3 April 2013

If I could turn back time

Praise the big guy for the invention of the paper shredder and curse him for the invention of Facebook. Never has evidence of misgivings been more permanent or damage to my reputation more irreparable than in the age of instant photographic evidence.

Today I go to an all you can eat challenge, tomorrow I'm receiving phone calls from telemarketers offering me discounted gym memberships. Today I jump out of a perfect good airplane in the name of fun and tomorrow I am bombarded with calls about the importance of life insurance. Today I decide beer is awesome and tomorrow my 'friends' remind me that I'm no longer 21. As does my head. Today I dance with a lamp shade on my head and tomorrow my mother likes the photo on Facebook.

But for all of man kind's brilliance in highlighting my past mistakes to me, he's yet to figure out a way to let me turn back in time and let me undo the deed. There's three backspace keys on my computer but not a single one in real life.

Every day in the recruitment world I see people playing the 'if only' game. If only I had known this before I came on board. If only I could go back to the beginning of my career and choose a different path. If only I hadn't worn a mini skirt to that job interview.

Now before you get too excited, my time machine is in the shop. I don't have the magic formula to change your past and I've seen too many poor Sci Fi movies about the consequences to do it anyway. What if you accidentally kill your own grandfather?

Here's what I can offer you - Advice before you make the decision to start with. If you want to know what's happening with a mining company and what their average tenure is like, ask me. If you want to know what roles you should be taking now to make yourself ready for your dream job in the future, ask me. If you want to know if the salary you're being offered is about right for your level of experience, ask me.

I do this all day every day and I'm not afraid to share what I learn. I am afraid to have you call me in 6 months time and say 'I've made a terrible mistake'. Prevention is always better than cure. Do your homework before you take the leap and don't forget to ask for a helping hand if you think you can use it.

Peace, out.