Before starting your job search
and subsequent interviews, you should begin by considering the management
of your career.
The questions below should help you to think through the elements you
need to consider. Please
contact us
if you have any further questions or queries.
Answers
1. Your Development Plan
Managing your career is about identifying where you want to go and how
you’re going to get there, in other words, it is about putting together
a Development Plan. It is crucial for a number of reasons.
- In the current market there is constant change. You will be in
a stronger position if your company restructures, merges or is taken
over because you won’t be taken by surprise if your role suddenly
changes, or ceases to exist altogether
- It will assist you in objectively assessing your current role and
prospects by raising points that you need to address or reassuring
you that your career is going in the right direction
- It will put you on a strong footing at your next appraisal by helping
you to negotiate the development of your career in the company and
you will be in a position to objectively assess opportunities (whether
internal or external) against your career plan
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2. Reviewing Your Development
Plan
A Development Plan will need reviewing regularly because the Human Resources
market is changing so fast. Consider the following points in order to
prepare your strategy:
- Make a list of possible goals – the sort of role you want, preferred
industry sector(s), specific organisations etc. Identify both the technical
and interpersonal skills you will need to get you there.
- Work out the pros and cons of each option and narrow the list down,
working out the requirements for each option.
- Assess the likely competition – be realistic! e.g. if you want
to work for Microsoft and they only look at candidates with a 2:1 from
a good University is your 2:2 really going to get you in the door? What
are the potential barriers to success and how are you going to overcome
them? Who could help you get there? What are the likely timescales?
- Choose your goals and identify your strategy for getting there.
- Accept that your goals and priorities may change over time. Reassess
regularly.
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3. Job Hunting
Once you’ve formulated your strategy, you will be aware of the
technical skills you will need to reach your goals. But before you start
job hunting you should consider the factors outlined below.
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4. The Economy
The economy is currently stable and there are many good HR available
so the market has become increasingly candidate-driven. In practical
terms, there is still competition for the best HR vacancies and there
could be between 50 and 80 applicants to an advert, depending on the
level and location of the position. You therefore need to put considerable
effort into any application you make – that means your covering
letter (or email) and CV should be well thought-out. If you are fortunate
enough to get an Interview, you need to give yourself the best possible
chance of succeeding to the second and final round.
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5. The Right Recruitment
Company
Too many candidates don’t know enough about the recruitment company
they send their CV to. As a client, when choosing a Recruitment Company
to work on your behalf you will typically meet them, interview them
and see how they perform. You need to do the same thing when seeking
a Consultancy to represent you in your own job search. If you can’t
meet then at least spend some time talking to them and building up a
rapport, understand how they work, who their clients are, what sort
of volumes they recruit in and what they will do for you in return for
your loyalty.
Whatever your attitude, sending your CV to lots of different agencies
and then expecting the phone to start ringing is not going to work satisfactorily.
Investigate the market, speak to your friends and peers know the main
players and find out who is best placed to help you, above all work
at the relationship. It might be that this time round the recruitment
company won’t be able to help you but you never know who or what
is around the corner.
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6. Contacts & Networking
Many people fail to recognise how valuable cultivating good contacts
can be. Whatever your level you should not be afraid to network and
make contacts. Any one of the following could make a real difference
to your career:
- Peers in the profession
- Clients
- Industry figures
- Members of professional bodies
- Suppliers
- Recruitment and other consultants working for your organisation
The importance of contacts also goes someway to explain why a substantial
proportion of HR jobs are never advertised, but instead are filled via
word of mouth and by contacts (candidates) already known to recruitment
consultancies or the business.
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7. Improving Your Skills
When you are looking to gain an extra advantage over the competition,
it’s worth considering anything that might help. Although not always
essential, certain additional skills can weigh heavily in one candidate’s
favour over another’s for certain types of job. You should be looking
to develop your skills at every opportunity and this should be a key part
of every review you make. So if you have the opportunity through your
current company to get SHL qualified or to formalise your coaching experience,
then take it.
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8. Is this Job Right for You?
Make sure you pick up on the key skills the advertisement or spec is asking
for and evidence them. Don’t spend time writing about an irrelevant
skill or experience. Ensure that your CV and covering letter are written
in such a way that even a non-expert will recognise your appropriateness
for the position. Finally, if you do not possess something asked for,
you have two choices. First, you can either choose not to apply. Second,
you can tackle the issue directly, perhaps by acknowledging in your letter
that you recognise you do not currently have this skill but that you would
devote time to acquiring it should they be positive about the rest of
your application.
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9. Preparing Your Covering
Letter
Never underestimate the importance of the covering letter - it will
be circulated with your CV. Your covering letter should:
- Reconcile your CV with the job in question i.e. it must always be
‘personalised’ and enthuse the reader about you.
- It should be factual as subjective views count for nothing - evidence
of ability is everything.
- It should be no more than half a page long - ideally a dozen lines.
Make it short and to the point.
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10. Preparing Your CV
Preparing a CV can be a good idea even if you’re not looking for
a job, as it can help to crystallise whether or not your career is developing
as it should be. When you’ve drafted your CV, ask yourself if it
is as impressive as you would wish, and if not, what you can do to strengthen
it.
Here‘s a checklist which might help. For more detailed information,
click here for our CV guide:
- Your CV should be typed, printed on quality white paper, in a standard
typeface (size 10-12).
- Always make sure your CV is completely up to date.
- Never write in the 1st or 3rd person - CVs should contain facts, not
subjective opinions.
- Don’t omit anything or try and hide anything as people will assume
the worst
- Length should be 2-3 pages. Every word must serve a purpose and it
should appear short and sharp. It shouldn’t miss out any key skills
or abilities that readers might be specifically searching for. Use bullet
points to keep things clear and simple.
- Tailor your CV to the target audience. Send a full CV to a recruitment
consultancy, but focus on what is absolutely relevant; reams of irrelevance
will ensure your CV is consigned to the bin.
- Tailor your CV to the position you are going for. A CV is a selling
tool and what sells you is quality recent experience so the focus should
be on your achievements, not your duties/responsibilities.
- List work experience and academics in reverse chronological order.
Include years and months.
- Don’t include references, but do state that they are available
on request.
- Spell-check and re-read your CV several times. Get someone you respect
to review it.
- E-mail your CV as it is now the preferred option in 99% of cases.
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11. CV Tone
With CVs and covering letters, the tone is crucial. You should come across
as being polite and bright, not arrogant and smart, not chummy, professional
not stiff. If in doubt get someone you respect to give you an objective
opinion. Also, use words and phrases you feel comfortable with - it works
against you if the interviewer expects to meet one type of person but
actually meets another. Be yourself, and be honest. Your work history,
qualifications and references may be thoroughly checked, so if you try
to pull the wool over someone’s eyes, you could get caught out with
serious repercussions.
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