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Archive for the ‘CAREER MANAGEMENT’ Category
Friday, August 27th, 2010
A recent enquiry asked me if two years out of his desired career path will mean that he will never get back to doing the job he wants.
It depends.
Like many, this person had been made redundant and after a few months of not getting as job in his desired field took on a different job, it took him time to get to grips with the job and a year had gone by before he started looking for a job back in his specific branch of HR. Since then he has applied for many jobs and has yet to get shortlisted.
He is now concerned.
So I asked him what he has been doing to get a job in his desired field.
· He is registered with agencies
· He is making applications online
And that’s it.
He is not doing anything about building contacts and finding out more.
Asking him to be honest he said that some weeks he is spending about 5 hours a week on job search, but some weeks he doesn’t do anything.
Some of this is down to motivation, and it can be hard to keep ourselves motivated without support. It’s similar to losing weight or getting fit, you could do it on your own, or you could go to a weight loss club or see a personal trainer, both would help. And so working with a career and job search coach can help.
I’m not sure if we will work together, but what I’ve suggested to him is that
- He gets his CV/ application approach reviewed and improved. I can see some significant enhancements to his CV and he could implement some of these himself using the advice in my book – How to get a job in a recession.
- He looks to enhance his CV by demonstrating that he is keeping up to date on his professional area, such as getting qualified, doing short courses, attending professional meetings, reading journals and writing reviews on Amazon of business books. The later will also enhance his online profile.
- He gets an online presence, starting with LinkedIn and my eBook How to use LinkedIn to find a new job will help.
- He increases the amount of time he spends on job hunting, and he could do this by getting up an hour earlier and doing an hour each evening, this would double the amount of time he is spending on job search.
- Finally he decides if he actually wants to return to his desired field. If he is comfortable where he is then he won’t have the impetus to really give as much as it takes to get a new job. He really has to want the new job. It would be easier (I don’t mean easy) if he really disliked the job he was doing or didn’t have a job. Then he has the pain to escape from, so now he has to concentrate on the pleasure he will get from being successful and to make sure that every day he is doing something that moves him slightly towards his goal.
Any thoughts, comments, questions? Do leave them below.
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Denise Taylor is a chartered psychologist, registered guidance practitioner, author and award winning career coach. I love my job, and love helping other people get their ideal job both helping them get clarity on what this is and also ensuring they are successful in job search. I haven’t always loved my job and like many people climbed a ladder and when I got close to the top realised it was the wrong one. Read more on my web site www.amazingpeople.co.uk . Any questions? email me Denise@amazingpeople.co.uk.
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Posted in Career Motivators, Client Stories, JOB SEARCH
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Monday, June 14th, 2010
Everyone benefits from effective networking. Here are a few tips and reminders to help you make the most of your networking opportunities.
Plan
Find out who is attending by getting a copy of the delegate list in advance. This will help you to work out who you want to talk with, and what information would be helpful to take along to exchange.
Be visible
Make the first move, in a friendly, helpful way. Expect to like people and to enjoy the event. If not, people will sense it and will not connect with you!
Not sure what to talk about?
Think about questions such as: “what makes you interested in …”, “what are you hoping to get out of the meeting”, or “do you know any of the other people here”?
Find out who the other person is
Make the goal in your conversations to connect rather than impress. Really, listen and enjoy meeting each person you talk to, and look for ways you can help them out.
Offer to email an article or resource you have that may be helpful for them.
To read more: http://www.amazingpeople.co.uk/pdf/networking.pdf
Posted in CAREER MANAGEMENT, JOB SEARCH, Job Hunting in a Recession
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Thursday, June 10th, 2010
Redundancy is bad enough, but it is even worse for many when they have to reapply for their own jobs. Too often companies decide to restructure or merge and you find that you have to apply for either your own job, or the slightly revised new job.
Many believe that this is to get rid of the older, more experienced and more expensive stuff for those who are younger and cheaper.
It is also so terribly stressful and so different than applying for a job in the normal way. Some recent research from the Keep Britain Working Group have found that two thirds of British workers would rather leave than reapply for their own job.
Satham Sanghera has recently written about this in The Times and there’s a lot of sound comment
I’ve personally been involved in this twice, both times used as an external consultant to provide objectivity, and it was a full assessment centre, not ‘just an interview’. I’ve always been carefully to set the scene sensitively but it is stressful – last week you were seen as competent for the job, this week you are having to compete.
You have to go in to thye situation as well prepared as for an expternal assessment, and you can’t make assumptions that the interviewer knows what you have done. Most times the decisions will be made on performance on the day.
I’d be very happy to answer any questions you have on this subject so feel free to post a question below and I’ll get back with a response.
Posted in CAREER MANAGEMENT
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Tuesday, June 1st, 2010
I’ve been recommending LinkedIn to clients for months, but most don’t want to take the plunge, or do it half heartedly. So I’ve put together a comprehensive 24 page workbook to explain firstly why you should be on LinkedIn and also a straightforward guide on how to create an effective LinkedIn profile that will be of real benefit to you in your job search.
‘Denise has made this guide very accessible and seems to have pinpointed all of the key areas. My LinkedIn profile has certainly been boosted by following her steps’ Charles, Gloucester
Too many people have a partly completed profile without even a photo. It gives a very poor impression and no wonder people think LinkedIn isn’t worth pursuing. You wouldn’t send a half finished CV when you apply for a job, so make sure you get an ‘almost completed profile’ before you start approaching people. To get 100% complete you need to also have at least 3 recommendations, everything else should be done first.
‘As with all social networking sites, the key to getting the best from LinkedIn is to use it smartly. Denise’s practical guide takes you from basic user to savvy networker, combining technical tips with sound advice. Denise takes the view of the outside world and helps you to see things from an external perspective, enabling you to maximise the impact of your profile, activities and networking. A very effective navigation tool for today’s career managers’. Sarah, London
I’m going to guide you through exactly what you need to do to make LinkedIn an effective part of your job search campaign.
‘I’ve been on LinkedIn for 18 months and never really saw the benefit. Within an hour of reading Denise’s clear, comprehensive guide to LinkedIn, I was beginning to use it as a powerful aid to help me get my dream job. Apart from revising my own page to make it more relevant and attractive, I was actively using LinkedIn to seek out those working in my field of interest and to ask and answer questions about my chosen career, and the steps I need to take to get me where I want to go. Denise’s guide is simple, easy to understand, and straightforward. It may sound silly, but after reading it and following her suggestions, I felt that I was taking charge of marketing myself and working towards a better future’. Neil B, Oxford
Read more >>
P.S. I’m happy to connect with you on LinkedIn, but please send a personalised message. I don’t connect to people I don’t know.
Posted in CAREER MANAGEMENT, JOB SEARCH, Social Media, Social Networking
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Tuesday, May 25th, 2010
Is there a typical career coaching client?
People of all ages and backgrounds seek careers coaching. My clients range in age from 15 to over 60 with the biggest group being recent graduates and those in their late twenties. Some want specific help in e.g. interview coaching, others want more extensive support.
Career coaching clients can’t be grouped together as one particular sort of person, they have varied backgrounds, differing degrees of motivation and require different sorts of help.
As a chartered psychologist I use assessments to help clients really understand who they are. I’ve created various programmes as this can help potential clients to see how different elements can be grouped together. I see these programmes as a guide and they can of course be adapted to suit particular needs.
My clients have different backgrounds and objectives
· Some would be seen by most people as successful, they have a well paid job, often working as a professional – lawyer, doctor, accountant, sales manager but as the years have gone by they have felt more unhappy about their job and this leads to stress.
· Others have yet to find the right job for themselves and feel frustrated and unhappy. They can’t understand why, despite a good degree that they have drifted between jobs never yet finding the right option for them.
· Some clients want to concentrate on career exploration, others need help with job search support – from CVs to job applications, interview coaching and how to create a job search marketing campaign.
The programmes I offer make it clear what is included, but of course some people need more help.
Some clients need to choose regular support for their job search. They know what to do, but they don’t do what they know. For them a weekly 30 minute motivational call keeps them focused, just like attending regular classes can help other people with weight loss. They will also often choose to have me review applications/ letters etc by email in between.
Whilst most clients can move beyond what they have found out about themselves via assessments and coaching through research and then choose the job that they concentrate a job search campaign on, others find it difficult to make a decision, they don’t want to rule anything out or need more than the typical support to plan their route from where they are now to where they want to be, they then choose to book some extra sessions.
Making a change
Making a change isn’t always quick and easy. Some clients have spent 7-12 years seeking satisfaction at work and it’s unlikely that they will all make a change quickly. There is often much to be gained from staying where they are. Of course to friends and family they can talk about getting a great new job, and perhaps even pay to work with a career coach but they don’t have the commitment to make the change. At different points they can fail to move forward.
Some clients spend a long time in the research phase and find it hard to go beyond this. When I’ve spoken to some it turns out that it is a fear of the unknown, being unsure about what the research may lead on to. Having, for example, worked in one company for 10 years or more they may wonder what the results of the research may bring, but doing the research isn’t making a commitment to any particular action, reviewing the research is the next step.
Most of my clients enjoy learning more about themselves via assessments and exercises, but then they need to move into researching the jobs that have been identified. A few can get despondent as most of the jobs they want to follow involve a significant amount of retraining, but there are always other routes which is why my programmes include a follow up to allow us time to discuss this.
So no there isn’t a typical career coaching client, nor a typical way I work. Some people find a programme is perfect for them, others want to choose the most relevant elements for them, to meet their needs and budgets. Some clients are resourceful and need a gentle steer, others need much more guidance and support. All can move into a new job that is a significant improvement on where they have been and for some they are highly delighted.
‘A while ago I was stuck at a crossroads in my career, I could have carried on doing a job I didn’t enjoy or choose to make a change. I decided to work with Denise from Amazing People and after a few sessions, Denise’s methods had helped me work out the path to my perfect job. I am pleased to say that I am now doing something I really enjoy and it wouldn’t have been possible without Denise’s help’. Garry
For other people a satisfaction increase from 2 out of 10 to 6 or 7 out of 10 is still a success. As we get older and with more commitments it can be hard to start again in an ideal career so compromises need to be made.
I’ve written this article to be realistic about how I work. Do please let me know of any questions this leads to so I can revise this article.
Posted in CAREER MANAGEMENT
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Wednesday, April 28th, 2010
Gordon Brown makes disparaging comments to Gillian Duffy, in Rochdale, after being nice to her face. Forgetting that he was ‘miced up’ this was probably down to the stress he is currently under. He is under pressure and apologised, but those comments were made and broadcast.
He has apologised, but not surprisingly the lady’s opinion of him hasn’t changed.
So many people work in jobs where they need to be a different sort of person to how they really are and it can lead to all sorts of internal conflict, and sometimes ‘leakage‘ where you say one thing but your body language is incongruent and so the message doesn’t seem true.
I help my clients to understand more about who they are so that they can do a job that allows them to be the person they are rather than to struggle to do something that is not a great fit.
In the workplace at times we have to say things that we don’t believe in, but it goes with the job. We all need to be careful not to be heard to say something ‘off message’ that may then get back to the client/customer. Remember Gerard Ratner’s comments, about his jewellery being chap and a prawn sandwich would last longer than some of his earrings?
I worked with someone who was overheard making negative comments about an internal client, who was very senior within the organisation. The comments got back to him and he was not only taken off the high profile project but transferred into another part of the organisation in a much less interesting role.
So be careful on what you say, you never know who could be listening.
Posted in Social Skills
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Monday, April 19th, 2010
I’ve spoken about going on a data diet a few years ago, This weekend and today I’ve been busy going through my filing cabinets, clearing out a whole range of material that I haven’t used in years and now unlikely to use.
I have my business email address plus another account I use for less important emails – newsletters and other interesting emails. This has got inundated with spam, so I’ve set up a new account and am going through, changing addresses to the ones I want to continue to receive and forgetting about the rest, as once I close the account I’ll no longer be bothered by them.
What I have been surprised by are the number of sites where you can’t change your email address, so you have to go through the rigmarole of having to enter lots of personal details again to re-subscribe. I’ve now decided that is a company makes it difficult for me that I’ll take that as a reason not to continue. I have an unsubscribe/ change details link on all the group mailings I make to make it easy for my clients.
Posted in Time Management
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Monday, April 12th, 2010
Interested in a fun way of finding out your management style?
The Chartered Management Institute’s (CMI) have a new online application, Compare the Manager. It launches tomorrow and they have sent me a preview. It’s a fun way of measuring your leadership style.
When I did the quiz I matched with Jacqueline Gold. Why don’t you have a go and let me know how you measure up?
Posted in Leadership
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Monday, March 29th, 2010
Being an intern …
Prompted to write this after hearing back from one of my clients, let’s call him John. John wants to get into a very competitive field, working in film and TV ultimately as a producer/ director. It’s going to be tough and he knows this. There are so many people who want to do this sort of work that he has to look for ways to enhance his CV and that means working for free to begin with. Not ideal, but without some effective work experience he stands little no chance of getting the work he wants.
If you are seeking work as an intern there are sites which advertise opportunities, both paid and unpaid. These include Graduate Talent Pool and Wexo and these are both short and longer term assignments.
You will still find yourself in a competitive market place so you can still be even more proactive and identify companies that you would like to work for and approach them direct. That’s what John did. We’d already had a couple of sessions discussing what he wanted to do, and his options for getting there, revising his CV and creating a brilliant letter to send to companies. We then drew up a list of companies that he could approach, initially by letter and then in a fact finding (informational) interview.
I was delighted to hear that John had been successful in getting a 3 month internship with a film company – it’s a great length, time to get some significant work experience, and this should really enhance his chance of getting a paid job.
With an internship there’s a need to make sure that you get the best out of your experience. This includes discussing your objectives at the start, getting feedback on how you are doing. Making contacts and gathering testimonials. LinkedIn can be brilliant for this. Of course you have to be careful not to be too pushy, but you don’t want to look back on this in a few months time and realise that you didn’t make the best of your opportunity. It’s also worth gathering examples of what you have done which you can use as part of a personal portfolio when you start applying for paid work.
John is one of a number of people I’ve helped get great internships, and they aren’t just young graduates. Unpaid work experience can also be a brilliant way to segue into a new career when you realise you have lost your passion for your old job and must find something new.
Can I help? Don’t hesitate to get in touch
Posted in Client Stories, JOB SEARCH, STUDENTS AND GRADUATES
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Wednesday, March 24th, 2010
You want to love your job, you want to have career satisfaction, but have you ever taken the time to think about what career satisfaction means to you? This article outlines the main reasons why people feel satisfied with their job, so read through each of these 8 areas, and decide if it’s being met in your job or not.
Do you need mentally challenging work?
Some people like to daydream on the job and not be bothered with mental challenge – they work to pay the bills while their out of work life gives them the satisfaction they need. Glen is a postman and also plays in a couple of folk bands. He can’t make enough money to survive through music, he’s tried it, so the delivery work pays the bills and gives him the time to practice and compose. Most people, however, crave some intellectual stimulation during their working day. They seek challenge but it should be just enough so that they can meet it successfully, too much challenge can be stressful.
Does your work need to be personally interesting?
Our interests differ – what do you prefer? Being outside and working on practical tasks? Problem solving? Being part of a team? If someone is interested in the arts, do they want to work for an arts organisation or do they want to keep work separate? Lisa loved embroidery, and spends most evenings on this, but a job in an embroidery shop was not as fulfilling as she had hoped, and resulted in her not wanting to do more of the same in the evenings.
To read more
Posted in CAREER MANAGEMENT
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