Dear Mayank,
Name: Vaibhav Jain
Age: 28
Currently unemployed.
I really need your help and guidance at this point of time as I am very confused regarding my career. 
I am a mechanical engineering graduate; I graduated in 2015. Qualified Gate 2017 but not with a good rank. Till February 2018, I prepared for government exams but unfortunately couldn't crack them.
Then I started to do a job in the ayurvedic health care sector in a relatively smaller subsidiary of a known company as a GRE and FOE.
I worked there from June 2018 to July 2020.
I did not enjoy my job and the salary was not good. Also, I was inclined to choose yoga as my career path so I participated in a short term yoga teacher training programme in 2019 and quit my job in July 2020.
In my experience letter, the company said I had made an excellent contribution towards the organisation.
After quitting my job, I completed my post-graduate diploma in yoga education from Kaivalyadhama, Lonavala, in April 2021.
After completing the course, I was excited about pursuing a career in yoga. But due to some unfortunate circumstances at home, I am not finding the time to do so. I self-practise. Circumstances have caused financial issues at my home which is forcing me to do some kind of job to balance the expenses.
One of my friends, who is working at one of the biggest e-commerce companies of the country, has asked to apply for an opening for floor executive (inventory management role) in his company.
I am interested as the salary is good, which can help me in current situation. But I don't have any idea or experience of how to go about doing an interview at such a big corporate company.
I don't have any prior experience of working in this field, therefore I'm not confident about cracking the interview. Based on what I have heard from my friends, the company gives preference to candidates with prior experience.
Please guide me for this interview process and how to prepare a resume as I am finding difficult to recognise my strengths and weaknesses and my good skills which may help to crack the interview. Guide me for my interview preparation.
Also guide me if should follow my interest of yoga as a career or find some other job to meet my financial needs.
Thanks and regards,
Vaibhav Jain

Dear Rediffguru, I did my engineering in ECE long back in 2006 and started my career as a software engineer in a top-tier IT MNC in India. Soon I lost interest in the insurance projects I was assigned with. I worked with Mainframe systems for 3 years and due to the very unimaginative nature of my work, I quit the MNC against the wishes of my parents. I always had this passion for visual narrative and storytelling, so I appeared in the entrance exam of FTII in Film Direction course in 2008 while I was still working in the IT sector. I got AIR 8 but failed to crack the interview. As my parents were very disappointed with my career choices and always pressed me to be in a job, I did not sit for the FTII exam in the following year, and instead started learning 3D Animation & VFX from a so-called prominent institute. I had completed 5th year in painting from Pracheen Kala Kendra, Chandigarh while I was in class X, so animation was not difficult to grasp. But I suffered due to poor infrastructure of the Indian animation industry, meagre starting salary etc. I had to start my career afresh with a low salary in 2013 and changed a job to land in one of the Big Four MNCs in its creative department in 2015. I have completed 8.5 years in this firm and have been working as a Manager since 2020. While I was learning animation, I assisted in live-action filmmaking. Later, before joining the Big Four firm, I got selected in the first ever Film Restoration and Conservation Workshop in India, organized by the Film Heritage Foundation. I was also selected twice in 2 national level screenwriting programs for my story ideas but could not materialize the ideas into scripts due to lack of time on my part for commitments to the office job. Those programs had fixed timeframes for completing screenplays. After spending a substantial time in the current job which has not been offering me anything new anymore, I decided to renew my connection with films. I got selected in the entrance exam to study Master's in Film Studies at Jadavpur University in 2022. My course will end soon in June. I have studied Master's while working in my present organization as a part-time employee and I am scheduled to join back as a full-time employee from July this year. I am a family person now and got married last year. My parents are old & ailing and I look after them. They are not in a position to oppose my career choices anymore. My question is, what career options could you suggest for me going forward? Shall I pursue a PhD or look for suitable creative job options? As I have been in touch with films and related studies due to my Master's, I do not wish to lose the momentum again. I am 40 years old and aware of my complex situation. Please advise. Thank you so much.

Hi ! I am a multi-skilled professional with specific education in Sports Medicine from USA & experience based skills in Admin & HR. In 1993, i was hired as a consultant in the best health clubs in South Delhi & in 1994 hired as a Consultant to design & manage Fitness Centers by DDA Sports wing, New Delhi. By 1996, my performance in DDA Sports Complexes was considered exceptional & based on my unique contribution I was offered a Sr. Mgr. position, a permanent position by DDA, which I politely declined, as being an entrepreneur in Fitness Industry, I didn't have the mindset for a Govt. Job that time. I did qualify many interviews Sr. position jobs in 5 Star Hotel Health Clubs in Delhi & Mumbai & the biggest Weight Management Centre chain in Delhi from 1993 to 1999, but didn't take up these assignments, as they seemed a cake walk for me. In year 2000, I had applied for Sr. Mgr. position jobs in Hotel Burj Khalifa, Dubai & other 5 stars in middle East, I was conveyed by the HR of these world class 7 star hotels that I qualify technically but need more Managerial Experience. That's how, I landed up management jobs in private Manpower co's in Admin & HR, worked very hard and progressed from Sr. Mgr to CEO positions within 10 years. I am 57 years now (but as Fit as a 30 yr old guy) and currently function as HR Consultant for a major Educational Institution in South Delhi & a few private firms. I want to qualify a Sr. HR position full time in some big private company. But, my resume sent to any big company does not yield any response. Either positions don't open frequently in big co.'s or resumes are never looked at? I fail to understand. By the God's grace, I have never failed an interview in my life, but unfortunately not getting the right opportunity now. Pls. advise further to achieve my dream job.

Hello I am a 40 year old unmarried male. I did my graduation in Hotel management and passed out in the year 2006. After that i worked in few hotels in India and intrest of work in operations of hotel fizzled out. I sat idle doing nothing for a year or so and den helped my dad with his business that we had. In 2009 i did my MBA marketing from a Pune university college and passed out in 2011. Due to my hotel mgmt background i started working in five star hotel marketing department after passing out my MBA marketing. I got the hotel marketing job in Nov 2011. I worked in the same hotel till April 2014 after which i got an apportunity to work with big corporate hospital in the corporate marketing department. I worked there till 2018 after which i got a opportunity to work in a bigger corporate hospital in a different city in the marketing department. I worked there till Sept 2022, after which i was forced to take a break from work coz needed to take care of my ailing mother who underwent a Liver transplant. I was forced to take a break of around one year and months and i did nothing but took care of my mothers health. In the meanwhile i also lost my father in Road accident. My mother is fine now and its been one year and four months after the Liver Transplant. I have again started working in the hospital that i use to work before in the same marketing department. No other hospitals were ready to take me in coz the gap tht i had in my career. I have started working since July 2024. Now i feel tht i have already lost a lot of ground in terms of my carrier. I feel tht i am not well paid. All my life i have been bullied a lot hence i have self confidence issues. I feel coz of the nature of my job and less salary that is 9 lakhs per annum i am not getting any proper marriage proposals. I have not able to save anything in my life coz all my life i hav only worked and spent all my money on others. I also feel tht compared to others i lag in knowlege as well. Self confidence is the biggest problem. I want to grow now in my career and improve my personality now. I want you to guide in regards with the career as well and also means to improve my overall life. I want someone to talk to who would help and be guide at this moment of my life. Can someone of you make time and i can talk to them, so tht i could get direction in life. Right now emotionally, mentally and i feel physically also have hit my rock bottom.