Left job, where to start now?
Discussion
I know it's the worst recession in living memory but three weeks ago I left my job as a corporate bank manager without having a new one lined up.It was an amicable departure and I am now on extended garden leave.
I suppose the problem is I don't know if it's really banking that I want to do! I fell into banking 15 years ago, got onto a management training scheme and that bank along with my most recent employer (last 5 years) are the only two 'proper' jobs that I've ever had.
I've spent the last two weeks building contacts with a number of recruitment firms and have applied to similar roles with different banks but I'm just wondering if I'm missing a trick and not taking the opportunity to make a massive career change. Travelling has never appealed to me and I'm settled where I live (partner, family etc). Am I being naive imagining that my skills may be transferable?
I've rambled a bit but I guess what I'm after is advice on how to get a new job doing what I've always done or alternatively how to go about deciding what I really want to do.
Please help
I suppose the problem is I don't know if it's really banking that I want to do! I fell into banking 15 years ago, got onto a management training scheme and that bank along with my most recent employer (last 5 years) are the only two 'proper' jobs that I've ever had.
I've spent the last two weeks building contacts with a number of recruitment firms and have applied to similar roles with different banks but I'm just wondering if I'm missing a trick and not taking the opportunity to make a massive career change. Travelling has never appealed to me and I'm settled where I live (partner, family etc). Am I being naive imagining that my skills may be transferable?
I've rambled a bit but I guess what I'm after is advice on how to get a new job doing what I've always done or alternatively how to go about deciding what I really want to do.
Please help
Good questions Eric
I can sell, analyse accounts, network, manage risk, manage people. I've closed branches, set up new branches, restructured distressed lending, approved personal and business lending propositions.
Qualifications; Banking Certificate, CeFA and majority of ACIB
What do I want to do? That's the toughie!
I love dealing with business owners, even in these tough times. As a bank manager (and I guess you come across a few?) we get paid to talk to people and help them achieve their goals, it's not just shutting down failing businesses.
I can sell, analyse accounts, network, manage risk, manage people. I've closed branches, set up new branches, restructured distressed lending, approved personal and business lending propositions.
Qualifications; Banking Certificate, CeFA and majority of ACIB
What do I want to do? That's the toughie!
I love dealing with business owners, even in these tough times. As a bank manager (and I guess you come across a few?) we get paid to talk to people and help them achieve their goals, it's not just shutting down failing businesses.
To be honest, "bank managers" as a breed seem to be almost extinct - especially the ones who used to deal personallly with small businesses. Most of my clients seem to be able to operate without ever having to go near their banks (which doesn't say a lot for banks or my clients' expectations from banks).
There have been a few exceptions but the general situtaion seems to be, if a business needs tio talk to their bank, the bank generally won't want to talk to them.
There have been a few exceptions but the general situtaion seems to be, if a business needs tio talk to their bank, the bank generally won't want to talk to them.
In my experience (I do banking recruitment, and meet a lot of corporate bankers. Though this is in Asia so it may be less relevant to the UK market) you'll likely take a fair drop in pay by moving back to "the real world" unless you get into a good sales role and excel at it. Especially if you aren't using your 15 years experience at all.
I would be thinking through clients you met over the years and try to think which, if any, could be interesting places to work. A lot of these companies have great problems dealing with the banks and putting together strong business cases that will secure the funding they need. Whether that's in the finance department, some sort of investment management role or otherwise.
I would be thinking through clients you met over the years and try to think which, if any, could be interesting places to work. A lot of these companies have great problems dealing with the banks and putting together strong business cases that will secure the funding they need. Whether that's in the finance department, some sort of investment management role or otherwise.
Well I've decided to try to stick with financial services. I've had some introductions to some recruitment firms, applied direct to a couple of banks and hit all the job boards I can think of with my CV. I'm also building my Linked In profile up.
I'm just wondering if I'm missing anything else that I should be doing? Everything appears to be happening in slow motion, recruitment agents don't return emails or calls.
Any more advice or ideas would be gratefully received.
I'm just wondering if I'm missing anything else that I should be doing? Everything appears to be happening in slow motion, recruitment agents don't return emails or calls.
Any more advice or ideas would be gratefully received.
gjf764 said:
I'm just wondering if I'm missing anything else that I should be doing? Everything appears to be happening in slow motion, recruitment agents don't return emails or calls.
I don't mean to worry you but this is a bad sign. If my phone's not ringing regularly (whether I'm in work or not) then it's a sign the market is a bit quiet.gjf764 said:
Well I've decided to try to stick with financial services. I've had some introductions to some recruitment firms, applied direct to a couple of banks and hit all the job boards I can think of with my CV. I'm also building my Linked In profile up.
I'm just wondering if I'm missing anything else that I should be doing? Everything appears to be happening in slow motion, recruitment agents don't return emails or calls.
Any more advice or ideas would be gratefully received.
If your phone isn't ringing from recruitment agents, it's because they don't like you (or your CV) or else they don't know what to do with you.I'm just wondering if I'm missing anything else that I should be doing? Everything appears to be happening in slow motion, recruitment agents don't return emails or calls.
Any more advice or ideas would be gratefully received.
I work in recruitment (sales and senior management personnel usually in the £40-60k bracket but upto £500k) and I have a Sony national account manager with 18 years experience in the role on my books at present. He did £54m of sales in his best year, and was their yearly national AM twice. But I am finding it hard to find him a role and hence wondering what to do with him.
He's on £60k+ a year, and it needs a gap with a major electronics firm (ideally) and trying to speak with decision makers (or even find who those are) at major firms is proving problematic. I'm trying to do my best for him, and genuinely believe he is a great candidate; so I don't want to ring him back and admit defeat.
I would add though that you are better dealing with one recruitment firm - ideally one specialising in banking executive search. Sagar Wright in Leeds may be an idea. (Please note I work for GrassGreener and hence have no affiliation - there are 3 genuine headhunting firms in Leeds - Directorbank, GrassGreener and Sagar Wright all specialising in different areas).
If you deal with several recruitment/headhunters you make them all less inclined to really make an effort (as someone else could place you, leaving that firm with nothing for their efforts) together with the chance they will trip over each other in approaching firms etc. So my advice is to vet them carefully, and choose only the best not several, and to give them ALL your leads not approach some firms but not others.
PS - vetting - if you want suggestions please let me know.
Jimslips said:
That's a low salary for such a volume of sales...
It does sound it.But a lot of those kind of figures are really down to the set of accounts you get given as opposed to your ability. We have people billing a huge amount purely because they have the biggest clients that need to do business with us regardless.
okgo said:
It does sound it.
But a lot of those kind of figures are really down to the set of accounts you get given as opposed to your ability. We have people billing a huge amount purely because they have the biggest clients that need to do business with us regardless.
He was dealing with Argos, Comet and Dixon's as well as Sony independent's selling flat screen TV's back when they were very expensive and new-fangled. So yes, it would be hard to not ratch up a substantial quantity of sales. That said, his efforts were actually keeping a whole factory in business. But a lot of those kind of figures are really down to the set of accounts you get given as opposed to your ability. We have people billing a huge amount purely because they have the biggest clients that need to do business with us regardless.
I was more impressed when I bored down to how he'd managed the accounts - and some of the difficulties of dealing with that volume of orders. When Comet say they need £Xm of items in 2 weeks time and the lead time for production and shipping is 12 weeks, discussions arrive at the sharp end of 'interesting'. Ditto when one major chain goes ballistic that their competitor is getting a better deal on XYZ and are hence being undercut on price. With major accounts go major responsibility. I agree I thought he was underpaid, however.
bromers2 said:
Teaching ?
"A new survey by the Training and Development Agency for Schools has revealed that many newly-trained teachers are struggling to find secure jobs in England's schools.The newly qualified teacher (NQT) survey found that just under 45% of new primary teachers in England found permanent posts, compared with 25% of secondary teachers who qualified in 2008."
http://www.teachingtimes.com/articles/new-teachers...
gjf764 said:
I'm just wondering if I'm missing anything else that I should be doing? Everything appears to be happening in slow motion, recruitment agents don't return emails or calls.
I found myself staring down the redundancy barrel in July, I work in IT sales (and a fairly specific part of that industry) so first thing I did was called a few agents that I knew. They said the demands that clients were putting on them meant that they couldn't shoehorn someone into a job in the same way as they used to. One put it to me as a client was looking for a 239232 Panasonic remote control for a 2893345234 projector in beige, with a red power button. If no-one matched that, don't send anyone. You'd think it's just sales right? People who can sell a concept or has the basics of SPIN would be able to walk it and they'd throw the job at you? Not any more apparently
They weren't interested in transferrable skills, they knew what they wanted and it was all new business focussed with maybe 10-15% account management. And 5 agents had the same role
I've found, of the 3 agents I've always kept in with that none of them had anything that we could work on. When I looked at other agents, they weren't close enough to their clients to qualify out who their client was actually looking for, and hadn't asked questions that seemed obvious. I spent time chasing them, asking them to ask questions to get further info that wasn't in the spec. These weren't your average High St recruiters, they're fairly niche and specialist
So far I've been for 5 interviews. I've cherry picked in honesty as I'm looking for a job that I can do for more than 6 months and not want to strangle someone. But all of the activity is self generated. I've looked at where my strengths are, what I want to do for the next 5-10 years and found companies who I think there's a good fit. Then approached them direct with reasons why I want to talk to them.
Where I've left it to recruiters, they've been able to spend 40 minutes on the phone asking you what your skills are, invite you for a meeting to profile you, talk all day about their service. Yet they haven't been able to close off with an employer to get past sending a CV, except in one case.
I think the amount of response they're getting is high, one chap told me that I was one of 5 selected from 160 applicants
Keep at it though - looking for a new job is a full time job in itself, and the right thing is out there, it just needs tracking down a bit
Indeed Andy, good post.
At present hiring firms are enjoying being in the driving seat. Times are hard and candidates plentiful. Where in the past a 7/10 candidate would be hired without question and a 6/10 candidate acceptable, firms now are requiring an 8/10 or 9/10 candidate or they don't bite.
Recruitment firms are also scrapping for business so are willing to work harder to meet client expectations and therefore get paid. As such if you're not what a firm will be looking for, or don't match the vacancy a recruitment firm either has, or may obtain, you won't get much of a response from most of them.
However I would question how hard any of those 3 firms have tried to find you a job. There are gaps out there, as you have discovered when applying direct. A good recruiter will be able to open doors for you in the same manner, or better, if they choose to do so. Unfortunately this means they are either not trying or are incompetent. I would suggest then that they are not trying hard on your behalf - either because they are opening doors for candidates they deem 'better' or else are working hard on filling the vacancies they have found or been given as opposed to making speculative approaches.
If you're a great candidate, recruiters will get you interviews. If you're not, then it's best to go direct in the present climate. All IMO.
At present hiring firms are enjoying being in the driving seat. Times are hard and candidates plentiful. Where in the past a 7/10 candidate would be hired without question and a 6/10 candidate acceptable, firms now are requiring an 8/10 or 9/10 candidate or they don't bite.
Recruitment firms are also scrapping for business so are willing to work harder to meet client expectations and therefore get paid. As such if you're not what a firm will be looking for, or don't match the vacancy a recruitment firm either has, or may obtain, you won't get much of a response from most of them.
However I would question how hard any of those 3 firms have tried to find you a job. There are gaps out there, as you have discovered when applying direct. A good recruiter will be able to open doors for you in the same manner, or better, if they choose to do so. Unfortunately this means they are either not trying or are incompetent. I would suggest then that they are not trying hard on your behalf - either because they are opening doors for candidates they deem 'better' or else are working hard on filling the vacancies they have found or been given as opposed to making speculative approaches.
If you're a great candidate, recruiters will get you interviews. If you're not, then it's best to go direct in the present climate. All IMO.
Gassing Station | Jobs & Employment Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff