Don’t settle for less – why you should wait for the perfect job

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Job searching can be an anxious time for many, especially if there is the added pressure of needing to find a new role whilst no longer in post. This can lead to a rollercoaster of emotions, particularly if several interviews have been and gone with no job offer in sight. These can range from hope to frustration, annoyance, and even anger, before you’re ready to accept and move on, ready to repeat the whole process again.

Don’t sell yourself short

It can be very tempting, therefore, to accept the first job offer that comes your way, even if it might not be a perfect fit. I do become concerned if my clients say that they are ‘happy’ to settle for less in this, whether that be for a lower salary or level of role.

However, if you don’t retain your market value, it can be difficult to regain it if you become unhappy in your new role. This is especially true if you’ve taken a pay cut or a step down the career ladder, as you can’t as easily immediately return to a higher salary or a more senior role level that you are currently accustomed to.

Keep in check

I work with clients to help them rebuild their confidence and self-worth through the job searching and interviewing process, building resilience in the face of rejection.

I can also help them to identify what they want and need in their next role, and what is negotiable.

It’s important then, right at the beginning, to have a checklist of what you’re looking for. These most commonly include:

  • Level of role
  • Function
  • Sector
  • Culture
  • Size
  • The amount of time working away (both nationally and internationally)

and, of course,

  • Salary

The only way is up

Just like it has taken you time to amass a career and standing to be proud of, it might take time to find the next role to suit you and help you take your next step up on the career ladder.

A focussed job search campaign, with an uplifted attitude and a tick list of what is important to you will help you to achieve your goals.

At this time of year, it’s important to know that there are better times ahead. Try to think about the successful career you’ve had, not just the gruelling process of finding your next role. You might find that by holding out for something better, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by being offered more than expected, such as increased pension contributions, extra holidays, or private health insurance.

It’s a long road to success, but it’ll be worth it.

If your business is restructuring, speak to us about how we can help your employees to find their next dream role.

Outplacement or inplacement

The new year can often mean a fresh start for many, and those looking to climb the career ladder might be searching for their next job opportunity. However, some may prefer the security that staying with the same company provides, and so the prospect of applying for an internal role might be an appealing one. Equally, with so many businesses restructuring and changes to job roles taking place across the board, some people are finding themselves having to interview for jobs internally, particularly to keep a part-time or role on a secondment.

Be prepared

Internal candidates need to remember that the same amount of research and preparation should be given to their interview preparation as they would if they were interviewing for somewhere new. This is especially important when you consider that they will likely be interviewing against some experienced external candidates. Just because someone already work for the company, and likely know the interviewers, and it might feel like it’s a shoe-in, they can’t assume that an external candidate won’t present themselves as the better candidate.

Encourage your internal candidates to research the role as much as they can. They have the added bonus of being able to speak to colleagues already in that team and find out more about the role and what they will be really looking for. They might even be able to speak to the person departing the role and find out more about the day-to-day. They can then tailor their CV and planned interview discussions to meet the requirements of the role. This is sure to help them gain an advantage in the interview

A bit of extra help

If you have an internal candidate applying for a role within your business, it is important that you remember that applying and interviewing for any role can be daunting, and sometimes more so when it’s for another internal role. Candidates will be worrying about the impact their role move could have on their current team, not to mention their manager, who they may still have to work with or at least see at the same business. Imposter syndrome is also a very real challenge for some candidates, so you might want to consider offering some coaching support to help them shine.

Our team of expert coaches will be happy to offer your internal candidates the support they need. Don’t just take our word for it:

“The support and challenge offered by Career Evolution ensured that I was at the top of my game for a very rigorous application process, against an exceptionally strong field. I can recommend them without hesitation.”

NHS Communications Director

 

Contact us to see how we can help you to prepare and attain your new internal role.

All are welcome – the importance of diversity, equality and inclusivity

I’ll never forget the feedback my father once received from an interview over 60 years ago: “You would have got the job as the best candidate, but you were born into the wrong class…” Times have thankfully moved on, and today we pay no heed to where or the circumstances into which, someone was born. We, rightfully so, place emphasis on the individual and not on their class. However, unconscious biases are hard to eradicate, and unfortunately in business people are still discriminated against when the individual is considered different to society’s idea of the ‘norm’.

The wider picture

Diversity, equality and inclusivity should always be at the forefront of the interviewer’s mind when looking for candidates. In a nutshell, these refer to;

  • Diversity – involving people from all backgrounds
  • Equality – ensuring all people should have equal opportunities and rights
  • Inclusivity – making all people feel valued.

Ensuring that this is incorporated across the business is a passion for many of my clients in Human Resources (HR – responsible for the hiring of employees and ensuring a positive work environment), Organisational Development (OD – responsible for managing employee wellbeing and performance management) and Learning & Development (L&D – responsible for encouraging the professional development of employees).

When I speak to these clients, I always want them to be aware of diversity, equality and inclusivity as a larger umbrella than they may have been exposed to, but should be aware of. This goes beyond someone’s race, gender or religion, to how someone thinks or identifies themselves.

Great minds

There has been a change of thinking in the way we think of the way people think. People have been speaking more and more about neurodiversity and how this can be a positive for a business. This can refer to people who have autism, ADHD and dyslexia, and sees these as a different way of thinking, rather than seeing these as a disorder and a challenge to be avoided or overcome. People who are ‘neurodivergent’ are often highly perceptive and show great skills with technical operations or are particularly creative, which can be a real boon to any company.

Embracing the community

We tend to think of diversity these days as more about embracing the LGBTQIA+ community. This is abbreviated to encompass lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex, asexual and any other gender identities and sexual orientations that are not specifically covered by the other five initials.

The more we and the workforce understand and embrace people’s differences, the more we can shift our thinking and celebrate diversity, to make a more inclusive space for everyone to thrive.

Setting the precedent

We as individuals have so much to offer in our own unique ways, and this brings new ideas to drive a business forward. Mahatma Ghandi is attributed to saying; ‘Be the change you want to see’, but what he actually said is far more poetic and resonant: “We but mirror the world. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. We need not wait to see what others do.”

Someone being right for the job should be based on their ability to do the role to the best of their abilities, otherwise if you hire someone who only ‘looks the part’, you’re just going to be disappointed when they can’t deliver.

Speak to us about our services.

 

Good for the ego

Having an ‘ego’ is often seen as something negative, especially in business. I think we’ve all been guilty at some time of saying something along the lines of: ‘Don’t work for them, the director has such an ego!’

Alter ego

However, those in psychological circles will know that the ego is actually something to be celebrated. Sigmund Freud heralded the ego as being ‘the rational part of the psyche’. It uses reason to control our overly impulsive (Id) and overly tentative (Superego) behaviours. Think of it as the mediator between the devil and angel on your shoulders.

Egocentric

The ego is our conscious self, and it’s the way we think about ourselves and how we wish to project this to others. Many people that I’ve worked with at the executive level are often apologetic about the fact that their loss or change of job title has ‘hurt their ego’. The fact that they are apologetic makes it seem that this shouldn’t necessarily be seen as a bad thing.

Many of these clients have humble roots, so why shouldn’t they strive for a high level role because of their ambition and intellect, and why shouldn’t they be upset if that is removed? If the ego is our ‘self’, it’s no surprise that many who invest so much into their careers feel lost when their job title or business is stripped away, and so much of my role is helping someone regain their confidence – be it their feelings of self-worth or confidence that they can move on again with their career.

Ego boost

Hand in hand with having an ego is someone also being seen as selfish. As the director of my own business, and facilitator to many others in business, I’ve attended several Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) lectures, and one key surprising take-away was that being selfish can actually be a good thing.

The dictionary defines someone who is ‘selfish’ as person who is only concerned with themselves. While ruthlessness shouldn’t have any place in business, it sometimes pays to be a little selfish. None of us would be where we are now if we hadn’t put our all into that job interview, that role, or setting up a business. And if we look after ourselves and fulfil our own self-care needs, we can give our best to others.

So maybe it’s time we changed our way of thinking and start putting our ‘self’ first and seeing the ego as a good thing.