After reading about the demise of Carzam last week which was a huge surprise to me given the track record of the team involved. Followed by the less than surprising news around Cazoo’s plans to cut headcount against the backdrop of the challenges being faced by the industry. I thought back to the challenging times I’ve faced in motor retail and the unforgiving task of announcing redundancies and site closures. I remember the first one back in 2010, the sleepless night and dread of going to announce a closure of a site, what about the people? How will they react? How can I help? I remember it well, my legs shaking and difficulty reading out the statement and the look on colleagues faces as they start the Derac journey. DESPAIR. Followed by Evaluation, Rationalisation, Acceptance and the inevitable Change that colleagues would have to face.

I’m now in a different space, the same sector (which I love) and we have helped a significant number of people overcome their own crises. Changing jobs isn’t an easy decision to make with all the variables at play. Job security, pay, conditions, work life balance etc. For anyone finding themselves in a difficult position, I hope the post helps you understand the journey you will face with DERAC and remember there are many recruitment agencies out there that can help, it costs nothing to reach out for advice and some agencies (including mine) will support with CV writing, Interview support and setting up interviews. To sign off, I’ll use something I (and many others) have used in difficult times. Reach out to an agency if you want to see the Opportunity.

In the Chinese language, the word “crisis” is composed of two characters, one representing danger and the other, opportunity. Reach out to an agency and see the size of the OPPORTUNITY.