Perils of overselling yourself

When Rashed's call came, I feared the worst.

Because every time he called before, it was the same old disaster story he recounted – that he got fired.

So hoping to give him some consolation and support I picked up the phone. And I was correct. Rashed has lost his second job in one year.

This time I was curious and started probing around what his problem was. Interesting things started coming out.

In the first job he had switched from a well-established company to a new one at a high salary. The new company was desperately looking for manpower. And you and I all know how difficult it is to get employees of value.

So when this company was scouting for staff, his name somehow was dropped in the meeting by someone. In due time, he got a call and he appeared.

He was successful in impressing the interview board. Rashed is a smooth talker and he used all his charms.

When the time came for financial remuneration, he asked at least 40 percent more than his current salary, with a car as well.

He got the job. Two months down the line his bosses were frustrated with him. They found that his productivity did not reflect his salary. He was doing a job that anyone much less than his salary could do. The company came to the conclusion that it was losing money on him.

Things started to take a turn for the worse. The bosses were venting their frustration very frequently. Slowly, Rashed seemed lost. He was slipping in his tasks. He was scared.

Finally the chop came.

Rashed then took up another job which did not take him long to find because of his track record of working in a good company.

This time Rashed bagged the job at an even higher salary. But his bosses were again frustrated and finally he lost the job too.

So the problem with Rashed is apparent. It is not that he is incompetent. But his problem is he oversells himself. He brags about himself and grabs salaries that he really does not deserve. Soon the frustration develops in the recruiter.

So I gave him a piece of my mind. Do not oversell yourself. Rather undersell. There is no harm in getting a salary which is lower than your actual capability. So when a firm hires you, you can easily overwhelm them with your work, you can easily shine bright.

It then boils down to the old dictum: Know thyself. You have to understand clearly what you can do and what you cannot. There is no point in tinkering around the bush. Money is not everything. Peace of mind and acquiring knowledge is more important. Money will then logically follow.

Rashed seems to have taken my advice seriously. I have not received his call in the last eight months.