Commit yourself to a company

British Airways is in complete turbulence. With the news this week that our struggling national airline is sending out emails to its 40,000 staff asking them to work for free, it got me thinking about the levels of commitment people are likely to show to their company in difficult economic times.

Equally, these are difficult job-hunting times. It’s more important than ever that you identify yourself as a dedicated future employee.

If you’ve been following the advice in the Workthing+ Library, you’ll know that you should be exploring the hidden job market by targeting companies and creating networking opportunities.

So what do you do if you’ve drawn up your list of companies to target, but despite your best networking efforts, you’re not getting your foot in the door?

Here’s a radical thought: what if you were to offer to shadow someone at your dream company for a week? By dedicating the time to get to know and understand a business, you’ll be showing your enthusiasm and commitment to that organisation. Their official line might be a hiring freeze, but I don’t think there are many managers out there who aren’t always on the lookout for talent.

I’m not suggesting that you should go out and offer to work for free, but it’s this sort of gesture that employers are sure to appreciate and that can really make you stand out.

Try to think about how you can make yourself known to those companies you’ve shortlisted and give yourself the opportunity to gain invaluable experience, collect useful contacts and be the first one to hear about unadvertised opportunities.

Be the person that the company thinks of when they next look to hire.

Natalie Harris
Editor, Workthing+

Comments

[BilboBaggins]

I am not sure about "shadowing" someone for a week - why would the employer want the hassle, it just takes up their time? But, if things get stuck at the interview stage, wouldn't it be radical to say "If you offer me a job, I'll give you a 2-week free trial at the start - if it doesn't work out, we all just walk away".