I started an employment agency!! Here is what I've learned since
I was but a humble writer, tinkering away on my laptop, when a friend asked if I could help them write a CV. I had actually written another friend's CV the year before, so I agreed to help this friend out. The two CVs were for (anecdotally similar) roles - one for an administrative position in the public sector and one for an administrative assistant role in the private sector. The first friend got their dream job, and the second... did not get an interview. In fact, they didn't even get a call back from the recruitment agency they'd submitted their CV through. This struck me as odd; in my eyes both of these friends were equally qualified and suitable for their prospective jobs - so why was one told 'no' while the other marched off into employment bliss? On closer inspection I discovered that it wasn't necessarily the quality of their application that let one down - it was how well it answered each individual question that came with it: whether or not they'd met all of the criteria set by each employer, whether or not they'd demonstrated their experience satisfactorily... All things which can be overlooked or misinterpreted by recruiters if you don't highlight them as clearly as possible within your application. And so began my foray into employment services!
I was but a humble writer, tinkering away on my laptop, when a friend asked if I could help them write a CV.
To be a successful entrepreneur, it helps if you have a passion for what you do. If your heart is in the right place, then all the other stuff shouldn't matter too much.
Having said that, there are some very important skills needed to run any business. You should be able to adapt quickly to new situations and deal with rejection (because there will be plenty of it). Entrepreneurship isn't for everyone, but if you're someone who can work hard under pressure and get things done then maybe starting up could be something worth exploring!
I had actually written another friend's CV the year before, so I agreed to help this friend out.
I had actually written another friend's CV the year before, so I agreed to help this friend out. However, it was only after a few months that I realized I actually wasn't just helping my friends—I was running an employment agency!
The first two years were quite stressful and challenging! As you might imagine, when starting anything from scratch there is a lot of work involved. To begin with, I found myself juggling three roles: writer/editor; administrator; operator (as in ‘operator 1′).
Fortunately, thanks to my previous experience as a copywriter/editor at an advertising agency (which also meant taking on responsibilities such as managing social media accounts) and my desire to learn more about all things recruitment related (as well as wanting to earn some extra money), this wasn’t too much trouble.
The two CVs were for (anecdotally similar) roles - one for an administrative position in the public sector and one for an administrative assistant role in the private sector.
The two CVs were for (anecdotally similar) roles - one for an administrative position in the public sector and one for an administrative assistant role in the private sector.
The first applicant was a 30-year-old with 5 years of experience, while the second candidate was a 24-year-old with 3 years' experience.
Despite there being no significant difference between the two candidates' educational backgrounds or previous roles, there was a significant gap between their expected salaries (the first candidate asked for 40k per annum, while the second asked for 30k).
The first friend got their dream job, and the second... did not get an interview.
I started an employment agency to find jobs for my friends. Two of them applied for very similar positions, and one got the job and the other did not get an interview. I thought it would be interesting to share what I learned from this experience.
The first friend had a better CV, so that was probably why they got the job over my second friend (who also applied). However, they also had better interview technique than my second friend did! This means that even though they weren't as qualified as my second friend (since their resume was much more impressive), they still managed to get an interview because they were able to sell themselves in a way that made sense to employers.
In fact, they didn't even get a call back from the recruitment agency they'd submitted their CV through.
Recruitment agencies are not obligated to give feedback on why an applicant is unsuccessful. This is because they're paid on commission, so it's in their interest to get as many people signed up, even if they don't have jobs for them.
So if a candidate doesn't hear back from an employer after sending their CV to the recruitment agency, they shouldn't be too surprised. In fact, they may never hear anything at all!
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I've since discovered that recruitment agencies have limited incentive to find candidates a job! A lot of them are paid on commission - which means they're only interested in finding employers people who are right for the job, not the other way around - and they're not obliged to give feedback to the candidate who's been unsuccessful.
I've since discovered that recruitment agencies have limited incentive to find candidates a job! A lot of them are paid on commission - which means they're only interested in finding employers people who are right for the job, not the other way around - and they're not obliged to give feedback to the candidate who's been unsuccessful.
That said, most of them do what they can to help you get your next role and offer valuable advice about interviews and application forms. But if you're looking for a new job as quickly as possible and want extra guidance from someone familiar with your industry, it might be worth paying an agency a fee upfront (usually ￡80+) instead of taking their word for it that they'll do all the legwork themselves!
I started thinking about how many people must be out there who are qualified and suitable for jobs but aren't getting them simply because of small issues with their CV or interview technique.
I started thinking about how many people must be out there who are qualified and suitable for jobs but aren't getting them simply because of small issues with their CV or interview technique. This is where I saw there was a gap in the market. There were thousands of people out there who knew they had something valuable to offer but weren't getting anywhere because they didn't have the right skills to market themselves properly.
I decided that I could teach people how to write CVs that would grab attention, help them through interviews and make sure they could get a job which suited them perfectly instead of being stuck doing something they didn't enjoy. I got in touch with some recruiters at local companies who told me that this was exactly what they needed as well, so it became my mission to help as many people as possible!
So I decided to do something about it! There was a gap in the market, and my skills would be transferable enough for me to fill it.
So I decided to do something about it! There was a gap in the market, and my skills would be transferable enough for me to fill it.
My background is in recruitment and sales, so I felt that I had enough experience in these areas to be able to get myself started. I’d also worked on a number of projects as part of my studies, where we had been tasked with creating our own business model and this gave me an insight into what works best when starting out independently.
I didn’t want anyone else knowing that I was doing this though; not even my parents! It was scary enough just going through the process without having others involved too!
And thus began my foray into employment services!
Now that you have a better idea of what a career coach does, let's dive into how you can start a business and find your own niche.
You can make your own opportunities
Here's the thing: you can make your own opportunities, create your own luck, take advantage of opportunities and take advantage of luck.
You can also make use of coincidences, serendipity and unexpected events to help you along the way.
Conclusion
I've found that there are two big hurdles that can stop you from setting up your own business: 1) thinking your idea isn't good enough and 2) being afraid of failing.
I think the key thing to remember is that there's no such thing as a perfect business idea, or a perfect person for running it. If you have the passion, drive and determination to succeed, then chances are you will - regardless of what your business is!
Practically speaking, it's also important to keep in mind (and remind yourself regularly) that failure isn't something to be feared. It's an inevitable part of life - something we all experience, whether in our business ventures or personal lives - and it can often teach us more valuable lessons than success ever could.