Great Minds Think Ahead

As Featured in The Daily Express

Originally from the US, Betty Thayer became a partner at Ernst and Young in London after a long career in management consulting. Now established in the UK, she has taken on a portfolio of roles including management consultant and dot.com entrepreneur. She launched www.exec-appointments.com in 2002. This best-of-both-worlds site combines display ads as normally seen in national newspapers with the speed and convenience of online recruitment.

Here she gives advice for a satisfying career.

• Think ahead. Expand your career horizons long before you think about changing jobs. Volunteering for a charity or serving on a board can be rewarding and make you more attractive to potential employers. Imagine what kinds of positions you want to be asked to do in five years time - and set about creating the experience you need.

   
  

• Be prepared. Keep your CV up to date and no more than two pages long. Emphasise measurable achievements - and provide interesting "success" reasons why a prospective employer would want to work with you.

   
  

• Cultivate networks. Look for new ways of meeting interesting people. Research suggests that many people who easily find new positions do so because they utilise an existing network of contacts.

   
  

• Be proactive. Let people know that you would be open to new situations. Seek out those who have recently changed their circumstances and ask them how they identified the opportunity and made the transition. Register on Internet sites to receive job alerts, by email, about the industry you are in.

   
  

• Be patient. Most top employers actually prefer interviewing people who are not looking for a job. It is easier get interviews when you are currently in work.

   
  

• Be professional. Every interaction with a potential employer, whether paid or voluntary, should reflect the level of quality they would expect every day. Treat email and voice mail seriously.

   
  

• Be realistic. Only apply for jobs you can do and obtain good references for. It is much easier to be placed on to a shortlist for a job you are really qualified for than to be taken off a blacklist by a headhunter (or employer) who thinks you are wasting their time.