Finding the right job is a hassle for all. Even the young graduates often complain about their pay, work or even worse — how they do not have a job. Entrepreneur T Muralidharan has the solution. The founder and chairman of TMI Group is also the author of two books, An Expert’s Guide to Your Right First Job and An Expert’s Guide to Top 101 Entry Level Jobs, both aimed at finding a solution to young India’s job related problems. As we caught up with him, he spoke about his books, his journey as an entrepreneur, and his advice to job-seekers. Excerpts...
How was the journey from being an entrepreneur to an author?
As a part of my entrepreneurial journey, I meet a lot of students and observe that most of them are worried about their future, especially in smaller towns. Everyone is looking for a government job which is not available. People usually have two questions — “What job is ideal for my background?” and “What jobs are available in the market?” This inspired me to write my debut book about finding the right first job, which is also a national bestseller. The second book is about jobs that are available. This is a result of my elaborate research of four years. The problem while writing about jobs is that you have to write for the future. Not for the present.
Do you think that students have opted for their respective courses without having an interest or without much research?
Interest comes from exposure. You might see a relative doing well in a particular profession but that could be the wrong choice for you. Also, in most of the cases, there is no counselling.
Do you get queries about payscales from youngsters?
Yes, but this is not a healthy trend. People should not choose their first job based on the salary. Most people are attracted to a job, seeing the salary and do not realize what it entails. Especially in campus placements.
Mostly during campus placements, people do not really get a choice. Is this ‘take the first job’ trend right?
No. Jobs are not at all in short supply and all of them do not come to campuses. The biggest mistake is that most of the students are dependent on campus placements. They should start looking for jobs on their own. This book is written for that. Also, even if you take up a job through campus placement, you’re most likely to leave the job in six months and sit at home. This affects your confidence. Most young people believe that they’re smart. But they might need to work harder and migrate.
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