The job hunt begins
Discussion
Before I start I appreciate that there are answers to some of these questions elsewhere and I've read some of them, however I also know that the advice changes with time and can be very dependent on the personal situation so please bear with me.
I currently work in a senior role for a large company making branded products for the building trade on the continent. If you read some of my other posts you can probably work out who but it isn't very important. My work is largely strategic but related more to the operations side of the business ie factories and distribution, rather than finance or sales/marketing. I'm in my mid 40s, lived here for 7 years and have three children very happy in local schools.
The guy who recruited me was great, we had a great working relationship, but after a couple of years he moved to a competitor, he was replaced by someone on a temporary basis and a couple of years ago a new manager arrived from another division. We don't get on. He sends out a lot of very mixed messages, but irrespective of what he really thinks I don't want to work for him anymore and I've lost confidence in the company in general as well. I don't want to share too many details as it could still end up in court but the quick story is that a few months ago he told me that he wants me to leave and because of where I'm employed we can arrive at a friendly transaction that leaves me, financially at least, in a comfortable position. I expect to finish work in mid February.
But I need, and very much want, a new job. My current employer approached me directly about this job so I haven't actually applied for anything for more than 12 years and I'm aware that things have changed somewhat.
There are two main areas that I would appreciate some advice on. One is the practical side of the search and the other is the deeply metaphysical "what should I do with the rest of my life"?
The simple one first. Twelve years ago there were a few websites around but mostly it was a question of reading the telegraph on Thursdays and sending off CVs and letters which would normally be answered. What I'm most interested to understand is how effective are the options and in particular which should I pay for, or should I not bother. For instance I'm on LinkedIn and I guess like most people get bombarded with Upgrade Offers and so on. I think I'll probably do this as it isn't expensive and seems to offer something worthwhile, but what about other sites? I had a look at Experteer for instance but it seems to be very limited without a subscription. In general, I'm not bothered about paying for something but I'm more concerned about my time. What is the most effective way to do it is most important and also what will help me get a job I love?
Which brings me neatly to my second question, what should I do. I'm half way through my working life and so I believe that I could change my working life quite radically if I wanted to. The settlement that I expect to get means that I could happily spend a few years at a slightly lower salary without changing my standard of living, but as I know I probably have 20+ years of work left in me it's also important I find something that I enjoy. I should also add that I would like to stay living where I am if possible, but it isn't essential and that also I'm quite open to a job that involves travel, I've flown more than 100 times a year several times in the past few years.
I see four different options.
Firstly I could do something similar to what I do now, probably it would be an Operations Director type role with responsibility for one or several factories. this would be fine and I think I'd be happy doing this. Unfortunately there aren't many roles locally doing this so I'd probably have to move. I'm hoping the traditional approaches outlined above should lead to some opportunities here and I've already talked to a few ex-colleagues about a possible role a few hours from here.
Secondly I could look for a different sort of industrial role. I could probably find something local but I doubt that the pay would be as good and I'm a bit unsure of what I can do. I can take a drop for a while but it needs to lead to something better after a while. I've negotiated in some outplacement support from my current employer so I hope that this could help identify some of these opportunities.
Thirdly I could go into consulting. I have an MBA and a good degree, I was a consultant briefly when i was younger. Would the bigger firms still be interested in someone of my age? I've done quite a lot of consulting type activities in my current role, M&A work, closing factories, leading strategy for divisions. Alternatively I could work as an independent. I have a few contacts and some ideas of where I could work but I'm not sure i want to be doing this when I'm 65 but i guess it could be an intro into one or two above.
Finally I could really change. There is a lot of employment in the financial sector near me and it's something that I want to consider. At least it would mean staying where I am for a while. But again the question is would they be interested in someone at my age or do they just want freshly qualified accountants.
I'd write more but I think most people won't even get this far. It's already been useful to get it down on the screen but if you have advice or opinions please let me have it.
I currently work in a senior role for a large company making branded products for the building trade on the continent. If you read some of my other posts you can probably work out who but it isn't very important. My work is largely strategic but related more to the operations side of the business ie factories and distribution, rather than finance or sales/marketing. I'm in my mid 40s, lived here for 7 years and have three children very happy in local schools.
The guy who recruited me was great, we had a great working relationship, but after a couple of years he moved to a competitor, he was replaced by someone on a temporary basis and a couple of years ago a new manager arrived from another division. We don't get on. He sends out a lot of very mixed messages, but irrespective of what he really thinks I don't want to work for him anymore and I've lost confidence in the company in general as well. I don't want to share too many details as it could still end up in court but the quick story is that a few months ago he told me that he wants me to leave and because of where I'm employed we can arrive at a friendly transaction that leaves me, financially at least, in a comfortable position. I expect to finish work in mid February.
But I need, and very much want, a new job. My current employer approached me directly about this job so I haven't actually applied for anything for more than 12 years and I'm aware that things have changed somewhat.
There are two main areas that I would appreciate some advice on. One is the practical side of the search and the other is the deeply metaphysical "what should I do with the rest of my life"?
The simple one first. Twelve years ago there were a few websites around but mostly it was a question of reading the telegraph on Thursdays and sending off CVs and letters which would normally be answered. What I'm most interested to understand is how effective are the options and in particular which should I pay for, or should I not bother. For instance I'm on LinkedIn and I guess like most people get bombarded with Upgrade Offers and so on. I think I'll probably do this as it isn't expensive and seems to offer something worthwhile, but what about other sites? I had a look at Experteer for instance but it seems to be very limited without a subscription. In general, I'm not bothered about paying for something but I'm more concerned about my time. What is the most effective way to do it is most important and also what will help me get a job I love?
Which brings me neatly to my second question, what should I do. I'm half way through my working life and so I believe that I could change my working life quite radically if I wanted to. The settlement that I expect to get means that I could happily spend a few years at a slightly lower salary without changing my standard of living, but as I know I probably have 20+ years of work left in me it's also important I find something that I enjoy. I should also add that I would like to stay living where I am if possible, but it isn't essential and that also I'm quite open to a job that involves travel, I've flown more than 100 times a year several times in the past few years.
I see four different options.
Firstly I could do something similar to what I do now, probably it would be an Operations Director type role with responsibility for one or several factories. this would be fine and I think I'd be happy doing this. Unfortunately there aren't many roles locally doing this so I'd probably have to move. I'm hoping the traditional approaches outlined above should lead to some opportunities here and I've already talked to a few ex-colleagues about a possible role a few hours from here.
Secondly I could look for a different sort of industrial role. I could probably find something local but I doubt that the pay would be as good and I'm a bit unsure of what I can do. I can take a drop for a while but it needs to lead to something better after a while. I've negotiated in some outplacement support from my current employer so I hope that this could help identify some of these opportunities.
Thirdly I could go into consulting. I have an MBA and a good degree, I was a consultant briefly when i was younger. Would the bigger firms still be interested in someone of my age? I've done quite a lot of consulting type activities in my current role, M&A work, closing factories, leading strategy for divisions. Alternatively I could work as an independent. I have a few contacts and some ideas of where I could work but I'm not sure i want to be doing this when I'm 65 but i guess it could be an intro into one or two above.
Finally I could really change. There is a lot of employment in the financial sector near me and it's something that I want to consider. At least it would mean staying where I am for a while. But again the question is would they be interested in someone at my age or do they just want freshly qualified accountants.
I'd write more but I think most people won't even get this far. It's already been useful to get it down on the screen but if you have advice or opinions please let me have it.
I've been going through much the same for a while.
Best web site for sifting job adverts to my mind is www.indeed.co.uk . But as has been said here already, particularly at senior levels, the best way to find the right jobs is (i) to use your own network and (ii) look to find out who the best headhunters are for your skills - most of the potentially relevant roles I've looked at have never been advertised publicly.
Best web site for sifting job adverts to my mind is www.indeed.co.uk . But as has been said here already, particularly at senior levels, the best way to find the right jobs is (i) to use your own network and (ii) look to find out who the best headhunters are for your skills - most of the potentially relevant roles I've looked at have never been advertised publicly.
OK so my first post was too long, anybody that read it probably deserves a medal.
I'll try to be more succinct. I expect to be out of work in the middle of February and I'd like to get another job. I'm busy networking which is throwing up some stuff. In the meantime I now have two questions.
Cover letters. Does anyone really take much notice of them? When I've recruited people they tend to take a very secondary position to the CV but I'm not an expert. If they are important can someone recommend a good resource online where I can find some good examples.
Linked in paid accounts. I presume that it's worth doing this but should I go for a normal paid account or is a job seeker one a better choice? Are there any other paid resource worth looking at?
I'll try to be more succinct. I expect to be out of work in the middle of February and I'd like to get another job. I'm busy networking which is throwing up some stuff. In the meantime I now have two questions.
Cover letters. Does anyone really take much notice of them? When I've recruited people they tend to take a very secondary position to the CV but I'm not an expert. If they are important can someone recommend a good resource online where I can find some good examples.
Linked in paid accounts. I presume that it's worth doing this but should I go for a normal paid account or is a job seeker one a better choice? Are there any other paid resource worth looking at?
Yes I am in France, near Luxembourg. I've spent about 50% of my time on this job working away from home so that wouldn't be a problem. I know a bit about French HR law but as a user and a site manager rather than as an HR professional. Interim management is certainly something that I've considered and one or two people have suggested that I should look at it.
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