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This is a story of Papaya tree in my garden. This was about 3 years back that the place I stay witnessed a sudden surge in the cases of dengue. Consuming the juice extract of the papaya leaf is considered to be one important treatment for a quick recovery.  During this time our doorbell was ringing frequently only to receive our neighbors requesting for a papaya leaf. As our Papaya plant was nicely taken care by my mother – it was very flourishing. We were very happy to help our neighbors with papaya leaf. Giving one leaf seemed very insignificant at the beginning but as the word spread about availability of papaya leaf – there was more demand. We kept honoring the demand and then we all started to feel a little hurt as the papaya tree started to wither.  A point came when it now had only one leaf left. And then the inevitable happened – our doorbell rang once again. One more neighbor standing in front of us requesting for that sole leaf. We were committed to help till we have the resources and I got this last leaf and handed over to the needy. We were happy that we could help at the same time now looking at the naked papaya tree was painful. Without any leaves we were not hopeful about its survival. What we witnessed within next few months is nothing short of a miracle – The papaya tree branched out, bore big, sweet and large number of fruits – more than enough for us to eat and share.  This for me is a great life lesson which taught me the significance of selfless service, principle of reciprocity and abundance in action! Happy to share the original picture of the papaya tree below!  #metobecoaching#careercoaching#executivecoaching#businesscoaching#lifecoaching#jobloss#jobsearch#careergrowth#careerprogression#careertransition#careershift#careerchoice#careerpath#careerbreak#returningtowork#careerafterretirement#recruitment#hiring#learning#development#transformation#training#wellbeing

Victim Vs Responsible! A definite pre-requisite for a Coaching engagement to yield positive results is Coachee (Client) motivation. The first step of the coaching engagement is to have something called as an intake session or chemistry meeting with the client. In this meeting, besides discussing the agenda, protocols, schedule, etc. the coach also checks for client’s commitment to the coaching process and most importantly to themselves. (Coachability) One popular method to know if someone is ready for coaching or not is this simple exercise to ask the Coachee to rate themselves on the scale of 0 to 10 on their tendencies while subjected to a challenging situation in life. 0 being the Victim and 10 being Responsible. Victim is identified with complaining, blaming others, going in to a negative spiral and withdrawing in to their shells and Inaction. Responsible ones are busy finding what’s next! If you tend towards being Responsible in a challenging situation then Coaching is for you!  Coaching works well for progressive professionals who have courage to look within, challenge what limits them, act to correct them and excel in their work and life. To set up an exploratory “What is Coaching?” conversation and talk about your career situation, please write to me at metobecoaching@gmail.com #metobecoaching#careercoaching#executivecoaching#businesscoaching#lifecoaching#jobloss#jobsearch#careergrowth#careerprogression#careertransition#careershift#careerchoice#careerpath#careerbreak#returningtowork#careerafterretirement#recruitment#hiring#learning#development#transformation#training#wellbeing

A progressive career is about excelling in one’s chosen field of work in service of other living being and being acknowledged and appreciated for the same.  According to me there are these following aspects that contribute to a progressive career – 1) Being Fit to Serve – Continue to gain right experience, adding competencies, acquiring skills and knowledge.2) Serving – Continue to remain relevant to people/customers – further excelling and expanding.3) Returns – Receiving corresponding recognition, remuneration, security, life style etc.4)   More importantly – Ongoing sense of fulfillment, sense of contribution etc. Important words to note here are – “Continue”, “Receiving” and “Ongoing”! All of these happening in tandem with persistence seems to be a good indicator of a progressive career flow. As you see this is a complex game and a very active pursuit. It will be nice to be mindful of these aspects and take necessary action and remain responsible towards your career. Professionals often weigh one aspect over the other and compromise or give up on the balance. This compromise or giving up on one of these aspects and remaining in that state for long is the state of being stuck in one’s Career! Building career is hard work and I see people are willing to do that but they are not sure where to start. Comparison with others, complaining about culture, hoping that time will ensure growth, ignorant about changing realities around you etc. are some blocks that obscure right action. Coaching is a great tool that one can explore to identify what are the limiting beliefs, assumptions etc. that is keeping one stuck. To set up an exploratory “What is Coaching?” conversation and talk about your career situation, please write to me at metobecoaching@gmail.com #metobecoaching#careercoaching#executivecoaching#businesscoaching#lifecoaching#jobloss#jobsearch#careergrowth#careerprogression#careertransition#careershift#careerchoice#careerpath#careerbreak#returningtowork#careerafterretirement#recruitment#hiring#learning#development#transformation#training#wellbeing

Ignore, Accept, Act! – these are the possible three options that one can or should follow while dealing with any life challenges and to move forward. But, the amount of time that one spends in dwelling in the situation, talking it out or talking within their head – on how this situation is so unfair to them like – why me? why now? it always happens to me only! when will this end and so on…  Staying in this state which seems very normal converts a situation in to a problem. And when one allows their situation to become a problem then they start accumulating psychological hurts, fears, assumptions, limiting beliefs and other negativities. This further diminishes their inner potential to take action. One may have noticed while there is a medical emergency or any danger – there is no time to think – there is only spontaneous action. A challenge tackled with right action without mind interference. You don’t have to have challenging situation to experience spontaneity in action. You always have a choice.  Based on the situation you are confronted with you have the following choice  1) Ignore it – move away from it. If that is not an option then you may –2) Accept it and live with it – when there is a full acceptance of it then there is no complaining, you are at peace with it – you accept the same as your current reality.3) The 3rd and important choice is to take action to change your situation. Observing one’s problem for what it actually is, what is the desired state, challenging the impediments both physical and psychological, exploring options, deciding on right action, measuring progress and so on. One is often stuck in inaction due to being stuck in the past or worrying about the future. A coaching conversation helps one to move in to the present moment which brings about greater awareness, right decisions and actions towards greater fulfillment. To set up an exploratory “What is Coaching?” conversation and talk about your career situation, please write to me at metobecoaching@gmail.com #metobecoaching#careercoaching#executivecoaching#businesscoaching#lifecoaching#jobloss#jobsearch#careergrowth#careerprogression#careertransition#careershift#careerchoice#careerpath#careerbreak#returningtowork#careerafterretirement#recruitment#hiring#learning#development#transformation#training#wellbeing

All my colleagues in my organization @Seventh Contact Hiring Solutions started their career with us as freshers or have re-started after a career break. Our hiring philosophy permits us only to hire people who are starting or re-starting their career, this also helps in creating meaningful employment opportunities to people.  While we have a hired a good number of women professionals returning to work – we were also unable to consider a large number of them in the selection process to work with us.  We have noticed two categories of women professionals on break. One who present themselves as a victim and others who have been very responsible towards their career while on the break as well. The victim category blame everything and everybody else for their situation and did nothing or very limited to keep them employable – not even reading few lines a day. TV and Social Media seems to be their prominent other occupation during their break. Whereas the responsible one’s have been very clear of their break as a necessary part of their life and have kept themselves engaged in development activities like reading books, in touch with computer skills, improving their communication skills, enrolled for distance learning courses, online courses, pursuing their hobbies and interests etc. It’s anybody’s guess who has a better chance of returning to work. Career breaks are essential. The reasons for the same are integral to the well-being of families and society at large. Industry is cognizant of the same and is open to welcome such professionals as it is evident from various initiatives and drive towards diversity hiring. But one need to be responsible for themselves to make the best use of such opportunities.  It is never too late to start being responsible and preparing oneself for their next job after career break. Self-doubt, lack of confidence, inertia, negativity etc. are few things that a break can do to you. Bringing self-awareness to these limiting emotions or mindsets will free you from them – only to make way for more clarity and right action. Coaching can help here. To set up an exploratory “What is Coaching?” conversation and talk about your career situation, please write to me at metobecoaching@gmail.com #metobecoaching#careercoaching#executivecoaching#businesscoaching#lifecoaching#jobloss#jobsearch#careergrowth#careerprogression#careertransition#careershift#careerchoice#careerpath#careerbreak#returningtowork#careerafterretirement#recruitment#hiring#learning#development#transformation#training#wellbeing

“Keeping your promises and delivering on your commitments are an absolute essentiality for the smooth functioning of the society” – these are the words by Sai Baba from an ongoing TV series on him in one popular TV channel’s here in India. I am sure we all have personal life experiences where we have been victims of promises not being kept and commitments not honored leaving one with the feeling of being cheated and hurt – these events cause irritation, anger, anxiety and all other negative emotions. Actions happening out of this state further breeds more negativity, lack of trust and percolates in to larger problems. The extent to which the industry (IT Industry in India) is experiencing candidate back outs in this virtual world where opportunities are more than ever – is scary. Everyone is within their right to pursue what is best for them – however this is leaving a trail of bad experiences and psychological hurt for those who are becoming victims. This no longer seems to be a business challenge but is becoming a social crisis. This post is not about condemning an action but an appeal to look at the overall ecosystem which is giving birth to this situation. Also, the corrective actions that are being discussed and practiced to counter this situation like more contractual obligations, joining bonuses, attractive retention strategies, demand ONLY for immediate joiners or serving notice period professionals etc., are further aggravating this corruption. Like cutting the branch on which we are resting. The root of this problem seems to be in the short sightedness of the actions by all the stakeholders in this ecosystem. The desire for instant gratification is leading to a long-term disruption.  Taking responsible action with respect to the long-term good for business, industry and society – seems to be a way out! There is lot more to express about this situation and I am committed to write about this in my subsequent posts. #recruitment#hiring#candidatebackouts#jobsearch

A jobseeker called and in one breath said the following – I was laid off in August 2020 due to some restructuring in the organization and I am looking for any suitable opportunity. I have been trying for sometime now and I know the job market is difficult right now and I am fine with taking a 50% salary cut to get a job! This is not an exception; many active job seekers consider taking salary cut as one of the strategies to find suitable job. In my view this may not be the best idea or among the first things to do for job search! I continued my conversation with this job seeker to understand what was her background, her experience and where will her experience be valued the most and many more fundamental questions. As she kept answering – there was a sudden realization in her and she said – Why am I offering salary cuts! I can be so valuable to an organization in my core skills – you know what – I have done so well in my previous job and have done so much and I can do these things better than anybody else – she went on and on…a sudden change in her confidence. Finally, she said – you know you are right – I think I am not looking for right jobs and not doing enough to land in to a suitable role! I was wondering – I never gave her any advice? I was happy the person was helped in the process of our conversation which was essentially her answers to a few relevant questions.Questions asked in a right way can do wonders. This conversation that I had was a Coach like conversation and had a deeper impact than any advice or suggestions that I would have given her. Feels good! To set up an exploratory “What is Coaching?” conversation and talk about your career situation, please write to me at metobecoaching@gmail.com #Careercoaching#coaching#lifecoaching#jobloss#career#jobsearch#jobseekers#recruitment#recruiting#hiring#opportunity

I have often noticed when an active job seeker is asked as to what kind of job are they looking for? The response will be – “Any Job”! “Any Job” on the face of it looks as if you have broadened your options and hence improved the chances of landing in a job faster. This according to me is a poor start. Have you ever experienced in your personal life – when someone asks you or you ask someone in family or social meeting – What would like to have for meal/lunch/dinner? and if the answer is ANYTHING will do! – this often overwhelms the host . It is said that it is easy to cook or order but very difficult to choose the options! Same is the case with the job search. “Any job” is a state of overwhelm for our mind and this leads to inaction and stress. The best option is always to define one’s job preferences very clearly. This clarity is the source of right action and improves one’s chances to get the right job. Defining job preferences is a challenge for many. This is often due to lack of clarity about one’s core values, purpose, career goals etc. Coaching conversations can help bring awareness about one’s core values, beliefs, purpose, goals, preferences etc. paving way for exploring right options and taking right actions towards desired goals. To set up an exploratory conversation about your career situation, please write to me at metobecoaching@gmail.com #Careercoaching#coaching#lifecoaching#jobloss#career#jobsearchstrategies

A senior management professional (program manager in technology) reached out to me end of last year 2020 seeking help in job search. He has lost his job mid last year due to pandemic. He was searching for a job for some time, but in vain. A common connection introduced him to me and we started to talk..We discussed about all the options that he has already explored. I inquired about what else is possible and in my ongoing conversations he often came up with new ideas and started acting up on them. In this process of having frequent scheduled conversations with him, I sensed a clear energy shift and taking action enthusiastically on his ideas. It was now 6 months and frequency of our calls have also reduced. I kept checking with him on how he was doing. Towards the end of 6 month, he called me share the he has got couple of options that has materialized for him and he is in the process of taking a decision. He thanked me multiple times in that short conversation. I asked him what did I do that you are thanking me? It was all your ideas and you took action – what did I do? After a long pause on the other side, he said – Rajiv, what I needed the most at that difficult time was someone who would listen to me without making any judgement, and just be there for me! Thank you for holding the space for me and being there! This experience left me with the realization on the power of listening!   The power of listening is an integral part of a coaching conversation, and when combined with asking right questions can do wonders. I welcome people to explore the power of coaching and give yourself a chance to move ahead in life by scaling your current challenges and further live a fulfilled life. To set up an exploratory conversation about your career situation, please write to me at metobecoaching@gmail.com #Careercoaching#coaching#lifecoaching#jobloss#career

I am offering Career Coaching (Life Coach) to progressive professionals who may be currently experiencing certain challenges in their career, like – Job Loss, Job Search, Career Growth, Career Transition, Career Shift, Returning to work after Career Break, Working towards Career Aspirations, Making Career Choice/Job Choice (Freshers OR Laterals), Career after Retirement. I also work with CEO s, Hiring Managers, Recruitment professionals who are experiencing challenges in recruiting. Career Coaching is for professionals who are seeking better self awareness with respect to their current career situation and to find right solutions in order to progress in their career and life with more clarity and confidence. If you are interested to know more then please write to metobecoaching@gmail.com or WhatsApp on +919822404753. I would be happy to set up an exploratory conversation with you. This will help you to understand what is Coaching and how it can help you transform by addressing your career challenge/s. #coaching#careercoaching#lifecoaching#jobsearch