Karren Brady’s career advice on finding the right job when in a great company
APPRENTICE star and West Ham United vice-chair Karren Brady answers your careers questions and meets an inspirational CEO.
Here she gives a reader advice on how to find a job she will be passionate about despite being in a company that values her.
Q) I work in logistics and get paid pretty well, but the problem is I’m really bored. I joined the company straight from uni and have been promoted five times in the seven years I’ve been here, so feel I should remain loyal to the business.
My degree was in anthropology and I would like to use that to move into a line of work that helps people and/or the planet. How do I even begin to find the type of job I want to do?
And how will I know if I have the appropriate skills when I’ve been working in a role that is so far away from my passions?
Layla, via email
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A) You are still just at the start of a (long!) working life, so you need to do something that you are genuinely interested in and passionate about.
While your company respect and value you, I’m sure they don’t expect you to be there at retirement age! Start thinking big – what would your dream job be?
Who would your dream employer be? Are there any gaps in your experience or qualifications that would stop you from getting these?
Plan how to get there – start researching those companies and seeing what kind of roles they have. Update your LinkedIn profile, follow your professional heroes and network with people in those industries.
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Make contact with talent and acquisition teams in the companies you see yourself working at, to see if they have any positions you would be suitable for.
You will have many transferable skills that you will be able to apply to a new job, and while you’re researching, you have the safety of steady income from your existing employer. Good luck!
- Got a careers question for Karren? Email bossingit@fabulousmag.co.uk.
A Day In The Life Of…
Louise Webster, 49, is the founder of award-winning parent platform Beyondtheschoolrun.com. She lives in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, with her corporate developer husband Andrew, 51, and their children Finlay, 15, and Mila, 11.
I wake up at…
6am. After a cup of hot water, I do a workout for 30-40 minutes – often yoga. Once the kids are ready, we drive 10 minutes to school, and only when I’m home do I check emails and messages, before a breakfast of oats and fruit.
A normal day involves…
I work from my garden office, where on the wall is the Steve Jobs quote: “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life… Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.”
Once I’ve checked my to-do list and glanced at my emails, I prepare daily and weekly content for our social media channels, newsletter and website, before speaking to advertisers on the phone and planning collaborations or partnerships via social media.
At the moment, we’re focused on women and money matters, so I’m creating content with people in the financial space. Rather than stopping for lunch, I grab a snack and step outside briefly, then afternoons involve recording Instagram Lives, which I schedule for noon or 2pm.
I always leave admin, planning and preparing artwork for social media to the end of the day, because those tasks require less brain power. I finish around 3.30pm and pick the kids up from school.
While sorting them out, I might write down ideas or my to-do list for the next day, but other than that, I try not to work.
The best part of my job is…
Finding a sense of purpose that I never knew existed. The platform has given me a whole new outlook on life and work.
And the worst…
Working out the most productive steps for the business in the hours available. That’s why daily exercise is important – it gives me mental clarity to help decide what my next steps should be.
I wind down by…
Putting the kids to bed, having a bath and switching off my devices. Getting work out of my head relaxes me!
- A New Way For Mothers by Louise Webster (£12.99, Familius) is available on Amazon.co.uk.