On The Spot - March 2009
Welcome to this month’s edition of “On the Spot”
SPOTlight on: March
Special greetings this month to our Welsh readers for St David’s Day on March 1st and for the Irish contingent who will be celebrating St Patrick on the 17th.
This is traditionally the time of year when almost every feature writer tries manfully to incorporate the word “spring-clean” into the title of their latest offering. I hate to buck the trend but, bearing in mind that this is the season of fresh beginnings, I am going to suggest instead that you breathe new life into your hunt for a career.
Whether you are still seeking your first professional post or having to start again after redundancy, you may be weary of the seemingly endless pursuit of an elusive goal. In fact, you, dear jobseeker, may have become a trifle jaded and – whisper it quietly – lackadaisical. Do you find yourself lolling in front of daytime TV rather than focusing on the realities of your job search? Or can you come up a million ways to defer the dreaded hour when you have to start scanning vacancies? Those of us who’ve been there know that even the hoovering can seem an attractive option if you really, really don’t want to get stuck in.
This is a common – and understandable - malaise, but it’s up to you whether you succumb to it or not. One suggested remedy is to treat the whole career search process as a job in itself.
- get up at the same time every day – preferably around about the same hour that actual commuters are stirring.
- avoid shuffling around in your nightwear for until noon or beyond. No-one’s suggesting that you wear your best suit: save that for the interview. But you know as well as I do – yes you do - that sloppy clothes can beget a sloppy attitude. So ditch the trackie bottoms and tatty T shirt.
- make a to-do list. Set yourself some reasonable targets as you would at work e.g. identify x job possibilities by 11.00, make y applications by lunch time.
- if tried and tested techniques aren’t producing results aren’t producing results at work you’d change tack. So, don’t stick with them. Check out different websites, register with some new agencies.
- in the workplace, it pays to be proactive. So step outside your comfort zone. Make some speculative approaches rather than waiting for vacancies to be advertised.
Then and only then, can you feel free to wield the remote control, unwrap the Hob Nobs and settle down for a well earned rest.
King of the jungle or beast of the field?
March is said to come in like a lion and go out like a lamb. Be that as it may, you need to think seriously about hanging on to those leonine tendencies for the entire month - and beyond. Recruiters are more likely to be impressed by confident go - getters than those who are unduly meek or, even worse, look as if they have strayed into unknown pastures.
Psychologists talk of the difference between “inner” and “outer” confidence. Ideally all job seekers would feel both inward belief and come across to others as having a “can do” attitude. Alas, when it comes to interviews, it tends to be the outwardly confident lions who upstage the quieter lambs. Domino’s advisers will be happy to give tips on how you can transform your sheepish tendencies into something with altogether more bite.
A touch of class?
Despite all the razamatazz about steering redundant City folk and jobless university leavers towards teaching, it seems that, with deadlines fast approaching there are still vacancies in the following areas: Information Technology, Maths, Science and Design and Technology. Worth considering if you have a genuine interest in fostering learning, otherwise the usual rules about square pegs and round holes apply.
This Month’s Nugget Of Information
Good news for some. Employers are still looking for ways to mitigate the effects of the recession. Certain well known law firms, for instance, are paying graduate recruits (up to £10,000 we hear) to defer their places for a year. And where the axe is falling, it tends to be on middle ranking management rather than the new intake, possibly, dare we say, because the latter are cheaper.
Dear Aggie: our agony aunt has the answers.
Zodiac Sign of the month - Pisces
Redoubtable Pisces, even you can sometimes feel like a fish out of water. But when times are tough, do you go with the flow or swim upstream?
I started on a graduate scheme with a major accountancy firm in September and have increasingly come to realise that finance and the corporate culture is not for me. I’m thinking more of charity work, of giving something back. But in the present recession, I feel guilty to throw away a well paid job and professional training. Where shall I go from here?
This syndrome is not uncommon and some graduate careers advisers have even coined a term for it – “first bounce”. It’s easy to view securing a place on a graduate programme as an end in itself, rather than thinking beyond this. Every year a small percentage of university leavers realise that these schemes don’t mesh with their personal values or ambitions. This isn’t perverse or ungrateful: it’s just that, as John Lennon memorably said, life is something that happens when you are making other plans.
To quote another old rocker, your current dilemma is do I stay or do I go? It may not be that clear cut. If you leave straight away you risk leaping from the frying pan of a job you dislike into the fire of unemployment. And, if you haven’t tested out your new career idea, how do you know that this is for you?
Given that most charities would prefer you to have some relevant experience, could the noble art of compromise be brought into play here? Stay in your present job and do some volunteering in the evenings or at weekends until you’re surer of your direction.
There is, of course a third way into the third sector. Grit your teeth, get your qualification and then move into a charity as an accountant.
Whatever solution you choose, good luck, and, if you need more support, let Domino know and we’ll do our best to help.