Approaching the job market can be a daunting prospect. In many instances candidates are entering the job market when they are unhappy in their current job or are under the threat of losing their job. These feeling are mostly negative, although other reasons could include promotion/career enhancement or potentially a re-location to another area.
From a physiological point of view, when you are unhappy, the thought of putting yourself out there on public display can be nerve inducing and not an attractive proposition. When looking for a new job, it can be seen as a draining endeavour and people, when unhappy, often view the task with trepidation.
Those that are entering the market for career gains are often happy and loyal to their current employer and therefore face a different set of challenges but equally have concerns. Those re-locating, as I have done personally, find the balance of persuading potential employers of your serious intent to move or simply being able to drop everything to attend an interview challenging. In short, when entering the job market, it is safe to say that it can be difficult.
So let’s assume in the first instance that you are entering the job market under negative circumstances. You hate your job/you are potentially about to lose your job. Whilst most people would look at this in a despondent way, we would recommend that you turn this into a positive. Many years ago, I was made redundant from a job that I loved and people that I respected – but also respected me. It was a really gut wrenching experience. Looking at it now my skill set was badly mismatched to the role and if I hadn’t been made redundant this blog wouldn’t have been written by me. In short, it was a career defining moment. A massive positive retrospectively!
As mentioned earlier, other reasons for entering the market come down to career progression or re-location. I spent many years in the south east moving from one recruitment job to another. In a lot of instances the reasons were for career gain (or salary increase), however I can’t help but reflect that if I had of invested more time with one or two of my former employers, salary and career enhancement would have come naturally. Nearly 13 years ago, I also relocated from South East England to Scotland. This was a huge move with risk from all angles. It was however another life defining moment.
I talk about my personal experiences as, in my opinion, many recruiters can be blamed for a lack of empathy, compassion or understanding when it comes to people looking for a new job. One of the fundamentals at Able Bridge Recruitment is to treat people in the way that I would want to be treated. The only way that this can be done is by reflecting on the experiences that have been experienced to date. In other words if I can understand where your head is, in terms of job search, Able Bridge Recruitment will be able to effectively and more efficiently discuss the vacancies that are most appropriate for you.
I think that an important service to candidates lends itself to a happier client base! One of the unique things that we do is to provide brainstorming sessions with candidates to see where they see themselves working, which industry sector, even as basic as what job. Most importantly though is understanding the motivations for this, along with what unique skills you can offer.
Once we have your interview arranged it is about coaching for the interview, preparing for an offer or obtaining credible, constructive feedback to alleviate the initial disappointment of not being offered the role; This in itself is positive as it builds a framework to improve on future interviews, ensuring the dream job offer is obtained.
