Credit Management May 2022

CAREERS
Take the leap
Why fear shouldn’t prevent you from
applying for that dream job.
AUTHOR – Natascha Whitehead
HAVE you ever come
across a desirable role
which prompted you to
update your CV and draft
a carefully considered
cover letter, but then,
when it came to pressing ‘send’ during the
application process, something physically
stopped you?
This may be due to your internal ‘what
if’ fears. From a lack of self-belief to
worrying about your current employer’s
response, I’ve listed three simple ways
to keep common concerns at bay. As the
demand for credit professionals remains
high – there’s no reason to not go for that
opportunity!
1. NO IMPOSTER SYNDROME HERE
Have confidence in your skills and
abilities, even if it’s a new industry.
You may analyse your CV and realise
that your skillset and experience might not
be an identical fit (especially if it’s a new
industry), but do not let this hold you back!
It’s easy to forget that even the most senior
staff began their career with a lack of
experience and were most probably faced
with the same self-doubting thoughts you
might be encountering.
How do you reduce these sceptical
thoughts? While there’s no denying that
‘required’ skills and experience are more
challenging to overcome, hiring managers
are often more flexible when considering
their listed ‘desired’ skills. If you can
emphasise that you have the soft skills
needed to build on your credit experience,
such as being a diligent quick learner, this
can aid your application process.
You can also demonstrate your
transferable skills, especially if it’s not in
the same industry as your current role.
For example, if you’ve worked in a large
corporate – your experience of dealing
with a large number of stakeholders and
deadlines are excellent transferable skills
to highlight.
2. DON’T FRET THE COMPETITION
In the digital age we live in, more often
than not you’ll find you can now see
how many others have applied for a
specific role, particularly on job boards
and LinkedIn. In certain situations, this
can act as a deterrent when weighing-up
whether you want to apply or not.
Whilst it may be easier to accept the
negative, self-deprecating voice, practise
substituting this dialogue with positive,
self-confident thoughts. Implementing
positive habits can help with selfconfidence,
which in turn, can aid your
self-belief when it comes to applying for
jobs.
If you’re ever feeling hesitant, write
down all your achievements in your career
so far, as well as what you can offer for
the new role. This will help you visualise
your accomplishments, rather than seeing
them within a generic CV format. You can
then play a match-making game, where
you identify key words used to describe a
job’s ideal candidate and pair them with
your own list of skills and experience.
This will naturally make you stand
out amongst the crowd, which should
naturally boost your confidence when
applying for a role which has a significant
number of active candidates.
3. IT’S YOUR LIFE
Remember to put yourself first. And don’t
let loyalty and guilt prevent you from
applying to a vacancy, especially when it is
your ideal role within a desired company.
It may seem that your company needs
your resources right now, and by applying
to a job you feel a hint of dishonesty.
However, this is not the case. There is
nothing misleading or deceitful about
putting your career progression or
happiness first. Putting yourself at the
forefront may feel unfamiliar, and you
may feel guilty about your decision, but
it’s necessary when navigating the world
of work.
This is not to say that you should be
inconsiderate to your current employer
– you can give an ample notice period
and thank them for the opportunities
and development, whilst simultaneously
prioritising your own career journey.
Whilst you may not be able to control your
managers response, you can monitor how
you handle the situation.
A final thought – next time you find
yourself debating whether to go through
with the application process, due to fears
holding you back, remember to trust the
process, have self-confidence, and put
yourself first!
Natascha Whitehead is Business
Director & UK Channel Lead of Hays
Credit Management.
Natascha
Whitehead
Next time you
find yourself
debating whether to
go through with the
application process,
due to fears holding
you back, remember
to trust the process,
have self-confidence,
and put yourself
first!
Brave | Curious | Resilient / www.cicm.com / May 2022 / PAGE 17