Articles From the Team

What I have learnt this year

Firstly, I have learnt that as you get older, a year goes so much faster! When I was at school, a six week summer holiday seemed to last an age, yet 2017 has seemed like a “blink and you miss it” year! Anyway, moving on….. 2017 has been quite a year for me, not in the sense that there have been many momentous changes but I have definitely learnt a lot about myself. In a (sometimes slightly tenuous) way a lot of this applies to recruitment, and it seems like an apt time to dedicate a blog to lessons learned.

My biggest lesson this year has been about having the confidence to have the difficult discussions. This goes for both your personal and professional life – ultimately, people aren’t mind-readers and if you can’t be open and honest with them then it’s unlikely that your issues will ever get resolved. It may be that, professionally speaking, you’re frustrated with a lack of career options, your pay, the team structure, the way work is allocated etc. Now, a lot of these things can be corrected – and whilst we at BCL Legal would be delighted to help you in your job search, we are also all about building long term relationships. We wouldn’t be doing the “consultant” part of our jobs if we didn’t advise you to raise issues internally first or try to identify ways that matters can be resolved.

Another key lesson for me is to make use of all of the life experiences that we gain. Use every opportunity as a chance to learn and grow and develop. This year I had the chance to attend a BCL Legal team-bonding day – and with a chance to either go clay-pigeon shooting or to a spa I chose the former. Despite having the worst aim of the day (it’s official), I did something that threw me outside of my comfort zone. I was able to laugh at myself, do something I have never done before and it gave me a chance to use my Barbour jacket in an appropriate environment for once!

This year I also celebrated my big 3-0. Everybody has said that this is the best decade by far and from what I have experienced so far I can only agree! I have become more confident in myself this year, I have achieved things that I didn’t think were possible this time last year and I have started to look at challenges that I am presented with as just a slight fork in the road – it doesn’t mean I won’t get to where I want to be.

So, to tie this in with recruitment, how has your year been? Have you felt challenged? What have you learnt? Have you felt that you have grown as a person? It may be that you have gained all of these experiences from your personal life (or a mix of personal and professional). But it may be that you’ll go in to January feeling a sense of tedium with what life is bringing. Whilst I definitely don’t advocate a new job just for the sake of a new job, if you’re feeling like you want to make 2018 your year maybe it’s worth picking up the phone and having a chat with us at BCL Legal. We’ll work our hardest to help you identify what it is you want from your next role (or how to achieve it in your current role).

For more information contact BCL Legal or email us at info@bcllegal.com.