5 Important Things You Should Know to Find a Job in Delhi
As a place to live and work, Delhi evokes mixed reactions. If the extremes of weather and the high levels of pollution are a concern, good public infrastructure, an efficient public transport system, and ample job opportunities are a plus. The negative perception of Delhi being unsafe for women is a concern for women employees.
When choosing a job, the place where the role will be based is among the biggest factors affecting the decision. The place of work influences your sense of belonging to the place, enables personal fulfilment, affects your lifestyle, and impacts your family life.
It is important for you to give sufficient consideration to specific aspects peculiar to working in Delhi before arriving at a decision on accepting a job. It helps to be aware of the important things that you should know about finding a job in Delhi. We have summarised below the steps you should take to help you land your dream job in Delhi.
5 Things you should know if You are Considering a Job in Delhi
- In-Depth Research on the Company and its Values: While researching a job opportunity, it is usual to examine the long-term performance of the firm. Together with understanding its history, it is also important to consider the firm’s location. Researching the firm can give significant insights into its values, work culture, and its business prospects. When you are considering a job in Delhi (and indeed, anywhere), learn everything you can about the prospective firm from information available in the public domain – the company website, its social media accounts, press releases, etc. Gather information on how long the firm has been in business, is the company growing, its expansion into new verticals, its performance relative to its competitors, etc. At the same time, remember that Delhi will exercise a unique influence on the work culture in the firm, and you need to assess if that is suitable for your temperament.
The relative importance of each of these factors will also depend on the specific circumstances of the individual. If you are a bachelor, you would be in a position to accept some risk, whereas, for a person with a family, the perception of Delhi as a place unsafe for ladies will influence the final decision.
Also, for you to be able to continue in a role for a long time, your career goals must be aligned with the business goals of the company. During your research, assess the extent of alignment of your core values with those of the firm – its mission statement, its vision for future growth, and its business models. The greater the alignment of your values – with that of the workplace and the city of work – the better the chances that your work will not seem like work.
- Job Location and Working Hours: In a city like Delhi, job location becomes a significant consideration. If the location of the firm is such that you need to have a lengthy commute (say, from Dwarka to Rajiv Chowk) – it will adversely impact work-life balance. The commute, whether you drive yourself or use public transport, will require you to deal with rush hour traffic – adding to your stress level, not to mention the ill effects on your health from the high levels of pollution in Delhi.
The cost of the commute also becomes a factor when comparing salaries. Fuel cost and parking fee can eat into your carry-home pay.
The work timings differ depending on your company and job role. It is important to check the working hours, the compensation for extra hours, the length of the workweek, and so on.
- Salary and Benefits: Your salary must be adequate to take care of your and your family’s basic needs in Delhi. Delhi, being a metro – implies a higher cost of living. Besides, the salary should allow you to put some money away for emergencies and savings. During your research, check for salaries offered for similar roles in other firms based in Delhi. This information will help you better negotiate your salary.
It is also important to compare the benefits and perks. The benefits to be considered include – health insurance for self and family, house rent, retirement benefits, gratuity, paid vacation, sick leave, allowances for travel on leave and work, reimbursement of relocation expenses, etc. All these benefits add to the total value of the compensation you will receive from the firm and can influence your final decision to work in Delhi.
- Job Responsibilities and Growth Opportunities: The responsibilities of your role must align with your strengths. Delhi is known for its concentration of government jobs, jobs in the IT sector, media, education, and manufacturing. Aligning your strengths with the job responsibilities increases the probability of success. Also consider factors such as reporting requirements, size of the team to be managed, decision-making responsibilities, etc. When you have all the information, you will be able to decide if the responsibilities suit your aspirations and professional growth plans.
Opportunities for professional growth are the key factor in any job. This factor adds significance early in your career, since It has an impact on long-term career growth. For jobs later in your career path, opportunities should enable you to acquire new/transferable skills. This will enable you to take on new responsibilities and roles with expanded scope.
- Recognition and Appraisal: Whether you are working in a Delhi-based firm or elsewhere, your efforts at work should be recognized. You are to be rewarded for your efforts. The cultural ethos of Delhi influences its workplaces. Workplaces in Delhi tend to mirror the aggressively competitive nature of the city. Whether this suits your personality type is a factor that you would need to consider. When researching the firm, also ascertain its reward and recognition policies. Typically, firms offer performance-linked rewards such as bonuses, paid vacations, stock options, accelerated promotions, etc. Such provisions influence your career progression and annual compensation.
Most jobs require you to be conversant with various technologies and technological tools – both hardware and software. It is important to learn about and acquire the required level of proficiency in the technology required for the job to be able to function well in the designated role. Delhi offers myriad options for you to be able to re-skill/upskill on the required technologies.
Conclusion
You need to take into account the above factors for you to gain clarity on your choice of Delhi as the place of work. Your decision should give primacy to your career aspirations and how the role being offered aligns with your aspirations.
