Posts Tagged ‘Recession’

Job Security

Are you worried about keeping hold of your job through the recession?  Are you finding that you are constantly worried about getting fired because the economic downturn is forcing your business to make cut backs?

Well, now you shouldn’t have to worry anymore.  Despite the recession there are some sure fire ways to make sure that you get to keep your job while others get the chop.

Making Or Saving

There are two types of employees that will definitely be in the same job when the recession goes away - those that save money for their business and those that make money for their business.  If you fit into one of these categories then you’re golden!

Even if you aren’t in a position to save big bucks for the business then you should still think about how you can do things on a small scale for the business.  For example if you can save money on printing you will get noticed and when it comes to time to get rid of someone on your level you will be that much safer.

Be Indispensible

Don’t hide away from the office, embrace it!  You need to tackle things head on when it comes to projects and activities.  You need to be the one employee who is indispensible so that when it comes time to getting rid of people, you are immediately made safe.

Think about transferring to a more critical area where you can make a difference.  Try and get involved with serious projects where you can take more responsibility.  Do anything to get stuck in…

Are You In The Best Position

Although it might sound like a good opportunity to go from a production role to a junior management role you should stand back and take a look at the economic climate.

If you decide to take the job as a junior manager you may suddenly find that you are getting all the blame for the company going under due to the recession - that’s hardly classed as a successful promotion.

Education

You should think about getting more education under your belt to increase your profit value - by having many more skills in your cap you may have what it takes to beat off the others when it comes to redundancy time.

If you are lucky your company may even have a policy in place of reimbursing employees when it comes to education so check it out.  You won’t be losing anything, you’ll be gaining an employable skill!

Friends

There is nothing more important than your friends when it comes to trying to stay in a job.  You should find out who you haven’t spoken to in a while and then make it an aim to speak to them again.  This way you are staying fresh in everyone’s mind and when you do need a favour you won’t just be springing on them out of the blue.

Keeping your job?

Are you going to be in a job this time next year?  Are you worried?  Let us know…

Are you employable?

How do you know if you are employable?  If you aren’t able to get a job no matter how hard you think you’re trying then that is a bit of a giveaway!  If you find that you are trying to get a job but no matter what you do nothing seems to be working then perhaps the key simply is that you aren’t employable…yet!

Below is a list of some of the main ways to make sure you are employable and finally get that job you want…

Targeted Resume

You have to make sure that your CV is targeted specifically at your potential employer you are applying to.  Your CV won’t be applicable for every single job you apply for so make sure you cater to each and ever position specifically.

Each position will ask for different qualities from their employees so you need to make sure that your CV fits in with what they are looking for.  This will show that you are not only perfect for the position, but that you took the time out to research what they are looking for.

Networking

There can’t be enough said for networking - done correctly it can be a great and fast way of getting work.  People tend to turn to the Internet to search for jobs, but if you make sure that people know about your hunt then you stand a much better chance of finding work.

This can even be done online through social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn where you can socialise and networking with other people who know of positions that aren’t being advertised.

Research

You should spend some time researching the company you are applying to work for - if you get in the interview and can’t answer the simple question like what do you know about the company then the potential employer will lose interest fast.

Search online for information about the company and search newspapers and press releases to get a better feel if possible about what message the company portrays.  This will also be a great way of feeling out how smart or casually they dress so you don’t turn up looking like a fool.

Feedback

It is a good idea to get feedback from your mates or family about your interview techniques and CV writing.  Ask someone you trust to go through your CV and make sure that it is as good as possible for the position you are applying for.

Do the same with your interview technique - find out if you come across like a helpless child or an overbearing bully.  This will be an amazing insight into how you come across when you sit in for interviews.

Employable?

Are you employable?  Have you found our advice useful?  Are you going to try and be more employable over the future months?  Leave us a comment and let us know…

How To Put A Positive Spin On Your Age

You may be worried if you are creeping over 50 that you won’t be in a job much longer - the word over the recent years is that employers are less likely to either employ or retain employees over the golden age of 50.

However, over the coming years this isn’t actually looking like it is going to be the case.  As more and more jobs open up over the coming years, there won’t be enough younger workers applicable for roles and older workers will be in their element.

You need to start realising that your age can work to your advantage - below are a few of the main ways you can turn your age to your advantage and get ahead in your career once again;

Offensive

Being an older worker doesn’t mean you have to feel grateful that you are still in full time employment.  In fact it should be the other way around - you are not an old worker, you are a highly experienced worker - you aren’t passed it, you are it!  You need to make sure that when people see you they are seeing experience and confidence!

You have a powerful tool to your advantage against the younger generations and that is experience and knowledge.  Over the years you have gained a wisdom that just can’t be held by the younger generations so make sure you use it to your advantage.

Forget Age, Think Results

Don’t rattle on to either your boss or your potential employer about how many years you have under your belt - this is just boring…who’s to say these years under your belt weren’t wasted making mistakes and dragging businesses down.

You need to show how you have achieved success over the years you have been working and then you’ll be attracting the attention of the boss!  These results are a true weapon that will beat off the competition…

Focus On The Now

If you are applying for a job, make sure that you don’t rattle on about the different roles you have had over the years - instead focus on what will impress your potential employer and stay relevant.

Over the years you have undoubtedly filled a lot of roles, however only mention the ones that will make you look good for this specific job otherwise you will look like a rambler.  If possible remove any irrelevant roles from your CV and just focus on what will impress the potential employer.

Resume Revamp

You should review your CV and see whether it needs to be revamped.  Think if you would hire yourself for the position if given your CV.  If not then re-work your CV in a way where you would hire yourself.  Get your CV right…

Is Age A Problem?

Are you finding your age holding you away from some employment opportunities?  Has our advice helped?  Let us know…

Can’t find a job?

Are you doing all you think you can do yet still aren’t able to find a job?  Have you been doing everything that you think your mates are doing, but while they are getting work you are left scouring for more jobs?

This either means you are a bin man looking for a job as a CEO or you aren’t doing it right!  Read on to find out what you aren’t doing to get the job that you want…

Networking

If you network you will be opening yourself up to tons more jobs - if your friends, family and previous workmates are all aware that you are job hunting then you stand a much better chance of finding a job than if you simply sent CVs around.

Make sure that you get heard on different social and professional networking sites around the web, like Facebook and LinkedIn and you’ll be increasing your chances many times over.

Online Cover Letter

Many people don’t believe in the online cover letter when applying for a job - this is ridiculous!  If the application asks for you to send in a cover letter then that’s exactly what you have to do.

The cover letter is the best way of separating you from other applicants and provide a good first impression hopefully giving you “The Edge”!!!  A cover letter is a necessity so make sure you send it in…

Generic Cover Letter

There is nothing more off putting for an employer than reading through a generic cover letter - everyone can say that they are a great team worker that is punctual and a fast learner.  When it comes down to it your CV will be thrown to the side with nonsense like that on it.

You need to come up with a shiny new cover letter for each application - this sounds like hard work, but it’ll be worth it if it gets you a job!  You need to show how your abilities will work in this specific position.

Only The Net

Don’t focus your search for work only to the Internet.  This is a great way to get your search started but you won’t find every job available online.  If you want to open up a can full of job opportunities then you should ask around and get in touch with people who will be in a position to give you a hand like human resource managers for example.

Follow Up

You are making a big mistake if you aren’t following up on your job applications - just because you haven’t heard anything doesn’t mean that you have been passed over.  It is possible that your CV didn’t even make it to the boss’s desk for whatever reason.  Follow up the application and keep your CV fresh in their minds!

Can’t Get Employed?

Are you struggling to find a job?  Have you found our advice useful?  Leave us a comment and let us know…

Raise Time?

Although you may not see it happening in a recession, you should always be thinking about how to ask for a raise.  You might be hoping to keep your job now, but around the corner, when the recession has left our doorsteps, you should be prepared with a few weapons that will help you get more money.

Start thinking about it now and be prepared to take action as soon as your business starts to look positive again - read on to find out the best way to squeeze more money out of your business and into your monthly pay pack…

Building Up An Argument

If you want more money from your business then you need to provide a valid reason to your boss.  You can’t approach them with the argument that you can’t afford the 25 bottles of champagne you want each month, the reason needs to be valid.

You need to prove that you are deserving of a raise - to do this you need to build up a case that proves that you deserve more money.  Explain all of the responsibilities you have held while in the job and explain how you have managed to aid the business in achieving its goals.

Don’t use vague words and use specific data relevant to your job that shows how you have earned a larger pay packet.  You need your employer to be aware that you are a valuable asset in the business.

Research

You should make sure that you are aware of the average pay packet for people in your position around the country and area with similar qualifications and experience to you.

By doing this you can be sure that you aren’t asking for way below or above what you deserve and you have more of a chance of being taken seriously.

Build A Record

It is a good idea to build a record of your work over time - think about creating a weekly record of your achievements that you can present to your boss proving that you are deserving of a raise.

Nothing will be able to show how well you are performing than a record of your achievements and consistent performance.  Make sure you have as much proof as possible.

Time Is The Key

Don’t just decide to go for a raise and broach the matter with your boss with nothing to back up your request.  You should think about timing and go for it after completing a tricky assignment or important project.

This way you will be asking for a raise with a fresh achievement on your back, which will bolster your chances.  Also, as previously mentioned, don’t think about it in a recession, instead take the time to build up your case!

Gasping For A Raise?

Are you hoping to get a raise as soon as the recession goes away?  Have you found our advice useful?  Leave us a comment and let us know…

How To Get The Sack

When you’re battling through a recession it’s not that hard to lose your job - many businesses are now asking employees to either leave or take a drastic pay cut - while these options are not very nice, sometimes there’s no other way to turn.

However, if you are going to lose your job, you want to make sure you don’t do it in one of the following idiotic ways!  Below is a list of some of the easiest ways available to lose your job so if you are thinking about keeping it try avoiding everything on the list;

Deadline?  What deadline?

Deadlines are in place for a reason - they aren’t guidelines, they are deadlines…if you are given a deadline make sure you don’t fall on the wrong side of it.

Other people, including your boss most likely, are depending on you to get your work in on time so if you let them down you will find your place securely in your bad books.  Once you get a reputation for bad punctuality then you might as well leave…

Surfin’ The Net?

Granted, there is nothing wrong with checking your personal emails now and again throughout the work day - however, social networking has become the latest addiction ripping society apart and some people can’t help but check their Facebook accounts every 3 minutes.

You are being employed to do work, not to Poke your mates when they don’t reply to your status’s.  You should be able to spend a suitable amount of time online for your personal business but don’t let it creep into your work time.

What Should I Do?

You are being hired to fulfil a specific role in the business - if you don’t know what the role is then how can you work properly.  Obviously you are allowed some time to fit in to the role in the beginning of your time in the office, but after a while you should be clear on what is expected from you.

If you find yourself lost in your job after a year then you are definitely doing something wrong - you won’t be able to do your job properly and you will effectively be deemed useless if found out which of course you will be in no time.

How Good Am I?

If you constantly need to be told that you have done a good job and that you are on the right track then you aren’t in the right job…you should really go back to school.

A craving for the limelight shows your boss that you are far more interested in boosting your own career and less interested in being part of a team - what better way to turn your employee off of you?

Looking to stay hired?

Are you hoping to keep your job?  Have you found our advice useful?  Do you do any of the issues listed above?  Let us know…

Working Dads - The Unspoken Balancing Act

It’s a tough role being a working dad - you want to be able to split your family responsibilities equally with your professional ones, but unfortunately it’s not as easy as all of that.

The whole thing is a balancing act that you need to get right as a working father - fear not because below we’ve provided a few key tips to keep the balance a little healthier than normal allowing you to keep everyone happy.

Communication - We all know that an open dialogue is extremely useful when it comes to communicating with your boss, but the same can apply when communicating with your family.  Keep your family up to speed with the goings on at the office, explaining to them why you sometimes have to stay late for example - they will appreciate it!

Having a strong level of communication between you and your family will work to strengthen your family’s attitude to your work so you can enjoy a few guilt free evenings in the office because everyone will be on the same page.

Family Calendar - It’s a good idea to keep a calendar specifically set aside to list all of the family member’s upcoming events.  This is a great way to avoid booking a meeting on the same day as your son’s sports day for example.

Stay Away - Although you have all these tools now to keep you attached to your office, such as your Blackberry and your email, you should make sure that you close the door on the office for a few hours every night and take the time to spend with your family instead.  They shouldn’t be ignored!

Give as much attention to your family as you do to your work when you’re in the office - you don’t watch TV when you should be working through a project and the opposite goes for your home life.

Meetings - You spend your time making and holding meetings with work mates and bosses in the office - try making and holding a meeting with your kids.  Agree on a time that suits you both where you can play some football, or go to the park and make sure you stick to it!

Family Day - This of course depends on how family-friendly your place of work is, but if you think they welcome families then think about arranging a special family day where people bring in their families.

This is a much needed development particularly in the holiday months when children aren’t in school and parents want to spend as much time as possible with their children.  If you have any hand in the decision making process in your office try and get this happening and you’ll be a hero!

Working Dad?

Are you a working dad trying to get the balance right between home and work?  What do you think of our advice?  Let us know…

Job Hunting - A Name Game?

When searching for a job you need to remember that you can’t tell everything from a name - in fact most of the time you can’t tell anything from a name when it comes to employment.  If you are looking for a job it’s important to make sure that you look beyond the name and look closer at the explanation below.

A job title is pretty much worthless - you won’t be able to get a proper grasp of what will be asked of you by looking at just the job title in the same way that an employer won’t be able to explain what is being asked of you in the job in just a title.

In this light, you need to make sure you go beyond the title and look at the job description for a better insight into the job you are thinking of applying for.  However, when searching for a job you should really keep in mind the following issues;

A Work Of Fiction?

You should remember that job titles are often fictitious - you should look closely at what the job is demanding and not what it is called.  The company hiring needed someone to fulfil a role in the business, and to advertise for this someone they needed to create a name that would attract the best of the best.

This is a valid reason to back up the need for looking closely at what the job involves as the name may have absolutely nothing to do with the job itself.

Above One’s Station?

Some people like to beef up job titles to make themselves sound more important than they actually are - if you are working on a till in Asda you can essentially call yourself a Financial Supervisor, if you clean toilets you can call yourself a Sanitation Engineer.

It is the nature of human beings to want to give themselves the appearance of more importance than they actually have - therefore you need to make sure that the job you are applying for really is what you think it is.  The English language can be manipulate in many ways, make sure it doesn’t trip you up…

You should also not turn work down because you call yourself a Sanitation Engineer and the job application calls for a cleaner - the job is exactly the same…who cares what they call it?

One And The Same?

Different companies have different views when it comes to different positions - filling one role in one company doesn’t necessarily translate to another company and you can’t guarantee that you will be a director in one company and then move to another and keep the title.

You can still be doing the same job, but under a different title - that’s the way things go!

What’s In A Name?

Are you stumbling when it comes to job titles?  Do you look for the explanations?  Let us know…

Alone Time

You don’t have to deny it…if you like to spend time on your own then there is no need to worry about it.  There are jobs available for everyone out there, and there are even jobs out there for people that just like to be on their own and not chat the day away.

If socialising just isn’t your thing then you need not worry - the following list shows a few of the jobs your can take up where you don’t have to worry about impressing people, chatting or even talking with anyone else;

Mechanic

Mechanics spend most of their time inside the engines of cars - if they didn’t then they wouldn’t be doing a very good job.  Spending most of your day either in a car or under it doesn’t leave much time for chit chat - if you like to fix things then this is the job for you…you can get things fixed without having to chat it up…

Cost Estimator

Cost estimators tend to spend their time alone because they are too busy trying to go through paperwork like blueprints and proposals to decide how much projects will cost from the beginning to the end.  Cost estimators need to be on their own so they can concentrate - they don’t have the time or the need to engage in any conversation!

Librarian

If you have ever been told to “shhhh” in a library then you will understand how this job would suit someone who wants to keep quiet!  You can spend your days organising books that don’t talk back and you will very sparsely asked for advice or help because everything is automated these days.

Survey Researcher

A survey researcher goes about finding out what people think - they don’t interview people, instead they create surveys over the Internet and create questionnaires that can be mailed for example.  This cuts down any conversation time to nothing!  Survey researchers spend their time alone because they don’t actually need to be with anyone else when they are creating and preparing the questionnaires.

Translator

If you like being quiet then you don’t want to do any talking translating - you want to translate content from one language into another, usually from a newspaper or other text format.  You need to spend your time reading, researching, etc…  You can even have the chance to work from home as do nearly a quarter of translators around the globe.

Undertaker

A quieter job couldn’t exist - you are dealing with the departed, and they don’t talk.  You rarely have to deal with families for long and then you’re back with the dead people that don’t want to talk much either.  Be alone in the silence whenever you want to be.

Searching For Silence?

Are you looking for a career where you can work in silence?  Has any of the jobs listed above taken your fancy?  Let us know…

No More Cubicles

If you can’t bare to spend another day trapped in a cubicle prison then perhaps it’s time to look out for another career - you aren’t in the only career available, there are loads of jobs you just have to really want to make the switch!

If you have had enough of cubicles then read on to find out which careers involve anything but cubicles;

Fire-fighters

If you want to swap 4 cubicle walls for a fire engine and a team of fire fighting buddies all working together to save lives everyday then this is definitely the path for you.  However, it doesn’t end there - fire-fighters also have medical training and assist victims in emergencies - pretty exciting!

Truck Drivers

It can be just you and the open road - nothing more and nothing less.  Is that your perfect job?  You can set out in the morning and be in Germany at the end of your journey.  Change those cubicle bonds for a wide ranging road.

Messengers

The job of a messenger or a courier is to delivery documents and parcels across the nation or city - if you like to move and be outdoors then this is perfect for you!  You wont’ have to worry about the confines of the office anymore.

Elementary Teacher

Can there be a more fulfilling job than teaching young children?  Teaching can be a great way of providing a strong purpose to your life while sharing your knowledge with children who are hooked on your every word.  You won’t be sitting behind a desk, you’ll be standing in front of a class full of beady eyed children!

Security Guard

Acting as a security guard doesn’t necessarily have to be a dangerous task - usually if a security guard in a shopping centre or museum sees something dodgy then they will call the police or warn the big guys…if you like to wonder about casually all day then this is the position for you.

Vet

If you feel that you want to make a difference to a helpless animal’s life then this is the path you should take - it will take a lot of time in uni, etc… to get there but once you do you will have all the job satisfaction you could want in one lifetime.

You can work in your own practice or you can find employment in a zoo or a conservation for example - the latter will find you working out doors amongst nature!

Construction Worker

One day you could work on a house in a small village, the next day you can find yourself working on the tallest building in London - you will also be on the move as a builder and each job will provide different challenges to the last.

Cubicle Nightmare?

Are you bored of your dreary cubicle career?  Are you looking to take a different path for your career?  Let us know…