How to handle a career setback

Roger Gilpin of Lee Hecht Harrison (LHH) in Northern Ireland offers advice on how to handle a career setback.

It is almost inevitable that we will encounter a career stumbling block at some point during our working lives. Sometimes they can be minor such as a disappointing performance review, or more significant like being passed over for a promotion. Setbacks can leave us feeling frustrated, inadequate, and wondering where it all went wrong.

The following tips will help you to bolster your confidence when faced with disappointment and how to make the most of a bad situation.

1.    Take a step back. An unexpected setback can be difficult to accept or understand. Taking a break will help you come to terms with your feelings and enable you to put things into perspective. Why not indulge yourself and do things you had previously wanted to do but hadn’t had the time? Try not to wallow in bad feelings and instead write an action plan to help you get where you want to be.

2.    Analyse what went wrong. Asking for feedback can be a useful tool to help uncover any shortcomings you may have. Try to turn the situation into a learning exercise, and embrace the advice you are given. This can be a challenge when you are feeling defeated, so give yourself whatever time you need beforehand until you can objectively determine how to move forward.

3.    Don’t scapegoat others. It is tempting to level blame at other people when you are looking for a reason as to what went wrong. Instead, focus on why the event happened and how you can learn from it.

4.    Learn from others in the same boat. Steve Jobs once proclaimed that being fired from Apple was ‘the best thing that ever happened to him’. The former CEO had suffered the misfortune of being fired from his own company but saw the incident as an opportunity to unburden some of the responsibility he had felt and begin to regain his creativity again. He was of course re-hired in 1996 the rest is history. It can be therapeutic to look at the careers of friends or of individuals you admire and observe how they overcame their own personal setbacks.

5.    Redefine or adapt your goals. You may find that suffering a setback can help you to re-evaluate your own ambitions. Perhaps you were heading down a path which you hadn’t planned or even really wanted but circumstances had led you that way. Adversity can sometimes be the catalyst you need to rediscover what makes you happy and what doesn’t.

For more information on how you can avail of our outplacement services, please contact us on: 0845 456 2269

How to avoid career blocking habits

Roger Gilpin of Lee Hecht Harrison (LHH) in Northern Ireland explains the bad habits which can affect an employee’s career development.

Whether you have been made redundant, or are simply looking for a change in career path, you may have picked up some bad habits that will prevent you from achieving the next steps.

Research conducted by VitalSmarts revealed that 97% of employees admit to adopting habits prohibitive to their careers. Furthermore, employers report that only an estimated 10-20% of their employees make any lasting change to these bad habits.

If any of the below sounds familiar, now is the time to make the change, kick the habit and move onwards and upwards.

1.    Unreliability. Unsurprisingly, this is the most common trait that can seal the fate of your career development. Unreliable staff members damage the success of the entire team. In order to progress, you must be trusted by those working around you. Think before you speak, and stop yourself before agreeing to unrealistic and unachievable commitments. Under promising, yet over delivering will earn you respect and praise. As soon as you realise a goal may be unattainable, be upfront and address the situation.

2.    Negative attitude. Negativity derives from emotion, frustration, anger and disappointment. Bringing these emotions to work can have severe consequences. Have you ever noticed that those with a ‘can do’ attitude achieve more than their pessimist peers? There’s a reason for that. No company wants to reward or promote negative behaviour which is why these characters are often shown the door or remain in junior positions.

3.    Lack of industry knowledge. A lack of knowledge of your industry gives the impression you have no interest in furthering your career within that field. The more you know about the climate you are operating in, the more prepared you will be to tackle and solve problems which are a threat to your organisation or clients. Familiarising yourself with trade publications and commentators may help you prepare for any potential opportunities or challenges on the horizon.

Long term career success requires long term preparation and planning. Every day that passes, if approached with the correct attitude, sees you move closer to your goal.

It is vital you remain positive and focused on the end goal and challenge yourself to make small steps of progress each working day.

Should you feel you require more guidance on climbing the career ladder, please contact us on: 0845 456 2269

The importance of soft skills

Roger Gilpin of Lee Hecht Harrison (LHH) in Northern Ireland, a talent mobility firm focused on delivering career Transition and Outplacement, Leadership Development, Employee Engagement and Change Management solutions for organisations, stresses the importance of soft skills in employment.

The job seeker market has had a change in focus over the years, where once emphasis was placed on hard skills, such as a candidate’s technical ability and qualifications. Today, a candidate’s soft skills such as communication and teamwork are just as important.

Many of my outplacement clients find this difficult to understand having been thrust back onto the job market following redundancy or as they seek a career change.

Soft skills are increasingly replacing the hard skills such as technical ability in today’s workplace in terms of value to the employer. A recent report by Development Economics highlighted these skills are worth more than £88 billion to the UK economy. However, too many job applicants are still honing their focus on technical ability, and forgetting the importance of soft skills listed above.

Finding yourself back on the recruitment scene can be daunting; however outplacement professionals can help with easing the process.

In order to secure and keep a job, you typically need a proven track record of technical skills. Whilst these hard skills must be communicated, they will be possessed by every other candidate going for the same position as you. However, a strong emphasis on your soft skills can set you apart from other applicants.

Part of the problem is that too many of us assume that soft skills are universal, they aren't, which is why it is so important to shout about your experience of the following:

1.    Communication. This is one of the most important soft skills to have. Whilst your technical skills will get you through the door and into an interview, if you cannot communicate these effectively then they don’t hold as much merit.

2.    Teamwork. Collaborating with team members is becoming an increasingly important part of every day jobs. Whilst you may be extremely technical, if you can’t work alongside colleagues and motivate each other, those technical skills will mean nothing in a group setting. Even in roles where team work isn't necessarily required, having the basic ability to sell and convince others of your ideas is essential. 

3.    Management skills. Not necessarily the management of others, but the ability to demonstrate effective management of your own time, workload and projects is crucial. Organising yourself is vital in any job, and highlights how you deal with pressure.

For more information on how you can avail of our outplacement services or how you can take stock of your current professional status, please contact us on: 0845 456 2269.

New limits for unfair dismissal

Roger Gilpin of Lee Hecht Harrison (LHH) in Northern Ireland offers advice on the new limits for unfair dismissal and redundancy payments.

An order made by the Department of Employment and Learning brought new limits into operation from 22^nd March 2015. 

Payments and awards made to workers in employment rights cases are to rise in line with inflation.

The increased limits relate to a range of employment rights including statutory redundancy payments, the basic and compensatory awards for unfair dismissal, the limit on guarantee payments made when employees are not provided with work, and the minimum basic award for unfair dismissal in health and safety and certain other cases.

For example, the limit on the compensatory award for unfair dismissal is raised from £76,600 to £78,400 while the maximum amount of a ‘week’s pay’ for the purpose of calculating redundancy payment rises from £470 to £490.

For more information on how you can avail of our outplacement services, please contact us on: 0845 456 2269

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 [s1]Should this be retrospective e.g. brought new limits

How much are you worth?

Roger Gilpin of Lee Hecht Harrison (LHH) in Northern Ireland offers advice on how to negotiate your salary as the economy improves.

Unemployment figures in Northern Ireland have plummeted by 1,700 since the start of this year, the biggest monthly fall since May 1999. The numbers of those claiming benefits has also fallen consistently over the last 25 months.

In fact, figures from the Northern Ireland Labour Market Statistics for February 2015 revealed that only 5.7% of the working population are currently claiming unemployment benefits. Optimistically, this is 10,300 less than this time last year.

The recent increase in employment in Northern Ireland is a result of both temporary and permanent jobs being secured across the province. If you have an IT qualification and experience you’re in luck as the sector is expected to grow at around 5.7% in 2015 according to Danske Bank’s December 2014 Report.

The same report noted that growth will not stop at the rising employment rate, but the average wage is also expected to rise throughout 2015. Candidates can therefore begin to expect more financial rewards from employers which is particularly beneficial to those seeking new employment. But only if they know their worth before interviewing!

Ensure your skills and experience are suitably rewarded by asking yourself the following questions before attending an interview.

1. What does the role actually pay? Understanding what the actual pay of someone in that position equips you with realistic expectations. The biggest mistake candidates make is misunderstanding the actual pay for the role they are applying for, and instead keep their focus based on their own existing pay and increase they want to make.

It is important to remember that most organisations will have pay ranges for each job, try and gauge an idea of what the range is the role you are applying for and negotiate carefully.

2. What will your impact be on the company’s bottom line? An organisation wants someone who will not only ‘pay for themselves’ but who also has the potential to bring in business. These individuals who are likely to have a direct impact on the company’s profits usually have favourable bargaining power. However, companies will be more willing to negotiate with a candidate who can articulate what they can bring to the business and prove their worth in the interview.

3. What is your worth outside the job market? Do your research. Whether you are an internal candidate or an external recruit, knowing your worth to the wider market is an extremely valuable tool when discussing salary.

For more information on how you can avail of our outplacement services, please contact us on: 0845 456 2269

The importance of self-appraisal

Roger Gilpin of Lee Hecht Harrison (LHH) in Northern Ireland offers advice on completing a good self-appraisal.

Completing a self-appraisal can help you put your previous year in perspective and plan for the year ahead.

Self-appraisals are important as your manager won’t see or remember every little thing you did in the past year. By presenting your manager with a list of accomplishments, developments and challenges you have overcome, you are reminding them of what an asset you are to the company. It is also the perfect opportunity to identify and resolve any discrepancies between the views of your overall performance had by yourself and your manager.

Too often self-appraisals are overlooked by employees due to a lack of time and motivation.

Nevertheless, reflecting on your performance over the past 12 months is a critical component to the annual review process and to achieving your overall professional development goals. Therefore, making time for this really a small step in the scheme of greater things!

Being unsure where to start is also a huge barrier in self-appraisal. The below points mark the steps that should be taken when evaluating your annual performance. Be fair but tough on yourself, giving yourself a by-ball won’t get you that promotion....

1.    Share your successes. If you don’t already, start keeping a performance journal. This makes it easier to keep track of all the projects you’ve overseen and initiatives you have implemented to benefit the company or enhance the efficiency of its workforce.  

2.    Share what you’ve learnt. What have you learnt in the past year? Identify ways in which you have developed your existing skills and how this has improved your performance. Describe the new skills you have acquired and the impact this has had on your current role.

3.    Share your challenges. It’s not all about self-promotion. Be candid about the challenges you have faced, how you overcame them and how you could prevent them in the future. This demonstrates an awareness of the wider environment.

4.    Be honest. Whilst credit is due where credit is due, don’t embellish your accomplishments. Your manager will expect to see written validation of each.

5.    Don’t complete it in one go. A self-appraisal is built up over time. It is not a task that can be done satisfactorily in one evening, moreover one that should be revisited with a ‘little and often’ approach. Keeping track of your highlights throughout the year will make the process much easier.

For more information on how you can avail of our outplacement services or how you can take stock of your current professional status, please contact us on: 0845 456 2269. 

Make bad hiring a thing of the past

Roger Gilpin of Lee Hecht Harrison (LHH) in Northern Ireland offers advice on how to combat ‘bad hiring’.

Anyone who owns or manages a business will recognise that making a poor decision in relation to new recruits can be an extremely costly mistake.

Recent studies undertaken by Recruitment Buzz revealed that within the UK, 41% of companies estimated that bad hiring decisions had cost them more than £16,000, with one in four companies claiming that this figure was over £30,000.

With competition for jobs fiercer than ever, more and more organisations are looking at the measures they can implement to prevent a ‘bad hire’ situation. These include:

1.    Look for evidence. Candidates know what an employer wants to hear, and almost everyone these days is ‘dependable and hardworking’ so you need to be specific. During the interview, ask for examples of situations where they have demonstrated the skills you have asked for that they claim to possess. This will help to save you time and money by avoiding re-training or recruiting further down the line.

2.    What is your job specification? Once you have written a job specification with detailed skills and experience that you require, stick to it. Someone may be talented, but if they are not right for the role you are advertising then they are unsuitable. 

3.    Interview twice. Or more than twice if necessary. First impressions may be important, but having a second interview can be extremely revealing. The best candidates will build on knowledge they picked up from the first interview. If they have nothing new to add, then take it as a warning sign. A phone interview is often a good way to screen candidates before meeting them in person.  

4.    Speak to references. This is absolutely crucial to ensuring you have made the right decision. If the candidate’s previous company refuses to give a reference, then you have a right to feel suspicious.

5.    How badly do they want it? Be sure your candidate wants this job and not just a job. If they genuinely want to work for you, they will have done their research and know everything about your organisation. Ask questions about your own company and why this role specifically appeals to them.

For more information on how you can avail of our outplacement services, please contact us on: 0845 456 2269