the best way to show that you want to grow. Once you have a discussion about your excessive workload with your boss and get an agreement on how you are going to deliver on your commitments, you may find it easier to look for some assignments you can take on your own.
  7. Make yourself more visible to others, especially to senior management. Rather than working in your cubicle and toiling away, you can create much greater visibility for yourself by participating in activities that give you management visibility.
  8. Write notes of appreciation to those who have done great work, even though that work does not directly support your agenda. Send a copy of that note to their boss and to your boss. This simple (and free) act will make you visible. People will be anxiously waiting to get your notes of appreciation (regardless of you station!).
  9. If you think that you have reached a point where none of the above is doable, then make a plan to find yourself a new job. Bad economy or not, nothing is worth having a heart attack over a job that you do not care about!

10.  When it comes to seeking joy in what you do, I am often reminded of the words the late Steve Jobs spoke in his 2005 Stanford commencement address, “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other people drown out your inner voice. And, most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary. Stay hungry, stay foolish!”

So, if none of the tips (#s 1-9) work for you, carefully read the last one and listen to yourself!

Good luck!

Posted in career growth, Career Repositioning, Career Tips, Enterpreneurship, Helping Others, leadership, Life & Living, Office Behaviour | 2 Comments »

Listening to Your Inner Voice!

Sep 26th, 2011 by Dilip Saraf

Many of my entrepreneurial clients often come to me with their ideas in early stages of their venture. Although some of them bring ideas that appear good on paper, others come having done much work on their concepts, and even having built working models of their products or concepts. When they showcase their idea to me, they are all excited and are full of energy about what their idea is going to do to change the world. So, when I ask them where they need my help, they often relate to those who have told them that their idea is not going to work. In many cases these skeptics are investors or VCs, whose funding is critical to the next phase of the client’s venture.

Such an obstacle is not just limited to an investor’s skepticism. Throughout our lives we come up with ideas that we feel are worth pursuing—even something that will benefit your place of work. Often, new ideas need validation, or other ideas to make them work. Sometimes, we even need someone’s commitment to make our idea come to life, such as their money, support, or ongoing expertise.

In the early stages of many such ideas, skeptics will often shy away from getting involved, which is most notable when it comes to investing money or resources. They may even tell you that whatever it is that you are pursuing cannot be done, often supporting their argument with some specious reasoning or excuses that seem plausible. In most cases what it means is that they are trying to dissuade you from pursuing what you believe in, because they themselves see no way of doing what you are trying to do. That is it!

So, the next time you wish to pursue something to change the world in a small or a big way—something that may even change how your company is run—and someone says that it cannot be done, do not walk away discouraged. Walk away triumphant, instead, because you are now going to do something that they think that they cannot do!

Now, isn’t that empowering?

So, here are my suggestions for you to do, when others tell you that cannot be done:

  1. Once you develop your idea, vet it in its nascent state with some research, or validate with proxies that convince you that you are on the right track.
  2. Continue to refine your ideas by trying it on others, or on potential customers, and use their inputs to further refine your original idea. If your idea is radically different, do not believe in focus groups, but just on your instincts. Remember, if Henry Ford had held focus groups they would have come back to him with a request for a faster horse.
  3. Find Early Adopters, who are most inclined to make your idea work, and who enthusiastically embrace what you are trying to do. Use their feedback to further refine your idea to expand to the next enthusiastic group.
  4. Expand your reach, and evaluate if your idea stands the test of a broader audience, and further refine it.
  5. If you cannot find financial support, bootstrap your idea with whatever you can rustle, and show your commitment through sacrifice, dedication, and passion.

Remember, if you really believe in your idea, only you have the best chance of making it work!

Good luck!

Posted in Career Repositioning, Enterpreneurship, Job Search, leadership, Life & Living | No Comments »

Avoiding Career Stagnation!

Sep 18th, 2011 by Dilip Saraf

An inventor is simply a fellow who doesn’t take his education too seriously. —Charles F. Kettering, Inventor, businessman (1876–1958)

Many of my clients, who come to me, complain about stagnation in their jobs, or even their careers. In many cases I find that they have stayed in one place or job and have not ventured out beyond what they acquired as their original educational discipline or skills.

Education plays a big role in one’s getting ready for their life’s challenges. It is, though, often a double-edged sword: on the one hand it molds your mind to deal with new challenges by equipping you with the academic discipline, knowledge, and tools—learning how to learn; but on the other, it limits your perspective with what you have learned and how you have learned it as you educate yourself in a particular discipline. To vivify your career cross-discipline engagements and activities are key to both, your personal development and your ongoing success.

So, what is the message for those who feel fettered by their education or being in one job too long to pursue new avenues to channel their creativity? Here are some avenues:

  1. If you are a student diversify your coursework with topics that are way outside your main pursuit or core coursework to get a different perspective and to learn how a very different academic discipline provides a new insight. This will open your mind to new possibilities, even as you graduate, and will prepare you to do this as an adult.
  2. If you are already in a career and headed towards stagnation take some courses that will not just advance your skill, but that will also open your mind to new possibilities.
  3. In your professional life, venture out and take on new challenges that require you to learn new skills and to attack problems outside your comfort zone. Taking on new challenges expands your mind and gives you the confidence to tackle even greater challenges. Most people grossly underestimate their potential.
  4. In one of my earlier blogs I emphasized that if you are in one job too long (without advancement for more than three years, or in one company for more than six), you must consider making a major change by taking some risk and by seeking some guidance. In today’s workplace there are so many business challenges that merely looking at job boards is not enough to consider another job. Prospectively explore how you can leverage your special and unique skills in an entirely new direction, both within your company and outside.
  5. Talk to your customers and find new ways to create exciting experiences for them. Bring that knowledge into your workplace and propose changes to how things are routinely done.
  6. Learn how your competitors are addressing new challenges in the market and find avenues to surpass your competitors.
  7. Network with others who typically do not belong in your professional circle. Go out of the way to tap people who made a name for themselves in an entirely different field and observe how they think and tackle their challenges.
  8. Find mentors in different areas of expertise and those who have accomplished something worthwhile. If you are taking on a new challenge in a venturesome direction their guidance and inspiration can help you achieve your goals.
  9. Do not be afraid to fail. It is the fear of failure that holds people back from trying new things. Also, each failure—more than a success—teaches a new lesson, which helps us grow. So, congratulate yourself every time you have a setback and learn how to overcome it.

10.  While you are pursuing new avenues to grow do not lose sight of your expected mission in your job and deliver excellence wherever you are.

Getting comfortable at one station in your life is the source of one’s stagnation. So, go and venture out to seek new paths and surprise yourself!

Good luck!

Posted in career growth, Career Repositioning, Career Tips, Consulting, Enterpreneurship, Job Search, leadership, Life & Living, Resume | No Comments »

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