Two important job-hunt lessons from my nanaji
“You can’t cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water”
My nanaji is a man of few words and gives answers in just monosyllables or a short phrase.
But when he says something, that’s pure wisdom.
Here’s a snippet of a conversation that I had with him last week (in my mother tongue Punjabi)
Me: Tussi kehdi sports ch medal jitya si?
(Which sports did you win a medal in?)
Nanaji: Long-jump
Me: Tussi 1st aye se?
(Did you come 1st?)
Nanaji: Nai, 2nd, 18 zillian cho
(No, I came 2nd across 18 districts.)
Me: Tussi ki kita si jittan lyi?
(What did you do to win this?)
Nanaji: Practice
Me: Tussi phir khush hoye hone medal jitt ke!
(You must have felt happy winning that medal!)
Nanaji: Bahut khush!
(Very happy!)
He said the last line with excitement radiating from his voice :-)
This short conversation has two very powerful lessons for job-hunt:
1. We often overcomplicate and look for shortcuts or fancy things in order to achieve a goal. Contrary to that, the solution is simple - just practice.
Not good at giving interview answers?
Practice more!
Not getting an interview call?
Practice making a better resume.Not knowing how to network?
Practice talking to strangers!
Also, don’t confuse simple with easy. It can be simple yet it involves hard work, learning from mistakes, improving and a lot of iterations.
This is the reason we’ve a no-nonsense approach in our coaching and teach principles and methods that actually appeal to recruiters and hiring managers.
2. My nanaji felt so much joy winning that competition that his voice gets filled with excitement talking about it even 5-6 decades later!
Surely, it must not have been easy for him practicing in the hot sweltering heat but the effort that he put in made it worthwhile!
Ninja, you might be going through the grind and getting rejections but remember that this is what will make the victory sweeter.
Anyone who is born into wealth takes money for granted.
Anyone who has never met with an accident or a sickness takes life for granted.
Anyone who has never lost a loved one takes friends and family for granted.
Remember, the rejections are only making you stronger and making the victory all the more special!
Keep Blooming,
Bani Singh