Chapter 7 Polish up

Something has been irking me all month. Not sure if it boils down to a sense of entitlement or purely bad manners. At the agency we speak and meet all sorts of people. From the mummies who want to come back to work, to the daddies who are looking for a new career break, to the 20 something that have just finished Uni all bright and hopeful, to the not so educated who are looking for anything to make ends meet … a job is a job after all, isn’t it ? But is it ? I’m beginning to reaffirm what I’ve always felt and that is that a job is not just a job but it’s a myriad of multi faceted notions covering opportunities for growth, personal development, character building, creating networks, self satisfaction and personal wealth amongst many others. So why do some prospective candidates for these ‘jobs’ simply act like it’s just a job opportunity and nothing else ?

Case in point. We are thorough in all our briefing – please be smart, punctual and well read about the organization before we schedule interviews between candidates and companies. Inevitably, we get clients remarking that candidates have turned up inappropriately dressed, late (without calling to notify), oblivious to the company’s nature and product/services or worse still … the lowest of all acts … a no show, with absolutely no notification at any point. It’s either that they think they can get away with it, that there will be many opportunities out there for them or simply they just don’t care. But if you don’t care, why bother in the first place ?

It’s enigmatic for professionals in this industry to comprehend such people and it often leaves us with no choice, but to blacklist them off our books. No this isn’t just a job … it’s a major part of your day, your new friends, your new network, your bridge to new and better opportunities in the future and most of all it’s your reputation. A 100 quid can buy you a smart outfit for the interview should you want one but it will never buy you a good reputation – reputation is earned not given. Manners – a flimsy yet abstract measure of a persons own worth and a glimpse into his or hers future work ethic. If you cannot even call in to apologize for being late or to state that something cropped up and you will not be able to make it, how possibly can you impress or convince a hiring manager to entrust you with their role ? We cannot change the world and its people, but we as an agency can mould you and train you to be ‘hire worthy’. Whatever the opportunity you’re seeking, you must first sell yourself. And by this we don’t mean a whole load of verbal nonsense that most hiring managers with a hunch for people can see through, but we mean a charismatic approach, confident yet humble, learned yet curious, assertive yet respectful.

So make the call, tie your hair back, polish your shoes, and read up on whom your meeting … trust us, the opportunities are their to be taken, but you need to earn them.