Juggle it All
Do you want to be able to juggle it all, well then–who does not, it is a given that almost each of us strive to achieve a balance by juggling the demands of both our personal as well as professional lives whether it be jobs in Pune or Hyderabad. The fact of the matter is only some jobs offer the luxury of work – life balance. It is difficult however to know the same beforehand unless you actually take up the job and start working with the organization, only then can you find out the degree of work-life balance it affords.
Elicit a Response
Out-rightly asking the interviewer is no guarantee the question would elicit an honest answer. In such a scenario there are other ways and means to dig and find out more about what matters. Be thoughtful about how you broach the issue during the interview. Begin by asking how is a typical day in the life of the employee in the job in question, could be account jobs in India or corporate planning jobs in India for that matter. Then proceed on to find out about a working week. Use tact and discretion rather than taking a blunt or explicit approach which probably would prove to be counterproductive and not get the desired information from the recruiter. You may ask something as innocuous as, can you walk me through a typical working day or a week for that matter. Alternatively you may ask, could I possibly get an idea whether you work weekends or maybe, do you pull all-nighters, if so when was the last time it happened.
Look for Cues
Look for cues like late night free meals, could perhaps be a sign of working late into the night. Companies seemingly dole out perks like gym, dry-cleaning, meals, transportation and many more with the sole intention of negating the very reasons that cause employees to be out of the office and hamper productivity. Again find out if the prospective employer is open to the idea of flexible working and whether work from home is allowed as well as encouraged, this is especially true of fresher jobs in India, having direct bearing on the continuity of the new employee in a demanding environment. Seasoned professionals can take care of their familial obligations by telecommuting for jobs in Noida from a distant location, for instance, if it can be worked out in advance.
Some Snooping
Another way of finding out if people in the organization are probably overworked is to dig into the project pipelines and its priorities; it is quite likely if resource crunch is never cited as the reason to decline a particular project, it possibly points to the fact that people are overstretched. Last but not the least, do not fail to conduct your research about the company through websites, friends, connections and find out more about the working life there. It is equally applicable to BPO jobs or automobile jobs in India.
Major Investment
The entire interview process is a major investment for both the parties; use it to find out more about the work environment, the position and whether it aligns with your needs and requirements. This is far better than getting a shock on the very first working day, about the crazy hours you need to put in and that is definitely going to be a recipe for disaster especially with jobs for fresher in India.
