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Why You Need a Positive Job Identity?

How you are perceived in the workplace

In the current fast paced working environment, you can no longer rely on the concept of a job for life, even in traditional industries such as Banking and Teaching due to new technology and global competition.

Your job identity is becoming more important, as the number of job applications for every advertised job and promotion increase and the threat of redundancy looms over many industries.

Your job identity is the identity your employer and colleagues label you with; this could be positive or negative.

What is your Job Identity?

  • The Joker
  • The Worker
  • The Time Keeper
  • The Motivator
  • The Mood Hoover
  • The One Who Gets Things Done
  • The Helper

It is highly important to secure a positive job identity when you first start in a new company, as we all know first impressions count, it can often be hard (but not impossible) to change an employer’s first impression of you.

If you have a positive job identity, you are more likely to gain promotions and work your way up the ladder.

Job Identity by Groups

When starting a job at a new company you will often be quizzed informally by your new colleagues and line managers.

Like in a playground at school, your new colleagues are unconsciously checking if you have common working and personality traits. Often in the workplace, as in the playground groups often form.

Do you fit in with “the naughty kids”, “the moaners”, “the jokers” or “the hard workers”? That is the question!

This may be stereotyping and even prejudicial, but it is a frequent reality in most industries and companies.

You can often “be painted by the same brush” when you’re attached to a certain group, with a certain reputation-this can be positive or negative, choose your group carefully.

Individual Job Identity

Look at your workplace, who is the person who is always is always on time? Which colleague can always be counted on to put their all in to each task? Is there someone who will always drop what they’re doing to help others?

Do you have a “mood hoover” in your workplace, the person who we all try to sneak past, as we know that after five minutes in their company we’ll be convinced that the world is as bad a place to be as they tell us it is, the type of person who can suck the fun out of any task.

Both managers and colleagues can contribute to our job identities, although there may be a distinct difference in how your colleagues and manager see you in your work place.

The joker in the workplace is often loved by the workers, as the joker releases stress and is fun to be with. From a manager’s point of view, they may see the joker as a distracter who spends more time chatting to others than working.

Your job identity is given to you within a couple of months of working in one place, it’s important to ensure this identity is going to be positive. Remember your identity is rarely revealed to your face, but often discussed behind your back – especially negative identities.

Once given these are hard to change, people often play up to other’s perceptions of them, if you’re told that you’re lazy you may start to think ‘Why should I bother?’.“The joker” may feel he has to start each day by telling jokes, and “the worker” may take on too much.

Widening Your Reputation

Your reputation or job identity travels far through formal and more inconspicuous channels as your reputation can quickly pass through your company and even infiltrate other organisations.

You need to consider how you project your work identity in order to understand which of these descriptions your manager would use to describe you:

Candidate 1 “I will give this to X, she can always be relied on.”

Candidate 2 “No, don’t ask X, he spends too much time chatting-we have a short deadline.”

This job identity can be the difference between you moving forward in your career and feeling stuck in a job role that you start to resent.

Starting Your Positive Job Identity

At the beginning of a new role you will encounter a lot of new faces as well as a barrage of questions from colleagues, showing a healthy interest in the new recruit.

At the start it is advisable to keep your answers very general so that you have the opportunity to get to know the company’s ethos and practice as well as your new colleagues’ and manager’s personalities.

Once you know the office politics you are in a better position to word your answers and to give your own opinion to ensure the reinforcement of your positive identity. You have already tackled the job interview with success so it can be assumed that your new employer felt confident that you would fit in well with the current workforce and the company image.

If you discover that you don’t like the company’s work ethics or work politics, you will need to start your job hunting again to find an organisation in line with your working practice ideals.

8 Ways to Increase a Positive Job Identity in the Workplace                       

 Start by building Rapport      

  • People gravitate towards those who are like them, and everyone can find common ground with another person. Fi nd out what your common ground is and use it as an icebreaker.
  • By spending time each day asking people about their lives, enquiring about their children, partners, holidays for example, will show others that you are interested in them as a person and not just their value in the workplace.
  • Listen intently when others are talking, reassuring through positive body language, nodding and reassuring that you are interested. Don’t interrupt and at the end ask questions

Be an Expert

  • People follow authority and experts- you should start by sharing your job expertise. Don’t be embarrassed; people won’t know about your strengths, skills and experiences until you tell them!
  • Know what you want to achieve and let others know. Don’t cover your goal in cotton wool, don’t add pleasantries “I hope this is OK with you” as this can sometime make the message unclear.
  • You need others to see the benefits and possibilities of your ideas and experiences, so be truthful, and if something has not worked tell them and back this up with what you have learnt from the mistake, this will show you as knowledgeable and that you won’t give up.

Do You Want to be Respected or Popular?

  •  One of the most critical mistakes colleagues make at work is the pursuit of popularity rather than respect. In a new job we are concerned with how others see us and can easily dwell on this.
  • Respected employees rather than popular employees will make you more influential and more likely to gain a job promotion. Body language will often give you away unconsciously if you are looking for popularity rather than respect.
  • Avoid feeling pressured to agree with others, instead give your personal opinion using calm and relaxed voice – also smile as this helps others feel you are being helpful rather than just being negative.

Listen to Others

  • We all have two ears and one mouth, so we should listen twice as much as we talk.
  • Write down people’s names and remember their face, so next time you met you can address them by their name, helping to increase rapport.
  • Good listeners gain good reputations- When unsure what someone has said you should feel confident to ask them to repeat themselves.

Be Helpful

  • Be helpful to your colleagues with work and general tasks, invite people out for lunch, hold open doors, if you help people, then they will feel more compelled to help you.
  • When giving suggestions and presenting ideas, explain considering others vantage point, selling what they will get out of it personally not just the benefits to yourself or the company. Plan your timing.
  • Don’t interrupt when someone is busy or when they have other things on their mind, as they will not listen fully to what you are saying, in many situations you need to ensure your first conversation gets through.

Don’t Seek Out Recognition

  • When you have a great idea, especially when you have a brainwave during a meeting, don’t seek out recognition, allow time for it to find you.
  • Don’t get carried away with the pursuit of praise or too excited in highlighting to your manager the creative ideas you have thought up. You need to step back and dissociate yourself from your feelings, leaving your mind free to listen to the details of other colleague’s comments; otherwise you may miss valuable suggestions and your reputation may become one who does not care about other people’s ideas.

Show the Way to your Colleagues

  • When you have a great idea, you may need to get others to come along with you. To do this you need to explain what they will gain from your idea and what they could lose if they miss out
  • Give people clues, show people the way, prompt them and let them work out how your suggestion will work out, they will feel that they are part of the idea and will start to back you up-you will start to gain a reputation as a team member.
  • Don’t be too forceful as this will only work for a small period of time until people start to resent you. People like to feel they have contributed to what they are doing.
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How to Quickly find a Job Online – 10 Quick Tips

Quick tips to find an online job

In the past job hunters, would leave one job and quickly walk into another, in most cases without even having an interview – this job search technique no longer works, as employers often interview a number of candidates to show they are not discriminating against anyone.

More recently job hunters would look for advertised jobs in the job magazines, newspapers and in post office windows, you can still find vacancies this way, but the more homes that have the internet the fewer employers pay to place an advert in a paper. With the introduction of the internet, job hunting in the ’00s has changed:

Online job hunting has made finding vacancies, once you know what to do, quick and easy, in many cases employers will look for you.

10 online job hunting tips for you to use.

1. First, you need to spend time writing a targeted CV and Application Form and save these to your desktop. Spend time writing these documents and ensure you have highlighted all your skills and qualities that will sell you to the employer. To save time and to ensure you have a good CV you can pay for a CV writing service

2. Now you have your CV and application form, you can use these as a template for all your applications. When you next have to complete an application form (most application forms are now completed online), to save time copy and paste the answers from your saved application from into your new job application form. You may need to edit some of the answers to target it to the new job role. You can do the same with your CV.

3. Add your CV to job search engines such as Monster and Reed, these way employers will look for you. In most cases you can also set up alerts on search engine websites for jobs under industries, you will start to receive vacancies via e-mail within a couple of days.

4. On Google set up alerts for “industry name” new jobs and “industry name” creates new jobs. Google will e-mail you articles, websites and blog post for new jobs in your industry; You will now be one of the very first job hunters to hear of these new vacancies.

5. Visit company WebPages, under the tab “jobs” or “careers” you will find company vacancies; many companies will not pay job search engine websites to advertise vacancies as they feel they gain enough traffic from job hunters to their own site.

6. Join twitter, facebook, linked-in and other social network sites. You can link, be-friend and follow industry jobs, companies, job search websites, sector skills councils. From this you will start to receive hundreds of links to jobs and articles in your industry.

7. Use social network sites to ask industry experts question around industry jobs, new contracts and possible interview questions, many social network users are only to happy to share their own knowledge with you.

8. You can also use facebook or twitter to set up a page for “looking for ‘industry name’ Job” you can use this as an online CV and add links to your other websites so employers can see your work – this is a great resource for the media industry.

9. Use www.yell.com to find industry/company e-mail addresses, open your e-mail account and add all the e-mail addresses to the BCC (this way employers will not know you have made a mass e-mail) add your CV as a PDF attachment and put your cover letter text in the body of the e-mail. Speculative job searching is underused and has a 40% success rate.

10. Finally, Google “Job Title” in “Location” and find hundreds of links to local job adverts.

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Do i Need A Web CV?

Web CV

Technology has changed the way we search and apply for vacancies, in the past we would type a CV and post it out to employers, the mail would take several days to arrive and in some instances would be lost on route!

These days using the world wide web, job searching has speeded up. We can find a vacancy and contact the employer instantly via e-mail (or in some cases using a social network site)

CV

Currently, we e-mail employers with our CV attached as a PDF document and record the cover letter text in the body of the e-mail. Job searchers are using the Internet to evolve the way we job search and Web CVs are becoming more popular, especially in ITC, Media, Performing Arts and Catering Industries.

A Web CV is your CV online. By creating a one or two-page website you can design a creative-looking CV to catch the employer’s eye.

Unlike standard CVs you can also scan in your qualifications/certificates and upload these to your Web CV. For Creative and Performing Arts careers, you can add videos, photos and reviews, proving you have the skills, qualities and experience the CV states you have.

Web CV

A Web CV, like any other CV, needs to be brief, to the point and MUST be targeted to the industries that interest you. A Web CV is easy to update and can be used as a working web document. Don’t add your contact details to your Web CV, for security reasons, as anyone can have access to your online CV.

When applying for jobs, on your phone or in an Internet cafe, you can quickly e-mail the employer with a link to your Web CV. To make your website safer you can use a password-protected website, remember to add the password when you send your Web CV link to an employer.

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10 Ways to Stay Motivated at Work

Workplace Motivation

We have all been there on a Monday morning, you walk into work. No matter how many deadlines you have, you’re just not motivated to work – the Monday morning blues! How do you quickly become motivated?

Employment king have put together 10 quick tips to get you and keep you motivated at work. I use these techniques with my clients, when you first read some of the techniques, like my clients you may feel they sound silly, but once you try them you will soon see quick results.

Mind Magic

This is an NLP technique, if you have not come across NLP before, read the technique first before trying it.

1. You’re generally un-motivated because when you’re thinking of your working day most people, think about a time at work when you were bored or hating the job you are doing. This is generally a colour picture in your mind, often this picture is big and bright a plays out like a movie would. This image or film you generate makes you feel un-motivation, as our mind and emotions work as one. To get rid of these negative feelings (the Monday morning blues) In your mind, freeze the film/image, put a frame around the image and then move the image away from you, push really far back in your minds eye, making it smaller and smaller until the picture becomes a dot – how do you feel now? Has your un-motivated feeling gone? If you can still see the picture (and your feeling unmotivated) push the image further away, make it blurry or cover it in a mist – have the negative feelings gone? In most cases they have, if not repeat the exercise.

2. Now, in your mind, imagine yourself at work enjoying yourself, see yourself at your best, getting your work done, enjoying the duties your undertaking. Make this picture big, bring the picture close and make all the colours in the picture stronger and brighter. Imagine the picture the size of a cinema screen, press play and turn this image into a film, if you can, step into this film and watch the scene unfold from the eyes of the ‘you’ in the film. How do you feel? Good? Positive? Where does this good and positive feeling start in your body? In your stomach? In Your mind? Make the feeling stronger, imagine the feeling as a colour, what colour is it? Make it brighter. Describe this feeling and notice the feeling flowing through the whole of your body, notice the speed and direction the feeling has taken, notice the temperature of this positive feeling and make it stronger, double it! How do you feel now? Most people start to feel positive after this exercise, if you don’t try it again.

Set Goals – we like something to aim for

3. Set yourself some daily goals write them down and think about what you as a person will get out of achieving these goals? Use these goals to help you plan your day, we all work best when we have to archive something positive. Record why you want this goal, to get away from something? Boredom? Etc, or to gain something? Promotion? Etc. When planning your day add in a time(s) to stop and have a break.

 4. If you are working a big project and you’re starting to feel overwhelmed, break the project down in to realistic chunks. If your working with others, ensure everyone is clear on what they have to do and what the others are doing to meet the project completion date.

5. If you can’t do something, get help, many people stress about not being able to complete a task and feel they will look daft asking others for help. Most people are only too happy to help a colleague.

6. Have something to look forward to at night or at the weekend, if all your going to do is go home and wash the pots, you will start to feel negative, on the other hand, if you have a fun activity to do at night you will start feeling excited, this will put you into a good mood.

Exercise – a healthy body a healthy mind

7. Exercise is a great way to add to your motivation, exercise makes you feel healthy and feeling healthy makes you feel good. Exercise before work; go for a swim or run. Other people enjoy exercising after work and often say the exercise gives them a much needed boost after a hard days work.

8. Drink lots of water, always have a bottle of water near your desk. Our body needs to take in high amounts of water each day; drinking water has been proven to increase brain activity.

Extra – a little extra goes a long way

9. Use an image board; why do you work? Is it the money, looking for promotion, enjoy helping others – what ever your reason is for working (if it’s money, what will the money get you-holidays etc) put pictures of you doing this activity, buying the goods, being happy on a large notice bored, you can draw, paint, cut out pictures, put pictures of your head on top of a models – be creative like you would when you was in nursery school and fill a big A1 bored with all these fun images of you being at your best. Put this bored somewhere you will be able to see it everyday; on the back of your bedroom door, this is a great way for your unconscious mind to keep you motivated.

10. When you do something wrong at work, write it down and then circle it. Mind map all the things you have learnt from this mistake and what you can do to improve for the next time you have to complete the same task. Our mind enjoys learning and successful people throughout the world always see mistakes and an opportunity to learn and improve – what a great re-frame.

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What will my Salary be if i was a…

Average Salary Ranges

One of the biggest factors when choosing a career is the salary, as your salary can often determine your lifestyle.

In reality, you should find a career that matches your personality type, as you will enjoy this line of work and if you enjoy your job you will tend to quickly gain career promotions and a larger salary.

Salary by Sector

Employment King has put together a list of common careers and their salary; this is just an estimate as salaries change depending on the area you work in. Being a trainee, your experience or a level of management also affects the salary you will receive, as does the company you work for.

The list is to be used as a guide if you work in career and you don’t earn the salary we have stated, you may want to look at other job opportunities in your sectors to see if you are being underpaid for your role, unless you are happy in a job or staying at the company long term out ways the disadvantages of being on a low wage now.

Job title                                                    Average UK Wage 

Accountant                                                  £32,000-£38,000

Administrator                                             £17,000-££19,000

Analyst                                                           £32,000-£38,000

Architect                                                       £35,000-£40,000

Barrister                                                        £40,000-£50,000

Business Analyst                                        £35,000-£38,000

Careers advisor                                           £22,000-£28,000

Car/Van delivery driver                          £15,000-£19,000

Dentist                                                             £57,000-£75,000

Design engineer                                           £26,000-£30,000

Designer                                                         £25,000-£30,000

Developer                                                     £34,000-£39,000

Doctor                                                             £50,000-£55,000

Electrician                                                      £25,000-£33,000

Engineer                                                          £30,000-£38,000

Financial controller                                   £40,000-£48,000

GP                                                                      £62,000-£70,000

Graduate                                                          £25,000-£27,000

Graphic designer                                         £20,000-£25,000

HR                                                                      £24,000-£32,000

Lawyer                                                             £45,000-£52,000

Lecturer                                                          £30,000-£35,000

Nurse                                                                £24,000-£28,000

Personal assistant                                       £22,000-£28,000

Pharmacist                                                      £35,000-£40,000

Pilot                                                                     £50,000-£80,000

Quantity surveyor                                         £30,000-£32,000

Receptionist                                                    £15,000-£18,000

Recruitment consultant                             £22,000-£28,000

Researcher                                                      £28,000-£32,000

Sales assistant                                                 £15,000-£18,000

Sales executive                                               £28,000-£32,000

Secretary                                                           £19,000-£28,000

Software developer                                       £34,000-£38,000

Software Engineer                                          £32,000-£34,000

Solicitor                                                              £40,000-£70,000

Teacher                                                                £34,000-£45,000

Teaching assistant                                           £17,000-£21,000

Technician                                                           £26,000-£26,000

Wed Designer                                                     £22,000-£26,000

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How to Write a Covering Letter 8 Quick Tips

Cover Letter Writing Tips

Why do some job hunters with a good CV never gain interviews?

Often it is because the job hunters do not follow the instructions on the job advert “send a CV and Covering Letter” employers often feel if you can’t follow simple instructions on the job advert, how will you be able to follow the instructions (job procedures) when employed.

Employment King recently asked a number of employers “how often do you read covering letters” – we were given a mixed result of the answer with one common theme, most of the employers said regardless if they read the covering letter or not, applicants who send a CV without a covering letter will not be offered an interview. Some employers also said they only read the covering letter and not the CV!

Play it safe always send a covering letter with every job application, even when applying by application form or speculative letter.

CV writing service available –

How to write a covering letter – 8 quick tips:

1. Keep the covering letter on one page, use the same text font and size as the text on your CV

2. Put your address on the top right-hand side of the page and the company address below your address but on the left-hand side of the page

3. Date the covering letter on the right-hand side of the page – this is to stop your covering letter from looking like a template

4. Start  by addressing the letter to a named person such as the company manager

5. The first main paragraph should record the job you are applying for and where you saw the job advertisement

6. Follow this by writing a paragraph (or bullet point) stating the reasons why you should be interviewed, what skills and qualities you can offer the employer – this should sell your key strengths

7. Next, you need to personalise the covering letter and record a small paragraph about the company you are applying to. Employers like it when you know a little about their history, as it shows you are interested in the company as well as the position

8. Finish by thanking the employer for taking the time to read the application and sign and print your name

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10 Tips for a Perfect CV

10 CV Tips for creating a perfect CV

1. Use a CV writing service.

View your CV as an investment, if you can afford it you should consult with a professional CV writing service.

A professional service should be able to target your CV to a specific industry and job role, a targeted CV worded to catch the employer’s attention will significantly reduce the time it takes to find employment.

If you can’t afford a full CV writing service, templates for targeted CVs are included in the Secrets of Employment E-book.

2. Have your CV appraised for free.

A CV appraisal is normally a free service and can be a good opportunity to test out different companies’ services.

When sending your CV for a review ensure that you explain what job role your CV is being used to apply for. Once you receive the appraisal, don’t be afraid to ask any additional questions about their comments or suggestions.

3. CVs should be a maximum of two pages.

A little bit of information that is often told but not always adhered to! Most employers only spend 30 seconds skimming through your CV looking for certain criteria, having a CV that is 4 pages long makes this job more difficult.

Keep your CV brief and to the point, remember the CV is designed to gain you an interview. It is during the interview that you can recount the nitty-gritty details of your vast employment history.

4. Break up the CV text.

Employers can receive up to 300 applications for every advertised job – an arduous task for the most committed recruiter! Using Headings, Shadings, Bold, Bullet Points to break up the CV text, making it easier for the employer to read or “skim” through.

5. Use Font size 11 or 12.

A simple but often overlooked detail – The text has to be easy to read, employers can spend all day reading CV’s – let’s make it easy for them! If you’re struggling to fit the text on one or two pages, use font size 11 but no less. Avoid the use of unusual fonts – Arial is simple and easy to read.

6. Target your CV.

You need to have a targeted CV; a targeted CV is a CV written for a particular industry, job position and company. You may like to save a generic CV which can then be edited for specific roles using job specifications and company information.

7. Always send a Covering Letter.

Candidates may spend hours on their CV only to undo all their good work by neglecting to enclose with it a Covering Letter. Research undertaken by Employment King indicates that many companies will not even read CVs that are received without a Covering Letter. Some CV writing services offer free Covering Letter letter templates with every CV.

8. CV text should be concise and to the point.

An easy mistake to be made with CVs is the temptation to include masses of information, CVs are more difficult to reduce than they are to increase.

Everything you have undertaken in your working life is a selling point, on the CV you need to intrigue the employer, leave them wanting to know more. Include around 3 bullet points for each job and start by recording the duties you did that are needed for this new role.

9. Match your skills.

Once you have applied to a job advert, most employers will send you a job specification. Read the job specification and highlight the “Essential Criteria” these are the main skills the employers is seeking.

These criteria must be visible in your CV or you shall not secure an interview. It goes without saying, a record that you have these skills on your CV, this way you have nearly guaranteed yourself an interview.

10. Feedback.

Remember – there is no failure, only feedback.

If your CV does not secure you interviews, you need to change it either yourself or through a CV review service such as that provided by Employment King.

You should not be afraid to ask employers for feedback, this is considered to be a standard part of the application process and can stand you in good stead for future applications and how you can make yourself even more employable.

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The 10 Myths of Employment

10 Top Myths of Employment

1. If you are offered a job you should discontinue your job search.

You should always continue to apply for jobs until you receive an offer of employment in writing. You may be offered a job verbally only to have the offer retracted a few days later due to funding issues or review of the requirement for another employee.

Ensure that you request an offer of employment in writing and continue to job search until you receive it.

2. An employer cannot dismiss you without a valid reason, whilst you are on your probationary period.

This is a common misconception! Your employer is essentially viewing this period as a trial run, monitoring your progress to see if they have picked the right person for the job. Ensure that you have been truthful about your abilities during the application process, if you have been misleading about your capabilities you will often be asked to leave the company.

An employer can dismiss you at any point during your probationary period without a valid reason.

3. Most jobs are advertised on job search engines.

The internet is a great and quick way to job search, but employers often avoid using these if they can to avoid hefty advertising fees. You will find more vacancies by looking at Company websites, local newspaper jobs sections and other media, as well as using job search engines.

Use a mixture of job searches to find the largest number of suitable vacancies.

4. Interviewing shall be carried out in a face to face environment.

Recruitment systems have had a dramatic overhaul over the last 10 years; employers now use a wide range of interview styles and find the right member of staff.

Interview formats and mediums vary from one organisation to another- webcam interviews, group interviews, telephone interviews, panel interviews to include a few. Some employers may require the completion of an ICT, Literacy or Numeracy test or you may be asked to carry out a short presentation. This information should be provided in your interview pack – if not then ask!

Employers use a wide range of interviews to ensure you have the essential criteria needed for each individual job role.

5. Employers can give you a bad reference.

Employers can refuse to give you a reference, unless your contract states that they have to, which is often the case in the financial industry. If an employer provides a reference they are legally bound to ensure its accuracy so they will often tread carefully in their wording.

Employers can often highlight areas for development without explicitly saying so, for example praising your ability to keep the organisation informed when you are sick through a number of mediums of communication – it doesn’t take much for a potential future employer to read between the lines with this.

An employer has to give an accurate reference that they can back up if challenged.

6. All employers check if you have a criminal record.

Many application forms require you to disclose whether you have any criminal convictions. However not all companies require the completion of this type of form. Only in certain industries will you require a full Criminal Records Bureau Check, mainly in occupations working with vulnerable people.

Many employers from a wide range of industries will not ask you if you have a criminal record.

7. You need to choose a career for life. 

The job market is constantly changing with new sectors developing all the time.

There are many jobs available today that did not exist 10 years ago. On average people stay in one company for around 3 years and then move on to a better role or company. The days of having a “safe job” or “job for life” have gone.

You need to pick a career that suits your personality type, this way you will work in an industry that you will enjoy.

8. Employers cannot discriminate on job adverts.

In most cases it is unlawful to discriminate negatively or positively against a certain category of people.

However there are lawful exceptions, for example a Women’s Hostel may seek to recruit a female Support Worker due to Safeguarding, although it should specify exemption from The Discrimination Act of 1995 on the job advert.

Companies have to follow equal opportunity regulations, but in some cases employers can legally discriminate on job adverts.

9. You cannot return to education if you’re over 25. I’m always surprised when I hear people say that they think they can’t return to college due to their age, this is often down to the belief that you can’t change your career ideas. If your under 19 yrs old your college course will be funded for you, when over 19 yrs depending if you are claiming benefits you will have to fund the course yourself-you can do this by applying for a student loan or grant. Anyone can return to education at any age.

10. I can’t turn my hobby into a job.

The secret to having a good job and career, is to do something you enjoy – would you like to be paid to do your hobby?

Most of us would say yes, first you need to think about what your hobby would be like if you did as a full time job, would you still enjoy doing it 5 days a week? Also, there tends to be additional duties when a hobby becomes a job -would you still enjoy your hobby with additional responsibilities?

Today there is a wide range of job opportunities and specialist jobs and everyone can turn a hobby into a type of job. Many people also choose to use the internet as a way of making money from their job.

The possibilities are endless; turning your hobby into a job takes time, commitment and passion, but can easily be done.

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10 tips when posting your CV online against fraud

CV stole by criminals

I am often asked, “Can I be a victim of fraud by posting my CV on the web?” The answer is “Yes!”

On average, criminals committing identity fraud only need 3 out of 15 pieces of information, don’t let your online CV give criminals a chance to commit identity fraud.

As job hunters are keen to gain employment, many do not think twice about giving companies the information they request. How do you know if the company you are applying to actually exist?

Criminals can easily advertise for a bogus job just to gain your private information, I even saw one job advert asking for a fee for the company to accept your CV.

Protect yourself from CV ID Fraud

1. Google the company name, gain contact details and check if the company exist

2. Be wary with e-mail addresses not containing the company name (some criminals will advertise a fake vacancy for a real company)

3. Ensure your details have not been saved on a computer desktop or in document files when using public computers and internet cafes

4. Don’t leave your paper CV lying about in public places, shred any CVs before throwing them away

5. While job searching on the internet is a great way to find employment, especially when you can upload your CV onto employment websites, you first need to ensure you do not give to many personal details away.

6. Good CV hosting websites will not show employers your personal information without your consent.

7. Your CV should show your skills and qualities, once an employer is interested they can request a full CV and references. This is because your CV is “live” on the internet for everyone and anyone to see, unlike a paper CV which will only be read by the employer.

8. With the age discrimination act, you no longer need to record your date of birth on your CV-stopping criminals from knowing your age.

9. Only give your forename and surname on your CV

10. Do not include your place of birth

11. Never record your marital status, no employer needs to know this and employers should never discriminate against people being married or single

12. You can use a telephone masking service, stopping you from publishing your private phone number

13. Never give any bank details to an employer until you have a job offer in writing. Employers only need your bank details if they employ you and want to pay your wage into your bank account. Never ever put bank details on a CV.

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101 Tips for Job Searchers

101 Job Searching Tips

Choosing a career:                                                                                               

1. Pick a career that suits your personality

2. Take a personality type test to match your skills to a job role

3. Write a list of criteria you would like in your career and match these against job specifications

4. If you are unsure on your career goal visit a careers coach

5. Look at LMI articles, check which careers will be here in the future, in these changing employment times

6. Volunteer to gain experience (and to check if you enjoy the job/industry)

7. Read a job profile to find out which skills are needed for your industry

8. Become an industry expert by signing up to industry blogs, tweets, Google alerts

9. Check if you have the essential qualifications required for the position you are applying for

10. Learn industry jargon and the meaning of acronyms

Job Searching                                                                          

11. Attend networking events and collect contacts

12. Sign up to industry news feed (find out which companies are recruiting or downsizing)

13. Google “industry name” and “location” for links to job adverts

14. Post your CV on job search websites and let them e-mail you vacancies

15. Sign up to several job agencies, allow the professionals to find you vacancies

16. Attend industry job fairs

17. Apply online using job search engines

18. Look in job papers and industry magazines

19. Write an action plan with SMART targets

20. Use the Secrets of Employment E-book as a guide to gaining work

21. Apply for unadvertised vacancies by sending a speculative letter and CV to companies in your industry

22. Look on company websites (under careers or jobs) for vacancies

23. Tell friends and family you are job searching

24. Use social networking sites to sell yourself and to find vacancies

25. Telephone past employers to ask if they know about any industry companies recruiting

26. Continue to job search until you gain a job offer in writing

Need a CV Writing Service?

CV and Cover Letter                                                                                             

27. Write a targeted CV and cover letter

28. Always send a cover letter with your CV

29. Check your CV especially your contact details before you use it to apply for vacancies

30. Update your CV throughout your career progression, have your CV reviewed for free

31. Use the same font and font size on your CV and cover letter

32. Just record “years” on your employment history to help delete small amounts of unemployment

33. Use your cover letter as a guide to writing a speculative letter

34. Break up your CV text by using headings and bullet points; use a good CV Tempalte to help you write your CV

35. Edit your personal profile as a “sales profile” record what you can offer the employer-this is your selling point, the reason why they should employee you

36. Match your skills and qualities to the job specification-especially the essential criteria

37. Research the company you are apply to and record a paragraph on the company’s achievements on your covering letter

38. Send your CV as a PDF as some old computer systems will not be able to read your text on an open document

39. Only record positive achievements on both your CV and covering letter

40. Sign your covering letter

41. When e-mailing a CV, put your covering letter as the main body of the e-mail, not as an attachment

42. Inform your referees to prepare your references

Write your own CV with the secrets of employment CV writer

Application Form’s                                                                         

43. Follow all the instructions on the application form

44. Only write using a black pen

45. Take a copy of the application form to write a mock application form, this will also help you check if your text fits into the application form boxes

46. Index all additional pages on the application form

47. When completing online application forms save a copy of your personal profile on your desktop to save time on your next application form

48. Match your personal profile to the job specification ensuring you mention all essential criteria

49. Break up your personal profile text with headings

50. As with a CV, send a covering letter with your application form

51. Check if you need to send any documents with your application form

52. Tick the disability box if you have a disability as some employers will guarantee you an interview if you meet the essential criteria

53. If you have a “spent” criminal record, tick “no” to the question “do you have a criminal record” in some industries they will ask you if you have a “spent record”

54. Never lie on an application form

55. Always sign your application form

Applying for vacancies on the telephone

56. Be prepared for a short online telephone interview (normally around 4-5 questions)

57. Stand up and smile, research has proven that your voice carries better by doing this

58. Dress for an interview as an outfit can put you into an “interview/business” frame of mind

59. Have a pen and paper ready, in case the employer passes you on any information such as an interview date

60. Prepare your CV by highlighting any selected information you want to discuss

61. Have a list of question ready-remember an interview can’t see what you have prepared on the phone

62. Complete a mock telephone interview with a friend or careers advisor

63. Have a quiet room prepared (put a do not disturb sign on the door)

64. Turn off your mobile phone (use a landline to ensure you do not lose the signal)

65. Check that the room is quiet from outside noise; close windows, turn of the TV

Job Interviews                                                    

66. Prepare your interview clothes-first impression count

67. Complete a mock run to the interview venue

68. Take a copy of your CV to the interview in a smart-looking case

69. Polish your shoes – sometimes the little things count

70. Brush your teeth, no one likes bad breath

71. Practice your interview questions and answer

72. Complete a mock interview

73. Create a list of questions to ask the interviewer

74. Never give just a “yes” or “no” answer, always back this up with the reason why

75. Only give positive answers even to negative questions

76. Shake hands and introduce yourself to the interviewer

77. Smile throughout the interview

78. Copy the interviewer’s body language as this creates rapport

79. Never interrupt the interviewer

80. Ask the interviewer to repeat any questions you don’t understand

81. Be prepared for a panel interview

82. Look at all interviewers when answering a question on a panel interview

83. In customer service roles be prepared for a group interview

84. During group interviews, listen to others and give your own ideas

85. Practice numeracy, literacy and ITC test as many employers use these during the interview process

86. Visualise yourself being positive in the interview before the interview, creating self-confidence

87. Thank the interviewer for the interview

88. Shake hands before you leave the interview

89. Be prepared for a follow-up interview and be prepared to re-answer the same questions

90. Apply for a job you know you will gain an interview in even if you do not want this job, use this interview to get rid of “first interview nervous” and to practice answering interview questions

need to complete a mock interview with a careers advisor?

After the interview                                                                                                           

91. Reflect on your interview-what went well, what should I improve?

92. Write down your good answers, as preparation for your next interview

93. Follow all interviews up with a phone call if you do not hear about the outcome of the interview

94. When not successful, gain feedback from the interviewer

95. Act on the feedback given by the interviewer

96. Complete a new mock interview, now you know what questions you will be asked

97. Continue to job search until you find your ideal job role

98. Once in employment gain any relevant industry qualifications on offer

99. Gain a positive work identity (be known for being a good worker not the joker)

100. Always look forward and aim for promotions, set yourself job goals

101. Continue to network and gain relevant employment contacts