Introduction

After another busy year, many Building Envelope employees have taken a break from work for the festive period. While this time can be a wonderful opportunity to recharge, relax, and refresh your mind, it can also push us to think more carefully about our lives and goals.

With inflation, the cost of living on the rise, and new Building Envelope job opportunities emerging in the world of hybrid working, you may start thinking about your future career while you have been relaxing on the festive break.

The question is, how do you tell the difference between a standard case of post-holiday blues and a real need to update your career?

Are you Struggling with Post-Holiday Blues?

Even in a world where countless new opportunities are emerging for candidates, it's important not to rush into a major career change. It's common to feel drained and unhappy when returning to work after a break, but this doesn't necessarily mean you hate your job.

Christmas and the holidays allow us to escape the working world's stresses and explore other passions. Returning to reality after experiencing so much freedom can be difficult.

Post-holiday blues are a normal response to leaving behind your fun-filled and carefree holiday life. The phenomenon doesn't just happen following the festive season; it's also common after a vacation and any long breaks from work.

Is it More than Holiday Blues?

Holiday Blues are an unpleasant experience affecting even the most dedicated Building Envelope employees. However, they usually disappear on their own. If you find your negative feelings linger or go deeper than simply missing your time off, there may be a more significant issue.

If you can't seem to shake the holiday blues with the strategies above, ask yourself:

• Are your concerns connected to your break?
If you're suffering from holiday blues, most of your worries about returning to work will revolve around missing your time off or struggling to get back into the flow of things when you return.
However, your concerns may be more significant if you have a real issue with your role. If you're constantly struggling with a difficult manager, feel unfulfilled in your job at any time of year, or dread the tasks you do each day, this is a sign you may need a career change.

• Do you enjoy your job?
There are positive and negative parts to any role. We all have parts of our jobs we don't enjoy as much as others. The key to ensuring career satisfaction is deciding whether the positives outweigh the negatives. If you generally enjoy what you do and don't dread work every day, you're likely in the right place. If you can't find much about the role you enjoy, you may be in the wrong position.

• Are you approaching your career goals?
A good way to determine whether you're suffering from holiday blues, or struggling in the wrong position, is to look at your career plan. Are you making progress towards your targets? Can you see room for growth in your current company, and do you know how you will take the next step? If you feel trapped and unsatisfied in your current position and you're not making any progress, you may need to look for another role.

Time for a Career Change?

If you decide post-holiday blues aren't the cause of your workplace issues, then you have a few options. You can consider speaking to your manager about ways to make your role more appealing. For instance, maybe you can change your schedule or explore the potential of hybrid and remote work.

If you can't see a way to improve your working life, the best option is to seek out a new career. Work with a specialist recruiter to define the job you want and start pursuing a professional life you'll be happy to return to after any holiday.

Next Steps to Take

At Metis Recruitment, we have been recruiting for over 30 years.

To find out how we can help you get in touch with us on 01522 424145 or contact us here.

Introduction

Amazing Building Envelope careers take work.

You need to plan your future, develop your skills, and work with the right people to access the best possible job opportunities.

A specialist Building Envelope recruiter can be one of the most valuable connections you have to ensure a successful career.

Specialists recruiters have the skills, industry connections, and behind-the-scenes knowledge required to give you an edge over the competition; some have even had a past Building Envelopes role.

However, just like any resource, you need to know how to leverage your Building Envelope recruitment team correctly if you're going to get the most value from it.

In this complimentary report, we'll be looking at the steps you can take to improve your chances of success when working with a Building Envelope recruiter to develop your career.

We'll be covering everything from getting into the right frame of mind to putting your plan into action.

Developing Your Building Products Career: Embracing the Right Mindset

Embracing the right mindset is the first step in achieving any career goal.

It's easy to assume intelligence and talent are often the keys to success in the business world. However, many of the most powerful and successful people in business today reached their goals through dedication, grit, perseverance and asking for help.

If you don't have the right mindset, then connecting with a Building Envelope recruiter will likely be a waste of time. After all, your Recruiter can help you access the right opportunities, but it's up to you to take advantage of these options and prove yourself to potential employers.

So, what does the right mindset involve?

According to Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck, it's the "growth" mindset that today's ambitious individuals need to pursue.

Most people have a "fixed" mindset. This essentially means you assume your situation is always set in stone, and there's nothing you can do about it. A person with a fixed mindset in the wrong job would argue there weren't enough opportunities elsewhere without actually taking the time to explore their options fully.

A "growth" mindset is an alternative approach.

When you have a growth mindset, you commit to consistently improving yourself and your opportunities. Rather than just saying you don't have the skills for the Building Envelope job you want, you define which new talents you need to develop and work on cultivating them by any means you can.

A growth mindset will ensure you have the potential to move into any role you choose.

• To develop your growth mindset:
• Pay attention to how you think: Instead of saying, "I can't do that," ask, "How can I do this?"
• Look at challenges as opportunities: When something feels difficult, don't automatically assume it's not worth doing.
• Stop fearing failure: Accept you may not achieve all of your goals immediately, and remember every failure is a new opportunity to learn.

Creating Your Career Plan: The Self Reflection Stage

Once you have the right mindset, you can plan for the kind of Building Envelope career you want to work towards with your recruitment consultant.

Research from Harvard Business School shows that self-reflection is the key to success, as it helps us better understand what we want and how to get it.

With self-reflection, you can determine what you currently have to offer potential employers and what you might need to develop and improve.

Start by looking at:

Your skills

What are you capable of offering your employer or future employers in terms of hard and soft skills? List all of the qualifications you have achieved relevant to the Building Envelope sector and any experience you've developed in the industry so far.

Aside from listing technical skills, think about transferable skills. For instance, strong communication skills, writing and reading well, and excellent problem-solving abilities are relevant in virtually any job in today's economy.

Your Values

Your values will give you an insight into what kind of company culture you will be looking for when applying for new Building Products roles. They'll also help you determine whether you have the right attitude or personality for certain positions.

Think about what matters most to you regarding work ethic and strategy.

Are you the kind of person who values everyone being on time and following the rules? Or do you like the idea of a workplace where everyone embraces creativity and teamwork?

Your Likes and Dislikes

Consider the job you're in right now. What do you like and dislike about your day-to-day tasks?

Are you mostly happy where you are but feel like your career is not challenging you? If so, you might want to consider looking at roles with more responsibility, such as Building Envelope management positions.

If you like the time you spend working as part of a team more than you enjoy your time working solo, perhaps it would be a good idea to look at roles where you can interact with other people more often.

• Imagine what a day in your ideal Building Envelope job would look like:
• What would your schedule include?
• Where would you be; at home or in the office, or working in a hybrid role?
• Who would you be working with?
• What would your essential tasks be?
• Do you want to work in a diverse team? 

Exploring Your Building product Career Options

Once you have a better idea of who you are, you can look for job opportunities that match your strengths, development areas, values, and ambitions.

Start with a general assessment of the Building Envelope landscape and the available job opportunities in your field. Your Building Products recruitment consultant can help with this.

Are there new job opportunities opening up in your industry which might allow you to do more of the work you enjoy most? Have you discovered a new skill during your time in this sector that might make you suitable for a new role?

If you're not sure which direction you want to head in, you can consider exploring new opportunities in your Building Products space by:

• Networking: Discussing career opportunities with peers in the same space will help you learn more about the positions that appeal to your values and interests.
• Internships or volunteering: Getting involved with an internship or volunteer position, even part-time, helps you develop necessary experience while learning more about what you want from your ideal role.
• Job shadowing: Job shadowing allows you to gain experience in a specific field and ask questions.
  

Remember, your vision of the ideal role when you first finished college or university might not be the same as what you want to apply for now. As you gain additional experience and learn more about the industry, you may find your ambitions change.

Once you have an idea of the kind of roles you might want to apply for, performing a SWOT analysis will help you determine what steps you might need to take to prepare yourself for the next stage in your career development.

Using a job description from one of the roles you might want to apply for in the future, assess your:

• Strengths: What skills, experience, and talents do you already have that make you ideal for the role you want to apply for? Where do you feel the most confident?
• Development areas: Where are you lacking in specific Building Products abilities relevant to your desired role? How can you develop your knowledge in these areas and boost proficiency?
• Opportunities: What opportunities already exist to take you closer to your ideal role? Can you work with mentors in your current job or train in your existing Building Products role?
• Threats: What might make it difficult for you to end up in the right position, and how can you overcome those challenges? For instance, if you need to get another certification to get the right role, can you learn part-time rather than give up your current job?

Create a Career Development Plan

Now that you have a good idea of where you stand and where you want to end up with your Building Envelope career, you can create a general career map. This document can stay with you for many years, adapting and evolving as you learn more about yourself and your sector.

A good plan will also be useful to take with you to your conversations with your specialist recruiter. They'll be able to see your long-term and short-term goals and guide you towards opportunities that will deliver the right results long-term.

To create your career development plan:

1. Create long-term and short-term goals

Your career is a life-long concept that will evolve and transform with you over many years. With that in mind, it's important not to focus all of your attention on long-term goals.

Start with a general idea of where you'd like to end up one day. Maybe you want to manage your own Building Envelope team or run your own business. The chances are you'll have a lot of smaller milestones you'll need to reach along the way before you get to that point.

Plan out the smaller short-term goals between where you are now and where you want to be five or ten years in the future.

For instance, if you want to be a manager in the Building Envelope industry, but you're currently working in an entry-level field, you may need to start by increasing the amount of responsibility you take on for your current employer and upgrading your knowledge in your specific area of interest.

2. Pinpoint Your Next Step

With your short and long-term goals mapped out, determine what your "next step" is likely to be. An experienced recruitment consultant can help you with this as they will have worked with many Building Envelope employees before to help them map out logical and workable next steps.

3. Implement Time Frames into Your Goals

Though it's difficult to predict exactly when you're going to reach certain points in your intended career path, you should have a general idea of how long certain things should take. For instance, if you need a new certification and it takes a year to complete, you know you will need a year before starting to look for roles that demand this certification with your recruiter.

Applying general time frames to each of your "next steps" will ensure you don't lose track.

It's too easy to tell yourself you're having a challenging time at work, so you'll take on studying for a new qualification "next month" instead. Specific time frames help to hold you accountable and improve your chances of reaching your goals faster.

4. Be Open to Changing Your Plan

Your career plan is there to give you a compass to guide you through the process of pursuing your Building Envelope career. However, it shouldn't restrict you from new opportunities.

Think of your plan as a living and breathing document that grows and changes with you. As you spend more time in your role, learn what you're good at, develop new skills, and network with new people, keep checking back on your career plan.

You might decide that you want to go in a different direction with your skills once you've acquired them. Or your recruitment partner might suggest an avenue for your career you haven't considered yourself. Being open to change will ensure you don't miss out on the best opportunities.

Why Use a Recruitment Partner

Once you have a basic career plan to guide you, the right mindset, and a good view of what you want to accomplish in your Building Envelope roles, you can take the next step by working with a recruitment partner. A recruiting consultant who works in your industry can support you to turbo-charge your career development strategy.

Using the information you share about what you can currently do, what you're working towards, and what you're hoping to achieve, your Building Envelope recruiter can give you the support and guidance to accomplish your goals.

A Building Envelope recruitment partner can:

• Improve your CV/Resume/LinkedIn Profile: Your recruitment partner knows what employers are looking for when searching through CVs/Resumes to find a specific candidate for a certain role. With a knowledge of the position you want to get, your recruitment partner can suggest how to tailor your CV/Resume into the perfect application for the job of your dreams.
• Help you access more opportunities: Finding the ideal position isn't always easy, even if you know what your ideal job looks like. Sometimes, it can feel like the ideal role isn't out there. However, a specialist recruiter can help you apply for hidden jobs other people simply wouldn't know about. They can give you access to the opportunities that would otherwise fly over your radar.
• Work with you on your personal brand: A recruiter can help you develop your personal professional brand to make the right impression on the right employers. They'll ensure you make your strengths shine through whenever you're posting content online, applying for a job, or even filling out a cover letter.
• Prepare for interviews: A Building Products recruiter can essentially train you with all of the information you need before an interview to ensure you make the right impression on your potential employer. They can help you develop scenarios to share in a competency-based interview or offer advice on how to present yourself to hiring managers in both in-person and video conversations.
• Improve your chances of a good match: A recruiter can use their knowledge of your values and personal goals to ensure you're applying for roles that match your skill sets and company culture requirements. Building Products recruiters are experts at matching the right candidate to the correct employer.

How to Find Your Building Envelope Recruitment Partner

Finding the right Building Products recruitment partner is essentially like choosing the secret ingredient in the recipe for a successful career. However, knowing who you should work with can be challenging.

• The first step is knowing where to look for a recruitment professional. If you're specifically looking for local job opportunities, you can search for Building Envelope recruitment on Google and see what shows up. It's also worth looking for hashtags related to your industry and location with the tag #Recruitment or #JobOpportunity on channels like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

Other ways you can find recruiters include:

• Asking people in your network for advice.
• Joining job groups on Facebook and LinkedIn.
• Visiting in-person job fairs and events
  

Once you've found a handful of recruitment companies you might be able to work with, narrow down your options by focusing on:

• Industry expertise: While a one-size-fits-all recruiter might look good, they won't have the specialist knowledge required to help you thrive in the Building Products environment. Every industry has unique nuances to be aware of when applying for jobs and standing out to potential employers. Don't underestimate the power of industry knowledge.
• Reputation: Many of the best recruitment companies demonstrate incredible performance by listing case studies, testimonials, and reviews. Visit the Recruiter's website you're thinking of working with and ask yourself if their happy clients and candidates speak for them.
• Opportunities: Check out the job board on your Building Products recruiters' website and ask yourself whether they list the kind of jobs you're interested in. Some recruiters focus on more entry-level jobs, while others are more likely to list positions for those who want to move into a managerial or C-Suite role.
• Process: You should be able to find some basic information on how your Recruiter works with candidates on their website. Find out how much support they're willing to offer you for your ideal role. Can they offer advice on things like interviewing and improving your CV? Are they available to talk to you and answer any questions?
  

If possible, it's often worth communicating with a recruiter directly to ask any questions you might have about their service. A face-to-face, video call, or even on the phone can help put your mind at ease that you're working with the right professional.

Make the Most of Your Building Envelope Recruiter

Finally, once you've found the Recruiter you believe can help you develop your Building Envelope career, the next step is working closely with them. Ultimately, a recruiter can only deliver excellent results if you're willing to put the work in on your side too.

With that in mind, follow these tips.

Step 1: Be Honest and clear

Explain what you're looking for from a recruitment professional from day one and what you'd like to avoid in future roles. If you're seeking temporary positions instead of full-time roles, make sure your recruitment team knows that.

Describe your skills and experience honestly, and be realistic when explaining your expectations about new opportunities and roles. Use the career development plan you built above to show your Recruiter where you are today and where you'd like to be with their help.

Don't be afraid to share all the details of your job history with your recruiter. For instance, if you were unemployed for a period, you can let them know about this, and they can give you advice on how to answer questions potential employers might have about that time.

Step 2: Work on your essential assets

A recruiter can help you improve your CV and enhance your cover letter, but they can't write the whole thing for you. Make sure you have all the assets you need to help your recruiter present you in the best possible light.

Start with keeping your CV up-to-date with all of the most relevant experience you've developed in connection with your desired role. Remove anything from your CV that isn't connected to the Building Envelope roles you want to apply for, and remember to customise each CV and cover letter based on the job you're trying to get.

It's also good to consider your digital presence and online reputation. Is your LinkedIn profile complete, with plenty of insights into other companies you've worked for? Do you have a professional brand when someone searches for your name online? A recruiter can't help you if someone sees an inappropriate social media profile when googling you.

Step 3: Make the most of your Recruiter's resources

Many recruiters will offer access to resources to help you improve your appeal as a Building Envelope candidate. For instance, they will have reports like this, which you can use to enhance your career opportunities. We have several reports here at Metis Recruitment that will help; email us at info@metisrecruitment.co.uk or call us on 01522 424145.

Some recruiters have access to CV templates you can use to make your application look more appealing, or they might help you make your CV ATS ready.

Step 4: Follow through on your part

Your recruiter can't do all the work for you. You still need to make sure you follow through with your commitments, arrive on time for job interviews, and present yourself professionally.

Remember, failing to do your part of the work doesn't just reflect badly on you as a candidate; it can also have a negative impact on your recruiter's relationship with Building Envelope brands.

Step 5: Communicate regularly

Finally, if you want to make the most of your Building Envelope recruitment support, you need to communicate regularly with them. Share your experiences about your job interviews, and ask for feedback when something doesn't go well.

A recruiter doesn't just have to be a short-term partner; they can be a long-term part of your career development plan.

Is it time to take the next step in your career? 

Next Steps to Take

To find out how we can help you get in touch with us on 01522 424145 or contact us here.

Introduction:

Performance reviews are a positive thing; yes, they really are - let me explain.

Professor Maxwell Maltz wrote a world-famous book called Psycho-Cybernetics based on his work with patients undergoing surgery. Through his research, he identified human drivers we all possess around self-esteem and fulfilment.

His book went on to help millions of people improve their professional and personal lives, which are naturally linked to their success.

So, how can we consistently succeed in our Buildin Products role?

An action that has worked for so many people over the years is to use their performance review to collect useful feedback on what is working and what is not and how to excel in their role.

In this report, we will be covering several key areas, including.

• What is a performance review?
• How a performance review can improve your performance
• Six critical ways to prepare for your review
• How to manage the remote working and compensation conversation

Let's get started.

No matter where you started your career, the chances are you had the drive and ambition to get better. Why else would you be reading this?

You realised that would take work, and your performance would need to improve on every level.

One of the first focus points was collaborating with your manager to make sure you are hitting your objectives and have guidance on the next steps you will need to take to overachieve your goals.

Before we dive into the tactical side of performance reviews from your perspective as a Building Products professional, it is important to understand what a performance review is and why it is important. This will give you the foundation to use your review more effectively to drive your results.

What is a Performance Review?

A performance review is a two-way conversation between your direct manager and you about your:

• performance impact,
• results,
• development,
• and growth;

related to the objectives you were set as part of your onboarding and review process when you joined your organisation or each year at annual appraisal time.

Depending on the size of your company, it is a key component of their performance management strategy.

Traditionally, performance reviews have occurred once a year and have focused on evaluating past performance.

I am not a huge fan of the yearly performance review. My experience working with hundreds of Building Products candidates and their hiring managers over the years has convinced me that feedback, be that positive or developmental, should be ongoing.

However, I understand why companies rely on them and how they help employees grow within their roles and department.

The reality is performance conversations can help you improve your performance when both you and your manager engage in the process.

On a positive note, reviews are now changing, and as a Building Products professional, this is good news for you. Later in the report, we will share how you can use this to your advantage.

So, let's look at the benefits of engaging with the performance review process.

How Performance Reviews Can Improve Your Performance

Why are performance conversations important? Because they have a significant impact on your success and that of your company too.

Discussing performance isn't always easy. It is tough for managers to give feedback and even harder for you to receive it. I understand that.

However, a performance review with both parties engaged in the process can make an enormous difference for all concerned.

• It helps you identify your goals.
• Share what you need help with and any challenges you face; managers are good, though not mind readers!
• Opening opportunities to discuss feedback, both positive and developmental.
• Creates a conversation on how to get even 'better' at what you do.
• Knowing all the benefits a performance review can bring you as a respected Building Products professional in your organisation, how can you prepare?

How to Prepare for Your Performance Review

Before I give you some gems of wisdom here, I need to state the obvious. Not every Building Products line manager you work with will be perfect, especially when it comes to conducting a performance review.

However, it is important to address what some of you might be going through about your current manager, who could be displaying signs of the typical "less than perfect boss".

We have all experienced ineffectual and disorganised managers and others who bully, do not listen and play favourites in our careers.

Deep down, we all know people like this rarely change and, therefore, what our alternatives are; stay and put up with it or move on.

If practically staying is your best option, getting your performance review working for you is even more critical.

Alternatively, if you are considering a move, drop me a line and let's at least have a conversation. Remember, we are in a vacancy rich market now, and here at Blue Orca, we have multiple Building Products vacancies available that our clients want to fill.

Now that conversation is out of the way, let's get on to your review. The good news is management training has improved dramatically over the last few years, and most managers are better at what they do and are open to receiving feedback from their team on their performance too.

Something to consider as you prepare; your manager is a human being. Today, we all are part of a workplace where everyone is expected to 'achieve' more because of our available resources.

Your manager is likely to be spinning multiple plates, of which running performance reviews is just one thing on their to-do list; remember they have performance objectives to achieve from their manager in the same way you do.

Come to the review process with the thought that we are all doing our best to achieve the success we all want, and you might be surprised how your performance review proceeds.

Ok, let's start preparing.

Start With The End in Mind

Preparation and planning are the cornerstones of achieving an exceptional performance review.

The well-known leadership author Stephen Covey authored The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People; it is well worth spending £8 on grabbing a copy. One of the habits he shared through his research of effective people was to decide what you want to achieve first and work back from there.

Let me explain.

Let's say you are a Manager who wants to become a Director within your company. What will you need to demonstrate consistently over the next few months and longer to establish that you are the ideal person for the role?

Achieving your performance objectives will be your first starting point. Having worked with Building Products candidates for nearly 20years, I have never met one who was promoted who didn't tick all their performance objectives.

You may be reading this report from a different period of your own review process. The key thing to remember is to make sure you know what exceeding and achieving means when it comes to the objectives you have been set.

As an employee of your current company, you will have specific performance objectives to hit and values and behaviours to demonstrate.

Let's look at objectives first and a pro tip that many employees do not appreciate.

Let's say as a sales representative, one of your performance objectives is to make thirty product demos a month.

Knowing this, you now understand what you need to do. You know that you need to convert at least fifty per cent of the warm leads you are given to hit this number. In addition, any leads you can personally add into the mix is a bonus.

The challenge for many people is that they take their objectives at face value without thinking through a plan to achieve or exceed the objectives they are set.

If you aren't sure of the detail around how to achieve something, talk to your manager, especially if you are new to an organisation.

It's the same when it comes to values and behaviours your company want to see you demonstrate.

Our values and our behaviours drive our actions which drive our results.

For example, the following behaviours might be listed for a role in your company.

• Accountability
• Flexibility
• Curiosity and Openness
• Proactivity
• Respect for all
• A question for you?

In your company or organisation, do you know what accountability looks like? What about proactivity? As a task, make sure you have examples as a guide.

I recently talked to a Building Products professional candidate who wanted to leave her company as she was constantly talked over during team meetings, and her ideas were dismissed.

Her team members were not displaying curiosity and openness and certainly not respect for all.

What a shame for them as the woman I am referring to went on to easily secure a new role in a company who were delighted with the creativity and innovative ideas she brought to her role.

A classic example in this case of poor behaviour from individual team members creating poor results for the organisation.

The Devil is in The Data

You have put in the demanding work of planning and prioritising what you need to do to hit your objectives. The next key step is to document evidence of what you are doing and the results you are achieving.

We tend to get diligent about tracking our wins when it's time to ask for a pay rise. Unfortunately, not everyone takes a disciplined approach to writing down their accomplishments throughout the year.

Start a list, and jot down things that you do well and are achieving as they happen. Be specific: Did you successfully pitch to a prospect, deliver an important analysis three days before the deadline, offer a helping hand when a co-worker was swamped, or lead a new employee onboarding?

Please write it down now so that you don't have to scramble to find examples the night before your review.

Such a straightforward thing to do that many people forget. Many Building Products professionalCVs we see don't do justice to the individuals in question.

Contrary to popular belief, keeping your own brag/achievement file is a good thing.

Ask For Regular Catchups Ahead of Your Review

As I alluded to earlier, your manager is not with you every second of your working day. If you do not have regular catchups where you are open about how everything is going in your world, they will not have the detail at the level you do.

You may or may not have regular catchups/mini-reviews with your manager. If regular reviews are not commonplace in your company, be bold and ask for interim conversations. They don't need to be a formal affair, though they will demonstrate your commitment to the role to your manager.

The beauty of interim conversations like this means that you consistently review past performance so that tweaks can be made and results are achieved. There is nothing worse than turning up to a review and discussing something you didn't understand or were annoyed about that happened eight months earlier.

Be as Prepared as Your Manager

Depending on whether you have managed people yourself, a fact to be aware of is that your manager will appreciate the enthusiasm, honesty, and positivity you bring to the process.

Ask ahead of time for an agenda, the review time frames, and what will be discussed. If this is a more formal yearly review, you should expect time to prepare.

Your preparation ahead of time and the data you have collected can now be aligned to reviewing your objectives, behaviours, and future goals.

As a rule, your manager will take the lead and ask questions. If you have followed the suggestions I have made, you will be well prepared to answer in detail.

Here are a few examples of questions they might use.

• What results from last month/quarter/year are you most proud of?
• How did you achieve X, Y or Z?
• What disappointed you about your performance?
• What will you stop, start, and continue next month?
• Tell me more about what happened with A, B or C?
• What roadblocks are in your way?
• What impact has your performance had on the company?
• How can I support you as your manager?
• Many managers we work with as specialist recruiters in the Building Products sector will share their disappointment that team members don't answer the questions they have about their performance or avoid going into detail about their highlights, challenges and what has been happening for them in their role.

Don't let that be you.

Accept Feedback as a Gift

I know some people think there is irony in this phrase, yet the truth is how can we improve unless we are given both motivational and development feedback on how we perform, what we are doing well that we could do more of to get better?

Mastering the art of receiving feedback is one of the most important things you can do as a human being.

Receiving praise and recognition is fantastic, and hopefully, your review will have this as its main theme. However, as human beings, we live in a world where mistakes happen, and it is always a good idea to own yours and share them with your manager.

Ahead of your review, here is a suggestion to make your feedback session run well—document everything you want to share.

• What you are doing well and your standout achievements.
• Your challenges.
• What went wrong for which you were accountable.
• How could you improve in your role?
• Your development and training needs
• Ideas you have to improve your own and the companies results in the future

Ask Questions and Take Notes

Performance conversations should be two-way, so make sure you ask questions and take notes. When your manager makes suggestions on improvements you could make and what you are doing well, write them down.

When it comes to questions, I have listed a few that always work well below that will flow naturally throughout the conversation; if they don't, make sure you ask them at the end.

• What do you think were my highlights?
• What am I doing well, and where could I improve?
• What does the future hold for me here?
• What projects could I be involved with?
• What additional training do you think I need?
• Before we bring this report to a close, let us talk about opportunities for growth and development and the compensation and benefits conversation.

Assuming you want to develop: Is there an opportunity for growth in your current role or company? Unless you have asked the question, you do not truly know.

If the answer is 'no,' you may decide to develop your career by moving to another company. If you want to have a confidential conversation about this, then, of course, give one of our team a call here -> 01522 701707

Let's talk about compensation, benefits and work flexibility.

We are currently in a volatile hiring market, which is highlighting discrepancies in salaries and compensation in some Building Product organisations.

Alongside this, some companies have embraced flexible working and improved technology over the past few years, and some have not.

Here are a few questions to ask yourself honestly.

• Am I being underpaid for my current role, or could the changes in the market mean I could earn more?
• If I want to develop and grow, do I need to make a move?
• Realistically, I can deliver the objectives of my job working from home or in a hybrid role, so will my company be flexible?
• All good questions to ask, which takes us back to the start of the report; decide what you now want.

We are in a unique hiring market at the moment, and as a high performing Building Products professional, you have many options open to you, which starts with a conversation with your manager.

Once you have decided how you would like your career and compensation to work, ask your current manager what is possible. Being honest and transparent in this way works for all concerned.

As an experienced specialist recruiter in the sector, we ask all the candidates who come to us for career advice if they have discussed what they want with their current manager.

Your manager might be flexible, and they might not, though you won't know until you ask.

Next Steps to Take

Get in touch if you are considering the next steps in your career and are unsure what to do next.

We offer complimentary and confidential career conversations. Get in touch with us on 01522 424145 or contact us here.