Choose a job you love. And you will never have to work a day in your life.

I had my share of a long break from the corporate world, after having spent 13 years in the tech industry. Those who know me know that I have been working towards one goal ever since I moved into a new country in 2019. And that was to find a job that aligned with my aspirations, follow my passion to solve problems and make an impact in the world.

I used my break from the corporate world to do many things that I never found the time to before. Explored South-East Asia and found it to be quite different from where we moved, the Middle-east. The people, culture, cuisine, surroundings, trends, attitude were all unique to Asia. No more luxurious malls with glamorous architectures, no more excitement of seeing a gold Porsche driving by on the roads, no more sensing the Oud scent of the Arab world, no more summer & winter seasons, no more view of "Burj Khalifa"the most iconic tallest tower in the world, no more going for a desert safari when you get bored of city life, no more indulgence in shawarmas and Kunafas. Sigh!

Nevertheless, it opened my eyes to a whole new world- the greenery which made me feel closer to nature, the cleanliness of the city where you could walk without sandals, the connectivity of the public transport, the extensive variety of Asian cuisine and experience of hawker centers, the delightful attractions like the Zoo and Universal studios, the ease of quickly catching a flight to an exotic holiday destination in a couple of hours, hearing and getting used to a new lingo called Singlish etc. That pretty much summarized Singapore for me!

Stories apart, the actual purpose of this blog post was to give you some tips & tricks that helped me stay sane and content in life, while staying home and missing the distractions of a busy work schedule. And of course, helped me work towards my current goal- to find my next gig in the corporate world and take my career aspirations to a higher level!

Here goes.

1. Create a 2 page neat, crisp and impressive resume and cover letter. Super important to get your foot in the door. I used resume.io (https://resume.io/)

2. Boost your confidence by listening to inspiring and motivational podcasts to which you can relate to. I mostly listen to: Jay shetty (https://jayshetty.me/podcast/). I have heard rave reviews of Simon Sinek (https://simonsinek.com/podcast) and The Impact theory (https://impacttheory.com/)

3. Take out time to workout and exercise. It gives that extra boost of dopamine. I  found out what worked for me and hired a personal trainer to train with once a week. She knows my limits and pushes me to hit the gym a couple of times on my own. Even walking every day for a set number of kilometres help. Invest in a fitness watch to track to reach your goals.

4. Use social media platforms like LinkedIn to build your brand and also grow your professional network. It is a time-consuming task and will involve a lot of trial and error, but it will help you in the journey. If physically possible, go out there and explore.

5. Up skill to show your passion in the technology industry of your choice. There are so many resources to choose from, on the internet. Taking up a certification challenge is the best way to learn in a consistent and reliable manner plus prove your worth to others who don't know you well.

6. Write down stories of how you would describe yourself, how you tackle issues at the workplace, how you troubleshoot when a disaster occurs, how you take and provide feedback, how open you are to change, how you adapt yourself to unprecedented times, how you are as a leader in and outside the organization, what your hobbies are, etc This is super useful when it comes to tackling interviews at established organizations!

7. Reach out to your friends and request them to describe you in their own words (Good & constructive feedback). This is an exercise that could help you answer the question "How would your colleagues describe you?"  in interviews.

8. Make sure you highlight soft skills in all interviews right from that first call, alongside your technical skills. This is one way you could stand out from the rest of the crowd. I found Jeff H Sipe's YouTube channel to be very useful in my interviews (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs-7SAP1mhEQF1NlubjSzqQ)

9. Attend corporate events/technical workshops, community events to build & grow your network. It always helps. I joined a lovely community called Cloud Seeders, The World's Most Member-Centric Cloud Learning Community for Women. It is a platform to learn, share and grow with other women in the tech industry- those who are already working and those that aspire to work in Cloud. The community turned out to be so popular that it's not a women-only one anymore. They were the reason I was motivated to achieve AWS certifications. Join Cloud Seeders @https://cloud-seeders.mn.co/landing?space_id=1698554 

10. Tell your plans to people who have gone through similar paths, find ways that have worked for them and helped them to be successful. Learn from your own mistakes as well as other's mistakes.

11. Have a winning strategy. Be open to tweak it along the way. You will make mistakes along the way, but also learn from it.

12. Once an interview is scheduled, prepare, practice practice and practice. I can never stress the importance of writing down and practicing. It increases your confidence. I requested a colleague/friend to do mock interviews and it is a great way to practice.

13. Create a video resume for yourself. I enjoyed doing it and learnt new things about myself. I used biteable (https://biteable.com/) for the same.

14. Filter out negative vibes, conversations & news that involve details that could pull you down and demotivate you. 

15. Above all,  follow your dreams, believe in yourself, be patient & consistent and never give up.

There is no limit to what you can achieve, if you follow your dream and passion. I was able to reach my goal with hard work, patience and perseverance. You can too. 

Don't hesitate to reach out!