Getting Hired.

Faith. Hope. Love. And the greatest of these is LOVE.

Commitment. Competence. Character. And the greatest of these is CHARACTER.

Being a fresh graduate hired by Fortune 500's #9 of the 2010 Top Companies was such an achievement for me, then. Getting an interview call from Fortune 500's #3 of the 2012 Top Companies was another achievement unlocked. Being Business Planning Associate, at 23, for the country's most diversified conglomerate was surreal for me. Handling VisMin operations for the country's top real estate company was way too much my expectations.

Was I competent? Maybe. Was I committed? Very much. Do I have good character? Maybe.

In all my job interviews, I noticed what Human Resources Team and Top Executives are looking for: great character. Nearing college graduation, the most important line that stuck into my head: sell yourself. In any interview, I practiced how selling myself would be like. And in every interview, I didn't get much that chance because the questions of the interviewer were not the same as the ones I rehearsed in my head. I had to go with the flow.

Swimming where the waters will take me during the interview allowed me to show the interviewers my character. No, I'm not a very good person but I believe, I'm not one of the worst, either. Going with the flow allowed me to be more at ease with myself during the interview. I remembered one interview with the AVP and I was so eager to sell myself I couldn't get any chance. The AVP was talking about his son. He was asking me about my love life, etc. The interview ended without me selling myself. I panicked. I went to the room of the VP after, and he looked at my paper with all the comments from HR, the manager and the AVP, read my write-up (my answer to the essay question) and smiled. "Ininterview ka na pala ni Mayo. Ok na.", then smiled again.

I was like: What just happened? Am I hired? Can you please ask me questions? I so wanna sell myself. Fortunately, I got hired. And up until this day, I am wondering what part of the interview made them like me.

So character. Anyone can be as competent as you. Anyone can take masters and graduate just like you. Anyone can work their asses off day and night just like you. But one can never be you.

Just be you - that best version of you.

Finding a Career

written by yours truly, a job hopper.

Regardless of the turnaround of events, one should never become a job hopper. Job hopping is like shifting courses in college. One does not graduate on time and earn a degree early when changing courses. So to get a good retirement package, one needs to earn tenure at a certain company.

So I have but two tips so you won't become a job hopper:

1 Never sign for a job half-hearted.

You must find a job where you see yourself staying for a minimum of five years. Job hopping means higher pay but then it also means ceaseless adjustments: new route, new officemates, new bosses, new policies, and new culture.

Find a job that suits your interests. Find a job that you are passionate with - that job you'll be happy to wake up for every single day or get sleepy with for deadline projects and reports.

2 When you find 'that job', never let go of it.

My second job was my greatest love. I gave that up because I wanna be with my true love - my family and my lifetime partner to-be. Had my second job been in CDO, I wouldn't have left it.

It was my dream job - my everything I want for a career. It was perfect for me.

So find a job you will love and that will optimize your capabilities and discover your hidden talents. Choose to stay in love with that job because with that, you'll find a career, not just a job and a life, not just a career.

Pick carefully. Don't get too giddy but not too picky also. Focus your efforts on applying to companies you really wanna work with in the long run.

Trust me. Been there. Done that. I've job hopped three times in six years. Any regrets? None? It made me who I am now. It even led me to writing this. So I hope you won't end up job hopping like me.

You'll gain more friends with job hopping, but you won't really be working towards saving for your future. :)

The Best Manager

For me, the best manager must be good mentors, thus great leaders.

A manager must know how to lead roaring lions, crouching tigers, wolf packs, tweety birds and hello kitties. He must be assertive enough to make his subordinates follow and meet deadlines. He must be able to motivate people and not drive them like slaves. He must be an eagle, not a developing cocoon, a catalyst for change, not an epitome of mediocrity; the king of the jungle, not a kitten in a forest, and a leader, not a mere employee.

A manager must lead by example. Company policies are general in scope and exempt noone just like the Philippine Laws that excuse noone. He must walk the talk. It's hard to follow immediate superiors who impose and incessantly remind about the policies while personally violating them (unless a provision in the by-laws clearly stipulates exemption to Management and Executive Committee).

A manager must know how to share best practices. Some people are auditory, visual and/or kinetic. He cannot expect everyone to grasp knowledge the same way one expert does. He must also be comfortable with imparting his learning in order to create the best protégés and protégées.

A manager must be a combination of both a leader and a mentor. He cannot be just a leader without knowing how to relate with his people. He cannot also be just a mentor without the ability to influence towards meeting company goals.

He is way beyond outstanding if he's a great leader, an inspiring mentor, and a good follower, all at the same time.

So, are you working with the best manager? Or are you one of the best managers?