Frontline Resourcing

Career First

A view on Career Planning by Charlie Crocker CEO & Owner Frontline Resourcing:

Planning is something that I do if I am going on holiday, going out for a night with my friends or even if I am doing the grocery shopping.

In business we do this the whole time: Ask the question how much planning do we honestly do when it comes to life important career decisions? I fear the answer is not much. If I was to jump on a time machine and go back 22 years to when I was supposed to be giving some thought to this somewhat important question the truth is, I gave it very little. The reality is the first career plan I considered was just 8 years ago.

Knowing then what I know now I might have approached things slightly differently. The wonderful thing about hindsight is that you can always ask the question what if?

I don’t want to appear like I am getting too philosophical, however the truth is life and career decisions are closely linked.

Where do I want to live? What sort of life style do I want? Where is my wife working? These are just a few questions that can impact our relationship with career planning and decision making.

If I could make a good comparison for Career planning it would be Strategy Formulation and vision, mission, values. Strong companies and leaders have very clear Vision, Mission and Values and they involve key people in the organization is Strategy formulation. When a Strategy has been agreed and is being implemented it may need to be changed to respond to market and business conditions, external factors none of which any of us have any control over, the key is to ensure that you never loose sight of your Goal, the reason you are in business and the values by which you take decisions on a day to day.

In a career we need to set short medium and long term goals, Career Vision, is something we can measure over time, something that should be aspired to, and something worth working for!!

Career Mission is what do I want to do? What do I not want do? Where do I want to work, where do I not want to work? What are my strengths, weaknesses, likes and dislikes and what are the opportunities and threats in the area I have chosen.

Career Values should be our moral compass for decision making in terms of the sector I want to choose, do I want to go into Medicine, the church, the army or business or choose from a hundreds other types of professions.

When it comes to formulating the Career Strategy, you will almost certainly want to bring others into this, your family, close friends, professors, mentors, career professionals, market specialists. You might want to use a wide range of information tools to research the market, industry, profession you have chosen to better understand the opportunities and threats in that industry. The Career Strategy is the how we achieve our Career Vision and should be something we can measure over time. What competencies or skills do I need to develop for that position, what is the experience I need to get to the next level, how will I differentiate myself against my career peers in a positive way, helping me to be that high potential professional in what ever I path I have chosen.

By continually measuring how we are doing against our short, medium and long term goals, we are able to revise and adapt our strategic career plans to answer any and all the challenges we face along the road.

Can we change our Career path at any point in time, of course, however we need to recognise that we need to start the whole exercise again this will give a greater chance of success and mitigate any negative indicators this might give to our career progression.

I have changed direction many times over the 22 some years I have been working, it is only in the last 8 years that I have really found my career compass , which has helped me considerably towards achieving the life and business goals I have set for myself.

A quote that I have used often when taking difficult decisions and has been a great inspiration to me was by Robert Francis Kennedy

“There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why... I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?”

You would like further information on career planning please contact me at [email protected]

Career First

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Career First

10 Tips for Successful Social Media and In-Person Networking by Lisa Marsh

There has been much debate as to whether social media or in-person networking is more effective. While it is true that social media channels can help you accelerate the process of making new contacts, especially in large quantities, the personal face-to-face element can be equally important to successfully building your network. It takes a combination of both to get the best results, and as with all new forms of technology, we are still attempting to figure out the right balance.

Social Media Networking

1. Make the most of your extended network.
Thanks to the wonders of technology, you can now establish the links from your existing network to those who you wish to make contact with. Use this to your advantage and don’t be afraid to ask your existing contacts to make that vital first introduction. By using a mutual acquaintance, you’re more likely to achieve your goal, which can change the course of your whole career.

2. Don’t ask what your network can do for you, but what you can do for your network.
Remember this works both ways. Make sure that you are an open source and willing to help fellow networkers. Chances are, they will remember your good deed in facilitating the expansion of their own network and will be happy to help you in return.

3. Be persistent, but not pushy.
It sometimes takes that extra tenacity to put yourself out there and cold connect to a new potential connection, particularly if you need their help for your career progression. While being persistent and following up on email communication is a vital part of the process, you must identify the line where being persistent becomes pushy.

4. Be organized.
Building up your professional network takes time. Social media networking can speed up this process dramatically, but it takes commitment and consistency. Make sure that you that you keep your professional profiles up-to-date for maximize your chances of success. Poorly written profiles and out-of-date personal summaries give the impression of laziness. Make sure that you give the right impression from the start. Professional writers, such as the BlueSteps expert resume writers, can assist you in creating a carefully crafted resume.

5. Convert online relations to offline relations.
While online networking can be a great way to build a large scale business network of contacts in a few short months, to capitalize on your hard work, make sure you try convert online relations into offline meet-ups. This will increase the likelihood of creating a sustained connection with more depth.

In-Person Networking

6. Don’t play waiting games.
After attending a networking event, you may have exchanged business cards and made some great connections. It is important to take the initiative to contact them, and not wait for them to contact you. There are a million reasons why a contact who may have promised to contact you, has not. By waiting too long, opportunities can pass by, and so it’s important to follow-up.

7. Start with a formal introduction.
When in a relaxed networking environment, people often forget that it’s still vital to introduce themselves by their full name. Your name could be shared by any number of people, so consciously giving them your full name can really make a difference. An easy way to do this would be to always offer your business card. If a new connection doesn’t seem to have the right opportunities for you, he or she may refer you to someone who is.

8. Keep the flow.
The social etiquette of networking can be a difficult one to fathom. It is a common occurrence that a networker may become ‘trapped’ in conversation. It is important to move around the room to maximize the potential of the event. It is perfectly acceptable to thank someone for their time and move on to meet new people.

9. Be the early bird.
If you are not an experienced networker and the idea of working a room makes you feel uncomfortable, you might want to consider arriving early. This will give you the ability to speak to people on a one-on-one basis before others arrive, and will avoid you having to shoehorn your way into on-going conversations.

10. Don’t be shy!
Try not to be afraid to put yourself out there and take some risks. Networking has proven power to help you transition to new opportunities, and only those who are able to confidently network can use networking to its full potential.

For more tips on how to boost your job search and networking strategy, Join BlueSteps today to connect with the executive career coaches and resume writers of BlueSteps Executive Career Services.
This article was written by Lisa Marsh, Marketing Associate at the Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC).

About the Association of Executive Search Consultants
The Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC) is the worldwide professional association for the retained executive search and leadership consulting industry. The AESC promotes the highest professional standards in retained executive search and leadership consulting through its industry recognized Code of Ethics and Professional Practice Guidelines. The AESC also serves to broaden public understanding of the retained executive search and leadership consulting process and acts as an advocate for the interests of its member firms.
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