WINNING AT REDUNDANCY

With 20% of hospitality businesses admitting they will be forced to let go of between 20 and 50% of their employees in August, emotions are running high. Redundancy is all around us and its heart-breaking.

Sadness, anger, frustration, worry, self-doubt and exhaustion – are emotions we are seeing first-hand from our candidates at an ever-increasing rate. The ratio of jobs within the sector to job hunters is scarily low and the future of many bars and restaurants remains uncertain.

But we must have hope. Talking to so many in the same position, I’ve noticed stark differences in how people are handling their current situation. So, I thought I’d put down a few thoughts and express my admiration for the guys who are winning at redundancy, tackling this head on and bravely fighting their way through their own sh&tstorm.

Thoughts incoming:-

The Drains and the Radiators

Candidates I speak to tend to fall into 2 camps. The first is the ‘it’s out of my control, woe is me, no one comes back to me, there is nothing I can do, why is it always me’ kinda camp. Of course, there is a place for feeling like this – but it should be temporary and, some would say, internalised. The problem with this camp is the loss of control. If the world is happening to you, you have relinquished power and await your fate. Well good luck with that.

The second camp are of course as frustrated but have an inherent belief that all will be ok. They themselves control their own destiny, they have the power to influence their own future and positivity and persistence will get them through.

For what its worth, as a recruiter and as an employer, I know which camp I’d rather be talking to and supporting through their journey.

King Flexible

Dream jobs are few and far between right now. I really admire job hunters who are understanding this and accepting that their next move may not be what their ‘CV’ had hoped for. Ten out of ten boxes ticked right now is unlikely. A pay increase, unlikely. That Monday – Friday in hospitality unlikely. That step up in title across companies – as if. Future employers will be understanding of that sidestep/step down or that random job out of industry. Not only will they understand it, they will forgive it. Candidates who are seeing the need to be flexible for the next 12 months are getting it right in my mind.

Positive Pete

Everything is going to be ok. Hospitality will return. Dream jobs will come back. But for now, take what you can and enjoy the ride. I do not say this flippantly. My own business is on its knees, but I know positivity and determination will get me through. Whatever route our job rollercoaster takes us on, the winners are the ones shining brightly, whatever happens. ‘Get up, get dressed and get there’ is one of the best pieces of advice I've heard. Easier said than done, but whatever it is that makes you feel good – do it. You can’t apply for jobs all day long. Perhaps a good rule of thumb would be to equalise your job-hunting time to time outdoors.

Blanketing is so last year.

I’m going to keep this short and sweet. If you are sending the same cover letter and same version of your CV to every role you are screwing this up.

Candidates who get noticed take the time to write personalised cover letters, they spell the name of the hiring manager correctly, they highlight parts of their experience within their CV that the job description has mentioned. How you do anything is how you do everything. Take your time to get it perfect.

Smash the box

Somehow you have to get yourself into the head of your future employer. In the absence of an amazing recruiter, you may have to take the reins on this. This isn’t going to work for everyone and the precision required is god damn precise. You need to know exactly what company ‘fits’ you and your experience AND who would be your leader in that business. The speculative sending of a CV is something that recruiters have annoyed employers with for time, but as a direct candidate (and during a recession) you have a greater chance of landing this. Do your research, send a personal email explaining why you are getting in touch, why you LOVE the company and why you wanted to approach them. You never know that role you dreamed of, may be going live next week and you just got ahead of the curve.

So, I hope this has given a small insight into the minds of people who are winning at redundancy. Hospitality has never and will never see this level of catastrophe again. We are in this together. That’s one constant within this beautiful sector we can rely on – our togetherness.

Please do comment on the post if Covid19 has left you without work in hospitality and perhaps those hiring can get in touch with you directly from this post.

Good luck to all xx