Are you one of the many tens of thousands affected by the redundancies in jobs where you thought that if you kept your nose clean and did what you were told to a modest standard, you were in a job for life?
At the risk of sounding smug, it wasn’t so, was it?
Although I admit that I got out before my section was closed, I am fully aware of how difficult the transition can be and it isn’t helped by the attitude of others.
Thinking through my own experiences, here are five key areas which you will need to consider if you are moving from a Local Authority to go to work for a company. Obviously each job and each employer is different – the limitations of writing from a distance mean that this can only ever be a general comment.
Perceptions of a new employer
I’ve sat in interviews where I’ve literally been told how they don’t want someone from a Local Government background because they’re lazy and overly contractual (see below). Be prepared to really sell yourself and prove that you know how to do a proper day’s work because, if you don’t, there’s no way you’re going to get the job. Like it or not, the image of a man leaning on a shovel or a pen-pusher idly shoving bits of paper around all day and without a care in the world are what will precede you. Deal with it.
Change of mindset
The most memorable question that I was ever asked in an interview was, “What is the primary function of a business?” The answer is, of course, to make money. Ironically this interview was FOR my job in a Local Authority and my boss to be was ex-private sector like me. He was fed up with idiots sitting in front of him waxing lyrical about service to the community and helping the underprivileged (utterly irrelevant for the job at hand).
Remember that, no matter how far you are removed from the actual coal-face of your company, the business only exists because it can run at a profit. Take that away and you’ll be back on the scrapheap again. While I don’t expect that you’ll be asked the same question as I was, keep it at the back of your mind both at interview and in your new job.
Social differences
The PC world you left behind you is just that – behind you. Companies are not there to be ‘PC’ and, although many things you see in your new job may shock your (Local Authority cultivated) sensitive ears, no-one will appreciate you bleating to management because you heard a politically incorrect joke or remarkl. Unless a real person is suffering as a result (in which case, no, it isn’t acceptable), grow a thick skin and remember, if you can’t beat them, join them (or just smile and get back to work).
Contractual differences
You may be used to Poets Day, extra days off for Bank Holidays, flexi-time, finishing on the dot, lunchbreaks to suit (subject to core time rules) and so on. Forget all of them. Your new job will likely just expect you to work ‘as necessary’ and do ‘what is required’ by ‘whenever’. That is what it is like in the private sector. When you get given something that impinges on what you’ve previously taken for granted, stop and think about this paragraph before you start reaching for your employees’ handbook.
Out of the habit of jobhunting
When you went into Local Authority, it was a very different world. Nowadays, unemployment seems to be the norm and it’s not much easier for employers, either. Getting a job is a job in itself. We’ve got lots of pages on this site about how to boost your chances, so read them and take the tips to heart. They do work.
Have you made the transition or are you having problems making it? Let us know your experiences (and any more tips).
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