Executive Search

Be it a glamorous getaway or simple staycation, holidays are a chance to relax and recharge. Which you'll probably need after the frantic fortnight of frenzied preparation that all too often comes first. So how do you take a stress-free break without simply cramming it all in beforehand? And what if you're left holding things together on the home front? In this month’s guest article, freelance writer and HR specialist Nicola Greenbrook has advice on pre-holiday planning to help you head away with everything in hand, keep calm with your carry-on, and be raring to go on your return. Holiday season is well and truly upon us. Oh, the anticipation of what’s to come! An opportunity to get stuck into the book gathering dust on the bedside table or to broaden your horizons at a bucket list-worthy destination. A chance to recharge and refuel. According to Dr Christian Jarrett, holidays can make us happier, healthier and even prolong our lives. Sometimes though, the pace and pressure in the weeks leading up to the holiday almost negate the benefits of the break itself. Here are some tips to help you deliver a successful handover - keeping your credibility, peace of mind and work relationships intact. Before you go... (Excited! Full of anticipation! But a bit stressed!) American polymath Benjamin Franklin quite wisely said “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail”. He was spot on. Nailing a holiday handover is all in the preparation; giving yourself sufficient time to organise everything weeks in advance. Forewarn your absence Make sure your holiday dates are in your team and key stakeholders’ diaries as soon as your leave has been authorised; even if you sort the finer, exciting details later. If you’re client or supporter-facing or manage multiple projects, consider adding an extra line to your email signature a few weeks in advance that clearly outlines the period of your absence. Rather than appearing smug (‘I'M GOING ON HOLIDAY FOR TWO WEEKS AND YOU'RE NOT’) it instead ensures your contacts are notified well in advance and can plan accordingly at their end. It also prevents any nasty surprises on your last day. The art of the handover note It’s always a good idea to start your Holiday Handover Notes (HHN) a good few weeks before, even if you jot down headers or topics in the first instance, rather than frantically wracking your tired brain the night before you fly. Consider always having the document open in the week before you go, for ease of brain-dump, rather than scribbling a note on a Post-it that gets lost in a yellow sea of more Post-its or overloading your already full head.​ CJ Sinclair, founder of Go Travel and Talk, a network that provides detailed travel guides to worldwide destinations with solo travellers in mind, is always on the move; and therefore well-practised in the art of the perfect handover. She breaks her HHN down into critical priorities, current and upcoming projects and ‘things to watch’ and ‘worry or pain points’. CJ also cleverly adds screen shots and media, to break up the words and highlights important text for an easy at-a-glance view. Aim to strike the balance with a comprehensive but concise approach to your HHN. HR News suggests that ‘…there’s no need to cause an unreasonable amount of stress on the employee/s covering you whilst you’re away, so highlighting all the ‘need-to-know’ points will help them keep on top of things’. Order tasks by priority and include key delivery dates or deadlines, with the most recent first. Schedule in a face-to-face meeting with your colleague who’s taking the reins. You can talk through the HHN before you go, so they can ask questions and jot down their own points. Avoid being patronising; your team are knowledgeable enough to know what ‘pass invoice to Finance' means in practice. There's no need to go into intricate detail about the ‘third cupboard on the left with the squeaky drawer’ if everybody knows perfectly well all about the squeaky drawer. Be a clever planner In the weeks before, keep your diary as clear as possible and stay focused. It may feel a wrench missing Steve from Events’ birthday lunch, but avoiding social engagements or non-urgent appointments wins you back a few hours of uninterrupted work time. At 7.00pm on your last day when you’re panicked and finishing with all your holiday toiletries still to buy, you’ll be grateful for that hour. You can catch up with Steve and the gang on your return. If you’re a freelancer or consultant in the not-for-profit sector with no-one to actually hand over to, it's even more crucial to plan ahead. CJ finds that scheduling everything in advance with calendar reminders or apps like Later and Tailwind, can be helpful. Although "it does mean a lot of work beforehand to get it all done”, she also notes “it’s amazing how much technology can help to give you a little respite!” Avoid dumping-disguised-as-a-handover-task Be reasonable and conscientious, and tie up as many loose ends as you possibly can before you go. Don't be tempted to use your absence from the office as an opportunity to slip in a few projects that have been on the back burner, or to dump tricky tasks you’ve been putting off on to an unsuspecting colleague. This may cause resentment in your absence, confusion or delays to a project. Don't use OOO to get a LOL It’s tempting to set a comedy out of office message, but the best advice is to save it for the comedians. As funny as they might be to read, there's a fine line between light-hearted and inappropriate, and it's not necessarily in the same place for everyone. Getting it wrong and causing offence can reflect badly on the charity, its purpose and mission. A simple message that clearly states your return date and who to contact in your absence will do the trick, although it can be a nice touch to highlight a particular campaign your charity is running. Oh, and don’t forget your voicemail too if you receive direct calls. Set boundaries Depending on what works for you, let your direct reports and manager know how and when you can be contactable if a genuine emergency arises while you’re on the beach. Otherwise, you should trust your team and colleagues to adequately manage things in your absence, especially if you’ve put all of the above into place. Prioritise your wellbeing, family and friends during that precious break, and where possible, learn to switch off.​ If it's your turn to hold the fort... It can be tough being the stand-in. You’re managing your own workload as well as bearing the responsibility of doing a good house-sitting job. Be assertive. Even if your colleague is looking rather up to their eyes in it, ask all the questions you need before they go so you’re well informed and can maintain the proper functioning of tasks in their absence - it’s for both of your benefits. CJ Sinclair especially looks after her colleagues by cc’ing them into emails in the weeks leading up to her holiday and keeping them 100% in the picture. If the work is project-facing, she also arranges calls with clients to introduce them to the person holding the fort - so why not consider asking for the same treatment? Be proactive and schedule a meeting with the hander-over on their penultimate day to avoid a last minute panic on the final one. Politely ask that their handover notes are in good shape so that you can go through the entire document together, check your understanding and fill in any gaps. Then schedule one in the early afternoon of their first day back. Consider using Google Docs so that you can update the document with your own notes as you go along. It will save you time and allow your colleague to read through and extract the key points and actions before their return if they fancy, making their first day back easier (and yours; you’ve now just the one workload to juggle. Hurrah!). It can be hard bearing the weight of managing tasks in someone else’s absence and the risk of being overwhelmed is high. Accept that you can’t do everything and be aware of what you can reasonably do. Focus on the deadlines and priorities, and don’t fret if you didn’t even get a peek at the ‘non-urgent’ section of the HHN. These can be picked up when your colleague returns. If you’re struggling, talk to your manager and shout for help. This Harvard Business Review article has some great tips on what to do when you’re covering for colleagues - and can't keep up. When you get back... (Jet lagged! With post-holiday blues! Slightly full of dread!) It's tough coming back from a holiday. Even worse when you’ve had to come straight from airport to office, you’re desperately missing the pool/beach/mountain/all-inclusive buffet and were not at all prepared for a painful reunion with the tube. Here’s some final tips on how to restore some of that holiday-energy. • Keep your diary as clear as you can. Prioritise the meeting with your colleague who managed your work (who hopefully would have scheduled it for early afternoon) and use the morning to clear/organise your emails and get your task list up to date. The responsibility is back with you, and the chances are your colleague will be relieved to relinquish the extra load. • Be gracious and thankful for the support you received from your colleagues. If time hasn’t allowed them to complete all tasks, keep your cool and try not to be angry or concerned that things haven't been done ‘your way’. • Avoid a post-holiday grumble. You fully deserved your break and it’s always hard to come crashing back to reality when you’ve had the time of your life. However, be mindful that while you’ve been travelling they’ve been sweating it in your absence. Don’t moan about being back or repeatedly say ‘this time last week I was *add fabulous holiday thing*' and sigh, loudly. Be grateful for both a super break and a supportive team of colleagues. • Come bearing gifts. Like a bottle of that funny-coloured liquor from the local supermarket, unpronounceable sweets or some local delicacies. It doesn’t have to be expensive or purchased from somewhere impressive; a box of fudge can go a long way to say thank you. ​ So, there you go. You’ve notified people way in advance that you're jetting off. You’ve planned, scheduled, created perfect handover notes with no nasty surprises, and your team know how to track you down in an emergency (unlikely as they’re so well-informed). Now, swap sandwiches at your desk for something delicious al fresco and lose yourself in a good book rather than a report, safe in the knowledge that everything's in hand. You deserve it. Nicola Greenbrook - HR Specialist & Freelance Writer Contact Nicola More from Nicola Greenbrook: ► How to manage stress at work ► How to switch off ► Charity Careers 4: meet James Harris of Rethink Mental Illness Check out the brand new Salary Centre ...home of the Harris Hill & CharityJob 2019 Salary Report, the essential new guide to UK charity salaries. With market insights from our sector specialists and the expert team at CharityJob, you'll find more than 350 current rates for roles in 26 job functions, based on over 45,000 recent charity vacancies. What should you be earning in the charity sector? Find out here... ► Back to the blog homepage​

We don't normally highlight individual vacancies here at the blog... ...but it's not every day we have one of the country's very biggest fundraising opportunities to talk about. Specifically, a new and hugely exciting role as Director of Income Generation for Tenovus Cancer Care, Wales' no.1 cancer charity and a fantastic organisation to work for. Read on or check out our dedicated Tenovus pages for details of what's likely to be a truly career-defining opportunity. Tenovus Cancer Care’s ambition is a future where fewer people get cancer, and those that do have equal access to the best treatment and support. With annual incomes of £9.6m, 250 staff and c.2,000 volunteers, Tenovus Cancer Care funds high quality research into major cancers, provides support to those affected by cancer, and educates the public and health professionals on cancer issues. Tenovus Cancer Care has cemented its position as a leading and well-respected cancer charity, with a track record of success in helping to improve people’s lives and growing income from its 63 shops in England and Wales, and via funding from donations and other sources.​ They're currently looking to recruit a Director of Income Generation, a fantastic new role in which you'll provide strategic leadership to the Income Generation team in order to achieve long term, sustainable income that enables the charity to achieve its strategic ambitions. Based in Cardiff, you’ll continually grow and develop our income streams including Community, Corporate and Events, Individual Giving, Major Donors, Legacies, Lottery and Retail. You will also be a member of the Leadership Team where you’ll work alongside other senior managers to shape the strategic direction of the charity and ensure that its aims and objectives are delivered by integrating and delivering a joined-up service.​ This is such an exceptional opportunity that we couldn't do it justice with a simple job description. Instead, check out our dedicated Tenovus pages where you'll find a welcome from CEO Judi Rhys, a video that provides a real flavour of the charity and their work, and plenty more on the benefits of working for this outstanding organisation. ► Find out more about this role ► What should you be earning in 2019? The Harris Hill & CharityJob 2019 Salary Report has the answers... ► More from the Harris Hill blog ​

We've teamed up with one of the biggest names in charity recruitment to bring you our most comprehensive guide yet to charity sector salaries, based on more than 45,000 recent UK vacancies. Find it in the Harris Hill Salary Centre, the brand new home for our growing collection of remuneration-related resources! ​

​ Welcome to the 2019 Salary Report, your definitive guide to salaries in the UK charity sector. With huge appreciation for all the enquiries we've already had about this year's release (and genuinely delighted by the demand!) we’re exceptionally pleased to bring you this brand new report. It's the 14th annual salary survey from Harris Hill, based on the thousands of charity vacancies we’ve worked on during the year: but this time that’s only half the story. To reflect the wider sector as accurately as possible we wanted to cover an even broader selection of roles, advertised by charities directly and recruiters like ourselves. So who better to ask than the experts at the UK’s largest specialist job board for not for profit, NGO, social enterprise, CIC and voluntary jobs, home to thousands of charity jobs every year? Happily they agreed, so we've been delighted to collaborate with CharityJob on this year’s report, bringing fresh perspective and insight, and a wealth of information that's helped to build our biggest, most accurate and comprehensive salary guide to date, based on no fewer than 45,000 genuine UK charity and not for profit vacancies from the past financial year. ____________________ What's new? ► In a forthcoming post we'll look at how the new approach has informed the final figures (for those who'd like to know more) and highlight some of the other key new features in this year's report. ► Look out too for the launch of a full digital version over at CharityJob, and here as part of our brand new Harris Hill Salary Centre, under construction as we speak to create a home for all things salary-related, all launching within the next few weeks! Read the new report We didn't want to keep you waiting a moment longer though, so with no further delay - except to sincerely thank the team at CharityJob (in particular content & SEO lead Stephanie Dotto and marketing manager Jade Phillips) for their tremendous help - we're delighted to bring you the full report to view or download in pdf format from the links below. ► In this year's 24-page report, you'll find candidate insights, market developments and recruitment trends, and salaries for charity and not for profit positions at all levels in: Admin & Support Events Policy & Research Advocacy Finance PR Campaigns General Fundraising Projects & Programmes Communications Human Resources Prospect Research Community Fundraising IT Supporter Services Corporate Fundraising Legacies Trust & Statutory Fundraising Data Management Major Donor Fundraising Volunteer Management Digital Marketing ...plus updates from our specialists on current rates for temporary, interim and senior executive roles. Direct Marketing Operations Click below for your preferred file size (screen resolution will suit most uses), or alternatively contact our consultants on 020 7820 7300 if you have any queries on salaries in these areas, who may also be able to send you a print copy of the booklet, subject to availability. We hope you'll find it a valuable and informative resource, and for more information you can also contact CharityJob on 020 8939 8430, our consultants on the number above or send us an email - and look out for the full digital editions coming very soon! ► Back to the Harris Hill blog homepage ► Check out the latest jobs in your field ​ ​

​...by which we're not talking personality (though it's unlikely to be a bad thing), but whether you'd thrive in one of the outstanding leadership roles we're thrilled to be handling for the innovative Plymouth-based charity of the same name. Effervescent is a fresh and truly unique organisation, a charity strongly committed to improving the lives of vulnerable young people, but doing so as a creative agency, bringing their formidable creative and campaigning skills to collaborations with the likes of socially-motivated brands, charities and universities, and most importantly of all, children and young people themselves. They've worked with organisations like Barnardo's, Exeter University and Plymouth City Council to create campaigns on foster care, mental health, child sexual exploitation, asylum and other issues directly affecting the children and young people who have played a key role in each project. It's all about social alchemy ...which isn't (as we confess to first thinking) a GCSE we could have opted for if we'd dropped one of the humanities, but about inspiring, engineering and facilitating these unique collaborations between potentially disparate groups - bringing remarkable people together, as a certain charity recruiter might say - and creating something beautiful and powerful as a result; something that can genuinely make a difference in young people's lives. Effervescent's work to date has been so successful that they've recently received investment to grow, and as part of their ambitious plans to do so, we're delighted to be helping them find the right individuals for three brand new leadership roles that will be central to the organisation's future, namely a Director of Marketing and Sales, Director of Operations, and Head of Enterprise and Product Development. These are truly fantastic opportunities but enough from us; far better to hear more about the organisation, their values and the roles in question from their inspirational founder, CEO, creative director (and TED-talker!) Eloise Malone, by clicking the Welcome button below: A six-page guide to the charity and available roles ► More opportunities from Harris Hill Executive Search ► Back to the blog homepage ​

On February 20th & 21st we're attending our very first event in Scotland (did you know we're operating in Scotland now?) and we'd love to meet you if you're there. Here's a quick rundown of the details... Organised by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) and now in its 16th year, The Gathering is Scotland’s largest event for charities, social enterprises and voluntary organisations. With the support of Scotland's leading third sector publication TFN (Third Force News) it's grown bigger every year to become the largest free third sector event in the UK. Nearly 3,000 people enjoyed last year's packed programme of events, learning and networking opportunities, and this year we're delighted to be joining them! ------------------------------------------ Meet the team It's all happening on 20th and 21st February 2019 at the SEC in Glasgow, and you'll find us at Stand 16. There'll be Harris Hill staff on hand, including our man in Scotland Jason Jederon and Philip Nelson of Harris Hill Executive Search (our specialist division for charity CEO and senior executive recruitment) to answer any questions you may have on recruitment or retention issues, your career in the sector, applications, interviews and much more. ------------------------------------------ Share your views We're also keen to find out how we can help you: what are your biggest challenges and what would you love to see from a charity recruiter? Your requests and requirements will be fundamental in shaping our services in Scotland to make sure we're truly meeting your needs. So if there's anything you'd like to discuss, please don't hesitate to grab one of the team for a chat. Check out @scvotweet for the latest on the event and if you're heading along, we look forward to meeting you there! More from the Harris Hill Blog: ► Meet Jason Jederon: our charity specialist in Scotland ► Welcome to Harris Hill Scotland

The year might just be waking up but the 2019 Harris Hill Charity Series is already raring to go! Here's a quick update on the forthcoming quiz, bowling shenanigans and our Golden Softball competition winners... In search of answers... ​ For everything we've learned as a species about science, evolution and the intricacies of the universe, some things remain impenetrable mysteries, the eternal unknowables; questions that have baffled mankind throughout history and continue to do so today. Most of them will probably turn up in the Charity Series quiz if past form is anything to go by, which returns for 2019 on February 5th, run by the all-knowing softball committee and contested by as many charities as our brilliant hosts at Patch St Paul's can possibly squeeze in! It's an evening of fun, fierce competitition and fiendishly difficult questions - plus prizes galore in the charity raffle. Last year's event raised a great sum for Muscular Dystrophy UK and this year we're hoping to do even better for QEF (Queen Elizabeth's Foundation for Disabled People) - not least because the raffle tickets are no longer cash-only, you'll be able to go contactless too. ► Pre-event update: unfortunately as it turns out, it's not quite as easy to get a handy and portable card payment machine as the TV ads would have you believe, so we're working on a partial online solution. If you can though, please bring along some cash if you'd like to take part in the raffle. Which we highly recommend, as there's already a superb selection of prizes, generously donated by many of our local businesses and more across London. There's still more to come but huge thank-yous already to Embody Wellness and Floatworks Vauxhall, Oliver Bonas, first-rate florists Windmill Flowers, and both the Sipsmith and Beefeater Gin Distilleries! (we don't know who's been getting through all the gin, but keep up the good work). Team-wise the ones to beat are last year's top three: bronze medallists Asthma UK, runners-up Citizens Advice and 2018 champs the Canal & River Trust! Bring it on, as people reportedly say. A big night at the bowling! Meanwhile there were strikes to spare in November as the Charity Series returned to Rowans Tenpin Bowling in Finsbury Park for another high-stakes (by which I mean there were chocolate advent calendars to be won) bowl-off between the best part of 40 leading charities. A great night as always, and an astonishing one for Team HH: in a twist on our traditionally-terrible total it turns out last year's fifth place wasn't a fluke after all, and after a mere 172 years of the contest we might have finally got the hang of throwing the ball-thing in roughly the right direction. But it's not about us, it's about the brilliant charities taking part, and after a single year in third place the mighty 2015 and 2016 winners Age UK returned to the top, swiftly followed by a stellar performance from GOSH and a delighted Dogs Trust cracking the top three for the first time:​ At the end of the day we can probably all agree that the real winner here was bowling, but also top scorer Anthony of St Mungo's with a record-breaking 193 personally-earned points, the highest-ever individual score. Props too to CAF's Jack, Numan and Amy of St John Ambulance who we believe was the highest-scoring female bowler but shout if you know otherwise! Until next time... And finally, in (golden) softball news... Should you have somehow escaped missed it on Twitter and be wondering who won our competition for last summer's charity softball teams - or indeed what on earth we're talking about - then wonder no more. As you might have heard mention, we're immensely proud sponsors of the London Charity Softball League, which brings countless charities from the capital together throughout the summer, and never fails to impress us with the sheer dedication, good humour and hard work of players, supporters and organisers alike. It's a challenging, superbly organised and phenomenally popular contest which, were it not for those qualities, might have something in common with our very own summer-long challenge: Harris Hill's Golden Softballs! So what's it all about? Who won? And why? ► Read on for the full 2018 competition, all the balls, and news of our winners! ► Back to the blog homepage

A new year, a fresh start, and time for a new job? How do you know if it’s really time to move on? It’s a question that can get stuck in your head, like a hit from the ‘80s, or a metal plate. Should I stay or should I go, you wonder – wouldn’t it be good? How will I know? And when will I be famous, exactly? Well, wonder no more, because our hastily-cobbled-together new year quiz is here to help you find out! As the UK's leading specialists in charity sector recruitment we've got decades of experience and expertise, absolutely none of which went into this spurious exercise. Ten simple questions, zero scientific legitimacy: just select the end of each statement that best completes it for you. (You’ll need to tot up your answers at the end – we'd have made it interactive but had a party meeting to get to and largely imaginary coding skills. Plus the last time we tried embedding anything - well, let's just say there was bit of a misunderstanding and now we can't look anyone from IT in the eye). Let's move swiftly along and get started... ​ For each of the ten statements below, simply choose the ending that's most applicable for you: 1. Your boss is… A An endless source of inspiration! B Quick to show appreciation C No real cause for celebration D Hopeless beyond explanation E Under police investigation 2. You’re expecting the year ahead to be… A More amazing than ever! B Pretty good, on the whole C More of the same D 365 more days of relentlessly soul-destroying misery E 1989 3. The moment you wake up in the morning you’re… A Bouncing up and out of bed! B Planning for the day ahead C Wishing it was Sunday instead D Overwhelmed with fear and dread E Sorry, you’ve lost me there. Wake up…in the morning? 4. You travel in… A With a smile on your face and a spring in your step! B With a packed schedule and everything you need for a busy and productive day C With far too many other people - it's definitely getting worse D With grudging resentment and an emergency bottle of gin E Style, regardless of expense 5. At 4pm on a typical Monday we’d probably find you… A Sighing with contentment - we're doing something wonderful here B Trying to get as much done as possible by the end of the day C Buying things online – there's some brilliant deals on Groupon this week D Crying in the stationery cupboard. Mondays are cruel. E Flying, probably. I’m always flying somewhere. 6. If they made you CEO tomorrow you would… A Probably burst with pride and delight! What a privilege! Though I hope this doesn’t mean something terrible’s happened to Martin? B Be very surprised, super-nervous, but pretty chuffed I guess – I’d certainly give it a go! C Of this place? Oh, right. Well, so long as there's a decent payrise. D Derive immense pleasure from firing each and every one of these ‘people’ E Be totally confused but hey, how hard can it be - yeah, why not? 7. You’ve won £50 million on the lottery*! (*you haven't, just to be clear for legal purposes: it’s a hypothetical premise in a made-up quiz) You would… A Donate the lot to charity and keep on coming to work of course – I couldn’t leave these guys! B Throw the biggest leaving party this place has ever seen. Free champagne for everyone! C Be out of here before you could blink D Bribe the board to retire, take over, and derive immense pleasure from firing each and every one of these ‘people’ E Oh, Marbs or Ibiza darling, straight away. Miami if it’s winter. 8. The highlight of your time there is… A Probably yet to come! But otherwise, gosh, so many to choose from! B Getting that great new project off the ground – we've been able to make a real difference with the revenue generated C Hard to remember off the top of my head, but I’m sure there was something a few years back D ...going to be the look on their faces when I finally announce which orifice they can kindly insert their job into E Highlights? Are people still having those? 9. With a month left to use it, you've still got a week of your annual leave. You… A Don’t want it anyway – who’d skip a single day with these wonderful people? B Try and book the rest of it in without missing anything too important C Immediately book the next week off and head for a Spanish resort to soak up the sun, sea breezes and your bodyweight in Sangria D Don’t understand the question. Obviously I got through it all months ago - why on earth would I be here otherwise? E Sorry no, you’ve lost me again - my annual what? 10. When the time eventually comes to move on, you’ll… A Miss these guys SO much, we’re like family! Actually some of us are now – oh, that was a beautiful wedding. Shame they can’t stand each other now of course, but if we sit them at opposite ends they can't throw anything sharp past the photocopier. It's a pity our interns keep leaving, though. B Keep in touch, at least with the people I'm closest to here. Probably my manager too, you never know if I might want to come back one day. C Have to do leaving drinks I suppose. If I fake being totally hammered by 7.30 I can probably get home in time for Bake-Off. D Write a tell-all memoir of my heroic struggle, describing the countless misdemeanours of my colleagues in unnecessarily salacious detail E Already be living it large in the next place to be - the party's wherever I am! Job done! You've made it to the end of the questions. So what does the year ahead have in store for you? Should you stay put, or start searching? If your answers were... Not that you'd dream of it, but don’t even think about moving! Stay exactly where you are; they love you there and by golly, you just love them right back. Possibly a little bit too much but honestly, who can blame you? It’ll all end in tears of course, because you’ve never built the ten-foot wall of cynicism that shields the rest of our blackened hearts, but don't listen to the doubters. You're having a ball, so good for you and long may it last! However unlikely that may be! Top tip for 2019: Maybe just start keeping track of the cats you're adopting - is that the fourth now? It's all good! You've got a decent employer, you’re valued, doing well and even if it’s not your ultimate dream job, it’s right enough for right now. There’s no harm in scanning the job ads occasionally in case there's something even better, but you’ve still got potential there yet, room to grow, and so much going on that it's highly unlikely you're doing trivial internet quizzes. We're wasting our time here, basically. Top tip for 2019: They won't be reading this, so if everyone could just quietly hum to themselves to fill the gap here, that’d be great thanks. It's not you, it's your job. Or maybe it is you - oddly we can't quite be sure despite the forensic questioning. Either way, whatever fireworks there may once have been have long since burned out and the relationship's stuck in a rut. You're going through the motions but it's not bringing the best out of either of you and frankly, you both deserve better. There's always the chance you can turn things around - like there's always the chance of it snowing in August - but if we were in your shoes we'd ask ourselves a) if we still want to be there in three years' time, and b) why on earth we're borrowing your shoes. We're not even the same size. Top tip for 2019: You're capable of so much more, so dust off your CV, do something about your hair (trust us), and get searching for a great new job! Okay, before we can talk we'd appreciate if you'd put that thing down. That's better, thank you. Well, we're sure you don't need us to tell you it's time to move on, and the sooner the better for all concerned. Life could be so much better in a job that you actually like, surrounded by people you don't loathe with every fibre of your being. We can't guarantee you'll walk straight into that kind of job - not while the bitterness can still be seen from space, at least - but it's got to be worth a try, right? Things have turned toxic and it's time to shape up and ship out. And if you can do it without anyone requiring emergency services, it's an achievement to mention in interviews. Result! Top tip for 2019: Even if you've already checked today, it's always worth making absolutely sure you're not the prime minister. ​ …we should point out this is NOT a dietary recommendation. Because, well we don't quite know how to put this, but we ran your answers through our highly sophisticated analysis machine and the phrase that came back was 'either too high or too rich to function'. The machine's words, not ours - and frankly a bit much from an overpromoted calculator that can barely manage to switch itself on, but that's modern technology for you. Either way it's not something we see in a job specification all that often, so the prospects there aren't brilliant - but at least you're happy, artificially-induced or otherwise. Here's to 2019! Top tip for 2019: Wherever is the new 'new Ibiza', after whatever was the new Ibiza last year. And never be photographed without sunglasses - have them surgically attached if necessary (somebody will know somebody, just ask around). That's the end of the quiz and should it not be already, we’d like to make abundantly clear that none of the above should be taken as remotely sensible career advice. But if you'd like some proper assistance with finding new jobs in the charity sector, just get in touch with one of our specialist consultants! Alternatively you can browse through our current vacancies, or give us a call on 020 7820 7300 - we'd love to hear from you. In the meantime, good luck if you're thinking of moving, and our very best wishes for 2019! Team Harris Hill ​ More from the Harris Hill blog: ► Specialist charity recruitment: now available in Scotland! ► 2018 review and career resolutions for the new year ► Back to the blog index