As recruitment professionals, we see many kinds of job change cases. From short processes, to long processes, 2 interviews to 5 interviews, it can vary depending on the industry, company, and position. This case study is about a professional who had never changed his job and was satisfied about his current position but was curious about what opportunities were in the market. Let’s take a look at his job change experience:
JANUARY: PHONE DISCUSSION
We had met Mr. A previously and called him to touch base on his current situation and career goals. Things were going well at his current company and he was unsure if there were any better opportunities than what he currently had as he was highly specialized in his field of work. We discussed a position that we recently received that suited his background. He asked to review the job description in more detail and then followed up with us afterwards about submitting an application.
Consultant’s Feedback:
We find that oftentimes many people are not initially interested in changing jobs because they feel there is nothing better than their current situation. For professionals who are highly specialized, it might be quite rare to be presented with an opportunity that matches your background and experience, so we recommend to take the chance to hear about new positions even if you are not looking to change right now. You may find that after hearing about a new opportunity in more detail, that there are positions in the market that match your career goals and are better than your current situation.
JANUARY: SENDING THE APPLICATION
Mr. A had been in his current position for many years, and as a result had not updated his resume in a long time, as such it was lacking information and did not reflect his background or experience. We worked with him to customize his resume and ensure that it accurately reflected his achievements and career development.
Consultant’s Feedback:
We recommend working with your consultant since they know the job and client, to make the best CV possible. It’s good to be clear with your achievements and career development on your resume to build a strong application and improve your chance of getting an interview. We can also help review your application to ensure you avoid making common resume mistakes.
END OF JANUARY: INTERVIEW PREPARATION
The client’s feedback on Mr. A’s application was positive and they requested an interview. Before his interview we had a preparation call with Mr. A to make sure he could go into the first interview well prepared. He was curious as to who the interviewers were, so we discussed about the interviewers and gave more information about the company.
Consultant Feedback:
We are here to support you throughout the job change process and that included interview preparation. We can give you advice on how to answer certain interview questions since we know the role and client very well.
FEBRUARY-MAY: 3 INTERVIEWS
The first interview was a a phone interview with the head of the department. Both sides were very positive and the request for the second interview came quickly afterwards. Mr. A met next with senior members in the department.
There was a long delay in between the second and final interview due to scheduling since Mr. A was based outside of Tokyo. We discussed with the client and they were very flexible and happy to push back the final interview to a time that worked best for everyone.
Consultant’s Feedback:
For scheduling interviews, we will take care of the process and schedule a time that is most convenient for both parties.
LATE MAY: OFFER LETTER
After the final interview, both sides were feeling very positive. The client wanted to send an offer but needed to know the details of his current salary package in order to put together something that was fair. Since his current salary package had many components and was fairly complicated, we discussed his current compensation in great detail. While going through this process, Mr. A had concerns about the proposed bonus as it was lower than his current bonus. After discussing further and looking at the overall compensation package, he was happy to accept because while the bonus was smaller, the base salary was higher and he was receiving overall a good package as well as more responsibility in the role. He had never changed jobs before and was not sure how to go about resigning, so we worked together to formulate a plan and gave advice on resignation best practices.
Consultant’s Feedback:
We recommend looking into the offer rather than taking it only at face value, because each offer is structured differently and while it may seem that one aspect is not very ideal, other parts may compensate for that make it a better opportunity. Talk to your consultant about best practices when resigning, we always recommend to be prepared for a counteroffer from your current company and to keep in mind that accepting a counteroffer may not solve your current dissatisfaction.
