HR Guru Mayank Rautela offers practical advice.
Dear reader, are you just starting out in your career and want to know the right steps you need to take?
Not sure how to prepare for your first interview? Or your first online interview?
Struggling with office politics? Or with working from home?
Have a bad boss? Or a colleague who is undermining you?
Nobody seems to listen to you at meetings?
Have you hit a dead-end at work and see no way out?
Please send in your concerns to our HR guru Mayank Rautela at getahead@rediff.co.in. (Subject: Mayank, can you help?).
Dear Sir,
I am working for an organisation that has deducted my salary on account of COVID since the last 12 months.
I came to know that one guy was leaving the company but my boss decided to pay him 15 per cent higher salary instead of any kind of deduction to retain him.
My business revenue was the highest from March 2019 to April 2020, yet I have got a deduction in my salary.
Should I speak about it? I feel this is discriminatory.
Second, I feel that my area of work is not really valued by my boss. She thinks that anyone can do my work.
Like we discussed a lot about our marketing plans and she sanctioned the budgets but when it came to implementation, it was never done.
I feel that she doesn’t value my work. Is it time to leave my job?
Haleema
Hi Haleema.
Thanks for sharing your situation in detail.
To be frank, it looks like your company and your manager do not value your contribution.
Have a candid chat with your boss and, if things don’t change, you should look for a job discreetly.
I am sure you will find a company that will value your experience.
All the best.
Hi Mayank,
I am Shailendra from Noida.
On December 22, UPSC has declared the CDS result and I didn’t make it; it was also my last chance.
Currently I am doing PG from BHU in economics.
Can you suggest what I should do to get a job in the private sector?
Hi Shailendra.
Looks like you were keen on joining the armed forces. So was I.
But things have their own way of working out.
Economics is a wide field and I am sure it had honed your analytical and logical skills.
Business analytics is one area you can explore as a career. You could also look at finance.
If you are outgoing and enterprising, a sales role in a bank/NBFC can also be a rewarding career option.
Dear Sir,
I am a commerce graduate with an MBA in HR.
At present, I have completed more than 20 years in a government organisation.
I want to work in a senior position, ie in a senior capacity.
In what capacity should I apply for senior position in government or private companies since I am over 50 years old?
With regards,
Nitin
Hi Nitin.
To be advise you correctly, I would need to know your area of expertise/experience.
However, with your experience in a government job and an MBA in HR, you can target large companies like Reliance/Adani who are interested in hiring senior government officials.
Based your job profile and company you work for, you can decide which specific companies you want to target.
Hello.
Name: Rishi
Age: 44
I am a finance professional with 16+ years of experience.
I am engaged with an IT major for the past 8.5 years, currently as a senior manager for their business finance division, overseeing the North America business region.
I am located out of Bengaluru.
I have been trying for a shift largely due to stagnation in my role and also since I want a relocation out of Bengaluru.
I have been interviewed by two major competitors for leadership roles, but both mysteriously came to an end at the final stages.
In one case, I was confirmed already by business and was only looking at an informal HR discussion which went well and was then met with silence.
The only issue could have been my reluctance to work US shift hours, but that was cleared even before the final rounds and hence couldn't have been a challenge.
The other company scheduled my final discussion with the India finance head twice, but the call did not happen and neither did I receive a feedback as to the reason.
It leads me to think I am jinxed as far as a new job is concerned.
My present company hugely appreciates my services, but all talks about salary correction and rewards and benefits fall on deaf ears, leading me to think my exemplary performance and loyalty is taken for granted now.
Please advise.
Hi Rishi.
First of all, congratulations on continuing with a long winning streak in your current role. I know it's not easy to perform at a consistent level.
Secondly, one can never figure out the real reason why you did not make it in the final interviews.
The area of leadership hiring is very complex and, more often than not, the organisation finds someone else who is a better fit for the role.
In the current economic scenario, it is best to continue in your current role.
Have a candid discussion with your management on what you need to do to move to the next level and work towards that.
Dear Mayank,
I am in the process of interviewing for a new job.
I am 25 years old and I work in the tech sector.
I am asked how good I am as a remote worker and I just don’t know how to answer this?
Can you please help with the parameters that should be included in this answer?
Thanks,
G
Hi.
These are some of the parameters to be a good remote worker.
1. A good set up at home so that you can work undisturbed.
2. The ability to work in different work zones.
3. Connectivity and availability of wifi.
4. The ability to make good virtual relationships.
5. The ability to articulate your thoughts clearly on email and on zoom/online calls.
- You can read all of Mayank Rautela's columns here.
Mayank Rautela is the chief human resources officer at Care Hospitals.
He is a management graduate from the Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies and holds a master's degree in labour laws from Pune University.
He has over two decades of experience in the field of general management, strategic human resources, global mergers and integrations and change management.
He has held various leadership positions across marquee companies, including the Piramal Group, the Tata Group and multinational healthcare organisations like CR Bard and Becton & Dickinson.
Please send in your workplace concerns to Mayank Rautela at getahead@rediff.co.in. (Subject: Mayank, can you help?), along with your name, age, where you work (eg, Mumbai, Lucknow, Agartala) and job profile. Do let us know if you wish to keep your question anonymous.
Please Note: This is not a recruitment service. This column is an advisory.
