Merry Christmas

Best Wishes to all my Blog readers and 

to all my Linked In Connections 

for the Christmas period and for the New Year.

May 2013 bring you what you wish for you and your family.

Good things come to those who wait

It was a spectacular turnround at Medinah when Europe won the Ryder Cup 2012. Many of us were awake till the early hours watching the celebrations after the unbelievable, but true, outcome. Yet another victory for the Europeans despite all looking like it was lost.

This is a lot like your job search. For hour upon hour, day after day, week after week, you scour the job vacancies and all seems lost or very difficult. But you have to take the spirit of Seve Ballesteros and be sure that it will come right in the end. Never give up. Keep trying and your reward is round the corner.

I've recently heard of several of my connections finding roles after considerable lengthy periods of not much success in their job hunt. And why did they get jobs? Because they never gave up. They believed in themselves, knowing that eventually somebody else would believe in their competences. The spirit of Seve was alive for them.

As for me, well I'm doing an interesting interim role within a public sector organisation which is facing unprecedented levels of change. Its a fascinating role at this time, trying to keep Business As Usual, while the challenges are constantly being posed. 

Of course, my aspiration remains for a full time permanent role and so I keep up my connections with recruiters and trust that one day my Ryder Cup moment will come.

As always here's a link to my profile, so if there's a role you want to discuss then please give me a call or drop me an email. And please feel free to circulate this blog. Thanks.

(C) Iain Williamson 2012

One delay after another - be patient

The start of the 2012 London Olympics is still a few days off but already the news is full of traffic delays and athletes complaining about how long it takes to get across London from Heathrow to their accommodation in  Stratford. They're the lucky ones - at least they'll be in vehicles that can use the Olympic Road Lanes without fear of fines.

Waiting to hear the outcome of an interview is a bit like that as well. It seems like an eternity before you find out whether you have the job or not - indeed sometimes you never find out at all and have to assume that you have been unsuccessful. Talk about customer focused!!!

And it's the same when you're job seeking as well. There are never enough opportunities around at the time you want them. And 2012 has been a bumper year for the normal excuses - Christmas and New Year fell at the wrong time this year, lots of people took an extended holiday around Bank Holidays and the Jubilee celebrations and now summer holidays are upon us so the slow down (did it ever get out of first gear?) will also be upon us.

Delays in recruitment processes are common place and as a job hunter you just have to face up to the fact that although it's a number one priority for you, for others it is less so - even if they say different.

And you must never get despondent about it all. There are roles around, it's just a matter of finding the right one at the right time. 

You might need to reconsider your strategies. My preference is for a permanent role, but until that happens I'll take on interim roles with the view that they add something to my CV. For others, there might not be the willingness to take on interim appointments but then you are restricting yourself and may wait even longer with no finances being added to your bank balance. Very much a balancing act and a personal decision on this one.

Constantly badger the recruiters, and constantly be checking the job boards and ALWAYS keep up your networking, either via LinkedIn or in person. 

As always, please circulate this blog widely and review my LinkedIn profile. All comments on this blog welcome.

Never a quiet moment in job seeking

Well that's the end of the European Championships and all we have to do now is wait for a few weeks and the new league season will be on us. It's the close season and things are supposed to be quiet, but daily there are reports of new potential signings and transfer rumour follows transfer rumour. So really never a quiet moment and never time to stop.

Job seeking is like that as well. You cannot turn off for one moment. Every day there are new opportunities arising and you need to set aside time on a daily basis to review all the new vacancies that have arisen. It becomes a bit of an art after a time but when you are looking for a role you need to find ways to quickly get to the roles you want to review. Missing a few days means you can fall well behind and miss the opportunity.

The job board review is important but don't forget that you also need to keep in touch with your connections. Obviously they're not expecting to hear from you every day, or maybe even every week, but you need to find a way to keep you on their radar.

I use my blog. I use my Linked In profile. I use phone calls. I use email. I use Twitter.

And also think out of the box. Are there other ways to earn a living other than what you have been doing? Obviously we would all prefer to stay in our profession, but sometimes there's an opportunity to cut the cake in a different way. Often, you hear of somebody who has completely changed direction and made a success of it. So constantly review your options and don't be obstinate to sit and wait for your perfect role to come rolling round the corner.

I'm currently doing a part time role which has evolved into more hours than I started with, but still part time and still on an interim basis. There are a few other things bubbling away and one is a little bit of a change of direction but seems like a good potential. Over the next few weeks, I need to speak further with the person who has raised it as an option for me. So watch this space.

As always, please share my blog as widely as possible. To jog your memory, my preferred option is a full time, permanent senior generalist HR role, although I will consider interim roles. I have no specific inkling for a particular business sector; indeed, my career has encompassed both the private and public sector environments. Please review my LinkedIn profile and see what I can bring to your business. Call me on 07722447847 or email me via this link for informal and no commitment discussions on how I can support you and your business. 

Unemployment, self esteem and positivity

It is little comfort to read the somewhat positive news that UK unemployment has fallen by 51000 when you are not in work, or your contract is about to run out, and the future looks bleak with nothing on the horizon.

This week I have been picking up quite a lot of the feeling from my connections in the recruitment world that the job market in my particular specialism is still very difficult and there's not a great future ahead. Indeed, some of them have even said this is the worst quarter for quite a while and although there had been an expectation of green shoots of recovery, nothing had happened.  Now that might seem like bad news but it is not!!!

For me, as a job seeker I fully understand that the market is slow but that is where I have to translate that to my benefit. I still believe that there is a role for me and that being busy with actions, such as the blog and maintaining and growing my connections, will bear fruit. Recruiters remember me when I call and more often than not, they return my calls - Thank you to those of you who do that - rather than the normal refrain I hear from other job seekers that they don't get calls back. Of course, it could all be down to the fact that people want to talk to such a likeable character as me anyway!!!

And I have also seen an increase in people contacting me with discussions about other options for me to consider. Its not protocol to discuss them here but I've got things to consider as alternative avenues.

On the other hand, I've had some disappointed job seekers getting more and more frustrated at how the market is at the moment. They find it difficult to see how things can get better and their self esteem is getting lower. Indeed, it feels like they might never work again despite a long and predominantly successful career to date.

I have a profound belief that my positivity in these difficult times is a bonus. A recruiter likes to hear and feel the infectious wish to work and the positive approach rubs off. I am sure that they can feel negativity and that doesn't help a job seeker. Getting down on yourself does you and your family and friends no good whatsoever.

I like to try to surround myself with good things and good positive people, even at these difficult times. My wife especially is always positive and supportive of me. I try to see the best out of others and what they do for me and others without me even asking. And you can use that spark as well.

One of my positive learning points has come from my contact with a great coach called Steve Nicholls. I'm not here to sell him but all my contacts with him have made me more positive about myself and my targets . You can use him as well. Contact him at http://www.stevenichollscareercoaching.co.uk/ There is free information on the website via the podcasts and blogs but you may wish to invest further. A free career assessment is available as well. 

The stuff I've used there has been really helpful for me and, even if it was reminding me of some things I already knew, it reassured me that I was and am on the right tracks for delivering my role for me.

I should add, and Steve won't mind me saying this, there are other career coaches around as well  so use the one with whom you can get the best rapport. 

From my other connections there have also been many messages of support and offers of help. Thanks.

In summary, its about being positive about your career and its current temporary holding position. It will sort itself out. Don't lose your self esteem. It is not your fault but you can do things about it. Don't wait for the job to come to you -  you need to go after it, but get help wherever you can. People will be only too glad to help.

As always, a reminder for you. My LinkedIn profile gives you details of my career. Please circulate my details as wide as possible. 

I'm a senior HR generalist professional with a demonstrated track record of achievement in operational and strategic roles in both the private and public sectors.  If you have a role, or know somebody who could use that background get in touch via Linked In or call me on my mobile. I'm happy to discuss any business opportunity as long as it is legal.

(c) Iain Williamson 2012

Job Hunting or watching sport?

For those of you who know me you'll know that I'd probably sit in front of the TV all day and night watching football, golf or darts or actually most sports till the cows come home (including snails competing for Olympic glory in their marathon!!!). But that doesnt help when you're job seeking.

I have reflected previously on how job seeking was pretty much a war - it has to be rigorously planned and timetable yourself into when you will search and when you will contact people and so on. When there are other distractions on such as sport or whatever you would prefer to be doing then there is a solution.

Just amend your timetable and do things differently. It might mean getting up in the morning half an hour earlier or doing something later in the evening or doing something at the weekend. Importantly you do need to do it. Then reward yourself with the time on the settee with a glass of wine or a beer and some crisps. You deserve the reward.

It goes without saying which team I do not want to win, so I won't say it!!! I don't want to upset anybody out there who might have a job, permanent or interim, for me so I will maintain my radio silence on that one and plead the Fifth.

Generally though the recruitment market is still quiet with few roles around and sector specific experience still being asked for by clients. A very frustrating element in the respect that for many years, if not always, we in HR roles prided ourself on being able to transfer from role to role and business to business. My recent marketing blitz seemed to reinforce that. Hey, onwards and upwards and something will come along.

It is really good to hear and see that my blogging is having such a positive impact. I'm constantly getting positive feedback from fellow job seekers but also recruiters who remember me and keep me on their radar. It convinces me that a far reaching job seeking strategy is now needed by somebody when looking for a role. No longer can you rely on one strand of a search. 

At the end of the day, it will come down to right place and right time. I am sure of that.

In the meantime, I'm working well at the current 3 day per week interim role and getting down now to the real nitty gritty elements of the change programme and people will start to see and feel the impact of the proposals. This is not the place to explain them, but for me it's good to be working.

Still though, I'm on the look out for a full time, permanent or interim, generalist Senior HR role. Please review my LinkedIn Profile and if you want to discuss opportunities then contact me via this Blog or via LinkedIN or call me on 07722447847. 

Where does the time go?

Its been three weeks since I started my interim part time role and I've been very remiss in not blogging and keeping myself in your mind. And more importantly, I've taken my eye off the ball in terms of job seeking.

Naughty, Naughty Iain!!!!

When job hunting it is such a relief to get back into the rigmarole of work and getting up in the morning and climbing into the car to go and earn some money. It's certainly a much better feeling than sitting at home, looking at a PC screen searching job boards and waiting for phone calls to be returned.

And yet I have slowed down my job search, and not kept in contact as much as I should with connections. But I know that my current role only has a certain shelf life and I'll be back to the market full time - quicker than you can drink your beer when the British weather is too hot.

So I have to get back to my regime of job seeking and work it around my current part time work commitments. The investment is in me and my family and I cannot not do anything and expect things to drop on to my plate. 

And I'll be more religious about doing as a minimum a twice weekly update for the Blog readers who are displaying withdrawal symptoms. I have had several people ask me when the next edition is coming - they need their fix!!!

Job searching is such a frustrating task so it is all the more rewarding to share experiences with others, both those in the same boat and those who just want to help. I have found LinkedIn to be very valuable. Indeed, my belief in the human spirit has been raised by the way that others have reacted to my predicament. 

Recently, I did a marketing blitz. It worked and revived my spirit and also reminded recruiters of me. A lot more contacts and connections were made and I remain convinced that the full time, permanent role that I want is out there just waiting for me. I know it is - another important thing in job hunting is to remain forever optimistic.

You may remember that my last full time interim role finished rather abruptly when the business went into administration. Its great to report that more and more of those folks are getting back in to work, but also depressing to see that there are still some of those folks struggling in the current job climate. I wish them well. If you have a role that you need filling then maybe they are in my list of connections. Check them out.

As always, I ask you to share this Blog with your connections, make comments and review my LinkedIn profile. And remember if you need a fantastically experienced senior HR professional just get in contact via LinkedIN or my mobile on 07722 447847. Look forward to speaking to you soon and blogging for you soon as well.

(C) Iain Williamson 2012