Just how hard is it to break out of making a bad job decision?

Decisions memeI placed a candidate this month who’d had a steady general office admin job for 8 years. Very poorly paid (on minimum wage for all that time & only moved up as she’d hit 21) & had taken what she felt was the right move, into a completely different working arena. Her thought process was solid: her disillusionment at being ‘left alone’ in her job by poor employers had disappointed her. She was unrewarded daily by the environment & financially. So she moved jobs, deliberately doing something completely different she thought she’d be good at. She has patience & on meeting her, clearly evidenced, caring traits & so went into Care.

10 months later I met her.

She was practically on a zero hour contract, had to work split shifts (this had barely been explained to her). She did enjoy the caring side of the role & yes, earned more money than previously, but had realized her mistake & had gone back to applying to admin jobs with no positive responses at all. It had started to dawn on her that she’d made a poor career move.

Was she right?

Broadly speaking….yes

The problem with job seeking in a very saturated market isn’t you. It’s the market. Some jobs; retail, care, hospitality, seem awfully devalued in the office world of work. They tend to be easy to slip into but hard to break out of & employers don’t seem to find them that attractive on CV’s. Time slips & you end up starting something for a ’stop-gap’ & being there 3 years. This candidate recognized fast the passage of time & was flexible in her approach to get back into mainstream office work & it’s THIS that’s crucial.

We got her a brilliant, well matched job. She prepared for her interview & did research & went in with questions. She took it seriously from the start. When it was offered she got slightly less money than she wanted. The start time is a little earlier than a busy Mum (which is what she is) would’ve liked BUT she glossed over the small, possibly negative detail & looked at the bigger picture & realized it was a brilliant chance to get back into an office environment with a solid, rewarding organization. And she was right to be flexible.

She’s an excellent candidate. She’ll be loyal & show her true colours fast. She’ll learn, be open to learning & she’s ready to settle in an administrative role & add real value to their Team. 6 more months & she probably would’ve REALLY struggled to get back into an office job. No matter how good she was.

My advice if you’ve ‘slipped’ into retail, care or hospitality & you really don’t like it & want to be back in an office – be flexible with what you’re looking for. Time moves fast & always remember (this goes for any applicant) there are lots of candidates doing that job right now that may look more appealing & crucially, keep an eye on your IT skills: bluntly put, if they slip & you’re really going to struggle. And all jobs require some admin function: make sure your CV clearly states what they are.

I’m Roseanne Stockton & I successfully run Nu-Recruit Career Consultants – I place permanent & temporary candidates of the very best quality into great local employers & jobs in Liverpool, Chester & Wirral. In a no-fuss, no nonsense way.

And I love what I do.

Call me if you think my experience will help you get the best candidate for your job! And please feel free comment on my Blog…..

One response to “Just how hard is it to break out of making a bad job decision?”

  1. James Scott says:

    Yes that’s right, your CV must clearly represent what skills you actually hold. For instance, if you had been a hiring manager in the past related to the field of IT, then your CV should include that you were working in the IT recruitment agency with the specified tasks.

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