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 The
best way to predict the future is to plan it. Most IT professionals
will agree that they have always treated their companies as providers
which are responsible for feeding them and giving them the best
deals. However, the slowdown changed all equations. The very people
who were responsible for giving an edge to others’ careers
are now responsible for giving them a dreadful turn. This has made
IT professionals realise the need for effective career planning.
 The
past few months have seen an increase in an individual’s responsibility
for mapping his or her career; though this used to also happen earlier,
professionals are more serious now. Given the uncertainty of the
present and future workplace, each person is getting more responsible
for his or her own career management. Career planning not only helps
a person climb the ladder of success, but is also a step towards
a sustainable and secure future. Says Sanjay Agarwala, director,
Eastern Software Systems, “A career plan helps you to assess
your strengths and weaknesses, and plan where you want to go in
the short, medium and long-term. Rather than being reactive, it
is more of a proactive approach.”
The
necessity
Considering
the way things are, people need to be prepared for any eventuality,
be it sudden change, getting dismissed, the coming or adoption of
new technology, or change in business focus by the company. Career
planning can help the professional manage; he can frequently review
and benchmark his goals rather than travel the wrong path.
Says
Pradeep Joshi, resident representative, India, Net to Net Technologies,
“It always helps to plan as it gives you a certain amount of
preparedness. Situations are not always going to remain the same,
and planning helps you focus on your own objectives. No matter how
good things are, they can always be made better with planning. It
is true that many unforeseen circumstances lead to failures of plans,
but your chances of success and survival become dim if there is
no planning. A plan keeps the hope alive, and that is very important
for one’s survival in today’s tough times.” What
is important is to make it a continuous process, reviewing things
at least every two years so that one knows whether he is on the
right track.
Traditionally,
career planning has been done by first identifying where an individual
wanted to reach, and then sitting with the HR head to find out the
roles where he could fit in. But that has changed.
Training
vs RoI
When
the economy was on a high, IT professionals used to get the best
of deals, be it in terms of the career graph (faster promotions
and higher remuneration packages) or training (companies doled out
thousands of rupees to ensure that people got the best training).
This used to be good for the professional; he was always abreast
of the new developments in the technology he was working on. However,
with profit margins going down, most companies adopted cost-cutting
strategies which led to a drastic cut in training budgets.
Training,
which was earlier a core focus area, retention tool, and career
driver, lost its status. Today, in most companies, training is more
of a business need rather than an incentive. Says Rahul Sinha of
a reputed Delhi-based software firm, “Earlier, training was
used more as a morale booster, with our company even giving additional
training as part of the rewards. However, in the past six months
there has been a considerable cut, with training given only when
required. It is now clearly being related to the return on investment
factor.” This is not a stand-alone case; there are many other
companies which have adopted similar policies.
Besides
this, with an increase in competition (more and more professionals
coming back from the US), there is added pressure on the local IT
professional. This has also brought a change in the local professionals’
attitudes; earlier, going by their whims and fancies, they refused
to work on a project or in a place they didn’t like.
Also
affected are career planning sessions. Earlier known for their aggressive
career planning strategies, today’s Indian IT professionals
are a discouraged lot as companies are hardly helping them, busy
as they are with saving their own skins. The new mantra is to identify
key people and focus on them. The rest are more or less left to
deliver, and if they cannot, they are asked to leave and fend for
themselves. “In today’s cost-cutting environment, most
companies are busy putting people straightaway on the job. New employees
thus need quick grasping ability; they should also be flexible,”
says P K Gupta, director, strategic development, ICON operations,
Legato Systems India.
Planning
all the time
Experts
now say that a continuous goal-setting procedure will take you to
the next level of achievement. While it is a lifelong process, what
needs to be kept in mind are areas like your interests, values,
roles, skills/aptitudes, preferred environments and developmental
needs. What is important is that the individual should be in touch
with reality; he should know his skills, capabilities and what can
he achieve in a given situation. And he should continuously ask
himself: “How am I adding value to the organisation, and what
sets me apart?”
Besides,
the professional should continuously review his skills and try to
add to them each year. Experts insist it is specialisation which
will become necessary in coming times. Nevertheless, the professional
should also have relevant soft skills training, and undertake self-development
initiatives to keep himself marketable.
Marketing
oneself has become another necessity in today’s world. You
may have a good technical head, but how well you gel with others
is also vital. Nowadays, technical personnel are being sent with
the sales and marketing team to make a pitch, which means they are
involved in interacting with customers. Thus, having good soft skills
always helps. “More and more companies are realising that they
just cannot hire on the basis of technical skills alone—soft
skills also play an equivalent role,” says Gupta of Legato.
In addition, the individual should continuously network with peers,
family members and customers. Some time in the future, they could
prove to be quite an asset.
The
New Rules
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Don’t expect the company to take care of you. Take care of
yourself.
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Identify your core skills and try utilising them in the work you
are doing.
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Plan short term. However, always have a separate plan ready.
*
Your reputation, results, accomplishments, people skills, kindness,
contributions, and friendships are all a matter of record somewhere.
These can later work as networking—they can work against you
if your record is bad.
*
People tend to earn what they deserve to earn. So you are really
your own wealth creator.
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