At the APG, we are very aware that this is a tricky time for many strategists. Some are rushed off their feet. Others are on furlough. And some have been made redundant. Whilst we can all be thinking about our next move all the time, for that last group it will have become much more pressing. I fall into that last group. Unfortunately, coronavirus has also brought my job to an end. One thing to remember above all else for anyone finding themselves facing redundancy is that it’s not your fault! We are simply a victim of conditions that nobody could have predicted even 6 months ago. And our next step is now ours to make happen.
One thing I did when I was looking for work last year was to have a chat with Jon Leach. A very wise man! He gave me a piece of advice which turned out to be incredibly valuable. He said it is not necessarily your direct contacts that will provide you with your next job, but your second level contacts – the contacts of contacts. And it is so true! I found a truly amazing job through a second level contact. We have asked him to pull together some more pearls of wisdom for anyone looking for work, which you will find below.
Denise Williams (headhunter extraordinaire) also very kindly offered to take a look at my CV to help me polish it up a bit. She gave me some really helpful advice. She has very generously volunteered to do the same for any APG member who has recently been made redundant. I would thoroughly recommend it! Please see her CV advice below with her contact details.
We all spend so much time selling other people’s brands, that we rarely think about how to sell ourselves. Martin Beverley (Adam & Eve DDB) and Ben Shaw (BBH) will be doing a Top Talk very soon on how to ‘Sell Yourself’. They have both risen to the top of two of the best agencies in the business - they know how to do it and they know what they are looking for!
There are lots of people out there ready and willing to help. Embrace them (virtually of course!). And start growing your first degree network in order to reach as many second level contacts as possible. Though it is hard to see right now, your next move may well be even better than the last. Onwards and upwards…