job recruitment

If you are applying for jobs, many companies will ask to see your CV as a first step and so it is crucial that your CV is at least up to date and relevant to the post you are applying for. This will be the first impression that any potential employer will have of you so it must have a positive impact on them.

Revamping your CV need not be a massive task if it is tackled regularly and certainly after any new training is undertaken or any new experience is gained.

Tailoring the CV to the role you are applying for may seem irrelevant, but it is vital if you are going to be successful in your job search. It is even worth having slightly different copies depending on the jobs you are applying for. It is however essential that you are truthful in a CV as employers could check your qualifications and training record with previous employers.

Once you are happy with your CV you will need to send it out to potential employers including recruitment firms as this is another avenue when you are seeking to promote yourself and increase the likelihood of getting employment. A covering letter which states your availability for work and your desire to work for that particular company is a good way to introduce yourself and hopefully secure an interview.

So many of us have struggled with work this year. It may be that you have been on furlough for a long time or maybe you have lost your job altogether. In the run up to Christmas many retailers take on extra staff to cope with the increase in demand but this year as many shops have had close for long periods of time, there hasn’t been as many opportunities. There has however been increasing demand for delivery drives with more people taking to online shopping than ever before.

If you have been lucky enough to get a temporary job over Christmas and would love to have the opportunity to make it more permanent then you need to make sure you prove yourself from day one. Firstly you need to make an excellent impression. Be sure that you turn up on time every day and that you really give it your all. Try to get along with everyone you work with and do things that go above and beyond what they expect of you. It is also a good idea to make yourself available for any overtime that may come up as this will reaffirm your commitment.

If you have applied for a job and been offered an interview, you need to make sure you are fully prepared to give yourself the best chance of landing the job. Lots of people just turn up to an interview without really having done much preparation, but in doing so you may make silly mistakes which could of easily been avoided if you have just put aside a bit of time. There are a few important points to consider prior to your interview the first is research.  You should try and find out as much as you can about the job role and also the company that you wish to work for. Employers like to feel that their staff take an interest in the business and if you can study their website / social media sites or other literature they have available, this will give you a great head start. You often be quizzed to see how much you know about the company and see if you have taken the time to do a little research.

Try and prepare answers to some of the most common questions you are likely to get asked. you will not know exactly what you will be asked in an interview but often they follow a similar format. IF you have previously been to an interview for a similar role then think back to what they asked you and how you could of improved your answer.

Make sure that you fully know what is on your CV. The interviewer will have read your CV and they may have questions they wish to ask you based on what information you have given. It is vital that you know what you have put on their and can explain it in detail if needs be.

Leaving college or university is an exciting time in a young person’s life as they start on their chosen career path looking forward to earning their own money for possibly the first time but the prospect of applying for jobs and having to complete application forms can seem daunting. There are some important factors to think about when applying for jobs which are general principles whatever type of job you are applying for.

Firstly, make sure you do some research about the company you are applying to and the role you are applying for. Does this company have something that they are particularly proud of or a history that makes them well known for their products of services? Try to tailor your application to reflect your interest in this aspect of their business if possible.

Make sure that you include in your application form not only the qualifications and experience you have but also how this has helped your development and whether in any previous role, even if on a voluntary basis, these have allowed you to improve your employer’s business in some way.

Always remember to check spelling and punctuation as some application forms never get past this simple first post.

As a business owner, there may come a time when you feel you need to take on extra staff to deal with the increase in demand for your products or services. This can be a very exciting time, but often it can also be quite daunting, especially if it is the first time you have had to go through a recruitment process. Finding staff that are not only qualified and have the relevant experience you require, but can also be relied upon can be hard and you will have to try and carry out effective interviews so you can really find out the truth about candidates, as what they put on their CV may not always be completely accurate.

Some employers out tasks for the candidates that are applying for the position to complete during their interview process. This can allow them to see if they have the skills and experience that is required to do the job that they are looking to fill. Although this is a good way to fish out the people who exaggerated their CV a little too much, you may actually end missing out on a good candidate simply because their nerves got the better of them on the day.

Most employers will ask for references when you apply for a job vacancy with them. Depending on what job you are applying for you may need to give more than one and often a personal reference and a work reference. Most universities and colleges now even ask for references from people that are applying to go on certain courses.

When choosing who you want to ask for a reference you may be limited and only be able to give one or two employers, but if you do have a choice make sure you pick someone recent but who is most likely to be able to give you a good, relevant reference. Companies like to see references from people you have worked with in similar job roles to the one that you are applying for. You should be aware that references may be asked for before you are offered a job so it you do not want your current employer to know you are looking for a new job, do not give them as a reference or ask if they could be contacted if you are successful in the process.

Personal references should be provided by someone that has known you for a while but ideally not family. These will be a little informal and often is more about the employer getting to find out a bit about the type of person you are.

Many candidates who are searching for work often become stressed and feel anxious. This can have a massive knock-on effect on their lives but also impact their chances of landing the job they want, therefore stressing about finding employment will probably make it hard to find work.

Stress and anxiety can have a negative impact on how well you perform in interviews, your ability to negotiate and also can become so overwhelming that you, in fact, stop the job search altogether.

When searching for work you need to find ways to cope and manage your stress levels and be able to deal with them so they do no impact your daily life.

Often stress and anxiety around recruitment are linked to money worries. It may be that you are out of work and realise that you cannot afford to pay bills etc without a steady income for much longer. Stress often comes from lack of confidence, you need to find ways of improving your self-esteem and confidence in order to show this when in an interview etc. Before attending an interview or job trial take a few moments to practise some deep breathing techniques that will allow you to gain self-control again and go in feeling relaxed and composed.

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.

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.

Finding work in the current climate can be very hard and many people quickly get disheartened with applying for job after job with little success. If you have very limited qualifications or experience then you will often find it even harder to land the job you want and may be very restricted in to what you can apply for.

If you are looking to train towards a career but want to be able to earn a small wages whilst doing so then an apprenticeship could be the way forward. An apprenticeship can be taken in a number of job roles within a wide range of industries and each course will vary in terms of time to complete and hours you will work during a week. For example, you may find an electrician apprenticeship that you wish to apply for that will take between 3 and 4 years to complete working four days a week, but some web developer apprenticeships only last 1 to 2 years.

There are some fantastic opportunities for apprentices and although to start with you will be on a lot wage, you can often quickly move up once you are qualified and start earning some decent money.