Oh hey there Talent Manager community - I have been a tad quiet and I wish I could say it was as I have been snowed under with work but alas the #offairnightmare continues, and my muteness stems from a combination of a phone left in an airport (less said about that the better) and also there is a lot going on outside of work.It's led me to realise how alongside being reliant on our jobs to survive mentally &... Read more
Oh hey there Talent Manager community - I have been a tad quiet and I wish I could say it was as I have been snowed under with work but alas the #offairnightmare continues, and my muteness stems from a combination of a phone left in an airport (less said about that the better) and also there is a lot going on outside of work.
It's led me to realise how alongside being reliant on our jobs to survive mentally & financially, they can actually prevent us from being consumed with non work factors we would rather avoid. And the avoidance of difficult scenarios is often something we rely on - it is easier to coast than cope right?
Now I have this quiet period, I have far more time to not only ingest what is going on outside of work but actually be more accountable.
I realise I was guilty for a long time of avoiding non work issues by saying 'I am too busy to go to that check up...'; 'I don't have time to call person x, I will just whatsapp them'. In doing that, I allowed my work to form a comfort blanket in the guise of being 'too busy' to do more.
I am trying to be more accountable -and by that I mean actually following up and taking head on the challenges around me rather than faux acknowledging them.
Accountability in my personal life is one of the things I hope to not only take away from this quiet work period but actually ensure I actively continue - I will strive to no longer excuse poor contact due to work, or avoid personal appointments becase I am too busy to go.
I plan to really give my all to the valuable takeaways from this horrendous period - alongside personal ACCOUNTABILITY this time has reminded me of some othey important points:
HOW KEY A REPLY IS - I have always tried my upmost to respond to approaches (with the exception of those pesky people who want to pay me £2k to see my feet... yeah right, that's not all you want to see) but this patch has been the first time I have had to 'reach out' in a very long time and it is frankly deflating, a touch humiliating and really confidence shattering when someone you know and have interacted with historically, completely and utterly appears to ignore you by not replying. Even when swamped, I shall do all I can to reply in all contacts.
KINDNESS. Those of you who have known me for some time - or followed me - will know that I am a preacher of the simple motto 'be kind'. Seriously though, you must be. I spoke with someone a few weeks ago who said to me that nobody usually talks to her at networking events as she 'isn't TV cool'. That infuriated me. who gets to define who is and isn't cool to begin with - but what nobody should ever feel is that they are ignored because of how they look or their confidence levels. Just a simple smile and hello can change someones day.
REVIEW YOUR SKILLS. When the industry is at peak levels and we are all working away like beavers, sometimes the work lands so readily we just assume it always will and forget that times are changing ... and with that we must too. I had the same tired old CV I always churned out and recently a headhunter at a recruitment agency - yes, it is so quiet I have had to ask for help - said my CV was frankly overwhelming and boring. She said she had never seen so many words on one page, and that it really would not do me any favours. Jeez Louise - I used to run CV masterclasses, how could this be? I reflected and realised that actually at this point in my career I do not need to state the obvious. So I deleted the words I had spent so long typing out. I trusted that the credits and role titles would speak for themselves. I also ensured that my claims were current - dusting off my learning gloves and doing refresher courses with a variety of bodies including the ever awesome ScreenSkills
SO there we are - it has truly been a sh**ty time but there will always be things we can learn and takeaway, and take aways are always a good idea. Unless you are not working and they come from the local restaurant - in which case put down that delivery app and cook instead (latter statement is a note to self).
It's led me to realise how alongside being reliant on our jobs to survive mentally & financially, they can actually prevent us from being consumed with non work factors we would rather avoid. And the avoidance of difficult scenarios is often something we rely on - it is easier to coast than cope right?
Now I have this quiet period, I have far more time to not only ingest what is going on outside of work but actually be more accountable.
I realise I was guilty for a long time of avoiding non work issues by saying 'I am too busy to go to that check up...'; 'I don't have time to call person x, I will just whatsapp them'. In doing that, I allowed my work to form a comfort blanket in the guise of being 'too busy' to do more.
I am trying to be more accountable -and by that I mean actually following up and taking head on the challenges around me rather than faux acknowledging them.
Accountability in my personal life is one of the things I hope to not only take away from this quiet work period but actually ensure I actively continue - I will strive to no longer excuse poor contact due to work, or avoid personal appointments becase I am too busy to go.
I plan to really give my all to the valuable takeaways from this horrendous period - alongside personal ACCOUNTABILITY this time has reminded me of some othey important points:
HOW KEY A REPLY IS - I have always tried my upmost to respond to approaches (with the exception of those pesky people who want to pay me £2k to see my feet... yeah right, that's not all you want to see) but this patch has been the first time I have had to 'reach out' in a very long time and it is frankly deflating, a touch humiliating and really confidence shattering when someone you know and have interacted with historically, completely and utterly appears to ignore you by not replying. Even when swamped, I shall do all I can to reply in all contacts.
KINDNESS. Those of you who have known me for some time - or followed me - will know that I am a preacher of the simple motto 'be kind'. Seriously though, you must be. I spoke with someone a few weeks ago who said to me that nobody usually talks to her at networking events as she 'isn't TV cool'. That infuriated me. who gets to define who is and isn't cool to begin with - but what nobody should ever feel is that they are ignored because of how they look or their confidence levels. Just a simple smile and hello can change someones day.
REVIEW YOUR SKILLS. When the industry is at peak levels and we are all working away like beavers, sometimes the work lands so readily we just assume it always will and forget that times are changing ... and with that we must too. I had the same tired old CV I always churned out and recently a headhunter at a recruitment agency - yes, it is so quiet I have had to ask for help - said my CV was frankly overwhelming and boring. She said she had never seen so many words on one page, and that it really would not do me any favours. Jeez Louise - I used to run CV masterclasses, how could this be? I reflected and realised that actually at this point in my career I do not need to state the obvious. So I deleted the words I had spent so long typing out. I trusted that the credits and role titles would speak for themselves. I also ensured that my claims were current - dusting off my learning gloves and doing refresher courses with a variety of bodies including the ever awesome ScreenSkills
SO there we are - it has truly been a sh**ty time but there will always be things we can learn and takeaway, and take aways are always a good idea. Unless you are not working and they come from the local restaurant - in which case put down that delivery app and cook instead (latter statement is a note to self).
