Time to move?

Are you ready?

The economic market is strong and organisations are recruiting for planned expansion. In your current role are you considering your future?

am I where I want to be?

where would I like to be?

what do I need to do to change?

With the onslaught of coaching, mentoring and how to be a good parent most of us now know that we need to accentuate the positive in the approach to making change i.e. setting goals, using ‘do’ and not ‘don’t’, etc. In fact the level of information on how to plan for a better future and to set your mind to achieve these goals has become an industry in itself, and for the most part that should lead to a positive outcome. One area where all of the self-help can’t necessarily assist you is when you are making a move in the job market. Of course it can allow you to set objectives as to whether you want to make a career move but the one thing that normally holds an individual back is the when or timing of that decision. The timing of when to move can seem a very big mountain to climb.

Should you wait for the next bonus, stick around for a potential ‘set up’ in responsibilities or accountabilities or even the recognition of all three in a promotion? Many people would have seen 2013 as perhaps a time of uncertainty with colleagues either being made redundant or moving to new roles only to be the victim of ‘last in’ when their new employer hit economic issues after being recruited. Is it better to stay put or risk a similar experience? Risk is always involved in moving on, change in itself is a challenge but of course the opportunity for reward often comes with the taking of those risks, relatively speaking.

The job market in 2014 speaks of being more confident than it has for some time, with clients looking to grow substantially this year, REC Online Article. Within this employers will be making key hires to ensure that their business is positioned to take hold of the opportunities of a more confident UK economy. Both permanent and specialist interims are being targeted to ensure that organisations have the competitive advantage as their businesses take on more projects.

And yet clients are struggling to find and fill those roles due to the candidate lag that always comes after a recession, I remember the dot com years. Triggered by recent years of recession, double dip and redundancies, of watching fellow workers, friends and family members make the brave move, only to be first out as expansion turns to retraction. However, those who moved have not stayed out of work for long, as driven by the need to find something new, and the foundations of a more secure employment market gathers momentum.

Career reflection is natural; is your career giving you greater responsibility, improved benefits, new challenges, increased skills, increased remuneration, or a combination of all of the above than it was last year, or with potential for such benefits in the coming months? Does it matter that you are unsure of whether to make that decision? In a stable market the answer may well be more 50/50 but is that the case in an economy coming out of a recession?

The risk is that others may be seeing the time is right to move and gaining first refusal on those key opportunities whilst you wait for 100% confidence in the market.

Will you be too late?

Will you be considered a person ready to take on the challenges of growing the business in an emerging market or more of a ‘safe pair of hands’ in a stable market? What do you want your career to say about you in 5, 10, 15 years’ time?

Quotes on how people make the most of bad economic times are numerous including ‘nothing ventured nothing gained’ especially when it comes to your career. In 15 years of recruitment I have often seen individuals be surpassed by colleagues, not due to a greater intellect, be that academic, emotional, or social, or by higher levels of skill or years of experience but merely because of the timing of their career moves. The perfect career is probably out there, and I am sure many of you are very proud of the choices and achievements you have made throughout your career. However, I have yet to meet a client who doesn’t appreciate a CV where an individual has had an employment blip, and the way that individual has then set themselves the challenge of learning from this and to make the most of new opportunities that present themselves……..