Any advice or tips for landing a job in the UK?
For the past 6 years, I worked for a fast-growing educational technology company. Recently, my role was eliminated following redundancies from a major acquisition. As I take time to regroup and mosaic plans for the future, the goal dearest to my heart is to find a position in London. I've been in touch with UK recruitment agencies and I'm targeting global companies with both US and UK based offices, but as of yet I haven't had much luck. My gut is that networking is the best approach, but I'm struggling with that as well. If anyone has advice for how to approach a job search from this angle, I'd be grateful!
Iynna·Feb 06, 2021Iynna·Feb 06, 2021Hi Jessica!In my opinion, at the core of it job hunting is job hunting regardless of where you are (especially in countries that are culturally "similar" I am not saying the US and the UK are the same, absolutely not but you may have an easier time transferring lesson learned/skills around job hunting from the US to the UK). This means leveraging your network, reaching out to people on LinkedIn in your industry or at firms you are interested in working at. Similarly, in your past experiences, do any of your older colleagues have connections in the UK e.g work at companies with offices there?Recruiters/recruiting agencies are good but I'd not put all my hopes on them ;) Also perhaps stay open minded, large companies might be good but perhaps smaller companies have good opportunities for you too!Lastly, @rachelclifton do you have some pointers?
JessicaBeder·Feb 09, 2021JessicaBeder·Feb 09, 2021Thank you so much Iynna, I found your post really helpful! I'm going to take your advice and work with my exiting connections via my masters degree network and see how that goes. I'm excited for the challenge and I appreciate your response! :)
Iynna·Feb 10, 2021Iynna·Feb 10, 2021You totally got this - let me know how things go and always reach out if you have questions!
Hello JessicaAre you looking to eventually relocate to London? Recruitment companies over here (I'm in Edinburgh) are tricky at the mo as the market is flooded with great people so they really don't have to look that far or work that hard - many have told me it's an employers market, thus if you're in need of a visa/sponsorship then that makes you less appealing. If not then I agree with Lynna it's no different from what you would do in the US. What will be different however is the sector as we have a different educational system. Edtech is a booming space but maybe think about what you would need to know from a UK market perspective which would be different to the US. There will undoubtedly be companies who will love your in-depth experience as the US market may well be ahead of us (?) and this is something you can play to, so that rather than not knowing about the UK (they'll have people who know that) it's what you bring - experience and fresh perspective.Hope this helps. Good luck!
Thank you Samantha! This was really helpful, I think you're definitely on to something re- understanding what differentiates me within the UK edtech market and capitalizing on that. I will keep this in mind and I so appreciate your support!
Hi Jessica! I echo what Samantha said in full. I did my MBA in the UK (how I qualified for a work visa) and lived/worked in London for 3 years after. The UK employment market seems to heavily use recruiters and the visa system can be tricky to navigate. I have known Americans that worked for the US branch of a US multinational with an office in London and then took a rotation overseas. I think that is the easiest way because the company doesn't have to justify why they are hiring an American - they are just moving their own people around. Another thing I will add is British and American business culture are more different than people realize. There is a shared language but attitudes are very different. I was once turned down for a job for being too enthusiastic in an interview (something American employers have loved but British employers find grating) - please note this is a generalization but I did find stereotypes of Americans being overly friendly and enthusiastic carry weight after being abroad for a spell. A helpful book for understanding the cultural nuances was Watching the English written by a British anthropologist - really pointed out what I wasn't seeing on the surface. Good luck!
Mandy – I'm so grateful for this feedback; as a hiring manager myself I think I subconsciously gravitated toward enthusiasm / energy – and so in my search it's been a less than fully actualized assumption of mine that most other hiring managers felt the same. Thank you for pointing this out!
Hi 👋 London-based Elpha here!What kind of roles are you looking for, in what industry, what size company, which area of London? Will you need sponsorship to work in the UK?If I can help with my network I'm happy to 👍 and if notz another Elpha may spot your answers and be able to help!
Hi Saskia, Interested in your comment about your network. How would I go about finding a contractor to work on managing the sales funnel for UK customers? My SaaS spin-off Naming Matters (www.namingmatters.com) helps people "get better names and eliminate name selection risk." We have interest and users in the UK and I would like to find someone on the same timezone there, who is looking for a side project or some additional hours, and is expert at conversion.
In all honesty I'm not sure how contractors find roles here in the UK but if I find out I will let you know! A couple of options though would definitely be posting on Elpha jobs, and maybe even just a general post - as shown by the comment you've already got from @tessalw, Elpha is a great place to connect the dots! 😊
Thx much Saskia, will follow up with Tessa and look into elpha job postings, not sure how that works...
Hi @sbmaster! Sorry for intruding into the conversation, but would love to connect if the role is still available. I’m working on my personal startup and have been looking for additional side income streams.I’m UK-based and have experience in sales and customer relations - in both B2B/ B2C settings. My email is [email protected] if you’d like to connect. Thanks! :)
Thx much Tessa, will connect via email.
Hi @saskiahill, Thank you for your support, I appreciate it enormously! Yes I will need sponsorship. I'm seeking a role in Educational Technology or Educational Publishing (I can offer cutting-edge / industry leading expertise here); I'm also exploring other Digital Content / Publishing roles. Company size is less important to me, but I would add great value to a startup (6 years startup experience). Areas of London: Preference for Southbank but open to anywhere in the city, as well as Oxford and Edinburgh. Here's my Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-beder
No problem, I've messaged you on LinkedIn with a few initial thoughts, and now that we are connected if you spot anyone I'm connected with that you want to chat to then please shout and if I have any sort of relationship I'll put you in touch!
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