Edge of Experience, During Recession

I am currently on a sabbatical and when thinking about what to write about, for my blog on reflections; one point strikes me. Now that am not working and for the fact that this is just temporary, I thought what if I had lost my job and not actually left it. What about those who unexpectedly have to face the terror of losing jobs with least experience, and then battle on for sometime until they reach a point of saturation in job hunting. Here are my thoughts about this scenario.

Jobs are lost during recession and even the most seasoned workers find themselves waiting in queues to compete for temporary assignments. Existing skills and experience can, however, offer a considerable advantage, if leveraged properly. Not all work sectors are hit by recession and some might be in search of these professionals. Banking for instance, is a fairly stable field and can source them high pay and abundant managerial or technical experience.

So, how would the experienced tap jobs during recession?

• Use their core abilities in language, numeracy, and communication, as it translates well across varied fields, allowing them to make immediate shifts.

• Demonstrate their strong foundational, primary skills and the hiring company may provide hands-on training to acquire more specific job skills, as required. 

• Undertake apprenticeships, from where they can gain special skills. They need to think beyond their defined field of specialization and acquire additional domain knowledge for a better profile. 

• Use their communication skills, project and sales management skills, and knowledge of basic technical packages, to source better opportunities. 

• Showcase their capabilities using social media networks like LinkedIn, for employers to have a review of their candidature. They must exhibit their attitude to tackle challenges, promote team spirit, manage resources and projects, and ensure consistency in quality through these profiles.

• Work at start-ups, fast growing midsized companies, or governmental agencies where they might be of demand. Employers prefer these resources working as consultants or freelancers, due to low training cost, ready made skills and expertise, consistency in quality, and immediate solutions to problems.

Experienced people can focus their efforts on companies that foresee fast growth and where their skills can escalate the business growth. No matter how bad the economy is, these kinds of companies will definitely reach for the experienced resources.

Quote for the day:

"Hunger is not the worst feature of unemployment; idleness is.  ~William E. Barrett"

What did I ponder today?

Why did the Great creator make sweethearts: "Love's a special feeling that only can begin when you open up your heart and let somebody in. It's a warm and tender smile that's meant for only you. That adds a special touch of joy to everything you do. It's the look in someone's eyes that says "I understand". The quiet pleasure given by the touch of someone's hand. It's sharing hopes and dreams, it's taking and giving.. Love adds warmth and happiness to everyday of living." ... just a something that I read somewhere today. Something that made me think about love. The love I had for my parents, the love I had for my siblings, the love I thought was the best with my crush, the love I thought filled my gaps with my friends, the love I have as my life, my husband. Wow! Love does, hold a great place in my arena of space, called life. Hmmm... How often, on a day to day basis do we come across someone whom we love so much that life seems small in front of their presence???

Plight of those on the road, all thanks to their load!!

Time: 10 a.m Place: My house Scene: Leaving for work

 
Me: Hon, make it soon! We need to reach there in time. 
Hon: Just looking for the car keys. Oh! Here it is. (Back in the car) 
Me: I just hope I reach there in time for the meeting. 
Hon: Chill baby! I will take you there in no time.

And suddenly at the signal, near the sub-way, as my eyes constantly kept peaking onto the two ballet dancers dancing around the ballroom on my recently gifted fictitious fantasy based watch, my eyes, as usual, as everyday, also peaks to see those red uniforms torturing themselves while employing their strength in every breath to pull up a fish-cart of Gas (LPG) cylinders, just like Jack who went up the hill, so steep.

 

Centuries have moved along, times have changed, so long, but the destiny for many still remain the same, no matter how technology changes our lives and how we change ourselves. This scene, that I see everyday, triggers a conversation with my hubby where we discuss the way India has changed. India still has apartments that run from four to five floors where these guys have to shove the cylinders over their back for some dweller to feast on their food peacefully.

We all keep cribbing moment to moment, stating ‘Why does this happen to me?’ and yet most of us live in apartments with the latest technologies and gizmos serving as our elixir of today’s life, we have everything at our ease including the delivery of groceries to food, medicines to tailors, carpenters to the DVD fellow.  Something that I noticed a couple of days back when the rains had engulfed our vicinity in vain, I and my hubby kept calling the DVD fellow to come by and lent us some movies so that the days that we are stuck at home, we can kill time by watching some crap. But least did me or my hubby think was that even he had a family of his own and thanks to his job; the kind of place where he stays might be one of those water-logged areas.

For a second, I had become selfish and I agree and admit it. But you know what? Most of them out there are selfish, and yet do not barge to the front to accept their denial of this fact.  This fact, this truth goes out to those people too who, in everyday life, go up and down, to and fro to get things done and delivered for us so that our lives swing on without a hitch. I just thought for a while amidst all that noise of hard rock in the car, the dreams of these people who bring Gas cylinders to our door step or swim by flood waters to reach out to solve our plight, in some sense. Won’t they be cursing and cribbing about their life and the way they have to fight survival itself to life? That scene stayed and lingered for sometime within my thoughts, which drifted away as soon as I reached work.

 

But I guess why I brought out this point to light is that we must all try to talk out things to the bosses who rule these poor labor and drive them to do the most exercising exhaustive job through the day, (Thank God! They are spared during the night hours) about how facilities, perks, privileges must be offered for these people. Who knows, maybe these latest human elixir bearing lives are those educated, unfortunate ones who could not make it to the floors of an IT park but had to stay at the shop level to stabilize sustenance. It is not just them. There are million other daily jobs that suck and people, educated ones abide by these jobs.

 

The sight of them struggling, just like how I had to struggle some years back posing as a Marketing Executive for school books, makes me worry about the future our country has laid ahead of us. And yeah! A lot more thanks to the current economic crisis, terror invitations and of course, not to miss, here comes the end of the world! Things that can make their life easier is, usage of external elevator like trolleys which can bear the cylinder’s weight and can be simply elevated to the respective house floors (as most of the kitchens do have balconies), providing them with better commuting facilities, laying for them more perks and hikes, and so much more for these guys that stay to be behind, loyal and liberal.

 

Maybe, one or many among us can bring a change to lives that are so different and delayed from our lives and life styles. Ponder for a minute and maybe you will know….

Lashing cats and dogs

This is the scene that has been going on in my town for the past couple of days.. I had to literally skip work today coz' the roads were totally flooded.. For us guys here, rains are actually a blessing in disguise as if we do not get enough rains, then the summers would welcome the water shortage crisis much advance in time.. But thanks to the poor storm drain water systems in the city we, the people have to sacrifice and suffer a lot of hiccups during these times.. especially when it comes to our commutation, even to the nearest destination...
All these talks and just no action by the authorities, makes me think and blink, eventually what are their priorities??? Anyways, I blogged a little, watched TV, had some good food, spoke to some of my old pals (who were also stuck up at their dens, not being able to do anything during these heavy rains, apart from eating and sleeping..), read a book, jogged a little on the treadmill, mended some pending work and finally made myself some great sandwiches (Oh! By the way, I do really make good sandwiches, innovative and tasty ones; Those are one of the dishes that I really am good at, both cooking and eating!) and hot tea and sat by the window to enjoy the drops fall in a rush to kiss the sands of time.... Well, it is secondary that I got some time today to ponder about many things like reminiscing one of my old poems like this one, where I connect the nature of the rain to my decision of looking ahead amidst and apart all that pain....

   

I hope tomorrow is a pretty bright sunny day out there! So that I can get back to work or else, I might have to collect and reinforce some other weird stuff from my diary of thoughts...

Spiritual and Clueless

Saturday blues have just arrived! I am basically not a party animal though I don’t hate attending some of them. To be frank, though I like to drink and mix cocktails in a while or have a say with a pal or two, I would rather prefer the company of solitude to that entire hoop. Wonder how many out there are like me? Today evening, however things changed. Things came by me that put me to wonder. I saw what my imagination carried off to a second world. I don’t know whether any of you have come across such thoughts, but anyways, let me hit it. 

After a lot of forced persuasion from my mom today, I planned to visit one of the oldest, well-known temples (at least in Chennai) built in the name of Lord Maheshwara, The Destroyer, the Kaapaleshwara temple. This temple was known to be engulfed by the waters, way centuries back. There is a lot of awe in terms of this temple, the place where it is located, the gala crowd hugging the area, the basic pit stop for religious stuff, the holy stories that keep the legend of the temple high and many more. 

If you are not from India or from Chennai basically, I would purely recommend you to visit Chennai and this temple especially to know a lot about Indian mythology. I really enjoy going there, especially with my parents as it keeps the old times alive. But like we all do, during the last week of the month, so low, so broke, I was just sitting back and pondering on this week’s happenings, today. That is when, though I initially hesitated but then yielded into the thought of going to the temple. I am religious within, for those who didn’t know. But I pretend not to be superstitious at times when within, I actually would be. (This is for those who know me! LOL!) Anyways, at the temple, after the offerings ceremony, there were a lot of scenes that made me think about the person whom I just saw and about how his or her existence was making a difference to my thoughts!

 

1. A girl was gazing at the idol of Lord Shiva with a Coke bottle in her hand.(How far has globalization reached, man?)
2. A guy kept staring at his mobile while praying. (Can’t do without technology even at the altar huh?)
3. A guy was wooing his GF while receiving the offering from the priest. (Being religious doesn’t help buddy!)
4. A minister and his buddies were doing a donation of thousands for the temple. (Here we have job-cuts. I think the government has still not got the point.)

To my surprise, I don’t remember the rest. But there were many such scenes that made me think about what was happening around me. For a second, I thought being religious or spiritual doesn’t change the way we live or the way we think. I just felt peaceful today. But I realized that we were going too fast in times and life, without a perfect destination. So where are we all leading too? Amidst all the problems in the world like the ones we all are currently facing; the recession is killing employment and economics all around the globe and we turn our minds for religious backup. Spirituality is no longer an issue of staying alive in minds and for good fate to solve problems but a necessity or a luxury.



I don’t know how far this thought has percolated people’s minds but it has dissolved within my decisions, though. In the coming days, I am going to take my decisions, well about everything with regard to how is it going to change the lives of people around me and that of mine too.