Dear All,
I am into Administration and Facility Management with 7.5+ years of experience. I have worked in 3 companies so far, details as below:
1. Two Wheeler Motors: 2.6 years
2. IT Company: 4.8 years
3. NGO Hospital: 8 months
Most recently, I was with an NGO for 8 months. Unfortunately, I lost my job there last April due to funding issues that led to the layoff of 26 employees, including myself.
Since last April, I have been unemployed and spent 4 months in my hometown addressing personal matters. It has now been 8 months of being idle. During interviews, I have encountered the following questions:
1. Why did you leave the IT company to join the NGO? (I left the company seeking salary and professional growth)
2. Why did you work at the NGO for only 8 months? Is it appropriate to mention the financial challenges faced by the employer?
3. How can we consider you when you have been out of work for 8 months? How should I address this?
I have been struggling to secure a job for the past 2 months due to my 8-month unemployment period.
Please advise on what steps I should take to find a new job and how to respond effectively during interviews to address these concerns.
Thank you.
From India, Bangalore
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I am into Administration and Facility Management with 7.5+ years of experience. I have worked in 3 companies so far, details as below:
1. Two Wheeler Motors: 2.6 years
2. IT Company: 4.8 years
3. NGO Hospital: 8 months
Most recently, I was with an NGO for 8 months. Unfortunately, I lost my job there last April due to funding issues that led to the layoff of 26 employees, including myself.
Since last April, I have been unemployed and spent 4 months in my hometown addressing personal matters. It has now been 8 months of being idle. During interviews, I have encountered the following questions:
1. Why did you leave the IT company to join the NGO? (I left the company seeking salary and professional growth)
2. Why did you work at the NGO for only 8 months? Is it appropriate to mention the financial challenges faced by the employer?
3. How can we consider you when you have been out of work for 8 months? How should I address this?
I have been struggling to secure a job for the past 2 months due to my 8-month unemployment period.
Please advise on what steps I should take to find a new job and how to respond effectively during interviews to address these concerns.
Thank you.
From India, Bangalore
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This is an interesting problem, but for you, of course, it's beyond interesting and of utmost concern.
The problem is that there is no correct answer to the questions. What the interviewer is willing to accept depends on each interviewer.
I am going first by the assumption that since they have called you for an interview, they are interested in you as a candidate and not just interested in wasting your and their time.
For the first question: I would say - I worked there for almost 5 years, learned a lot but the profile was unchanged and therefore lacked challenge. I thought working for an NGO would give a different set of challenges and allow me to grow. Also, the salary they were offering me was much higher. Me not being a developer/programmer would in any case not get any further in the software company.
For the second question: I would have liked to work there further, but they were facing a serious financial problem and retrenched most of the people. They asked me to leave as they were not in a position to pay salaries. I understand now that joining there was an error, though I have learned a lot in that profile.
For the third question: Well, I had to take a few months off for a personal problem. But now I am ready to get back to work. As you see, I have worked for 9 years and there has been no complaint against me. I do not see any problem in working for your organization. I mean, if you take me, you will find I will have no difficulty in executing my duties and delivering to your satisfaction.
Of course, each of the answers needs to be tweaked depending on what you actually did and what the prospective company is looking for.
Best of luck with your next interview.
From India, Mumbai
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2503The problem is that there is no correct answer to the questions. What the interviewer is willing to accept depends on each interviewer.
I am going first by the assumption that since they have called you for an interview, they are interested in you as a candidate and not just interested in wasting your and their time.
For the first question: I would say - I worked there for almost 5 years, learned a lot but the profile was unchanged and therefore lacked challenge. I thought working for an NGO would give a different set of challenges and allow me to grow. Also, the salary they were offering me was much higher. Me not being a developer/programmer would in any case not get any further in the software company.
For the second question: I would have liked to work there further, but they were facing a serious financial problem and retrenched most of the people. They asked me to leave as they were not in a position to pay salaries. I understand now that joining there was an error, though I have learned a lot in that profile.
For the third question: Well, I had to take a few months off for a personal problem. But now I am ready to get back to work. As you see, I have worked for 9 years and there has been no complaint against me. I do not see any problem in working for your organization. I mean, if you take me, you will find I will have no difficulty in executing my duties and delivering to your satisfaction.
Of course, each of the answers needs to be tweaked depending on what you actually did and what the prospective company is looking for.
Best of luck with your next interview.
From India, Mumbai
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I am employed in a manufacturing company where I work as an excise clerk and handle administrative tasks. However, over the last 2 years, the administrative responsibilities have been causing me a lot of stress and have tested my patience. As a result, I have decided to transition to another department within the same company and take on the role of a shift supervisor.
Please assist me in drafting the letter.
Balaji
From India
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Please assist me in drafting the letter.
Balaji
From India
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Dear All,
I used to work as an Admin/Facility Dept in Bangalore with a salary of 3 lakhs per annum plus other allowances. Recently, I got a government job in Tamil Nadu as a Junior Assistant in a school. The salary is Rs. 180,000 per annum. My concern is whether I should continue in this government job or go back to a private firm. I have the following concerns:
1. Less salary or no growth.
2. The place where I am working is not good. It's very hot, a remote village, and there are health issues due to the weather.
3. I don't want to live a middle-class life.
4. Job Profile: It's more like an office assistant job where you are the one responsible for salary calculations of working teachers, collecting and submitting documents to the CEO or DEO office personally.
5. I am losing my technical skills here as I don't have access to computers. (I did my Diploma in E&C, and I used to work as an IT admin in private sectors).
However, now everybody is scaring me that if I leave the government job, I am losing a good opportunity where there is no job security in the private sector, and in government service, there is assurance of a job until 55 years. But the pension plan is now not available in government jobs. I am confused now. Please suggest, should I continue with the government job or not.
Thank you.
From India, Bangalore
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I used to work as an Admin/Facility Dept in Bangalore with a salary of 3 lakhs per annum plus other allowances. Recently, I got a government job in Tamil Nadu as a Junior Assistant in a school. The salary is Rs. 180,000 per annum. My concern is whether I should continue in this government job or go back to a private firm. I have the following concerns:
1. Less salary or no growth.
2. The place where I am working is not good. It's very hot, a remote village, and there are health issues due to the weather.
3. I don't want to live a middle-class life.
4. Job Profile: It's more like an office assistant job where you are the one responsible for salary calculations of working teachers, collecting and submitting documents to the CEO or DEO office personally.
5. I am losing my technical skills here as I don't have access to computers. (I did my Diploma in E&C, and I used to work as an IT admin in private sectors).
However, now everybody is scaring me that if I leave the government job, I am losing a good opportunity where there is no job security in the private sector, and in government service, there is assurance of a job until 55 years. But the pension plan is now not available in government jobs. I am confused now. Please suggest, should I continue with the government job or not.
Thank you.
From India, Bangalore
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Special Challenges in Career Management - PPT 12.ppt
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