Redundancy Diary - Week 4

I signed off last week saying that I had to decide whether to put my energies into applying for jobs or looking at the self-employment options. I decided I couldn’t do both things at the same time, so devoted myself this week to applying for jobs and will look at self-employment options next week.

I realized this week just how different applying for jobs in 2009 is vs 1994, when I was last actively looking for a new job. This is, like everything, mainly due to the internet. On the one hand, the internet makes a far larger range of jobs and opportunities available to you, but on the other hand, the volume of applicants for each job is so high and the opportunities to tailor your application often so limited, that it seems harder than ever to get an interview.

The main issues I have faced when applying for jobs on-line are:
· The details of the job are often limited and it is hard to speak to anyone at the agency to get more details
· There is often no opportunity to send in a cover letter, only your CV, which means it is very difficult to highlight your relevant experience and match it directly to the key points in the job description
· It is often hard to find out how long the job has been advertised already and when the deadline date is. The danger here is that you could spend a long time making a job application only to find out that the agency have already interviewed and appointed for the post.

To overcome these issues, I have started phoning to get more details from the recruiter before applying, to save my and their time. If there is a job that is a really good match, I won’t apply on-line, but do it by email directly to the executive responsible for filling that post.

I have also had an appointment with a local recruitment agency and talked through my CV with them. They can now do a lot of the ‘screening’ for me and only recommend jobs that they know are well suited to my skills and experience.

Many people have told me that, in the current economic climate, businesses and recruiters are not prepared to take risks and are looking for ‘safe’ candidates. This is great news for people that have a long employment history in the same industry as the job they are applying for, but not so great for people like me who have moved around more between industries and business types.

This week I have applied for 5 jobs. I have been rejected for 2, and have 3 outstanding applications. My lowest point this week was getting what I believe to be an award for Fastest Rejection after applying for a job on-line at 5.30pm in the evening and getting a rejection email at 9.10am the following morning! I had to take a deep breath, have a laugh, and do my best not to take it personally. I will find out why I was rejected from the jobs I applied for and make sure I don’t make the same mistakes twice.

And I have finally had the all important 1st interview! The opportunity came up through someone I worked with a while ago, who is looking to take on a new sales manager. I don’t know the outcome yet but it was great to get in front of someone and have the chance to talk about my skills and experience. My self-confidence got a badly needed boost. I did feel nervous and although I had spent hours preparing for it, as I was walking into the interview room I wished I had done more. I’m trying not to spend the whole time thinking about that job and being distracted from applying for other ones, but it’s great to think that I could be in with a chance of being employed again!

Next week I’ll be applying for more jobs but also taking the time to explore the self-employment options and try to decide which option is likely to give me the best career potential: job satisfaction and money.

I’ll also be planning the Change event I mentioned last week – we will be inviting anyone who is facing a change in their job situation and providing free support and advice from experts and local services. Full details will be in next week’s column.

Next week: Exploring going it alone and being self-employed – is it an option?