Over the years, your support has made Women’s Web the leading resource for women in India. Now, it is our turn to ask, how can we make this even more useful for you? Please take our short 5 minute questionnaire – your feedback is important to us!
In a job, as in life, we need to learn from mistakes and avoid them in the future, putting our best foot forward to proceed.
7 years – a long time to stay in your first job some tell me. And some wonder – why did I change at this point? I am in my comfort zone, a mom of a toddler and I recently bought a house in the city. So why on earth would I decide to switch jobs and move to a new city?
Well the truth is – it took me a lot of courage to take this decision. It certainly wasn’t an easy one. I knew that my career graph was not what I had envisioned and I chose to ignore it for a long time – by consoling myself that I have good work life balance, good pay and a brand name, I can focus on my baby and on my writing. People like reading my blogs, let me focus on the good things in my life. A person cannot get everything- maybe a good career is not meant for me.
But I couldn’t fool myself for long, as I knew in my heart that I put in my best into whatever work I did. If that was not getting its due, it’s time for me to move. I cannot keep blaming people around and complaining, I had to do something change it. And that led me to explore new opportunities which then meant moving to a new city.
As I sat back and analyzed what went wrong and what mistakes I should avoid in my career going forward, I came to these 3 conclusions:
I often wonder why I stayed put for such a long period. It’s not that it was a sudden realization that things are not working in my favor. I did have personal reasons like my hesitation to move out of the city I lived in and limited opportunities in the same city in my kind of work which compelled me to stay put. I realized that these were artificial barriers created by me though.
I am not implying that one should not think long term. I am a long term thinking sort of person but it’s important to keep our eyes open – if things are not working out, do not immediately look to move but take time to sort them out, work on stuff and give it your best shot. But if you feel it’s still not working out look for a new opportunity.
There is no point whining and wasting time. It took me too long to take this step and that was a big folly.
You are awesome, smart, efficient, capable, dedicated, committed, have technical expertise and are doing your job really well. Don’t look for that validation from others, tell yourself this. Have a strong self worth and don’t let anyone ever erode it.
I have very good academic credentials with an all India rank and I have always had a high level of confidence in my abilities. But few people started spewing negativity time and again and over time my confidence in myself took a dent. I started doubting my abilities, and that was a big mistake.
I am not implying one should develop a superiority complex but it’s very important to believe in yourself for without that one can never succeed. We may meet people who try to trample our confidence but not allowing them to deter us – this is a resolve we must make.
Not just in your job but in creating visibility amongst your seniors. It’s very easy to mingle among a few that you count as your good friends but this is not a school or college, it’s a workplace. What management thinks of you can significantly impact your career- Are you the first person who comes to mind when there is something new to be driven? And their perception to a large extent depends on your interaction and relationship with them.
Some might looks at it as flattering the boss to have an easy way and that was what I have thought for a long time which made me take a back step and maintain minimal contact with my superiors. My work speaks for me I thought. How silly! I now realize.
It’s important to recognize your stakeholders and work towards creating a good relationship with them. It may not always be easy and may take time to develop but working on this is essential. First impressions go a long way and my experience tells me these perceptions formed initially are difficult to change.
Being cognizant of this fact and treading cautiously and smartly right from the beginning is important.
As I embark on a new journey I on my part would strive to put my best foot forward and avoid these mistakes.
Join the Women’s Web Network for women at work by filling in the form below. You will receive a monthly newsletter from us with great resources, plus we’ll keep you posted on all Women’s Web events in your city!
Email Format
Published here earlier.
Image source: shutterstock
An avid reader, a shopaholic, head over heels in love with my little bundle of joy" Angel" ,God's most precious gift bestowed upon me, not so long ago.Professionally I am a Chartered Accountant read more...
Women's Web is an open platform that publishes a diversity of views, individual posts do not necessarily represent the platform's views and opinions at all times.
Stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter or Daily Summary - or both!
Be it a working or a homemaker mother, every parent needs a support system to be able to manage their children, housework, and mental health.
Let me at the outset clarify that when I mention ‘work’ here, it includes ANY work. So, it could be the work at home done by a homemaker parent or it could be work in a professional/entrepreneurial environment.
Either way, every parent struggles to find that fine balance between ‘work’ and ‘parenting’, especially with younger kids who still need high emotional and physical support from their caretakers. And not just any balance, but more importantly, balance that lets them keep their own sanity intact!
I watched a Tamil movie Kadaisi Vivasayi (The Last Farmer), recommended by my dad, on SonlyLiv, and many times over again since my first watch. If not for him, I’d have had no idea what I would have missed. What a piece of relevant and much needed art this movie is!
It is about an old farmer in a village (the only indigenous farmer left), who walks the path of trouble, quite unexpectedly, and tries to come out of it. I have tried my best to refrain from leaving spoilers, for I want the readers to certainly catch up on this masterpiece of director Manikandan (of Kakka Muttai fame).
The movie revolves around the farmer who goes about doing his everyday chores, sweeping his mud-house first thing in the morning, grazing the cows, etc and living a simple but contented life. He is happy doing his thing, until he invites trouble for himself out of the blue, primarily because he is illiterate and ignorant.