Accountants take pay cuts

Accountancy Ireland (April 2007) state the latest Robert Walters salary survey reports a new trend.

Apparently more and more accountants are choosing to take pay cuts of up to 10% to move from banking and financial services to the commerce and industry sector. Traditionally the banking and financial services sector have paid the highest salaries at all levels of skill and seniority. Accountants with experience in this area are highly valued and rarely have difficulty moving jobs.

Most of the people switching have 3 to 4 years post qualified experience so they’re accepting a significant life time decrease in their potential earnings.

Work life balance including shorter commuting times are the main reasons cited for candidates switching.

So even in the high citadels of finance, people are beginning to realise quality of life is more important than quantity of money.

So what about you?. Is your quality of life being adversely impacted by your job?


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Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Get paid while you study.

An interesting development in the job world.

Lidl have launched a retail management degree at level 7 with Dublin Business School which pays you while you study.The total programme is 30 months with each 3 month college term followed by a 3 month work placement in Lidl.
Starting salary is €16,000 rising to €20,000 in year 3. College fees and VHI health care is also included.

Work/Study learning programmes have been around for a while now. What's different about this is you don't have to be an existing employee. They're actively trying to attract school leavers with 250 Leaving Certificate points plus. If you're over 23 mature student regulations apply.

Interestingly there is no requirement to work for Lidl afterwards, though they may offer you a management position.

So if you're interested in retail,want a degree, but are not in a position to go to College, this could be a great opportunity. Alternatively if you don't fancy 3 full time years of study but want a degree in retail this could be ideal.

Note the degree has not been accredited with HETAC yet, so find out what stage the validation process is at, before you start the course, That way you know whether any changes to course content or duration are likely.

Go to Lidl website


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Henrik Larsson plays a different game

With Man U on their way to a possible European Final after their 7-1 demolition of Roma, I wonder is footballer Henrik Larsson regretting the move back to Sweden. Currently Swedish club Helsingborg lie 6th in the League on goal difference after losing one game and winning one game.

He’s gone from one of the biggest, best supported clubs, in one of the most famous leagues in the world, with an average gate of around 75,000 to an average gate of 12,000 and a league generally unknown outside of Scandinavia.
He’s gone from playing with equally skilled footballers providing the outstanding support all strikers need, to a team where he’s the star expected to support less talented players. All of this with less pay, as Helsingborg can’t afford to pay the same salary as the major clubs.

Larsson has always done his own thing however. He spent 7 years with Celtic in a very uncompetitive league when some of the biggest clubs in the world were constantly looking for him.

Given a footballer’s career is usually so short, with many footballers known for their excesses and willingness to move clubs, Larsson is unusual. He must be very disciplined and self motivated to go against the normal behaviours in the football world. Many press commentators have criticised him for not “proving himself” on a bigger stage.
However even at 35 his short stint with Man Utd. proved he was well able to play for the biggest clubs.

Larsson is a good example of how different career paths suit different people. There is no one right career track for every person. What suits one person may not suit another. We each need the self belief and willingness to go against expectations and to find our own preferred way to enjoy our work.

You might enjoy a short video (4 minutes) on the importance of enjoying work. Unfortunately you’ll need broadband so apologies to those of you who still have to use dial up. Click here to start film on external web site

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Why Feedback is good for you

In the news there are quite a significant number of instances where failure to listen and act on feedback is causing severe problems.

Some examples

If national and local government had listened to Niall o Brolchain’s complaints about water quality in 2005 maybe over 90,000 Galway people would not be boiling water to-day.

If the Board of the EBS had listened and acted on feedback some more, maybe their private discussions would not now be public with open criticism between directors and allegations of mishandling of bank affairs and bullying.


Yes it’s difficult to accept feedback even when you’re fully qualified professional.
Despite all the scandals in the medical profession both here and abroad, medical General Practioners (GP’)s are finding it difficult to volunteer for much needed performance audits. 400 GP’s are needed to take part in the pilot performance audit but to date only 50 have volunteered. (Sunday Times 1/4/07). I wonder is this because of concerns about flaws in the process or is it natural human fear of criticism?

Being able to receive and act on feedback is a key skill all successful leaders possess. So it is essential to develop this skill if you aspire towards excellence in any area.

Seeking feedback when unsuccessful in a job application can provide very useful information as the recruiters don’t really know you so there’s less emotion involved and the feedback is less threatening. In one recruitment process, all the unsuccessful short listed candidates were offered feedback. Only one candidate took up the offer and used the feedback session very constructively, sending an email of thanks afterwards. When the original successful candidate turned down the job, guess which of the unsuccessful candidates was contacted?

So some tips on receiving feedback.

First separate yourself as a person from your behaviour.
If when we hear constructive feedback we assume we’re no good as a person then we immediately become defensive and emotional and we can’t handle the feedback rationally.

If however we see the feedback as some thing we can learn from, and not a personalised attack, the rational part of our brain stays engaged. Generally people who have good self esteem can handle feedback better than people with low esteem.
This is a key topic beloved of psychologists and for a fuller non clinical explanation see “The Power of Negative Thinking” by Tony Humphreys.

Second listen without interrupting until the speaker is finished. This demonstrates your ability to listen patiently and demonstrates maturity. Taking deep breaths can help maintain calmness.

Third ask for clarification (if necessary) without being defensive.

“So if I understand you correctly, you think that I’m always late for work, though I’m here at 9.15 am each day to start work on time at 9.30am.”

This is an actual example where the boss giving the feedback did not realise the new recruit had been told by the HR manager to start at 9:30. By responding in such a neutral way the new recruit clarified the issue and increased her manager’s regard for her. Imagine though if she’d said angrily
“I can’t believe this you think I’m late when I know I’m here15 minutes early every day, you people are …..!”

Fourth, don’t make assumptions about the intentions of the person giving the feedback.
So maybe your boss is “out to get you”, but maybe he or she is trying to be helpful. You should be very aware your body language sends clear messages so you may present as a very angry person if you feel your boss is “out to get you”. This reduces your opportunities to get valuable feedback.

Fifth summarise what the speaker has said, without necessarily agreeing with it.
“So you feel I’m not paying enough attention to my customers with the result that my customer complaints have gone up 100%. I need to think about this, can I come back to you?”
This demonstrates your maturity in listening without necessarily agreeing with the feedback and gives you the option to discuss later when you’ve had time to examine the issue.

Sixth acknowledge the effort of the feedback giver
Even if you don’t like the feedback, thank the giver, because it is hard to give feedback. Culturally Irish people find it very hard to be direct. How many people complain about the cold food even when the waiter asks
“Was everything all right?”
Thanking the feedback giver, demonstrates you are open to learning and are concerned about your own performance.

Finally you choose what to do about the feedback.
Is the feedback some thing you should act on? Are you late for work regularly? Do you get so focused on minor details you keep missing deadlines?
Maybe the feedback is just plain wrong. How can you change that perception of you or is it better just to let the matter go?

Remember you don’t have to like the feedback or the feedback giver, but it can still be useful. I was once told by my boss I’d never succeed in a certain area, because I was too impatient. Not the most constructive way of giving feedback and I did not agree. I felt I was focused on getting results. However it did make me realise this was the wrong impression for this particular area if I was to succeed. So I changed the way I approached this area and successfully reduced people’s perceptions of impatience making my job easier.

So remember there’s always something to be learned from feedback even if the motives of the person giving the feedback if highly suspect.


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The Monday morning blues

We all have times when we hate going to work but when you hate going to work all the time you need to change something. This is where fear and aversion to risk kicks in- the devil you know etc. If you’re stuck, Alan’s example might help.

Alan had a very secure pensionable job as a clerical officer. There were plenty of promotional opportunities and with his ability he was bound to succeed. I don’t think though he had any 3rd level qualification. There was a strong prospect of lucrative stock options if he stayed on which would help with the mortgage. He did not hate his job but he did n’t like it.
He loved poetry.

He took a redundancy lump sum and off he went to write poetry. He also had some contacts in the publishing trade that he was going to write for to generate some money.

He gave me a copy of a poem he wrote.
“Quasimodo Gets a Makeover”

A few lines describe many people’s emotions who decide to leave jobs they feel trapped by

"No one could give me what I really want
What I really need only I can give to me”

It ends with
“I see webbing worlds in my spider eyes
Longings that trap me in marking time
Running on empty with this life untried
As dark worlds crumble into the void I fly”


Alan’s actions and his poem really caused me to think about my own situation. I really loved the job I was in, earned great money, had great status, but I was working 70 hours a week and it was not going to get any easier. A new round of redundancies was inevitable and I was not sure I wanted to manage through that again. Also there was so much else I wanted to do.
Fear had always stopped me doing anything though. Alan’s poem made me realise that the fear was never going stop and there was never going to be a good time to walk away.

So I left my secure existence and went into the void, tired and exhausted- certainly not flying! 7 years on I have absolutely no regrets despite the inevitable rollercoaster of being self employed.

So if you hate your job but are afraid to move here’s a few tips to help

Figure out what you hate about your job and act on this if you can.
You might find our

quiz

useful

Keep reminding yourself that life is short- imagine what would you do if you only had a year to live.

Challenge your sacred cows. One (adult) client made his decision, but then back tracked when his parents disapproved. Only when he realised he did not need his parents’ approval (a year later) did he make the right move for him.

Review all the assumptions behind your decisions- e.g. I’ll never get a better job.

The Buddhists have a great philosophy of “letting go”. This means doing all you can to make your dream come true, but recognising you can’t control the outcome. Once you learn to live with insecurity life becomes easier.

And finally from the Roman philosopher Tacitus

“The desire for safety stands against every great and noble enterprise”

(Note I have not used Alan's real name, because I lost contact with him and could not get his permission to publish)


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Persistence pays off for first female gondolier

Alexandra Hai has just won a 10 year battle to become the first female gondolier in Venice. (Sunday Times 1/4/07)

She failed the first test because of a bad manoeuvre, but won an appeal on the grounds there were no women in the examining commission.
In the second and third tests she bumped into another gondola in choppy water and failed to keep the boat steady when she met a motor boat coming the other way. She feels there was bias with the all male Venice Gondola Association against her.

At that stage she said she was giving up and leaving Venice. If you Google “Alexandra Hai” you‘ll see plenty of comments agreeing with this decision.

Then she took a job with a hotel who asked her to transport their customers. In October she was stopped and fined but has just won the right to continue with her gondola. She has experienced insults and rude gestures as other gondoliers pass by.

Being on a gondola is “magical emotional moment for me” she stated so she obviously loves her work.

She demonstrates many of the qualities people often need to get to the work they love.

• Self belief- despite failing the test 3 times she continued to believe she could be a gondolier
• Persistence- she kept trying- for 10 years!
• Willing to put up with public humiliation, being branded a failure , and as an "oddity"
• Willingness to try alternative options to get to where she wanted

City Hall plans to appeal to a higher court but Alexandra starts back on the gondolier to-day.

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Getting that Promotion

The company I was working for was being re-organised. All senior managers had to reapply in writing for new revamped roles. I submitted a CV tailored for the two jobs I was interested in and sat back thinking that was all I had to do. Luckily a management consultant (there are some good ones out there!) dropped in and put me straight.

So during a routine meeting with the boss I put forward the reasons why I should be considered for the job I really wanted. I also spoke to some of my previous bosses who were on the selection board- again during routine meetings. I got my preferred job. Much later, I discovered I’d originally been pencilled in for a job I would have hated. The decision by the selection board to put me into my preferred job was based on the reasons I’d put forward to my boss. So if I had just submitted my CV, I would not have got my preferred job.

So if you’re sure promotion is what you want here’s a few tips

First understand yourself
• Be clear about the reasons why you want the promotion and whether these reasons are consistent with your personal values and long term plans. If you hate your current job and every thing about organisation why not move on?
• Be sure you’re happy about the consequences of getting the job e.g. it might mean more money but it could involve substantial overnight travel which interferes with your work life balance or it might mean appraising your best friend
• Be very clear what type of role you want. In my case I wanted a “hands on” role in an operations area rather than a facilitator type role in a support area.
• Assess whether you have the right skills and experience for the job or need to gain further experience or qualifications
• Analyse what you have achieved in your current job and what you would do differently in hindsight.
• Critically look at your current level of performance. Is it good enough to justify promotion? If your area of responsibility has performance measurements, are you are in the top performers?
• What image are you projecting? Organisations tend to prefer “can do” positive people who come up with solutions to problems.
• How you dress portrays an image so torn dirty clothes are out. Make sure your clothes image is consistent with your organisation’s ethos. (Another mine field, I’ll get back to)

Secondly understand your organisation
• Understand the culture of your organisation. My approach would not have worked in a very formalised selection process. Indeed would be counter productive in a public sector type organisation. “canvassing will disqualify” In an American type organisation however a more direct approach would probably be needed
• Try to understand how the selection process for promotion works. This can be formal(interviews, appraisals etc) and/or informal process. (key decision makers knowing you and what you’re capable of )
• Look at the people who have gotten promotion recently and see if you understand the basis on which they got promoted. If you can talk to them in confidence and trust, do so to get additional insights.
• Consider whether you need to get to know more people in the organisation. i.e. by going on social committees or volunteering for a specific project
• Identify the reasons why you should be promoted based on the benefits to the organisation (not the benefits to you ). decide how you'll get this information across
• Don’t compare your self to other employees- it’s unfair, looks narrow minded and usually works against you
• If you have a performance appraisal process use it to get feedback about your performance and confirm you’re interested in promotion.

If you don’t get the promotion, wait until you’re over the disappointment and then calmly and unemotionally look for feedback on what you need to do to be successful the next time. I’ll come back to dealing with feedback and what to do if you continue to be unsuccessful.



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