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Do you think your job search will be easier now that you’re a manager? As a more senior level job seeker, you’ve gained some fantastic experience over the years and refined your skills – you are an expert in what you do – so why wouldn’t you breeze straight into your next job?

Yes, you are highly skilled, and you have a wealth of experience that would benefit a number of organisations. However, whilst you may be just as talented as the competition, you could be making mistakes whilst job searching that are hindering your chances.

These mistakes could boil down to complacency, or simply being a little rusty in your job searching techniques. In this blog, I discuss the common mistakes that you might be making as a management level jobseeker and how you can learn from them.

1. Your CV is missing key information

If you are at management level within your current organisation, chances are, you will have been in that role, as well as the company, for a relatively long time. Your current role will be prominent on your CV, and rightly so- this is one of the first things to recruiter looks at.  Despite this, many job seekers will regurgitate the initial job specification, without adding any information about the impact they have made at the company.

As a manager, you will have likely made changes and improvements to the business, so be sure to detail what you have brought to the role and the company as a whole. It’s not simply a case of saying you have made certain achievements either – you need to include quantitative information that backs this up. For example instead of saying “I increased profits in our overseas market”, try rephrasing  to “I increased revenue by X per cent in the company’s X region by developing such and such strategy.”

Give your CV a competitive edge by providing detailed, substantiated examples of what you have brought to your current company during your time there.

2. You have overlooked your recruitment consultant

Your recruitment consultant is your most powerful ally, so developing a good relationship with them is essential. They are valuable stakeholders, who can connect you to a number of desirable roles whilst providing you with valuable inside knowledge. Remember- at this level, some companies are not widely advertising more senior positions; therefore a recruitment consultant could be your only route of access. If you don’t feel comfortable going into a recruitment office, consider meeting somewhere such as a coffee shop where you can talk candidly.

Make time for the recruiter, go for a meeting with them and provide this consultant with more information about what you’re looking for in your next move. Having an open, strong rapport will not only help you to decide on the suitability of a role, it will also set you apart from the competition that don’t have as good a relationship with their recruiter.

3. You’re not working your network

Networking is completely different ball game when you’re further along in your career. Management level jobseekers are able to gain much from more networking than junior ones. You will have made a lot more useful connections during your career so far, you have more control over your diary, and are able to leverage more online opportunities. Ask yourself – are you networking to your full advantage?

Think about who you have met during your career – what are they doing now and how could they help you? Be tactical in your approach, don’t ambush them, and remember to keep the conversation two-way, mentioning what you can do for this person and their business. Go to relevant events, and look at the attendee list beforehand. There are some that will solely consist of senior decision makers. Again, remember networking is reciprocal, and you need to be interested and willing to help whoever you meet.

What about your online presence? Your expertise and input could be valued and in demand – are there any industry publications you could do a Q&A with or contribute some editorial to? Have you thought about starting a blog or doing a podcast? LinkedIn Publisher is great way to get your expert views across to a professional audience. Forums and groups are another route to showing your knowledge and getting involved in a wider conversation with potential stakeholders.

By networking strategically both online and offline, you are promoting yourself to the right people as knowledgeable, passionate and pro-active.

4. You are out of practice

You’ve done a lot of interviews, but how long has it been since you sat on the other side of the table? Refresh your memory of interview best practices, including researching the potential employer. If necessary, refresh your memory and brush up on the latest techniques here.

You should also keep in mind that an interview is a two-way street. Too often job seekers see the interview process as a competition for them to win. Instead, see it as a first date – you want to find out if you are compatible with them, and vice versa. Ask the right questions, and know what work environment and opportunity will make you happiest and most successful. In this case “winning” is finding a long-term commitment that is a good fit for you and the employer.

5. You are getting impatient

Recruiting a management level employee is never a decision to be taken lightly and the hiring manager will be even more determined to get this right than when they hire someone more junior. A management level recruit will typically be attracting higher salary, responsible for more than one person, and making a bigger impact on the company. Taking this into consideration, it’s not surprising that finding a new role isn’t as quick and easy as you initially thought. This can be quite dejecting, and may negatively impact your job search.

Stay positive and motivated, yet realistic. Brace yourself for long and tricky search, safe with the knowledge that these decisions are not made on a whim, so when you do get hired, it is because the company are sure you are right for them.

In sum, the most common job search mistakes that senior level job seekers make are caused by either being out of touch with the job search process and its best practices, or being complacent and assuming your senior position will propel you into position faster than it would a junior job seeker.

To avoid or rectify these mistakes, stay grounded and be willing to improve your CV, relationship with your recruiter, networking strategy, interview approach, and your patience during your job search. In doing this, your chances of securing your next senior position in the near future are greatly increased.

About to start your job search? Reading our job searching tips will help ensure it’s a success

 

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The concept of virtual or remote teams is not a new phenomenon. However, advances in technology, globalisation, organisational structures and ways of working have meant that this approach has grown significantly over the last few years.

Working within virtual teams and managing from afar requires a different approach to managing people who are in the same room as you.

It means new communication methodologies and techniques to get the best out of each other, whilst improving organisational and personal performance.

Not having employees working in front of you can at times create obstacles to communication, collaboration, relationship building and knowledge sharing within your team. Therefore the idea of having both a unified and remote workforce can seem contradictory. However I believe that having a team of employees that are both remote and joined up can be possible, you simply need to make sure you are following the below steps. Continue reading Is it possible to unite a remote workforce? →

Are you thinking about leaving your permanent role and starting a career in IT contracting? If so, this can be an incredibly exciting prospect, which will no doubt benefit your long-term career. You won’t be stuck doing the same thing day in, day out, and you’ll have variety in your job roles, where you work and the people you meet.

But, how do you know if you’ve really got what it takes to forge a successful career in IT contracting? Will you be able to cope with the uncertainty, take on the challenge and thrive in this new career path? Asking yourself the below six questions will help you decide whether life as an IT contractor is for you.

1. Am I good at being my own boss?

Being your own boss sounds great, doesn’t it? Especially if you’re currently in a job you don’t like or you’re working for someone who is a poor manager. It’s easy to get lost in fantasising about being able to take days off whenever you like and do what you want, when you want, while money auto-magically pops into your bank account.

But when you actually take the plunge and reality sets in, you’ll find that there’s a whole lot to organise, from marketing yourself to paying yourself. The freedom and autonomy IT contracting brings can also be difficult for some to adapt to. So, ask yourself honestly, do you have the determination, focus and perseverance required to succeed as an IT contractor?

I do want to reiterate that there are massive advantages to IT contracting. One of these is that you will have the flexibility you need to ensure you have a fulfilling work-life balance. By choosing IT contracting as a career path, you will find that control over your own time is very much placed back into your own hands, which can be hugely fulfilling, both personally and professionally.

2. How organised and disciplined am I?

It’s important to understand that contracting can be very much like running your own business. You’ll have regular (and monotonous) admin tasks to do, that you probably won’t have ever had to deal with in your permanent job, from preparing your accounts to paying your own tax. You might want to form your own limited company, or register as self-employed – either way, there’ll be paperwork that you have to manage and deadlines for tax returns.

As an IT contractor, it will also be your responsibility to ensure you have a consistent pipeline of work and are always thinking one step ahead. It’s important to be diligent here – towards the end of each contract it’s a good idea to update your CV and LinkedIn profile when the skills and experienced gained are still fresh in your mind, and file all your receipts and expenses to keep your accounts up to date.

So, before you dive into a life of IT contracting, be confident that you have the organisational skills and discipline needed to ensure all of your affairs are in order.

3. How adaptable am I?

As an IT contractor, each and every project, sometimes each and every day, will be different and you will constantly get pushed outside your comfort zone.  This can be hugely motivating, not to mention great for your CV. However, you must be confident in your ability to adapt to change well.

You will also need to be able to handle with operating  different systems and tools as you move from project to project, from company to company. While you’ll probably be great at picking up new software and IT systems, you’ll also need to be adaptable enough to deal with the different admin systems and processes of each company you work at.

4. How do I feel about not being a consistent member of a team?

While this can be a hard concept for some, especially if you’ve come from a long-term permanent role with a tight-knit team, the benefit of contracting is that you will avoid office politics and gossip.   In addition – if you find you don’t get on with someone, or you find the contract manager difficult to deal with, you just have to remember that this is temporary and soon enough you’ll never have to deal with them again- if you don’t want to.

On the other hand, along your way, you will also meet and forge great relationships with other IT contractors. These contacts may well turn out to be useful sources in the future, particularly in terms of recommendations for new projects and securing work.

5. Will I be committed to being proactive in finding new projects?

Part and parcel of successful IT contracting is maintaining your network, building relationships and keeping in touch. You’ll need to be proactive in searching for your next project; marketing yourself and your brand, networking, following up and managing all of that while working at your current role. It’s also important that you maintain regular and open communication with your Hays recruitment consultant, as well as being great at building rapport with past and current clients, in case opportunities arise in the future.

6. How good am I at selling myself?

In between each IT contract, you will need to attend interviews to secure your next project. One of the benefits of IT contracting is that over time, you will start to build a rich and varied CV. However, it’s still important that you have the skills and ability to succeed in an interview, and feel comfortable and confident in an interview situation. After all, you will need to ensure you can sell yourself and highlight why you are better than the other IT contractors out there.

I hope you’ve found this list of questions useful. I would of course, also recommend talking candidly to any of your IT contracting friends about their experiences – this will enable you to build a full and realistic picture of exactly what it’s like to do this as a career. Ask them to be honest and tell you if they would recommend you explore this career path.

There are also some excellent and extremely active IT contracting online forums which can be a great source of information and advice, and whose members will no doubt be more than happy to answer any of your questions.

Finally, you may also find some of our other Viewpoint blogs useful:

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The time has come for you to hire for a new position within your department, and you are keen to attract the best talent possible. You have a clear image of the ideal recruit – from their industry experience and expertise; to their personality, professional conduct and cultural fit.

Whilst you can use these ideals as deciding factors during the interview stage, how can you make sure you get right calibre of candidates through the door in the first place? It all boils down to your job advert.

The job advert is the first and maybe last impression job seekers will have of your vacancy. This is the point where they will decide to either start working on their application, or close the tab and move onto the next one.

Unfortunately, many hiring managers fall at the first hurdle.  Although they may have the assistance of HR or a recruiting expert to help draft the job advert, only the hiring manager has the inside knowledge on what type of candidate is needed for the team, plus the selling points they can mention to position the company as an employer of choice.

So, where are hiring managers going wrong when writing a job advert and what can you learn from their mistakes?


Mistake #1: The job title is misleading

Think about the function and seniority of the role, and use these for your job title, for example Junior Brand Executive. The suitable applicants will be searching for these key words, and this is the only way to ensure that your advert comes up in their search. This simple trick will drive more relevant visitors to your advert.

Yes, this sounds obvious – however some organisations will advertise elusive or misleading job titles like “Brand Architect”. Whilst this organisation is looking for somebody junior to help manage the brands within their organisation, they might attract someone too senior who is used to directing a brand strategy, or even some architects typing in this keyword. Another example could include somebody advertising the role of “Account Manager”.  Again, whilst this organisation is actually looking for a Junior Sales Executive, this listing will come up in the Accountant’s or Manager’s job search.

There are some companies that take it one step further and come up with wackiest title possible with the hope of catching the candidate’s attention. Once again, job titles which aren’t not clear on function and seniority, i.e. – “Social Media Superstar” or “Website Wizard”, will cause the advert to rank beneath and therefore gain less traction than ads for a “Junior Social Media Executive” or “Senior Web Analyst”.

In all of these examples, the recruiter runs the risk of driving irrelevant traffic and possibly even applications to their advert, meanwhile the relevant job seekers are viewing the ones which use simpler, clearer language.

In short, if you want your job advert to appear in the early search results of your desired applicant- keep the title simple, keyword rich and reflective of function and seniority.


Mistake #2 – Your company doesn’t sound compelling

When describing your organisation, it is easy to just include the core aspects like location, company history, services and products and so on.

Although this information is essential, you also need to think about the factors which make you the employer of choice. Any talented, well suited job seeker will quite likely have a number of options in front of them. Why should they come and work for your company?

Remember to include the below, in order to give your organisation a competitive edge.

  • Industry standing: Are you leaders in your field? Do industry bodies come to you for expert advice? Are there any PR highlights or accolades that set you apart?
  • Direction of the company: What’s next for your organisation? Do you have any strategic objectives? Are you growing financially and geographically?
  • Benefits: Are there any great benefits that come with working for you? Do you offer employee shares schemes? Corporate discounts? Private healthcare? Pension schemes?

This sort of information can be a deciding factor for jobseekers choosing between you and your competitors. Don’t lose out because you have undersold your company.


Mistake #3: The job specification sounds uninspiring

A brilliant organisation will certainly help attract the right type of job seeker; however, the role itself is what they will truly seal the deal.

A savvy jobseeker will want to be able to picture their day to day life at your company and answer the most simple but important question of all -“will this move make me happy and fulfilled?”

You can answer this question by including the below information.

  • A typical working day: Whilst you can outline the core roles and responsibilities – bring the job specification to life by describing a typical working in day in the role. Which processes and workflows will the employee follow? What is the line of reporting?  If possible, talk to the current person doing this job and ask what they think are the best or most vital aspects to include.
  • Their team: Who will they be working with and how would you describe the culture of your team? Are they friendly, sociable, supportive, fast paced? This is particularly important – describing the workplace culture will help you to attract applicants who would integrate and collaborate well with your team.
  • Their purpose: How does their role fit into the wider objectives of your business? It is important that the job seeker is able to understand what the purpose of this role is on a larger scale. This can really spark their enthusiasm for the opportunity to make a difference somewhere.
  • Progression opportunities: Any high calibre job seeker will also be considering how this role will enhance their career. What are the training opportunities here? Will you help them to manage their progression and objectives?   Is there the possibility to travel or work overseas? In today’s global job market, many employees say they would want to work abroad at some point during their career, so this could be make or break for some jobseekers.

Happiness and fulfilment is essential for both the job seeker and you, as the hiring manager. If the job seeker accepts a role where they feel unhappy and stagnant in their career, this will affect both their performance, wider team morale, plus their loyalty to the company. Therefore, by including the above, you are deterring this type of job seeker and attracting the right ones.

In conclusion there are some common errors that hiring managers make when writing a job advert, from creating a misleading job title, to omitting important information about the benefits, company and the role.  By following the above advice, you will not only avoid these mistakes, you can also ensure that you only attract high calibre-well suited job seekers to your advert and hopefully, the interview room.

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