At times, I see skilled people stuck at jobs that are way below their aptitude while others end up with these great job opportunities! This makes me speculate if luck has something or everything to do with getting a quality job?
Do you remember the experience when luck crossed your path at one time or another in your career? You met a friend of a friend at a chance meeting and he told you about an opportunity at his company which fit your background. You went for an interview and were hired right away: Good Luck? And what if you gave 4 successful interviews for the same job but you did not get it and you did not know what went wrong: Bad Luck? I wouldn’t praise/blame luck just yet until I have read rest of the article!
It requires persistence and hard work to earn an opportunity of good luck. Those who have the patience to do simple things perfectly acquire the skill to do difficult things easily.
In this article, I will talk about how instead of worrying about being lucky or unlucky, which you cannot control, it is more productive to focus on certain traits that you can cultivate in yourself during your professional career to help lady luck find you every time.
When you see a successful person in life, notice how he or she has ingrained most, if not all, of the following attributes in his life. As far as that successful person is concerned, it is not just luck!
Update yourself:
World has become a global village. It’s a small place and technology has squeezed everything within the palm of our hands. Therefore, the following tips should help one in order to keep up with its pace:
* Keep yourself open for learning new skills. If already employed, ask your employer to invest in your skills enhancement; if you have to accept a new job for a slightly less money in order to gain the pertinent skill-set, then do so.
* Be proactive about accepting new assignments at work. Sometimes the more challenging the task, the more you will learn.
* Communication skills have become important in all types of jobs in this age of electronic mail. Try to enhance your communication skills by reading and writing as much as you can.
Thus, with enhanced skills you can become a more useful part of your existing organization. The more updated you are, the more versatile and successful in various capacities you will be and the more will you be bestowed by the Luck Goddess.
Put Perseverance into action:
A wise man once said, “You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don’t try.”
* Work a little harder or a few minutes longer on a task that you do not like.
* Don’t give up on difficult jobs or situations.
* Keep working at the difficult thing until you complete it.
* Always finish what you start.
* When something doesn’t work right, try again and again.
* Don’t lose your temper when someone or something upsets you, try to evaluate the situation objectively.
* Always try to place yourself in the other person’s shoes.
Always remember: Many strokes overthrow the tallest trees.
Supervise your brand:
It is common culture at a job place to assign tags to colleagues regarding their performance or nature e.g., bossy, consistent, lethargic, dumb, energetic, sharp etc. This practice, i.e. branding a certain image of a certain person, is very effective as a matter of fact because when it comes to your colleagues, your branded image is glued to their memories whenever they think of or talk about you. In other words, it becomes your reputation. These brands can damage, or facilitate your career. So try building a good brand from day one for yourself as you are your own brand manager at your work place.
Networking:
Networking is key to develop and retain good professional relationships within, as well as outside, the company. It also opens up numerous prospects for a bright developing future.
So, keep a smiling face and a good fun nature, as the wise always say, build as many bridges as you can!
Groom yourself:
Jobs have become a worldwide industry which requires a certain outlook and personality for its workers. Employers are more particular now than before about how the employee carries him/herself. For this reason, not only the outlook but also the over all personality of a person is judged during the interview sessions.
Hence, the job seekers should pay due attention to the aspect of grooming themselves.
HR departments of big multinationals have even devised certain personality tests in this regard where you are monitored thoroughly, e.g., how you react under different or stress situations, patience tests and so on. So along with your brilliant degrees and glittering CV, this section also requires particular attention.
Before leaving for an interview some obvious, but most often ignored, things should be considered:
* Take a shower.
* Don’t smoke just before the interview
* Select neat and pressed clothes. Prefer white, blue or black colors- these are considered business colors.
* Use a good deodorant.
* Men, make a neat shave. Trim your beard/mustache/hair/nails.
* Females, do not use loud colors e.g. red or shocking pink nail paint, lipstick or clothes. Remember, it’s a job interview, not a wedding ceremony.
My sole advice to you is that: groom yourself according to the industry needs. If it requires a jeans, wear the jeans, if requires a suit, wear the suit. It does not need to be expensive. All it has to be is a neat, fresh and enthusiastic look. Attire yourself in a way that blends in with your personality and your job nature.
Always Deliver your best:
In the end, always try to deliver your best at your job place. Whatever is the nature of your job, it requires attention and sincerity to produce the crop of success. Instill in yourself a competitive nature and make your work stand out. You will not regret the results.
So, dear reader, it’s time to write your own story and make your own decision. Leave no loop holes and you’ll see how luck finds its way into your life.