All posts by Guest Blogger

Careers Advice, guest blogger, News, Recruitment

Standing Out To Employers In These Economic Times

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Getting on to the employment ladder is a very tough task for a lot of people nowadays. The economy finds itself in a state of continued difficulty and there is little argument to be had regarding the assertion that the credit crunch has separated the weak and the strong in terms of supposedly simple things such as having a job.

The days of employees being able to casually amble on through their working lives, doing the bare minimum and spending half of the day watching the clock and waiting for the glorious moment when the little hand hits 5pm seem to have come to an end. In fact, to some people’s horror, it is quite the opposite; now there simply are not enough hours in the day and most people find themselves taking their work home with them.

The truth of the matter is that this is exactly what separates people in the employment game. Companies can no longer afford to hire staff that simply will not pull their weight any more. Of course they would not have wanted to in the first place, but financing for businesses is now at a situation where a few wrong moves in the recruitment sector and the business could be facing severe difficulties. Nowadays, companies demand the most from their employees and rightly so. A lot of companies can demand employees that are willing to go above and beyond the call of duty in their roles; they want employees that are willing to stay behind after hours to ensure that the work gets done.

This new found expectation from employers has no doubt come as a bit of a shock for some people and may be a factor that is directly attributed towards the high unemployment figures that seem to be reported every other day.

What is the solution for those people who would not exactly classify themselves as the dedicated type when it comes to giving their all in the name of employment? The only thing those people can do is either adopt a working pattern to make an employer sit up and take notice or alternatively they can join the millions of other people in the Job Centre. The tough economic times are certainly not what anyone wanted or envisaged but they are still here and they are affecting people so the only solution is to, as with most things, get your head down and work.

This blog post was written by Kelvin Whittaker, a specialist in the recruitment field, particularly accounting and tax recruitment writing on behalf of www.pro-tax.co.uk.

Fundraising, guest blogger, News, Planning, project teams

4 Tips For Aspiring Fundraisers – guest blog

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So you have this idea that you are passionate about, and you want to share that idea with the rest of the world.  You have all these ideas about how this idea that you are passionate about can change the world and make it a better place, but you have one small problem, and that is that you do not have any money.  Raising funds to get an idea of yours off the ground is doable, but before you go out and start your fundraising project, there are certainly some things that you need to take into consideration, and here are a few of them:

Are You Up For The Task?

Fundraising, while exciting, is a very time-consuming and tedious process, to say the least.  You will also be spending lots and lots of time and even money without seeing any money in return.  In fact, your fundraiser could be a complete flop, and all your efforts could go down the drain.  I don’t want to sound like a pessimist, but it’s important to know what you are getting yourself into.

Establish a Solid Leadership Team

Once you decide that you are willing to take the risk and invest the time and energy, you need to put together a strong, mature leadership team.  This may be one of the most vital steps in the fundraising process.  You need a team who is experienced, but more importantly a team that shares your same passion and vision.  Afterall, that is the only way you are going to find free labor.

Develop Very Specific Goals

You need goals and you need to make sure that they are clear for everyone to understand.  Developing mile markers and short term goals to achieve will help give you team a sense of accomplishment in the short-term and will help to keep morale high.  Your long term goals need to be especially clear to those that you are seeking get money from.  Anyone donating to a fundraiser is going to want to know exactly how and when their contributions are going to be applied.

Know Your Audience

Your fundraiser, no matter how properly planned, will go nowhere if it does not attract the interest of anyone with money to give.  So you need to know where to find these people.  Well, do some brainstorming.  If you are raising money to cure cancer, then ask yourself, “What are cancer survivors involved in?  Social clubs, health organizations, other fundraising venues, etc.  can be great ways to get the word out about your fundraiser.  Even organization like the Chamber of Commerce can be resources as well.

Brandon Jones enjoys writing about school fundraising companies.

Careers Advice, guest blogger, Interviews

10 Ways to Leave an Impression in a Job Interview

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Congratulations, you made the interview. But you still need to go out there and clinch the job. Follow our ten tips to impress at your interview and you’ll be the one they’ll remember after seeing 20+ interviewees.

1. Print off the job description and take a copy of your CV and/or application with you to the interview

Seeing the job description in print forces you to be analytical about how you meet the job requirements. Before the interview, make notes and match your job experience, skills and knowledge against the person specification.

On your interview day, take the job description (with your notes on it), your CV (or application form, if you filled one in) to the interview. They can serve as reference points for you when you’re being interviewed.

2. Research the company

Find out as much as you can about the company by going to its website, reading the company reports and the latest industry news.

Make notes and ask questions at your interview that show that you have done your research.

3. Practise your interview questions

When they ask you to ‘tell us about yourself’, they’re not asking for details of everything you’ve done from the minute you were born to your interview date.

Talk the interviewer – briefly – through your CV. Emphasise the skills and knowledge you’ve acquired from each job and how they meet the requirements of the job you’re interviewing for.

4. Dress to impress

Keep it formal, even if the company you’re interviewing for is the hippest, trendiest in the industry. It makes you look professional and competent.

It goes without saying that your appearance should also be tidy and well groomed. A grimy collar is not a good look.

5. Try wearing smart glasses

Research has borne it out time and time again that glasses-wearers look intelligent and competent. Choose a simple pair of glasses – black is a good option. They can even be used as a prop – if appropriate, take them off and lean forward to make a point, but be careful not to come across as though you are telling off your interviewer, or being too pushy. Best to do it with a smile while saying something like “You know, you are right, that is a very good point” or words to that effect.

Don’t overdo it though, as the last thing you want is to poke out the eye of the interviewer. And definitely DON’T chew the ends of the earpieces if you do take the glasses off.

6. Don’t be too specific about money

Salary questions are always tricky, so keep your answers as brief as possible. If the interview was arranged by an agency, say that you’ll leave the salary negotiation to your agency.

If the interview was arranged between you and the company, then say that your salary expectations are in line with the industry standard.

7. Keep your answers focused on how you meet the job specification

Keep your answers focused. You’re here to be interviewed about a job, so everything you say should be tailored to that.

8. Be positive about your previous employers

Your last employers may have been the worst employers in the world but, as far as your interviewers are concerned, they were Nelson Mandela incarnate.

Keep it positive: the company was going through a restructure and you decided to use the opportunity to seek new challenges in your career.

9. Sit up straight

Good posture is extremely important. Slouching denotes a lazy manner. There is also a psychological benefit to sitting up straight; you tend to speak more clearly and confidently.

10. Smile and relax – but not too much

Nothing gladdens the heart like a smile, but smile too much and you’ll end up freaking out your interviewers. So smile – but not too much.

Try to relax; you’ll be able to sell yourself much easier if you are relaxed rather than a quivering nervous wreck. People who are nervous tend to talk too much and mix up their words. Try not to think of it as an important job interview but as a friendly (but formal) chat.

Make them need you more than you need the job… There are plenty of other companies out there that would love to employ your skills.

Follow these tips and you’ll do all right in your job interview.

Good luck.

Michael is the web content manager for a leading online retailer of prescription glasses and sunglasses at Select Specs.

 

Careers Advice, guest blogger, Interviews, Job Applications

Six Things To Do Before An Interview – Guest Blog

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With the current economic climate in its current state, interviews, let alone job offers, are a little on the rare side. Because of this, when you’re called in to discuss your suitability for a position, you can’t afford not to put on a good show.

Though the interview itself is of course important, what you do before the interview is equally so. When it comes to effective interviewing, preparation is key.

An hour spent preparing for an interview can not only save you a lot of awkward silences and regretful rambling, it can also greatly increase the chances of you actually landing the job. Here are six things that you should do before every job interview.

Research the Company

The first thing that you should do upon landing an interview is to spend a few minutes researching the company in question. Many job candidates arrive at interviews knowing little other than the companies name and this sends a very bad message.

A little bit of research about both the company and the industry in which it operates will allow you to illustrate that you are serious the position.

Ask Yourself What they Want

If you’ve been called in for an interview, you probably meet the positions requirements in terms of both qualifications and experience. The interview is your chance to illustrate that you also meet the positions requirements in terms of personality.

To do this, you need to ask yourself what they are looking for. What specific personality traits would allow you to perform the job well?

Think of Examples

Once you’ve established what personality traits the employer is looking for, you then need to figure out how you are going to demonstrate them. Unfortunately, listing them is isn’t going to work.

You need to come with specific examples in your past employment when you demonstrated said traits. Specific examples speak volumes, general adjectives say very little.

Decide What to Ask

Unprepared job applicants are often stumped at the end of job interviews when they are asked if they have any questions. You can save yourself a lot of stuttering by coming up with a few questions to ask before hand.

Avoid asking about the salary. Instead ask about working conditions and specifics of the role. Doing so allows you to demonstrate that you won’t work just anywhere.

Choose the Right Clothes

Regardless of what position you are applying for, you can’t go wrong with a suit. Some people question the suitability of such attire when they are applying to work somewhere with a casual dress code. Ignore such thoughts.

There is no such thing as a casual dress code when it comes to job interviews. When you wear a suit, you are demonstrating that you are both a professional and somebody that genuinely cares about landing the position.

Map Your Route

Finally, we have the small matter of deciding how you’re going to get to the interview. Many people don’t make a trial run and this is why so many people arrive at job interviews late.

When you go somewhere that you haven’t been before, traffic is difficult to predict and wrong turns are easy to make. And just because you know where the building is, that does not mean that you know where the actual interview room is. Always do a trial run.

Peter Johnson is an established career consultant who offers professional assistance to students seeking designer jobs.