According to the authors of Kickstart Your Career, you need to keep one eye on the job, the other on the job pages.
Kickstart your careerThe person who does best in today’s job market is the highly-mobile ‘career mercenary’, the “Me plc”.
The workplace is awash with thrusting young executives on a brief stopover before their next promotion.
They remain loyal to themselves, placing their employment needs as their top priority, although they provide their current employer with the best possible service they can.
They recognise that they must watch out for their own career development, moving from one workplace to the next when the time is right for them.
The hot-footing career mercenary keeps one eye on the job, the other on the job pages. They make an effort to develop the skills that will be in demand and watch the job market to spot where new opportunities may lie in future.
To become a successful career mercenary you don’t have to be ruthless or aggressive, but you do have to be clear-sighted about what you want and assertive in setting out to achieve it.
That’s according to Jeff Grout, Co-author of the book Kickstart Your Career and formerly UK managing director of Robert Half International, the world’s largest specialist recruitment consultancy.
One word of warning for the jobseeker though, advises Jeff. Change inevitably involves some risk. There’s the old saying about better the devil you know. Your employer may have faults, but you will probably be aware of what they are and how to deal with them.
A new employer is always an unknown quantity, no matter how careful you are about your research. Your old boss may have had some annoying habits, but what about your new manager?
In the worst-case scenario, if you move to a new employer and recession hits, you may fall victim to the theory of ‘last in, first out’ and find redundancy beckoning.
Every jobseeker should be aware of these downsides, says Jeff. That does not mean you should avoid taking any new job. Risk is the companion of opportunity. The point is that effective career building requires a full understanding of both the risks and opportunities in making a job change.
With that understanding you can take steps to maximise the potential upsides and minimise the downsides. After all, staying where you are can be risky too if your favourite manager leaves, your skills stagnate or your own industry goes into decline.
In researching the book the authors have drawn not only on their own experiences, but also on those of many recruiters – individuals based inside employer organisations and those in specialist recruitment firms.
They undertook a major survey of HR professionals, headhunters and line managers involved in the recruitment process. They received responses from across all business sectors and all sizes of organisation.
“Our survey sought opinions on issues related to CVs and covering letters” explains Jeff.
“We queried the value of speculative applications and found them to be worth the effort. We found out how many recruiters used tests during the selection process and what particular factors turned them off or onto candidates during an interview.
“We asked about sensitive issues such as the appropriateness of asking for more money and the impact of ageism in recruitment, as well as how to combat it.
“Our advice, based on our research findings and expert insights, therefore reflects an up-to-date snapshot of the likes and dislikes of today’s recruiters. All these contributions have helped to make this book a true insider’s guide.
“To provide some extra magical inspiration, we have included celebrity tips from people who have built successful careers in a wide range of sectors, from industry and finance to sport and catering. We hope these will encourage anyone flagging in the face of a sagging career or a prolonged job search.”
In the past your employer would take care of you, nurture your talents and help you to progress. “That is no longer the case” says Jeff. “Now the onus is on you to find a new job, seek promotion or make the best of what you are currently doing.”
So if you want to find a new job, make the best of your current one or scoop that promotion, then this book is for you. It will inspire you to take stock of what you want from your career.
Kickstart Your Career, The Complete Insider’s Guide to Landing Your Ideal Job, by Jeff Grout and Sarah Perrin, is available from Amazon by clicking here, priced £6.99.
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