I’ve decided to take the pi## out of career advice columns. Some are just awful. This one of from the Sydney Morning Herald.
Dr Kirstin Ferguson tackles questions on the workplace, career and leadership in her advice column “Got a Minute?”
I work in the financial services industry training to become a financial advisor. I have had to change financial firms three times in two years for different reasons; once because the kind of work they did for clients wasn’t my area of interest, the second time because I was being micromanaged, and at a third, I needed to report the firm to ASIC for multiple regulatory breaches. How do you recommend I find the right firm to complete my professional year as a financial adviser? And how do I approach new job opportunities given I have changed jobs three times in fairly quick succession?
Dr Ferguson: It sounds like you have had a tumultuous few years and finding stability to finish your professional year is a priority. Having a few different employers on your CV over the past two years will be a challenge to overcome in an interview. I think you are best to be upfront about this in your cover letter and explain how you are looking for a long-term future with a firm where the values and culture align with your own. The fact you left the first firm because of the kind of work they did indicates you may need to make sure you do your research well next time. I am sure you have learnt that lesson the hard way. The second issue around micromanagement is a frustrating issue many people have to deal with and perhaps rather than leaving a future job for that, you try and work through the issue with them.
Malcolm King: You’re getting a ring side seat on how dodgy sections of the Australian financial services and brokerage industry really are. Never tell a prospective employer that. Give them your resume without the three terrible jobs. Take them off your resume right now! They don’t exist. Never happened. You create the reality you want your prospective employer to read about you. You are selling your skills to them. Sure, you’ll learn heaps in a successful placement, but it’s a two way street. Get pragmatic.