All posts by cmperkins

Client Director at TMP Worldwide UK
General Career Management

A race or a journey?

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So thinking about this whole ‘careers’ business I got to wondering about the origin of the word.

Turns out it’s from the French carriere, meaning ‘racecourse’, which in turn is derived from the Latin cararia meaning ‘road’ or ‘track’.

So do you view your career as a race or a journey?

I tend to favour the ‘journey’ metaphor – I don’t think there’s a finish line for a career (at least, not until we finally check out from this world), and I don’t view my career as a competition with others. I do want to achieve a ‘personal best’, but I’m not racing against anyone else. 

What do you think?

Seems like an ideal opportunity to try out the polling feature on the blog….

Books, Networking

Dig your well before you’re thirsty

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I was speaking to two job searchers recently who both found out fairly suddenly that they were about to be back in the job market. Both were networking extensively – networking being well established as the means through which most professionals find their next role.

For one of them, who had maintained and nurtured her network, things were moving quickly. She was down to a final stage interview for one role and had two other opportunities on the go, all within four weeks of leaving her last post.

The other person was re-establishing key relationships. His contacts were responsive, but he was in the process of ‘activating’ them after not having had much contact over the last year or so.

This reminds me of Harvey Mackay’s book ‘Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty’. Networking is a great job search tool, but it shouldn’t be a reactive thing – tapping into network contacts when you need them. You should proactively build and develop your network all the time, so that it’s there – ready – when you need it.

 

Career success stories, General Career Management

The inspiration that started it all…

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I was driving up to Aberdeen on Wednesday and heard Simon Groom, the Director of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, on Stark Talk on Radio Scotland. He has had a fascinating career and I thought “How could I tell people about his story?”

This blog is the answer! Simon originally studied English before Art History. He grew up in Liverpool from quite humble beginnings, has been nearly penniless in Japan and Italy and now curates one of the finest collections of modern art in Europe.

He is a wonderful example of how anyone can reach the pinnacle of their chosen profession, and because Fairplace, the career management firm I work for, supports new artists, his story really resonated with me.

My intention with this blog is to highlight new ideas, practical tips and useful resources for anyone looking to further their career.

Because I live and work in Scotland, my focus is on the Scottish labour market and career-related developments north of the border, but most of my posts will be relevant to career builders everywhere.

Your comments welcome, hope you enjoy my posts and find them useful!