Ho ho ho! It is that time of year again where blogs all over are being written to reflect the seasonal mood out there. Lots of reflections over the year, in fact, this blog almost became a look back over 2013 – how it compared to what I had planned back on Jan 1st 2013 and what I had achieved versus those goals.
But then I thought, actually, as much as we should reflect on our set goals, I prefer to look ahead and plan what I can do in the future.
Therefore, I thought I would take this chance to write an open letter to Santa (other mythical or religious figures are also available but he seemed the most obvious one to ask at this time of year!) to ask him what I could wish for over the forthcoming 12 months. I am not greedy – I only have a few requests!
Honesty:
Yes, that old chestnut (I love my own puns, sorry, naff I know!).
I want YOU, my customer – whether you are an existing client, live candidate, a potential candidate, reader of blog, advocate of my business, referrer or just acquaintance – to please just tell the truth.
- Don’t withhold vital information from me.
- Don’t play me off against your current employer.
- Don’t misguide me during an interview process so my candidate is at a disadvantage by harbouring doubts.
I am super honest (diplomatically and otherwise) and I ask for, nay, demand the same in return. Candour equals better results for all parties, I promise.
Respect:
Respect for a process; respect that I also have a job to do; respect the discretion that I may impart to you, my client by proxy for my candidate. Life can be hard enough without blatant disrespect for the etiquette rules we have as Best Practise guidelines. So please, don’t cancel an interview an hour before…. please turn up when you say you are going to….please don’t lie to me about your situation….please don’t secretly ask Bob in the other division what he thinks of my confidential candidate before you have offered them….. get it?
Less media gossip:
My husband and I are resolute about what news channels/newpapers we allow into our house. Dependent upon which political sway of the said media, will influence whether you believe we are still in a recession (slit your wrists time) or whether, we are in recovery and the jobs market is actually looking very healthy (hooray, crack open the Moet or Real Ale in our house…..) We had a blackout of news for a while and we missed nothing major thanks to Twitter (I am not joking). And we stayed very focused and upbeat and optimistic all by ourselves. And drank lots of real ale… well, my hubbie is a brewer… (really)
Failure for the cowboys:
Boo hiss! We hate our competitors. Well, as you all know, I don’t actually and with some (other good guys), I have formed collaborations (those who are located elsewhere in UK and abroad). However, I wish the cowboys who create so much bad publicity and experiences for customers could fail abysmally and be forced to close down and have to go and do something else for a living (I don’t want to insult any other professions, but selling your granny off a market stall?) I have had enough of poor R2Rs spreading shame and misery across the sector and recruiters generally who leave such a sour impression upon our wonderful and privileged industry.
Old-skool mentality:
What’s wrong with being a little old fashioned in your approach? Yes, I do embrace social media as a means to promote my business and hopefully get the message out of what I do and whom I am looking to assist. But NOTHING replaces good honest meeting and speaking to people in person. So I would wish for an emphasis on quality over quantity- why make 100 calls a day when 10 fab calls may result in success; meet just 1 great candidate and place them rather than 10 shoddy ones; have just 20 clients on your portfolio who are all exclusive rather than 200 who can’t remember your name- make sense?
And finally…
Time:
I would like some TIME please.
Yes, time. As much as what I profess is urgency (it is even one of the abbreviations in my company name), don’t rush me. Don’t panic me, Mr Client, otherwise I may fear that you just want a bum on a seat; Ms candidate- I do share your burden that you hate it where you are, but if we panic, you will not make the right judgement. Oh and I would like some time just to reflect (and write blogs LOL) too…. is that such a bad thing? We don’t need to be 100 miles an hour for 12 hours a day do we?
Thank you, Santa. (My other letter asks you to grant world peace, an end to poverty, imagine all the people. Oh, and maybe another diamond wouldn’t go amiss!)
Merry Christmas to you all and thanks for reading and sharing my blogs this year. Let me know what YOU wish for from Santa (or whoever…!) and I look forward to writing for you all again in 2014.
Lysha
