You Have Received an Offer from a Company: Taking Things Ahead

You have received one or more job offers. What next?

1. Evaluate the profile(s): This includes several factors. These factors have been listed in an earlier post (click on the link to open): Factors to be Considered While Taking up a Job/Profile.
   
2. Check the CTC being offered (read my post on the difference between CTC & 'take-home'). Insist on a break-up of the same giving details of its constituents. Negotiate on it - never accept the first offer. There is always scope for improvement. Besides salary, check other perks you will get like a transport allowance, mobile phone allowance, etc. (as components of your CTC and not as profile related facility). The amount will vary depending on the profile. Check if you can change the break-up of the proposed CTC to save taxes.
   
3. Check the designation you are being given and negotiate on it, if required.
4. Read the offer letter carefully to understand the implication of each point in it. Try to read between the lines.
5. Take into consideration the distance of your home to the office and the time and cost implications it has.
6. Check the joining date expected of you and see if you are comfortable with it.
   
7. Check whether the company works 5 days a week or 6.
8. Inquire if the company has a formal 'employee rewards and recognition' program. Good professionally run companies have one.
   
9. Inquire about the dress code.
10. Request for a copy of the internal rules and regulations of the company including its leave policy, medical policy and other details.

Decide on the one which seems the best after considering each profile against the points mentioned in the post above.

1. On acceptance of the offer letter and on joining, the company must give you an appointment letter which confirms the appointment as well as mentions other important points in detail.
2. Ensure you fill up the Providend Fund Form which is a mandatory requirement (only for individuals earning basic pay Rs. 6,500 and below. PF is not mandatory for individuals earning earning basic pay above that amount). The employer has to match your contribution presently fixed at 12% of your basic salary (this point must as it is be mentioned in your offer letter/CTC break-up).
   

Factors to be Considered While Taking up a Job/Profile

Choosing between competing offers can be a difficult task. Sometimes even knowing which direction to begin a job search in can leave a person more than a little confused. Listed below are some of the main factors you should consider while taking up a job. These are listed in a general order of priority but this could change for different people:

1. Job Profile: This refers to the broad area of work you will be operating in. This decision can have very long term implications. Choose a career in keeping with your personality as that can be crucial to your long term success and happiness (there are a number of tools on the internet for this. It will definitely be worth your while to check a few out. Try this for a start.) Moving out of a profile into a completely new one may not be possible at a later stage. Also, it may be advisable to build yourself into a profile over the long term as you will add more value to yourself as well as to successive employers that way. Changing profiles, while not an uncommon practice may be more of an exception than the rule. Remember that changing profiles means you have to master a completely new set of skills and theory. You could spend this time in the same profile moving up to the next level in it. Changing profiles is advisable when you are unhappy with the basic fundamentals of one profile or feel you are stuck in a low growth trajectory due in large part to that profile. Some of the profiles where officers may find their calling are HR, Sales, Administration, Security, Operations, Logistics, Supply Chain Management, Purchase, Marketing, Finance, Project Management, Business Development, Strategy, etc. Please think of this in some way as making your choice of arms.
2. Growth Opportunities: The profile must offer you growth opportunities within the company as well as outside. For e.g. getting into a niche profile even in the biggest company of a small industry may put you at a disadvantage at some stage.
   
3. Financial Remuneration: Please decide how much is the minimum you are willing to work for based on all the factors in your life. Anything above that would be a bonus (learn how to negotiate). Salaries can differ widely based on profile, industry, work experience, etc. Please don't make the mistake of deciding your desirable salary level solely based on those of your peers though it is a good idea to know the broad salary levels your peers are getting. While your salary is very important, I would advice officers to be willing to make small compromises when it comes to getting a job with a very good company, or when you are getting a profile you really want. I have a course mate who joined the Aditya Birla Group in its BPO operations since the company was very good (one of the best employers in India) but later found that the BPO industry was not something he really enjoyed.
   
4. Working Environment: This may be something you may get to know only after you have actually joined a company but try and find out as much as possible about a prospective employer as possible before taking up an offer with them. Speak to people working in the company, others in the same industry who may have an idea, check on the internet, etc.
   
5. Learning Opportunities: This is interconnected in many ways to Serial No 3. The more you learn, more are your chances of growing within and outside the company. Take up new assignments within the company whenever possible. Volunteer. I know its a scary word in the armed forces, but this will certainly help you to learn new aspects of the business as well as to come to the notice of your boss/super boss. I would also like to mention here that smaller/medium ventures/companies tend to provide more exposure and flexibility. Large companies have stricter JDs (job descriptions) and cross learning/exposure may be limited.
   
6. Company/Brand: This one is a mixed bag. Varied views and no hard and fast suggestions. However, over the period of your career try to ensure you have worked with good/big companies/brands. You may find yourself getting branded a small company man and be unable to move to a larger company later. However, keep yourself flexible on this and don't limit yourself. Please be careful about very new/small ventures/companies with no pedigree who might offer you large salaries and fancy designations. It may be a good idea to skip these.
   
7. Level in the Hierarchy: It is desirable to be as high as possible in a company reporting in to someone senior in the company, however this may be completely out of your hands. Do inquire about this during your job interview though.
   
8. Authority: Your level in the hierarchy would decide the authority you have in the system. I have seen though, authority can arise out of the work you do and the interpersonal relationships you share at work. Please remember to hang the ego outside the door before you step into the office. You are there to work and let nothing come in the way of your accomplishing that.
   

Hanging up the Olive Greens - The Way Ahead

(1. In a few places in this post my views are candid and blunt. The intension is not to offend anyone or to be rude. The subject requires thorough soul searching, and complex thought & planning before taking a decision this big.

2. There are no standard templates that can be applied to this issue. Thus this is a generic article for officers retiring/leaving or wanting to leave the Armed Forces. For specific or personal advice, please write to me on my mail id given on the blog).

The biggest apprehensions echoing in an officer’s mind who is thinking about or is about to hang-up the OGs are:

1. What next?
   
2. Should I take up a job (for officer’s superannuating)?
   
3. What profile, sector or industry will I fit in?
   
4. What is the pertinence of the qualifications and experience I have gained in the Armed Forces to the private sector?
   
5. Should I upgrade my qualifications?
   
6. Where can I get my resume made?
   
7. I did my engineering ages ago, the world has changed several times over since then.
   
8. Is there anything beyond Administration and Security for me?
   
9. I have done HR all my life, is that where I will fit best?
   

There are three manners in which an officer leaves the Armed Forces:

1. Superannuation: This is after completing his service and retiring at the age prescribed by the government.
   
2. PMR (Pre-mature release): When an officer at any point during his career decides to put in his papers.
   
3. Short Service Commissioned officers leaving after their contractual period of service or at anytime during extension or after having taken permanent commission.
   

Thus the age of an officer retiring from the Army can range from 26-58. There are no simple solutions or standardized answers. The key to success in the private sector will be a function of several factors like age, qualifications, service profile, interests, aptitude, priorities, special considerations, etc.

For an officer falling in category 2 & 3, you need to be very clear about why you want to leave. In my opinion, a simple yardstick applies. An average officer in the Armed Forces will be average in the corporate sector as well. So wishing away your problems or leaving out of frustration is certainly not reason enough. Leaving should under no circumstances be an escape mechanism. There is politics everywhere, good and bad bosses everywhere. You need to analyze in detail the core values/benefits that you are looking for in your life and profession and apply them to the armed forces and to the corporate sector to get a realistic idea of what your next action plan should be.

Some of the biggest reasons for officers wanting to leave are listed below:

1. Salary: The sixth pay commission will address this issue to a large extent. Salaries in the Armed Forces can never be equated with the private sector and should not be since these are completely different worlds. The parity will never emerge.
   
2. Promotion/Growth: Leaving the army is not a solution to lack of personal growth/promotion. There is no guarantee of growth or promotion in the private sector.
   
3. Bad boss: “Individuals leave bosses and not companies” holds true everywhere. In the private sector, you could be in the best company with a bad boss and vice versa.
   
4. Politics: Politics is everywhere and is part and parcel of any organizational culture. It cannot be wished away.
   

Advantages of the Armed Forces:

1. Job Security
   
2. Organizational Support
   
3. Administrative Support
   
4. Lifestyle, Perks and Facilities
   
5. Safe, healthy environs for children to grow up
   
6. No rat race for materialistic wants and desires
   
7. Quality time with family
   

Benefits of the Private Sector:

1. Relatively higher pay scales
   
2. Freedom to choose
   
3. Easier work conditions
   
4. Stability for family and children
   
5. Children's education
   
6. Freedom for spouse to pick up a career of her choice
   

Please be very clear about your abilities and caliber. The private sector is not an easy place to thrive and succeed in. Having said that, if you do plan to move on from the Armed Forces for the right reasons, and have the right attitude, abilities and confidence; then there is no stopping you. You can be as successful as you want to be in almost any profile you decide to take up, in any industry or even if you decide to start your own business/venture.

Additional Qualifications

When you leave or are about to do so, it may be a good idea for you to upgrade your qualifications. This can be done while in service through distance learning programs or after you leave through the Armed Forces Management Development Programs or a regular one/two year MBA. You may even decide to upgrade your qualifications at a later stage after gaining some experience in the corporate sector.

Resume

This is one of the most important documents you will need to make a start in the private sector. Please ensure you invest in making a professional resume (Basic Principles of a Good Resume).

Profile/Industry

This will again be a function of factors like age, qualifications, service profile, interests, aptitude, priorities, special considerations, etc. However, please keep your mind open to all profiles across industry. There are innumerable opportunities on offer. Explore as many as possible.