E-Paper
HT Brunch Game Show: Who will get a job first?
The writer-cum-perfumer, the novice birdwatcher who moved to the hills with his family, a home-baker who’s dived into her business… or you?
Prachi Sibal, 33, Mumbai
Past experience: With an experience of 12 years, Prachi is a features writer with a Mumbai newspaper since November 2019.
Lockdown revelation: Prachi has dabbled in amateur perfumery and done a course at the Grasse Institute of Perfumery, France. She makes lip balms, scrubs and bath salts, and perfumes for friends who encouraged her to turn it into a profession.
Applying anywhere? Prachi’s reaching out to old colleagues, contacts and career pages of publications. She is also keeping a tab on LinkedIn and Facebook groups.
Other interests: Prachi is keen on exploring the audio medium like podcasts. She’s taken up a course in reading and writing Urdu.
Santosh Kumar Singh, 32, Near Bhimtal (previously Noida)
Past experience: Santosh is a photo editor, with a year’s experience. He lost his job this year and has since been on the prowl.
Lockdown revelation: He gave up the idea of focusing on a job and left Delhi-NCR in October for good. Santosh rented a place near Bhimtal in Uttarakhand as his baby had breathing and lung congestion issues due to pollution.
Applying anywhere? Santosh has decided to dedicate his time and efforts to birding. He isn’t looking to apply anywhere.“If nothing works out, I’ll explore teaching opportunities,” he says.
Other interests: He’s started a page for sports on Instagram and Facebook.
Rewati Rau, 38, Delhi
Past experience: Rewati had been a journalist for 15 years, till the tabloid she worked at shut down in August 2020.
Lockdown revelation: She’s now found more time to devote to her home bakery, Bikku Bakes. “We haven’t bought bread from the store for the past four months! I’ve used this extra time to hone my bread baking skills,” says the Delhi girl.
Applying anywhere? She is currently balancing her baking and a little bit of writing and hasn’t actively started applying for a job. But, she’s open to any new and exciting opportunity that comes her way.
Other interests: She’s been learning yoga, which has relieved aches and pains.
And the winner is… Rewati Rau
“Share your resume”
“The first thing to do is a social network blast: Get 10 friends to share your resume with 10 friends each and ask them to forward it. Build new skills using online classes and improve your resume,” says Rahul Guha, Managing Director and Partner & Recruitment Chair, Boston Consulting Group. Unpaid jobs and internships are a great way to get a foot in the door. “Experiment with small business ideas and use social media to showcase your talents. Write a custom cover note on why you will add value. Invest time in doing up your resume and Linkedin,” he adds. “Rewati has invested her skills in building her business, learnt product design and innovation, while listening to customers, and is managing inventory, pricing and logistics.”
Follow @kkuenzang on Instagram and Twitter
From HT Brunch, March 14, 2021
Follow us on twitter.com/HTBrunch
Connect with us on facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch
