John Pastor – Ask the Right Questions When Finding a Job

Oct 20, 2020

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John Pastor has close to two decades of leadership experience in the business process industry in the Philippines. He has numerous years of exposure in both the in-house and outsourced areas of the industry and has had the opportunity to work with top tier multinational organizations since 2001.

Aside from operations, he is also well-versed in the business’s different areas, such as continuous improvement, quality, sales, business development, workforce management, facilities management, training, human resources, and recruitment. He has had the opportunity to either oversee these areas directly and indirectly or collaborate with their respective department heads.

John is passionate about people development, creating a positive culture and working environment, client and stakeholder relations, customer advocacy, and running day to day operations.

“If you’re unemployed, don’t just grab the first thing that’s out there. Look for something that you truly want to be a part of.”

John Pastor

Worst investment ever

In early 2001, John discovered the Business Process Outsourcing industry, and he felt right at home. He worked for different multinationals within the industry and built a budding career.

A gloomy Christmas

Things were going pretty well for John until December 15, 2015. This is a date he remembers very well because, on that day, darkness entered his life. John received a redundancy letter. The company he was working for at the time no longer needed his services.

The company was trying to reduce costs, so they made a few roles in their Philippines office redundant. And just like that, John lost his job two weeks before Christmas.

Back to job hunting

Searching for a job during Christmas and New Year was a futile attempt for John. It took him 10 months to get his first job offer. It had been a difficult 10 months, and John had grown desperate.

No questions asked

The inability to provide financially for his family took a toll on John mentally, physically, and emotionally. When the first job offer came, he took it, no questions asked.

After a few months, John was laid off again. His company decided to move all their business from the Philippines to India because it was a lot cheaper from a back-office work perspective.

Two times wiser

Luckily, this time around, the job search didn’t take John too long. In about two months, he had another job. This time though, he was smart enough to dig deeper during the interviews to make sure that he got himself a job that was the right fit for him and that he would not find himself jobless just a few months in.

Lessons learned

Take your time when finding a job

Don’t be in a rush when finding a job. Ask many questions whenever you go for interviews to open up conversations about the role being offered. You want to make sure that the position and company is the right fit for you.

Stay positive

Remain positive even when things are bad because holding onto negative ideas will only beat you up and make you give up.

Andrew’s takeaways

Adapt to change

When things change, you also have to change the circumstances a bit to break the cycle of the emotions you’re going through.

Don’t be too hard on yourself

Things go wrong in life all the time. It’s not always that it’s your fault that things don’t work out. There are times in life where circumstances are a significant factor, and so when things go south, don’t be too hard on yourself. Just know that this too shall pass.

Actionable advice

If you’re unemployed and job hunting, do not just grab the first opportunity that comes up. Take your time and ask as many questions as possible during the interview process. Make sure that you’re getting into something that you truly love and that the role is something that would align with your core competencies.

No. 1 goal for the next 12 months

For the next 12 months, John’s goal is to grow his company, especially the online payments platform. On a personal level, John wants to make sure that his family is well taken care of while waiting for the COVID situation to be over.