sharmilasheriff


Some, rather most organizations reject his CV today because he has changed jobs frequently (10 in 14 years). My friend, the ‘Job Hopper’ (referred here as Mr. X), does not mind it…. well he does not need to mind it at all. Having worked full-time with 10 employer companies in just 14 years gives Mr. X the relaxing edge that most of the ‘company loyal’ employees are struggling for today. Today, Mr. X too is laid off like some other 14-15 year experienced guys – the difference being the latter have just worked in 2-3 organizations in the same number of years.

Here are the excerpts of an interview with Mr. X:


Q: Why have you changed 10 jobs in 14 years?

A: To get financially sound and stable before getting laid off the second time.



Q: So you knew you would be laid off in the year 2009?

A: Well I was laid off first in the year 2002 due to the first global economic slowdown. I had not got a full-time job before January 2003 when the economy started looking up; so I had struggled for almost a year without job and with compromises.



Q: Which number of job was that?

A: That was my third job.



Q: So from Jan 2003 to Jan 2009, in 6 years, you have changed 8 jobs to make the count as 10 jobs in 14 years?

A: I had no other option. In my first 8 years of professional life, I had worked only for 2 organizations thinking that jobs are deserved after lot of hard work and one should stay with an employer company to justify the saying ‘employer loyalty’. But I was an idiot.



Q: Why do you say so?

A: My salary in the first 8 years went up only marginally. I could not save enough and also, I had thought that I had a ‘permanent’ job, so I need not worry about ‘what will I do if I lose my job’. I could never imagine losing a job because of economic slowdown and not because of my performance. That was January 2002.



Q: Can you brief on what happened between January 2003 and 2009.

A: Well, I had learnt my lessons of being ‘company loyal’ and not ‘money earning and saving loyal’. But then you can save enough only when you earn enough. So I shifted my loyalty towards money making and saving – I changed 8 jobs in 6 years assuring all my interviewers about my stability.



Q: So you lied to your interviewers; you had already planned to change the job for which you were being interviewed on a particular day?

A: Yes, you can change jobs only when the market is up and companies are hiring. You tell me – can I get a job now because of the slowdown? No. So one should change jobs for higher salaries only when the market is up because that is the only time when companies hire and can afford the expected salaries.



Q: What have you gained by doing such things?

A: That’s the question I was waiting for. In Jan 2003, I had a fixed salary (without variables) of say Rs. X p.a. In January 2009, my salary was 8X. So assuming my salary was Rs.3 lakh p.a. in Jan 2003, my last drawn salary in Jan 2009 was Rs.24 lakh p.a. (without variable). I never bothered about variable as I had no intention to stay for 1 year and go through the appraisal process to wait for the company to give me a hike.


Q: So you decided on your own hike?

A: Yes, in 2003, I could see the slowdown coming again in future like it had happened in 2001-02. Though I was not sure by when the next slowdown would come, I was pretty sure I wanted a ‘debt-free’ life before being laid off again. So I planned my hike targets on a yearly basis without waiting for the year to complete.



Q: So are you debt-free now?

A: Yes, I earned so much by virtue of job changes for money and spent so little that today I have a loan free 2 BR flat (1200 sq. feet) plus a loan free big car without bothering about any EMIs. I am laid off too but I do not complain at all. If I have laid off companies for money, it is OK if a company lays me off because of lack of money.



Q: Who is complaining?

A: All those guys who are not getting a job to pay their EMIs off are complaining. They had made fun of me saying I am a job hopper and do not have any company loyalty. Now I ask them what they gained by their company loyalty; they too are laid off like me and pass comments to me – why will you bother about us, you are already debt-free. They were still in the bracket of 12-14 lakh p.a. when they were laid off.



Q: What is your advice to professionals?

A: Like Narayan Murthy had said
– love your job and not your company because you never know when your company will stop loving you. In the same lines, love yourself and your family needs more than the company’s needs. Companies can keep coming and going; family will always remain the same. Make money for yourself first and simultaneously make money for the company, not the other way around.


Q: What is your biggest pain point with companies?

A: When a company does well, its CEO etc will address the entire company saying, ‘well done guys, it is YOUR company, keep up the hard work, I am with you.” But when the slowdown happens and the company does not do so well, the same CEO etc will say, “It is MY company and to save the company, I have to take tough decisions including asking people to go.”
So think about your financial stability first; when you get laid off, your kids will complain to you and not your boss.

From India, Madras
Nithya Devavaih
Hi,
Though I am not able to decide if Mr.X is in the right track, I can say one thing for sure. All of us do whatever it is to keep ourselves "Contented" and "Happy" The end result of any of our action will be to attain Happiness. Since, Mr.X is happy now, Does it really matter if he is right or wrong?

From India, Panipat
K.Ravi
54

very good Mr. X = Mr. Ravi, but now this Ravi is now just starting his career motor car very soon will be going in a ferrari,, 8-)8-)8-)
From India, Pune
jalasayanan
3

Saying of any successful man is heard when he is at the peak of success. Same Hare and tortoise story.
From India, Madras
dasp06
25

What a story! and that too at an appropriate 'slowdown' time. Bingo! Sharmila. The last line of the story is a cracker.
All I can say, is being stable in a company is good only till the time you are able to lead your life the way you want and at the same time remain debt-free. That's the key.
Prashant

From India, Delhi
tajsateesh
1637

I think Nithya has hit the bull’s eye. What finally matters is 'being contented' . Right or wrong depends on the situation & the way one looks at it. Rgds, TS
From India, Hyderabad
raghunath_bv
149

Hi,
Nice posting plese keep it up and this kind of situation happens to every one in lifetime . The company's which hire the so called Management consultants who are either Be in Electrical Engg or Diploma guys are are aged between 55 to 60 years of age, ask questions like how differently you work, what difference you can make at work, or what is the exclusive work only X can do etc.
Belive me, when i asked one such so called management consultant around 65 years of age have done BE in electrical stream some 40 years ago and with no further improvement or add on qualifications in theManagement sector, I found out that guys speaks about his past like he got an opportunity to go abroad and he refused to accept the assignment then and now he regrets for having rejected it. This is how this fake professionals work differently but unfortunately the SME sector in India trust these kind of goons and finally ge furstrated.

From India, Bangalore
akanksha03
HI
i agree with the point that being stable in any company is good as long as u satisfy n fulfill ur needs and feel ur growth but ignoring the same will lead to dissatisfaction and frustration.
akanksha

From India, Pune
Vinesh_george
sharmila
Nice post to say. as rightly said one of our dear friend exeptions are always there.
But one thing to be realised is that you change your priorities as times change. But changing priorities too often may lead you to loose vision of what you want. It starts making you live in the present and future is taken up for a toss.
I feel Mr. X in this has done the same, but don't know whether he can carry on for long doing the same in the practical situation.
But everyone has his view.


mnj.tiwari
9

Its really nice to read; but I don’t believe it. It is true that our family priority comes first but we should not take shortcuts to fulfill that.
From India, Gurgaon
Community Support and Knowledge-base on business, career and organisational prospects and issues - Register and Log In to CiteHR and post your query, download formats and be part of a fostered community of professionals.






Contact Us Privacy Policy Disclaimer Terms Of Service

All rights reserved @ 2024 CiteHR ®

All Copyright And Trademarks in Posts Held By Respective Owners.