Social climbers

So how to recapture that shiny-shoed enthusiasm for new challenges? First, remember that many housing organisations are suffering recruitment problems, and will greet prospective candidates with plenty of enthusiasm of their own. “There are bags of opportunities in mid-ranking positions at the moment,” says Peter Jeffery, director of human resources and communications at Anglia Housing Group.

On the other hand, the recruitment shortfall means that born-and-bred housing professionals are facing more competition from candidates from other sectors – Anglia, for instance, has recently recruited from the NHS, banking and teaching.

“It’s about aptitude, ability and commercial experience that can be translated into housing,” continues Jeffery. “The social housing sector needs people who can look at things in a wider sense, with more commerciality, a knowledge of finance and the ability to see business opportunities a year or two downstream.”

The housing sector is changing and expanding, and needs people who can change and grow with it. As RSLs take on additional responsibilities in social care, regeneration and economic development, new roles are being created and new career paths are opening up.

“It’s about a willingness to embrace change,” says Karen Heaton, group director for organisation at the Places for People Group. “It’s no longer good enough to say ‘this is the way things will always be’. And the best way to gauge that in an application or interview is if a person has actually sought change.”

That might be demonstrated by an internal project management role, secondment to a different department, or signing up for a departmental working party. “Don’t get stuck in a rut. If you’ve got ambitions, they’re the sort of thing you need to get involved in,” advises Deborah Dobrin, national housing manager for recruitment consultant Hays Montrose.

Most recruiters agree that the social housing sector – with its multitude of specialist organisations operating in market niches – favours a zigzag career path rather than the slow vertical slog. “In any organisation of 400 people, there aren’t many career paths. If someone joins us for two or three years, then leaves for a better job in another organisation, that’s fine,” comments Peter Jeffery of Anglia.

“If you’ve always worked in general housing, having a stint in supported might mean you can return to general able to provide a better service to families,” agrees Dobrin of Hays Montrose. On the other hand, she would never advise against internal advancement. “When we look at CVs, it’s nice to see people who have been promoted within an organisation – it means that their employer was keen to keep them.”

If you want to be in senior management, you need a qualification. You can’t do it by the seat of your pants any more lawrence stewart

If a positive attitude to change is the first priority, then a close second is developing an awareness of the wider business world that social housing is now firmly a part of. “We need people with more of a business focus, and financial awareness,” says Heaton.

But, as she goes on to explain, that doesn’t mean sharp suits and wheeler-dealing, or night classes in accounting. Instead, the stress is on understanding a balance sheet, reading and interpreting company accounts, and setting budgets and sticking to them.

One way for middle managers to gain those skills is to undertake a masters in business administration. Most teach a general syllabus in the belief that management skills are the same in car factories, call centres or housing organisations. But there is now also a dedicated housing sector MBA from the University of Birmingham, where most students’ fees are subsidised by the Housing Corporation (see case study, page 30).

Fifty part-time students aged between 25 and 45 are currently taking the course, a slightly older demographic than on most MBA courses. According to professor John Raine, head of post-graduate teaching in the School of Public Policy, it’s impossible to define the “right time” to take the course. “There’s so much change in the public sector, and people have to reassess what they need in terms of career development.”

As well as initials after your name, any higher qualification makes a statement that, as a candidate, you are well motivated, not afraid of challenges, and take your career seriously. “Qualifications say you have the discipline to get through the process, and a lot about you as an individual,” summarises Peter Jeffery of Anglia.

However, Places for People’s Heaton, herself an MBA graduate, warns that a higher degree is not a magic password to a senior management career. “I wouldn’t have missed the course for the world, but if I had two similar candidates, I wouldn’t necessarily see the MBA as a critical advantage. I place a huge emphasis on experience, someone’s desire to do the job and a really positive attitude.”

A positive attitude in itself can often get you further than you may have thought possible. Deborah Dobrin recommends applying for jobs that seem slightly out of reach, since job specifications can always be changed. “If you’ve got 90% of what the employer is looking for, don’t rule yourself out of applying. There are such shortages in housing that the remaining 10% might not be essential.”