How do I get a job in these troubled times?

These are bad times. Demand for MBAs is less than supply so salaries are going south. All MBAs are not created equal, some are more equal than others – some MBAs will get better jobs by virtue of their work experience, their college reputation and the location of the college.

Job portals are out. Every one has his resume out there and are competing for the same jobs. I need to do something different.

I have a target list of companies that I want to join based on my chosen career path. What should I do? I need to categorise these companies as A, B and C based on an arbitrary ranking of desirability. A-type companies have a brand and most MBAs will flock there. These companies will be choosy and I do not have a chance. B-category companies are the ones I need to target and I will use the C category companies to hone my skills.

I need to do my research on these B-category companies. Basic stuff like company financials, market share, positioning strategy, pricing, competition and organisation culture.

In these times, the order of the day is to increase sales and decrease costs. How do I use this to get a job? Simple: offer them customers / sales and offer them a variable component of salary based on performance indicators.

For example, I want to be a financial analyst. Given the markets right now, the glamorous and cushy jobs are not there any more. So what can I do? I can go to a company that wants to expand its customer base rapidly (say Reliance Money) and make a proposition to them – I will get them 5 new customers a month or increase their Assets Under Management by 1 lakh each month and I will take 75% of my salary as fixed and 25% as variable based on pre-defined targets.

Where do I get the customers? In these times, everyone wants someone to trust with their money. Would my relatives trust me with Rs. 10,000 a month? After all I am a relative – hence a known person, specialising in financial management and Rs 10,000 will not kill them. 5 relatives a month can get me half way to my target and the next month I would achieve my target! I would be doing the same stuff as a Financial Analyst, giving reports to my clients, gaining experience, creating a loyal client base and when I get a job in an A category company, I move with my clients. If I am doing a good job, the word-of-mouth will get me more clients. One existing client can refer at least one more person and I could have a multplier in operation. If I am not doing a good job, then I know this is not my career.

I know that it feels queasy to talk about sales when I am specialising in finance. But reality is that we are selling/promoting ourselves each day of our life. We just did not stake our careers on selling.