Embracing these mindsets will immediately improve your life
Meet Hasan, the Head of Talent Acquisition and Employer Branding at Jazz in Pakistan. By hearing about Hasan’s career, how he finds talent, and his personal interests, we get five great tips on how to maintain focus throughout a career.
You’ve spent your morning learning the floating pencil trick (yes, it’s a good skill to have). But now it’s afternoon and you’re drowning in unfinished work. You furiously start multitasking but that’s not effective.
If this is happening, change the way you do things. Because you need to be consciously present at work. Hasan, our HR expert at Jazz, has a great way of accomplishing this.
“I practice mindfulness, which enables me to focus entirely on the present and engage with my inner thought process,” Hasan says. “This helps me be more proactive while at work.”
Now, that’s some solid advice for how to focus in a world where there’s so much noise. Here, Hasan provides a lot more great advice on how to get your career moving in the right direction. Read carefully — it will help you make the most of every moment.
1. You don’t need shapeshifting capabilities — just know nothing is set in stone (even you)
Shapeshifting is better left to the mythological creatures, but that doesn’t mean you can’t learn something from the idea of it. The lesson is this: You either adapt or die.
Hasan’s career path proves the power of adaptation. After graduating from the University of Surrey in 2005, Hasan practiced HR for a variety of companies. He started with Warid Telecom (which now has merged with Mobilink to create Jazz). In 2009, he joined one of the leading bank, where he also did some sales. Then, before coming to Jazz, he worked for Engro which is the largest local FMCG company in the country.
Sounds like a wild ride, doesn’t it?
“Throughout my career, I’ve always stayed open to learning new things,” says Hasan. “I not only learned the different flavors of different industries, I also learned how to work with all sorts of people and effectively learn new skills.”
At Jazz, Hasan is finding his ability to adapt particularly useful. Hasan notes that because technology is advancing, the HR function is constantly changing (which necessitates adaptation).
In your career, achieving sustained success requires that you adapt with the times, like Hasan has.
Pay attention to what’s changing and make the right moves — or turn into stone.
2. Master the elevator pitch (or stairway conversation)
You’ve probably heard the line that everyone is a sales person. It’s mostly true if you think about it. Even if you’re a solo app developer, you’re going to have to convince folks to buy into your product.
While working in the banking industry, Hasan spent some time managing the outbound sales department. He says this is where he learned why having sales skills matters for any position.
“Sales was particularly difficult in banking because people want to hold on to their money,” jokes Hasan. “Philosophically, though, sales is similar to HR. As an HR specialist, I have to sell a position and company to candidates. I think the same goes for many other positions.”
Whether you’re a product manager in search of funding or an executive talking with investors, you must know how to sell. You don’t have to be able to sell a lamp to a genie, but you should focus on creating the perfect elevator pitch. Or, if you’re lucky enough to find yourself taking the stairs, master the stairway conversation.
3. Don’t just dream of flying cars
As you read this, Elon Musk and SpaceX are working on a plan to colonize Mars and chatbots are getting better at communication. Indeed, technology is taking us to fascinating new realms. Join in — or get stuck in the old world.
Jazz is one of the first companies to undergo a digital transformation in Pakistan. Hasan has taken the lead on ensuring this transformation happens successfully for the HR function at Jazz.
“We have to realize and welcome the changes happening today. Rigid structures, like the nine-to-five workday, don’t attract top talent anymore,” Hasan attests. “The digital age allows people flexibility in every sense, like working remotely. As HR professionals, we need to embrace these changes.”
From implementing new ideas on employer branding to using fresh concepts from talent acquisition playbooks, Hasan’s approach to finding the right people for the job remains fresh. That’s because he knows holding on to the old ways won’t work. People want to work on exciting things, like build a flying car.
“Because we want to be a truly digital company, the HR function must be correctly aligned with that goal,” notes Hasan. “This is why I am refocusing how our HR team acquires talent. We want to show the best and brightest that the culture here allows for amazing things to be created in the digital age.”
Take a lesson from how Hasan goes about finding talent in today’s world. Don’t think something like flying cars is just a dream. It’s going to happen — so you better be ready.
4. Treat yourself like an investment
If you could go back in time, you probably would bet the house on stocks like Netflix or Amazon. Unfortunately, you don’t have a time machine (yet). So, you’re going to have to make the smartest investment you can right now — a bet on yourself.
For Hasan, success in talent acquisition stems from making good investments. As he says, finding people who have the right skills and are a cultural fit is tough. That’s why you have to invest in young talents.
The telecom market is growing quickly but we’re not producing digital talent at the same pace to fill the jobs we need done,” states Hasan. “So, our philosophy is to give back to society, we are investing in academia and young talent where it grows. We are partnering with universities. We are making changes on how we reach and work with people in the digital age.
Hasan emphasizes that investing in future talent involves more than just continual education and support. It also means catering to the way those talents work and operate so that you can unleash their potential.
No matter where you are in life, you should treat yourself like untapped talent. When you invest in yourself with the right strategy and resources, there’s no telling what you could achieve. You may even build that time machine (just be sure to bet on those stocks if you do do that).
5. Know strong trees don’t grow overnight
Did you know the oldest tree in the world is nearly 5,000 years old? That’s ancient. If there’s anything to learn from this, it’s that great things don’t happen overnight. Keep working to achieve your dreams but have patience. Success will come to those who work hard and intelligently.
When you ask Hasan what advice he would give candidates at Jazz, he stresses the appetite to learn above all else. Because, as Confucius says, “True wisdom is knowing what you don’t know.”
“If you think you know everything, you become stale,” Hasan asserts. “Never think you know everything. Be ready to ask questions and learn.”
In all your endeavors, it’s important to see what you can learn. Even your hobbies outside work can help. For instance, Hasan plays the rubab to help balance himself.
“Music teaches me patience, which is something I need with my job at Jazz,” Hasan describes. “With music or HR, you can go through things quickly, but you compromise on quality. Music has taught me how to be patient and synchronize things. This comes in handy when looking for talent while cooperating with different departments at Jazz.”
For Hassan, music is more than just a hobby. It’s a release that teaches him the value of patience when it comes to approaching things at his job and in life. In your work, you should make a point of improving your patience. Because the old adage of “good things come to those who wait” isn’t just a saying; it’s been proven in science.
Getting your career on the right path
To achieve what you set out to achieve, be ready to adapt, sell, revolutionize, invest, and be patient. These are the tools that will make you a success in today’s world. If you go about your work correctly, you’ll be able to soak up the sun at the end of the day (and search Google for random things like floating pencil tricks).
