Harish Navuluru

How many times in our HR career we have interviewed candidates who we feel just fall short of the mark ? Who have the potential to do the job and can be hired, but because of non-job related traits we are constrained to reject their candidature. The aim of this article is to try and focus on some of the things that job-aspirants can and should do to be job-ready.

To understand the concept of being job-ready, we need to analyse some of the factors that shape a person’s candidature. Broadly speaking they fall under the following categories:

1. Academic Credentials
2. Area(s) of specialization/Technical skills needed for the job
3. Soft Skills
4. Behavioural attributes
5. Past experience, if any, in the relevant field
6. Employment history

Let us try to understand each factor in brief.

1. Academic Credentials : This is an area you can hardly do something because am assuming that people reading this article would already have been done with their studies and looking for jobs. Either as a fresher or as an experienced professional.
2. Area(s) of specialization/Technical Skills needed for the job : This would form part of the most important part of your resume. It is imperative that we identify the skills that we possess and are comfortable in. In my experience I have interviewed a majority of candidates who are jack-of-many-trades but master of none. Though they are eager to learn and improvise once on-the-job, but they fail to realize that the recruitment process it to see the best-fit. Hence it is important to do a research on the company you are applying to and identify the skill area(s) that the company requires. It would make sense to highlight those skill area(s) in the resume to ensure that the focus of discussion during the recruitment process revolves around the core competencies required rather than leaving it to the individual judgement of the interview panel, which may not be objective. I use the word objective because none of the recruitment processes followed by companies is fool-proof.
3. Soft Skills : It is very important to understand that no job is stand-alone. You are a part of a matrix or a jig-saw puzzle and it is very pertinent that you would be expected to communicate, interact and get results. Soft skills have a very important place in the success of not just landing a job, but to ensure you are successful in it. Many organizations give ratings to the desired skills that they look for in a particular profile and essentially Soft Skills are an inherent part of any Job Description. When HR Managers or Line Managers hire employees, they do not hire you just for the present day, but for the scalability that your personality brings to the table, that reflects over a period of time.  This is true because every organization grows, matures and it helps having scalable and adaptable personnel in the team.  So it is time you work on your soft skills to ensure you complement your technical and academic background with the right soft skills. It is not a luxury but an imperative today that soft skills are needed to be successful in the professional life.
4. Behavioural Attributes : This maybe one of the most undermined attributes that we speak about in a recruitment process. It is of paramount importance because most of your interviewers have been groomed in interviewing techniques, many of which actually focus on Behavioural attributes. Just imagine if you have to play a football with a cricket ball, do you think you can do well ? Obviously not. Its as simple as that. Know the field you are playing in,, adapt and learn.
5. Past experience, if any, in the relevant field : It is very important to highlight your KRA’s (Key Responsibility Areas) in your previous assignments. It paves the way to a proper constructive discussion during the interview. Always remember to take time out to write your resume yourself. A lot of people follow the send-me-your-resume-I-have-to-make-mine principle. It is the biggest mistake that you can make. Remember, your resume is a document that sells your candidature, the more time you spend on making it, the more it would fetch you. Can you imagine any of the major companies surviving without proper projection of their core competencies (in other words, strength of the products or services they offer) ? The answer would be an emphatic NO. So why not spend time on your resume. After all its your career, your professional life. Dont you have adequate time for it ? Please remember, resumes should be like finger prints. Unique. Period.
6. Employment History: Never try to lie on your Employment History. It is very obvious that organizations do a thorough background check on your candidature before offering you that job. So stick to the basics. Do NOT bloat the period between employers if you have had a gap because of some reason. Own up. Same trick applies to designations and compensation details. Do not fall prey to temptation.

There are a lot of other factors too which we can focus on, but I wanted to limit myself to these basic ones.

I hope readers find something meaningful out of this exercise.

Good luck !!