Thursday 5 July 2007

KY (A+B+2C) + KY

I joined my current company full of hope and much expectation due to it being a reputable multi-national corporation. Unfortunately though, my hope was crushed didn’t turn out well and I certainly have to lower change my expectation. Have you experienced such thing before?

Joining the wrong company in your first job is a correctable mistake. Joining the wrong company in your second job may plunge one into quarter life crisis. Joining the wrong company in your third job may result in career suicide. Having been through 4 different companies, allow me to share some thoughts in choosing the master of your slavery life.

The first formula is KYAKnow your associate, and I mean your future colleagues. These are the people whom you will spend a minimum of 9 hours a day, a minimum of 5 days a week and as such… trust me, you need to know what kind of people they are. Being amongst people whom you can't even talk to, and yet have to work with them will result in much misery.

How the hell are you going to know the people you’re going to work with? Well… very simple… ASK! If you’re entering the slavery world for the first time, you will realise that ‘asking questions’ must form part of your life in order for you to survive. So ask around… your friends… your parents… your parents’ friends… ask the people within the industry. Very often, the so called ‘I-heard-the-people-there-are-weirdos’ can turn out to be pretty true.

Second on the list… KYB... know your boss. A quick word for graduates, do NOT akin bosses to your lecturers. Lecturers are indirectly paid by you, bosses on the other hand… I hope you know what I mean. Research has shown that
bosses are the main reason why people resign without a job and generally, such resignation is an act of desperation. You wouldn’t want to be in such a situation.

Again… ask around… ask your friends… ask your flings… ask your enemies… or ask zewt. Nasty bosses often make a name for themselves in the industry. Trust me, students are not the only group of people in the world who bitch around, modern slaves bitch even more! The company may pay you well… but a nasty boss can give you hell and sometimes, it supersedes your pay.

Thirdly… KYC(1)… know your customer. Yeah yeah yeah… you’re not doing sales. But hey! Don’t think customers only apply to people doing sales. In the real world, everyone is doing sales. Your assignment… your work… that’s your product. Whoever you need to serve those products, they are your customers. It could be your boss, your colleague, people from other department or the actual clients of the company. Know their expectations. You will need to know what kind of expectations and how unreasonable these people can get.

And you will also need to KYC(2)… know your company. Those things that you read in the net, they are probably all lies. Just look at the state of our country and look at the things they publish in the newspaper… get the flow? Again, ask around. Best if you have friends already working in the company. Get to know the culture, the working hours and the level of politics that exist in the company. Yes, office politics, you can't run away from it. Anyone who tells you that there are no politics in his or her office is an idiot.

Last but now least… after knowing all of that above, you must KY… know yourself. A lot of people want to achieve this and achieve that. But just because you can hike doesn’t mean you can climb the mountain, just because you float doesn’t mean you can swim the ocean, just because you have a gun doesn’t mean you can kill the lion, just because you can fly doesn’t mean you can slay the dragon and… just because you got the qualification, doesn’t mean you can make it there.

This does not only apply to corporate people. It applies to very specialise industry too, doctor for example. Just because you can stand blood and all the gross stuff, doesn’t mean you will be able to make it. A story was told a brilliant young doctor never recover after one of the patient under his care died. He has the brain, has the hands, has the energy, has the guts… but doesn’t have a cold enough heart.

So get to know yourself… and choose wisely.

58 comments:

rainbow angeles said...

So... are you gonna jump ship again?

About the "bosses are the main reason why ppl resign without a job..." hey, thanks for the reminder! I shalt not act in desperation... :)

ah nel said...

whre got nice n job suitable ler!

the job fine with u thenb sure got farker exist spoild it to make u resign in the end ;)

Tsu Lin + + said...

Zewt : I can't agree more to your sentence "Research has shown that bosses are the main reason why people resign without a job and generally, such resignation is an act of desperation."

I've worked in 2 companies and seeing reasons why people (or me leaving) ... But was fortunate enough that my colleagues (and a few ex-bosses) maintained as very good friends till today eventhough I hv left the company for awhile.
:)

day-dreamer said...

These are good pointers indeed! I shall reread this post when I'm ready to join the working sector.

But on another note, I do agree that asking is important to survive in office. Don't ask = die. :D

J.T. said...

This is a good posting, Zewt. Your formula makes a lot of sense.

And it is very true that bosses are the main reason why people resign without a job. Sometimes, there is only so much on can take and desperation sets in. They leave because they cannot take it anymore.
I know of some who have stayed on because they are the breadwinner of the family. So now they are stuck in a dead end job. There is no more motivation to perform at their best.Some survive the torture because they are blessed with colleagues or customers who still believe in them.

Love the poster - "Remember, the TOES you step on today may be attached to the ASS you will have to kiss tomorrow." Funny but true. :)

confessing7girl said...

hey zewt... u just got schmooze awarded.....
here

Acrelaine said...

yoz,.. i'm coming back! huhuhu.. your sarcasm aint gonna bring me down... u'll realise that i wont kill a single patient unless they're on the brink of death.. wtf

**************Jz***************** said...

yah very well written.........the K's and the C's and the Y's and the B's..........haihz........2nd job.......am i heading to a suicide ??? hahaha

TingTitLei said...

jump some more lah.. haha

eh why so many slave posts one

Ehon said...

-_-!!!

Anonymous said...

I believe we should be moderate and humble for the world is small
The same people are here to stay and even if you start moving around you still see the same people, be it boss, customer or colleague.
If you over do it, then you are not on the way to the drain, you'll just drop in it

H.C. Tan said...

zewt u r absolutely making me depressed =P

Jorji said...

ahhh...zewt! dun directly or indirectly make me feel motivated in the morning...:)

i only know KYR as.... know yr rights!
and i'm always practicing my right to
bitching about 'the bosses' all the time.

now i'm depressed.

rinnah said...

*sigh* That formula is all too correct, but such a "perfect" company does not exist. It will either be the boss, the colleagues, the customer, the company or even yourself that gets to you in the end... *going thru a quarter-life career crisis*

Huei said...

hahahha yup! bosses makes one resign..i hope my boss now will stay good lar..otherwise..i can eat ownself edi if i resign without a backup job!

Pink Elle said...

Great article. I'm at the brink of changing careers now too and I really don't know if I should take up one of the offers. It's a tough choice and I keep thinking that I've been making the wrong career choice throughout these years. But hey, your changing company record is about on par as mine! ;)

Unknown said...

Hey, I like the poster, can I copy it and use it in my blog if there is no copyright attached?

Horny Ang Moh said...

Nicely done!!I agree totally with what u have write. Alow me to add just one point. Adapt!!If the pay is good & the co is stable but other factor not good like 'hor ny' boss, bitchy* college etc, then adapt urself.Try to made urself into a 'grass' (bend where the winds blow ) then I believed u will be doing fine. Afterall we work for the money not for the co.Fcuk loyalty! Have a nice day! Ah zewt!

Azlan Zed said...

very true. got to hate the office politics. heh.

Anonymous said...

Joining the wrong company in my second job did indeed precipitate a quarter-life crisis... but I was fortunate because I joined the right company in my first job (stayed 4 years). And the quarter-life crisis helped me figure out that I wanted to head in a different direction. So now I've joined what is hopefully the right company in my third job... although it probably looks wrong to most people, as it does seem to be career suicide. But I'm biding my time coz I'm pursuing further studies part-time, in order to eventually get to where I want to be. Long-term goals.

Seaqueen said...

hmm...i sense s sense of dread coming from you, hence another slavery post??

Sigh, we all go through jobs making the same mistake in looking at the outer shell don't we?

But thank God we have Him as well as great colleagues.

Eileen said...

Very nicely illustrated Zewt. So four jobs huh in a span of how many years?

I dunno all my colleagues well, I just finish tasks delegated by my boss(s), I only know roughly about my company, I avoid customers if possible (hardest part, not in sales line though), GOSH, I DUNNO ABOUT MYSELF...

Conclusion... I am just mumbling.. cant wait for lunch hour!!! *Do I sound stressed?*

Anonymous said...

hey!! UR POINTS ARE SO TRUE!! so much to learn n experience in a slavery world ;)

ManaL said...

Wahh.... career KY commandments.

"Thou shalt know your..." (please refer to Zewt's).


Again, u mesmerise me by making me read all the words in the text even when i'm busy doing some other technical paper reviewing work.

MarinaM said...

OK Zewt I'm tagging you for charity. You know what to do. Please go to my blog for the questions and please inform Idham that you've been tagged. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

You may not agree with me.. but whatever job one holds.. if one does one's work with one's whole heart, one will succeed 'coz there is so little competition.

That's just my 2 sens.

zewt said...

angel - well... i just might! hahaha...

ah nel - got! i have a few friends who get 5 figure salary and never have to work late. and trust me...their job is not stressful at all. one of them read my blog consistently.

Tsu Lin - Hi there and welcome to AZAIG. yeah... those of us who have been in the slavery world long enough will know that bosses dictates everything... he/she can make your life hell... thanks for dropping by... hope to see ya again.

day dreamer - yup... i have been wanting to do this but delayed it. i guess it's good pointers for all... not just graduates.

JT - i feel sad for those who stay on just because they have to pay bills. they endure endless days of misery just for that transaction into their bank account every month. hmmm... wouldnt this be a good blog topic. haha.... kissed any ass before?

confessing7girl - aawww.... you're too kind. just drop by your place... will go there again to have a look tonight.

zewt said...

Acrelaine - hahaha... good... then i shall give you more! well... i dont think near death patient visits pharmacist... do they? malaysia awaits you.

jaezrel - dont think so la... u said you doing well mah.

TTL - where got many? this is the first one after a damn long time leh.

ehon - -_-???

zeroimpact - hmmm... very profound. i believe you're talking about not burning bridges. that's true my friend.

HC Tan - so did you choose wisely? hehe...

zewt said...

jorji - depressed cos you realised you have got no rights, right? hahahaha... the labour law is as such it doesnt protect us much. now i am depressed too!

rinnah - hahaha... we all go thru that. but it's the easiest crisis to come out from. indeed, no perfect company... sigh.

Huei - eat ownself kakakaka... nvm la... sometimes, such drastic move can be... refreshing.

Pink Elle - haha... well, 2 of the companies there... i only stayed for a few months. hope our records doesnt fluctuate any much further eh...

Kata Tak Nak - sure cikgu... pasti boleh.

Hor Ny - yeah man!!! f**k loyalty! no point sacrificing ourselves for one which we know wont sacrifice itself for us! you have a nice day too!

alan zed - i have seen enough to say.... it really sucks.

zewt said...

Sunflower - hello there. well... i guess you have a reason to stay. but i know a lot of ppl will also stay if they dont have anything up their sleeve. all the best in your part time studies.

Jessica - it's one of my theme... arent u aware of that by now?

Princess Eileen - 4 jobs in the span of 7 years... sigh... so long already i am in the slavery world. you stressed? where got la... enjoying life it seems.

SuddenlyIDunnoWhoIM - some are not very pleasant experience though.

Manal - hahaha... commandments... i like that! mesmerising eh... well, i should do this full time dont u think? technical paper review sounds... stressful.

MarinaM - Hi Marina. I will certainly look into it.

Jemima - yeah, i disagree. i have seen many people work their hearts out... only to be disappointed again and again.

Angie Tan said...

yep... the expectation things is a yoyo ride.

i'm a jaded office worker who's been there, done that even got the t-shirt for it. ;-)

anyway, the formulae you posted is cool. simple enough to remember. kekekeke...

lolz...

Angel Eyes said...

Good points there mate!

KY said...

oo i thought it's something to do with me. :/

Helen said...

Many might not agree with me, but IMHO, people who jump ship all the time are those who are responsive to their working environment and self. I of course don't mean people who jump from 1 job to another aimlessly with nothing to gain (irrespective it's money/position/experience) or just becos they don't get along with everyone. :-)

Those are good pointers you mentioned. SOmeone who still has the luxury of 'jumping ship' is much better than those who stay in their current job out of fear and insecurity.

Winn said...

*jots down note*
...waiting for more tips...

good one.

Lydia Teh said...

zewt, you're a management guru in the making! Watch out Peter Drucker, Ken Blanchard, Steven Covey and whoever it is who make waves in the corporate world these days.

Anonymous said...

Well, to me, my only problem now is I can't get along with my stupid assistant.

She had been taking odd leaves lately. I sincerely wish she goes to interview and find a job soon. KNN>

5xmom.com said...

Heh, the clerk you bullied today could be your boss future mistress too. Very good reminder from you. :)

zewt said...

Angie Tan - arent we all jaded... but then again... we are all not doing anything. hope the formula comes handy when u need it.

Angel Eyes - the pleasure is all mine.

KY - yo KY... i have heard plenty about you! dont worry... if I do write about you, it wouldnt be so sad... haha...

Helen - I agree... i know of some ppl who are stuck in one company, simply becos they cant move anywhere else. and the current company is not the 'sacking' type.

Winn - what else u want ah?

Lydia Teh - hey lydia... well, i think i am still quite far from those grandmasters.

Elizebeth DL - hahahaha... your assistant still giving you tough times eh? why dont u just sack her la... haha...

5xmom - i dont think i wanna take any of the clerks here as my mistress.... kakakaka...

J u n e said...

Oh God, reading all these post about modern slaves gives me the creeps. >.< But i guess its better to know now than later...

Next time i go out into the working world, i must remember to look back at this post. hehe..

Anonymous said...

It's really true! As far as i remember, i quit most of my jobs just because of those crazy bosses!

Anonymous said...

if you want to jump ship again, let me know .. or recommend me any .. :PPP .. I'm gonna be jobless again in the next few weeks

JamyTan said...

There is always 2 sides to a coin.

Try to live a day of a boss life (or business owner), you know it is not as easy as you have thought.

How to motivate employees to work on your benefit, how to please customers 24x7, get good deals from suppliers, etc, the list go on.

There are 2 categories of people in this world, those who love security and those who love freedom.

Freedom comes with a cost !!!! And many times very expensive !

Been in both sides of the coin and I know how each side feels !!!

Nine3 Nine3 said...

Bruder I give you a good tips you sure can survive long in the company :-

K.H.T.P.P.F.B

K know
H how
T to
P poke
B people
F from
B behind

OR

K.H.T.P.O P
know how to play office politic

Praveen R. said...

Hi there

Sorry for ging off topic

We're organizing a bloggers workshop this Sunday at KL featuring speakers like Rocky,Malaysiakini, Ahmad Talib, Nuffnang and Yvonne Foong.

For more details and to register please visithttp://bbuff2007.blogspot.com

Register now, don't miss it.

zewt said...

AngryYoungChild - for you... long way to go... i think you might have forgotten this when u need to choose lor..

Seok Thong - they do drive us up the wall right! sigh...

cibol - woooahh... how many times u wanna jump la?

kayatan - knew you will comment on this jamy. so which side of the coin is better?

nine3 nine3 - yo! welcome... your formula very difficult to remember la..

praveen - thanks for the invite... but a bit too late. should have informed me earlier. anyway, had a look at the agenda... doesnt quite interest me.

Rashikaps said...

A very good post indeed! Makes a lot of sense. In a lot of situations it is the blooooddyyy boss who makes life hell. :|

And, like JT said sometimes one has to lump one's pride and go back to work.. yea for the money. What to do? :( Practical sense takes over.

That said, we can all find solace in the fact that NO job is perfect. If the job is challenging, we may have to work extended hours. If the money is good, the boss may be a pain (a slave/not as intelligent/not a good leader/indecisive)..

Rashikaps said...

And, by the way - I like the way you organized content under KYA, KYB, and KYC. Creates recall value for the readers. Way to go! :)

JamyTan said...

A lot of people have no clue of what kind of personality they got before they even embark into the career war field.

In fact, schools/unis equipped you with tech skill (which is equivalent to IQ). Schools/uni do not teach you EQ.

When I was younger, I was a black and white person. Could be I watched too much Shoalin kungfu movie :):).

I hate company politics. I found it a challenge to fit in the corporate world. I was extremely miserable. I often admired my 2 siblings who were like fishes in their tanks, swimming higher each day.

After I owned my own business, I realized what I was lacking all this time was EQ. I realized even in the business world, you need to EQ to deal with suppliers, customers, authority figures etc...

Now from hindsight, I looked at people who are good in company politics , I don't hate them anymore. In fact, I realized now that they possess EQ skill I used to lack . It is as important as having tech skill such as IT , accounting, enginnering etc...

Discipline, hard work, integrity , determination, IQ, EQ skills are all the necessary ingredients to be success, be it working for people or own your won business.

Since I have been in the corporate world for many years and had breath business since I was born cos of my enterprising dad, I can spot a freedom fighter miles away.

Check out this dude side and you will know why I know this guy got the spirit of a freedom fighter !

A true follower of Margaret Thatcher, ha ha ha ha ha ha.

http://blogs.mysites-advisor.com/index.php/2007/07/05/no-time-to-blogging/

zewt said...

rashikaps - yeah, have to agree... there's no perfect job. but hey.... when you truly enjoy something... that's when it's no longer a job... so if it's a job, it's always a pain. yeah, easy formula to remember.

kayatan - to sum it all up... it's a case of working hard vs working smart. and sometimes, it's a case of knowing what to do, knowing the right person... and perhaps getting the fate of being at the right place at the right time.

when it comes to politics, it's being on the right side. i hate it really, but i admit, one cannot run away from it. so it's true that we will all need to be a part of it in order for us to climb. after all, climbing the corporate ladder includes going up in office political status.

narrowband said...

Thanks, Zewt. I understand that it's not all rosy and nice... I'll subscribe to your tips as much as I can.

kyliemc said...

zewt koko..haha.. :P my pc lag n me quite busy these few days..ur posts r alwiz so true...esp when it relates 2 work...really good formulas indeed..

anyway,me start my 1st job in small firm as d time is more flexible..n haha..suddenly i feel tht i've made a rite choice! :P while my frens r still learning how 2 use d photocpy machine,i've ad learnt not onli how 2 use photocopy machine...i learnt how 2 use UBS[haha..1st timer but plez dun laugh],how 2 do statutory audit,how 2 do secretarial audit,prepare finl statements which includes cash flow statement, income statement,balance sheet,statement of changes in equity...hahaha..all of them in juz 3 days :P ok la..i learn how 2 prepare all those on a dormant co...but least i learn more than juz merely duplicating docs :P

office polictics thingy..me newcomer so better stay out..

may said...

y'know, I've gone through 5 jobs now (this is my 5th), and 3 of them are in the same, current line I'm in, which is online media. I love this industry! though I'm wondering how long before I become "lapuk", since it's such a dynamic business and I might not be able to keep up with the times...

Anonymous said...

I'm 4 mths into my job dy...a colleague has resigned to join 1 of the big4...and she was only wit our current firm for maybe 10mths?...wonder if I'll last longer than her...hmm...office politics seemed to have dragged me (since I dont like to get involved) into it recently cos the boss decided its time to gv me a wake-up call on how "generous" they've been to me due to my "condition"...so after I'm OK,they expect me to "pay back" in terms of OT etc...wah!Well...fair enuf I guess...as long as I can walk again,I dont really care much about anythin else...at least not at d mo...lol...

Sheena said...

My gosh, did you HAVE to pick the story of a doctor to illustrate your point? I'm already paranoid enough about my examinations on Monday as it is :P

zewt said...

narrowband - glad to be of service.

kyliemc - hahaha... dormant companies... tha's exactly what those juniors or vacation trainees are asked to do all the time. as long as you're learning stuff and you're happy with it... then it's good la. as for office politics... i must say it's not easy to stay away.

may - i think after spending a certain amount of time in a certain industry... i don think you can just least without taking much pay cut... if you're happy in it and love it... dont leave lor..

mar - your "condition"... jst becos you've busted your legs, they are expecting you to do other things? woooaaahhh....

Sheena - I just have to... since i know a number of docs read stuff here kakaka....

Anonymous said...

Well zewt...its slavery...did u expect anything less?

zewt said...

mar - not at all... it's slavery indeed.