Posts Tagged ‘world’

Job Searching Across The Globe

There is most certainly no rule that states that you have to look for a job in the same old city or town that you have lived in your whole life - by all means there is a wide world out there ready to invite you over…

You can apply for a job in the next city, in the next country or on the other side of the world.  It’s up to you to make the first step.  In a recession you may find that the jobs in your area are totally depleted and there has never been a better time to make the move.

Below are a few tips your should keep in mind when looking or a new job across the country, or abroad, to make the whole process a little easier;

Focus

The world is pretty big - the Internet can help you get a job almost anywhere in the world, but perhaps before you get too deep in a search you should focus your ideas and search to more of a specific place.

To help you trim down your options you should think about the cost of living in different countries and cities, interesting places and places where you have family and friends for example.  These factors will help you make a stronger decision.

Also think about the professional factors involved - which cities have the best prospects, is there any demand, what is the pay like?

Clarity

Be clear to your potential employers about your reasons for wanting to leave your current home town - explain your reasons clearly and honestly as they will most likely be attractive selling points.

Your reasons for leaving might show that you are strong and willing to take risks.

Phone Interview

Be prepared and ready for the possibility of a telephone interview - you probably won’t be able to get out to the new city or country for an interview and so you will have to work even harder over the telephone where you can’t win people over with your winner smile or smart dress sense.

Make sure you conduct the phone interview in a quite place and try and make sure you are relaxed throughout - try not to conduct the interview using your mobile phone as you can never guarantee quality of sound, and when speaking remember to smile as it will come over in your tone.

Flexibility

When looking to take a job in a new city or country you should remember that your best chance of doing so is by remaining flexible - this means you should think about working around your potential employers schedule when it comes to organising telephone calls and remember that you will probably have to pay for your own travel expenses, etc…You will have to be flexible to get what you want.

Moving?

Are you thinking about looking abroad for work?  Perhaps another city?  Let us know…

Should we be going Fairtrade?

We should all be doing our bit for people in third world countries who are being unfairly treated and not given a chance – but what is the best way to go about helping out?  Is buying Fairtrade really the route we should be jumping onto?

Fairtrade has grown in popularity over the past few years – around half of the population of Britain can safely say that they recognise the Fairtrade logo proving that its efforts aren’t in vein.

Fairtrade products have a presence in a great range of products from bananas to coffee, from third world countries like Sri Lanka and India.

Let’s be fair

The idea behind the Fairtrade foundation is to, as the name suggests, provide a fairer method of farming for workers in third world countries who are usually given un-fair treatment and pay for their products.

Fairtrade provides a minimum price to the farmers, which covers costs and provides the farmers with a stable income, something which has probably never been afforded to them in the past.

The farmers then have to meet certain requirements, such as health and safety regulations, worker’s rights rules and social, economic and environmental development.

So everyone is a winner?  Only if people in the western world buy the products at the end of the day…

Fairtrade sales

So far things are looking good for Fairtrade sales – Fairtrade sales came to more than £1.6 billion worldwide in 2007 alone, a figure up around 47 per cent against the previous year.

But it still isn’t enough.  Although bananas are the most popular Fairtrade product on the market they only make up 12 per cent of overall banana sales in Britain.

However things are looking up for Fairtrade as they are starting to get even more of a presence in large chain supermarkets around the country – the Co-op was the first major chain to introduce Fairtrade products in the UK, and Sainsburys and Waitrose will only sell Fairtrade bananas.

Fairtrade has its fair share of critics

As with anything there are arguments against Fairtrade – many critics claim that Fairtrade is not a long terms solution and claim that the issues in the developing world will continue to cause problems as they did before the introduction of Fairtrade products.

The editorial director at the Institute of Economic Affairs, Professor Philip Booth, claims that Fairtrade is projecting a falsehood when they claim that they are helping the developing world in such a way.

Booth claims that the money earned by farmers working through Fairtrade is incomparable against the kinds of money going into the pockets of workers and manufacturers in Europe and Fairtrade isn’t in a position to change that.

But what about you?

What do you think about Fairtrade?  Did you know what Fairtrade was before reading this article?  After reading are you going to start looking for Fairtrade products?  Leave us a comment and let us know what you think…

Recycle and save the planet…

The world is changing you may have noticed – the weather is all over the place, global warming is a constant worry and the o-zone layer is in a right state.  Yet not enough people are interested in doing anything about it.  Some people believe the “Green” initiatives to be a scam while others simply can’t be bothered to change their ways.

However, if you do fancy making a change and helping our planet Earth then follow these simple, yet helpful, steps and recycle your way to happiness…

Less rubbish, happier planet;

Think before you buy – only buy things you need.  Waste is one of the most unnecessary factors affecting the planet and can easily be changed.  Don’t buy unnecessary things which will only lead to waste.

Most of the things we carelessly chuck in the bin can be put to use once again so think twice before running to the bin!  Buy less, throw away less and save more – there are benefits for you and for the planet!

Reuse and recycle;

There are a lot of containers that can be used over and over again without them being introduced to the rubbish bin.  Seek out food, drink and toiletries that can be recycled and you will be doing great things for the ecological state of the planet.

There’s no harm in asking your workplace to use reusable cutlery, plates and cups for example which will help as well.

Pass it on;

Don’t be in such a rush to throw away that unwanted piece of equipment or furniture – give it away or sell it on.  We live in a world of eBaying and in a recession we can all do with the extra pennies.

What one man considers junk, another will consider treasure.  Sell it and you might be surprised at how much you can get for it.  If no one is interested in it then take it down to a charity shop and the happiness you will get from doing so will be better than money as you will be helping out those less fortunate than yourself.

Don’t be afraid to look in second hand shops or charity shops either.  You’ll find bargains galore and you will be helping to recycle.

Evolve;

Many products that we throw away don’t actually need to meet the bin but can instead be repaired, restored or even adapted to meet the modern times.  Repairing a television for example will cost a lot less than buying a new one and you’ll be doing the planet a turn in the process.

Most of the electrical equipment found in a tip either work or only require some simple fixes to bring them back to life – save yourself some money and don’t hurt the planet…

What about you?

What do you think about recycling?  What are you feelings towards the planet?  Do you feel that it is all a waste of time or are you all for it?  Are there any other tips that you can think of when it comes to recycling?  Let us know…