Career by design or luck?

Do you plan your career by design or luck? After more than twenty years in the headhunting industry in Singapore and Asia Pacific, and having read thousands of resumes and interviewed thousands of candidates, I noticed three career trends.

The first is a small group of candidates that is able to achieve what they generally set out to achieve in their careers. The second is the majority group that is able to achieve some success in doing what they want to do but somewhere along the way they get disorientated by business and economic upheavals. The third is a very tiny group that is just plain lucky.

The First Group
The first group consists of usually those who have received specialist and professional education. For example, medicine, dentistry, law, accountancy, architecture and engineering. Most of them stay in their chosen profession throughout their career history. Except for some unfortunate circumstances, most of them can succeed in their chosen profession whether big or small.

The Second Group
This comprised the majority of most executives and professionals outside the first group. By and large, most Singaporeans work hard and smart. They have the “kiasu” syndrome (literally means afraid to lose) which is actually a good thing. The moment we lose this “kiasu” syndrome, we Singaporeans may lose our competitive edge in this world of Davids and Goliaths.

But through no faults of most executives, their companies get eaten up by some predators, and they are laid off. The most disheartened feeling is when you are working hard and your company is profitable, and it is precisely because of this that the owners are selling you off.

The spanner in the works is economic recession. I have already seen five recessions as a headhunter. I observed that this is the most sobering and devastating experience for most executives. They thought they have their careers under their wings, then suddenly they are
grounded in despair, their confidence get shaken up, they wondered when their next pay check would be.

All their career planning disappeared in thin air. Many swallowed their pride trying to make sense out of being unemployed or underemployed, counting themselves blessed if they can go to office everyday.

The Third Group
I called this third group plain lucky. They are at the right place at the right time without them planning for it. They are few in number.

More than ten years ago, I was searching for a CEO for a medical institution. During my research I was stunt to find one CEO candidate from another medical institution who had only GCE O level!

Through the interview I learned that she joined the organization as a HR assistant when it was just starting with few doctors and nurses. She did all the basic organizational works. The medical director gave her chance to improve her skills by attending short seminars related to her work. She excelled through the years as the medical institution grew bigger and bigger, and finally rose to the rank of CEO.

Another case was a GM at thirty years old making around S$350K p.a. about fifteen years ago. She joined a big MNC right after a basic degree in economics. This MNC developed great products and sold like hot cakes to governments in the Asia Pacific region.

Her bosses, one by one, were scouted away, and by “default” she moved up the rank and became GM at a young age. I don’t think she ever envisioned or planned her career that way, but she was at the right place at the right time.

Conclusion
Work as hard and smart as if everything depended on you. But look around for companies, MNCs or new start-ups, that produce creative products or services. That’s where you might find some “luck” to sail through your career. Be “kiasu” (hungry for success) but don’t be “kiasi” (too job security conscious). Must “chiong”and “pianh” (have drive and enthusiasm to compete). All top 1% executives and professionals have these hot qualities!