<h2 data-snp-text="{name:'title',label:'title',order:10}" data-snp-replace="">adrian leatherhead, head of business development tells his story.</h2>
<h3>What was your job before you had time off?</h3>
<p>I was a company director with profit and loss responsibility for three business units.</p>
<h3>For what reason were you out of work? (Tell us a bit about what happened)</h3>
<p>A new CEO was brought in to take the company to sale. He consolidated the two training parts of the group - one of which was the BUs I was managing - and so my role became redundant.</p>
<h3>How long were you off for?</h3>
<p>About 3 months. During that time off I realised that I really missed team working and being part of an organisation. But I definitely didn't miss the stress that the CEO had put me under!</p>
<h3>Why did you return to work and why was it important to do so?</h3>
<p>I was recruited to work as head of aerospace business development for a recruitment company. To be honest, I returned to work because I am the main earner in my household. At the time my wife was working part-time and my daughter was at university so although I had some savings and a six month notice period, it was important to get back to work as soon as possible.</p>
<h3>Was it easy to find a job?</h3>
<p>No, it wasn’t easy at all. Being over 50 and with a fairly specialised role made the process quite daunting. I made getting a job a "job" in itself. I even gave myself performance goals and worked towards a KPI of applying for a job every day! I applied my knowledge and experience of being a sales professional to use similar techniques I order to sell myself, both to employers and to recruitment companies.</p>
<h3>How did you explain your absence? Did you find it difficult?</h3>
<p>No, I didn’t find it difficult at all - I told everyone the truth of what had happened.</p>
<h3>What were the challenges of returning to work?</h3>
<p>I guess the biggest challenge was that I worked for the company that made me redundant for 19 years – that’s a long time. I had played a big part in most of the expansion activities that the company had undergone over that period, so I was a well known figure in the business.</p>
<p>Joining a new company meant making new contacts and having to understand the internal politics from scratch. I worked mostly from home so that made it easier in some ways, but that meant that I never really felt like part of the team.</p>
<h3>How did your employer make your return easier?</h3>
<p>They gave me all the equipment I needed; car, laptop, phone etc and introduced me to all the key players. I was also part of the senior management team so I attended regular monthly meetings too.</p>
<h3>What advice would you give to someone in a similar position to yours who wants to return to work after redundancy?</h3>
<p>If you are in a senior position and are made redundant I would advise the following:</p>
<ul>
<li>Don't panic!</li>
<li>Don't expect work to come to you - it won't.</li>
<li>Make getting a job - your new job. Set up a work space in your home and make it your office.</li>
<li>Get your CV in order, set up your references and make sure you have copies of any certificates.</li>
<li>Set yourself KPIs in terms of how many applications you will send out in a day.</li>
<li>Decide what you are, what role suits you best - it might not be what you last did. Put yourself forward for new jobs as well.</li>
<li>Be realistic in your salary expectations - if you need to move quickly you might need to set a lower level than your last role to get back into work.</li>
<li>Don't expect to get a job quickly, it might take a while so the sooner you start looking the better.</li>
<li>Make sure your Linkedin profile is up to date, and change your headline so that companies know you are looking for a new role.</li>
<li>Actively contribute to industry discussions on Linkedin and other forums to boost your profile. If the opportunity presents itself, write blogs and/or articles that are relevant to your sector.</li>
<li>Register your CV with job boards that cover your specialist area.</li>
<li>Utilise your professional network - where appropriate message friends and contacts to see where there might be new roles that might suit you.</li>
<li>Register with recruitment companies that specialise in your skills - be proactive with them on any role they put your forward for.</li>
</ul>