Successfully navigating a new Job

The new year is fast approaching and for a lot of people that means searching for a new job, or even a career change. If this is something you are considering  then Claude Littner has some advice on how to build a new career. Read on to discover the key to a successful entrance into the workforce and how to maintain your enthusiasm and drive when on the job-hunt.

There is a temptation at the start to pretend you know stuff, but you probably don’t, so it is always worth asking questions, at the right time, in the right way and to the right person, in order to get a better appreciation of how things work and what is expected of you. I’ve recounted how I nearly always did this when getting stuck into something new by seeking out the good, knowledgeable people at the company.

Increasingly, graduates and school leavers are finding that gaining employment is becoming much harder and, in certain instances, very much more competitive. My route into Unilever many decades ago was fortuitous, and I believe that a proactive approach to targeting companies might still be a part of the armoury of getting an interview, and potentially landing a job. Nothing is easy. On one occasion, when I was out of work, I sat at my desk every day and sent out copies of my CV and covering letter. Getting a job is a full-time job in itself! I must have sent out at least a hundred applications and I kept the file for many years, as a reminder of what I had to do in order to get back into gainful employment.

Consequently, starting your own business is a route many people are taking. Although it requires a special mindset to run your own business, it can be a really viable alternative to being employed by someone else. The technology that is available today absolutely enables people to get going much more easily than before, to make a start without much capital, and to announce yourself to the global marketplace.

There are many more examples of new routes to starting out, such as the rise of crowdfunding platforms, angel investors and companies that offer unsecured loans to businesses that do not yet have track records. Although traditional routes to employment might be more difficult to follow today, there is now a broader range of opportunity for anyone with a good idea, ability and a burning desire to succeed and make their dreams come true.

Single-Minded is out now and tells the extraordinary story of one of Britain’s savviest businessmen as well as offering shrewd business advice. It would make the perfect gift this Christmas for anyone interested in the business world or the hit TV show The Apprentice.