CAREERS CLINIC
MANAGING DIRECTOR OF MORGAN MCKINLEY, UK
“I was made redundant from my risk management post at a bank in January. Having struggled to find a job, I finally decided to go travelling for a year and was due to leave at the start of August. I’ve just been offered a job after all, but it’s a bit below the level I think I deserve. Should I take the trip, or be thankful for any job and take it?”
FIRST OF ALL, I would always say that this sort of thing has to be taken on a case-by-case basis. But as a general rule, in a market where there is a lack of visibility for the future, taking any role is better than not taking one at all.
This is certainly the case in risk management, which is a fast-changing environment at the moment, with new regulation coming into effect and with processes constantly changing. Regulation and risk management are also hot political issues, so things could change quickly and profoundly. Getting out of it now could be perceived as being disadvantageous because when you come back in a year, the fact is that things will have changed.
If you are dead set on going travelling, then you must keep up on what’s going on in the City. Bear in mind that when you apply for another job you will be up against people who have been there the whole time, and if you are away it could be that you miss something relevant, and that could put you behind the other person.
If you can prove that you are doing something worthwhile, and that you still understand the new regulatory frameworks, then taking time out and hoping the market will improve is something that you could do, but in general in this market it is advisable you take what you can.