We'll Get Back To You Soon

I suppose this is something that almost all of us have said at some time in our adult lives. It's not a great thing to say because it doesn't specify a specific time but most of the time most of us will 'get back to you'. I'm sure a minority of us (including myself) will have failed to fulfil  that undertaking and that has to be disappointing, inconvenient or even upsetting for the other party.

For my part I've been on the receiving end recently where 2 different recruitment agencies have said exactly that but have failed to follow through. One instance came after having sent my CV in to a company and after the first call heard nothing else; not an unusual situation as recruitment companies do this all the time and it's hard to sustain contact with these companies when there's nothing substantial to discuss.

The second instance came after being contacted directly and being told that there was a role coming up for which I would be a good fit and that we'd chat again in a couple of days. After a week, I asked if there had been any progress and was told, "We'll get back to you soon". Well, you can guess the rest. Of course, this is disappointing but is harder to take when opportunities, interviews and work haven't been forthcoming in some time.

It's been a lesson for me. I shall try harder in the future always to agree a specific date and always to ensure I do 'get back', knowing that if I don't I shall also be inconveniencing or disappointing someone else.

Incidentally, my LinkedIn profile can be found here. I hope you get back to me.

Some 3-in-1 on that career there

I've been learning - or re-learning for the umpteenth time - that it pays to stick one's head up over the parapet once in a while. There's other cliches that say the same thing such as 'the squeaky wheel gets the oil'. But essentialy, if  one wants attention or wants something done then it's necessary to let people know what's needed.

This became clear in two ways, one trivial, one less so. On the trivial side, I participate in stock trading game called Empire Avenue and at one point there ewas a lot of retaliatory selling when I sold some stock. I made a comment about this on a forum and within a day my stock had been repurchased and more.

On the more important side, I'm looking for a new contract and things have been a little 'dry' shall we say, over the past few months. I posted a comment on LinkedIn about seeking help on getting my CV brought up to speed and I got a lot of advice from people. More importantly, someone emailed me to say that had they seen my CV just a day or two earlier, I would have been a great fit for a particular role. Since then, that same person has taken it upon themself to nag/mentor me and to provide advice and support, and I hope I'm responding accordingly. As well as shrpening up my LinkedIn profile, something they've made clear is that I'm not going to see a role calling for a Pete Chilcott, and that I have take a punt at a role I like and sell the brand 'Pete Chilcott'. I heard much the same from a speaker, Tobias Mews, at the Liquid List networking event. One must be the brand and thats what should be sold and sold hard.