Stuck with a job you don't want? Here's what you can do

Luis Moniz helps find a way around the hurdles that stand between your job and a career

All of us who have walked the professional road know the challenges and the pitfalls that come with the territory. What we do not often understand is how to navigate these roadblocks. In a fortnightly column for Business Standard Online, I will answer your questions on career-related issues that have you flummoxed. As a professional careercoach and author, I have worked with hundreds of professionals over the years, have understood their dilemmas and supported them to achieve their careeraspirations. I will bring my understanding of what it takes to manage a successful career to the column.

SANJAY: I want to acquire a skill set which should help me to get extra income in addition to my monthly salary. My area of interest is the financial market. Kindly suggest some course / area which will help me. I can't leave my current job.

I presume that your current job allows you ample time in the evenings and on the weekends for your second profession. Also, the new profession should not conflict with your job role so that your employer cannot object to it. There are many part-time careers relating to the financial markets including selling mutual funds, becoming a life insurance agent, managing investment portfolios, etc. My advice is that your passion in that area is more important than the course you should take. E.g., if you have been passionate about investing in the stock markets and generated excellent returns on your own portfolio, it will be easier to sell an investment management service to your contacts. On the other hand, if you have done several courses in investment management but do not have any experience in that area, it will be hard to get customers. Therefore, focus first on the area where you could get customers easily and then decide the course you need to study to get more expertise in that area

ANITA D: I’m very keen to move to a new company and have been applying for many jobs on LinkedIn and through the job portals. However, I have only got a couple of responses after hundreds of applications and I didn’t get selected. Please guide me on what I need to do differently.

Firstly, remember that job search success is more about quality than about quantity. You will get positive responses for roles where you have a strong fitment with the role and are unlikely to get a response for roles that you may be very keen on but don’t really fit your profile. Therefore, spend time reading the job description carefully and analysing where you fit and apply when you are confident of a strong fitment. As you know, there are thousands of applicants for any job that has been posted online and barely 10 to 20 candidates will be called for the first round of interviews. Therefore, your profile needs to stand out in order to get short-listed. This only happens when you have a resume that highlights your achievements more than a long list of responsibilities. Spend time polishing up your resume as well.

RAVI P: I was very shocked to receive a below-expectations performance rating at my recent annual review. How should I handle this situation?

The first step is to get a proper understanding why you received the poor rating. The fact that you were shocked is indicative of a disconnect between you and your manager on what is expected of your job role. Therefore, please meet your manager to get detailed feedback on what you could have done better and to seek guidance on specific suggestions to improve your performance. Thereafter, demonstrate to your manager that you are serious about improving your performance by implementing the suggestions made on a top priority basis. You will be able to sense that things are improving when your manager and other colleagues start to praise you for something that you did or you get nominated for special initiatives at your organisation.