THE GHOST EMPLOYMENT OBJECTIVE - REFLECTION OVER COFFEE BREAK A company has a need that has to be met by an employee that fits certain specification. This is what constitutes the employment contract. Ordinarily, an employee has personal priorities for which they may want to pursue a career. Many times it is about the income and career advancement. Progressive employees would go beyond the responsibilities and rewards to mind about the exceptional developmental gains that they would want to accrue. The negotiation for employment is often a stage show – all sides trying to be their best. There are often pieces of information that could be concealed in the process. Only positive bits are declared. Companies would want to sound international even when they had business deals with a foreign investor with a local interest. Similarly, there are revenue levels that will be declared that are far above the reality. Some job seekers may be sitting in the same reception with Auctioneers as they wait to pick their appointment letters from alleged multinationals, for instance. What are you likely to be walking into? Predecessor’s Shadow Your role has been made available because someone left. If they were outstanding, expectations may be that you become exactly like them. Different work styles are likely to put you at conflict with your supervisors. Similarly personalities that are different from the predecessor may disappoint people around you. In conservatist set ups, it may not matter the kind of improvements you may want to offer to the role. All that will matter is that you have to, first, be exact attributes of the supervisor. It takes a lot to gather information about the supervisor. Well-developed intuition to pick this from the manner in which you are received and the associated communication within the work group. Sometimes the impressions created may not really be about how good your predecessor was but rather how fond the groups had become of them. Another Pair of Hands This is very typical of fairly established organisations that have the string brands and clientele and what they need is the capacity to deliver their services. The processes and procedures are detailed that they take a good chunk of your productive time. The work is highly specialised that you only do a small portion of what you are capable of doing. There is an overwhelming appreciation for what has already worked and provoking people to try new things may only be as successful to the extent that your supervisor is very professional and objective. You are likely to create enemies trying to look good. It may take growing through the ranks to be able to have the liberty to adventure or even the forum to have your views heard. The message may be very clear – DO ONLY WHAT YOU ARE TOLD TO DO. Superficial Convenience There are historical realities that have hindered the performance of the organisation. Some particular experiences have widely been made known to external parties or even the public. They could be instances of imbalances in staff ethnic or gender composition. You offer the compromise. You are likely to have the most peaceful time in your work place unless very significant gaps in your performance are identified that affect the bottom-line. The biggest problem that you may have is when your level of performance goes beyond the ordinary convenience perception that your colleagues have developed. In addition, you may also exhibit other superior attributes that may provoke your colleagues. Such may include sense of style, lifestyle, personal sobriety, verbal prowess or general knowledge. You may then become the common enemy. Convenience based disposition cannot last for long. You need to rebrand and find some value that you bring. But more importantly, you need to design a less risky approach to achieving your career objectives with minimal risks. Benchmarked Position Your employer has not particularly seen the reason for having your job but market leaders have it. It is the in-thing. You are likely to be the idlest person within the company and if not careful your level of enthusiasm may just collapse in this job. It will be important to just mobilise the management’s appreciation of the role and consequently the support for the enforcement of its processes and procedures. This requires structured cost benefit analysis to prove the value for each initiative. From the Civilised World You have worked for a renowned company whose best practices and market leadership is recognised by many organisations. Just having you in employment is believed to be able to bring into place the practices that inspire leadership. There may not be a programme on how you will make this happen but by faith it will. If you did not participate in the initiatives towards developing such processes and practices or are not conceptual enough to design and integration project plan, then you are very unlucky. Such footing may last to the extent that the peculiar practices become wider industry practices. You will not be unique at this point. Professor Fix It The investors are stuck with the initial design of the products while the market has significantly changed. The marketing initiatives are not creative enough and no success if coming forth. It may be too late since many market players have overtaken the company. The loan facility that was taken to set up the entity is far from being serviced and yet the returns do not qualify the initiative. Others in the same industry are making it and therefore there is hope. You are recruited to make things work. The investors are no longer interested in methods or strategies but rather in the figures. They may not be keen on propositions that involve additional capital injection. You have to be proactive to even question the product design and target market. In addition, you may develop low cost strategies that create easy wins to qualify request for larger levels of capital injections. You may also prepare yourself to deal will wild emotions that characterise frustration. CAN YOU INTERVIEW YOUR INTERVIEWER AND ESTABLISH THE RATIONALE BEHIND YOUR RECRUITMENT?
Posted on: Sat, 20 Jul 2013 12:23:02 +0000
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