There are only 2 reasons why you will move jobs.
- You have decided as part of your personal development plan you need to move on.
- You got fired or made redundant.
When this happens the soul searching begins. The question is why go back to the same job you were doing? Surely, now is the opportune time to identify what it is you really want to do? So, what job should you do now?
Have you lost your job or decided there is more to life than the current role and don’t know where to start?
It has always amazed me how many people I have worked with live with the dreaded thought of trudging in each day and clock watching. What is even more worrying is the fact that the higher the position and title the worse it appears to be. Why? Well, probably because we have lived our life to our salaried needs. The two holidays per year, the private school education for the kids & of course our exhausting need to keep up with the neighbours. Perception is not always the truth.
The reality is a lot of people at work today long for Friday afternoons and dread Sunday nights. We spend so much time in work surely we must enjoy our employment & look to at least have some sense of comfort from doing a good job. In fact, I personally don’t think its even hard to get promoted once you find your right job. So how do we get a new job & what job should I do?
The key is in the planning and execution of finding the right job for you.
But first ask yourself a few soul searching questions:
- What are your strengths and weaknesses?
- Have you ever completed a personal skills audit?
- Ideally what do you want to do?
- What vertical/sector do you want to work in?
- What is your minimum take home salary?
- Are you prepared to relocate?
- Do you want to work from home?
- What Job is right for me?
Once you’ve decided those key questions this is where the really hard work begins. But beware very few of us will love our job. At best we will like it….the company logo will not be on our headstone. That’s ok.
The overriding failure in finding the right job today is candidates seem to look in the wrong place. Let me explain. The normal practice for employment today is probably via 4 main ways:
- Job sites ie Monster, Indeed, LinkedIn.
- Recruitment consultants
- Online employment periodicals ie the Telegraph, Guardian & Grocer magazine
- Company websites
In all instances you will submit your CV and a nice covering letter explaining how fabulous you are. Then low and behold you hear nothing. Granted you will receive, in some cases, a call from the recruitment company requesting you “talk through your CV”……then silence.
It’s a little like buying a lottery ticket.
Last year Camelot the UK lottery player sold tickets worth £5,477.6m with odds of matching all 6 balls at 1 in 45m. But that said, we still every week, buy our tickets online or in the local supermarket in the faint hope our balls will drop. Read that again….1 in 45m! But why? Because there is a faint hope of landing the big prize.
So in employment, we double our efforts and apply for more jobs, get more rejections & become more disillusioned. Finally we slump in the chair in complete desperation and exhaustion and give up.
© Follow The Leader 2020
Yes, that is an actual reply back from a position I applied for. Pretty much the standard reply that you will receive. Bland in its detail and equivocal to say the least. Why would you apply for the job if you didn’t fit the criteria? This is what you are up against.
Surely if we focused our attention with a detailed plan we can glean a better result. I can’t muster a big win for you in the lottery but I can show you how the mindless rejection emails are proof you are wasting your time in the normal process of finding a job.
Curriculum Vitae.
How up to date is your CV? The golden rule for any prospective employer is to glean a snap shot of the candidate. They do not want to know your DNA results. Most CVs will be screened by a HR manager or PA with a shortlist given to the hiring manager. Your job now is to get to that shortlist. These are the common failures of most CVs:
- Over 2 pages long – I have had CVs of up 6 pages long. Keep it brief. 2 pages maximum
- Employers are not interested in your hobbies. Leave that for the interview
- Kids? Married? No leave that for the interview
- No picture. I repeat NO picture on your CV
- email address. Ensure your mail address is current and appropriate
- No LinkedIn Address
- Key responsibilities and achievements not outlined.
- CV in word format only
- No key skills or expertise profile
- Lack of education or professional course profile
- CV does not reflect the core skills of the Job description
If you need a template curriculum vitae download this example.
© Follow The Leader 2020
Once you have written your curriculum vitae now is the time to execute your plan. Please remember this will bend and flex but the principles are the same:
- Make a list of all the companies within your specific vertical
- Research the HR directors name via Linkedin. Use SalesQL chrome exstention to obtain the email address
- Email directly. If using a web based email use a free exstention like Mailtrack to ensure delivery
- Outline your job application letter
- Attach the CV in PDF format only as it can’t be changed or adapted and will not clog up an inbox
- Put your LinkedIn address / Mobile number in your signature on your email
Why is it so successful? Because this will save the HR department hours in interviews & £s in recruitment fees. By contacting the potential employer direct it will be perceived as more personal than simply sending a LinkedIn inmail. Last time I tried this I got 2 interviews and 2 job offers. One of which put me ultimately in charge of a sales team for the whole of EMEA and I had 11 years with this household multinational brand.
Its equally important that you still use the remaining 5 recruitment options as well but with a slight hack.
- Job sites – Set up an alert for the job title & company
- Recruitment consultants – Select 2 agencies and contact them at least once per month
- Online employment periodicals ie the Telegraph, Guardian & Grocer magazine – Don’t bother!*
- Company websites – Set up a google alert on your phone for when a job is advertised
- Linkedin – Update your profile with keywords and get it refreshed at Fiverr
* why would you bother when the % of adverts are recruitment companies or employers who also advertise on Linkedin.
If you are unsure on updating your CV or Linkedin Page why not have a second opinion and hire an expert for a fraction of the cost and time. Fiverr is an online marketplace for freelance services covering all different aspects for business from writing a powerpoint presentation to creating a Curriculum Vitae. Search here:
Overall, the key here is not to give in. Keep refining & researching and ensure that you keep to your strategy in finding the job that’s right for you…….a job that you enjoy.
Now for the interview……..