“Are you on LinkedIn?” The professional arena seems to be buzzing with talk about LinkedIn. Yet every time you receive an email inviting you to join, or informing you that one of your contacts is now using the platform, it’s become a habit to consign it straight to your junk folder. Come on, admit it! Stop right there! You could be missing out on a great opportunity to boost your professional network. As any successful businessperson will tell you, it’s all about contacts. For social media lovers (and haters), LinkedIn could be a useful tool for gaining business contacts, job…
Author: CareerExperts
When you’re pursuing your next big career move, a strong CV will give you a huge advantage and ensure that you land the job interviews you want. We all know that a good CV should make you stand out from the crowd and highlight your most valuable talents – but how exactly do you do that? This latest infographic from StandOut CV shows a simple 7 step process for writing an interview-winning CV. Here are the key takeaway points to ensure that your CV will be effective in the job market: Do your research: Employers only want to hire candidates…
When it comes to work experience, it’s difficult to say what’s to be expected. It differs from person to person and company to company. There are however some underlying factors you can get to grips with before you embark on a placement. To prepare you for what’s in store, Lilli Hender from workplace experts Office Genie is here. She’ll fill you in on what to expect from work experience and how it can benefit you. A taste of working life The key is in the name: work experience is to increase your awareness and involvement in a particular line of…
You won’t get very far with your job search without a solid CV that sells your personality, skills and experience. We all know that it’s important to dedicate time and effort to making our CVs excellent, but it’s still easy to overlook simple mistakes. These mistakes, however, may damage your chances of securing a fantastic opportunity! By following the CV tips in our video, you won’t fall victim to the common errors that trip up so many applicants: The most common errors are: Incorrect spelling and grammar – shows poor attention to detail and poor written communication. TOP TIP: We also recommend…
Leaving work at work can be easier said than done. However, knowing where work ends and your personal time begins is key to creating a rewarding and fulfilling work-life balance. They say you should ‘work hard and play hard’ – creating a work-life balance will ensure that both your professional life and downtime can be as happy and satisfying as possible. Personally, when I’m not working, I like nothing more than filling my free time with travelling, keeping active and trying new experiences. Stanford University recently published a study, the results of which showed that working more than 50 hours…
Are you on the hunt for a new job? While there’s plenty of job search methods at your fingertips, job sites still reign supreme as the first port of call for many new job seekers. It’s hardly surprising that these sites are so popular when they offer thousands of excellent opportunities in every sector you can think of. But with so many to choose from, where should you start looking? Well, we think the best UK job sites of 2016 are a good bet. Based on visitor statistics, Social Talent have released their latest infographic which will fill you in…
Everyone has had one of those days. The phone is ringing off the hook, your in-tray is starting to resemble a small mountain, your diary is full and before you know it, it’s 4pm. Where did the day go?! While every now and then those days are unavoidable, you can take control and keep them to a minimum with effective planning and organisation techniques. Becoming a ‘prioritisation pro’ or an ‘organisation master’ will help you to tackle a busy schedule and maximise your efficiency at work. The benefits of good planning and organisation techniques speak for themselves. Quite simply put…
When you’re fresh out of university you may not be equipped with vast work experience, but you can still be extremely valuable to employers. What you lack in experience, you can make up for in desirable employability skills! Having been to university, it’s highly likely that you will already have these key skills, but it’s important that you can back them up with evidence and show them off to employers. Watch the video below to discover the 6 key skills employers want to see from graduates. These are the skills that you need to highlight in your CV and make…
If your reasons for resigning are quite negative, it can be tempting to give your boss and the rest of the company a piece of your mind as your last hurrah. However, in the modern, connected world, resigning via a marching band might not be the best option. The chances are that you’ll cross paths with your old boss or colleagues again. Many areas of business are smaller than you think, and in a world where you’re only a few connections away from a bad recommendation on LinkedIn, it’s rarely worth risking bad blood. At the very least, remember that…
Dating a colleague can turn out great, or it can get super-awkward. Many people meet their future partners at work which is hardly surprising if you’re working with a like-minded person who shares a common interest. In most instances, there’s nothing wrong with dating a colleague but it can be a complex situation and, therefore, it’s important that you deal with it in the right way. Here’s a list of dos and don’ts to help you out when dating at work: Do Weigh up the pros and cons. Consider how a relationship could affect both of your positions. Ask yourself…
When you’re dedicated to finding a new role and applying for lots of jobs, it can be tempting to take the “scatter gun” approach by firing the exact same CV off to lots of different vacancies. Even though many of the roles you are applying for will be similar, no two jobs are exactly the same so you should adapt your CV accordingly to reflect the requirements of each job. CV tailoring doesn’t have to mean a complete re-write of your CV and can actually be done fairly quickly once you’re familiar with the process. Tailoring your CV is about…
If you’ve been job-hunting at any point within the last couple of years, you will have noticed a surge in the number of vacancies for ‘Recruitment Consultants’, ‘Headhunters’ or ‘Talent Acquisition Consultants’ filling up job boards. Recruitment, thanks to a select few cut-throat agencies, has gained a bit of a bad reputation as of late and simply seeing the word ‘Recruitment’ in a role title or description can put job hunters off. Is this justified? In short, no. Due to common misconceptions about the industry, many people are hesitant to apply for Recruitment roles, without really understanding what they entail.…
As a new graduate, having happily waved goodbye to essays, dissertations and textbooks, the last thing you’ll want to do is sit down and spend time working on a CV. True, it isn’t the most fun activity on the planet but, if you put in the time and effort, you will reap the benefits in the long run. This means that you should think carefully about every section of your CV and don’t underestimate the power of each one. This is particularly relevant when it comes to your ‘Hobbies and Interests’ or ‘Personal Achievements’ section, which is often considered unimportant.…
Let’s get serious: a job interview can change your life! If you perform well and impress, you’re likely to be looking at a job offer, and how many hours of your week will you be spending at that new job? Well, a lot! If you’ve been invited to an interview then you have already done something right, but now is really your time to shine. How are you going to show that you are better than all those other applicants? How are you going to make the interviewer remember you? We can help you with that, just watch our video…
When searching for a new job you often hear about the perils of social media. Check your privacy settings, beware of drunk photos and don’t swear, or post any strong opinions, or anything that could be deemed inappropriate. But when it comes to job searching, social media isn’t all bad! There are now a number of ways that you can be using social media to find a job. Employers and recruiters aren’t just on social media to snoop on the profiles of their applicants, they’re now using it to both source and engage with potential hires. For job seekers then,…
We would like to be able to give you a fool-proof, magical formula that could turn you into an ultimate leader. Unfortunately, that does not exist. You probably know many different leaders with their own distinct personalities and leadership styles. What works for one leader is not necessarily effective for another. There are so many varying circumstances within different businesses and different teams of people, that great leadership techniques are hard to pinpoint. However, after analysing close to 4,000 executives, Harvard researchers concluded that there are six distinct leadership styles used by managers. These generally come from differences in emotional…
Becoming a master of morning motivation will enable you to start each day in the right way. There’ll be no more rolling out of the wrong side of the bed if you follow these tips! Self-motivation is vital when it comes to working productively and achieving great results. Great leaders know how to motivate their teams, but to get to the top, they first had to discover how to motivate themselves. We’re all motivated by different things. In fact, we have a self-motivation quiz specifically designed to uncover what your top motivators are. There are, however, a few techniques that…
Managing your emotions is as much about what you won’t do as it is about what you will do. TalentSmart has tested more than a million people, so Dr. Travis Bradberry went back to the data to uncover the kinds of things that emotionally intelligent people are careful to avoid in order to keep themselves calm, content, and in control. They consciously avoid these behaviours because they are tempting and easy to fall into if one isn’t careful. While the list that follows isn’t exhaustive, it presents nine key things that you can avoid in order to increase your emotional…
“We’d like to offer you the job.” The sentence may be short but the implications are life-changing. If there is ever an occasion to give yourself a pat on the back, this is it – exciting news! “Do you have any questions at this point?” You’ve just received a job offer, they want you on their team, you’re feeling super positive and confident right now, so surely you can ask them anything you want, right? No, no and no again! You don’t want to do anything that might cloud your new employer’s view of you, or even change their mind,…
With busy working lives and a wealth of devices at our disposal, disconnecting from the office and winding down is not always easy. It’s tempting to answer one email, work on a report for a few minutes or make just a few calls when you’re supposed to have finished for the day. Even with the purest of intentions, one email, a few minutes or a couple of calls can soon turn into hours of work – before you know it, you’re asking yourself where the evening went. It’s entirely commendable to strive to be successful and to be committed to…