Evangelist, Chief XYZ, Consultants of all Hues, Architects coming in different shapes and sizes, a variety of Managers, and many more....Business Cards and Linkedin Profiles scream out all these different job designations at you. Some sound weighty, some normal, and some confusing.
Job Designations are definitely one HR tool used by Organizations/companies to attract new talent and to appease what exists within. There is definitely nothing wrong with that. It is just that sometimes a cursory look at some job titles/designations without further probing into what the role entails, leaves you with that little doubt about what exactly is the job all about. Have listed below some such designations that I have seen (just some examples I have seen).
(i)"Product Manager":- I have seen it to mean different things as listed below in different companies
--> Shortening of "Product Marketing Manager", and essentially a member of the Marketing Team in a Product company
--> A Role wherein the person interfaces with the Sales Team, Customers, and In-house Production/Engineering teams, to help design the roadmap of the product evolution/development such that it is in line with demands and requirements of the market/customers. In many companies, this role could also involve some form of targets for the sales revenue for the product
--> Full-fledged Sales roles with sales quotas/revenue targets in Product companies, to go out into the field and hunt for new customers
--> Technical Project Management roles in the Engineering/production department of some product companies
(ii)"Consultants" :-)....If dealt in detail, this could fill up a page or two.
--> The ever revered and coveted Management Consultant positions with the Mckinseys etc of the world, who play in the big league
--> The technical experts (IT Consultants) who actually deploy IT systems like SAP etc across industries
--> In many IT companies, a Pre-Sales role which entails technology or industry domain knowledge, is also a designated as a Consultant
--> Of course you have the HR Consultant, Financial Consultant etc, going all the way to Lifestyle consultants etc
(iii)"Architects"...Let alone, the one who helps design homes and buildings, but it could mean any of the following too:-
--> In a Software product company it could mean a person who handles the software architecture/design of a product (or products). He could be known as a Product Architect
--> In the same product company, you could have the same person (or another person) as a Solution architect i.e. one who actually helps design the implementation of a customized version of the product for each customer
---> In some IT services companies, a very Senior Software Designer or a Technical Pre-Sales Personnel, also has a designation as Architect
(iv)"Director":- In many companies, middle management roles have job titles which contain the word "Director". Of course, it is different from a person who is a Director on account of being on the Board of a Company
(v)"Business Development Manager" in the IT industry
--> The Full-fledged Sales role with sales quotas, to go get new business from existing or new customers
--> In some companies, Managers of Pre-Sales teams which help the Sales personnel with Demos and Proposal making, also have this designation (Well, essentially both Sales and Pre-Sales make up Business Development, and so this is correct. Just that job applicant should be aware that the designation could mean either one of the two).
(vi)"Associate Vice Presidents (AVPs)"/"Deputy General Managers (DGMs)"....Note: - Whatever I have written below is mostly based on what I have heard people say, and could most definitely be also be due to these people (at least some) suffering from a case of "sour grapes" :-)
--> AVPs in the Banking and Financial Services industry - Many people claim that this designation is bestowed on people in this industry much earlier in their careers, as compared to in other industries
--> Have seen a Privately owned Telecom company in the APAC region to have more DGMs than in Public Sector Banks in India. While you could easily meet with DGMs in that telecom company, the DGMs in the Public Sector Banks are virtually out of reach on account of their seniority
Sometimes the business environment in which a company operates (e.g. when it comes to what will go well with customers) and what stage of growth the company is in, also decides what designations need to be given to each role within the company. This leads to the same job designation meaning different things in 2 different industries, and sometimes in 2 different companies in the same industry.
Like I said at the beginning, there is nothing wrong in all this. It just adds to the colour of the working world. Having said that, job aspirants need to be aware of this phenomenon and should do the required research on what exactly the role entails irrespective of the job title/designations. Also, recruiters should use this awareness to evaluate resumes in greater detail, irrespective of what job titles are listed by candidates/applicants for any job position.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Is There Really A Perfect Job You Naturally Fit Into?
We have all heard that. "Hey, do not be a square peg in a round hole". "Do a job which is your passion". However, in truth are most people in the world able to get into jobs which are the "perfect fit"? Most "Square Pegs" chisel themselves into "Round Pegs" over time. Not everyone is as lucky as is the God of Cricket Sachin Tendulkar who truly "does not work a single day of his life", since his job is his true passion (On a separate but pertinent note, many books have been written and will be written, on how Sachin took his passion to a sublime level with his hard work, perseverance and, love for the game of cricket).
The world at large can be divided into 3 broad categories in this aspect (Taking a career in Writing as an example):-
(i)Ones who rough it out - The unsung, unnamed "would-have-been" writers/authors, who many a times die in penury and sometime succeed with splendid rags to riches stories of struggle to tell
(ii)Ones who build a financial base and safety net as "Fat and Healthy" Square Pegs in a Round Hole, and then move to the Square Hole which though less paying is closer to their hearts (whether to succeed and stay, or to fail and retract) - Famous examples being the likes of Mr. Chetan Bhagat who made his fortunes in the Banking industry before wielding the writer's pen full time
(iii)The Square Pegs who chisel themselves into Round Pegs to Fit the Round Hole (Or put up somehow as square pegs in the round holes, if the chiseling fails). Wannabe Shakespeares or Wordsworths, choosing to be Einsteins, Donald Trumps etc
In the above list, (i) and (ii) are a Minority. The Majority are in category (iii)
People in category (iii) do not necessarily choose their careers the way they do it, due to anything which could be attributed as a serious shortcoming in them. They do so due to multiple reasons which could be viewed as being perfectly valid and sometimes not within even the individual's control:-
(a)Circumstances e.g. an unforeseen family tragedy at a crucial juncture of one's career
(b)Personal Priorities e.g. Money being a priority or a need (or both), could cause many to not seek jobs aligned with what they feel passionate about (at least not at the start of their careers)
(c)Opportunities e.g. a person born in the hinterland of any country with say no schools to go to, would find it a much tougher journey in terms of his or her career
Is the situation really that bad? Maybe not so.
--> We all have days when we feel that we are made for another job. It is almost always temporary. It is human psyche when under stress to look "for the grass on the other side which is always greener"
--> Maybe what you feel is your true passion and true calling in life is not really so. Maybe you are best fit for the job that you currently do, and in fact might be a big failure if you follow your "heart" when it comes to your career. Many times there is a logical reason why you are what you are and ended up doing a particular job
--> Maybe this is God's way of running the world. If everyone runs after their passions, maybe there would be no one to do many jobs necessary to run the world.
--> Importantly, as we all know, there is nothing in the world which is 100% perfect. So, we can never be perfectly made for any job i.e. even the roundest of pegs needs some chiseling. The want to do whatever one does perfectly and sincerely carries many a person through his or her career (and thankfully ensures that the world moves along pretty fine). If this was not true we would not have had the numerous Executives who have worn different hats like Sales, Operations, Finance etc with reasonably equal aplomb.
So, everyone only has 2 choices (choosing either one is correct) - Either have it in us to rough it out till we find a square hole, or patiently chisel away at oneself into a round peg. So, since all of us have hence made the right choice, let us close this chapter in a happy mood!! :-)
The world at large can be divided into 3 broad categories in this aspect (Taking a career in Writing as an example):-
(i)Ones who rough it out - The unsung, unnamed "would-have-been" writers/authors, who many a times die in penury and sometime succeed with splendid rags to riches stories of struggle to tell
(ii)Ones who build a financial base and safety net as "Fat and Healthy" Square Pegs in a Round Hole, and then move to the Square Hole which though less paying is closer to their hearts (whether to succeed and stay, or to fail and retract) - Famous examples being the likes of Mr. Chetan Bhagat who made his fortunes in the Banking industry before wielding the writer's pen full time
(iii)The Square Pegs who chisel themselves into Round Pegs to Fit the Round Hole (Or put up somehow as square pegs in the round holes, if the chiseling fails). Wannabe Shakespeares or Wordsworths, choosing to be Einsteins, Donald Trumps etc
In the above list, (i) and (ii) are a Minority. The Majority are in category (iii)
People in category (iii) do not necessarily choose their careers the way they do it, due to anything which could be attributed as a serious shortcoming in them. They do so due to multiple reasons which could be viewed as being perfectly valid and sometimes not within even the individual's control:-
(a)Circumstances e.g. an unforeseen family tragedy at a crucial juncture of one's career
(b)Personal Priorities e.g. Money being a priority or a need (or both), could cause many to not seek jobs aligned with what they feel passionate about (at least not at the start of their careers)
(c)Opportunities e.g. a person born in the hinterland of any country with say no schools to go to, would find it a much tougher journey in terms of his or her career
Is the situation really that bad? Maybe not so.
--> We all have days when we feel that we are made for another job. It is almost always temporary. It is human psyche when under stress to look "for the grass on the other side which is always greener"
--> Maybe what you feel is your true passion and true calling in life is not really so. Maybe you are best fit for the job that you currently do, and in fact might be a big failure if you follow your "heart" when it comes to your career. Many times there is a logical reason why you are what you are and ended up doing a particular job
--> Maybe this is God's way of running the world. If everyone runs after their passions, maybe there would be no one to do many jobs necessary to run the world.
--> Importantly, as we all know, there is nothing in the world which is 100% perfect. So, we can never be perfectly made for any job i.e. even the roundest of pegs needs some chiseling. The want to do whatever one does perfectly and sincerely carries many a person through his or her career (and thankfully ensures that the world moves along pretty fine). If this was not true we would not have had the numerous Executives who have worn different hats like Sales, Operations, Finance etc with reasonably equal aplomb.
So, everyone only has 2 choices (choosing either one is correct) - Either have it in us to rough it out till we find a square hole, or patiently chisel away at oneself into a round peg. So, since all of us have hence made the right choice, let us close this chapter in a happy mood!! :-)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
