Yes, yes, we know. Your inbox is full to the brim of emails telling you that now is the time to seize the day! To become a whole new person. To run an ultra- marathon across the Antarctic, raise thousands for homeless goats by climbing Everest, and to consume only chia seeds for the rest of your days. The pressure to fundamentally change who you are can feel overwhelming at this time of year. The school-gate demands about our New Year's Resolutions sometimes border on the inquisitorial...
But perhaps we're all putting the emphasis in the wrong place. Why should you have to change who you are in order to be happy, or to live the best version of your life? Here at 9-2-3, we love to speak to all our candidates, from a huge variety of fields - not least because they're often spectacularly impressive people. We love hearing of your professional (and sometimes personal) travels. We consider ourselves enormously lucky to have the chance to build relationships with such accomplished individuals. We have huge respect for what you've all achieved, both in and out of work. We don't want you to change - Goldilocks-like, we think you're just right, just the way you are. There will definitely be no judgement here if you have subsisted solely on After Eights for the last three weeks. There will be no raised eyebrows if the last time you put on your trainers was in 2010. In fact, our job is not to try to mould you into something new; it's to find a role that celebrates how fantastic you are, quirks and all.
It's true that the New Year is a great time to think about the next step in your professional journey. Indeed, you may have spent the last week madly googling, "Part-time jobs near me" or "Companies offering flexible working". Has some breathing space over the holidays allowed you to feel excited about moving forward along your career path? Perhaps the Christmas break has given you a chance to consider how you want to work, and to balance your commitments? Maybe the festive period has taken its financial toll, and you're feeling that now's a good time to get back into paid employment after a career break, and perhaps even hunt down a return to work programme? Whatever the reason you're looking for new, flexible job opportunities, this is the perfect time of year to set out on your next professional adventure, because our clients are also making plans for the year to come! But we give you our word that we don't want to match you with just any role. We pride ourselves on valuing each individual we work with, noticing their strengths and championing their skills. We'll only suggest potential flexible roles to you that we hope would enhance your working life, and support your work-life balance. We won't hard-sell to you a role on which you're not keen, and we don't ever want to place you somewhere which will make you unhappy. Fortunately, we work with a raft of wonderful companies offering flexible working opportunities, who appreciate and value their team members - we love working with them to try to find you a happy ending to your story!
Relationships are at the heart of what we do, and we'd love to talk to you in 2024 about what you're looking for from a new, flexible role. There's no need to change yourself - come as you are, and shout from the rooftops about your achievements. Now's the perfect time. The job market's not too hot, cold, soft or firm. We may not believe in fairy tales, but we absolutely believe in you.