/By Nitten Nair/Being in between jobs is one of the most stressful periods one can face irrespective of whatever stage one is in the career. For the junior levels, it can lead to doubt in one’s capabilities and the feeling of being on the back foot at the early stages of a career. Mid to senior levels are concerned about having a break in their career and how to explain it to recruiters. Senior to top management is concerned if they can actually find a job that will not seem to be a step down from their previous role.

Please note I am not even going to touch the effects on a personal level for people in this precarious situation. As I myself have been in this situation before in my life so far (am going through a self-imposed break to realign my career objectives as I write this), I learnt that a few things done in the right way can not only relieve the stress and depression one goes through in this period, it can also help when we face a recruiter the next time.

Here are a few things that I did that ensured that I managed to not only not get into fits of depression but also created habits and activities that impressed my future employers.

• Job hunting is a full-time job. So treat every day the same as you would if you were going to work. Wake up at the same time, take a shower, shave and get out of your pajamas. You do not have to wear a suit at home but be prepared to go for an interview at short notice.
• Set daily tasks and targets. Manage your time in visiting job sites, sending out cold emails to potential recruiters or any other activity that you do in your job search. Make lists of dream companies where you would like to work and try connecting with people who work there or visit their websites. Many companies do not post their jobs on job boards.
• Perfect your pitch. What other time would be perfect to work on your pitch? There are three main pitches you have to work on. The most important being the answer to the “Tell me about yourself” question that is by default the first question most recruiters ask. Second is your cold email text. This is the body of the email you send to potential recruiters. Third, although I personally feel that it is quite outdated, is your cover letter. Make multiple versions of all three and then finally, zero down on one each that perfectly describes you.
• Get your “reason for leaving” story right. I am totally against lying during an interview. I do not recommend you come up with a fantastic storyline as to why you are looking for the job. Be honest but that does not mean you become so blunt that you say, “I was fired for poor performance.” Being laid off is not a stigma in today’s world anymore so do not feel ashamed to admit that you were. Ensure that your back story (Reasons leading up to the layoff) is explained clearly while highlighting the positives during your previous stints. If you were fired for fraud or malpractice… You are on your own.
• Introspect. This brief period gives you an opportunity to take time and think about your career. Is this your passion or are you in it just for the money? What would you like to accomplish in your 30 odd years of working? There are numerous questions that you can ask yourself. I had made a list of 15 questions and tackled one question a day. Did the research, read, studied and wrote down my thoughts. At the end of the cycle, I would revisit the same question and check if I still felt the same. I still do it irrespective of whether I am employed or not.
• Start a hobby. There is surely no person on this planet who never had a hobby or interest. Revisit it and stick with it. In my case, I always loved to write. I started my blog The Book Of Ojuufo when I was in between jobs and am really happy to say that it is slowly blossoming into a popular blog. Plus I got the opportunity to have my own column here on The Arabian Post solely based on the contents of my blog.
• Learn something new. I have always been a fan of lifelong learning. Pick out an interesting topic or thing you would like to learn and devote a few hours a day towards it. During my last break, I got my certificate in Communications from the University of Amsterdam. Now I am planning to learn Android development if this break is confirmed. It also gives you an angle to communicate with the recruitment officer. “I have been using this time to learn basic accounting along with looking for new opportunities” sounds so much better than “I have been applying and attending interviews during this period.”
• Network. Connect with people both on social media as well as in person. If not resulting in a job directly, you will manage to be on the mind of your connections who could point you to a job opening or provide you with a reference.
• Smile and remain upbeat. This transition phase can be tough on everyone. The key is to not let it discourage you. Find reasons to smile and remain optimistic. Recruiters are like sharks. If they even smell the slightest trace of blood (desperation), they go for the kill (Negotiate like crazy on your package).

None of this will guarantee that you land your dream job. But it is sure to keep you active and focused on your job hunt. Apart from that, you will build that personality that recruiters will want to, at least, meet for an interview.

The article How to deal with a brief unemployment period? appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Nitten Nair/We are taught from a very young age to have career goals and to “aim” to be at the top of our chosen field before we decide to call it a day. I am sure many of you would have been asked the question, “Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?”

This profound question sows the seeds of having a career goal or objective into our lives from our very first interview. Nowadays, most graduates have a pre-prepared answer for this before they sit for an interview and have rehearsed the answer for multiple scenarios.

Most of the goals revolve around the position or designation you would like to see yourself in or the paycheck that you take home at the end of the month. For others, they go through life without any goals and like to call it “going with the flow” or “to wherever life takes me”. Both approaches have their own benefits and drawbacks. Many professionals fail to realize that there is another approach.

When I started out my career as a bartender in J W Marriott, Mumbai, my idea of having a successful career was to be the Food and Beverage Manager. I even said that in my interview. I felt that once I get my own office and get to wear a suit, I have become a success in my chosen industry. That lasted for 8 months. I got promoted as the Head Bartender and was the youngest Head Bartender in the history of the hotel till then. That is when I realized that the next promotion would not be as quick and the competition would be tougher.

I realized quite early in my career that those five year plans were not as solid as I initially felt. Being the impatient ambitious guy I was, these plans would not hold my enthusiasm for long and I would be demotivated quite soon. Then I spent almost a year not knowing what I wanted to do in my career and like all confused young adults of my time went ahead and did an MBA instead of taking a year off and traveling. Bad choice in hindsight.

But that year and a half did wonders for me at a different level. I was able to set two sets of goals – academic and career. Will discuss academic goals in another post.

That is when I realized that our goals need not be based on specifics but on end objectives. Growth in my career has always come to me as I was not focused on the journey but on the simple silly targets I set for myself. As I was not focused on the specifics of my journey, I was able to enjoy it to the maximum and learn something new every day.

My career goals have never been to a particular company I want to work for (Although I still dream of the day I work for Google – even as a janitor) or the designation I want to have in a pre-defined amount of time. It was never even about the type of job even though I do have preferences on what I will do and what I won’t. Nor was it about working in a particular country or city. In all these regards, I let the universe dictate the journey and have no regrets in all the ups and downs I have faced. It was all worth it.

Before moving to Dubai, my career objectives were raw. Blame it on the limited exposure people from the subcontinent have in careers other than engineering and medicine. As I complete four working years in Dubai (19 years in total), I have a firm grasp on my career objectives. Reading through my list will give the impression of having an extremely silly or even shallow approach to something that the majority of the world takes very seriously. All I can say is… It works!!

My career objective list is as follows –

• Start my own company (Done)
• Work in a boutique agency (Done)
• Start a whole new business unit (Done)
• Win a regional award (Done)
• Win an International Award (Done)
• Work in a NASDAQ listed company (Done)
• Work in a Billion Dollar company (Done)
• Have a monthly income of XX, XXX AED (Almost there)
• Work for a government entity (Pending)
• Work for a company with its name on the building (Technically Done but would put it as Pending)
• Win a Cannes Lion (Pending)

This list will get added on and amended as I go on with my career but I will never limit myself to the conventional process of defining a career. The only definitive goal in my list is the last one. It is there for a purpose – to be my defining moment. The moment when I decide that my career is no longer about objectives, growth, goals and targets but to shift gears into a more holistic level.

This might make my CV a little volatile for traditional recruiters and bring up red flags but hey… At the end of the day, all that matters is whether my career has brought fulfillment to myself.

To quote the immortal Michael Jackson – “It’s time to stop existing and start living.”

The article Do you have a ‘standard’ career goal? appeared first on Arabian Post.

LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network and most of us have an account. Let’s face it, no one actually reads 95% of the stuff that appears on the feed but there is so much of sharing done that LinkedIn is slowly inching closer and closer to the top of the list of largest content aggregators.

There are 3 main types of users of the platform and it is really interesting to note these behavioral traits on a platform where everyone is expected to “behave”.

1. The person who updates and maintains his or her profile perfectly. The job history is up to date with a detailed description of the work profile. Actively participates in “social networking” norms and connects with people often.
2. The person who updates the personal profile only when job hunting. A majority of the users of LinkedIn fall into this category. They take pains to maintain their profile only when actively looking for a job and once they bag a job, the profile is left in the wilderness until the next need arises.
3. The person who just has a profile and that’s it. No profile image, no updates and has a job update dating back to 2006 when the account was first opened. There are plenty of these accounts on LinkedIn as well.

I personally feel that one should have a well maintained LinkedIn presence. Since it is not a popularity contest like Instagram or an ‘express anything’ platform like Facebook, maintaining one should not be that much of a job. Just invest a few minutes on it every month and you have a decent professional profile that you can be proud of.

Here are some basic tips that I follow and have worked wonders for me. By wonders I mean, getting calls from recruiters without having to contact them, getting invited to speak at forums and connecting with people in my domain who are actually worth having a professional acquaintance with.

• Invest in a professional studio picture – Please do not upload a selfie or a picture of you chilling at the beach as your profile image. If you do not have a professional studio picture, get one. It is essential is establishing that first impression. A suit is not essential; a solid color shirt would do as well. No passport photographs!!!
• List out all your professional achievements – This is one place where you get to flaunt all your major and minor career achievements without judgment. So be it the Employee of the Month you received in January 2010 or the Cannes Gold Lion, list it!! Your resume does not have space for all this. This also includes any white papers you have written or videos of any seminars you have presented. DO NOT UPLOAD PRESENTATIONS that you may have made while working for a company.
• Mention your non-professional (personal) projects – Many of us have a small personal project that we are proud of – A blog, an amateur photography page or even a personal website. Use this to showcase your personality and interests and this will be far more powerful than listing out your hobbies.
• Accept all invites – Many people might not agree with this but this is something I do. I accept connection requests from whoever sends me an invite. This not only helps in expanding my network, it also helps in getting in touch with someone who might be a mutual connection for professional reasons like new business opportunities, job openings or even mentorship.
• Write a brief but comprehensive summary – I have noticed many people write elaborate summaries and try to cram in every bit of information about them as possible in that space. Trust me… No one reads it. You, however, need to have a short (100 – 150 word) summary detailing who you are and what you are all about. For e.g. “Creative problem solver with a knack for taking the unbeaten path to deliver results” can easily get the point across faster than writing 5 paragraphs explaining how you started your career and how you reached where you are.
• Change your tagline – Many people do not realize that their tagline can be changed. By default, LinkedIn lists your latest job role as your tagline. Change it to have keywords that define your work experience or skills. SEO will pick up those keywords when recruiters search for someone. Your current job role is by default subject to the LinkedIn SEO anyways, why to waste precious real estate on repeat information.
• Share interesting work/domain related stuff – Instead of sharing an article about the latest trends in digital technology on Facebook, share it on LinkedIn. The crowd who might actually see it are the ones who actually might find it useful. But be very selective what you share as LinkedIn will not showcase everything you shared but only the latest on your profile. You don’t want an article on genome mapping to be overshadowed by a cat video.
• Describe in detail your job role – This is a no-brainer. LinkedIn provides you the space to be as detailed as you want about your current and past job roles. List out all your work activities, clients and projects. You can be as detailed as you want. This allows you to walk around with a 2-page resume with only a summary of every job role. Details if required can be checked on your profile.

Almost all of this stuff is a one-time investment. Sit at your laptop and invest an hour in updating your profile with all these details. Once you accomplish that, all you have to do is revisit the profile once a day or a couple of times a week to maintain it. After all, to move ahead in your career, you do need to invest in yourself.

The article Basic rules to maintaining your LinkedIn account appeared first on Arabian Post.

/By Nitten Nair/All of us have that one friend who manages to live a “privileged” life without working in some large MNC known to dish out huge paychecks. I, for one, have quite a few whom I regularly interact with. The gross pay of these friends or acquaintances might not be on par with the industry in general but they love working there and have very little intention to move.

I realized that the main reason for this phenomenon is the fact that these companies manage to attract employees by providing them with non-monetary benefits or perks that are probably unparalleled in the market. Even if not out of the world, these small perks tend to make the employee overlook the size of the monthly paycheck.

I talked to a few of my personal friends and connections on LinkedIn to get a feel of what perks they felt were most essential to offset their income. The answers I received ranged between basic and outlandish. I was, even more, surprised to learn that a few companies out here in Dubai actually offer these freebies to ensure that they retain their best employees.

Some of the common ones:

• Free Parking spot –  Extremely popular and in demand for employees working in and around Dubai Media City and Dubai Internet City, where parking facilities are rare or other parking cards do not work.
• Work from home – Slowly growing in popularity as employers allow their staff to avail of this facility a couple of days a month; no questions asked.
• Flexible working hours – Many companies are shifting from the factory mindset allowing employees to come in to work according to their convenience as long as they clock in the minimum work hours every week. This is very popular among employees who have to regularly work late to meet client deadlines.
• Free snack bar – This policy of having unlimited free snacks in the office is slowly gaining momentum.
• Power nap break – Offices with the luxury of space are now allowing employees to catch a few winks during their lunch break or otherwise. Sleeping at their desk is also not frowned upon as this short break is scientifically proven to enhance focus and concentration at work.
• Family insurance – With the high costs of medical facilities in the country, this one was a no-brainer.

Some of the uncommon (to die for) ones I came across are:

• Free gym membership
• Education allowance for up to 3 children
• 1^st Class flight tickets for business travel
• New company car every 2 years
• 36 working days paid vacation in a year
• Reduced work timings for expectant or new mothers

I agree that some of these perks depend on the seniority level within the company but hey… It’s really cool to have them.

Do you have any perks that you are proud of?

The article How do non paymasters attract the best employees? appeared first on Arabian Post.

The “Know-it-All”
Now who does not know this type of moron? This is the guy or girl who gives matter of fact answers like, “I know”, “Obviously”, I knew it before” etc to every single topic being discussed. They obviously do not know the difference between a penny and a pony but will go to lengths to state otherwise.
Extreme case: When the “Know-it-All” is a decision maker and the oft-repeated term becomes “Do it because I said so.”
Survival tactic: Do not interrupt them when they are in the “zone”. Let them claim they know stuff. The truth will be out later. If you would like to call their bluff, ask an innocent question on the topic pretending you do not know.

The “Insecure Schemer”
Not everyone is confident about his or her ability to hold on to the current job and constantly lives in the fear of not being able to find another one. These morons then go into extreme survival mode where they go all out to hide their inefficiency instead of admitting it and seeking help. They expend all their energy in ensuring that no other member of the team is highlighted in anyway and become extremely defensive in all situations.
Extreme case: When the “Insecure Schemer” gets close to the decision maker and begins to cloud the decision maker’s judgment and pull strings the way they want.
Survival tactic: STAY CLEAR!! This is a hopeless kind of moron who cannot be tackled through tact. Ensure the concerned people take notice of you in the right way.

The “Perennial Pessimist”
Have you ever had a person on your team or at work that is constantly negative? No solution is ever good enough, no project is ever exciting enough, and no team member is ever doing enough. These morons are depressing to be around and can quickly sap your enthusiasm and excitement.
Extreme case: When the “Perennial Pessimist” is in a position of influence. This is an extremely precarious situation especially when it involves new recruits.
Survival tactic: Listen and forget. Let them crib and complain to you but never indulge them by expressing your issues. Once they feel that the negativity is not rubbing off and they do not have a “complain buddy” they will distance themselves automatically.

The “Credit Stealer”
This would be the most common type of moron that everyone is aware of. The person who waits till all the work is done and then sweeps in towards the end putting in a few minor touches and then taking all the credit for the work. There are plenty out there right?
Extreme case: When the “Credit Stealer” is the cause for a loss of appraisal, bonus or in some cases, your job.
Survival tactic: Ensure that the delegator and other team members are aware of who is doing what and to keep all team members updated with regular status reports.

The “Manipulator”
This is the most difficult of all morons to handle. Mainly because we would not be able to determine what their plan of action is or how they will be going about it. These morons are usually found in close company with main decision makers although not uncommon in other lower levels.
Extreme case: When the “Manipulator” also happens to be your boss.
Survival tactic: Keep your eyes and ears open. Also most importantly, do not jump to conclusions or react impulsively. Always take “off the record” info with a pinch of salt.

The article 5 Types of morons at work and how to tackle them appeared first on Arabian Post.

I’ve had people of the previous generation tell me proudly how they have been “consistent” and not changed one bit in the past 30 years. They are extremely proud of their fixed routines and the stability that they claim to be an example for the present and future generations. In my opinion, this is complete hogwash. It just goes to show how much fear has governed their lives.

Yes… FEAR!! Fear of the unknown, fear of losing control, fear of financial instability, fear of social pressure, fear of confusion, fear of being uncomfortable, fear of one’s mortality etc. The list is endless. In many cases, fear becomes the single most influential factor that determines a person’s career and life.

I have worked with colleagues whose main motivation to come to work is that if they did not turn up and work “hard” they could get fired. Is getting fired a good enough motivation to devote almost 10 hours of your day on something that apparently does not give you an iota of happiness? I really don’t think so.

Then there are others who refuse to look for better options even though they hate their current job only because they are not sure what to expect once they decide to make the shift. The fear of moving out of their comfort zone literally makes them glued to a role and organization for as long as the company will have them. I have seen many colleagues who are far more skilled than the role and company they have settled for in my career so far. Look around you, and you would find the same.

Organizations typically love to feed the fuel when it comes to fear. This is the single most cost-effective and effortless method of employee retention that an HR has. Companies who truly value their employees tend to take a route far different that this – look at Google with its amazing workspace or Facebook with its innovative HR policies.

If you are among those who are governed by fear and who after introspection feel that the life decisions have been influenced mainly by fear, here are 2 things that you should start doing.

1)  Stop equating dedication to loyalty.

Now this is one of the biggest mistakes we do when we are overcome with fear. We tend to start believing that our dedication to work is directly proportional to the years we spend with a company. Not only is this completely absurd, it also robs an individual of the ability to think beyond his or her current company. Your dedication to work should only be equated to the quality of your output and nothing else. Period.

2) Update your profile on job sites and browse through job openings even if you are NOT actively looking for a change.

Now this might seem strange but it is essential for 2 main reasons. One, this gives you a fair idea of the market requirements of a profile in your selected domain. This allows you to either update yourself to match the requirements or upgrade yourself to a better role according to your skill set. Secondly, it also gives you an idea of the compensation that a person in your role can expect in the market. This is essential as the salary package is known to be a major influence in determining the level of resistance to change.

This might not be much but once you start practicing them, it will have a profound effect on your current mindset that is loaded with fear. This will slowly impart courage to make a change or will open your eyes to reality and make you take the plunge that you always wished you could.

To quote former American president F.D. Roosevelt – “There is nothing to fear but fear itself.”

The article How much does FEAR determine your career choices? appeared first on Arabian Post.

This rapport also gave me the opportunity to witness some of the most absurd things to come from their mouth at times. Some were hilarious while some were downright insane.

So in no particular order, here goes. In cases where a little context is required, I will be providing it.

• “Nitten, ensure you store water today. There will be no water supply in the hotel tomorrow.” – Random call from my boss who was off duty when I was closing the bar for the day. (Possibly drunk)
• “Nitten, don’t look at it as PR. It’s all about Pyar (Love)” – When I asked how my boss has such good PR with the guests.
• “Your commitment to work will be measured by the amount of time you spend in office.” – A supposed motivational talk by the boss.
• “No one will leave this meeting until someone confesses about the toilet.” – A meeting called by the boss to investigate who forgot to flush the toilet.
• “You should think about work all the time and be stressed about it.” – Boss trying to explain how crucial the project is.
• “If he doesn’t pay the money, catch him by the b***s and make him pay” – Boss stressing how important it is to collect payment from the client.
• “If I give you a laptop, you will take work home. Then I will have to put up with you bringing home to work.” – Boss explaining why we are only allowed desktops at work.
• “I blame myself. I am not able to excite you enough.” – Boss explaining an average appraisal.
• “You need to do more of my work. Only then I will have time to do my bosses’ work.” – Boss delegating work to me.
• “We need to ensure that xxxxxxx (My boss’s boss) is promoted. Then I can be promoted. Only then I can promote you.” ­– Boss explaining hierarchy and career plan.
• “Convince or confuse. No other way around it.” – Boss explaining how to get a client to agree to a campaign.
• “Dealing with him is an occupational hazard. That is why we give you full coverage insurance.” – Boss trying to calm me down after dealing with a tough client.
• “Leave office and go home to your wife on time. Or else someone else will…” – Boss explaining why we should not stay late in office.

There were probably a few more weird ones but these are the ones that I can probably never forget.

The article Weirdest things I have heard my bosses say appeared first on Arabian Post.

To make my point here let me stick to my domain: Marketing. In this domain too we have a healthy mix of specialists and generalists and there is a perennial battle to determine who should have a bigger role in the opinion and insights market.

A specialist in marketing is one who has stuck to one aspect of marketing his entire career and has in depth knowledge of his chosen sub domain. Now, with marketing being such a wide and intricate domain, there are various specialists you will see out there. It can be as straightforward as a Digital specialist to something as obscure as a Trends Analyst.

With the explosion of the digital era, the number of specialists in the digital space has also increased at an exponential rate. You have your Social Media Marketing experts, SEO experts, etc etc etc. Even specialized fields such as ad buying have now been broken down.

On the other hand, a marketing generalist is one who has dabbled in multiple sub domains like PR, events, digital, social media, ATL, BTL etc and has a general understanding of how the marketing or brand ecosystem works. He or she has a decent understanding of how to utilize the various avenues in marketing available for best results.

Generalists usually tend to fit into multi disciplinary teams and are more tuned to go towards the strategy and planning aspects of marketing and tend to handle a lot of the coordinating work within the department. They are expected to be able to handle any work given to them.

Which of these roles excite you?

In a way, it all depends on the opportunity that presents itself before you once you join an organization. More than that, it also depends on what sort of individual you are and where your core competencies lie. A person who is not very comfortable going outside his or her comfort zone may prefer to stick on to a single role and get deeper and deeper into it. On the other hand, a naturally curious or “impatient” personality can only be satisfied by doing multiple things.

Now the most important question… Who ends up being more successful?

The specialists tend to have a greater say in matters pertaining to their particular expertise while the generalists tend to end up being the final decision maker. In major companies the head of the marketing division tends to be a generalist who has worked across various verticals of marketing and has a sound understanding of how all the elements work together.

Directly below the head of marketing, you find the specialists. They tend to be the key players in the team determining how and what everything in their sphere (branding, advertising, digital etc) will play out. Below them they have a mix of both generalists and specialists who go about the regular marketing operations as per their assigned role.

If you noticed… the higher you go, the more and more of a generalist you become. It is just the level of that is different. You tend to learn and practice more and more skills that are not directly within your allotted expertise area. Some might say this is essential to climb the corporate ladder.

In that case… Who will survive in the end?

In my opinion, if there was a direct toss up between the two, the generalist might just edge the specialist as it makes more business sense – someone to handle multiple roles for the price of one. But you definitely need to start somewhere. After all, how many times have you heard your boss say…

“Basically, I am from a ____________ background.”

The article Generalist versus Specialist appeared first on Arabian Post.

Last week, I happened to watch a short clip from the movie, shared by a friend on Facebook. It was a scene where George Clooney was in the process of firing an elderly gentleman, who had worked all his life in the same company. To cut a long story short, Clooney asks the man one question. It struck me like a bolt of lightning. That one question made me watch that clip repeatedly. (As of writing this, I have watched it 26 times). The question was:

“How much did they 1^st pay you to give up on your dreams?”

The context is simple. Until you pass out of college or university, your life has constantly been a kaleidoscope of dreams and views on your life, passion, career and more. Let’s call them dreams. Dreams that gave you happiness and hope, put a smile on your face and things you could spend hours thinking about. The moment you step out of university, something changes drastically.

You put away the kaleidoscope and replace it with a pair of glasses. One that “supposedly” will give you a clear idea on what path you should take to live a practical life. You decide to keep aside those dreams “for now” with plans to revisit them once you have “settled” in life. Sorry for the over use of inverted commas…

But how many of us actually manage to revisit them? Wait… I am asking the wrong question. How many of us decide not to compromise on those dreams? Stuff that would have actually made our life far more enriching and eventually given us what we ultimately need – happiness. Unfortunately, a very miniscule percentage.

Instead, we trade them all in and give up on them in exchange for a steady income in a socially acceptable company that we feel is the best bet in the long run. Then we move onto a life that is dictated or carved out for us by societal norms and we try to make the best of it. And we ask ourselves: Why are we not really happy?

I would like to go a step beyond what George Clooney asked. I would add the question…

“Was it worth it?”

In many cases giving up on those dreams and going along with the path described earlier might have actually been one of the best decisions one could have ever taken. What if you had a dream of becoming an opera singer but gave it up to become a banker? It would have been a very disappointing life if you were actually good at singing. What if you wanted to become an opera singer but could not hold a note for more than 3 seconds?  You would be miserable in life!!!

Going after your dream and going after your dream career are 2 different things. One will give you immense happiness doing it; the other will give you happiness in hindsight. The important part is that it has to be an element of your actual desire, not one that has been forced upon you.

So not all of us gave up a dream… Some of us just changed it!!

Ask yourself these two questions and answer them truthfully… You might get a whole new perspective on where you ought to be headed.

“How much did they 1^st pay you to give up on your dreams? Was it worth it?”

In my case…

I was paid 831 USD a year to give up my dream to become a Wildlife Researcher. Definitely NOT worth it!

The article How much did “they” pay you to give up on your dreams? appeared first on Arabian Post.

Life is not a byproduct of the quality or success of our careers, but our desired quality should be a driving factor that fuels our professional ambitions. If a particular job is not fulfilling these basic criteria, the solution is not to work harder and longer and hope for the best; but to source out other jobs that will satisfy our needs.

There are a few ways where you can extract the maximum out of life, maintain a decent work-life balance and also progress in your chosen career. I personally have seen an amazing change in myself once I started following them in the past 2 years.

Leave your laptop in office

This is a Golden Rule that for the past 2 years has made a huge difference in what I do after work hours. Firstly, the laptop is company property and in no way is it meant to be removed from office premises. Secondly, with the level of connectivity today it will be practically impossible not to check your work emails (especially if it’s from your boss or if he is in cc). Thirdly, having your laptop with you gives you the false “freedom” to take work home with you.

By leaving your laptop in the office, it allows you to explore the internet with stuff that actually interests you and not confine yourself to work. A firm decision not to carry your work home also gives you the impetus to focus on work during office hours as you need to finish your work in the office itself.

Leave work on time

This brings me to my second rule. Simply not carrying your laptop home does not guarantee that you will be able to do a lot of things after work. To abide by the firm decision on not carrying your laptop, you might end up sitting late hours in office as you have work to complete. This defeats the whole point.

Plan your work in such a way that, you will be able to complete your work within office hours. If this means less time wasted on useless office gossip, even better! Once you start the habit of leaving on time after meeting all the deadlines, it establishes the fact that you are an efficient employee and also that you have other things to do as well.

Plan your day before opening your email

The previous point was about planning your work. This brings me to my next point – Do not open your emails the moment you switch on your laptop in the morning. In fact, delay this as much as possible. Switch on the laptop, start by opening all required folders and domains needed. Go make yourself a cup of coffee and then plan out what YOU think needs to be done on that day.

Once you have figured out YOUR priorities for the day, open up your mailbox. Ensure that you have factored in enough time for any new assignments and urgent work that may crop up during the day. Now, your emails do not set the course for how your day will pan out, you do. This allows you to plan your day and leave on time without having to take your laptop home.

Learn to switch off “work mode” the moment you step out

Despite following these rules for some time, I realized that I may not be at work but am constantly thinking about it. Thinking about if I managed to complete my tasks, whether I had met all my deadlines or things like what should I work on tomorrow. Then it finally struck me – I was still in “work mode”!!

Switching off from work mode is the most difficult thing to do especially if you are a dedicated professional or if you really enjoy your work. But it is essential to have a fresh perspective to bring to your work every day. One way to active “life mode” is to start doing something you like within 30 minutes of reaching home. In my case its either reading or PlayStation. This completely gets work off my mind and the rest of the day goes on happily.

Never make yourself indispensable

This is one rut that we forcefully invite on ourselves; we want to be indispensable. The company should feel that without us, it cannot function. This is just a myth and living this myth tends to cloud our judgment and we tend to start giving ourselves a false sense of security. Learn to delegate and share knowledge, this will help by having someone cover for you or share your workload.

If you don’t believe it is essential, I have a statement one of my ex-bosses told me a long time ago. He said, “Never think you are indispensable. The show will go on with or without you. Also never strive to be indispensable. If you are indispensable at your role, you can never be promoted.”

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