JobsAndCareersWithJamesCaanAutumn2016 - 31

UPFRONT:

INTERVIEW

You're an advocate for soft skills ,
such as communication and time
management. What are the benefits?
I did a whole campaign about how
important soft skills are. Don't ever take
soft skills for granted. For example,
timekeeping isn't everyone's strength - but it's
critical to be punctual in the workplace.
I'm very interested in a candidate's timekeeping; to
me it's just as important as their other skills.
The lack of employers recognising soft skills has
an £80billion impact on the UK economy. Soft
skills are what create productivity.

The James Caan Foundation
was set up in 2006. What
was the thinking behind it?
I set up the foundation because,
having been a successful
entrepreneur, I wanted to
see if I could share my experience and
knowledge with other people who aspire
to be entrepreneurs.
The foundation is all about the
opportunity of giving back.
One of the biggest lessons that I've
learnt in life is that you get a lot more
satisfaction from what you give than
what you receive.
The foundation was a vehicle to help
do that, and I was given the opportunity
to work with the government when
it approached me to ask for my help
in encouraging more ambitious young
people in Britain and Northern Island
to become entrepreneurs.
With the help of the government,
I launched Start Up Loans, which was
a platform to help people raise that initial
capital to help start their own business.
As a founder I am really proud that,
over the past three years, I helped to start
28,000 businesses in the UK, which
today employ 40,000 people.
For me, the James Caan Foundation
has given me an invaluable opportunity
to give something back.

Since many jobs are not
advertised but put about
through word of mouth,
how important is networking?
And how should people go about it?
Networking is all about opening
doors. It's very difficult to get
through life if doors are always
closed. Networking gives you the
opportunity to interact and meet people.
You never know when opportunities will
present themselves; you have to be there.
It's a bit like wining the lottery: you
have to buy the ticket first. If you don't
go out and talk to people, you never know
what you're missing. I would highly
recommend networking with friends and
colleagues. You may well come across an
opportunity you weren't expecting.

What about changing
careers? Is it a good idea,
or should you try to make
your current job better/different?
I don't think you can generalise
because everyone's career is
unique, and also unique to
them. There are a lot of people who
decide to change career or direction.
I've done it myself many times. I did
a stint on Dragons' Den - I'm not a TV
celebrity, but I fancied doing something
different. Likewise, I'd never worked for

the government before, but launching
Start Up Loans gave me a fresh
opportunity. I had £300 million available
to distribute - an incredible challenge.
I started my career in recruitment and
then I found myself running a private
equity firm: something that I never
thought I'd do. Every door that opened
was a new opportunity and challenge,
and I had no way of knowing whether
it would ever work. I could have fallen flat
on my face on Dragons' Den, but how
would I know if I didn't try?
Life is all about stretching yourself and
putting yourself in an environment where
you can excel. Exploring new ideas and
taking on challenges can be exhilarating.

If people have been job
hunting unsuccessfully
for a while, or were made
redundant, what would you advise?
I don't think there's any
comparison for having a routine
and I think sometimes being
at home can be soul destroying. Even
if you're doing unpaid charity work, the
fact that you're out there integrating with
other people and you've got a routine
gives you motivation to continue. And
you can still be out looking for jobs
while you're doing charity work.
I think once you get into a rut of not
working or communicating you can get
into a spiral where you go down and
down. I think it's crucial to do whatever
you can to keep yourself active.

What are your business and
personal plans for the next
six to 12 months?
I'm currently doing a TV show
on Sky called The Pledge. It's
a current affairs programme
and it's a new experience for me because
it's something I've never done before. It
has really stretched me and it's hugely
exciting and challenging.
I'm also involved in launching a
recruitment guide, which is my first
online business. It's my opportunity
to share the experience and knowledge
I've learned in the recruitment business
to help teach other people the art of
recruitment. It brought me phenomenal
success and I want to share that with
people who want to join the industry
that I so passionately adore.
J O B S & C A R E E R S /// 0 3 1
JobsAndCareersWithJamesCaanAutumn2016

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