Transition to Retirement

One of our core offerings in the Career Transition suite is Transition to Retirement.  Some clients who go through this workshop are initially skeptical, “This is what I’ve looked forward to for so long, I don’t need help - this is my well earned reward.”

However there are many factors to consider that can help you achieve an uncomplicated and smooth transition from full time or part time work to retirement. 

Financial considerations are key, and there is a wealth of information and advice about how to maximize retirement income.

A happy retirement is also a purposeful retirement.  Having short and long-term life plans can be important to maintain a sense of meaning and drive.  Ensuring you keep on track to your retirement goals – and celebrating achievements along the way helps create feelings of well-being and self worth.  Whether your goals centre around travel, new hobbies or giving back to the community.  

Continuing to learn new skills and develop knowledge is another aspect of a fulfilling retirement.  This could involve learning to play a musical instrument, attending community meetings or learning a new language.

It’s important to stay active and stay healthy during retirement.  Getting outside and enjoying the great outdoors can also be a great way to socialize and meet new friends.

Our Transition to Retirement workshop covers a range of topics like these and also provides a structured learning environment to help pre-retirees consider the full spectrum of issues associated with this major life change.  

Our Transition to Retirement program explores the following areas:

Retirement - A life transition: Explores characteristics of a modern retirement and develops understanding of common reactions to significant life changes. Develops awareness of knowing what a transition is and how to deal with it plus understand the importance of ‘whole-of-life’ planning and balance.

Retirement - What’s Important to you: An enjoyable process based on our ‘Career Blueprint’ that helps individuals understand themselves in more depth and identify the key drivers and motivators in their working life. Creates a personal framework within which to make career and life decisions.

Retirement Skills: This section explores the critical skills required for a successful retirement and some of the issues that may arise. Includes: communication skills, adjustment to family relationships and networking.  The key retirement issues of health, stress and housing are also covered.

Retirement Plan: This section focuses on purposeful activities to identify options for the next career stage. These may include: employment, own business, portfolio career, volunteering, travel, education and interests. The end result is the completion of our proprietary Retirement Map, which is a practical guide for the future.

For more information on Trevor-Roberts Transition to Retirement workshop or one on one program, contact us on 1300 876 118.

Get Your Interview off to a Great Start

This week's blog was written by Trevor-Roberts Consultant, Kirsty Janney.

How long is it since you've had a job interview? Did you know that one of the questions you are most likely to be asked is “Tell me about yourself.”

Preparing clients to answer this question in an interview is one key element of our career coaching program. This is often the starting point of the interview and therefore a great chance to make a good first impression.

It may seem like a simple question, but the key to answering it well, is like every other element of the job interview – preparation.

Your answer needn't include how many children you have or why you left your last job. Your answer should focus on your employment history, your strengths, your career achievements and your aspirations for your next job.

Put yourself in the interviewer’s shoes. What kind of person do you think they are looking for to fill this role? Thinking about this in advance can make a big difference about how you respond.

Practice your response in front of the mirror, or ask a friend or family member to practice with you. Write your answer down and practice it until you know it well.

Here’s our advice to interviewees as to how to answer this key question:

• Offer a brief work history
• Focus on your strengths and give particular examples to demonstrate these
• Highlight one or two achievements during the introduction and make them relevant to the selection criteria for the job.
• Discuss future hopes and how the role you are applying for fits into your plan

If you can answer confidently and succinctly (try to stick to under 2 minutes) you can be sure you’re getting your job interview off to a great start and projecting a professional image at the same time.

Case Study: Proactive Job Search and the Power of Networking

This week's blog was written by Trevor-Roberts Consultant, Kirsty Janney.

Trevor-Roberts has helped hundreds of people through the transition from one career to another.  Some customers come to us because they are ready for a change and need some professional advice and guidance.  Some come to us through a corporate program, after losing their role through a restructure.

We work with hundreds of customers and every now and then one stands out with a  great story.  One such example is Mark, one of our recent Career Transition customers.  Mark approached his career transition journey with an open mind and was ready to treat the process of finding his next job – as his current job.  The end result is that he has found a new role where he is happier, more fulfilled at work and in a more senior role than he was previously.  Much of his success came from his dedication to networking and proactive job search.  This is particularly relevant in a tight job market.

Mark is now a General Manager for a National Quick Service Food and Restaurant company.  He has worked in various General Management, Purchasing and Logistics roles in the food industry most of his career and came to Trevor- Roberts when he realized he needed to make a change, albeit in a tough job market.  

Here’s Mark’s story.  

“When I first contacted Trevor-Roberts, I was unhappy in my role and had been for some time. I had taken the role on, at a less senior level than my previous position, because I needed a change from an extremely high-pressure career.  I had been travelling up to 4 and 5 months per year and was missing time away from my family, including my teenage children.  

Initially the role provided everything I wanted, which was a better life balance and more time to spend with my family.  The role was less senior than I was used to.  However, I had taken it on with the understanding that the current General Manager was soon to retire and all things going well, I would be seriously considered as his replacement.

But, what I thought would be a 2 year stretch, turned into a 6 year stretch.  I was not getting the involvement in senior level decision-making. I didn’t feel supported by the current manager and I was increasingly unfulfilled in the role.  

I realized it was time for a change.  At the time the situation was getting me down, which was affecting my family life and general well being.  So, I contacted Trevor-Roberts, as I had known Edwin Trevor-Roberts and Deborah Wilson for some time, although I had never used their services.

I approached the situation with a very open mind.  The atmosphere that Trevor-Roberts provided was extremely supportive. I would call it a very caring and nurturing environment.  This was very important at the time, as I was in a very challenging situation.  

My consultant focused on listening and working to understand me and my individual situation.

I went through a series of assessments, which were carried out systematically but in a very supportive way.  I never felt like a number. They spent time delving down to help me understand more about myself.  They also gave me the value of a reality check, always using a coaching approach and encouraged me to be very open, look at opportunities and use my network.  Trevor-Roberts gave me the tools to get a better understanding of myself and to give them a better understanding of me at the same time.

I approached my job search very systematically. As well as applying for advertised roles, I started a proactive marketing campaign.  My consultant encouraged me to use my existing network, as I had so many contacts in the industry.  I used the networking tools to create a list of peers, colleagues and also indirect contacts in the industry.  This created a list of about 70 people.  

We then worked on my one-page marketing document. This gives you a way to communicate quite succinctly who you are and what you want.  It covered the target companies where I thought I had something to offer, my achievements, my interests and my strengths.

I worked very closely with my consultant on this document, so that it very clearly stated my value proposition and what I was looking for. We also created my elevator pitch.  The value of Trevor-Roberts through this process was considerable.  They helped me to refine and hone these documents until they were much more impactful.  I was open to their feedback, 

I also developed a range of resumes that were tailored for the various types of roles I was applying for.  I would call these “Horses for Courses”, in other words they were targeted, so that I was pitching myself to match exactly what they were looking for.

I then systematically started working through the network list I had created.  I asked people if they minded me sharing my contact letter and resume with them and asked if it was OK to ring back in a couple of weeks.  I followed up each contact until I got through.  My success rate was close to 100%, in terms of making contact with everyone on the list.  Bearing in mind I had some kind of relationship with these people, and if they weren’t a direct contact – I asked my contact if they minded me using their name.  

I treated it like a project.  Quite quickly, I received a call from a contact who had forwarded my documents to the CEO of the company.  The CEO wanted to meet me, and although he didn’t have a role existing, he was interested in what I had to offer.  A few weeks after this meeting, I was asked to come in for an interview with the HR Manager.

To prepare for both these discussions I did some intensive interview preparation with Trevor-Roberts and we drafted up a list of questions I wanted to ask the company.  I wanted to make sure my next step would be the right one.  

Basically the HR Manager offered me the role during that interview.  I ran through all my questions, and fortunately the job ticked all my boxes.  I’m extremely happy in the role.  I’m supported and empowered with a CEO who has allowed me to grow the team.  I enjoy the people I work with.  I have a like-minded, hard working team.  We operate with honesty, integrity and we have fun as well. 

Throughout the process I maintained an open attitude.  I decided that if I learned one thing that I didn’t know before, that the process was worthwhile.  I maintained regular feedback and follow up with my consultant throughout the process, and I focused on listening and learning what I could.  I also felt very supported and nurtured by my consultant and the other people at Trevor-Roberts.  The professional guidance, support and advice I received was invaluable to me.”

Mark’s story is a great example of how an experienced Career Consultant can assist in the Career Transition journey. It shows the benefits of working closely with a partner who is focused on understanding you, developing a plan and keeping you moving towards the end goal. At Trevor-Roberts our consultants work with people like this every day, so we understand the market and we work to develop a plan of action that is both realistic and supportive.  

Why not ask us how proactive career planning can create a more fulfilling career for you?



(Note: Names in this story have been changed to protect confidentiality.)

Manage Change Well and Reap the Rewards

Part of our challenge in working with individuals, comes from witnessing how different people react to the same event.  Frequently we see more than one employee from the same workplace.  These employees may have come from a similar group, do similar work, and may have worked with the employer for the same amount of time.

Obviously there are a range of issues that can impact on how well people react to significant changes in their lives.  Personality type, personal situation and availability of support networks (such as close family and friends outside of work) can all combine so that one person handles a difficult situation better than another. 

Some of these elements are within our personal control and others less so.  Trevor-Roberts coaches use a range of strategies to help our customers focus on the issues that are within their control, such as understanding how and why they react to change. Some people have a more naturally positive outlook and choose to view life-changing events, such as a retrenchment, as an opportunity.  These individuals may be more comfortable with change and risk. 

Others see change as more of a threat.  The way we react to change can be a result of our individual circumstances, upbringing and past experiences.  However, changing our internal dialogue and focusing on the positives instead of the negatives, can make a major transition less stressful.

How do you do this? The strategies are different for each person. Some people find it’s good to use little reminders in their home or work environment, like post it notes, screen savers and alerts on their mobile phone.  Others practice pausing and reflecting before they react.  Some customers we work with find it helpful to meditate, exercise more or simply spend time with positive people.

At the end of the day, whatever works for you, works for you.  There is a mine of information available and theories abound about how to increase your positivity.  We focus on telling our customers to brainstorm and then actively seek out activities and people that make them feel better and simply actively avoid things that bring them down.  Sometimes it helps to write a list.

Improving the way you deal with change can help you to become more adaptable, more resilient and better able to take advantage of new circumstances in your team and workplace.  It’s a key skill to develop.  And the time to practice is now, so you can be ready to handle change well when it occurs.

Paradox: Complexity VS Simplicity

This week's blog was written by Edwin Trevor-Roberts, PhD.

I was recently discussing with the CEO of an NGO in the human services sector about their organisational structure which had been implemented two years previously.  As with any restructure, some parts were working well while other parts were not. The people the organisation serve - clients in need - were receiving fantastic service as seen in the increased growth of the organisation, however, internally there is a lot of noise.

We had facilitated a session with the broader management team to gather their feedback about what was working well and what was not. The themes that emerged were not dissimilar to what other organisations struggle with: systems and processes; volume of work; lack of capability in some leaders; lack of clarity on strategy; and decision making.

Viewed together, the challenges facing the organisation are complex. Throw in a shared services model and issues of accountability and responsibility become blurred.  Our conversation was far reaching and intense, as we fluidly used our systems approach to restructures to guide our thinking. The more we discussed the complexity, a fascinating paradox emerged:

The greater the complexity, the simpler the solution.

In this case the simple solution was to focus on the key goals that connect the purpose of the organisation with the operational strategies. Managers and staff knew what to do, knew the mission and values but lacked understanding of the connecting piece so that they could prioritise, and make, decisions.

I'm not suggesting that there won't be complications in implementing the solution, however, the focus is simple.

In viewing the next period of transition for your organisation, division or team, work hard to identify and create a simple focus. Creating complexity is easy. Crafting eloquent simplicity is not. As Mark Twain said: “Sorry I wrote you a long letter, I didn't have time to write a short one".

Two Emerging Trends in Leadership Development - A Perspective from Bill Andrew

This week's blog is an interview with Bill Andrew, Director Service Delivery and Leadership Consultant at Trevor Roberts.

Bill Andrew, our Director, Service Delivery and Leadership Consultant at Trevor-Roberts has worked as an Executive Manager and Consultant for over 15 years. His expertise is coaching CEO’s, leaders and their teams to assist them to acquire new perspectives on leadership. Here are his thoughts on how he helps Australian business leaders to improve their effectiveness at work.

“I enjoy using my experience to help leaders utilize new ways of thinking about their challenges and take a different perspective on their work role. My challenge is to be able to quickly grasp the key issues and then, using a holistic systems perspective, invite reflection on current practice and consider alternative actions.

The cornerstone of my work lies in Reflective Practice. This gives leaders the chance to reflect and build their own theory of action and work out ways to apply this in the future.

The rewards for me come from seeing leaders develop an awareness that they may not have had previously and seeing them apply this and get better outcomes for their organization and themselves.

Over the past few years I have seen two distinct trends in management thinking. One is driven by economic reality and we are seeing a trend towards “back to basics” driven by the fiscal climate. This can result in restructures, staff reduction and a focus on technology (often accompanied by a command and control mentality).

For leaders, the issue is to retain your organizational performance, strategy and culture throughout these processes. Any restructure causes uncertainty and a risk of loss of organizational knowledge. Leaders are under continuous pressure from their Boards to do more with less. So my role is to help them think through how they can review their structure and strategy and ensure alignment of the organization culture that underpins delivery of the strategy.

The second trend I see is around a shift to a non-traditional leadership model. As organisations become more facilitative and leader-follower integrated, we see a change in leadership styles. In the past we saw more acceptance of a leader who “calls the shots” but now it’s apparent this model is no longer effective.

Leaders need to be able to motivate their workforce to come on the journey with them. How does the leader mentally make that shift? What skills do they need? How can they evaluate their personal effectiveness? These issues are key for leaders who are looking to have a positive impact on their organization and their workforce, who are searching for a new way of interacting with the leadership model.”

Bill Andrew’s experience extends across line management and consulting with a wide range of organisations throughout Australia and New Zealand in a diverse range of industries including: Mining/resources, Science and Technology, Telecommunications and Transport, Infrastructure (Water and Energy), and Banking and finance and all levels of government. Bill leads our Delivery Team throughout Australia.

If you could go back in time and start a change project again…

“If you could go back in time and start a change project again, what would you do differently?”

This was the question we posed to some of our valued clients and through a frank interview process we recently undertook. Overwhelmingly, two critical aspects emerged for a successful transition.

First, the effective management of the change process.  When change programs are well managed, employees feel that they understand the reason for the change, how it impacts on them and what they need to do differently in the future. Stakeholders can see a positive impact on the business as a result of the project. For the management team, achieving these goals is often the result of months of preparation work.

 Second, leading people through the transition is vital. This involves the tools and development for our leaders to succeed in transforming others during the transition.

 These are just the first two aspects that emerged from our conversations. Click here to download our Leading Through Transition Tip Sheet.

Resilience

In a workshop this week there was a lengthy discussion about resilience.  The team described resilience in many ways including mental toughness, the ability to get back up after a failure, persistence and staying positive in tough times.

How’s the resilience in your team?

Having a resilient team means that you can rely on people to carry on through challenges and setbacks, it also creates better commitment to your team goals.

How can you create more resilience in your team at work?

The power of positive dialogue – Increase your awareness of how many positive conversations you have at work.  Talented leaders can highlight positive events and achievements no matter what the situation.  Taking the time to highlight learnings, achievements and small wins in a meeting can change the mood of the team enormously.  So often we focus on what we haven’t done and what’s missing.  Instead change the emphasis and discuss how much progress has been made and how much you have learned as a team.

Be supportive – Teams that feel supported by their manager are more likely to be proactive and achieve more.  We speak to managers who feel that they spend their days with a long line outside the office that never goes away.  Consider your management style. Do your employees know that you support them if they are proactive?  What is your approach when something goes wrong? Do you look for blame, or do you use failures as a learning opportunity?

Life Balance – Modeling a good life balance and encouraging others to do the same can create better physical resilience in your team.  Taking a short walk at lunchtime can often give you a better perspective on work.  Congratulate your team for the hard work they do during the day, instead of staying back night after night. 

Recognise good work – When team members know they are likely to be recognised for their work, they are more likely to persist with difficult challenges or a hard project.  There are many effective ways to recognise good performance.  Whether you offer recognition informally, as an agenda item in a team meeting, via a group email, or by telling more senior managers about your team member’s performance.  The important element is that your team knows that you see what a great job they do and that you appreciate it.

Creating resilience to help support high performance doesn’t have to be expensive or time consuming.  Raising your own awareness about creating positive dialogue, searching for ways to give good feedback and supporting your team to be proactive can give them more confidence and create better morale at work.

The Private Sector: Missed Opportunity or Time in the Sun?

At the recent national conference of the CDAA, I presented on the opportunity and threats for career professionals working with the private sector.

The private sector is the ‘forgotten cousin’ of the career field caught between the size of the education market and the social imperative of working with those marginalised. Yet private sector career practitioners directly assist the largest at-need group: the ‘working wounded’.

It is here that the career field faces its greatest opportunity - and its greatest threat - as it struggles to maintain relevance in the face of a rapidly changing environment.

Whilst the Outplacement Industry in Australia right now is growing, with revenue at $130 m and figures up 2.5% on last year, it is critical for our industry to maintain our focus on continual learning, professional standards for our clients, and above all a willingness to reinvent ourselves to stay relevant and useful to our clients. Moreover, the world of work is rapidly changing and the career profession must continuously evolve to stay abreast of trends.

A brief summary of the key concepts in the presentation can be seen below.

Beyond Performance Management

Here’s a fascinating paradox. We’ve all heard that the annual performance review isn’t effective and that managers should instead provide regular feedback on performance. And yet, the annual performance review remains the dominant process used by organisations. There are two reasons for this. First, the notion of work remains stuck in the industrial age where a person’s ‘performance’ (read: productivity) could be measured by the speed at which they completed a defined and discrete set of tasks. In today’s post knowledge economy it is difficult to precisely measure performance when the inputs into work are vague and complex. Think about the emotional labour undertaken by a nurse where his or her effectiveness is as much about how they do it as what they do.

Second, performance management remains dominant within organisations because the Executive Leadership Team needs data with which to make decisions. Executives are focussed, among other things, on increasing productivity and minimising risk. Therefore metrics on performance are useful data to have.

Or are they?

Lets challenge this sacred cow for a moment. What would happen if we focussed less on the outputs of work and instead focussed on the environment to foster great work? In such an environment, managers would know the deep motivations of each of their team members and would help them develop and grow in the direction they wanted to. Senior leaders would reinforce the reason why the organisation exists and explain this purpose consistently and constantly often through great stories. Everyone would know why they come to work and how they will achieve the purpose.

“Performance Management” in its traditional sense wouldn’t occur.  Don’t get me wrong though – breaches of the behavioural expectations would be treated swiftly and strongly else a culture of mediocrity would arise.

Managers wouldn’t have the annual performance review, but instead have ‘enrichment’ conversations and jointly set agreed activities, such as specific development goals, to ensure a connection between what is done on a weekly and monthly basis nurtures their innate drive and motivation.

Great performance comes from believing in a person, not measuring them.

Looking after your management team during a restructure

Restructures can be difficult for everyone involved.  In particular it’s important to keep your management team motivated and resilient throughout the process.  They are your key to a successful transition and it’s important to consider their needs and make sure they are supported.

The management team can have a three-pronged responsibility during a change process.  They can be responsible for the development of the strategic plan, the implementation of the plan and also for the emotional fall out that may happen as a result of the changes throughout the workplace.

Recognise that managers may have heightened emotions themselves about the changes, including uncertainty about their own roles and also about their colleagues.

In addition, managers may be required to deliver the news about the change project to their teams.  In this case they may feel some trepidation about the news that they are delivering, and could benefit from some coaching or a chance to role-play this with another colleague in advance.

Managers are often required to deal with a range of emotions from their team during a change process. Normal reactions to change are varied and sometimes it can be hard to know what to say to a team member who is dealing with difficult emotions.  It’s important that managers understand the range of normal reactions to change and are prepared to deal with these.

Some reactions may include:

• Feeling overwhelmed or withdrawing from others
• Feeling irritable or over-reacting to small things
• Self doubt
• Anger
• Shock and disbelief
• Confusion

These emotions can be directed at either the manager or co-workers.  It’s important to prepare managers about the range of possible emotions they may encounter from team members and also give them advice on ways to handle these conversations.

During a change project the manager will become the source of information about the changes for their team.  Make sure your managers are supported with a good understanding of why the changes are happening, the timeline of changes and also that they know when future updates will come.  Keep your updates to managers regular and consistent, so that they can be seen as a good source of information and knowledge by their teams.

Make sure your managers know about any counseling services you have available.  (We recommend Access EAP.)  This is a great source of help during a change project as it can help to take the pressure off your managers to become counselors to their team, which is not their role.

Encourage your managers to maintain a healthy life balance.  Managers can often bear the brunt of high expectations during a change project.  In addition during times of change, many employees feel uncertain about their own careers.  Your managers may respond to this uncertainty by working longer hours.  Encourage them to stay healthy and balanced during the change process, as this will give them more resilience and ability to manage the process well in the long run.

For more information, read our previous blogs. 
The number one redundancy mistake organisations make.
Retrenched: Why “she’ll be right, mate” won’t make it right.

Looking after your team during a restructure

How can managers keep performance from dipping during a transition?  Ensuring your team stays engaged throughout the change process can be a tricky job. 

People look to their manager during transition to provide guidance, advice, information and support.

So, here are some tips for managers about how to do a great job of looking out for your team during a transition.

 

 

1.      Listen - Spend time with people in your team, just listening.  Hear their concerns.  People may be experiencing anger, frustration or feeling confused about how the changes will impact on them.  Some people may need to “let off steam”. Taking the time to listen to your employees helps them feel valued.  In fact one of the most important indicators of employee satisfaction is often whether they feel their managers listen to them and value their opinions.

 

2.      Get the facts – As the manager it’s important that you have a good handle on the facts around the restructure and communicate these as soon as they come to hand. The more your staff understand and accept the need for business change, the more positively they'll respond to the change process.  Find out as much as you can about the process of the transition, timings, whether any employees will be retrenched and other key information.

 

3.      Provide stability where you can – During a transition, many employees report that uncertainty is one of the key issues that leads to stress.  Having weekly team meetings, regular email updates and one on one meetings with team members are all great ways of making sure your team feels supported and “in the know”. 

 

4.      Be creative about stress reduction – If your team reports they are feeling particularly stressed, why not have a team building session on stress reduction?  Ask everyone in the team for their ideas on what works for them to reduce stress. Following this up in your team meetings can be a good morale booster and a great way of building team spirit.

 

5.      Deal with negative attitudes head on – If a team member is particularly negative about the change process, meet with them directly to work through their issues and ask for a constructive approach.  Taking their concerns seriously can go a long way to getting difficult people on board.

 

6.      Create support networks – There are other areas in your organisation that are available to help employees during transitions.  Your HR department may be a helpful source of information.  Perhaps you may have access to 3^rd party counselors for employees who are feeling particularly stressed.  Find out about other sources of support for your team and make sure people know where to go to if they need additional assistance.

 

7.      Take care of yourself – Managers often put themselves last during difficult times at work. Equip yourself so that you have enough resilience to be a great leader throughout the process.  Make sure you are getting enough sleep, recreation and good food to stay healthy, optimistic and energetic throughout the transition period.

Looking after your self during restructure

Looking after your self during restructure

Restructures are all too common in the workplace.  During a transition many people find themselves feeling stressed which takes a toll as time goes on.  Stress can impact our work performance, personal lives and physical and mental well being.  If the change is a long-term project, employees can come out at the other end feeling drained and depleted. 

 

There are many ways to stay refreshed and vital during organizational change. Successful organizational transition is a result of a concerted team effort. So this is an important time to take care of yourself and make sure you maintain a level of optimism and commitment to staying healthy and positive.  Here are some tips to remember when dealing with change at work:

Eat well, exercise and drink water - This may seem like an obvious tip but many people report that after a restructure they have worked long hours and neglected spending time on the things that make them feel good about themselves.

 

Self Talk – You are what you think.  Be conscious of what you think and stop yourself from having negative thoughts.  Focus on your strengths, skills, capabilities and achievements.  At the end of the week, instead of worrying about what hasn’t been done, switch to focusing on how much you have achieved.

 Be positive – Adjust your attitude to notice the positive things around you.  See the positive in situations and people.  If you find yourself being dragged into negative conversations, make an effort to avoid these situations and people who tend to “bring you down”.

 Be prepared for change – Change is becoming the norm for today’s organizations.  Increased competition means that many companies are forced to change quickly in order to survive.  So, instead of fearing change or resisting it - you can choose to prepare yourself mentally for the inevitable changes that are likely to occur.

Focus on what you can control – When we focus on what we can control, we tend to derive more satisfaction and a sense of achievement.  If you find yourself focusing on things you can’t control (like how long a transition is taking and how it may impact on your role), try to switch to focusing on things at work you can control.  Items within your control may include individual projects, a tidy workspace, building relationships within your team and maintaining a positive attitude at work.

 

Maintain your productivity – Often during a transition, productivity can dip as people wonder, “What’s the point, will I even have a job tomorrow?”  Maintaining a motivated attitude to your work helps to build self-esteem and a sense of purpose.   You can also build your value to the company by showing your commitment to doing a great job, even through tough times.

 

 

“Where do you want to be in five years?”

This week's blog comes from Jennifer Howe, Executive Manager Client Development at Trevor-Roberts.

This is one of the most common interview questions asked of job candidates. In fact, I was asked this question in one of a comprehensive series of interviews to enter IBM’s graduate recruitment program in the early 1990’s. With youthful bravado I responded to the Sales Manager with “in your job” – obviously showing the right level of ambition as I was hired. In reality, I didn’t have a definitive answer to that question and still don’t.

There are many hiring managers around who believe that potential employment candidates must have a fixed and suitably ambitious career plan to be credible. The fear is, that if they don’t have a ready answer such as “I want to a Financial Controller in two years and a CFO in five”, they lack motivation and drive.

Career goals, like all goals, play a very important role. As Alice in Wonderland so nicely put it "If you don't know where you're going, any road will get you there.” However, many people (and certainly most university graduates) don’t know what jobs are out there, or which jobs they will be best suited to. And the jobs that are out there today will be different again in five years’ time – some will have disappeared and new ones will have taken their place. Unforeseen career opportunities will present themselves which need to be recognised and then seized with both hands if they are right for you.

I see it as more helpful to set career “aspirations” than to have a pre-defined career path. If you want to work overseas you need to become skilled in an area which increases your employability in other countries, or join a multinational company or government organisation that offers international transfers or assignments.  Develop a list of job “attributes” you seek, such as the ability to influence corporate direction, or not being desk-bound, or having regular opportunity to present to large groups. These can guide your career direction without being prescriptive about the job.

A smart, capable and ambitious graduate being interviewed today may not know what they want to be in five years, but could be the best hire the company ever made. This graduate could turn the question back to the interviewer and justifiably ask “where could I be if I worked for this organisation for five years?”.

As long as “Where do you want to be in five years?” continues to be asked in interviews, you should be authentic to your own career aspirations whilst talking into account your understanding of the organisation’s expectations for that role.  Once you are in the job, be ready to recognise and grab those great opportunities that help you achieve your career aspirations.

Why it pays to be a good salary negotiator.

Our last blog focused on Salary Negotiation.  Some of the feedback we received from clients who read the blog was that they wanted more practical advice on what to say and when to say it.

 

“Negotiation does not begin until you have a written job offer in hand.  If an offer is not made, you don’t negotiate and you definitely keep your job search active.”

Charles H Logue

 

The time to discuss salary is in the final interview stage.  It’s important to give your employer a chance to get to know you, to see how well you would fit into their company culture and to give yourself a chance to outshine the other applicants. Conversely, why discuss salary until you are really sure that this is the place you want to work?

Keep your cool, don’t be the first to raise the salary issue.  There is an old adage that whoever discusses salary first, generally loses the salary negotiation in the end.

 

Remember that in a salary negotiation, everything is negotiable.  Think of the overall salary package as a long sheet of options.  At the top are your base salary, superannuation, bonus and other monetary items.  Underneath this is a long list of items that you will need to quantify in advance, so that you know the exact dollar value of each.  Work out the value of everything on the list, including shares, parking at your new location, FBT, Novated lease for your partner, health insurance, discounted loans, health club membership, study leave, rostered day off, childcare, study assistance, etc.

 

Remember it’s the take home pay after tax that is the most important.

 

Another item that you may want to add to your negotiation list is annual leave.  It can be very restorative to take a break between finishing your current role and starting your next role.  Perhaps taking 2 weeks off is more important to you than negotiating extra salary.   These upfront negotiations are the time to mention this.

 

Remember that the goal of any negotiation is to achieve a win-win outcome.  You will need to be prepared to compromise some of your negotiation items.  Keep your ideal salary in mind as well as your lowest acceptable figure.  Make sure that all verbal discussions are followed up in writing.

 

Another element to keep in mind in salary negotiation is pace.  Hiring feelings can cool quickly.  Don’t take too long to decide, and make sure you respond to all communications promptly and politely.  Don’t waste your prospective employer’s time.

 

In the event you can’t reach an agreement, conclude your negotiations quickly and make sure you reiterate your enthusiasm for the role.  The hiring manager may find it difficult to find a better candidate than you in which case you could end up being the successful applicant after all.