Camilla Arnold - If Not Now, When?: How to Take Charge of Your Career

If Not Now, When?

If Not Now, When?

How to Take Charge of Your Career

Camilla Arnold and Jane Barrett

First published in Great Britain 2010
Copyright Camilla Arnold and Jane Barrett, 2010

This electronic edition published 2010 by A & C Black Publishers Ltd

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Electronic ISBN: 978-1-40813-435-1

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CONTENTS

To my husband Colin and son Tom for bearing with me while I wrote thisbook. Jane

Thank you to my family for their love, support and encouragement. Camilla

Thank you to everyone who has contributed their story to the book, showingjust what is possible with drive, enthusiasm and motivation. We would alsolike to thank all our clients over the years who have helped develop thismethodology with their successes and their feedback.

We wanted to write a book that we would have wanted to read when each of us was going through our own career reviews and then later as career coaches; a book we would want to use to support our clients. Its true there are many career books on the market but we feel there are none that cover the whole process from deciding what you have to offer and what you want, right through to the practicalities of securing the work you want to do, with real-life case studies to encourage you along the way. Most people dont have the time or inclination to read several books on this important topic, so we decided to put everything in one place and look at all the main areas that our clients ask us to cover with them.

This book is based on over 20 years experience of managing careers, both our own and those of the clients we have worked with. It also draws on our experience of recruitment both in-house and for executive recruitment companies, as well as working in the field of career development with many different people from tree surgeons to venture capitalists, school leavers to recent retirees. We have created a book that reflects everything we have learnt and sets out a clear, simple structure with tips and techniques to help you analyse and plan the next step of your career.

Throughout the book there are examples of people who have successfully found work that is satisfying, meaningful and that fits them. Career management is not an exact science and consequently many people havent a clue where to start a feeling we have known only too well! In our experience many people who are unhappy in their current role, or are unsure about how to develop their career, want to take control rather than let their career just happen but theyre just not sure how to get started.

ITS UP TO YOU

What we do to earn money takes up a huge proportion of our time and affects many areas of our life, so it makes sense to devote time and energy to actively working on it and to make it as enjoyable as possible. Having said that, most people will spend more time and effort deciding on their next holiday, gadget or clothes purchase! Over the past 25 years, career management has changed immeasurably. Once it was the responsibility of the company you joined straight from school or university to guide your career as you progressed up the totem pole, with employees rarely changing career or even company. Today, it is falling to the individual to manage their career, deciding where they want to go, how to get there and which organisation or part of an organisation would be the best place to get that experience.

As a career can have such a huge impact on both everyday and long-term happiness, we encourage you to do everything you can to ensure you are in the right place, doing something that aligns with what you value and is helping you progress to your ultimate goal. For many of us the right field of work in our twenties might not reflect the person we are later on in our lives. Sometimes a review is enforced by redundancy or you may find yourself wanting to change aspects of your career as your life circumstances change. This book will help you assess your choices so you have a personal framework in which to analyse your career options.

REALITY CHECK

One caveat at this point many people say that theyll know they have found the right career for them if they bounce out of bed in the morning, eager to get to work. The reality is that if you find your perfect job, this may not happen every day. We will aim to keep your feet on the ground as you work your way through the book; we have seen so many people find the right career at the right time for them that we believe you can do the same.

It can take time to move towards a job youll love and time to structure your work to better suit who you are but the rewards, if you stick with it, are immeasurable. Your career also needs regular review (ideally annually) as you or your circumstances change.

By structuring your thinking using the exercises in this book, you can save time and gain more satisfaction from working towards your goal. It is apparent that in times of either boom or bust, no one manages your career better than you, as only you know what is right for you. It makes sense that people increasingly want to manage their career more proactively to get the best return for the money spent on education and the many hours they put in at work, not just leaving it to chance. That is where this book comes in.

WHY DID WE WRITE THIS BOOK?

Through our workshops and one-to-one work, we have coached thousands of people through this methodology to find successful, fulfilling careers and new roles. We have also both changed our own careers so know at first hand the anxieties, obstacles and finally relief and pleasure of finding the right career path both in the short and long-term.

JANE - CASE STUDY

Originally I trained as a chartered surveyor following a suggestion by my school careers adviser to do a more vocational degree rather than geography, my best subject. I found I was interested more in people than buildings and embarked on a quest to work out what I really wanted to do. This was more difficult than I imagined the government-run guidance offices didnt seem to offer much advice on finding work that suited me and my university careers centre was more geared towards recent students graduating. After my surveying exams, I moved to a recruitment firm thinking, naively, it was about helping people find work. Blinded by the money (my values around this time were very money oriented as I had student loans to pay back!) I joined the IT recruitment division. With too much emphasis on sales, after two years I moved up the value chain and joined a headhunting company. With a less overt sales-oriented culture, I found satisfaction in delivering a more professional service but I found I enjoyed the candidate-facing work the most, which was not what I was being paid to do!