Tag: Corporate Life

Is Everyone’s Dream-Job Your Dream Job as Well?

A particular job may be a dream of many, but is it your dream as well? The answer lies in understanding your sense of authenticity.

Shreya had just landed a dream job. At least what was supposed to be a dream job.

It was a high post with a prestigious multinational company. A job that attracted not just prestige and results but even considerable envy. But somehow as she started to work at the company, the initial excitement started to wear off. It’s not that the job hadn’t lived up to its expectations- it had given Shreya everything- her desired income, recognition and incentives. It had given her everything except one thing: the feeling that she was being herself.

As we hold this thought, let us take one more example of someone who landed their (supposed) dream job. Along with Shreya, Sumit joined the same company- the dream of many. But unlike Shreya, Sumit couldn’t get as much recognition for his work. He was well qualified, and he did the best according to his abilities, but somehow, things just didn’t feel aligned for Sumit.

Although the Sumit couldn’t perform well, and on the other hand Shreya did manage to get her due recognition, at the core, they both had the same issue- a prestigious company just didn’t make the job feel good, and one ended up feeling out of place and drained. Going to work every day and doing even the simplest of tasks became a struggle for Shreya and Sumit.

Fast forward to a year and Shreya had started her own company dealing with sustainable fashion. It was a small company, nowhere close to the prestigious multinational she was a part of earlier, but everyday Shreya looked forward to going to work. The awards she got for entrepreneurship felt meaningful to her. She found the challenging work of finding investors and increasing the reach of her new company mentally stimulating, and despite the hard work, she rarely felt drained.

Let us fast forward to Sumit and he had become the general manager at a small company. He had quit the multinational company and started a new job at this smaller company. From the start, unlike the multinational company, Sumit felt at ease, and found the work challenging in a good way. The company wasn’t too well-known when Sumit joined, but as Sumit found his path in the company, that started to change. Over time, the company became one of the most well-known companies in the field: the company and Sumit both had grown with and through each other. 

In both the examples above, is a golden lesson in authenticity. Rather than simply aiming for prestige and jobs that look great on paper, one can aim for a job that fits their own sense of authenticity. Prestige and recognition will follow as wonderful ‘side-effects.’

Shreya as a person was someone who believed in sustainability, loved fashion and loved challenges, and hence starting her own company didn’t feel like a big draining challenge as compared to the prestigious job at the big multinational even though on paper, objectively speaking, it was supposed to be the other way around. Sumit gained fame and fortune out of a supposed smaller company, and helped the company rise as well. Turns out, what is ‘on paper’ can change!

One may land a job that is a dream to many; one may even find great or some success in it. But is the job your dream? Is the success meaningful to you? These are the questions that matter in the long run. Perhaps the adage ‘work at the job you love and you won’t have to work a day’ finds a renewed meaning this way.

How Dealing with Difficulties is Easier than Thinking about them

Accepting the reality of difficulties, and taking it one moment at a time can be a better strategy to deal with it than thinking about it constantly.

The past few years have taught us two crucial lessons which balance out each other in a harmonious way. Lesson one being: things can definitely take a turn for the worse, and the immediate lesson two being: we are resilient and stronger than we think.

Whether we are dealing with global events, or day-to-day situations at work, it is worth keeping in mind that thinking about a difficulty gives us a harder time than actually living through the difficulty. That is not to say that personal and collective losses, difficulties shouldn’t be taken seriously or that they don’t impact. The gist is that dwelling on a difficulty takes a greater toll on us than accepting the reality and doing something about it. Consider these scenarios.

-A candidate seems to have ghosted on an offer and now you are wondering how you are going to undertake the process all over again, and what are you going to tell your client! Now what?

-The person who was supposed to be your flat-mate has suddenly cancelled and now you are left with the burden of paying the entire rent. You can’t stop thinking about what you are going to do and how you are going to manage with your time of financial crunch. Having the flat-mate was part of the plan to share the burden in the first place! Now what?

-Your workload seems to be increasing progressively through the week, you don’t ever see it reducing. Plus, a colleague has fallen sick, and their part of the workload is soon going to fall on you as well. As if your own workload wasn’t overwhelming you enough! Now what?

We can go on with endless scenarios of this sort. In situations of uncertainty and difficulty, dwelling on those situations is almost never something that makes things better. Instead, what can be done is to:

Accept the reality: We are often living on edge about perceived negativity of a situations. We often feel like something truly horrible cannot ever happen to us. The truth is, it can. Situations can turn horrible and uncertain. But that is part of being a human, and we are all gifted with resilience. The sooner we accept the reality, the sooner that resilience can come to surface.

Be kind to yourself: Perhaps you think it is because of you that something went wrong. Maybe you didn’t communicate well enough, or you were a poor judge of something. Maybe yes, maybe no. Only hindsight can give us answers to such dilemmas. Whether something was your fault or not, it is worth reminding yourself that it is okay to make mistakes and learn from them. While holding yourself up to a high standard and work-ethic is a good practice, being accountable and the best version of yourself should overlap with being kind to yourself.

Take the present, one moment at a time: On the other spectrum of dwelling on what has happened, is thinking about the future (often the worse-case scenario). Living in the present, practicing mindfulness is the key here to finding the solutions. As uncertainties and difficult times fall upon us, it makes sense to pause, and think only about what the immediate next step should be. The rest, we do not know. Step one, step two. Step three and four would soon unfold and we would eventually know how step five looks like. We don’t know it yet, but we would. Soon. The beauty of living in the present, and embracing that we don’t know is that step ten might surprise us pleasantly!

Difficult people, difficult situations, uncertain times and exasperating times of ‘oh here we go again’ might follow us wherever we go. But the key lies in adapting a growth-mindset. Meaning? To embrace that reality, have a willingness to learn and grow, and to take it one moment at a time, knowing that we don’t know. Knowing that living through a difficult situation is a lot easier than thinking about it.

Lives of Happy Candidates: Mr. Gopal Singh Bisht

Success story_Gopal Bisht

The meaning of “success” is somewhat elusive. It means differently to different people.

For some, it is all about fame and fortune. For others, it includes finding enough time to follow one’s passion, and sometimes, exclusively just that. In yet another sense, success means achieving a certain peace of mind. A common perception of the term has to do with achieving a perfect work-life balance.

Generally health, wealth and an increased learning are safe indicators of “success.”

Many believe in letting success do the talking.

We believe in our successful candidates do the talking!

Settling, being comfortable in a new place is no mean feat. Mr. Gopal Singh Bisht, who works at Parco Group of Industries in Nigeria has some happy words to say.

” I am grateful to you for connecting me with Parco Group. I am well-settled here and doing well. ”

Mr. Gopal Singh Bisht
Mr. Gopal Singh Bisht

 

He continues, “So far I am enjoying my work with African Foundaries Limited. I have also gained more experience, which I am sure would help me in my career in near future.”

He also tells us how he finds time to have fun.

“Apart from working, there is time for pleasure here as well. We go to different parts of the country for refreshment: shopping, to the beach, etc.”

Times at the beach
Times at the beach

 

As one can see, Nigeria has a lot more to offer than the negative stereotypes we come across through hearsay and exaggerations.

Learning, and becoming a better professional requires adapting to the new place. We give kudos to Mr. Bisht for actively doing so. But more importantly, any new endeavor should not only be conducive to professional success but also to general well-being and health. And our happy candidate proves this with his testimonial.

“Working in this company, I have learned to accommodate according to the rules laid down by the management. I must confess this is the best company I have worked with. The environment is conducive. The offices are good. The place has affected my health in a positive manner.”

Good health, professional growth, work-life balance, hope for the future, gratitude are some great indicators of success and Mr. Bisht has articulated that.