lowering requirements
After nearly 10 years of working at a large education corporation, Ms. Nguyen Minh Anh (42 years old, in Ba Dinh district, Hanoi) quit her job in October 2022. The reason is that after the COVID-19 pandemic, the group encountered difficulties because the classes could not organize classes throughout, so the revenue was stagnant.
"From a salary of more than 60 million VND/month, our salary has been gradually decreased, even paid in installments, and we have only received a portion of our salary for a few months... I can't wait any longer because my husband and I have to take care of our two children's education, so I decided to quit my job," Ms. Minh Anh recalled.
Confident in her position as Chief Administrative Officer, having worked in an environment with a lot of pressure, managing human resources to thousands of people across the country, Ms. Minh Anh believes that when she quits her job at her old group, she will easily find a new job.
I was completely attached and at first didnt understand where I was going wrong. In 2 years, I worked for 3 companies. All 3 places quickly hired me after the interview, but after about half a year, everything unstable began to appear. I still have experience in the old workplace, but it is not significant because the companies that will later be larger. Most importantly, work has also changed a lot due to the development of technology, so I have to cultivate and update technology to serve my work, Ms. Minh Anh shared.
Currently, Ms. Minh Anh works in the human resources department of a company specializing in labor export, with a salary of 22 million VND/month. I understand that with the current economic situation, not many companies pay this salary, so I have re-determined my ideology and always work with the highest spirit even though my income is much lower than before, said Ms. Minh Anh.
Ms. Le Thi Minh Hang (36 years old, Ha Dong district, Hanoi) was also a communications director and assistant to the Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of a large cosmetics group. During the period when the group was at its most brilliant, Ms. Hang's total income was about 1 billion VND per year. In 2023, Ms. Hang lost her job after 13 years of working with the group.
Regarding the reason for the loss of jobs, Ms. Hang said: "The Group restructured business sectors and I was completely passive in the process of handling work for a long time. Some completely new fields have been implemented but I am not familiar with them, so I am confused. More importantly, I did not receive enough in-depth information sharing from the leadership and did not have empathy in the work implementation process. I lost my job in July 2023.
After losing her job, Ms. Hang was invited to work by a number of companies. But for half a year, she could not close any work for both subjective and objective reasons.
"Some units pay salaries that are too low compared to the old corporation, so I do not accept it. With a unit paying nearly the same salary as the old corporation, the list of items and terms I have to complete in the KPI table makes me... stunned. For half a year, I was almost disoriented, even having to consult a psychologist.
In August 2024, I decided to work as a communications department head for an imported cosmetics company. Income is only 1/3 compared to before but working conditions are more comfortable. I realized that I had to lower the requirements and harmonize with the employer, but could not limit myself to not changing the requirements on income, working conditions, and benefits..., said Ms. Minh Hang.
Need to know yourself, know others
Commenting on the reluctance of mid-level/high-level personnel when leaving their positions after decades of working and the harsh realities of the job market, Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan Huong - former Director of the Institute of Social Labor Science - said: "This is a reality that exists in the job market. Many people are too confident in their experience and the "seat" they have been in for many years, while new requirements always come from the requirements of employers.
Another important reason is that many employees who lose their jobs/cester at old companies will use their old job positions and income as a basis for finding new jobs. Meanwhile, the new business knows almost nothing about you except for a few lines of information declared in the CV.
Therefore, the advice for this group of employees is to know yourself, know your staff, adjust the requirements to suit the employer instead of self-assessing yourself as a valuable candidate and the employer must meet the requirements to have you.
