Just click on the red Career Couch on your Member’s Homepage and ask our Career Coach a question! Register now to sign up to access all your Member’s benefits!

Q. I love my job, but my boss doesn’t care about me. Don’t get me wrong, I am a self-starter with plenty of initiative and don’t need to be stroked regularly or given compliments on a daily basis. But it’s difficult to get time with him and when I do, he’s so focused on how events or circumstances affect him, we end up talking about his pressures and challenges, not mine! He has been very successful in his career, can be really charming when he wants to be, but is totally ruthless in getting what he wants. Empathy is not a word in his dictionary! Can you give me some advice as to how to get him on my side?

A. In a recent BBC article, Professor Robert Hare of the University of British Colombia says “corporate psychopaths” need arrogance and focus to succeed. This type of personality can be superficially charming, fly into rages and likely to take the credit for colleague’s achievements. Unfortunately these type of people are extremely focused on achieving their goals and are not concerned about other people’s feelings. There will certainly be a lack of empathy for you. You may have to do a bit of work in making up for his shortcomings as a manager.

Learn to be assertive
Tell him you have booked a 1-to-1 meeting and if he ducks away, ensure the meeting appointment is constantly repeated until you get a result. Once you have his attention be totally honest about the situation. Tell him exactly what you need, when you need it and why. If this doesn’t do the trick, walk away saying “I’m disappointed, I came here to ask you for support and I’m not getting it”. Perhaps if he hears that often enough he’ll get the point. Keep calm and focused, don’t get upset; concentrate on the objective at hand.

Do your colleagues share the same problem?
It may be easier to solve this in a group situation. As a group you may be able to identify patterns of behaviour that apply to others as well as you? If this is the case, have a group session where you can compare thoughts and feelings. This may also be helpful in analysing what influences his approach. For example, what pressure is he under, does this happen at a particular time etc? You may be able to come up with appropriate solutions in a group and try different approaches that may benefit all of you.

Not being listened to?
Is this a case of just not being listened to at meetings? Next time it happens wait until he has finished and then say “If I understand you correctly you are saying…” Sometimes the interpreted summary relayed back, doesn’t make sense and so the person has to adapt it second time around.

An alternative approach, may be to again wait for them to finish. Keep up a poker face, and not say anything when they finish speaking. Maintain the silence. This may feel threatening to the other person. They may start again, but with a more positive approach. If this happens, you can afford to be a bit more animated!

Finally, if he won’t listen to you, we will! Get some coaching!

Send them to your competitors
Crazy? Not really. Using your networks and contacts, even if they are your competitors will mean knowledge sharing benefits everyone. Inevitably, this keeps standards high and maintains quality. Anyway, what goes around, comes around and the next time you may benefit from a referral!

Small but perfectly formed
This business is part of a huge boom in small, but perfectly formed career or business ideas that have passion, interest and integrity. The Designer cakes are despatched from a bright, creative shop mixed with vintage furniture and chandeliers. They do have corporate clients, but relationships are just as keenly developed with individual clients who stop by for a chat and a cupcake. We’re talking about real and authentic approaches here, where a business relationship doesn’t just mean you are only interested in the client’s money. A truly refreshing concept, as we are all fed hearing about macho capitalism and corporate greed. Need further inspiration?Take a look at our Mentors!

Q. I’m really frustrated. I have been in my career for years, but have totally lost my motivation. I am really in need of some kind of change, whether that’s a promotion or a totally new challenge. I’m well qualified with an MBA. I’m applying for lots of jobs a week, and have also registered with masses of agencies. I am getting interviews, but for jobs at £30k (less than I was earning ten years ago). My normal bracket is £40 - £50k pa. I have also spent a fortune on “CV professionals” who have reviewed my CV, but I’m not really getting a return on my investment.

A. The recession is now officially over, but that does not really mean much at the coalface if you are in the process of job hunting. The Chartered Institute of Personnel Development estimate around 500,000 million jobs were lost in 2009, the worst year for jobs in two decades! Taking a salary drop may also be on the cards as over half UK employees experienced reduced hours, pay freezes or pay cuts as well as job losses in 2009. So what can you do?

925’s top ten tips for a tough job market

1. Be first with your job application
There are now masses of CVs for every advertised job, so apply to job ads as quickly as possible. Your application has more of a chance of receiving more than the average 15 seconds consideration if it arrives early. Also the recruiter may want only to review first applications as the rest get piled up.

2. Understand the recruitment process
If you are sending online CVs, they may be electronically scanned for specific words and phrases.
Recruiters are sales orientated with targets and believe the quickest way to a client’s heart is an exact match to the job description. Taking risks with candidates is not on their radar. You may do the job brilliantly, but if your CV isn’t a very close match, you will not get an interview.

3. One-size fits all doesn’t cut it any more
Pre recession, you could use a one-size fits all approach. Now stiff competition dictates each new application is tailored to provide an exact match to the advertised role. Investing in getting your CV reviewed should increase the ease of a recruiter being able to skim and get to your main experience, strengths and skills faster. But now each new job needs a tailored approach; can you afford to pay for each new job application?

4. Research, research, research
Don’t start working on your CV until you completely understand the company and the advertised role. Study the advert, website, brochures, competencies, job description etc. Don’t be shy of contacting them to ask for further information!

5. It’s not about you, it’s about them
The employer has an immediate need to fill the role with someone who can take the reins and contribute straight away. You should completely identify with company needs by letting them know you are the only person to solve their problem. Don’t include anything that is not completely relevant to the job, i.e. your ambitions, hobbies or weekend courses etc.

6. Target your industry!
Which employers could make the most of your experience? Do you know anyone who works in company that is matched perfectly to your skills? Do any of your previous employers, ex-colleagues, liaise with industry specific agencies? Particularly if they have built up good relations and use them frequently as a reliable recruitment source. Could someone supply you with an intrroduction?

7. Take a less than ideal job
Be flexible; it may be worth taking something just to get your foot in the door, giving access to opportunities at a later stage. Take a temp or interim job, just one temp job done really well will give you a good relationship with an Agency. Make sure the feedback from employer to Agency is excellent. If the Agency hear you have done a great job, always arrived on time, never took a day’s sick, then it’s a dead cert that they’ll have you back next time, and when the ideal opportunity comes up you’ll be the first to hear about it.

8. Network like mad!
Consider your existing networks, keep them active and alive, by keeping in touch on a regular basis. Join business networks, e.g. LinkedIn. Create an interesting online presence, so that people who visit your profile understand what you can do. This will give prospective employers an opportunity to find out about your strengths and skills before they contact you. Many unadvertised jobs are posted on LinkedIn, you just need to keep aware of opportunities.

9. The speculative approach
The key to making on-spec applications is research. Find out about the companies you would like to work for in detail. Look in the press, the library, Internet, trade magazines to find out who is recruiting. Identify contact names and post your CV with a short covering letter on good quality paper. Follow up the letter with a phone call a couple of days later.

Getting a job on spec is often a case of being in the right place at the right time. In one previous HR Manager role, I recruited one of the best colleagues I ever worked with. Her spec letter and CV crossed my desk, exactly at the moment when I was looking for someone, but before I’d had a chance to place a job ad!

10. Stand out from the crowd
To make any application work, you need to stand out. What do you have to offer that is unique? How does this relate especially to the company? Ensure your strengths, skills and values compare to company values. Make this the focus of your application.

Create your own network, seek out your own opportunities, approach people or employers directly, get into a niche network or interim network or professional body. Job hunting is a career in itself! It’s time and energy-consuming. You need to persevere and be resolute. But be philosophical, because it may take a while. Don’t take it personally, you’ll get there!

Sign up to our free membership for access to a wealth of career change information, advice and inspiration.

Interested?

This particular 925mentor was, which is why back in 2001, and at the young age of 22, she took over her family’s small run down hotel. She had no previous management experience, had no idea how to effectively delegate or budget, and the hotel she was taking over was desperately in need of refurbishment, with extremely low guest occupancy rates, and a badly trained workforce.

Rewind a few more years and you’ll soon see that running a hotel was not the first career choice for this 925mentor; in fact, having completed a degree in English she began working for a public relations firm climbing her way up the corporate ladder. But, like so many people, she soon discovered that the office environment did nothing to inspire her, so rather than dismiss her nagging doubts and plod on, she decided to make the break from career life early, and throw herself headlong into her childhood passion; hospitality.

“The beginning certainly was not a bed of roses,” she says. “For the first couple of years, me and my partner worked around the clock, covering reception and restaurant from 7 am-11pm at night. At the same time we were attending management courses and training and taking advice from wherever we could get it.”

“At one point we even ran out of money and my mother had to inject her own cash reserves to keep the business afloat during some bad months. This left me with a huge sense of failure, something that’s hard to work though on your own, whilst still trying to be the capable boss!”

“Around this time we also started a family, which, with hindsight I now see, forced me to learn to delegate effectively and to fully utilize the team of staff around me, a vital lesson for any hotelier.”

“Despite the immense hard work, we stayed committed to the long terms goals, and as the business grew so did my confidence. Once we’d re-developed the restaurant, increased occupancy, and repeat business, and boosted special events such as weddings we really started to see the profits increase, and I felt fantastic”.

Now her business is well and truly booming. Turnover is up year on year, the refurbished restaurant has attracted a renowned and award winning head chef, the hotel has even earned a place in the exclusive boutique hotel guide ‘Mr and Mrs Smith’, and has actors Brendan Fraser and Michael Douglas amongst it’s guest list.

When you’re in your twenties far too many people are quick to talk down your ambition to start and run your own business, or keen to push you along a career path that focuses on security, and not necessarily lifetime happiness.

Our 925mentors are proof that age need not prevent you from following your dream, and that family life can coexist with driving your career dreams forwards.

If you’re a budding hotelier our Mentor could help you by showing you the ropes, and giving you the inside track to business success. Read more about this Mentor’s apprentice experience package

In 2009 over half UK workforce had to share the pain
In the 1990s recession “over-sacking” was common. Employers contracted workforces to the bone. Good for productivity and profits, but very bad for unemployment. This recession however, is subject to “under-sacking”. But the price to pay is shared pain resulting in over half UK employees experiencing reduced hours, pay freezes or pay cuts as well as job losses. Better for employees, but it means we are emerging from recession with a low productivity “overhang”. This could delay recruitment and/or mean more redundancies later in the year or a continued squeeze on worker’s living standards.

Which challenge is for you?
It appears that the challenge of looking for a new job in this climate may actually be harder in many respects than starting your own business from scratch!

Facing and overcoming obstacles always exists whatever path you choose, but building something for yourself, your family and the future can be a more exciting prospect. But whatever path you choose, what matters is having a plan to overcome these challenges whether an employee or business entrepreneur.

Now what’s your action plan for 2010?
If you’d like some help creating your 2010 Career Action Plan our Coaches can help. Or if you’ve a burning idea for a new business we’re sure one of our Mentors can show you the way.

Frank Toogood,
Essex