Full disclosure

I have a lot of people reach out to me for help with their job search.?

You know when you spot a video on line where someone says ‘People always ask me…’ but you kinda know that NO ONE ever asks them much? Well, people really DO always ask me for help with their job search.

They ask for help with their LinkedIn profile, their CV, salary negotiations, what role to choose over another, whether they should go contracting...

The list goes on but it’s all variations on a theme. No one’s asking me for investment advice or my opinion on what to wear (weird that)

I love helping people with this stuff. Genuinely. In a job where it tends to be almost exclusively money that gets folks like me (recruiters) out of bed in the morning, it’s having conversations that leave people feeling positive, optimistic or even inspired that keeps me doing this.

Last year, I got busy. I’d argue I’ve been busy for a few years now (not moaning, long may it last) but having calls, responding to messages, meeting people for coffee to support their search (people I wasn't representing with my clients) was taking me away from the core part of my job that paid the bills and in turn, supported my family.?

So I started thinking about charging for it. I invested a fair amount of money in designing a service offering. I had a marketing strategy in place. I got really bloody close to pulling the trigger. And then I didn’t.

I’ve always advocated for recruiters to go above and beyond to support the people they represent.? It’s part of the job. A job that we get paid really well for.?

I still believe that. With the way the market is at the moment I believe it more than ever. But it doesn’t change the fact I’m busy. Busier now than I was last year and if the last month is anything to go by I won’t stop being busy for a while now.?

So whilst I won’t be charging for my time I do have to take back some control over it. I’m conscious that at the end of day I’m often logging off and leaving upwards of 30-40 LinkedIn messages unresponded to. Yep, sometimes it’s my mum asking if I’m ok because I’m ignoring her calls but for the most part it’s people asking for help.?

If you’re one of them and I haven’t responded, I’m sorry (I’m sorry to you too Mum??). If you’ve recommended people get in touch with me for advice and I haven’t responded then I’m sorry to you too.?

That being said I’m going to make a commitment. Unfortunately it’s not to respond to all messages because, well, I just can’t. But I am going to keep investing time and energy into things like this. The Job Journal. The response to this newsletter has been incredible, it’s why it went from being shared twice per month to once per week. It’s also why I launched The Job Journal Live. We’re only 2 editions in but it’s another way to share advice and support to a wider audience and once again the response has been awesome.?

I also have my podcast, JobsWorth, which whilst it might seem an opportunity for me to feed my ego by having ‘Podcast Host’ in my headline it's genuinely out there in the world to inspire people to change their relationship with work for the better. And it is. Which is pretty cool.

Anyway, that’s that. Probably a bit TMI to be honest but if you’ve read this far , thank you.?

Normal service resumes next week and if you’re around tomorrow (8th May) then stop by for The Job Journal Live with my good friend and AI oracle Heather Murray.?

The End.

Enjoyed this edition of The Job Journal? Like, comment and share away and if you're looking for guidance on the best way to harness the power of AI to support your job search join me and AI oracle Heather Murray this Wednesday at 12:30pm for The Journal Live ????

The Job Journal Live