Time to move from “Job” to “Jobs” mindset

For last few months, my mailbox is inundated with hundreds of resumes, requesting for help in finding a job. I responded to the first few but the sheer increase in the volume of such requests have left me numb with a feeling of helplessness. Many of those who wrote or called me, come from the pedigreed institutes from India and overseas, the very same institutes where I could not make a cut, in my teenage. This makes me wonder, if such high-quality talent is struggling, one can imagine the plight of people down the line.

For first few weeks, I shared resumes in the network wherever I could, but in many cases, email bounced as the person I wrote to, had also lost job. Those who were in hiring mode in pre-covid times, deferred their plans. The response was tepid at best. I am aware, some of you took pay cuts, took up a job not to your liking or ended up joining as intern to walk over the current period. Let’s accept it, it is a grave situation, unprecedented, once in a lifetime………… whatever you want to call it.

Since I am not able to respond to most of you, I thought of writing this blog. I must admit that all I can offer at this stage is nothing but empathy and a piece of advice. I am aware that many of you have a family to support and loans to pay, so by all means, keep trying and I can only hope and pray that you get placed soon. I also hope that this pandemic gets over soon for you to reclaim the job that you lost in last few weeks.

I also want to take this opportunity to offer a piece of advice to all of you, who are looking for a job, and the advice is to come out of a “job mindset”. By no means, I am saying that stop looking for a job… all I am saying is to do away with deeply ingrained job mindset and migrate to “Jobs” mindset.

The “Jobs” here is no one else but legendary “Steve Jobs” – someone who bunked classes in school, left college in between and even got fired from the Company which he co-founded. He defied all possible norms and conventions… which made “Apple” an “Apple” we know, love, desire and respect. Could Steve Jobs have created the Apple by being an employee of the Company? I seriously doubt.

The question is how can we find a Steve Jobs in ourselves, someone who can chase dreams instead of chasing jobs. I think there is little bit of Steve Jobs in all of us, which we usually ignore or overlook – that one trait, that one quality and that one spark….which has the potential to become to transform your life. Steve Jobs attributed his success to the course of Calligraphy that he did in college….just image course of Calligraphy….not computation skills. Like Steve Jobs, I am sure most of us have the privilege of possessing, learning or doing something unique in our life.. which got suppressed in the pursuit of a job. I am also sure that most of us know what it is, and have innate desire to pursue it someday.

I must qualify my statement by saying that you can still pursue your dreams being part of an organisations and there are at least a few of such type. Such organisations are typically nimble, decisive, empowering in their approach, and push their employees in the direction they want to go. I think, in this VUCA world, if organisations want to grow, or even survive, they need to learn this mantra of nurturing entrepreneurs, not employees.

So the key question here is what keeps us at a job, and prevent us from being a Steve Jobs. In my opinion, there are three things:

-         Salary addiction

-         Fear of failure (log kya kahege..)

-         Uncertainty

Let’s discuss all three one by one.

“Salary addiction” is difficult to let go. I myself have been a salary addict for most of my professional career. One reason for that is there are monthly expenses to meet and hence you want predictable and regular cash inflow. Fair enough. But will you agree, lockdown period has helped us realise that about 40-50% expenses were in avoidable category. In more diplomatic terms, one can say, that a certain level of lifestyle can be managed without incurring those discretionary expenses (non-essential is a better word in these times!). So, if you are serious about going on your own, cut out on that five star stay, swiss holidays and gourmet wines.. at least to begin with. I can assure you that you will get back to Alps.. if you work hard enough.

“Fear of failure” is a much avoidable societal stigma in our country. One reason, I like America is that the failures are not even encouraged but even applauded and rewarded which drives their ability to take more risks. Failure and Success are two end points of the same Axis and not two distinct buckets as we usually label them. A big success is usually ramification of multiple failures. There is no other way to ride over society-imposed stigma but to insulate yourself from the fear of “log kya kahege” kind of mindset.

“Uncertainty” is another reason that you stay away from trying new things in your career. Uncertainty about markets, fund raising, team building…. Yes it is very much there rather increasing by the day. However, I am of the view the uncertainty quotient between a “job” and “entrepreneurship” is narrowing down; not that entrepreneurship has become less risky but the fact that jobs have become more uncertain.

You can still argue that startups are also facing the heat in these times, infact many of them will be shut, so what’s the fun in doing that. The difference is that they at least tried and are in a better position to figure out. Failed entrepreneurship is still an asset on resume, if you want to get back to job world.

I want to conclude by saying that if you are looking for a job, please pursue and don’t give up. But don’t deny the talent and spark you possess, just to be in another safe job. Try being a Steve Jobs, at least once in your professional career.

Good luck and apologies for scribbling random thoughts here instead of responding to your mail.

The views expressed are personal and non-prescriptive