Making a successful career move, either of your volition or enforced, calls for skills
that you do not ordinarily use in your day to day working life. Although more
frequently than ever before, most people are involved in job searches and interviews only
once every couple of years. The methods of finding the ideal job are now better than
ever before. However, you should be prepared to spend as much effort on this
process as you would in a full time position. If your career is important to you,
you will do your homework. Below are articles recently published with some friendly advice.
A
ship at sea has no ability to steer in any chosen direction unless it has the power to
propel itself forward.Your careeris
that ship.And unless you are actively
pushing ahead in your chosen profession, you risk losing all direction, and being subject
to a variable recruitment climate.
Most people work hard to achieve success in their jobs, but few think
ahead tactically to where today’s achievements will take them.More people are now aware that in order to get
ahead, and stay ahead, they must always be alert to career opportunities - and ready to
seize them.Most of today’s Managing
Directors and successful professionals were in relatively ordinary jobs in their mid
twenties.They got where they are today
through hard work, achieving goals and seizing opportunities.The job of Professional Recruiters is to
present you with these opportunities.You do
the rest, and see where it gets you.
What happens when you register with a
Recruitment Agency?The most common experience is of
either an immediate flurry of activity regarding current vacancies or, unfortunately, no
response at all.
Recruitment firms, particularly the larger ones,
can often rely completely upon the computer database into which your details are
processed.These fallible systems can be
very efficient at finding possible candidates for a vacancy, but only a professional
recruitment consultant, experienced in their market sector, can identify the best
available individual.If you are the best
then that means you.
It is essential that you establish a relationship
with your recruitment consultant.Professional
recruitment firms will positively encourage this.If
they can’t help, they will tell you openly.
Ensure that you are not just a number.Do not settle for being a poorly filed entry on a
database; call your Recruitment Consultant today.
Many
candidates, that recruitment firms place in permanent posts, are people they find
after
they are given the assignment by their client. i.e. not yet registered with
them.That is to say
their database is not the only source they utilise in finding the best available person for each vacancy.They will advertise in newspapers, trade magazines,
recruitment websites and on their own website.These,
however, are only “passive” measures.The best Agencies find the most effective and efficient way of finding the best people is by
“Networking”, following a lead from one contact to the next.The theory of
"Six Degrees of Separation" holds that
everyone can be connected to everyone else through a path of no more than six people.
You
may well be the best available candidate, and therefore the last in the chain.Or you may well be contacted by a recruitment consultant
on their way to the best candidate.Either
way, the best way of ensuring that you are included in this process is by
“networking" yourself and contacting Recruiters direct.
This is not entirely true when securing your next career
move, but it can play a significant part in getting the interview which leads to it.
The pre-selection involved in choosing candidates
for interviews can be something of a lottery when based solely upon a two page C.V.A professional recommendation can go a long way to
ensuring that you get to meet your potential new employers in person.A professional recruitment firm will not only
ensure the best candidates get their chance to shine, but are also thoroughly prepared and
receive valuable feedback throughout the interview process.
A
Professional Recruiter
can optimise your chances
of ‘getting through the door’ and reduce the ‘wait and see’ lottery of
applying direct.They
can act on your behalf
for any vacancy and give you an ally where it really counts.
Many candidates think of the interview as merely an evaluation of their technical abilities. In
reality it is much more.An interview is not
a semi-passive conversation during which you answer questions and then wait to see if you
receive a job offer. It is a sales process that requires preparation. Remember that you are selling yourself, and this is
the time to close. If it is the first interview, then ask to attend the
second interview. Companies like to see interest on the part of candidates. If all other
factors are equal, they usually prefer the candidate who shows the most interest by asking
good questions and by asking for the position.
Declare your interest
Based
on your new understanding of the position and its duties, tell the interviewer what you
feel you can contribute. Tell the interviewer that you are interested and why. Then
ask to go on to the next stage.An interview
is not the time to be shy. When speaking of your experience, talk in terms of personal
accomplishments and character strengths. Be specific and mention achievements that relate
to the new position. You have to build your case. Make it a compelling one.
If you have any questions about
interview strategies, please speak with your recruitment
consultant.
An experienced Recruitment Consultant and a professional firm know the
market of qualified candidates and positions available in their
disciplines. Since Recruitment Consultants can talk with 10 to 20
candidates a day, they simply have a better assessment of the quality
and experience of candidates on the market. They have an immediate,
on-going relationship with available candidates.
Not
only do they assess candidates’ skills, but also know how they compare
with each other. They know which types are available at what salary
ranges at all times. Since most firms don’t recruit that often, they
need advice on the types of candidates available for certain salary
ranges. The agencies' job is to show clients who is available in the
market, based on all the specifications they are given.
Knowledge
of the market also allows them to assess how the position available at
one company compares with others available. It is part of their service
to assess the position available in comparison not only to the market of
qualified candidates, but also to the positions of other clients who are
competing for the same type of candidate. If the position, experience
required, salary range, etc. are inconsistent with what the market will
yield, they have an obligation not only to inform employers of that, but
to help them come to a conclusion as to what criteria would be more
appropriate.
The
selection process without the use of a professional recruiter, can
average twelve weeks. Recruitment companies can cut this to four weeks
to conclusion. They save TIME and MONEY. Because of their reputation and
success, they are constantly interviewing and screening quality
candidates. Agencies can identify candidates faster than employers
can for themselves. It is, after all, their specialist subject.
You
have just accepted a great new job with a new employer.However, upon resigning, your current boss asks you to stay and
has made you a counteroffer.
Surveys show
that eight out of ten employees who accept counteroffers don't complete
the following year with their employer.
Why shun
counteroffers? Because the factors that caused you to seek or entertain
a better offer are likely to remain in force. Besides which, your
current employer will probably lose trust in your loyalty. Accepting a
counteroffer may permanently damage your reputation with your
would-be-employer. Your prospective new colleagues may conclude that you
were merely using them to gain leverage; you weren't in earnest as a
candidate. Never underestimate the value of your perceived integrity in
this situation.
The
best response to a counteroffer is to listen politely, perhaps even
sleep on it, but decline. If your current firm denied you advancement
before you secured an outside offer, it will probably thwart you next
time you feel ready to advance. What's more, your firm may start looking
to replace you the day you accept the counteroffer. Your plans for
leaving will not be forgotten!
Professional
Recruiters
can advise on the best ways of dealing with these situations to everyone’s
advantage.
Sooner or later, most of us face the
Resignation Blues. Resigning is never easy, especially when you've
worked at a position for several years, and have become part of a
team. Some employers and colleagues take it personally and accuse you
of abandoning ship. However, handling your resignation as
professionally and thoughtfully as you handle your search for a new
job can help make your resignation relatively smooth and amicable.
KEEP
IT POSITIVE
Leave your employer on a positive note.
Your moving on does not have to be a time for long faces.If
you have given your best to the job, you will be missed.Let
them know that you intend to assist them before you go, in whatever ways
you can. By showing your boss and firm due respect, you encourage the
future support you may someday need.When
you resign, keep your conversations simple and concise. The more you
say, the more questions you may have to answer. Avoid lengthy discussion
with your old employer about your new opportunity.You
may face a hostile response, so always prepare a short letter of
resignation, which reinforces the fact that you are really leaving.Never use the occasion to settle scores or state grievances.
Experienced
recruitment consultants, have the expertise to help you through
this most difficult of situations.
In
some countries employers are obliged to provide a written reference
upon request, yet are prevented by employment laws from giving a
negative report.In the U.S.A., France and Australia employers have been held
legally responsible for prejudicing a former employee’s career
prospects.This culture of “no blame” leads to the devaluing of formal
references, and is becoming more prevalent in the U.K.
These
are quotes from actual references, which companies are now wary of
providing:
"His
staff would follow him anywhere, but only out of morbid curiosity."
"This
employee is not so much of a has-been, but more of a definitely
wont-be."
"Works
well when under constant supervision and cornered like a rat in a
trap."
"This
young lad has delusions of adequacy."
"He
sets low personal standards and consistently fails to achieve
them."
"This
employee should go far and the sooner he starts, the better."
"This
employee is depriving a village somewhere of an idiot."
References which be read in two
different ways are now more common e.g.
“I
cannot recommend this individual highly enough.”
“You
would indeed be fortunate to get this employee to work for you.”
“He has
a unique and unusual style of management.”
Professional
recruitment companies have extensive experience in ensuring that both
employers and candidates are well served and reassured by the reference
procedure.
The
early part of the 21th century promises to be the busiest in
recruitment for many years. In the past year recruitment firms in
the UK have placed over 450,000 people in permanent jobs. This
figure is almost 20% up on the previous year. In certain fields,
particularly Information Technology, we are seeing tremendous business
confidence. This of course leads to investment in technology,
recruitment and training.
IF
NOT YOU – WHO?
Professional
Recruiters have intimate experience of the recruitment market and
believe that there has rarely been a better time for career minded
individuals. It may seem a cliché to say but, in this new
Millennium, with so many people are taking stock of their careers, now
is the time to take the initiative. Professional recruitment firms
are by far the best way of finding out what options are open to you, and
making your career plans a reality. Take the first
step. Contact a professional recruitment company
today.
SUCCESSFUL CAREERING 
