Mirror Magazine

Mirror Magazine

Taking on the world of work
By J. A. A. S. Ranasinghe
Career Guidance (CG) has been identified as a top most priority in Higher Education Reforms and every university appears to have undertaken some form of activities during the last few years. Analysed from a broader perspective, Career Guidance encompasses many activities such as career counselling, career education and facilitation, career planning, career management, and career exploration etc. The ultimate objective of this is to help educated youth to get into productive employment opportunities, to provide self-employment and entrepreneurship initiatives.

Apart from the establishment of Career Guidance Units and the conducting of Career Guidance Days and exhibitions with the involvement of Public/Private Sector Organisations, it has to be admitted that the progressive work on this important aspect are still in the primitive stage due to a host of factors. Though the undergraduates receive some form of exposure and guidance by way of counselling and training in career exploration, job research techniques, self assessment, CV writing, facing interviews and attitude and aptitude tests, it must be stated that little or no exposure is provided to those who are about to enter the world of work.

At the world of work, your bosses will be looking for evidence that they made the correct decision in appointing you. You will have to learn how your team operates. You will have to satisfy difficult customers and cope with marauding competitors. Worst of all, you will have to wrestle with the most volatile and capricious beast of all – you and your expectations, hopes, aspirations, fears and self-doubt. You will have to do all this, not in a leisurely laboratory or an ivory tower, but in the heat of battle and crises. From day one, there will be confrontations and entreaties from your staff. Your predecessor’s sins of omission and commission – the hidden time bombs, the hostages to fortune, the implicit alliances, the covert compromises, the ill you face with other parts of the organisation, the failures to invest for the future, slack standards and deferred difficult decisions will prop up to bite you when you least expect them.

In the face of all this, what on earth are you expected to do? Should you be assertive or easy going? Do you concentrate on actions, even if this means that you may be wrong? Should you try to change everything from day one or let sleeping dogs lie? Do you keep your own counsel or communicate like crazy? Should you analyse the problems and opportunities from first principles, wait until you have all the information you need or follow your instinct on what’s important, even though it’s only your opinion? Do you side with the dominant faction in your staff or remain detached? Should you try to develop consensus or do what you think is right?

There are no right or wrong answers to these questions. It all depends on you, your team, customers, your competitors, your bosses and the culture of your company. There are some lessons, which can be learnt by observing the differences between successful and unsuccessful bosses. There are some general principles, which, with a little intelligence and sensitivity on your part, will look out for and guide you towards the right answer in each circumstance.

So it is possible to compile a series of guidelines for the benefit of the youth prior to their entry to the world of work. Such a guideline will help you to diagnose what is going on, it will provoke thought about which direction you want to take, it will help you to work-out odds on success for any given route and it will challenge you to exert leadership. Watch out for the guidelines every second Sunday of the month in Choices, the special education section of the Mirror Magazine!

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