When are you getting a proper job in big multinational company (MNC) or the govt?!

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“So you are still working as a recruitment consultant? I thought that was the stepping stone in your career but you seem to be stuck in this field! When are you going to get a proper multi-national company (MNC) job or better still a proper government job? I don’t see you applying for one?"  My guardian Uncle in Australia was asking me the same question for the nth time!! I told him the same thing again, “I enjoy being a recruiter and yes it’s a tough profession, but I like it and I am good at it.”

“So are you going to work as a recruiter/career consultant for life?" He would keep showing me employment ads.  Again his worrying debate part II would start. Coming from a typical middle class Indian family he was worried about me and cared for me. He used to say, you are a good boy, worked hard, went to University, got a tertiary degree, migrated to a new country, started all over again, it’s time to get a proper MNC or government job. This was years ago, when I had just migrated to Australia and restarted my career, but recently I heard a similar conversation. Same topic, only new characters!

Coming back to my guardian Uncle, from his generational perspective, he was thinking right, they have always known a government/MNC job to be a safe job, with fixed 9 to 5 working hours, getting loads of perks, respect, regular salary increments, free travel, parking and car allowance. But that was in the past decades. I was not sure that such a cushy job would offer me the sales experience and the tough fighting spirit which is more required in the long run in a career. As a new migrant I wanted a job which would offer me exposure and industry knowledge, where every week if not every day was a new challenge. I would learn new things. Secondly, my dream was to start my own business in the long run, not build someone else's dream.

My thought today is how many of these really safe government / MNC jobs do actually exist? I often hear about outsourcing, layoffs and merging of multiple departments. Job permanency and safety has become a namesake term. Times have changed. Technology change is here. What were easy and good stable jobs for 20 years or a lifetime career are almost non-existent except in some government departments today. Nowadays, in more or less in all jobs, people have to justify and prove their job worth. And those who are not used to this, find it difficult to adjust when the new accountability norm comes in. This is happening currently in some middle management roles, wherein some Managers have no connection with the reality.

I would actually like to tell the majority of the new migrants/or jobseekers for that matter to apply for all sort of jobs, contract or perm, government or MNC, regional or city based, in small or large companies. Also to explore freelancing options. The crux of the matter is to find an opportunity that would provide you good value addition, local industry knowledge and latest skills to develop your career in your new country. Finding a job quickly is the gist of a new migrant’s job search, so waiting out for a perfect job may not be a wise policy. So consult a career coach to get the right advice and achieve your goals faster.