Wednesday 25 September 2013

The Question

Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?

I detest, loathe, down right HATE that question. There is no way to answer it in ‘correct’ way. Ideally in 5 years time (the realistic plan is 21 years time). I will be MD of my favourite company, I will be earning let’s say around £500,000 a year pre tax. I will have my house, let’s face it I will have 2 houses. A steady relationship, a car maybe even a driver!
If I say that I am considered an inappropriate greedy, selfish candidate.

If I say (not likely) but if I were to say I see myself in the same entry role I am in now, due to a lack of opportunity to progress and the need to stay in a job any job as the market is so crappy.
Then I am rude, ungrateful (potentially realistic), and definitely NOT going to get a job anytime soon.

So you need to be ambitious – but not overly.
Realistic – yet still ambitious.
Finally – be yourself (but the best version).


So...this is another question that I believe should be eliminated from the application process; When I rule the land of personnel I shall certainly be eliminating this question too!

Tuesday 17 September 2013

For the Entrepreneurial

With freshers is looming, and for some of us the end of university life it is essential we decide what we want to be when we ‘grow up’. One of the most common but least thought out answers to this question is to open our own business. Although this is risky, costly, and in the beginning highly depressing it can work out very well indeed.

One person who managed to open a successful business in their final year at university, who recently has been described by the press as a ‘gay icon’, and  ‘networking sex symbol’ Business’ scruffy haired, Brummie (via Switzerland) love child of Boris Johnson, Harry Styles, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jamie Oliver Apprentice finalist; Nick Holzherr has some interesting pearls of wisdom to share.  I was lucky enough to get some excellent advice from him which I'm going to share with you... 


Do you believe there are unspoken skills to being a good entrepreneur ...we know it is important to be organised etc but what are the unvoiced skills of business?

They may not be "unvoiced" as such, but the absolute key skills are initiative, a drive to get things done rather than just speak about them and perseverance. When running a business no-one tells you what to do or sets business targets, so it's sometimes easy to ignore difficult questions or tackle hard problems.  Entrepreneurs who are successful drive them self to get the hard tasks done and have the initiative to work problems out. A lot of "common sense" is also important - keep things simple and think logically. It's easy to start thinking up rather unneeded ideas and concepts when one puts on a "business hat". It's important you don’t. 

I understand you completed a placement or sandwich year at university. Would you recommend it will it help focus an individual on future career prospects? Or will it provide a hatred for the industry you gain experience in?

I spent 13 months working for Deutsche Bank in their Frankfurt office - working in Global Investment Banking. I learnt a huge amount in my placement year. I learnt how large companies run processes and how larger teams interact. Although I didn’t choose to continue working for a multinational company when I left university, I would 100% recommend anyone to do one. I have taken many of the processes into my business now and am grateful for what I learnt. 

In your opinion is being a successful entrepreneur about a good product, or a good person?

I think you need a good product to start with. You then need to be a good business person to make it actually happen. Being a good person morally can help along the way as well - and one gets a lot more support from the surrounding business community in the long term if one is a good person. There are hundreds of great minds working on useless ideas; the ones that work on good ideas are the ones which make it big. 

Finally, given your time again not just in the apprentice but of all the enterprises you have fathered what, if anything would you alter?

If I could start again I would look much more strategically into what business I should start. I would look at market sizes, prove a real demand for what I was offering and only then commit to the idea 100%. That said, if I had attempted to do this, I would probably never have started a business in the first place and would never have "pivoted" the number of times I did to get to what I'm doing now. Once you start, if you have determination, it's possible to change the idea a few times and try different combinations, learning along the way. It is however definitely the expensive way (in terms of the impact it has on your lifestyle while you earn only little money) of doing it and ideally one should look to take the strategic approach.

The Tests

So,  I understand the reason for the numerical reasoning, even the verbal reasoning, in fact anything with reasoning in it I will happily do the test. However, I have noticed employers sneaking an unnecessary evil into the Grad Scheme application process this being the ‘Personality Test’.

I disagree with this on so many levels (which I try to make seem moral, but which most likely stem from a concern that my personality will be deemed so unbelievably boring I will be dismissed from the process immediately)!

Mainly it’s because personality is such a subjective thing is it not? I may not get on with someone as I think they are boring but others will find them more interesting than anything else on the planet. Alongside this everyone makes such an awfully big deal about ‘uniqueness’ if everyone is so unique and individual how can we be put into a personality box? How do you determine which personality traits fit into what category, in fact how do you categorise personality in any way, shape, or form?!
Surely, “personality” is simply, what makes a person a person. It appears that for personality to be recognised by those around us, it must be consistent, consistent enough to render us predictable; And if we are all predictable then no one will want to hire us anyway!


Therefore, I suggest all employers ditch the ‘Personality’ tests they are stupid and pointless to my mind, and they at least get us all to interview stage so they can see our ‘personality’ for a brief 20 mins. Making a judgement based on our looks, hair colour, clothing, elocution and personality traits all at once!

Friday 13 September 2013

It's Time!!

So, my laptop is fully charged, my pencils are sharpened, and my reading list... has been completely ignored. It must mean it is time to start 4th year and frantically apply for Grad schemes/Jobs. While having a minor heart attack, and going prematurely grey just at the thought of 'Numerical Reasoning!'


Most graduate schemes open in late September(except a sneaky few that have opened their doors very quietly Sainsbury's I'm looking at you!) I am determined for us to be on top form with our psychometric test answers good to go! While we are on the topic of Psychometric tests I discovered a fantastic website with mock tests on it, I've discovered the key with these is not to get too engrossed in doing mock tests as they will no doubt drive you wild and you will end up getting so obsessed with them it’s borderline psychotic. When you get to the point where you are doing loads of mock tests it means you will not concentrate on the rest of the application which would be seriously unfortunate. Also it is a fact that when you then end up doing a psychometric test you will in fact not have any of the same or even remotely similar questions to the ones you have practised!  


This is the big cheese of aptitude tests with everything from decision making to mathematical and all areas in-between. The only one it's missing is 'Motivational' testing which I hadn't even realised existed till about 10 minutes ago while applying for a grad scheme I was asked what motivated me, in multiple choice format!!! 



If any of you have any bright ideas of how to make the application hell go a little quicker. Or indeed how to just get a job or career at the snap of a finger, or click of a Manolo Blahnik heel!  I would very much like to know...Please! 

Let me know how final year and graduation planning is going for you.