Career moves require careful thought and an action plan. Passively reading a couple of career articles is no substitute for interactive dialogue with family, friends, colleagues, mentors, recruitment consultants and, above all, yourself.
Below are some or Retailworld Resourcing’s tips and advice to assist with your career planning.
Self Awareness
Devote some time for a quick chat with yourself - what are your short, medium and long term career aims? What really gets you excited about going to work in the morning? Where do you want your career to take you? If you have a definite goal, gain experience that will get you there quickest; if not, then choose a route that broadens your experience and skills, thereby keeping your options open. If you are not sure where you want your career to take you, think about the things you like doing and are good at - this is often a good starting point.
Choice of Position
Make sure in thinking about your next job, you consider all of the things you like and dislike about your existing job. It is easy to fall into reactive decision making when it comes to your career. Just wanting to leave a job as soon as possible because something annoyed you is not beneficial for you and can often result in decisions that are not well thought through. In choosing a new job, think about the things you would like to learn or skills or experience you would like to build on.
Choice of Organisation
Before joining any company, good research is essential, and has never been easier since the introduction of the Internet. Find out as much as you can about an organisation’s size, functions, markets, locations and reputation well before the job interview stage. Consider the market as a whole - what are the growth opportunities, what are the drivers, what are the limitations, where are they positioned against competitors?
The fundamental questions to consider are:
Size of Organisation
Large organisations are still regarded as safe career moves, leaving medium term options more flexible. They provide a recognised name for your CV, well developed training programmes and exposure to sophisticated management, systems, markets and processes.
Larger organisations can offer the opportunity to develop managerial capabilities and learn from an experienced team of professionals. There may also be the opportunity to move between different areas and be seconded into different positions, which can aid ‘self discovery’ and help formulate a career development plan.
Smaller companies have a higher risk factor but may provide good returns if you select the right one - and at the right time in your career. A thorough research process is key to identifying a small, dynamic organisation that will offer you career options.
When to Move
A forced change of circumstances - such as relocation, redundancy or dismissal are unfortunate but obvious reasons to start looking for a new position. Too many people wait until repetition and boredom consume them at work to look at moving on. The best time to move on is when things are going well - you are in a better frame of mind to make good decisions, interview at your best and leave your organisation on a high note.
Want to know what you are worth?
SEEK Pay Check enables you to find out what salaries and benefits people in similar positions to you are receiving throughout Australia. Make sure you know what you are worth before you have your next pay review or if you are going for a new job! SEEK Pay Check, what are you worth?
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Retailworld Resourcing is a recruitment agency that specialises in the retail sector. We place people in retail jobs in New Zealand and retail jobs in Australia, throughout all areas and levels within the retail industry.
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