Education matters

January 1 is historically the most common day of the year for people to resign. The reasons for this are obvious, New Year, new beginnings and all that, but usually there is an underlying reason that has been bubbling under the surface that the rest and relaxation of a vacation coupled with said long term niggles inevitably brings things to a conclusion.

Whilst many of us at this time of year may be making promises to ourselves regarding personal changes, it is important to remember that one blinding flash of confidence in ourselves does not a successful change make. Personal success is a long term journey that doesn’t happen overnight, (likewise job seeking success) so If you are hoping to make an employment change in 2018, my advice is to put the time in to plan for the change you want to make, that way you won’t find yourself jumping from the frying pan and in to the fire.

Making effective change in employment takes discipline and often sacrifices to ensure that the goals you set are measurable and ultimately successful. For example, if you are hoping to move to another school in 2018 or seek a promotion, start spending time on your CV and make the most of the current position you have to be sure that you are noticed and that references received will highlight how much you contributed to your current position indicating how much you will be missed. Don’t just presume, as many teachers do, that promotions have their names on them or future schools will be amazed by what you have to offer and will be clambering to get you on board. You need to make yourself irresistible to future employers by demonstrating how your particular skill set stands out above other candidates, ultimately making you the ‘stand out candidate’. You have to presume that everybody else applying for the job is working at an equal level, meaning that each one has the skill set required to fulfill the job description successfully.  Once you have established this, you can begin to work on the extra 10 per cent that puts you above the common standards. It is the extra 10 per cent that singles you out and ultimately makes it more likely that you will be invited to tell future employers a little bit more about you.

So, what can we take from all of this? Whilst it is easy to see January 1 as the perfect time to quit, it might not be the most sensible time. What would be a better idea is to see January 1 as the time to commit to quitting and moving on to new things, chapter one of the process if you will.  Just committing to something like a change in employment releases the energy and enthusiasm required to beginning planning for it and in doing so; step by step you become more likely to achieve your goal. So rather taking knee jerk decisions at this time of year commit to a change and then set out your plan to achieving it because a goal without a plan is just a dream and dreams can turn into nightmares very quickly indeed.

Wishing you all the very best for 2018!