Work-life balance Q&A with Neha Jain: "I have definitely mastered the art of multi-tasking"

To succeed as a working mum, it is important to be disciplined, give your best and not be hard on yourself if things don’t go as planned, says Neha Jain, senior consultant at Michael Page India.

What prompted your move into recruiting?

I have a background in finance and had never thought of becoming a recruiter before. But a big part of what convinced me to join Michael Page was seeing the leadership team’s success in India. I also loved the organisation’s energy, culture, and positivity.

In addition, I love interacting with people and also wanted to be in a sales-driven environment, where I could see direct results.

What is a typical day like for you?

Each day at Michael Page is new and dynamic, with a mix of client visits, candidate interactions and team work. I love our lunch conversations, coffee breaks and impromptu jokes.

Are there any particular challenges that women in recruitment particularly face?

It’s a level-playing field! In general, recruitment is a highly competitive and fast-paced industry. To be successful in this business, one definitely needs to be resilient, solution-oriented, and of course, people-centric.

How is it like to be a working mum?

Being a working mum is not easy, as there is a need to strive towards perfection at work and home. But it’s not that difficult as well. You may lose out on time or sleep while trying to balance these two fronts, but with some adjustments you can make it work.

As a working mum, I have definitely mastered the task of multi-tasking and have also become much more productive both at work and home. All you need is positivity and resilience to make it work.

What also helped was having good family and office support. Although it looked impossible at that time, Michael Page helped me ease back into work three months after I gave birth. Flexible work arrangements, including tele-commuting options, and support from my supervisors were provided.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

The dynamic nature of the role and the surprises that accompany it every other day.

What advice would you give to working mums?

Juggling a career and family isn’t easy, so you need to be honest to yourself about prioritising and balancing tasks on a day-to-day basis. Be disciplined with your daily duties, strive to give your best, but don’t penalise yourself if you fall short sometimes. Just relax and praise yourself for managing everything!

Finally, try not to do everything by yourself and seek help from your family and colleagues. Most importantly, don’t give up.

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