We all have a conscience that is constantly talking to us. Whenever you are doing anything, a soft inner voice will tell you if it is OK to do this or not. Or may you should do it differently. When you start listening to this voice and responding, the voice grows louder. If you keep ignoring this, the voice also becomes softer and softer – to the point that you may not even hear it talking.
Say you are wasting time checking your email or reading forum posts for hours. Your conscience will tell you to stop and get back to doing the creative work or finish your client’s assignment. Would you respond and change course or keep doing the ‘Busy-doing-nothing’ chore? I know several times my conscience has told me to not deal with a particular client and whenever I have ignored its advice, I have been burnt.
Do you listen to your conscience? Does it even talk to you any more? Please share your thoughts with fellow readers through the comments.
As an employer who regularly interviews people, I keep getting requests like these from students and job-seekers: “I will only get 10-15 minutes in the interview. How can I communicate my skills effectively within such a short time?”
If you have ever asked this to anyone (or even yourself), read on…
It is true that a prospective employee gets a very short amount of time in the interview and has to convince the interviewer with his/her technical and human skills. So many people lose a job they were quite fit for, because they get nervous or do not portray a good picture of their skills in the short time available.
The biggest tip that I give to all job-seekers and people who wish to enhance their careers radically is to create a blog to showcase their talent. You can setup a blog for free on www.blogger.com or www.wordpress.com. You can also create a blog with your own name but that requires a small investment.
If you make research driven and informative posts (like comments on current happenings related to your field), a prospective employer can gain a very good understanding of your skills and who knows, they may be seeking you rather than you seeking them. In any case, a mere mention on your CV that you maintain a blog on the same topic that you are seeking employment for, can help you get in the short-list without any fuss. Make sure you include a prominent mention on the blog that you are available for hiring. A short blurb in the sidebar should do this job quite well, without getting in the way.
Think about it.
I was the keynote speaker at a national seminar on “HR practices in service oriented companies“, organised by Srusti Academy of Management at Bhubaneshwar. Here are the excerpts from my presentation. Students will find this particularly useful, though it should be quite valuable to budding entrepreneurs also.
My presentation was not on the seminar topic specifically as I was the part of the inaugaral session where I was on the dais with Shri Tathagata Satpathy, Member of Parliament from Dhenkanal and Mr. Joy Varghese, Director, Personnel and Administration of NALCO India.
Here are the excerpts:
You have to clearly understand that when you apply for a job in a company, you are generally competing with 100s of other candidates who are equally good or may be better than you. You need to demonstrate that you are unique and ‘passion‘ can be your secret USP. If you are excited about this job, this interview and this company, and if it shows while I am interviewing you, you have earned a place in the short-list.
Remember this quote – “One passionate person is better than 40 people casually interested!”
I know you are more interested in your career and your progress but make your company’s success your vehicle. Don’t try to progress at the cost of your company, progress with it and you will progress a lot.
Here is my big tip about getting that coveted job. I call it the Imagine-Achieve principle. With all your honest intent, imagine yourself working for the company – doing the various assignments, eating in its canteen, reporting to your boss, attending the appraisal meeting and everything else that will happen when you actually join the company. This may sound weird but it works. Of course, you have to do this exercise without a doubt in your heart or mind.
While on this topic, let me give you another perspective. Why does everybody present here, have to get a job? If you have a bit of adventure in your nature and high ambitions too, why not consider being an entrepreneur? You can start your own company and instead of taking up a job in some company, you may be offering jobs in your company. This is very much possible if you apply the Imagine-Achieve principle.
I will now do something that people don’t do on academic and business platforms. I will be sharing with you, 2 spiritual tips for winning almost any battle of life – be it studies, job hunting or business success.
- Forgiveness: Forgive everyone who has done anything bad to you. Yes, your girl friend who has ditched you, your friend who avoided you when you needed his help, your brothers and sisters who played loud music when you were studying – get rid of all the anger, frustration and resentment and you will feel a tremendous relief. Your mind and body will feel very light and you will be able to achieve your future targets so much more easily. This is an abstract thought – difficult to accept and act upon – but you will feel the difference in a day when you apply it.
- Gratitude: Be thankful to everyone around you. Be thankful to your institute which gives you the education that prepares you for a successful career ahead, to your parents who brought you in this wonderful world and perhaps, have parted with their life-savings to send you here, to all these people who are sharing the wisdom of their life with you. Think a little and you will be able to find ‘at least one’ reason to thank anyone you come across. And to follow my own dictum, I thank you – heartily – to have come here and listen to my ‘gyan’.
I see a lot of teachers, professors and guides here and if I may dare to (I am too young to be teaching the teachers), my tip to you, Sirs and madams is – ‘Love your students who have given the oars of their life-boats to you and row them to a successful career and satisfying lives, give them all you know and then some more, and you will be amazed at the grace of Almighty that will be showered upon you”.
I will like to close with this parting message. You have great potential and capable of achieving a lot. Believe in yourself and get on the job. Some French general once said “Difficult problems are no worries for us; it is the impossible that takes some time!”
Recently I attended a camp on Shivyog and had a chance to listen to some great spiritual discourses by none other than Avdhoot Baba Shivanandji. It was a fantastic epxerience and I am certain that my life is going to completely change from now on. In fact the changes have already started and I have much lesser stress now, with vastly improving personal relations with people around me.
If you care, here are the main concepts of the Shivyog school of thought.
1. Forgiveness
If you have been harboring a complain against anyone, it is going to affect you severely in terms of poor health. Think of the incident as a gone case and forgive the person. You may think of some good thing he/she had done for you, however small, which brought happiness to you to ease this forgiving process. When you do so, you will be taking a heavy load off your chest and help your health system get rid of the toxins.
Similarly, if you have done something wrong to anyone, ask for forgiveness from that person (in your heart). Don’t bother whether he/she forgives you or not. Once you have asked for forgiveness with your clear conscience, you release a heavy load from your chest.
2. Gratitude
Have a feeling of gratitude for everyone you come across. You should be thankful to your spouse, relatives, customers and vendors for whatever they have done for you. Babaji says “Even though you may feel that they have made your life hell and how can you thank them, remember of one good thing or one good moment they gave you and thank them for that.”
This feeling of gratitude generates a high level of positive energy and helpful hormones in your body.
3. Unconditional love
You should have a feeling of unconditional love for everyone around you and those coming in contact with you. This is infectious and if you love them without placing a condition, they cannot ignore your feelings. You cannot say “I will love my wife if she cooks well for me or I will love my husband if he takes me out for dinner tonight.” Then it becomes conditional love.
Well, Shivyog is a vast subject that aims to lift your spirituality to very high levels and this is just a taste of some basic concepts. I wish you all the best in anything you do and sincerely thank you for being a reader.
Are you feeling the heat of the recession? Not sure how to tackle it? Read on…
You must have heard – “When the going gets tough, the tough get going!” The best way to counter the effects of the recession is to take control and initiate positive action steps that will not only help you ride out the recession but you will come out a winner!
