Career Advice to secure highest paying jobs in India

So, where are you headed? A new job, a new role in the same company or changes in the overall career track? Whether seeking a job change or a promotion in the same position, you must be aiming to take home a pay cheque that reflects digits greater than those from the previous year. A fair compensation for your hard work will motivate you to pitch in with your best efforts at work.

If you are looking forward to a good raise this coming year, now is the time to step up your efforts. Let the following appraisal process reflect not just growth in responsibilities but also in your bank balance.

1. Switch Jobs

As per the findings of Kelly Global Workforce Index survey ‘The Autonomous and Empowered Workforce’, the developing dynamics of the current workplace are causing employees to evaluate the best options for advancing their careers and securing promotions. The survey states that 52 per cent of workers view switching jobs as the key to career growth. Thus, if you seek a good jump financially, switch jobs more often yet take care of frequent job hops.

Besides, do ask these questions before you make your final decision.

· What component of your present job and leaves you unsatisfied?

· Will a job change ease the situation?

· Does the new career opportunity cover all parameters that your last job could not provide?

· Are your savings adequate to carry you within the initial low bits?

2. Chose Lateral growth

Lateral growth is another kind of growth that involves expanding skills and experiences that further helps in your career. It can be achieved through an international assignment, handling a project for a different department, or even taking a course that enables you to brush up or polish your skills. Lateral movement is a compelling career steering device, and it helps meet the organizational need for a flexible workforce. It aids in progressing your professional goals and enriches your ability for a safe, secure and better future.

3. Upgrade skills with training and certifications

Upgrade your skills to stay constantly ahead in your career. Most organizations prefer employees to have additional certification and training. The most vital skills not only contribute to your career but also give you a competitive pay structure. You can opt for skills based on your job field by going to industry events or registering online with various websites. Besides, you can also opt to choose courses offline as some courses might not be available online.

Upgrading skills gives you benefits:

• Increase in confidence

• Improved competitiveness

• Ability to offer solutions

• Better career options

4. Develop your public speaking skills

Whether or not someone has the capacity to be a public speaker, they still need to be moulded and nurtured. It means that even if their job doesn’t require public speaking, everyone should know how to communicate effectively and confidently. Public speaking can enrich your career and can give value to enhance your career. Besides, most high salaried roles require a certain amount of public speaking, which is necessary to carry out functions like training staff, leading meetings, pitching proposals and presenting findings. You can improve your public speaking by:

• Knowing your audience

• Watching feedback

• Using Humor and Stories to communicate

• Using simple and effective language

• Presenting content creatively

• Relaxing and Charging perspective

• Reading and Assessing your audience

5. Research financial health

Before you aim towards your job, create a list of the prospective companies you would like to work for. Analyze the company’s financial growth, which will give you an idea about how they are performing financially and how they will pay employees well. A financially strong company can provide good compensation to their employees along with a yearly hike.

Better company position denotes expansion in future, which in turn means ample growth opportunities for you. You may even want to take the risk of going in for a start up.

You can research by digging at the company’s website, reviews or taking a look at its quarterly earnings report. Read about the company’s history, the work they are involved in, their past achievements and current endeavors. Also, take a dig at company’s recent developments such as mergers; acquisitions, etc convey the market standing of the company.

6. Career SWOT analysis

No matter at what stage of career you are, it is always beneficial if you spend some time doing a self analysis to understand where you stand. It is always beneficial to analyze what skills you have developed over a period of time and what skills are you lacking. SWOT stands for:

Strengths: List all strengths which you think you possess. It may include work experience, technical skills, personal characteristics, strong ethics, and discipline.

Weaknesses: List all points where you think you lack. It may include a lack of knowledge, experience, education etc. It will give an idea about your weaknesses and helps you make plans to improve them.

Opportunities: With your strengths and weaknesses in mind, list all opportunities you see for yourself. It can include opportunities you want to achieve in the current situation and what changes it can bring to your career.

Threats: List all career threats you see for yourself. It could include factors like negative trends in your work, competition, obstacles, lack of jobs etc. It will help you to take the risk which you can take to avoid bad career choices.

7. Negotiation skills is a must-have

The salary offered to you depends a lot on your negotiation power and skills. Recruiters will always try to give you a lower salary than what you should get, and if you are not ready to negotiate, you will regret it later. You need to understand that all companies need qualified employees, and a lot depends on how you make them believe that you can be a valuable employee. Your work history and skills give you the power to have the upper hand in the negotiation.

Before entering into a salary negotiation, you need to know the following:

• Analyze the job posting market and research salaries based on companies and job positions.

• Understand your advantage - what are you deserving based on your skills and expertise.

• Be aware of the company’s paying capabilities and leverage the knowledge for your benefit.

• Don’t overlook the overall compensation package.

• Do not reveal your current salary or salary expectations until you are shortlisted, and the company is keen on hiring you.

• Instead of just sticking to a certain number, try to work out a better perks and benefits package.

8. Get noticed

If you wish to climb the career ladder, it is imperative to instil certain qualities. You have to make yourself noticeable, and it is best if people know you for the kind of work you do. If you are a young professional, it is advisable to be proactive and educate yourself with the qualities that leaders possess because the ones who practice this are the ones who rise higher at a steady pace. You can get noticed by:

• Offering help

• Learning new things and absorbing new information

• Assessing organizations culture and observing working style to adapt it.

• Speaking on topics and communicating in public, writing in journals, company newsletters and magazines.

• Maintain communication with colleagues, mentors and senior managers.

9. Be a Subject Matter Expert

Subject matter experts are individuals who have unique expertise to solve problems and meet challenges. Subject matter experts can exist in all functions and disciplines, and they are individuals with highly specialized knowledge of their work field.

Organizations prefer subject matter experts over other candidates because of their highly specialized knowledge and advanced degrees in their topic of choice. You can become an SME by gaining knowledge on the subject, seeking continuous education opportunities, taking tests, and prioritizing authenticity.

10. Take Risks

To grab a big financial jump, you have to push yourself outside your comfort zone and apply to jobs that offer good competitive salaries. Besides, you should be competitive enough for them to shortlist you in the first place. Remember to focus on what value you can provide on the table. Give them examples of challenging situations where you demonstrated your problem-solving skills and turn them into accomplishments.

You demonstrate your commitment to your career– to yourself and the world – by doing three things:

• First, take personal responsibility for your career. You must be ready to do the duties essential to achieve success.

• Second, set big goals – and then work hard to achieve them.

• Third, stuff happens; as you go through, you will face many challenges. You need to react positively to unwanted situations and move forward toward your goals and dreams.