Diary of a Job Seeker

At the end of last year I resigned from my job; I’d been a recruitment agent for close to 10 years and I felt it was time and appropriate to try my hand on the other side of the fence.   I embarked on a social media campaign to make the transition into an in-house recruitment role.  Having been an active blogger for a few years and coupled with my inability to be self-effacing, I set out to let the world know about my job search by writing a diary of a job seeker.  I feel it is now pertinent to re-visit this diary and provide an update.

Day One

I have spent the last few days asking myself numerous questions to fully understand what I want to do next.  I looked at why I was not fulfilled in my last role; what I had hoped it would be; what I enjoyed about all of my roles to date and many other questions. 

I realised I don’t want to go back into agency recruitment.  I enjoyed my time being a self-employed agency recruiter, however, one of the reasons I chose to move on in the first place is that I am a firm believer there is a smarter way of recruiting.  It is this way of recruiting I want to explore with a move into in-house recruitment.

So my job search starts here;  I started writing, re-writing and re-writing once again my CV.  I feel my experience would be very relevant to an in-house function, the key for me is to be able to highlight this in my CV.  I have also updated my LinkedIn profile to ensure there is a uniformed approach to clearly show what I am looking for.  The key is to load your CV and profile with key words so that when someone is searching your profile is far more likely to be higher up in the search results.

I do not intend to go out to thousands of agents to find me a role, as quite frankly as an experienced agent I feel I can do a better job of it myself!  I am in a fortunate position whereby my network is mainly within the sector that would employ me, namely HR.  So my next step is to go to this network and ask for help, referrals and opportunities.

Day Two

My job hunting continues, but it is certainly gathering real pace.  The support from my network has been overwhelming; I have been given numerous details of opportunities and phone numbers for hiring managers.   Of course I am in the fortunate position as an ex-HR recruiter that I have a number of people to call upon.  However, for all you know your best friend’s sister may be recruiting for a role of interest to you, so make sure you go out and ask.  I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the response.

The key I feel in these situations is to not just ask for whether they are recruiting for roles, but actively seek their advice.  The more 3rd party opinions you can get on your job hunt the better.  It will give you a far clearer idea of what you want and will help highlight how your experience can be viewed by different people.  I had a really good conversation with a very experienced recruiter this week, which really helped focus my CV to highlight the key points. 

The final point is that job hunting is truly a full time occupation (this was part of the reason I resigned prior to finding a role)!  Of course many of you will not be able to be in such a position, so it is vital you allow time to reach out to people.  The harsh reality is that this may have to be a weekend day, or take a day’s leave.  If you are only job seeking at the end of each working day, the chances are you will be far too tired to do this properly or for long enough.

Day Three

I am delighted to say I have 2 interviews organised and I am rather hopeful of a few more to come.

Before I received these interview requests I did receive my first decline.  I have to give full credit to the organisation that did so – despite the fact they have made a dreadful error of judgement! – as not only did I receive an email to notify me how long it would take to receive feedback, but I then actually did receive feedback! 

I received this rejection email minutes after saying to someone that I was really quite confident about my search.  Needless to say this was a bit of a kick in the teeth.  In hindsight I knew that if I were recruiting for the role I would find it difficult to put me through due to a lack of experience in the field, so in some way this was no great surprise.  The key for me here was to compose myself and not take the decision personally.  I would sincerely doubt (and hope) that the decision wasn’t made after the hiring manager looked at my application and said “that Ed Scrivener is a right pain in the wotzits, I’m not taking him forward.”  Far more likely they will have looked at my CV and application answers and seen that I did not match all the criteria.  Whilst my initial reaction to the rejection was disappointment, I very much heeded my own words and didn’t take the decision personally.  Within a short period of time I was back in a confident mood and looking forward to my search. 

Despite all this, I have 2 interviews to look forward to…

Day Four

I have always been an advocate that it is better to regret something you have done rather than something you haven’t, but I am definitely not regretting resigning.  I am pleased to say I have secured more interviews and presently have 5 to attend with more on the way.  All of these have come via my own networking and this truly goes to show the power of your own network.

I have had a number of conversations with companies recently which are looking to release roles at some point in the future.  They may come to nothing, but it’s the old adage you have to be in it to win it!

This week has seen the start of the aforementioned interviews and I was determined to ensure I practiced what I preach when it comes to preparing to interview.  I have done all the hard work of getting in front of the hiring manager and I don’t want to blow it by not preparing!

Day Five                                             

I am interviewing with 8 companies over the next few weeks and so I am very confident that I will find an interesting role in the near future.  I’ve had a number of people comment about the timing of my search, as they felt I couldn’t have chosen a worse time.  The job market in December is never buoyant, however, one fact that is often overlooked is that organisations ramp up recruitment in the first two quarters of the year; many organisations look to appoint to their resourcing teams in December/January in order to be organised in time for the surge in activity.  Whilst my number of interviews is extremely encouraging, it is also a trend of the market and not just a reflection on how great I am!

Day Six

So this likely to be my penultimate entry; the reason being is that I have accepted and start a new role tomorrow!  I shall be working as a Resourcing Project Manager and I am delighted by the mix of transactional recruitment and project work.

The role is initially a short term contract and I see a number of benefits to accepting the role.  The contract will allow me to build experience within an in-house function and importantly it will allow me to continue to look at longer term opportunities.  This is a perfect solution for me as it doesn’t impact upon the roles I am already looking at, but provides me with additional security.

Translating this to broader job seekers it is important not to overlook short term opportunities (clearly if you’re in a permanent position it is unlikely you will consider one) as there can be a number of benefits.  As in my case it provides experience within a new sector, which will reflect well on your CV.  It may lead to other opportunities within the organisation once you’ve shown your ability.

Day Seven

My short term contract proved to be an excellent experience and was longer than expected as I received a significant contract extension.  The role gave me wonderful exposure to leading an in-house function within a competitive market.  I thoroughly enjoyed the role, but I am pleased to say I have now secured a long term contract as the Recruitment Manager for a well-known law firm and I am hugely excited by the remit as it plays to my strengths, but will also help me develop a number of new skills. 

Once again my network came up trumps with this role to make me aware of the opportunity.  However, I do need to eat some humble pie as I secured the role via an agency, so it does go to show you need a balanced approach to job hunting.  I also spent hours preparing for the interviews.  I was very interested prior to the 1^st interview and I knew I really wanted the role come the 2^ndand I wanted to make sure I did everything I could to get the job.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me through my search, you’ve helped me reach a very fruitful conclusion.  Good luck to any of you that are embarking on a search of your own, I do hope this will have been of help to you.

Tips for a job seeker:

• Question yourself, write down your thoughts, and ask friends/colleagues about your strengths and what you enjoy to ensure you are targeting the right role.
• Get your CV in order.  A CV is simply a sales tool to get you an interview.  Make sure the content is relevant to the job in question and preferably submit a bespoke CV for every application.
• If you haven’t already got a LinkedIn profile then get one as it is vital to helping find employment.
• Fill your CV and social media profiles with key words to ensure you can be found by recruiters conducting searches.
• Carefully decide which recruitment agencies you want to use.  If you’re not sure ask for recommendations.
• Ask your network for help.  My experience has been people are always keen to help.
• Be happy to help your network too!
• Give yourself time to reach out to people.
• Whether you’re searching for roles whilst employed or unemployed try and time your search with a busy period in the job market.  You may be up against more competition, but there will be more roles to choose from.
• Ask advice from experts within your field as to when the busy periods are; it may not be that obvious; if you plan to look in these busy periods it is likely you will be better prepared than your competition!
• Unless you are very lucky you will definitely receive a rejection at some point, so be prepared for it, the decision to reject you was not a personal decision.  Review the job description/advert again, were you truly a good fit for the role?
• Be positive! Onwards and upwards is the way to be and those interviews could be round the corner too!
• Don’t forget to prepare for interview! You only get one chance, so don’t intentionally jeopardise your chances!
• Read your CV and the job description; read them again; and again; and again...
• Research the company.  Look at the news section to gauge performance; read the careers page for any insight into the culture; review the company page on LinkedIn to find if you know anyone that works there and ask them questions to help you prepare.
• Research the interviewer to see if you have anything in common; a decision to hire you is more likely to be made on a gut instinct, so building rapport is essential.
• Prepare questions ahead of the interview; don’t be afraid to write these down and bring them to the interview.
• If you prepare properly you are far less likely to be nervous; the old adage fail to prepare, prepare to fail is very true!
• In the words of the late, great Clive Dunn... “Don’t panic!”
• Consider all roles on an individual basis, there may be unique benefits with some roles.
• Don’t rule out short term contracts if you’re immediately available. You may want more security and not want to go through another job search in a few months, but it could yield hidden dividends.

Ed Scrivener

Has this inspired you to discuss HR?  Leave your comments here.

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A statistic, a reminder

Welcome to Discuss HR, the HR blog written by Human Resources UK. 

The final Discuss HR of the week is by my fellow Gloucestershire resident and experienced HR Consultant John Hepworth, who has written some of our most read posts ever!  I think this one could be up there with them... (Ed Scrivener)

A statistic, a reminder

Recent media reports have highlighted that unemployment amongst ‘young people’ in Spain now stands at 55%. I assume that the demographic relates to those just leaving education or higher education. This means, then, that a larger proportion of 18-24 year olds will have their first taste of the so-called ‘adult world’ as a statistic – no job, no prospects.

Back to the U.K. The latest unemployment figures showed a decline: welcomed and also cynically challenged by a few [“Look at the number of people who want to work more hours, but cannot – that has increased!”]. Yet, here again, there has been a slight increase in youth unemployment – the wonderful acronym NEATs [that is, I think this is correct – I am away from Internet access currently so cannot check. The leads to another blog at some stage, featuring a recent ‘South Park’ storyline, but more of that at a later date...].

Look back to the 1980s. Thatcher’s Britain and UB40 – both in terms of the unemployment form and the reggae-influenced band singing about being “A one in 10...a number on a list...as though I don’t exist”. Is it any wonder that the band UB40 named their first album ‘Signing off’, as their musical success had allowed them to stop claiming ‘the dole’?

And finally, returning to the news reports, the last known miner from the ‘Jarrow Crusade’ has passed away. Part of the Great Depression of the 1930s in the U.K. the Crusade was a visible demonstration of how poverty, lack of work prospects and yet, a dogged determination to succeed and prosper without ‘handouts’, could shape and influence policy and Government attitudes. And above all, the visible demonstration – literally and descriptively – showed the World that there were people at all levels of society ready to say ‘no’ to poverty and take action to change the script.

I am acutely aware that business in the U.K. is tough for most at the moment. Cost of living is relatively static and the key reason that employment has fallen is that pay has been stagnant: people are cheaper to employ, yet that in turn means less money being spent to encourage buying of goods and services for example. We all know the script here. Surely, though, our society has allowed itself to make the same mistakes as the past, especially when it comes to youth unemployment?

Consider this. In the 1980s, it was common for generations of families to be unemployed. This led to a lifestyle that was benefit-dependent, compounded by the complete failure of Government to provide alternative work, or more to the point perhaps, the means to acquire alternative work. Think of Norman Tebbitt and his ‘on yer bike’ quote to get work? I personally agree with the sentiment, but how exactly did Norman or successive Government improve our transport infra-structure in order to help people – optimised by the Jarrow marchers perhaps – get to the work they desired? Remember as well the simply pathetic efforts of Government since the mid-1980s to provide employers and employees / potential employees with access to understandable, focused and competently delivered training and funding. Which new initiative is it this week?!

Time to change the script. To start, private sector employers need to think about investment and training in their society as well as in their profits. As HR practioners, let’s help the CEOs provide 3-6 month paid internments that provide skills, so that recipients can at least point to some ‘relevant experience’ on their CVs. Second – let’s help line managers by recruiting for attitude as much as skills and ensure that we keep our short-listing criteria up-beat and positive, and not lazy by pointing to qualifications and experience as a guillotine. Thirdly, connect with education and ensure that if Twitter is the lifeblood of a certain age group, we encourage our companies to use it and benefit from it. Get savvy with the IT and trash the Social Media Policy and Procedure! Next, value customer service above all else – and recognise that this includes ensuring that bar work and cafe work is probably far more useful than nothing at all. We all remember the last bad meal out we had – and that was usually down to the service – so celebrate good service as consumers at the time that you see it.

And finally, remember that research shows definitively that unemployment in early adulthood significantly alters how those affected relate to society in later life – and it is in the negative. So, the next time you hear someone say of a young graduate or GCSE student that they are ‘over-qualified’ or ‘lack experience’, remember the Spanish youth of today. And do your bit to change the script.

Read about John and our other authors here

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Discuss HR is the HR blog written by members of Human Resources UK, the 10,000 member strong LinkedIn group dedicated to the HR professionals in the UK.  Discuss HR is published twice weekly and looks to take an insightful, informative and sometimes irreverent view on the world of HR – all with the purpose of generating a discussion.

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If you would like to be a guest writer for Discuss HR, you can find more information here.  Our next guest writer week is the week commencing 29^th April.

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Networking & Schmoozing

Welcome to Discuss HR, the HR blog written by Human Resources UK. 

Today’s edition of Discuss HR is by none other than myself, so I’ll get straight to the point! (Ed Scrivener)

Networking & Schmoozing

If you’ve been reading Discuss HR since we started 3 years ago you will know I have written a number of posts relating to networking.  I have commented about how I felt HR could and should do more; I have arranged numerous HR networking events; and I have written how those entering into the world of independent HR consultancy need to appreciate that good sales isn’t phone bashing, but relationship building.  My twitter profile refers to me as a “networker and schmoozer”, the sentiment is sincere albeit expressed in a rather tongue in cheek manner.  In short, or at least short for me, I like networking!

I have spent the bulk of my career as a service provider, so it is easy to suggest my networking was sales focused.  I freely admit that there certainly was an element to that.  I have always believed you need to enter into a networking relationship with the belief that you are looking to help the other person, not just seek their help.  There are so many benefits to good networking; you can learn from your peers; you can find opportunities of all sorts; or you can just make good friends!

I recently benefited from my years of networking.  Late last year I decided it was time for me to make a career change and move away from being a 3^rdparty provider to become an in-house recruiter.  I looked at how I could achieve this move and decided to make a two pronged attack, firstly via social media and secondly via my network.  I reached out to everyone I knew professionally to seek their help and advice about my move and hopefully to hear about suitable opportunities.  To say I was overwhelmed by the response is a huge understatement!  I had numerous conversations with experienced people in the field that were able to advise me as to what information I needed to include in my CV and what approach I needed to take.  I had several referrals from people who flagged roles they had seen advertised.  Probably most valuable of all, I heard about opportunities with organisations where the role has not gone to market yet.  Therefore I wasn’t up against countless other applicants.  I had managed to catch a number of people who were in the process of reviewing their resourcing strategy and so my approach ended up being incredibly timely.  Not every approach resulted in a formal interview, but it would be naive to think it would.  Instead and importantly I become a known quantity within the field for the organisation which should hold me in good stead for the future.  But most importantly of all, these approaches did result in formal interviews (8 in total via networking) and crucially I secured exactly the type of role I wanted.  To further add to the proof that this is the best way to secure a role, I applied for 2 roles via traditional job boards; I wasn’t interviewed for either!

I firmly believe that following my years of taking the effort to go out and meet people both virtually and in real life, coupled with my desire to help them when they needed it resulted in this very positive resolution to my job hunt.  So my advice to anyone, whether you’re looking for work or not, a business owner or employee is to get out and do that networking and schmoozing!

Read about Ed and our other authors here

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Discuss HR is the HR blog written by members of Human Resources UK, the 10,000 member strong LinkedIn group dedicated to the HR professionals in the UK.  Discuss HR is published twice weekly and looks to take an insightful, informative and sometimes irreverent view on the world of HR – all with the purpose of generating a discussion.

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If you would like to be a guest writer for Discuss HR, you can find more information here.  Our next guest writer week is the week commencing 29^th April.

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Beware of Big Brother

Welcome to this week’s Discuss HR, the HR blog written for and by members of Human Resources UK.

This week there is good news and bad news.  The good news is that there is no long winded introduction; the bad news is that it is my turn to write the blog post!  Today I have written about how job seekers really need to be aware how they use social media as they could be harming their chances of securing work. (Ed Scrivener)

Beware of Big Brother

I suppose the title should read “Beware the Big Brothers” as I do feel any sane person should run from the recurring reality show, never mind the haunting original Orwellian Big Brother!  But in this instance this Big Brother is the spying eye of your future employer.

I am sure you are all aware of numerous cases of people not being hired, or even fired, due to the content of their Facebook account.  Scantily clad photos or referring to your current boss in unflattering terms is often the sure fire way of not being offered the new job.  Quite frankly though, I am sure 99% of you reading this are fully aware that you shouldn’t undertake such practices so I am not going to preach to the converted, instead my focus is on a more subtle area.

You will be reading this either via LinkedIn, Twitter or directly via the blog site.  In which case, you will have a certain level of understanding about the world of social media.  One of the key aspects about social media, in whatever guise you look at it, is that what you post is there for the world to see and invariably will be there to see forever.  It is with this in mind that I ask you to think about how you use social media and to be aware of the long term repercussions.

In recent months I have become increasingly shocked by the content added by job seekers to various social media mediums.  They haven’t been posting scantily clad photos (although some people’s LinkedIn profile photos are wholly inappropriate!), likewise, they haven’t been tweeting about how they hate HR whilst looking for an HR Manager role (although again you’d be surprised!).  These job seekers have been involved in posting what appears to be professional content, be it via URLs or simply partaking in a forum discussion.  However, when you scratch beneath the surface the content they are using does not paint them in a positive light.  Essentially what they are doing is complaining about certain professional related facets, for example tweeting they just had an interview with someone “rather boring”!  As it has been stated that over 80% of potential employers will do a search on applicants social media presence this kind of tweet is not going to be received well (especially if you are the boring person reading it!).

Don't get caught whinging!

The example I have cited is a more extreme case which again I feel most of you would know not to do.  However, there are further examples where job seekers may not understand the negative impact their content may have.  Searching for work can be an extremely frustrating process, we all know recruiters and companies alike can have rather dubious recruitment processes that leave us angry.  I believe it is good for the soul to air your frustrations as it puts them behind you.  But it is important these frustrations are aired in private with your closet friends and not in a public arena where anyone, especially the hiring manager reviewing your CV can read them.  A few months ago, a rather honest contact of mine explained to me that he had Googled a person he was due to interview and found numerous comments by that person on a variety of sites and he stated that she just came across as whining, something he really didn’t want in his team.  Whilst he didn’t say as much, I am sure he would have gone into the interview with that preconception the person was a whiner, regardless of whether that was the truth.  Again this is probably an extreme example, but it does go to show how content can have a negative impact.

It is also very important that your content matches up to what you actually feel or verbally state.  I interviewed someone recently whose comments to me verbally where at complete opposites to their social media content.  This left me rather confused as to what I should believe and what the person’s genuine thoughts were and as such it was only natural that I then cast doubts on the credibility of other statements they made.

If you are not sure of the level of impact this can have why don’t you try Googling yourself or a colleague.  You will be amazed about how much you can find and how easy it is to do.  This is what 80% of hiring managers do...

A casual look at my LinkedIn profile or for those that know me, will know I am a HUGE fan of social media.  It is has now been adopted as the central theme to how I work, simply put, I think it’s fantastic!  So this is not an attempt by me to put you off the medium, as I firmly believe you will gain far more than you will lose by using social media.  Instead, it is just to err caution when you are posting to think how that comment could be received.  Written communication is renowned for being misunderstood, so try to understand the different ways your comments can be read before you vent your spleen!

About the author

Ed is an HR recruitment specialist and social media trainer.  He holds over 8 years industry specific experience recruiting mainly for middle and senior HR management positions. He stumbled upon social media a few years ago and has since become passionate about the subject.  He now trains companies and individuals alike in social media techniques. He is the Group Manager of Human Resources UK and Editor of Discuss HR and occasionally his humour will creep into articles!

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Discuss HR is the blog for Human Resources UK, the leading LinkedIn group for those involved with HR in the UK.  Next week’s Discuss HR will be published on Thursday 26^th January when we will welcome back guest writer and employer and personal brand specialist Paul Goring.

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Make the candidate pay!

2 Discuss HRs in 1 week!  Technical problems have been fixed and we’re back to our usual Thursday slot.  The joy of having 2 articles may soon be diminished when you learn it is my turn this week! This week I look at 2 contentious ideas about improving the recruitment process. (Ed Scrivener)

Make the candidate pay!

Pay Up!

In recent weeks I have read a number of theories about how the recruitment industry can and should be improved.  I think it is safe to say that as an industry, recruitment has come in for its fair share of criticism, which by in large is well deserved.  I am using the term “recruitment” to incorporate all parties involved in recruiting and not just those devils, the recruitment agents! We agents do receive the most criticism, again rightly so, but as I have been detailing in my previous Discuss HR articles, it is not just the agent at fault.

As a result of this criticism, as an industry we are constantly looking to improve the experience for all concerned.  There is a trend developing whereby recruitment agents are not paid commission as they are targeted on their customer service skills and not sales.  Equally, we are seeing more flat fee and vacancy clearing organisations cropping up offering different solutions.  Finally, most in-house teams are starting to engage more with external talent via social media.  However, it has been two suggested ideas about improving the whole experience that has really stood out for me, essentially the premise with both is passing the financial cost of recruitment on to the candidate.

There is an excellent recruitment community site called UK Recruiter.  This site has a forum page and a few weeks ago a recruitment consultant explained that a client had implemented the following practice when utilising recruitment agents:

·         The cost of the recruitment fee will be recouped from the employee’s salary within year 1.

·         A full rebate will be claimed from both the employee and agency should the employee leave.

Apparently, the organisation which implemented this have successfully challenged this in court against an ex-employee.

At this point I shall allow you to take a deep breath to comprehend this!

The company in question is penalising the candidate for using a recruitment agent.  Yet it was the company who commissioned the agency to recruit for the role.  The average recruitment fee charged by an agent will be 15-20% of the employee’s annual salary.  Therefore, the employee will lose 15-20% of their salary compared to their colleagues because they used an agency commissioned by their employer!  Further to this, should the employee leave the business, for any reason, the company will recoup the cost of the recruitment from the employee, but also then require a full rebate from the agency.  So the organisation not only covers their costs, they are actually gaining revenue!

I am extremely confident this organisation will soon see the error of their ways.  As even in a poor jobs market a person is highly unlikely to want to sacrifice 15-20% of their salary, or work under such financial restraints.  Equally, any sane recruitment agency will run a mile from such practices.  This is sending out an extremely poor impression of the business by operating such penalty policies, but also illustrating a very unclear recruitment process.  If the company does not want to use agencies simply don’t commission them.  However, don’t utilise their service and then penalise the candidates for coming via that route.

The Consultant seemed very nice...

The second suggestion I have read recently is that candidates should pay to register with agents rather than the agent invoicing the company.  This suggestion seems a little less contentious at face value, as it is a simple reversal to the current standard practice.  However, I am even more concerned by this suggestion.  Under the current system, an organisation will pay an agency if they hire someone.  Regardless of the service from the agency, the organisation will be hiring an asset.  Essentially all parties gain: the employer, the employee and the agency.  Asking the candidates to pay moves this completely out of kilter and allows unscrupulous people to take advantage of job seekers in these especially trying times.  There would be no risk to the employer using this method and the agency benefits too.  However, it is the candidate who suffers greatly.  They would be paying for a service with no guarantee of success.  Their options would be limited to the companies the agency recruits for.  More importantly, if the candidate is in desperate need for a new job it could be very easy for them to be taken advantage of by encouraging them to register and pay with a whole range of agencies.  Of course rebate systems could also be put into place that way allowing the candidate to recoup a fee from an agent if they didn’t help them, however, it would still require the job seeker to make a financial input initially, which many cannot afford.

I am always particularly incensed when I read about people who have paid hundreds of pounds to have a professional CV put together, which is nothing more than cut and paste effort.  Alternatively when job seekers have paid thousands of pounds to register with job coaches who help them break into the “hidden” jobs market and simply mass mail their CV to organisations.  These practices are simply taking advantage of people in desperate situations and I feel asking candidates to pay to register is no different.

I can see a certain advantage of asking candidates to take some responsibility in the process.  I have known people accept roles purely for necessity sake with the full intention of leaving at the earliest opportunity.  Ultimately meaning the company and the agent suffer, but neither of the above two suggestions are workable solutions to this problem. 

I am confident that the all three parties will see sense and never implement either practice beyond its current level, however,  I can safely say I would be making a very swift exit from my vocation should either of these become the norm!

About the author

Ed is an HR recruitment specialist with a passion for social media.  He holds over 8 years industry specific experience and specialises in recruiting for middle to senior management HR positions.  He is also the Group Manager of Human Resources UK.

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Discuss HR is the blog for Human Resources UK, the leading LinkedIn group for those involved with HR in the UK.  Next week’s Discuss HR will be published on Thursday 9^th June and will be written by experienced HR professional Dawn Clarke.

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Help! I'm leaving the Public Sector!

Good morning and welcome to this week’s Discuss HR.

After a number of years absence BBCs The Apprentice has an HR professional amongst its contestants.  Whether she will be successful remains to be seen.  What is interesting is that once again we have no professionals from the Public Sector.  Last year’s show included a number of unemployed people to reflect the state of the economy, yet this year Public Sector employees have been overlooked.  Could this be to a perceived idea that they lack commercial understanding of the private sector?

It is on that note I am delighted to welcome our next guest writer. Wendy Mason is a performance and change specialist who has been doing sterling work helping Public Sector employees break into the private sector. (Ed Scrivener)

Help! I’m leaving the Public Sector!

Outplacement support has changed

I’ve been blogging for a few years now mainly on leadership and change. But recently I’ve established a new blog especially for people leaving the UK public service under the latest round of government “cuts”. 

As often happens, one key event triggered me to take action. 

I was at an event in one of the central government departments when I came across an old colleague; someone I liked and respected very much. Let us call him John.  John joined the Civil Service straight from university.  He is both middle aged (50) and middle class and he wouldn’t mind me using those terms.  For me, he represents much that is good about public servants!  He is hard working and committed to delivering his best; he is kind and has an unshakeable sense of fairness. 

Having survived several earlier rounds of cuts, he has chosen to put hard work, energy and emotion into staying in the Civil Service until the age of sixty.  Among other things he has a young child from a late second marriage who will need to be supported for at least the next ten years and possibly longer!  So above all John craves security!

He has managed to survive efficiency drives and re-organizations, sometimes by the skin of his teeth. But he has managed it.  This time he knows there is something different and he will have to go!

Having spent the last thirty years around the Whitehall village, the prospect of life outside is daunting and he is very nervous! 

We chatted and I gave him my card, offering to share my own experience of going.  We arranged to have coffee.

When I got home, I started to think about John and all the others like him there in Whitehall, plus those out in local offices.  It has been estimated that at least 100,000 Civil Service posts will disappear.  In addition there those in the wider public sector - local authorities and the NHS!   

I wondered how I could help the many who have stayed put, not out of lethargy in the past, but from an active choice. I have coached a number of such individuals making the transition but I wanted to reach a wider audience.  So I decided to start the new blog to share my experience and that of others in moving out of the public sector and into something else, whatever that may be.

When I left the Civil Service four years ago there was a completely different economic climate with a reasonably healthy job market.

I had been part of a group of directly employed management consultants charged out to other government departments by the Office of Government Commerce.  When the government changed its mind about employing us, my whole group faced moving from their chosen work or leaving the Civil Service.  Several of us were reasonably content to try our luck in the private sector. 

Some found employment almost immediately on the same or better terms.  Those of us who decided to take our chance as free lancers generally found a market for our services.

But we had advantages as experienced management consultants over the “average” Whitehall Civil Servant. 

• Within the bounds of confidentiality it was relatively easy for the private sector to understand what we had been doing. 
• We had skills the private market could recognise. 
• We were used to producing and tailoring CVs
• We had stood on our feet and told our Civil Service clients what we could deliver for them.
• We were also used to dealing with rejection when a particular department made up its mind to use private sector consultancy rather than the services we offered. 
• We were used to working with people from the private sector a daily basis and we had had an opportunity to learn about their values.
• We were expected to network to find opportunities for us to make our mark.
• Some of us had had portfolio careers and understood the job market

Most people leaving the public sector will not be able to put a tick against all 1 to 8 above.  A good number may be able to tick only a few.   Sadly, a number will not be able to tick any boxes at all. 

That is the reality and in these economic conditions and this job market that is disastrous.

Yes, some government departments will spend money on out placement services and the good ones will fund coaching support for a period.  They have done that in the past but this time I believe the money is very short and need is very great.  Plus the support often ends just at the point when you need it most. 

Where do I start?

Three months after you have gone, there is unlikely to be any continuing support from your ex-employer.  But at three months you probably need it most.  You need encouragement when you are becoming truly despondent about your lack of success.  You need guidance in finding the widest possible job market. 

If you ever imagined private sector employers were going to welcome you, at the three month point you know much better!

Let me share with you some of the comments I’ve had since I started the blog. When you have read them I think you will understand why I’m now on a mission.

“I done lots of different jobs since I’ve been in the Civil Service from Personnel to Finance and but I’ve never produced a CV for myself in my life.  How do I start?”  (I’ve promised guidance and a template)

“I didn’t know the private sector doesn’t have to advertise all its jobs – that isn’t fair - what about equal opportunities?” (What indeed, but this shows how the walls of the Ivory Tower can fall down and bury you.)

“I don’t think networking is for me, I only know other Civil Servants and I wouldn’t want to embarrass them” (Accompanied by real anxiety and a sense of humiliation – how can this proud man beg?)

“I know there are people who do what I do in the private sector but I wouldn’t know how to describe it so they would understand” (It takes quite a lot of work to get them to put down on paper just what they have been doing in simple words that others can understand )

“But I’m a graduate; you don’t find jobs for graduates by networking locally or looking in the local paper.” (This is when young graduates are working locally in MacDonald’s)

“Why would the private sector want us, when the government keep telling them what a load of rubbish we are” (Realistic because we all know recruitment agencies that are facing requests not to send public sector client along for interview)

So now I’m a woman on a mission. 

I know from my own experience that a number leaving have the delivery skills the private sector and the third sector looks for!   Some of them have delivered large and complex programmes. Many of them will have managed direct delivery of services to customers.  

But they do come from a different culture and sometimes speak a different language. They have some learning to do! 

Even those who will not find paid work again need to be supported into re-establishing a fulfilling life. 

My new blog is one way of helping.  Perhaps you can think of others and your ideas and suggestions will be very much welcomed.  Are you encountering ex-public sector workers in your own work? It would be really good to hear something of their stories both positive and negative.  And if you would like contribute a piece for Leaving the Public Sector that would be very welcome.

About the author

Wendy Mason is a performance, programme, and contract management and change specialist. She works as a consultant, business coach and blogger.  You can find her business blog on leadership, management and change at www.wisewolftalking.com and her blog those leaving the public sector at www.leavingthepublicsector.net.  You can follow her on Twitter as @WWisewolf 

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Discuss HR is the blog for Human Resources UK, the leading LinkedIn group for those involved with HR in the UK.  Next week’s Discuss HR will be published on Thursday 26^th May and will be written by Jill Hart-Sanderson. 

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