The successful persons guide to dealing with rejection at work

Posted by & filed under Advice, Blog, Opinion.

It is never a nice feeling like you have been rejected, especially when you are at work. Of course, your emotions and that completely irrational person within us is probably shouting that you should completely hulk out on the entire workplace and smash everything to bits. But we all know that in the real world this isn’t the approach to take… plus you might rip your favourite outfit!
You might not believe it, but even the most successful people have, at one point in their lives, had to deal with rejection. The thing that sets them apart from others is how they deal with it and move on.
Feel like you need some inspiration in how to better deal with being told that you are not quite up to scratch? Below is the successful persons guide to dealing with rejection in the workplace.

They remember that this isn’t the only path to take
One of the worst things that you can do when you have been rejected from something is to think that it is all your own fault and that you just weren’t good enough. The thing to always keep in mind is that just because you were rejected, that doesn’t mean it was because you were worthless, it simply means that you were not right for that path. Recognise and remember your own value and instead of thinking that this is the only route to take, take another look at your map.

They take the time to think about what happened
Sometimes rejection can come out of the blue, that you can’t pinpoint where it all went wrong. However, just as likely is that there are things that you could have done differently. Someone who is successful can reflect on what happened and know perhaps where they could have made changes. That doesn’t mean that the rejection was all your fault of course, but it is something that can help you with the future.

They ask for feedback
It isn’t always easy to hear what is wrong with you, but sometimes welcoming feedback is the best way to make yourself better and push yourself to succeed. The feedback might be something that you already know about and want to change, but it could also be something that you may not have even been aware of. The important thing is that you can ask the other person to let you know how they see you.

They then improve
It’s all well and good asking for feedback when you have been rejected, but what you should also then do is think about it and make changes. We can all do with a touch of improvement and if you have taken the giant leap to asking for some feedback, then do something with it. Otherwise you might as well have had your fingers in your ears and shouted la-la-la whilst they were talking to you!
When you are feeling down and you are tempted to hide away from the world, remember that even the most successful people in the world probably had the same hurdles. The only difference with them is rather than buying a large tub of ice cream and grabbing a blanket, they dusted themselves off and set about showing those who rejected them just what they are worth. We can promise you, that it is the best revenge to take!

9 reasons why you should have a LinkedIn account

Posted by & filed under Advice, Blog, Starting a new Job.

Hopefully you have already set up a LinkedIn profile and are following our company page to keep in touch with all the latest Property & Construction news, latest job postings and recruitment tips and advice. However, if you don’t have an account here are 9 key reasons to get one:

1) Social media plays a huge role in recruitment for potential employers

2) You need to put the effort in to getting your profile 100% complete and looking the best it can, as this is like your shop window for potential employers – an opportunity to really impress!

3) Grow your own personal network, the broader your network, the higher you will rank in other’s search results. This is vital to be successful in any business, “it’s not what you know it’s who you know!”

4) LinkedIn can assist with your career development and help increase your earning potential

5) You can be proactive and approach/connect with people from Companies you want to work for in the future – build your profile with them!

6) Learn from and be inspired by others and how they have developed their careers – analyse their work history to see what they have done.

7) Keep track of your peers – when you see someone doing well it should motivate you to want to improve

8) Deepen your understanding of a company before interviewing or even joining them

9) LinkedIn is a more visual alternative to the traditional CV!

 

How do your other Social Media accounts like Facebook & Instagram affect your career – Social Media Friend or foe for your career?

Social Media – friend or foe for your career?

Posted by & filed under Advice, Blog.

Social media impacts every single person’s life on this planet, there are over 2.206 billion active users, a global penetration of 30% – In the UK alone 96% of adults are on Facebook and 1 billion people Worldwide log onto Instagram monthly. As a recruiter I am often asked about the impact of social media on job applications – shall I change my settings to private? Shall I hide people from being able to search for me? Shall I delete those terrible old posts with my tongue piercing and bright pink hair?

Social media can provoke a prejudgement on someone before meeting them – whether you like it or not. Will this be your friend or foe? Career builder conducted a survey last year and found 37% of employers use social networks to screen potential job candidates. This means 2 in 5 companies browse your social media to evaluate your character and personality! Some employers even base their hiring decision on what they may or may not find. This can both be beneficial and harmful to a candidate for example 29% of employers said they found something they liked on a candidates profile which prompted them to offer the job.  However 1 out of 3 of the employers will drop a candidate due to something they saw on him or her online! 68% of potential employers will look at your Facebook or Instagram during the screening process – let’s keep the pictures nice and friendly!

From a recruiter’s point of view – it can be both harmful and beneficial to a job search. Social media can expose things a potential employer may not like to see – for example that drunken night out at university in 2011 you do not want to remember – let alone the CEO of a company you are applying to! However, also not being able to find a social media account can also be just as damaging – If employers search and cannot find you their thoughts are why are they not on facebook? I can find X person now, they look nice so I will call them instead… Do you get my point?

My thoughts on my own social media account is to not say anything I would not say in front of my Mother (the fact I have my mum on all social media also helps this along very nicely) – cheers Mum 😉 Delete those old pictures and status’s from 2am in the morning after Oceana! Think of your social media as a representation of yourself – how would you like to be perceived?

For further advice on how to make the best use of your social media profiles to maximise your chances of securing your dream job, feel free to contact me.

How to manage stress at work

Posted by & filed under Advice, Blog.

What is stress?

Stress – is your body’s response to pressures from a situation or a life event.  This could be pressure at work, money worries, relationship difficulties or it could be when you experience something new or unexpected or feeling you have little control over a situation.

Flight or Fight response

When we encounter stress, our body is stimulated to produce stress hormones that trigger a ‘flight or fight’ response and activate our immune system.

Stress can cause your brain to seize up at the worst possible times such as during exams, job interviews or public speaking for example.

Life and death situation

This is actually a survival mechanism and is there to protect you. If you’re faced with a life and death situation, instinct and subconscious impulse overwhelm rational thought and reasoning. This might keep you from being killed in an encounter with a tiger, but, in modern life, this is rarely helpful.

It negatively impacts virtually every cognitive skill you rely on to get through the day, including your ability to pay attention, remember, solve problems, make rational decisions, and think critically.

Your inability to think clearly or make decisions reduces your resilience which in turn increases your stress levels.

Heart Focused Breathing Technique

When you find yourself feeling stressed, take a step back, come away from the situation and try this simple technique to guide you to a state of ease in just a few minutes.

The technique is as powerful as it is simple and can be used anytime you want to create greater relaxation or more energy.

Here’s how you do it:

1 – Focus your attention on your heart area. Breathe a little deeper than normal, in for 5 or 6 seconds and out 5 or 6 seconds. You may find that placing your hand over your heart helps you maintain your focus there.

2 – Now imagine while breathing that you’re doing it through your heart. Picture yourself slowly breathing in and slowly breathing out through your heart area.

Doing this technique will help you reduce stress right in the moment, so the next time you find yourself in a difficult situation at work or away from the office, give it a try.

Should you find yourself stressed at work by a difficult boss, have a read of my blog 5 Managers from Hell – which is yours?

It’s not you, it’s me…

Posted by & filed under Advice.

Fallen out of love with your job but still have a soft spot for the industry? We’ve all been there, had a buyer decide to pull out of a sale on a Friday night simply because they’ve changed their minds? Getting stick from your manager because you haven’t hit your viewing target? One of your colleagues is just being annoying?

However, if this feeling just won’t budge, maybe it’s time to move on. But why leave an industry you love, that’s interesting, always being talked about and a lot of fun? There are so many different roles within the Property Industry, it’s not all about the Negotiators!
If you are wanting more of a 9-6, with a higher basic and no commission or targets, why not try an Administration role? You need to have great attention to detail, strong customer service focus and super organisation skills. There are Lettings or Sales Administrator, PA, Property Administrator, Property Management Administrator, Accounts Administrator, you probably get the picture by now! In a nutshell, there are a lot of different support based roles.

Or maybe you want a bit of variety and still want to be customer facing? If that’s the case, why not become a sassy Office Coordinator, Office Manager, Receptionist or Team Assistant? You’ll be responsible for ensuring the office runs smoothly and that everyone is behaving themselves!! You could be the first point of contact and will need to be very smart and customer facing. As well as doing lots administration and support work of course!

You (hopefully) would have developed a lot of very transferable skills whilst being a mega Neg. One of these many skills is being able to handle difficult conversations and situations. This leads me onto Property or Tenancy Management… A job that appealed to me when I first came out of negotiating. That was, until I realised that I’m not the most organised person in the world! Ok sometimes my attention to detail isn’t always on point, but I am working on it… However, if that’s not the case for you, why not give it a go? You’ll always be kept on your toes, there will never be a dull moment, there is lots of people skills and rapport building needed and a lot of opportunity to progress.

Before you pull the plug on, in my opinion, the most interesting and dynamic industry, think about your options, or even better, give me a shout!

Carly Mitchell Tel:0203 587 7691 Email:carly.mitchell@cherrypickpeople.com

Cost Per Hire – Guess The Cost Of Hiring a Negotiator In To Your Business…

Posted by & filed under Advice, Industry News.

IMPORTANT – Before reading through the costs calculated below, have a guess as to how much you think an empty Sales or Lettings negotiator seat might cost an Estate Agency or Property Developer…

Write it in the comments below and see if you’re close!

So, I’ve been doing some workings on the cost per hire for Sales people within the Property sector.

Here are the potential costs of what might go into securing a suitable Sales Negotiator, Lettings Negotiator or Property Consultant…

  • Assuming that the position will remain open for 2 months and it will take this person 2 weeks to be fully integrated into the company – (based on a conservative £10k / month target) lost revenue – £25,000.
  • Job Advertised across multimedia platforms– cost of £1500
  • 600 CV’s will be received and need to be reviewed:
    • Typical review time is 3 minutes per resume – 30 hours of time.
  • 25 phone screens will take place (15mins / screening) – 6 hours, 15 minutes of time.
  • 8 face to face initial interviews will occur – 8 hours of time.
  • 3 face to face, 2nd, more detailed interviews will occur – 3 hours of time.
  • Background checks and reference checks will take – 2 hours total of time.
  • Hiring Manager earns £100k per year or £48.08 per hour (assuming only one person is involved in the hiring decision). Time invested of 49.25 hours = £2367.94.
  • Training and two-week ramp up of new employee – £1,500.

Total cost: £30,367.94

But wait…

I haven’t included the time lost from the core responsibilities of the hiring manager; they could be devoting a whole extra week per hire to generating revenue for the business.
Or they could be spending more time with the existing team to develop them and increase productivity and retention. This, in turn, would reduce the need to recruit.

Then, of course, you must also take into account the bad hires, people who aren’t right. These are the people who also take a wage out of the business and don’t generate revenue!
If you lose 1 out of 4 people hired at the end of their 3-month probation that would be £30k in lost revenue PLUS their wage cost of £4500 (3 months at £18,000pa) = £34,500 in total.
Spread that over the 4 placements = £8,625 / placement extra for each hire.
If that turnover is higher, I know many property companies and estate agencies where the turnover rate is as high as 1 in 2, that’s £17,250 extra/placement!

This makes the total cost per hire = £38,992.94 (or £47,617.94 if there’s a 50% dropout rate)

Of course, the biggest cost here is the loss of revenue – £33,625 / placement and the cost of bad hires.

So you want to see the best people as quickly as possibly but it’s important not just to hire anyone as you will be going through the whole process again, at more cost. Of course, recruitment companies can help but make sure you pick the right one – but before going down that route see my blog “recruitment agencies are a waste of time!”

The most important thing is getting the RIGHT person and do all you can to keep your BEST people. If you would like more information or advice on interviewing and selection as well as the best ways to increase retention – feel free to get in contact with me (alex@cherrypickpeople.com)

Really interested to hear if your guess on the cost per hire was close! And if you have anything to add or feel I’ve missed anything in my calculation please comment!

If you are interested in further reading on this topic here is an article posted in the Telegraph, it’s not specific to property sales people, however they calculate similar costs across various sectors…

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/jobs/10657008/Replacing-staff-costs-British-businesses-4bn-each-year.html