“What career is best for me?” is a question that make most of us sweat and often takes our mind into hyper drive. Most of the time, our careers are preset by our parents and most of us walk the path to become what their parents have planned for them. But there are also who cannot decide which career is best for them. They bang their heads on walls trying to find out the answer, or try experimenting with different professions to find what they are best at. The result is that they either end up being frustrated or stuck in a profession that they would otherwise not even think of, had they had a choice.

• Which is the best profession?
• Which is the highest paying job?
• What shall I do after my graduation or MBA? etc.

These questions are all linked. There is no such thing as a best profession or a perfect job or a highest job. It all depends on the individual and his inclinations towards the profession. And as for the question of highest paid job is concerned, it only depends upon the individual’s choice of what he wants in life. The answer to the question of best career depends on the individual’s choices.

Do what you love

In the words of a great scholar Confucius ,“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”. Loving what you do is the key to happiness and harmony at your work or doing what you love to do and converting it into a choice of a career will make your professional journey all a playground. You will never get bored or suffer job related stress because you won’t have to be compelled by someone else to do the work. You’ll work because you love to do it. I know of this individual who was passionate about dancing. Dance was the love of his life. Today he runs his dance classes teaching dance to kids. He chose what he loved to do, and followed it as the choice of his profession.

So, give some time to yourself. Think what you love to do or are good at. Are you good are drawing cartoons? Do you write exceptionally well? Are you a good speaker? Maybe you have a good eye for details and are a good observer? Do you like talking to people? Can you communicate with people easily? There are infinite opportunities available for individuals today. There are skills that you possess and can be applied to a variety of professions. For example, if you are a good sketch artist, you can probably work for a publishing house, or a new agency or a comics publisher and choose being a sketch artist as a profession. If you like talking to people or like being in front of an audience, you can become a public speaker or join a PR agency. Having a job focused on your skills makes your job fun since it match your skills and what you love to do.

 What is valuable to you?

How would you define “success”? What is more important to you? Is it having a lot of money? Expensive cars, big house? Or Travelling and meeting new people? Having lots of fun at work? Being with the family? These things impact the choice of your career. For example, if you want to travel around the world and at the same time want to stay with your family, they you’d probably have to chose among the two. If you are obsessed with expensive cars and big house, then you’d have to choose a career that lets you earn the amount of money that is needed to maintain these luxuries.

Confucius said “Success depends upon previous preparation, and without such preparation there is sure to be failure.”

The expression “nothing is free, everything has a cost”, is true. If you are an investment banker or CEO of a multinational and are getting paid the big bucks, there is a great probability that you would not have any free time for yourself. If you are a wildlife photographer or an airline pilot, you’re probably spending a lot of time away from your home. If you are working into sales or advertising, then the idea or humility and patience will not be new to you as both these jobs requires an individual to have a lot of patience and creativity to convert the customers or clients. How much can you give in to the stress and humility of all these profiles and others? It really helps to analyze and know how much of it can you take. You need to sit and clearly think over what you really need from a job and what you are willing to sacrifice in the way of achieving your goal. These decisions are the tough ones to make.

When you have found the answer to these questions, there are other steps to make a decision what profession will suit you best based on what you love and what you are willing to sacrifice.

Write Down Your Skills

Starting a new career will be easier of you identify and focus on skills that you possess. Take some time and carefully introspect and write down your skills. Identify which set of skills you’d like you career path to proceed. There may be many professions that will match your set of skills, so select from those the most favorable one.

Do Your Research 

Learn about which skills or education you will need to switch to your desired career. Search for what kinds of jobs are available to you that match your skills. Analyze the salaries paid in those profiles and the kind of work done, analyze the amount of stress and pressure in those jobs and whether you will be able to handle that pressure or not. In short think carefully by analyzing the opportunities and sacrifices you’ll have to make in the profession of your choice and whether you are willing to make such a sacrifice.

Explore and Expand your Network

In the current market scenario, knowing the right person is the master key for professional doors. Those who know are the first ones to be your advocates when it comes to referring you to someone for work. Try to find out from your friends, relatives etc for references or possible job opportunities that match your skills. Try to expand your network by contacting and developing trusting professional relationship with people already in the profession.

Consider the following quote by Joseph Campbell:

“When you follow your bliss… doors will open where you would not have thought there would be doors, and where there wouldn’t be a door for anyone else.”

There is no right or wrong career rather it is your choices, your preferences, your skills that make the difference. There are many professionals who are not happy or regret the career choices they have made. They wish if they get a chance, they would go back in time and change their careers. But there are somethings that once lost cannot come back and ‘lost opportunity and lost time’, are among them. Discovering who you truly are and what do you want to do in your life, is the first step to making a choice of a bright career.

The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential… these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.
                                                                                                          – Confucius

There has always been the question “Are leaders born or made?” The answer to this question is a rather paradoxical one. While we have the examples of famous personalities who had been leaders from adolescence, there have also been many who rose above all as true leader by sheer force of their determination. But, I am not discussing here whether a person become leader by birth or makes himself one. I am discussing the qualities that leaders posses which makes them different.

We all have certain behaviors and capabilities that differentiate from others, but a true leader has something extra. Ability to motivate and directing others and helping people grow in the own abilities is one of those skills a leader possess. Being a leader does not always mean that you are the leader at your workplace. Skills of a leader can be put to every area of life as a parent, spouse, a charity board member etc.

We certainly may have grown over time and learned many effective skills by experience but to identify the leaders in us; all that is required is an open mind.

Traits Every Successful Leader Must Have

Desire to lead.

If you do not want to lead other, you’ll always be uncomfortable in the role of a leader if you somehow manage to get yourself into one. Without a desire to lead, you may face difficulties out of your ‘comfort zone’ and you may resist this change and won’t put efforts to acquire the skills required to become a leader. You will struggle with daily work and your team will sense it and ultimately, you might lose their respect as their leader and the situation might become chaotic.

Commitment to the mission and vision of the organization

It is the mission and vision of the organization that keeps it going forward. You are expected to believe in the organization’s mission and vision because without believing it yourself, you cannot effectively lead others to assist on accomplishing company’s goals. Imagine trying to make others believing in what you don’t believe yourself. If you can do that, then either you are a exceptionally gifted actor or a really good illusionist.  . But for most of you, it would be quite impossible.

Integrity

“Be true to your word, be what you want to see everyone as”. Simply said, always do what you say or fulfill your commitments, be authentic in your actions and speech and demonstrate the behavior that you would like your team to show. Your team is looking up at you as an example and your behavior influences theirs.

Integrity in this sense has a simple meaning; doing what you say you will do and behaving the way that you expect your team to behave. At first glance, that may sound simple enough. But if you can truly master integrity, you will find that it changes whole teams and even whole organizations for the better.

Not coming through on promises made, gossiping, taking credit for others’ work, or treating them disrespectfully etc, can be traced to a lack of integrity.

These are some of the few traits that every leader or to be leader must focus.

Leading vs. Managing

Management and Leadership are two different skills needed for the growth of an organization, but there is often confusion between the two. Managers may fail to lead and wonder why they have difficulties in getting people to work at their best capabilities. On the other hand, leaders might fail at managing and getting tasks completed on time and on budget. There might be situations when both skills are needed, so you will need to focus on both or adapt according to circumstances.

Differences between Management Skills and Leadership Skills

Management skills -the skills required to manage resources in order to deliver a task, product, or service.

Leadership skills – the skills required to engage with, motivate, and persuade people to buy-In to a vision, objective, or goal.

Table: Managers vs. Leaders

 Who would you choose to be depends upon you? Chances are that you will have to make your choices based on two things; job titles and whether or not the person supervises other people.

Try to identify leaders in your organization. You may end up picking the same people you’d chose for managers because it is a stereotype we believe that the people at the top levels are the leaders. But the truth is, a leader can be anyone in the organization. It’s important to remember that leaders don’t always hold a job title or wear a suit and tie.

• A leader can be the ordinary driver who drives safely and influences other drivers to perform their jobs carefully and efficiently.
• A leader can be the customer service executive who might have developed a new strategy to serve customers and others follow his example at work.
• They can be the co-worker who sets the example for the rest of the team by always being on time, doing their best work, and keeping a positive attitude. Or they can be the person who takes the initiative to organize the group’s help when a coworker’s family has experienced a tragedy.

Leaders come in all different types. It is important to know that leaders do not always hold a job title or wear a suit and tie. Anyone can be a leader and can become a leader; all he/she needs is the desire to be one and the mettle to become one.

There has been continuous decline in the job market because of the slowdown. Organizations at this time are hiring only selective individuals or professionals who are skilled and exceptional. Below are some of the things a professional should take care of while searching for a job or a job change.

Create you resume professionally

Create your resume based on the job description as given in the advertisement. Create the resume well and look at the resume with the perspective of a potential employer. Try to keep the resume short but effective, because at the end of the day, it is not the length of the content, but the depth of it, that will make the difference. If needed, you may take the help of some professional resume creator service or a placement consultant which provides such a service.

Research and Analyze

Analyze the job ads and identify the skills that are hot in the market. If the technical skills that are listed are the skills you posses, then your chances for getting shortlisted are increased. Search for the job openings that match the skills you have so you can better represent yourself in interviews confidently. It is always best to stay updated with the current technology.

Groom your Soft Skills

You are not the only one who would be shortlisted for an interview. There would be others too, and a few would probably be more experienced and skilled too. Having superior and impressive soft skills might be the one thing that can make the difference. Individuals who are more confident, articulate and team players hold better chances of getting selected. Work on your communication skills and other soft skills to make an impression.

Be ‘Visible’

Try to be an opportunist. Never give away any opportunity that might put you in front of the decision makers in your company. Socialize with them at forums, seminars, alumni events or even just at the office cafeteria but, this doesn’t mean stalk them at any opportunity you get. Don’t be too obvious, make it a coincidence.

Update your LinkedIn Profile

For last few years, LinkedIn has become a search destination for headhunters. So, keep your LinkedIn profile optimized and updated. You never know, who is looking at your profile at a given moment.

Build your online image

Publishing impressive articles at various sites, writing blogs and engaging in discussions at various discussion boards or forums could really build your online image. A lot of successful professionals are running their own personal blogs which are among the best traffic attracting blogs. This builds your ‘Brand’ in the online community and adds to your credibility as a professional.
These all are but a few suggestions that can transform you from being an ‘eligible’ candidate to being the ‘perfect’ candidate. And considering, the current market status, it can land you the ‘dream’ job.