If you think you’re about to loose your current position, there are some practical things you can you do immediately. This is aimed towards more senior members of staff, but I think there are nuggets of pure gold for anyone looking for a new role…
Ok, firstly, why would take advice form me? Well, 10 years in the recruitment industry, assisting with Senior Manager / Director Placements to junior career development. CV preparation, creating Advertisements for the FT Recruitment Page, running Job Fairs for my business. Hope that helps to reassure.
IMMEDIATE MEASURES – Before You Go…
Firstly take stock of what information you have been using in your current role. Industry Contacts, Telephone Numbers of useful businesses and services, websites, journals, Etc. While in a role (even under threat of redundancy) you believe that you will never forget the name of that system or this software, your contacts or useful suppliers.
However, the reality is, when you no longer have access to your office or desk, you’d be surprised how quickly your day to day tasks will begin to fade. These facts are no longer relevant and your mind dumps any information that is not refreshed on a daily/weekly bases. TAKE NOTES NOW.
NB: This is not a reason to download the entire Client Base and such actions will surely be noted as Gross Professional Misconduct – rendering your contract void and your ass fired without hope of redundancy pay! Take a few notes (At a time if need be), there can be no legitimate threat to the existence of your current business if you have a couple of phone numbers, name and addresses, etc. Be wary of using a Memory Stick – Many systems have a flag that will warn IT and if it’s not something that you have been doing in the past, it may cause uncomfortable questions. Printing a couple of pages, putting them in an envelope addressed to you and marked P&C makes them relatively safe.
So you now have a note related to your industry, your role with all relevant procedures, practices, contacts, suppliers, Etc, safely tucked away at home.
CREATING YOUR CV – A Guide.
“PEOPLE ONLY KNOW ABOUT YOU, WHAT YOU CHOOSE TO TELL THEM”
={ BE SELECTIVE }=
Even Recruitment Consultants struggle to create their own CV! It’s not an easy task to list your working life on a sheet of paper. It takes time and must be done gradually, step by step, adding this details and that.
STEPS TO THE FINAL DRAFT
1) Create a Master Copy. All Details go in this including names and addresses, relevant background information, industry specific details, Everything…. Start the CV by listing out the names of the businesses and a rough guide to the dates ‘From & To’. Don’t get hung up on details at this point… just start the process, the information will eventually flow.
The older you are, the Longer it takes – Be patient. Do no more than 1 hour at a time, especially if you’re struggling. Do a little washing up, Hoover a bit. The very moment you move that plant pot 20 minutes into the dusting you will have an epiphany – Make Notes as you polish!
Remember, this is the Master copy, List EVERYTHING! Frome this record you will be creating your final draft/s. keep coming back to it, it may take more than a week – 1 hour at a time Maximum (Or you’ll go stir crazy!!)
2) Achievements – Now create a CV that just lists business Names, under each you add the details of what you achieved for that business. Now this takes a bit more thought, but should eventually come back to you. I cannot stress enough the importance of this task – This little list of achievements becomes the reason for you to be hired, to be snapped up in the market and get your next role.
I appreciate that if you’re not in sales, it may appear that you didn’t ‘achieve’ anything other than not being fired, but that’s not true. I have listed examples for a Cake Shop Worker, if that role has notable achievements, so did yours!!!
EXAMPLE –
Company: The Cake Shop Position: Counter Staff
Achievements:
· Introduced display stock rotation to minimise wastage, estimated to save the business £4,000.00 per year.
· Trained and developed Saturday Staff in Customer Service Skills, use of the till & cashing up.
· Helped to implement Flexible Hours enabling the business to open before 8:15 AM and extending the hours until 6:00 PM.
EXPLANATION -
A very nice start – MONEY. Every employer likes to see Cost Savings or increases in Sales in nice big numbers!! List these first, they are a fantastic Hook Line – Especially if the Employer has been swamped by a mass of dull & dreary Applications. So, Line 1 = “Show Me The Money!”
Training & Development – A much undervalued skill when CV Writing.
“Helped Implement” can literally mean ‘I didn’t quit when they forced me’ but as this person didn’t walk out in disgust at having to start at 8:15 AM, then they ‘Helped to Implement’…
Another nice phrase I always liked was “Part of a team that…”. You can be part of team that achieved just about anything inside your business, opened new regions, won new clients, developed new services, procedures, processes, policies, products, Etc… It’s a ‘One Stop Shop’ for a list achievements as long as your arm, but keep them relevant, provable and remember, Nice Big Numbers!
Now, if you ran a Cake Shop and received the above CV, you know you would interview that person immediately! They look too good to let slip away – and that’s the point of the Achievement Page/s – It’s a Bloody Big Hook to get you in through the door!!!
3) By now you should have a Master CV that possibly reads like war & peace (At this point, that’s a good thing!) and an Achievements List (that should make you feel a little more positive – it has that affect. NB: If it doesn’t, go back and think a bit more!). You’re ready to start looking at Industry Specific Skills & Experience.
4) Its time to review the Industries you enjoyed working in (not the office) and the relevancy of your skills in that market place. Many industries share common ‘themes’ – Manufacturing usually involves distribution, Telecoms spills into IT, Catering into Hospitality, Healthcare into Social Work, Etc… The list is huge. In order to get the right details to the right people, start to create a CV tailored towards your first choice of industry.
5) Don’t be afraid of having two different looking CV’s on the basis that you may be applying for 2 very different types of role. It’s what the best consultancies do; tailor your details to a specific industry or position.
DIRECT APPLICATIONS
Firstly, make a list of all the businesses you would love to work for, then like to work for and finally would accept an offer from. This may appear like ‘EVERYONE’ when you start looking and are without work, but there may be that one or two business that truly excite.
IE – For me, it would be a specific couple of IT / Home Electronics Businesses. I’m interested in both these areas, have a nice home cinema system and would focus on the likes of Dell, Onkio, Pioneer, Denon, Hitachi, Etc. For you it may be Porsche, Chanel, The British Museum, Whatever blows your skirt up…
Make a list, see if any are in your area, start an A List, then a B List and so on.
Do not swamp out a mass of letters to everyone in your List at the first opportunity! It’s tempting, especially if you have ever used Mail Merge… But Don’t! You only get one chance to send an initial introduction letter.
CALL FIRST
Think before you Call, Call before you Apply. Make a direct call to a couple of businesses that come towards the bottom of your list. Speak to HR but don’t be put off if they dismiss you immediately. Always keep in mind that your call may be at an inconvenient time, they may just be in a bad mood or having a crappy day. It’s not all about you and should not stop you from sending in details.
Calling – The purpose if to introduce yourself (Yes, Its embarrassing and a bit awkward at first, get over it!) and discuss your skills and availability, your flexibility and the possibility of any contractual, consultancy or temporary opportunities that they may have. 9 times out of 10 you will be dismissed and told to send in details. That’s not an issue, but you must Take A NAME!
Then your application can be addressed to ‘Someone’ @ The Business. Dear Sir/Madam letters have a tendency to go directly to File 13 (the Bin!). Also, if you can, get an email address. These are very useful. Direct contact via Email means you only need to know the correct spelling of a senior manager’s name and you can email them directly – the format for internal emails almost always remains the same!
Take good notes and always have pen and paper when you call. Also a note of what you want to express, be it availability, relevant experience or in my case above, the fact that I lust after their latest Surround Amp with 7 channel decoding and Blue Ray compatibility… Yes, cheesy it may be, but there’s no substitute for enthusiasm!
You should start a list in EXCEL (or on paper) noting all relevant details, Company Name, Date, Name of person, Telephone Number, Direct Line, Email Address, Details of what was said.
This list should expand and during your phone calls keep in mind that you want the name of any Hiring Managers, HR Managers name, Etc… List all details!! Hope for the best but prepare for the worst. By listing the people and the details of the conversation, you can call back a month later to ‘catch up’. All the time your building and developing a relationship in your next potential employer.
RECRUITMENT CONSULTANCIES
Recruitment Consultants a very valuable resource when seeking employment but there are Consultants and there are ‘Agencies’. It’s important to know the difference.
Independent Consultants located in a posh part of town will offer the greatest service to both their clients and candidates. There clients are hard won, they will likely spend the longest time interviewing candidates and will market them most accurately. They will specialise in the top end of the employment spectrum – If you’re a Manager, get yourself in there PRONTO!
Any business with the wording ‘Employment’ in the title and situated in the rough end of the high street wont spend long interviewing but will usually have a grater range of start immediately lower end roles. If you’re just stating out, get yourself in there CHOP CHOP!
There is no time like the present. If you receive a Redundancy notice (or even just a note suggesting you may be made redundant) DO NOT WAIT – Register and let them know you may be immediately available and will keep in touch (KIT). Please Note – If you say you’re going to KIT
Then DO SO, Recruiters take notes and will hold it against you if you prove unreliable. DO NOT BE LATE FOR APPOINTMENTS – It may mean you get overlooked next time!
If you have made any direct applications, take a list of the details and mention the name of the business to the consultant. They may still send your details if they believe there are opportunities but forewarned is forearmed.
FLEXIBILITY WINS EVERY TIME
Take what you can get. Temporary, Contract, Etc. Even low end temp roles give you the chance of making a first class introduction and let a potential future employer know what you may be capable of. I have seen a multitude of senior candidates take junior temp jobs and build very comfortable permanent roles. The business realises quickly what an asset you are and a budget is found for the new person. If nothing else, it’s always easier to get a job when you have a job.
In order to be considered for contract roles, make your salary requirements are flexible. There is no point in asking for the world if it’s not available, but don’t go silly on the rate – take the advice of the consultant, but remember that he also wants to make a buck or two.
DO’S And DON’TS
DO NOT LIE!
Under no circumstances can you suggest that Day is Night, Black is White, and you have a Masters from the Sorbonne if you only have a CSE from Bashstreet Comprehensive. There can be nothing more embarrassing than starting a new role and then being quizzed by a nineteen year old HR clerk.
Don’t Do It!
JUST DON’T!
Don’t create a CV that reads like a ‘guide to’ or a long list of ‘I dids’ These are all just tasks and although many will need listing, note them as areas of responsibility, not a long list of “I did, I did, I did…”
Always keep appointments, keep good records, make notes, follow up with recruitment consults once a week and remind them of your availability.
Dress well for all appointments – Its sounds patronising but remember to polish your shoes the night before and be ready to make an appointment at a moments notice (The client may have a candidate drop out – Their Loss, Your Gain!) and keep a positive exterior, despite EVERYTHING!
Happy smiley friendly people are a pleasure to deal with, a pleasure to employ and lot easier to make an offer to, it’s not all about the skill set!
At interview, always give a good hand shake, keep good eye contact and finish well; State that you enjoyed the meeting/discussion, mention the interviewers name, smile and exit. It doesn’t matter how badly you think you did at an interview, if it’s a first interview, a good finish may still get you to the second!
EG: “Well I don’t have any more question. Many thanks for taking the time to meet me Richard / Ms Jones / Mr Andrews, I’m very interested in the role and look forward to hearing from you” Shakes person by the hand, Eye contact, smiling, makes for the door.
NB: If you take an umbrella, leave it at reception, many a good candidate has fallen foul of a wet or tricky Brolly and you don’t want to go sprawling at the last hurdle.
Finally – Best of luck. I hope you found some of the pointers useful.