My 17-year old son recently got his first part-time job – working as a store assistant in an outdoor adventures shop.
His job search was a stressful time for both of us – him because he had quite a few interviews before he was successful, me because he didn’t want any of my advice despite the fact that I help people find jobs for a living!
Continue reading “The tricky business of helping your teen get a part-time job”
With LinkedIn user numbers close to reaching 500 million worldwide, it always surprises me that people think if they are active on the platform their boss will think they are looking for a new job.
If that’s your assumption, here are my top five tips for using LinkedIn regularly without your boss being suspicious (whether you’re looking for a new job or not!).
Continue reading “Stop the job-hunting rumours: use LinkedIn all year round”
A recent BBC News report highlighted the issue of potential discrimination in the recruitment process based on names, and the potential use of ‘blind recruitment’.
This is the not the first time the issue has raised its head, with David Cameron promising in 2015 that a raft of civil service organisations would use “name blind” applications for recruitment from this year.
It’s an interesting issue, which prompts discussions about unconscious bias – the theory that we are unknowingly biased against certain factors shaped by our social and cultural upbringing.
And the BBC experiment which saw Adam get three times more interviews that Mohammed with an identical CV, although conducted only with small numbers, supports the conclusions of a larger amount of academic research pointing to unconscious bias in recruitment. Continue reading “What Blind Recruitment means for you”
Traditional ways to get a new job are all well and good, but many roles are never advertised, creating a hidden jobs market you need to tap into. Here are the insider secrets you need to know to take advantage of job opportunities you might not otherwise have seen.
Continue reading “The hidden jobs market – are you missing out?”
Years ago if you wanted a job you could be sure you would have to go to the offices of the company you applied to, have a formal interview probably with the person you’d be working for and then perhaps wait a week or two to hear anything back.
These days, candidates need to be prepared for a broad spectrum of interview types and techniques which extend far beyond this traditional view.
Here’s my guide to the interview types you need to be prepared for when job-hunting. Continue reading “Don’t get caught out by the interview spectrum”
Do you really need a full time 9-5 job? What if there was another way to fulfil your passions, earn enough money and perhaps give a bit of something back too?
Such a thing exists, and it’s called a portfolio career. It’s basically a way of working part-time on a few different things which all add up to your career. It’s also a great way of eeking out a work-life balance or gaining new skills while still doing a job you enjoy. Think of it as having your cake and eating it. Continue reading “The advantages of a portfolio career”
Earlier this year visual CV creator Enhancv.com attracted attention when it created CEO of Yahoo Marissa Mayer’s one page CV. As a visual person it really appealed to me and I have seen others like it but despite the appeal I would be cautious before creating one.
Like many things, CV trends have moved on at a fantastic pace and you might be tempted to create a beautiful visual CV which you hope will help you stand out. But there are pitfalls to watch out for. Continue reading “Should you have a visual CV?”
Working with a recruitment agency to support your job search can be a frustrating task. We have often described it like ‘dating’ where you have to see a lot of different people before you find one that you think is right for you!! We asked Amy Stephenson at Human, one of the recruitment companies that we work closely with, to share some tips to help avoid the frustrations and get the best out of the relationship. Continue reading “Avoid the frustrations of working with a recruitment agency”
Fear of interviews is common, especially when you’re facing your first ever interview, your first after a knock like redundancy, or if it’s for a job or promotion you really want.
However, you can help reduce that fear, stand out from the crowd and increase your chance of success by practising these ten tips. Continue reading “The 10 secrets of interview success”
Competition is tough for jobs as more and more hopefuls apply for every vacancy. How do you make your CV stand out from 100 others? It’s a tough challenge, but here are my guidelines for structuring your CV for success. Continue reading “Writing a winning CV”
Is auditioning the new interviewing?
A recent article in People Management gave an insight into TGI Fridays’ use of auditioning instead of the traditional interview as part of their hiring process. Not just front of house staff, but prospective bar tenders and kitchen staff were also put through their paces in a half-day session which included impersonating dishes off the menu, “selling” obscure objects to the judges and group exercises.
The closest the candidates came to a proper interview was a series of 60-second speed-dating-esque chats. So is auditioning better than interviewing? And how should you prepare if you’ve been invited to something similar?
When it comes to progressing your career, finding the job you want online and clicking the ‘submit your CV’ link is the easy part. However, once this is done, or even before it’s done, smart candidates spend some time researching their prospective employer. Should their application get to the next stage, they are ready. This preparation time will pay off. Putting you in a stronger position to ask specific questions during the interview and selection process.
Here are a few tips to help you have the crucial facts to hand. Continue reading “Five tips for researching your prospective employer”
