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Social media website has becoming an increasingly popular way of searching for jobs and for companies to search for potential employees. LinkedIn is great as it allows you to add all your information about your skills, experience and previous work placements and now you can even upload your CV. If you are in the process of looking for a job, be sure to change your LinkedIn profile so that recruiters can see you may be interested in positions they have available.

Facebook and Twitter are also used when it comes to finding jobs. Many companies will promote job vacancies they have coming up on social media sites either with contact details of who you can apply or with a link to the full details of the position advertised on their website.

If you are applying for a job through a social media site, be mindful, that unless you have changed your settings, the potential employer may be able to see all or your posts. This can have sometimes give a wrong impression or a negative view if you are not careful about what can be seen and what you post.

Finding the right job can be a battle at the best of the times, but with so many agencies now involved in the recruitment process it can often feel like there’s just too much ‘noise’. However, they can be a really useful resource, as they will do much of the job hunting for you, so here’s some quick tips for getting the best out of them.

First up – do some research. Some agencies are very general, whereas others are extremely specialist. The best agency for you is the one that most matches the type of role you’re looking for. If you’re looking for an executive position for example, you’ll need to look for a specialist – you’re not going to find Director positions at Office Angels, for example. However, if you’re looking for general office work or temporary work, a specialist recruiter probably isn’t the place to go.

Next up – keep in touch. Build a relationship with your agency or agent. It’s a well-established fact that someone will work harder for you if you have a good rapport, but agencies are also far more likely to prioritise those individuals who call and email regularly – particularly for roles that involve customer contact.

If you are looking for work during the summer holidays or have a child that is going to be looking for work, then you need to start applying now if you haven’t already done so. Depending on your age and experience there is a number of different types of jobs that you can apply for. Believe it or not, the summer in to autumn months are often very busy for retailers as they start to get ready for Christmas. I know, it may feel like a life time away but having the toys and gifts all ready for the count down to Christmas day is essential to ensure they don’t miss out on the rush up to the festive period.
Some jobs are seasonal, so for example you may be able to get work on a farm helping with the harvesting of crops or preparing the farm for winter. Fruit picking is also a very popular summer job, often with no experience needed.
If you fancy something indoors then why not head to your local shopping centre and start doing a few CV drops. You may need to fill in an application form, but don’t be tempted to rush and do it there and then, take it home and take the time needed to fill it in properly.

If you are looking for a new job as an administrator the good news is that there are plenty of different opportunities out there. Most companies need some form of administrator whether it’s at a basic data entry level or a more complex admin role within the financial or legal sector.
The pay for an administrator varies greatly depending on experience, company and the role that you are under taking. A higher level job with more responsibility that requires more qualifications should pay more than a basic admin role.
If you are already in an administration role then you may want to look into doing further training in particular areas of interest to further your career progression. Sometimes doing things like typing test can be good so that you can provide a potential employer with the information about how many words per minute you can type.
Some admin jobs may involve you being customer facing on a reception or working with others closely in the business so great people skills are a must along with good ICT skills and good maths and English.
You’ll need to be highly organised and work well under pressure but will find a very rewarding role in return.

If you are in the process of returning to work or need to change your working hours due to other commitments then you need to carefully work out what days / hours per week you can work. If you are changing your hours due to childcare then you will need to find out what time you can drop the children off a nursery or school and pick them up again. You may need to factor in travel time as well as holidays to allow you to figure out exactly what you can work.

Once you have your working hours you can then start to look for jobs that will fit in with your schedule. If you have hours that are quite spread out then you may need to look for a position that offers flexible working such as a set amount of hours per week but not within strict times of the day.

IF you really need flexible working then you may consider going self employed. This will allow you to pick your own hours but you will need to factor in the fact that you will not get any holiday pay or sickness pay should you need to take time off. You may also not be guaranteed a wage every month.

If you are in the process of leaving an old job and starting a new one, you may find that you are feeling quite anxious and worried about the whole process. If possibly it is advisable to take a week or two off work in between leaving one job and starting the new one, especially if you have been in our current position for some time. Leaving old work colleges behind and getting your head in to a different routine with unfamiliar faces can take some time.

With your time off, spend a little bit of it researching your new company, maybe even see if you can pop in for a coffee to familiarise yourself with your surrounds prior to starting.

Before you start, plan what you are going to wear for your first week. Have it all cleaned and ironed ready to go so you don’t have to start panicking about it in the mornings and rushing around. Plan your journey to work and try and drive it a few times at the time you think you will need to leave so you can judge how long it will take in rush hour. The last thing you want to do is be late on your first day.

On your first day, remember to walk in with a smile and greet everyone you meet. If you have the opportunity to, introduce yourself and try and remember who people are and what their role is as this may be important later on.

There has recently been a study into the effect that music has on children’s education and many of the results indicate that children who are involved in musical activity from a very early age tend to achieve higher academic results that children who are not.

The study showed that in particular children who learn to play an instrument from the age of 4 tend to pick up the skill much quicker than an adult learning the same instrument. The thinking behind the higher academic achievements is that children who learn to play music before they start school are already use to the idea of study and practise and are stimulating their minds by learning a new skill.

Music also has a great effect on the mental wellbeing of the child and can be a great way of them working through their ever developing feelings. There have also been studies into the benefit music has on children with learning difficulties, and children who have speech impediments are often encouraged to listen to music whilst they practise talking as it’s proven to reduce anxiety and lessen stammering.

So give your child a good start with their education and encourage them to take an interest in music from an early age.

When applying for a job you are often asked to submit a CV and a covering letter. Your CV is a vital tool when applying for jobs and can be the difference between being offered an interview and not. Almost all jobs ask for a CV or for your to fill out a job application form which often contains much of the same information. When writing a CV it is vital to take time and care over it. This is essentially a way of advertising your skills and experiences and showcasing what you can do.

The first thing to do on a CV is to add all of your personal details at the top of the CV such as full name, Date of birth, address and contact details (email and phone numbers). Be sure to double check all of this information especially phone numbers and email addresses, as you want to ensure that the potential employer can contact you. After this you can start to list your education history, many people do not put primary schools on just secondary school and qualifications gained such as GCSE’s and A-levels and the any further education such as university degrees or college courses.

The next list on your CV should be your previous employment. You may want to make sure that you tweak your CV for each job you’re applying for and put emphasis on any jobs that are particularly relevant to the position. The final paragraph of the CV should be a summary about who you are and your interests and hobbies.

If you are in the process of searching for work then you may decide to us a recruitment agency. Their role is to find your suitable work that you can apply for. If the role is for a permanent position, then you will often still have to go through the interview process with the employer and once you have been offered the job, will report directly to the employer. If the work is temporary then you usually won’t have interviews but may be offered work at different locations each day. You will usually be paid by the agency who will take a percentage of your earnings.

It is important to remember that you will not be the only candidate on their books, so if you are serious about finding employment then you will still need to apply for jobs yourself as well and also may need to chase the agency to ensure that you get put forward for positions.

Try and build up a relationship with your agency. You may want to register with 2 or 3 but be sure to take the time to find out who your main point of contact is and spend time with them talking through your previous experiences and qualifications.

With children starting back at school this month, many parents are on the hunt for jobs that will fit in with their school drop off and pick up times. With job opportunities on the rise, especially approaching Christmas, it shouldn’t be too hard to find a position that you can apply for but fitting the required numbers of hours in to your schedule can be another matter.

There is no point apply or taking a job that is not offering the hours you need unless you are able to put your children in afterschool / before school clubs, nursery or have a friend or family member who will be able to look after them. If you do use a friend or family member it is also important to have a back up plan should they fall ill or their plans change and they can no longer commit to looking after them.

Be honest and upfront with any potential employer and tell them of your current commitments and what hours you are available to work as this will not only avoid disappointment but will bode well for your future relationship with them in terms of trust and honesty.