Making the decision that you want to move on from your job is often the starting point  for people when considering new career opportunities.  Some will continue in their current roles in a state of bearable disinterest until a watershed moment when they decide that enough is enough.  They may then resign on the spot in the hope that they will be able to secure a new role soon but at the very least will start checking the job ads on Seek and, most likely, register with one or two recruitment agencies.

This is in some ways comparable to the idea of looking for a new house when you decide to move country.  While you may not be unhappy in your current house, the similarity that I am hoping to highlight in this example is that you would not be looking for a new house if you had not taken the decision to move country.  This can make complete sense for the prospective house-hunter but is it equally consistent when considered in the context of the trigger for looking at new career opportunities?

I believe that there are some interesting differences between the two and by using this example hope to highlight the value of getting in touch with a good recruitment consultant – and to do it today.

A good recruitment consultant will learn about your expectations and requirements from a new role – they will identify your level of market engagement and respond accordingly.  If you have communicated an urgent desire to get out of your current job then you may expect to receive regular contact about possible roles.  If you have communicated a satisfaction in your current role, but the desire to be kept informed of exceptional opportunities, then you should expect the calls to be less regular.   You do not need to – nor should you, wait until the watershed moment to start looking for new roles.

There are some fortunate individuals out there who are so happy in their job they would never consider a new career opportunity – to these lucky souls I would say great, call me when you are looking to hire!  I am also not suggesting that you regularly review the job adds or contact recruitment agents if you are satisfied in your current role.  My recommendation to most is to ensure that you have made this initial contact with a good recruiter so that they can then keep you informed of suitable roles.  You can then keep focused on the job that you are in (and which I truly hope you enjoy), but in the confidence that if there a better job out there, then there is a good chance you will be informed.

To use another analogy from my bachelor days – you don’t go looking for love but hopefully it will find you when you least expect it.

Cristo Mastoroudes – Senior Consultant

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