New year, New Career

Graham Seldon, Managing Director Seldon Gill

The New Year is traditionally a busy time for recruiters giving career advice to candidates that have decided to make a career change in the New Year.  This year is shaping up to be no different, but with an added dynamic that due to the financial downturn last year, some candidates feel that their career change is overdue and consequently they have given more thought to what their next job needs to offer them.  Similarly clients, who are also now used to waiting, are less likely to compromise when hiring.  What this means is a focus on quality candidates, well thought out job descriptions with career development opportunities and more emphasis on due diligence throughout the recruitment process.

This is a good thing.  In the crazy heyday of recruitment, recruitment practices on all sides were sometimes too reactive, and agencies were viewed like markets – for example “here’s what’s available today – take it or leave it”.  Thankfully sense has prevailed and we are now all in a better position to take time to make better career related decisions.

So if you are seeking a career change in 2010 what should you do to plan?  Below are three things to consider which we think make the task a little easier:

Location, location, location – you may think this is an odd way to start, but given that professional services marketing is fantastic for international careers, it’s important to really think about where in the World you want to live and work.  But be realistic; you are not choosing a ‘city-break holiday’ and post GFC some cities are unlikely options. New York for instance has been slow to recover and with much talent already on the ground which means importing talent is unlikely.  London is picking up as are some parts of Asia and New Zealand has enjoyed a busy recruitment market since October 2009.
What can you really offer? – whilst it’s important to have a degree of self confidence about your skills and experience, it’s also good for you to know what the client is ‘buying’.  Tailor your resume to each job description so that you can focus your experience; this is particularly relevant if you have had generalist marketing/BD roles to date.
Listen to your career adviser (that’s us by the way!) – we are speaking to firms (your potential new employer) everyday and know what is happening in the market.  We also know how to benchmark you as a candidate, and can offer advice on how best to position yourself.  We take a very honest approach and “tell it like it is”, but our ultimate motivation is to secure you the right opportunity at the right time in the right place.
Now that you have a rough guide, you can start planning your next move and we look forward to helping you.  Your successful career is what makes our job so rewarding.