You all saw it! I was the first person to coin the phrase 2020 vision! A line that will no doubt be utilized in many a marketing campaign to the point of exhaustion throughout the year, just you remember blog faithful, I was the originator! Now, if we can all stop patting me on the back for what is the freshest line of this new decade I can seamlessly tie it into my blog topic.
I’ve been having a little think about the year ahead in between 11-hour flights back to blighty. Some LinkedIn heads will have seen my latest initiative play out online; posting brief profiles of candidates I am currently working with. Check it out, it’s a good lesson in marketing and righteousness. The end of the year is the perfect smokescreen for confronting questions. When I was home I was able to ask close friends about goals and ambitions without judgment, I think if I was to probe around personal improvement in July or August my mates would expect a slick pyramid scheme to follow soon after. As a rule of thumb, I only ask questions I personally would feel comfortable answering. So turning the gun on myself I thought what can I do to improve for the upcoming year? I landed on a resolution that will improve both my personal and professional life; In the morning, don’t reply to texts before having a shower. Seemingly innocuous but I’ve found I tend to shoot from the hip in the first few moments of consciousness.
For those who have already booked their sky diving/shark cage experience reading this in the gym with Roseta Stone in one ear and Duolingo in the other may scoff at my little resolution. True, it doesn’t fit into the first world’s usual Top 4; eat healthily, save money, exercise more and lose weight. Arguably some are double ups but for those interested in the breakdown YouGov; the international research data and analytics group based in London surveyed 1,174 US adults and results are as followed
Health, wellness, and spirituality all at the forefront of people’s minds with the impending year. It seems that capitalism hasn’t quite crushed as many spirits as hoped for with no professional/career-focused goals dominating the public psyche. Worry not drones! I’ve been doing the leg work and albeit somewhat personal to myself I thought I could share some of the guidelines I’ll be adhering to this calendar year;
Don’t leave your ‘out of office’ to the last minute
Oh, the rage that consumed Jon Rice upon finding out that I had neglected to tell clients and candidates alike I was on my holibobs! I’ll never forget. Slightly hyperbolic perhaps but after that one time, I’ve made it my business to always set it, probably because it gets brought up every time I go away. I have since found out you can set it weeks out to your departure, who knew?!
Early bird gets to worm in
I’ll be setting the alarm a little earlier and now I have purchased a lovely new bicycle the usual commute from College Hill will take less time. Resulting in me being able to reach more people before the start of work and considering most of my candidate base work in open-plan offices it’s almost a necessity.
Focus on your desk
I think this advice is universal for any agency recruiter. When I was training up a fledgling recruiter to take over my, in hindsight under-delivering, desk I installed a mantra that ‘we are an island’ Being a proud islander myself it’s an ethos I’m more than familiar with. Do not concern yourself with the external and concentrate on yours. To quite Grammy award winner Jay-Z “What you eat don’t make me shit”
Wait for buy-in
True on both the client and candidate side, probably more so on the candidate side in truth. One of the more frustrating lines I get is “I didn’t expect you to move so quickly” it’s a befuddling concept to engage a recruiter whose sole aim is to find you as many options as possible to then remark that you expected your CV to sit dormant in a database for a few weeks. Efforts can be saved by a bit more probing around and direct questioning.
There are a few others but I also don’t want to set myself up for a fall when people see me trudge into work at 9:15 am and remind me of my vows. I think at the core of all resolutions should be achievability and quantifiability; take the stairs, eat more fruit, stop smoking. Something that you can measure and ideally accomplish. Not to discourage lofty aims I just know that we as a society often ask if we have any new resolutions rather than if we accomplished previous resolutions. If you have any professional resolutions you’d like to share feel free and much like the 2020 gag can be plagiarized globally.
