Recently an experienced entrepreneur turned employee asked me for advice about a new job where there was a lot of down time. She already asked for more to do but wasn’t assigned anything. Now what?
Recently an experienced entrepreneur turned employee asked me for advice about a new job where there was a lot of down time. She already asked for more to do but wasn’t assigned anything. Now what?
Obviously, don’t read leisurely on the Internet or run personal errands. In a new role, you have little credibility or political capital earned, so you need to be extra vigilant about managing perceptions. You do not want to seem disinterested or worse, derelict of duty.
Instead you want to be perceived as a go-getter and a problem solver. So go after a problem. You’re new. You have fresh eyes. Clearly, one of your company’s problems is that their managers don’t have time to delegate. Why are they so busy? Don’t wait for them to tell you if you ask and they are too busy to explain. Read past company news and internal memos. Research your competitors. Find the relevant trade group, scan recent newsletters and interview the organizers for their take on this industry. Your job is to contribute to the bottom line with creative solutions to pressing business issues. Be thankful that you have the time to work on these larger issues.
As the newbie, you also want to get a lay of the land, and you shouldn’t just rely on your immediate supervisor. Talk to your peers. Talk to people outside your department. What are things they know now that they wished they knew when they started? Who are good people to get to know? What do they think the pressing business issues are?
Finally, remember that every new role is a transition that needs time to grow into. This particular case is a big career change: a former entrepreneur is likely used to running at break-neck speed. You need to observe the rhythms and culture of your new environment before you decide how to adapt yourself or what to try and change externally. Just because a place does things differently doesn’t mean they’re wrong.Is Your Job Search Flexible or Just Unfocused?
As a recruiter, I’ve seen lack of flexibility on the recruiting side with employers clinging to every last detail in their ideal spec while perfectly good candidates get overlooked. As a career coach, I see jobseekers prematurely dismissing possible targets waiting for that perfect job. It’s true that you want to be focused in your job search (otherwise you dilute your efforts and come across as scattered and possibly desperate).5 Questions to Test If Your Resume Is Recruiter-Proof
After recruiting in search and in-house for over ten years, I have read thousands of resumes. Due to sheer volume of resumes received and all the other things that vie for the recruiter’s attention in the hiring process – scheduling, interviewing, networking, reference checks, client debriefs, and more – the resume review process is ruthlessly quick.Why Conventional Wisdom On Work Flexibility Is Always Wrong
In a previous post, I wrote about why employment statistics are always wrong. In a similar way, conventional wisdom on work flexibility is always wrong. It is impossible to generalize something that is inherently case-by-individual case. Therefore, any boilerplate advice or conventional wisdom is bound to omit a key consideration, underweight or overemphasize other considerations, or take too long-term or short-term of a view.