Interesting to see this morning’s copy of CityAM, which featured an article on ‘passive job seeking’ – ‘Let others take the burden as a passive career hunter’. As well as including some of Morgan McKinley’s own data on the number of available vacancies in London’s financial services sector in April 12 and the number of people looking for roles, it alsohighlights the importance of managing your long-term career progression.

The main premise of the article is that career planning information is available from a variety of sources and is worth a look even if you have no intention of going out looking for a new role.  If you are starting to wonder what else might be out there for you, try the following:

Develop your online profile

• If you don’t want to be bombarded by calls to your mobile from recruitment firms but do want to be contacted about specific opportunities it is worth developing your own web page / blog where people can make contact.  This also allows you to highlight your broader personality.
• Ensure that your LinkedIn profile is up to date with your key capabilities.

Manage the relevance of your own career

• Be conscious of the changes happening in your own chosen field and make the effort to network opportunities for yourself to retain a relevant career skill set.  Another way to do this is by collaborating on internal projects that give you exposure to new initiatives.

Network socially

• As distinct from just social networking.  Enjoy your time away from work by joining societies, clubs or associations that may attract people with a similar career mind set to yourself.  This is an effective way of staying abreast of changes in your specific industry as well as meeting influential people and being able to demonstrate a passion for your field.

It never hurts to be informed.  In an employment market that is as challenging and competitive as the current London financial services market, making yourself aware of job vacancy data, market intelligence and remuneration insight from a variety of sources that can provide information across the entire market is a smart move.
If you’re interested in an overview of the market – read our latest London Employment Monitor

If you’re interested in comparing your salary – read our 2012 Financial Services Salary Survey with video

If there is anything else you would like to discuss, please get in touch:

Steve Leeson, Operations Director Insurance & Technology 0207 092 0153

career, Financial Services, London salary survey, Morgan McKinley London employment Monitor