If you are applying for every job online, waiting for interview calls, attending a few interviews but not getting the job, then you are in the right place.
My Personal Journey
Read this if you are in a job search and worrying about how your future will be. 10 years ago, I was in your position, so I can understand your situation.
I am Rajesh, and I completed my MBA in HR & Marketing in 2012 from a local college. Since there were no campus interviews, I struggled a lot after finishing my MBA. It took me 9 months to get my first job.
The Struggle and Success
I attended many interviews advertised in newspapers and job portals, but none worked out. During that time, one of my friends got a marketing job in the automobile industry and referred me for a job. I attended the interview and got the job the next day, though it was in marketing, not HR.
Frustrated with my job search, I accepted the marketing job, believing that working was better than staying at home, and I hoped to eventually get an HR job.
Another reason I accepted the marketing job was the high competition for HR jobs, which were mostly given to female candidates and referrals. Sometimes I attended marketing job interviews, but nothing worked out.
I finally landed my first job as a Marketing Executive. I worked in marketing for one year, and despite not loving it, I became successful.
My job was to sell Mahindra school buses, and I sold seven buses in three months, the highest number in my dealership that year. However, I did not want to continue in marketing, so I planned my own business and lost hope of getting an HR job after working in marketing for a year.
Transition to Business and Challenges
Marketing made me strong, and even if I lost money in the business, I believed I could get another marketing job with my experience. With that confidence, I planned my own business.
My friends and I started a business by leasing an RO water plant for a monthly rent of Rs 35,000 in 2013, with other monthly expenses around Rs 1 lakh.
The first two months were interesting, but I soon realized it was not my passion. It was difficult to handle the staff, government regulations, and drivers who took our vehicles for delivery. We faced daily issues with machinery, staff absence, or vehicle problems. Additionally, we had to pass annual inspections by the BSI (Bureau of Indian Standards), which was a headache.
We didn’t renew the lease after one year and handed the plant back to the owner. (Fortunately, we haven’t lost money in the business, but we haven’t made any significant profits. It was a break-even situation.).
Back to Job Search
I became jobless again. Fortunately, one of my friends who was a partner in the business got a job in the accounts field. After a month, he recommended me for an HR job. Despite having no work experience, I applied for the job with two years of fake experience.
While I’m not against fake experience, it’s important to develop the skills required for the job and justify the salary. I learned the basics of HR in three days by watching YouTube videos and reading articles on Google. (At that time, there were few videos about HR, but some helped me, and I’ve been in the HR field for the last ten years.)
Two days later, I attended the interview. The first task was to prepare a salary statement, which I did simply, and I got the job.
Importance of Networking
For most non-technical jobs in private companies, background verification is not a big issue. If you agree to the salary and have basic skills, they will hire you.
In summary, I became jobless twice and got jobs through referrals both times. Even when I changed my HR job twice after my first HR job, one was through Naukri and the other through a referral.
If you want to get a job immediately in India, networking plays a crucial role. Having references helps you get a job quickly. While job portals like Naukri, Indeed, and Monster work, they are less effective when you need a job urgently. LinkedIn is somewhat better for quickly finding jobs in India as it helps you maintain a network with employers.
Effective Job Search Strategies
To get a job immediately, you need references. Use the 80:20 rule: spend 80% of your time networking and 20% on job portals.
According to an article about job search statistics on Top Resume, 60% of jobs are found through networking, not online, and 75% of resumes are rejected before reaching the hiring manager due to format and content issues. Many companies don’t post jobs online because of the high cost of job portals, depending on internal referrals (employees get referral bonuses for recommending candidates), and confidentiality concerns (they don’t want competitors to know about new branch openings or product launches).
Conclusion: How to Get a Job Immediately
In my HR career, I recruited most candidates through referrals from internal employees because we had budget limits on using job portals like Naukri Resdex. I saw the same thing with my friends and colleagues. Whenever they got a good job, it was mostly through networking.
To get a job immediately in India, you mainly need two things: a well-crafted resume and networking. If you have these, you can quickly land a job.