IN Pakistan, unemployment is a major concern nowadays. I believe that being employable is more important than being employed. By ‘employable’, I refer to a professional having the right attitude, knowledge and skills for employment.

You, as a professional, are compensated for the value you bring to a firm. Even experienced employees in Pakistan fail to understand this simple thing. Thus, it is important to build your ‘value’.

When you develop your worth by honing your skills, improving your knowledge, and acquiring relevant experience, you give yourself a chance to be successful. As a result, employers chase you, and not the other way round. Many of us are also gifted with innate talents. Recognise what is yours and polish that talent to perfection. Make a career out of it.

Your contribution to your field, as a professional, should speak louder than your resume or your references. The current employment might be temporary for you, but your attitude, mindset, experience, skills and reputation are permanent. I recall that during my MBA classes, one of our professors told us something about the C-Suite. He explained that the reason why these ‘chiefs’ earn such a handsome salary is that their decision-making in the firm leads to profits amounting to many times their salaries.

Hence, these executives receive such a compensation package. Thus, another noteworthy learning is to not only own your job, but also to assume the ownership of where you are working. Your dedication and commitment will eventually benefit you.

The crux of many motivational talks and self-help books is to develop a winning mindset. Winners neither quit nor do they ever beg. Think about it. If you, for example, approach an employer with a job request, you will always be at the employer’s mercy.

On the contrary, if your performance, talent and worth speak for themselves, the companies will approach you with their offers. They will compete with each other to hire you. You will be the decision-maker, not them. This, I believe, is the path to corporate success. We should develop the right mindset, improve our set of skills, and contribute to the workplace. Once we are willing to do that, we will see the magic ourselves.

Syed Zohaib Rizvi
Karachi

Published in Dawn, May 25th, 2023