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Career doctor Q & A...
Thanks to all of you who emailed our career doctor with a question. Sophie says; "Although I would love to personally respond to each individual query, it seemed a better idea to choose commonly asked themes and include them in our newsletter so that everyone can benefit from the advice".
Sophie's answers to some of the most frequently asked questions are featured below. If you have a question you'd like answering, please email the career doctor and sign up to receive the career doctor monthly newsletter.
Help! I always freeze during interviews...
The more nervous you are the more uptight you get and so it goes on. To overcome this you'll need two patient friends and a video camera. Practice your interviews with one friend playing the interviewer and the other friend videoing the session. Ask the interviewer to read the job advertisement and your CV, and then set you some questions based on them. Get them to include some tough questions, e.g. What are your weaknesses?, what could you have improved upon in your last role? And why do you want the job? These are all standard questions that are likely to crop up so preparation is key. Don't discuss the format of the interview, it's better if you're surprised as you won't know what to expect anyway when it comes to the real thing. When you've done this, watch the video back and you'll naturally self-critique; keep trying until you're happy with your performance.
How much personal information is required on my CV?
Clearly you need to include contact information but for the record, there's no requirement to include personal information like your marital status or age. It's not relevant to your suitability for the role - unless you're appearing on a reality TV show where being single may be a requirement! Any requests for personal information should be stated and explained in the job description, such as the need for a clean driving licence for example. There's no need for you to justify lifestyle choices such as why you want to work part-time, suitability for the role is all that should matter to the recruiter.
Can I believe everything I read in a job advertisement?
Job advertisements are subject to the same legal controls as other advertisements and published materials. In other words, they can't make false claims on things like salary, location and all other details. Make sure you keep a record of the jobs you've applied for, including saving, printing or photocopying the actual job ad.
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Should I stay or should I go? I've made the wrong move, now i'm stuck...help!
Many of us have felt that we're stuck in a job at some point in our career. Before you leap though, make sure of a few things; work through what you do like about the job as well as what you don't, check that your reasons for leaving aren't toally people-orientated. If the issue is people-related, try tackling their behaviour first. If you were looked over for a promotion or specialisation, try raising this with your line manager and ask for feedback on what you might do to improve your chances.
There is a lot you can do to improve your working environment. If after reflecting on your situation you're still determined to go, be sure to find a job that makes you happier based on all of the above. And don't worry if you find yourself unemployed for a little while - treat finding your dream job like a full time job in itself and keep in mind that you'll be better off in the end.
Catch 22 - how do I gain experience in a role that I have no experience in?
There are two ways to tackle this issue. Firstly, look at the role you want to work in and check that it's not too narrow; if thats the case you might want to consider working in the industry or sector in a less specialised position to begin with then work your way up.
The second way is to gain the relevant experience unpaid e.g. through voluntary work, through local businesses or on a part-time basis. This approach has the double advantage of enabling you to build up a career network in the process.
How do I gain confidence to break into a new field?
No one could blame you for lacking in confidence a little if you're stuck in a career rut. You could parallel it with being a contestant on big brother - the longer it goes on the more you start to lose you sense of proportion and start to believe everything you hear. A way of gaining perspective on your situation is to look back at your achievements over the past couple of years. Write them up as though you'r completing a self-assessment appraisal and you'll soon build confidence in the realisation of all the things you've achieved.
Make sure you include every project you've worked on, and every change at work that you've been involved in - no matter how small you felt your part might have been, every little bit of input adds up to being significant to the change as a whole. List all of the skills that you used from time-management to advanced Excel for example. When you read it back you'll see how transferrable your skills are adding up to being a valuable asset to all sorts of organisations. As your friends and close colleagues how they would describe you; in doing this you'll get a holistic sense of perspective and self-worth. Then start looking for jobs online and remember what you've achieved and hey presto, you're on your way to making that break!
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Salary cut vs stability - which should I go for?
In truth, if you're changing career or returning to work after a break of over 6 months; the jobs on offer are likely to be at a lower starting pay than your former job. So staying at your current emplyer or in the same sector may not be such a bad offer.
You should factor in benefits, cost and travel time etc. but above all, job satisfaction. There are of course exceptions to the rule, the above won't necessarily apply to moving to contract work, freelance and specialist consultant work.
I've got bills to pay - how can I go after my dream job?
We've all got bills to pay and most of us tend to live within our means. So if we're earning good money we tend to upgrade and spend to what we earn. This can make it very difficult to switch careers, but not impossible. One way to approach this is to write down your earnings and outgoings - what you earn and what you spend it on. Do the same for if you changed jobs and then look at what's eating up most of your income or where you could cut down your spending.
If there's still a big deficit it becomes a question of how much you value your dream job. Perhaps you could rent out a room, cycle to work or relocate. There are always possibilities and if you're seriously considering catthing your dream you may want to speak to an Independent Financial Adviser (you can find them listed at www.adviceonline.co.uk).
I want to move from public to private sector, can you give me any advice?
This can be a tough career move because the public sector offers very structured career paths and lots of job stability. This is not true of private industry as it varies from organisation to organisation. If you're planning to swithc from one to the other, you need to communicate your value as a future employee in a way that can be understood by your next employer. This means using generic terms to describe your skills, experience and qualifications. Don't use acronyms - the public sector is steeped with them and it's gobbledegook to most in the private sector.
As with job moves and career changes, do your research. Match your skills to the requirement of the role and if you can, speak to someone that's already doing the job your thinking about so they can give you an insight into what it's really like.
What next?
For more guidance visit our career advice zone, or take a look at some of the other questions answered by the career doctor.
Alternatively, if you've had your career questions answered why not channel the new knowledge and start your job search now!
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