There is a huge section of the UK workforce that, at present, is immune from the fear of redundancy and job security – those people employed in the public sector. That is not to say that those people are not afraid of falling house prices or increased mortgage rates. But, that they are incomparable with the fear of losing your job.

Practical actions

Having lived and worked through three major recessions and seen four million unemployed in the UK, I have learned that every recession is different. There are positive practical actions that can be taken to reduce the risk of redundancy or if made redundant can help them back into employment more quickly. There are also actions that will help the individual to gain that all-important fulfilment of job satisfaction.

When facing redundancy – excel in your job

Where redundancy is on the horizon don’t just sit back and wallow in self-pity. Be careful not to do what most employees facing redundancy do: apply less effort, take more time off, care a little bit less and generally be a misery at work….

Instead, make it really difficult for management to make YOU redundant. Work a little bit harder. Be positive and supportive. Empathise with management as they too are going through a stressful time. Do more than your job asks of you. If you are customer-facing, do everything that you can to make sure that the customers like you and they need or depend on you. In other words, excel at your job.

Ask yourself these questions

Do your managers and colleagues regard you to be reliable and a ‘safe pair of hands’? If you are asked to do something, do you really deliver? Will management regard you as the last person to go before the ship sinks? Make yourself the person no-one can do without.

Downward turn

That said, in a downward economy even your best efforts may not prevent you from being made redundant. However, if you have applied yourself and worked hard, you will leave with your pride intact and more self-confident, making it easier for you to gain new employment. Be careful though – this confidence and self-belief can dissipate quickly until you are working again, so it is important to limit the time you are unemployed as much as possible.

Turning redundancy into an opportunity

As soon as redundancy is looking likely this is the time to start looking for other employment whilst also undertaking your ‘master plan’ on how to become an indispensable employee! Do not start looking on the day that you lose your job as this is one time in your life where you must seriously think ‘outside of the box’. Do not just look for an identical position – redundancy should be viewed as an opportunity to broaden your experience and do something different or more challenging. Be absolutely open-minded and think about all of the skills and experience that you have gained that would enable you to be successful in another career.

Self-belief

The fact that you are reading this article means that you have already an ingredient that most wise employers look for and that is the right attitude. You may be looking for new ideas and for self-improvement and that already makes you different and a cut-above-the-rest. Self-improvement is still something in the UK that is regarded by the chattering classes as derisory. Let them criticise and pooh-pooh self-improvement. No monument has ever been erected to a critic, only to those who have been criticised. Being positive and genuinely enthusiastic, willing to adapt or just being a person that others would like to have around will unquestionably be the major ingredient in helping you back into employment.

Can-do attitude

Looking for the job of your dreams can be a lengthy process; whilst you search the Internet, scan the newspapers and meet with recruitment agencies, taking a part-time job will keep your confidence up, give you something to do on the quiet days and pay the bills. It may not be the job you want, but any work is better than no work and, as they say, it is easier to get a job when in a job. Taking a part-time job, even if it doesn’t pay as well, will show motivation and dedication to future employers and a ‘can-do’ attitude, rather than sitting around reading papers and watching TV hoping that the phone is going to ring.

Interview

Lastly, when you go for an interview dress for the job you want not for the one you’ve got and be really interested in the company and think what you could do for them rather than what they can do for you. Good luck, great success and remember in every adversity there is an equivalent or greater benefit.

1. Write a letter along with the CV two to three paragraphs long, showing enthusiasm for the company and mention details to show you have reached it.

2. Don’t gush and use the firm’s name.

3. P.S. at the end – it draws the eye, ’say something such as “my personality does not come across in a letter – I am worth interviewing”‘.

If sending your CV on-line, send the covering letter in the body of the e-mail and the CV itself as an attachment in word. Finally follow up your CV with a call to check it arrived and phone weekly to check its progress.

In most cases it is not their fault as they just have not been trained in these essential skills. The consultants in DER tell me how daily they are amazed by apathetic managers and HR people in their total lack of urgency through the recruitment process. Surely everybody knows that good people are not on the market or unemployed for long, yet our recruitment consultants find that managers get excited about the CV but then take days before arranging an interview and then there is often a long decision making ordeal, and the sadness is that they are then surprised when the candidate is snapped up elsewhere.

Almost every aspect of business today is built around speed and immediacy but in our experience not so in the recruitment process.

10 simple tips:-

1. Write the personality profile in detail before starting the process.
2. Write the job specification in detail before starting the process.
3. Let the agency do the work.
4. When candidates are put forward fix a date quickly, good people do not stay unemployed for long.
5. Get some training in interview techniques.
6. Ask the right questions, prepare a list of all the questions that should be asked at the interview.
7. Get the balance right ……. do sell the vacancy but don’t oversell. Tell the truth about the company and the job.
8. Always go to a second interview fast.
9. If you want the person make the job offer speedily or risk losing out to the competition.
10. Consider hiring attitude and training the skills.

This problem can be solved two fold. First by training the employing manager on how to successfully interview, the less gimmicky the better and secondly candidates must have the courage to dig deeper to prevent themselves taking a job that is not suitable. The sort of questions the candidates should be asking are:-

1. Can you clearly explain and give me the job description
2. What exactly is the personality profile of the person you wish to employ?
3. May I ask you how will you make the decision on the successful candidate?
4. What exactly are you looking for from the successful candidate?
5. If we were to wave a magic wand what are your real expectations of the new person?
6. May I ask who will I be reporting to?
7. With the greatest respect, has he or she been trained in management and leadership skills?
8. How long has he or she been in their role?
9. Do you mind me asking, do you have much of a turnover of people in your company/department?

This is not a complete list but I hope it is helpful.

1. They have NO unique brand
2. They DON’T listen to their clients needs
3. They often match the wrong candidates to the clients
4. High fees do not match quality of service
5. NO after care is given or provided

Why not?? This is a question that should be asked and one that we at DER have addressed and which makes us almost unique among recruitment agencies.

Denny Executive Resourcing

This is where we can help, we offer so much more when seeking that Perfect candidate for our clients from a carefully targeted cv’s.

And… you know what?

1. Our brand is unique and we were formed in response to continual requests from Richard Denny’s corporate clients to find and develop people who can make a positive difference to their employers. A unique brand is a great marketing tool and of immense value and therefore we strive to exceed expectations and deliver what our clients demand.
2. We listen intently to what both the candidate and client objectives are and work closely with both parties to make the right fit.
3. We provide the best value for money in the recruitment industry.
4. We offer the unique advantage of our FREE one year support through our Business Lifestyle Programme

1. We find excellent candidates
2. We shortlist
3. We interview either on the telephone or face to face
4. You make the selection

We’ve found that this often isn’t enough. Failing to consider the continued success of the individual can harm key staff retention, commitment and productivity.

Some simple things you can do to smooth the integration of a new member of staff include:

• Monitor and support expectations
• Create a positive work / life balance
• Identify a mentor where appropriate
• Find barriers to excellence early and work to resolve them
• Encourage ongoing personal and business development – for example encourage the reading of business books and the attending of seminars and events

Business Lifestyle Programme

When we’re recruiting, here at Denny Executive Resourcing, we put all our executives through our Business Lifestyle Programme that is designed to support them in these areas. The programme includes:

• Reading 3 of the world’s best selling business books
• Being mentored for one year by a specialist trainer / advisor
• Identifying and reporting on any possible barriers to excellence
• Inviting executives to attend two Richard Denny Group business briefings during the year free of charge – with fascinating, illuminating and imaginative speakers, they help to keep the executives at peak performance and recharge their batteries.