With over 200,000 people expected to emigrate due to lack of employment opportunities between now and 2015, how does one search for work abroad? Here is a brief video I have made on this subject. Let me know your thoughts.
A few interesting statistics out today as part of a study carried out by Eurobarometer (The Eurobarometer survey looks at the views of people across Europe on the topic of job mobility.)
How far would you be prepared to go to find a new job?
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As jobseekers we often put off important tasks, because we are too afraid of what the results maybe.
For Example: We put off calling companies to follow up on our outstanding application. Heck…as long as we have not heard anything back, maybe there is still a chance we may get the job…Right?
Wrong, in this market we have to be proactive in our job search and move out of our comfort zone. Many employers are looking for proactive employees and expect you to go the extra mile.
So watch this video and Eat That Frog!
Have you signed up to Recruiters Newsletters? Many recruitment agencies send out monthly HTML newsletters updating their candidates on the latest and hottest job vacancies in the marketplace. In fact this is something that every Recruitment Consultant should do. I have found newsletters an excellent tool to keep in touch with candidates………….And this got me thinking!
During a recent “Personal Branding” session with a job seeker we were looking at creative ways to get noticed in the marketplace and then it struck me! What if a job seeker created a professional newsletter updating agencies and employers on their latest activities? You could include interviews you have attended, any courses you have signed up for or completed, what books you have been reading, a link to your online cv, articles you have read and recommend reading and links to your latest blog articles etc. This would be a super way to demonstrate how proactive you are and that you have been busy up skilling over the last month and not busy watching Ricky Lake and other day time TV cancers!
The newsletter should be send to companies you have applied for positions with, recruitment agencies , business contacts and friends and family. A really good site to build a newsletter on is Mail Chimp.
My client has had twice as many interviews in the last two months, since he has started his newsletter than he had in the previous 6 months…..So maybe there is something in this approach?
Try to sing Bon Jovi’s “Living on Prayer”, but replace the lyrics to “Leaving on a High” should you need motivation to follow through on the advice below.
For many of us one of the most stressful and traumatic things that can happen in our life is being made redundant. Particularly when you have been working for a company for a long time and quite frankly been a hardworking loyal employee. Shock, depression, anger and resentment set in. All understandable feelings and reactions….however I am going to suggest that one thinks before one lets these emotions explode. Maybe a controlled explosion is the way to go to release these feelings?
Very often I see great candidates with super experience destroy their relationship with a company when they are made redundant. This is a real shame and it is important to note that it may have taken you 5 years to build your reputation, but it can take less than a week to destroy it. When we leave a company we want to missed, we want our absence to be felt and we want people to remember us for our great work. So make the conscious decision to leave on high and be missed when you leave your job.
Here are some tips for leaving on a high:
We must remember before we burn our bridges that we never know when our paths will cross with an ex-manager or co-worker in the future. And I have not even mentioned the reference about you that your ex- employer is liable to give your future employer.
So why not leave your job on a High?
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Okay it’s competitive out there, lots of talent and not an abundance of jobs. That said… there are jobs and I have noticed more activity in the marketplace that I did in 2009. So if you are prepared to put the hard work into your job search success is likely to follow.
I had a recent conversation with two recruitment managers who work for leading multinational companies on what separates a great from a good candidate. Both mentioned that for every role they have to fill they will have at least 5 excellent candidates that are equally strong on paper. Very often after interviewing they are still faced with a dilemma of who is the best candidate for the job.
So how do they decide? Here are 3 things they look for:
#1. Passion
This can be difficult to get across in a CV or cover letter, however it is vital that you demonstrate enthusiasm for both the company and position at interview stage. Many recruiters have mentioned to me that they have been very disappointed with the attitude, poor body language and a lack of eye contact that many candidates display at interview. Often the candidate with the strongest cv loses out to a more enthusiastic upbeat candidate. So, go to an interview with a smile and with the same excitement as you would have if you were off to see your favourite band or football team play! It’s not a funeral folks; this could be the beginning of a new beginning!
#2. Cultural fit
Companies have become increasingly aware of the importance of looking after their existing staff and ensuring that they nurture and retain their top talent. For this reason companies are taking a lot of care in recruiting candidates that will fit in and add value to their existing teams. The last thing a company needs is to hire a super candidate on paper that upsets the “apple cart” and destroys the productivity and morale of an established team. So find out who is working in the company and where possible try to talk to staff about the company culture prior to interview. It is no secret that the first place many companies look for new staff is through staff referrals.
#3. Personal Blog
A personal blog can be a really super way to demonstrate your knowledge and skills. Very often a blog can give an employer an insight into your personality and your sheer passion for the subject matters you blog about. A good relevant blog can be the difference between an interview and an unsuccessful email. Many job seekers have time to invest in developing a blog and starting a blog can be extremely liberating for a job seeker. Job seekers I have spoken to feel that writing a blog gives them back their voice, reconnects them to their industry and more importantly gives them back some control. So a good idea is to experiment with a blog and take some time to feel comfortable with your content about what you are doing before you broadcast your content to the world. I would recommend wordpress.com , as a great site for setting a free blog. If you are not technically minded, do not be put off writing a blog, it is as easy as producing a word document. If you are not a great writer take note that the vast majority of the 250 million blogs out there are not written by literary geniuses. So no excuses and as the Nike slogan says… Just Do It.
Thanks for reading my post. Do you think you can be too passionate about your job search? What are your thoughts on company culture and would you pursue a position if you thought you would not fit in to the company culture? Do you think that a more detailed blog on “Blogging as a job seeker” would be a good idea or have I got my point across?
Learn how to build your own unique job seeking page on iGoogle and stay focused on your job search when you log onto your PC.
Introduction:
iGoogle part 1 – What iGoogle looks like:
iGoogle part 2- adding Gadgets and RSS Feeds:
Closing comments:
Do you use iGoogle? What do you think?
The topic of commission only and work from home jobs came up in conversation this week and sparked an interesting discussion. I have started to notice an increase in adverts offering crazy money for seemingly very little. It reminds me of the late 80s. In fact the first two job interviews I went on were a pyramid scheme where I could make thousands of pounds monthly and a door to door sales job selling unsellable children’s books that no one had ever heard of. I did in fact take the door to door sales role and despite my 12 hour days and worn Clarke’s shoes, I packed it all in 2 weeks later and somehow had managed to make a grand loss of £150. I soon realised that if it seems too good to be true it more than likely is. Have I sparked any memories of similar stories? I remember a friend of mine coming over to my house frequently to brush his teeth as he disliked the Amway brand in his own house.
I have had a number of job seekers come to me recently who have recently fallen victim to the misleading job advert and in some cases the job scam. They all have the same thing in common (just like I did in the late 80s) – They are desperate for work, have very little money and mounting bills, they think finding their targeted job unlikely, if not impossible and while something inside says “Don’t do it” they ignore their instinct and hope and pray it will be the opportunity that will solve all their problems. Yes, I find myself getting very angry at these chancers that prey on the vulnerable job seeker!
Here are a few points to ponder when looking at an attractive job advert –
* Study the advert - Does the job state a salary? Is the role commission only? If unsure try to find out before applying. Research the company and see what people are saying about them. Are they affiliated to another company or do they trade under another name? Does the advert provide a telephone number or web address? Steer clear of hotmail or yahoo type emails and PO Box numbers.
* You won’t get rich instantly – Avoid adverts that claim to guarantee you wealth, financial success or that will help you get rich fast. You might help a company get rich, but at your expense!
* Hold on to the money you have – Never send money. Some adverts will require you to send money for a start up kit or for training. You would not throw your savings into a blazing fire and sending money will often yield the same result as just doing that. In fact the fire option will be quicker and less painful.
* Check References – Ask for references if you are not sure if a company or job is legitimate. Try and get a list of employees and some of their customers. Then follow up and see how they rate the company. If the company is unwilling to help ask yourself why? I would even suggest standing outside a company’s premises early am and talk to staff as they arrive. Ask them how they like working there, how long they have been in the company and what the average time period staff in there has worked for. This can prove very insightful.
* Don’t make a hasty decision and think twice – If it sound too good to be true, it probably is! Read any offer you get very carefully. I recently read a story about a candidate who received a job offer and a detailed contract. She was very excited and hastily accepted. Sadly the job did not exist and in fact she had never even applied for it. She had been dazzled by the number of failed applications she had sent. The contract had requested bank details so the employer could pay her. And well you can the guess the rest.
So be very careful out there and remember if a job seems to offer amazing earning potential in a short period of time. Ask yourself this question – If this was true wouldn’t everyone want to work there and wouldn’t I have heard of this great company before now?
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