Employability is the talk of the town, and sadly not for very positive reasons. Every other day new statistics keep coming up and we hear about abysmal facts like ‘Less than 8% Indian engineers fit for core engineering roles’ (Economic Times), ‘80% of India’s engineers remain unemployable in the software sector’ (The Hindu Business Line).
Lakhs of students graduate every year with professional degrees yet they are not able to find jobs. Why? Is it because they don’t know which skills are needed in the market? Is it because they are not good in communication? Is it only because of skills? There are multiple reasons to it but let’s start with the most basic and the most important one- ‘ Attitude’.
Yes, Attitude. Not a conventional reason and hence largely ignored. We teach students skills, train them in different tools, ask them to hone their verbal and written communication but little or almost no time is devoted on grooming their attitude with which they pursue their career or look for jobs.
The way we approach a career option builds the foundation of what we learn, how we improve and how we present our inclination towards it. Not starting with the right approach misguides the step we take after it, resulting into random efforts and no defined pathway towards the career goal we set for them.
So how can we bridge this gap? Through a very simple and effective solution- “By learning from people who know how it is done and inculcating them in our approach of making a career”.
The 5 books that follow are effective in their own way, each one of them can teach you skills that are imperative to succeed professionally.
Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach
A simple story about Jonathan, a seagull and his love for flying. The story beautifully describes the contrast between Jonathan and his flock. It talks about how they have been living their life in comparison to Jonathan and highlights their criticism when he decided to do something that was not traditional.
Does that sound familiar?
If you have been brought up in a traditional society, where you have been a lot of time suggested what to do. You’ll relate to the fact that doing something that is not mainstream takes a lot of effort.
Jonathan Livingston Seagull brings to you his conviction and passion through the story. Conviction in what believe irrespective of how the environment around you is and passion to achieve it. It is must read if you wish to ignite or rekindle your passion for career choice.
Eat that Frog by Brian Tracy
Eat that Frog is a book made for everyone. No matter what age group we belong, we all have suffered from the syndrome of Procrastination. In simpler words, we all tend to delay doing certain tasks for instance as a student, studying!
The last night fight/ Pulling an all-nighter
Aren’t these common phrases especially during exams. In school and colleges, this attitude is manageable because you don’t have exams every day. But the similar attitude when carried ahead in the professional world results into either too many of sleepless nights or constant pressure.
Pressure is one of the most common adjectives that people associate with the professional world. What most of us fail to understand is that a lot of time this pressure is self-induced. Correct your fundamentals now if you want to shine in the professional world. Get more done in less time with Eat that Frog.
The Startup of You by Hoffman and Casnocha
From the co-founder and chairman of Linked.in Reid Hoffman and Entrepreneur and Author Ben Casnocha comes a book that makes you understand that the market has changed. It is no longer the same professional world that generations before us have witnessed.
The game has changed
To win any game it is important to understand the ground rules and the external factors in which it will be played. As the weather changes from sunny to rainy, so does the strategy. So if we agree with this then how can we apply the same rules to work/ career/ job. It is a new field and if you want to survive you need to adapt accordingly.
The Startup of you opens a window to the best of Silicon Valley to help us understand how we can thrive in this new competitive economy. Read it to know how you can invest in yourself and transform your career.
How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie
So from ‘Jonathan Livingston Seagull,’ you have acquired passion, from ‘Eat the Frog’ you know how to make the most of your time and from ‘The Startup of You’ you are more familiar with the market. Now it is time to give voice to this accumulated knowledge. It is time to present yourself and create that connection.
¾ of the interviews end within the first 5 mins.
As ironic it may seem but the impression you create in the first 5 mins is what the interviewer continues to carry for the rest of the interview. All that follows is just to cement that impression be it positive or negative.
How to win friends & influence people is a classic read with simple tips to help you in being more confident while dealing with people. It helps you in creating that human connection and shows you a path for easy and lasting conversations.
The Professional by Subroto Bagchi
The learning system we follow does not prepare us for the professional world. This switch from being a student to a professional is not easy for everyone and a lot of time this struggle results into lower performance, slow career trajectory and sometimes tragic ones too. That is one of the reasons that high-performing students are sometimes unable to adapt to the working environment.
Making that leap
Like schools and colleges, the professional world has its own set of rules, it demands its own set of decorum and that is what we commonly hear as professionalism. You don’t find any courses in professionalism, it is a skill that you learn, adapt and grow with time.
Subroto Bagchi’s Professional helps you in having an understanding of what this Professionalism is all about. It not just tells you who Professionals also give you a recipe for being one. A must read if you want to walk the path from obtaining a degree to living the education