A labour shortage this year offers an opportune time to chat with your employer about better career arrangements, or even looking elsewhere and finding that dream job, a careers expert says.
Photo: AFP
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Caroline Sandford, a certified career specialist with a Masters degree in industrial psychology and a graduate certificate in career development tells Summer Times not to make a rash decision, particularly after just coming back from holidays.
Sandford, who is also the executive director of Love Your Career, says instead we should spend time having a serious think about what working environment suits us as individuals, particularly after the experience of working from home during Covid-19 restrictions.
“It’s really interesting times," she says. "We really need to think about what we’ve been through. Especially in Auckland we’ve been through a long lockdown and we haven’t been in the office and going back to something that hasn’t been part of the norm of that time and readjusting... there could be a number of different scenarios for people working from home.
“For some it’s worked incredibly well. They’ve been able to sit back and go ‘hmmm, I think I quite like this. I spend more time with my family, I got more work-life balance. I’m not doing the commute. I can work remotely and because of that they have less connection with their workplace.
“For others, it’s been incredibly challenging because they’ve also had to work during that time, maybe they’ve had two adults in the household, maybe they’ve had to manage their kids well as possible, manage school work.
“They’ve maybe gone through burn-out, so they’re also questioning.”
People who have went through challenging times with their own businesses may also be rethinking their future as well. Going back to the office in 2022 may involve looking at things through a different set of lenses, Sandford says.
Deciding whether it is time to move on or simply readjust thinking about your career within your current company needs a type of detachment and cold hard look at what it is that suits you best.
Before reassessing your situation, it’s important to allow any post-holiday anxieties or 'blues' to settle, she advises.
“It’s really important not to make any sudden decisions. It’s about allowing yourself to get back into the rhythm of working. Particularly if you have been on a summer break and been getting up late, staying up late – we’re out of sync. It’s important to allow, maybe a couple of weeks of getting into a rhythm.”
Reassessing involves deciding priorities, the non-negotiables important to you, and what has been learned to date through your career journey, she says.
“Also, what really sparks my energy, what am I really drawn to. What are my interests. Really assessing that – is the job that I’m doing at the moment, am I excited to get there.”
Doing a job that you’re both good at and you enjoy remains the magic formula.
Careers advisor Caroline Sandford Photo: loveyourcareer.co.nz
“And understanding really what supports you, what environment do you need to be in. What sort of people do you need to have around you. What sort of activities," she says.
Having conversations around what you desire is opportune at a time of increasing labour shortages, she adds.
“If you can stand back and allow yourself to ask those questions… and then look at your current workplace.
"We are in a labour shortage at the moment so employers want to keep their staff. So I think it’s a really wise thing to go and ask your manager, ‘hey I’d really like this to look a little bit different. Would you be open to me having flexible hours, or would you be open to me having one day off a fortnight, or I really love teamwork and I’m working by myself, can I get on to a project.”
Having a look around and seeing what is on offer outside your place of employment is the other more daunting option. Some people are more willing to make that move than others, depending on their current work circumstances.
“The question I always ask my clients is how urgently do you need to leave. For some people they are so burnt out, or they’ve been bullied, or it just doesn’t work for them and it’s quite an urgent situation for them. In that case we would want to escalate things for them.”
When looking at potential organisations and jobs, research is key, she says.
“I am a huge advocate of realist testing and informational interviewing…
“It’s really important to research, there’s nothing better than having a conversation with people, you know, tell me what you do, tell me how your organisation works, how do they recruit, what are they looking for and if there are some things there that you really find attractive then that’s worth pursuing a little bit further.”
For those hesitant about leaving their present jobs because of the uncertainty it brings, Sandford says understanding and being confident in what you offer an employer is important. Being able to market those abilities is also vital.
“It’s being very clear about what you want, making sure that you know the reality of what you’re going into, you’ve had the right conversations, you’ve tapped into your network.
“I think that’s a huge part of not leaving it up to just applying for jobs advertised – that you’re tapping into a network of a hidden job market. That’s actually where the majority of jobs are found and so it’s really important to make that part of your strategy going forward.”