Sunday

A friend of mine, a recent graduate from one of the premier business schools in India, called me, his predicament, he is an engineer from a tier-2 engineering college in India and an MBA, and yet, he has not managed to even remotely come close to a job offer

His business school finished the placement season few months back, after managing to place approximately 50 percent of the batch. He has knocked doors for most of the companies and yet has been unsuccessful.

Following is the advice I gave him, feel free to add your pointers or point mistakes in my advice in the comments section.

1. My friend LinkedIn – Firstly, remember that a professional networking site like LinkedIn is your best bet for landing a job in a tough market, If you don’t have a LinkedIn profile, it serves you best to create one, your LinkedIn profile serves as your public resume, secondly start using the LinkedIn Signature option in your emails. Lastly, scout for recruiting professionals, send them a polite message and cross your fingers.
2. Join a Non Profit – Do you feel strongly about a particular cause? Then this is the best time to support your favorite cause.  Run a project for a non profit, running a project end-to-end is equivalent to any high end job and provides you great exposure.
3. Build Brand “you”, Voice your opinion – If you feel strongly about a particular industry then why not start blogging about it?  Each one of us is a brand, and you are building that brand by writing about the industry you care about. This works for two reasons, firstly, it keeps you updated on events, a job search can be tiring and demotivating, especially if you are a recent MBA blogging/writing about your preferred industry or learning new skills keeps you in the game. Secondly, published content adds a lot of value to your resume, hence makes you stand out from your competition
4. Join/Build communities – Best place to network are focused communities in your area of expertise/interest, so if you are looking to break into the consulting industry, then Consulting Network India could be your first stop, similarly, if you’re interested in the marketing products/services, then go ahead and find a community focused on marketing professionals.
5. Follow the entrepreneurial route – Want to make it big? Great! , there are no jobs? Even better! Downturn can actually be a great time to visit your entrepreneurial roots. Think of possible small investment businesses, create a detailed business plan to support it, and start your venture. You don’t have anything to lose.

Remember, your job prospects may be low for now, considering the worldwide downturn, however, eventually, the job market is bound to get better. Your best bet is to survive the downturn and showcase your strength when the opportunity comes knocking.

Please feel free to email me at mohit.kant@consultingnetwork.co.in

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