Prepare to Impress: —Job Hunting for the Ambitious, Frustrated, Unemployed and Those Facing Redundancy

Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Conclusion

Authors

Dedications;

My inspirational women

RMB

My Love

TFB

For Mum

NELB

Introduction

There can have been few times as difficult for people to find employment as now. More redundancies, less business growth, overseas markets absorbing traditional work and the accelerating need for new skills are all combining to spread concern amongst those without a job or feel the threat of imminent unemployment. There are no jobs-for-life. So, given the levels of joblessness, it is highly competitive for each and every vacancy.

It wouldn’t be a surprise if every unemployed person was feeling real despair and frustration. There are no easy solutions but this short book seeks to help those prepared to work at finding work. All anyone can do is apply themselves intelligently to the task and to do it to the best of their ability.

We will discuss the processes which are used by organisations to release staff. It may be, at least in part, the answer is avoiding dismissal and, therefore, the need to seek new employment.

We will look at the immediate impact and priorities when termination of employment occurs. As very few people will find a new position immediately we will deal with the on-going problems which may manifest themselves and, ultimately, what to do when a job offer is received.

It is most important to remember that whatever the state of the economy there are vacancies. The trick is to know where to find them and then to impress the potential employer.

Almost inevitably, there will be occasions when you are unable to secure a job for which you have applied. This will be difficult to deal with emotionally. However, recognising it is a normal part of the situation and it is the same for nearly everyone, will allow you to think through the implications and continue positively.

There are two key messages to remember;

1 Your job is finding a job

2 Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance (PPPPP)

This may be a bumpy road for you to travel. There are many people travelling in the same direction and not everyone will reach a desired destination. Some clear thinking can improve the chances of success immeasurably.

Application and behaviour do not guarantee success but do affect the likelihood of finding work, in any economic circumstances. A lack of focus will guarantee job hunting is a fruitless pursuit. Little things matter and will make the difference.

Chapter 1

Losing employment

(or perhaps not)

There are no jobs-for-life

Losing your employment

In broad terms there are four ways an individual becomes unemployed;

Resignation

Contract termination

Dismissal for disciplinary or performance reasons

Redundancy

Resignation

People resign for many reasons, such as;

- Boredom

- Poor working relationships

- A desire for change

- An alternative job

- To return to education

- Personal circumstances

- Coercion. This may give rise to a claim for constructive dismissal, unfair dismissal or discrimination. Our advice is, don’t give up a basically decent job too readily unless the situation is untenable and only then if you have tried to resolve the issues first. If the resignation has been forced on you, take professional advice. It is important to keep a note of instances of bad management behaviour such as inappropriate relationships, being given all of the horrid tasks, unreasonable targets and bullying.

Contract termination

If there is a defined period for a contract it allows the people involved to plan for its end.

Note this is not the same as a probationary period. Termination within a probationary period would come under dismissal for disciplinary or performance reasons.

There may also be complicating issues if a contract has a determined length but is consistently renewed or there is a promise of a permanent job. There are employers who might, in all innocence, misuse this type of arrangement.

Unless a waiver has been signed, a contract which extends beyond two years, and against which the individual works for more than two years, will acquire redundancy rights.

Dismissal for disciplinary or performance reasons

Employers cannot dismiss anyone legitimately without using a proper process. Such a process needs to be fair and transparent, and must be carried out in an objective and equitable manner. We have left the days when an unenlightened manager could just call someone in and sack them.

The most often discussed type of dismissals are for gross misconduct and poor performance. If an individual is faced with action of this nature it is imperative they take advice and acquire representation.

Businesses should use their Disciplinary Procedure to improve the behaviour or performance of their people, so do not assume the worst and DO NOT react aggressively.

Redundancy

Redundancy is a potentially fair reason to dismiss people from employment. In a situation in which a business has completely failed and all employees lose their jobs there is less to debate. There should have been on-going consultation providing some forewarning but this frequently is not the case. At least in this scenario nobody is selected for redundancy, with the possible associated feelings of rejection.

More frequently organisations look to reduce the numbers of staff. This is given various names, like;

  Downsizing

  Rightsizing

  Manpower Management

  Re-structuring

  Re-organising

Redundancy means some people losing their job. There has to be a fair, objective and rigorous process to carry out a redundancy, including a