An inconvenient opportunity?

The recession hit me last week. In fact, it came right at me when the holiday company I’d booked an eagerly awaited break in the sun through went into administration. And they didn’t even tell me!?

Thankfully, when I did find out, I had my practical hat on and my holiday went ahead as planned – although not without several heated conversations, mind you. It served its purpose and I have been left with the feeling that I’ve come off rather lightly from the recession so far - not that I’m counting my chickens…

Nevertheless, my near miss has left me starting to contemplate the wider ramifications of this down turn for me. First, I have a much keener sense of my social conscience, as a result of which I’m training to be a volunteer mentor to a look after child. Second, my day job and arguably my broader career prospects have changed. Necessity has meant that I’m now a furious networker with a black book double the size it once was. I used to get away with being a whole lot more subtle about the way I went about my business. Yet now live by the philosophy that if you don’t ask, you don’t get.

I am also loving the deliberate and increased exposure I have to the public and third sectors. Now perhaps these aren’t quite as sustainable and robust as we once thought given the issues coming to light around public funding, but I’m relishing my sudden change in direction. I think it’s going to stand me in really good stead, if for no other reason that the diverse perspectives and personal interests I’m collecting.

However some things don’t change. My raison d’etre remains to advise and assist others around that all–important career move. And it can seem more like a complete u-turn for some in this environment, but increasingly I’m thinking what a great opportunity an enforced move can represent. We’ve all speculated as to “what next?”, and I like Toby Blume’s (CEO of the Urban Forum) philosophy that despite its immediate challenges, the downturn will provide a once-in-a-generation opportunity to fundamentally rethink our lives. On a social level, yes, but it equally applies in career terms too. Industry expertise and functional skill sets are universal currency and can be tailored to suit. Where one institution has failed, another will thrive through learning from its predecessor’s mistakes. Where profits were once generated as sales went through the roof, so costs can be cut to yield a massive impact on the bottom line. And just look at how social enterprise is thriving.

So for every action (however misguided!) it would seem there is an equal and opposite reaction. Even in this economic context. We really should see this downturn as fueling rather than dampening our ambitions – and come out the other side raring to go even faster. And a whole lot further too.

Read more here

• Banking in post-recession Britain
• Up from the Rubble: Post-Recession Planning
• Six Promising Post-Recession Sectors

About the author

Phillippa joined the recruitment team at FreshMinds in 2003 having spent four years at a niche management consultancy recruitment firm. She is particularly well known for her ability to help senior candidates change career direction, and when she’s not working she admits that football takes up a disproportionate amount of her time.