Nepotism, or is it called networking? Who cares if it works!

On the wall behind the reception of a well established family-run business hangs a framed notice, possibly designed to dissuade outsiders from applying for work:

We promote family values here – nearly as much as we promote family members!

Nepotism is a bit of a dirty word, especially if you’re applying for a job and you know the CEO’s nephew is one of those you’re up against!  In modern-day terms nepotism refers to the act of favouring relatives at work in employment or economic terms as opposed to them being judged on ability or merit.

For the most part, it can simply be viewed in terms of people giving somebody a leg-up or giving them a bit more of the inside track to enable them to get on within an organisation. But this doesn’t happen nowadays, surely?!

Well, take a look at the following stats and make your own mind up to see how people are getting work in the UK:

• 11 million people are either working with a relative who gave them the role, or in a position which a family member helped them secure

• Over a third (34 per cent) dodged the interview process completely after getting a nod from a friend

The Word of God spoken over your job/career

When faced with the challenges of finding work, it’s easy to feel that it’s just you on your own up against the world. The bible tell us that we don’t have to struggle on our own, but that when we speak God’s word over our lives – our work situation, then He fights our battles on our behalf.

2 Chronicles 20:15  …for the battle is not yours, but God’s.

Jeremiah 1:12 … for I watch over my word to perform it.

In this blog I list many scriptures that fall under the following seven titles. Importantly they hold valuable promises from God regarding key areas for our career development and calling:

1. Guiding hand of God – You will need God’s guiding hand to find work.
2. Revelation – You will need revelation to find work. Rely on God’s, not your own!
3. Desires of your heart – Don’t settle for any old job, God’s advice to is follow your desires.
4. God’s Plans for your future – To find the right work, you will need to embrace God’s plans for your future.
5. Strength – God’s not your own! You will need strength to find work.Rely on God’s, not your own!
6. Growth as a Christian – To move into our next job, God sometimes wants us to first grow as Christians.
7. Hunger for God – In your search for work, God wants you to develop a hunger for Him and His things in your life.

Our job is to speak God’s word over our job situation – step out in faith – and watch situations turn around.

Five Alternative ways of working

If you are thinking of returning to work there are alternatives to working the average full time day of 9am – 5pm. The following blog provides five different approaches to work, which may help you to enter the job market.

1. Be your own boss
2. Homeworking
3. Teleworking
4. Flexi working and work life balance
5. Voluntary work

Some of the following alternative ways of working could accommodate your specific needs and responsibilities and help you to “juggle” with work and other areas of their life, such as childcare or a disability.

Working dad, how does that work?!

I was near the Armenian border travelling on a ramshackle bus. Suddenly, out of the window I saw something that would stay with me forever. An old man was reclined on a donkey, smoking a long pipe – and very much at peace with the world, whilst behind him trudged his wife, literally doubled over, under the weight of a haystack carried across her shoulders.

In our society, traditional male roles have changed radically over the last few decades, and films like Billy Elliot and The Full Monty eloquently show the pain men go through when their roles in life change. One client recently told me that after losing his job he saw the video of Freddie Mercury dressed up in drag, vacuuming the house and singing ‘I want to break free’. He instantly saw himself reflected in that image, dress, curlers and all!

The foundations of our male-ness
The big question, of course, is what is left of our male-ness when our jobs and traditional roles disappear? What can we do about it?

How to guide our young people to a great hope and a future

I count myself blessed that I have 3 extremely active, young boys; but to be honest, when they’re ‘playing up’ I sometimes have to remind myself that children are ‘a heritage from the Lord.’ (Psalm 127:3). I like the way the Message puts it: Don’t you see that children are God’s best gift?

Wanting the best for our children’s futures
As parents we all want the best training, educations and employment prospects for our kids, so the latest government figures on just this subject make very sobering reading:

• 8% of UK 16 to 24-year-olds are not in education, employment or training (NEET)

This percentage translates to approx 1 million young people not receiving training and positive formation for their future lives.

The reasons for this are complex, but the bible instructs all adults, not only parents, should take responsibility to guide, nurture and instruct young people in the ways of life. This includes their career choice and how to get there.

Deut 4:9  Only be careful,…so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let  them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.

It’s a weighty responsibility but you’re don’t have to do it on your own!

It’s time you got yourself noticed!

If you’re a Brit, like me, give yourself a big thumbs up because as a nation we have many excellent qualities. However, something that many of us have in short supply is the ability to self-promote and talk ourselves up.

The antithesis to British downplay can be found in no better person than our favourite over-the-top US film star, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who said:

‘I knew I was destined for great things. People will say that kind of thinking is totally immodest. I agree. Modesty is not a word that applies to me in any way – I hope it never will.’

Talk yourself up!

I’m no marketing expert, but after sitting on both sides of the job interview table, I can say with certainty that each time I either got the job or decided to employ a person, it was as a result of the ability to self-promote more effectively than the other candidates.

Social Media yourself into work!

With a staggering 42 million people using Facebook in the UK (68% of population), 10 million micro-blogging on Twitter and over 4 million engaging on LinkedIn, like it or loathe it, it’s difficult to dispute the power and reach of social media. Interesting research  by Jobvite shows how people are using social media to reach out and find work, and many would argue that it is something about which we all have to become familiar when looking for work or wanting to develop our career.

This is further reinforced by research by Google that showed that people who embrace social media tools in their business dealings are more likely to get promoted than those who  don’t. So, the clear message is: DO use it – it’s free and easy to use!

Some hard facts:

• 69% of those in work are seeking or open to a new job
• 61% of job-seekers say finding work has been more difficult in the last year
• 1 in 6 job-seekers found their last job through an online social network
• 88% of job-seekers have at least one social networking profile
  (US data, but related closely to the UK)

Top tips for using social media in your job search

If you want to make better use of social media in your job search,