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| Love
Your Job - Helping you to love your job or to find a job you do love
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February 2009
A big welcome to the 107 people who subscribed in January, my subscriber total is now 1581 and I'm very pleased to have you all here. I aim to make this newsletter of interest and if there's something you would like me to write about please let me know.
I'm drafting this as I travel back by train from London. I've spent Thursday morning doing a series of interviews with radio stations about the launch of an online resource aimed at mature students considering entering higher education. It's been a lot of fun, I travelled down last night, walked to the studio this morning, met the PR rep and studio manager, then we found there was a power cut so into a cab and off to their second studio. I met with the Rt. Honorable David Lammy MP, his PR advisor and then the interviews started - every 10 minutes, sometimes just one of us and some times together. A few of the live interviews didn't happen as the radio stations focused on the weather.
The campaign is around the launch of a new online resource, http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Mature_Students.
Luckily the weather was fine in London, just a bit wet, but the snow was getting worse as the train pulled into Gloucestershire. Thank goodness I got home ok and was greeted by 3 snow men. It's another story today, Friday, with huge swirls of snow coming down.
It's been a busy month, the draft of my book is with my editor and going through final reviews and layout. I've included an excerpt from the introduction below and I'll keep you in touch with more details.
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Quote
of the Month |
"If you want to succeed you should strike out on new paths, rather than travel the worn paths of accepted success"
John D Rockefeller, Sr
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| Almost forgot, I'm going to be exhibiting at One Life, held in Olympia, London on 13th - 15th March. I will be getting 10 or 20 free tickets so if you would like one let me know and if I get more requests than tickets I'll do a prize draw.
In this months issue:
I look forward to talking
to you again next time.
Kindest
regards,
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Article
1: How to get a job in a recession - spotting the signs (excerpt from the forthcoming book - How to get a job in a recession)
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The writing is on the wall
It’s rare that a redundancy comes from nowhere. There are clues and predictors, but often people miss them.
If you are in work, but wondering if your job will be the next to go, here are some things to do:
Read the business press
If you buy The Times, Telegraph or similar, make sure you read the business pages or look at the business pages online. You can read about potential lost contracts, and profit warnings. Don't just read up on your company, but also your company’s competitors. If you notice a competitor is going into receivership, it could mean there is more business coming to your company, but it could also mean that there is decreasing demand for the goods or services your industry provides. There are often clues on how your company and industry are doing. Look to the specific market your product is sold in.
Notice changes in staffing
Too often, we just focus on our job and forget about a broader view of the company. It’s easy to think that because our job is in admin or finance, we don't need to focus on the company products or services. But remember, products and services are the key reasons the company exists and the further away your task is from the core focus of the business, the more difficult it will be to justify your salary in a credit crunch. At times like this advertising, personnel and middle management jobs will often go.
It could be useful to get to know people in the sales department and notice if any sales staff are leaving. If a company is laying off sales people because they can’t afford them, manufacturing and support will be next. When sales consultants resign, it’s often because they are finding it hard to earn a bonus and they look elsewhere to sell a product that is in greater demand.
Finally pay close attention to company initiatives such as a recruitment freeze and seeking voluntary redundancies this could indicate the company is in trouble. Also if it is taking longer to pay your expenses, and advertising has stopped it might be time to get your CV ready.
More will follow - I'll be emailing you more on the forthcoming book next week. |
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Featured
Service: Interview Coaching
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Interview coaching takes different formats. For some people it's about overcoming nerves about the formality of the situation. How to appear confident, how to create a great first impression. For many it's about how to answer questions.
At many interviews competency based questions are used. With these you need to ensure you develop specific examples against the particular question. It sounds easy but often people struggle with how specifically to answer so it can be useful to have a practice session with an experienced coach.
Just this past month I have done practice sessions with three clients and 2 out of the 3 got the jobs they were going for.
We can also practice non competency based questions. How to best answer questions such as "tell me a bit about you", "why do you want this job", "how would your boss describe your weaknesses".
I can even help with a "just in time" session just before the interview to get you into a peak state!
Finally there's a need for looking for ways to stand out from the rest at a second interview stage. Lindsay wowed them in December and was "stunned" to get the job offer.
The difference with working with me compared to other career coaches is that I'm an experienced interviewer, assessor and recruiter and a sought after consultant by companies, so I know what they want. I've been working with individuals for 10+ years so have plenty of success stories. I also charge a very fair price, I make sure I'm accessible to the people who need me. London based firms can charge three times my fees, probably why I have so many London and south east based clients take the train to Tewkesbury to see me. I've clients from as far north as York as well, and beyond by phone.
Get in touch to discuss how I can help - I offer interview coaching sessions by phone for £120 and in person for £150.
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Article
2: Dealing with recruitment agencies
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With the recession, agencies are facing a deluge of applicants alongside a drop in the number of jobs available. So it’s even more important to use your interpersonal skills to create a good working relationship with them.
Lisa is one of my clients. Part of her job search strategy is to register with recruitment agencies. She approached all agencies in her local town and was surprised when a consultant at one of them openly laughed when she said she was looking for a job, and said that they didn’t have anything.
Lisa had a well written CV which emphasised her skills – everything was focused on customer service/ reception type work. She has brilliant customer service skills and that’s what she has been doing.
Whilst Lisa had done some finance work, she found working with numbers very stressful and she made it clear that she wasn’t interested in this work and was seeking a receptionist role.
Imagine how she felt when she found she was being put forward for a job in finance, and also that her CV was being changed to make her appear as more suitable than she is. Lisa sent me an email which included:
“They have 'adapted' my CV and have put me forward for a job interview next week. On looking at the JD (there was no Person Spec attached) it’s more a financial assistant post! Do these people not listen? I am thinking at the moment that it would be a waste of the interview panel's time and - more importantly - another dent in my confidence”
Lisa called me, wondering what to do. The recruitment agency was putting her forward for a job as a financial assistant and had even changed her CV to emphasise her experience. They also changed her Excel competence up from basic to expert, which clearly wasn’t the case. She could only do simple activities using excel and lacked confidence, but it was also clearly work she didn’t want to do.
We agreed that she would tell the agency that she would not go for the interview and spend more time on the direct approach to job hunting.
Do remember that agencies are there to serve the people who pay them – the employers. This means, like Lisa, that you may find yourself pushed into something that’s not right for you.
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In
the Media in January
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- Radio Gloucestershire Breakfast Show, 5th January - the importance of having something to look forward to
- City Talk Radio - 15 minute interview on Roy Basnett's show
- Three Counties Radio Talking with Jonathan Vernon-Smith on Job Hunting in a Recession, 21st January
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What
Denise did last month
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- Undertook 24 client sessions, including CV rewriting, increasing effectiveness at work, life planning and taking people through the Gold Programme
- Wrote 19 entries on my blog
- Team building event with an executive team, utilising the MBTI
- 2 days working at a development centre for high flyers in the energy industry
- 1 day of assessing for the civil service fast stream
- Did further work on my book including agreeing the design for the cover
- Worked with 3 university students on study skills
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| Get
in touch |
For
a confidential chat about how we could work together email or call
me on 01684 772 888
Amazing People
- Tewkesbury, GL20 8HL - Career Coaching, Counselling and Guidance
- Assessments - Job Search Support - Assessment and Development
specialist:
denise@amazingpeople.co.uk
I only send e-mail
to those who are interested in hearing from me. If you would prefer
not to receive e-mail from me in the future, please click on the
link below. |
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