Darren’s story

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Author: Guy Liddall

Darren’s employer had had to make redundancies. And they had the very difficult choice to choose between two successful production managers.

Luckily for Darren they had purchased an outplacement package for him with Workagain. Like many in such a situation Darren was extremely worried about how he would be viewed in the marketplace. And what sort of skills he had that were transferable and how he should begin to find a new role. This was a tough, difficult emotional time for him.

First of all we discussed his previous career in depth. We isolated many of the spectacular successes he had had in his career, and how he should articulate those to any prospective employer. In doing so, he quickly realised what value he had been able to add, and how he could put that experience to use in different sectors.

Having completely rewritten his CV, we then concentrated on how to approach the interview. As many were being conducted online, this was an experience he had not had before. But he quickly understood how to maximise the opportunities to show future employers what he could add.

After just a few weeks Darren was presented with a very different problem, how to manage multiple job offers from different employers! Having accepted a role probably a little too far from home, he was then re-approached by another employer with something very close to where he lived, at a more senior level.

We were able to help him negotiate what was a tricky and uncomfortable situation so he exited it in the most professional manner possible.

As a result he is now working close to home in a new challenging role.

Darren’s Testimonial

“I unexpectedly found myself in the job market and with the COVID situation, I was worried about job hunting and my confidence was very low.

After a complete CV overhaul, practice interview with Guy, feedback, assessments and talking through strategies helped me refocus and rebuild my confidence.

A few weeks on, after a first very difficult phone call with Johanna, I’ve secured 3 interviews, resulting in 2 job offers delivered!

Can’t recommend or speak highly enough of Workagain, it’s all in the name.”

As the world has changed over the past year, and many more are working from home, there has been a growing trend to produce CVs that include no address details at all. You may well get a mobile number and an email address, but nothing else.

Of course you have used a covering email, stating exactly where you are, or what areas you would like to find working, and how you can be contacted.

But by omitting any address information, and I have seen some CV writers out there suggest that this information is irrelevant, then recruiters simply do not know where you are located. And those that are fortunate enough to work in sectors that are recruiting, are inundated with people.

So if in the automatic processing of your CV no location can be picked up, then you are likely to go into a “hold” pile, to be returned to when they have time. Which might be next June.

So while the chief executive of a major corporation could probably live almost anywhere, because the company will relocate them, for your average worker it is quite important where you are based. And given the choice, most employers will choose employees close to them rather than at the other end of the country.

In a competitive job market, the first job of the recruiter is to reject quickly those who are not right. If they are not sure of your location, will they give you the benefit of the doubt? If they are struggling to find the right person then maybe, if they are not then you probably haven’t got a hope of getting onto the shortlist.

We know that some people worry about security and identity theft, but with the prevalence of online information, your CV is not going to be the first place they look to do this. And so long you don’t add your passport number, driving licence, wife’s name and so on, they will not have much to go on they can’t get from the electoral register.

So give them the information they need. A postcode at the very minimum, your post town and even your address just to complete the picture.

So they know where you are.

Imagine being on immigration control at Heathrow airport, especially post Brexit.

You will need to look at thousands of passports every day, quickly turn to the right page and work out who this person is in front of you. Do they look like their photo, where they have come from and are they eligible to enter the country?

A boring and repetitive job. But made much easier because most passports conform to an international standard. They can be scanned electronically and by a human quickly and easily.

Now imagine that the same person standing in front of your immigration desk had got creative. They had decided to add a few more photos and put all of their information in a different order. And made it difficult to be scanned by a machine. How quickly do you think they would get through?

Now think about your CV. In a world where there may be hundreds of applications for the same position, how quickly will your CV get through if it is in an unusual layout. Or if the information that recruiters need to find is difficult to pull out of it.

How quickly do you think you will get through their queues? How often do you think you will get rejected?

Instinctively I think you know the answer.

Which is why we get really boring with CV layouts. Make sure they are logical, clear and concise. And contain all of the information that recruiters expect to see. Because if they don’t, then very quickly you can find yourself being rejected for a job you have the perfect background for.

How frustrating is that?

Your CV needs to be written in plain English, people need to be able to understand what you do and not misunderstand it.

So quite a useful test (and I do realise I am making an assumption that you are married and have in-laws) is to give your CV to the in-laws, or failing that to an aunt or uncle or someone slightly disconnected from you. Ask them to scan your CV for 10-20 seconds and tell you what you do.

Now some of them may have a head start, and already understand exactly what your job is. But try and choose someone who doesn’t, because in reality it will be somebody who does not know you at all who will be picking up your document and trying to decipher it. And if they cannot do so easily and quickly you may quickly get rejected.

Sadly the world today is all about instant impact. And if you cannot make that, then you fall behind others in the queue.

So a CV that is well laid out, simple to navigate and clear is essential. It is not about flashy colours, good illustrations and so on, because recruiters want to find the information they need to know in the places they expect them to be.

So try the in-laws test. How quickly does your CV tell them what they need to know?

We speak to people from many industries. Jobseekers who are desperate to find their next role. People who have genuinely achieved and made a real difference during their career.

But speak to them in an interview, and every improvement, every positive change, every target hit, every budget made seems to be down to somebody else.

Which might well be true, and the truly modest amongst us will never take credit for anybody else’s hard work. The truly sensible amongst us will also recognise that we have made a contribution.

Here is the problem. At interview most recruiters don’t value modesty, reticence and underachievement. They are looking for precisely the opposite. People who make things happen, people who are successful, people who make a difference.

So unless you get into the habit of blowing your own trumpet, explaining clearly how you were able to contribute, how your team outperformed, how you were always valued when compared to your peers, then you will not stand out.

Because it is highly probable that most of the others on the shortlist are doing just that. Even if in reality they have achieved very little, they will still take credit for small successes.

So when people say “I don’t want to blow my own trumpet” our reply is “You must, because nobody else will do it for you”.

Unless you take your mother to the interview, that is.

Anybody who suddenly finds themselves out of work will suffer a range of emotions. And one of them will almost certainly be panic, what can they do for the rest of their career?

Many will find themselves in this situation because their sector has been very badly hit by the current crisis. Completely understandable, but if you have always worked in the sector, how can you find work?

The fact is that all of us have skills that are transferable to other jobs. But you might not recognise it.

Perhaps you have been working in the hospitality industry – good with people, used to working long hours. Who needs those other skills?

Or you have been working in a highly specialised engineering environment, what else can you do?

I suppose there are two parts to the answer. First of all, are you looking for a permanent solution, or something that will get you by until we get through this crisis? Because many of the industries that are currently decimated will surely come back in some form or another in two or three years time, perhaps even sooner than that.

And just as many sectors are closing down, others are opening up. You probably do not need reminding that delivery drivers are in greater demand than ever. Or that, with the explosion of green energy projects around, that sector needs engineers, technicians and technical experts like never before.

Or with Brexit on the horizon, the health service and even the teaching profession will be running short of new recruits at some stage next year.

And your transferable skills, whether they are technical, whether they are people skills or your natural competitiveness are equally at home in other industries and other sectors.

And the key skills that most of us have that employers really want are reliability, intelligence and trustworthiness. If they can find the people with the right attitude, they can train in their technical skills. Never underestimate your ability to do a job properly and conscientiously. It is a great starting point for any recruiter.

Writing to employers blind in the current market might seem like a waste of time. When they are not recruiting, why bother? Except that you might hit them at the right time, just before they start to think about recruitment, just as they are about to spend money.

Understand that every recruiter wants to solve a problem. In the current market, where margins are tight and where organisations need to adapt rapidly, it is even more important that jobseekers understand what potential employers’ problems are.

We often hear of people making thousands of applications. The very fact that they are able to do so without hitting home means that their approach is not working. 

So get more targeted. You need to do some research, find out what they do, what their problem are, who you know who works there – it might mean much more work in making each application, but if it is 10, 15 or even 20 times more effective, then the effort is worthwhile.

Perhaps you are in marketing. Study how the company presents themselves, how they communicate through social media, through the press. What you can find out about them on Google. Normally the problems are quite obvious to someone experienced in marketing. Rather than suggest a solution to their problem, explain how you have managed a similar problem and generated results.

Supposing you are an engineer and you see through reviews that they have a poor reputation for aftersales and customer service. Explain how you have corrected such problems in your career and the results you were able to produce. 

Maybe the results are not easily visible publicly, perhaps you have to contact people through LinkedIn who work for the organisation. Possibly you need to reach out through networks and colleagues to find out what companies do wrong. 

But if you find out organisations problems before you approach them, then you can present yourself as someone who can cure the problem. Most organisations know what issues they have, many simply do not know how to solve them. 

Show them you are the one. 

Molly approached us as a very successful marketing executive who had moved roles just as coronavirus struck.

As a result the position she had accepted never materialised, and she had to start applying all over again.

As someone who had been used to almost instant responses from recruitment companies, she was puzzled when after months of applying she had only received two replies. She sent her CV to Workagain for a review.

It quickly became apparent that it had been written in a way that AI systems could not read it. In addition, the story she told was not focused enough on results, but much more a description of the roles she had been carrying out.

After a complete rewrite, passing it through our systems to ensure it could easily be machine read, replies once again landed in her inbox.

After two months she was successfully back in work and thoroughly enjoying her new role.

 

Molly’s testimonial

“After sadly being made redundant from a new role in July 2020, I was really struggling with receiving responses from employers.

In a very competitive job market due to COVID-19, I had applied for upwards of 60 jobs and had only received 2 replies. I knew I needed help as this was very unusual for me.

I had a call with Guy from Workagain, and he immediately pointed out some very simple reasons why my CV wasn’t being noticed and how to change them. He also helped me reformat my entire CV and change the way my key responsibilities and achievements were written down.

He made some very interesting and useful points which made me really think about how I should be advertising myself as a strong candidate for the roles I was applying for.

Once I had reworked my CV with Guys help, I was receiving more responses for roles I applied for and even had recruitment agencies contacting me about new roles. After roughly 2 months, I had accepted a new role which was so exciting and such a relief!

Thanks Guy for all your help, and I would recommend Workagain’s services to anyone struggling to secure a new role.”

If you are unfortunate enough to be made redundant or find yourself without a job, a sense of panic can set in quite quickly.

So many people feel that being out of work marks them down as unemployable. It doesn’t, even at the height of the boom when it is difficult to imagine why people would be out of work, there are plenty of employers needing people and very few around.

In the current situation, however, nobody is going to blame an individual who finds themselves on the wrong side of coronavirus.

Now we know that some employers in more normal times will rather lazily assume anyone out of work as partly to blame, but today unemployment is on the rise and your individual circumstances are simply not unusual.

The only way that it can possibly affect your future employment prospects is if it matters to you. If you feel it is a problem, then that will come across to employers. But if you think that your situation is no different to many others and it is not something to dwell on, then it will not influence your chances.

So rather than concentrate on your present predicament, concentrate instead on a targeted job search, a properly prepared CV and understanding how to interview properly, especially online. Those things will make a big difference.

Or call us.

Good luck!

Here is your problem. In the absence of any other strategy, people approach interviews trying to be likeable, trustworthy and passionate.

Not bad as an aim in itself, except that employers see lots of people who tick those boxes. But when they are recruiting what are they looking for?

Normally a solution to a problem. And in times of stress like this, it is normally a short-term problem.

They may not find somebody with exactly the right experience who has solved this problem before. But they will recognise the person when they see them.

Now nobody is suggesting that if you’ve been working in hotels all your life you have the right experience to suddenly become a brain surgeon. But in many other walks of life, skills are transferable. Salespeople in one industry can generally do well in another, especially if the profile of the customer is similar.

Likewise technical experts may benefit from 20 years with such and such technology, but in reality technology is changing so fast most people have no more than a year’s experience in any of it.

So recruiters are looking for people who solve problems. Whether on the front desk, whether managing a team of people, foreign customer support. But they want to understand that you can recognise problems and how you solve them. If you demonstrate this to people at an interview, they will listen. If you communicate it in the right way they will remember you.

But they see plenty of nice, 120% committed, likeable people. And that is not enough.

Sometimes you have a final interview for the job of your dreams.  You can’t be certain you will get it, how do you give yourself the best chance?

You’ve been out of work for six weeks and this role would just change your life. How do you improve your chances, make yourself more relaxed, come across less desperate for the role?

The quickest way is to line up some other interviews for other roles. I see too many jobseekers who find something they really like the look of, convince themselves they have a strong chance of being selected and then turn off their job search.

It is at precisely the point where you are getting close to something that you should not turn off your job search. The ability to genuinely convince recruiters that you are pursuing a number of different avenues makes you more desirable, it takes the pressure off you and it gives you a Plan B.

I have never gambled, but I understand the analogy. On roulette, only the reckless would put all their chips on red if you wanted to continue playing. But you could confidently put the same number on if you had 10 times that number sitting next to you. 

Spread your bet, increase your chances. And become more confident. 

A much better way to success. 

Finding your next role can be tricky. And you are bound to get rejected a lot of the time. But how much work have you put into it?

We have all seen the headlines – those job seekers who have made 2,000 applications and not had a single reply. Which is fine, but with the click of a mouse I can make multiple applications to an agency for multiple jobs. A simple as that.

But is that really looking for a job? For agencies that are deluged with candidates and under serious pressure. If they see somebody apply for a Managing Director and a Receptionist role, are they going to treat any of those applications seriously?

So how hard do you work at your job search? 

  • Do you draw up a list of roles that you think you would be suited for, and then a list of employers you would ideally like to work for? 
  • Do you approach those employers directly, or even find people who work there, connect with them and ask for their help? 
  • Once you have submitted an application, do you ever follow up?

It is competitive out there. Unless you treat your search for a job as a job, and something that you need to work as hard as you ever worked for your previous employer, then it may be difficult.

It is why some people find it so easy to get into another role, where others struggle for months. Roll up your sleeves, get professional about it and sooner or later the tide will turn.

Or contact us and see if we can put you on the right road. 

We speak to lots of jobseekers who we are supporting through outplacement.

Quite often when we speak to them after an interview, they feel slightly frustrated by their performance. That they have not quite got the message across. Which is why they nearly always benefit from interview coaching.

You see the problem is, many of us are not great storytellers. At interview, many are also really quite nervous. And under pressure, especially if you really want the job because you need it or it is the job of your dreams.

So instead of communicating clearly what you can bring to the organisation, you tend to go on a bit of a ramble, get a bit disconnected and add in a few too many details. And you can sense that the recruiter is getting bored and wished that you would get to the point.

And that is precisely what I recommend to anyone in an interview. Get to the point as quickly as possible and ask the interviewer if they would like further qualification.

Do not be tempted to paint an elaborate picture. Because you’ll probably end up in a Ronnie Corbett style monologue, going down all sorts of blind alleys and leaving your audience unimpressed.

Much better to get the key message across and add more information afterwards, than trying to tell your life story in one go.

I see it many times. 

People have put together their CV quite badly but they have spent ages agonising over their personal profile, before starting on the CV proper. 

The profile is not that important, but the contents of the CV are. So get that part fixed to begin with. The personal profile, on the other hand, is the part of your CV that can be adapted to various different situations. And certainly can be adapted to ensure it matches the needs of any job role you are looking at.

The reason for this is that recruiters and artificial intelligence will often scan through personal profiles to check whether they match job requirements and specifications. 

The personal profile does not need to be fixed, and while we would not recommend producing 26 different CVs for 26 different job applications, this small part of your CV can easily be adapted. 

So do not fret about it to begin with, you’re probably going to change it later in any case. 

Plenty of jobseekers do not show their age on their CV. And there is no reason for them to do so.

So we looked through a CV a few weeks ago that was actually quite well laid out. There was some decent qualifications there, although they gave no hint as to when schools and colleges were attended, so we turned to the job history.

Again this stopped in the year 2000, nothing earlier than that was shown. We have no problem with any of this, as I say any jobseeker is perfectly entitled to take any reference to their age off the CV to prevent age discrimination.

Except, having so carefully covered their tracks I look at their email address: joebloggs1957@gmail.com (apologies to the real Joe Bloggs, I have changed the name). I did not need Hercule Poirot to help me out, but I reckon John was born before 1958.

It is amazing how careful you can be and then miss the blindingly obvious isn’t it?

Look, I know that jobs are not to a penny at the moment. I know that the market is not flooded with opportunity.

But nevertheless, some of you are so keen to get a job that you’re scared of disagreeing with the recruiter, even when what they say is plainly wrong.

Sometimes this can be a test, to throw something controversial into the questioning and see how you react. Whether you stand up for yourself and what you believe or whether you simply roll over.

At other times you may fundamentally disagree with everything that is being said to you. However desperate you are for a job, would you feel comfortable in an organisation like that? Would they respect you more if you stood up to them and said you felt it was wrong.

We don’t suggest you pick an argument in every interview, but if you know something is plainly wrong then tactfully suggest that you don’t quite agree with everything. It might be a test or they might be a nightmare to work for.

Good luck!

Or at least get your lighting right.

Online interviews are becoming more common and more important. First impressions really count. So often I start online coaching with call from a dark murky figure against a brightly lit window. If I’m lucky the camera is pointing at their head if I’m not it misses them altogether.

Online interviews really are important. Practice them carefully beforehand, preferably video calling with a friend and asking them to take a screenshot. That way you can see whether you look like a professional TV presenter or someone stuck in the back of a cupboard in low light.

I know that many complain that their laptop does not have a great camera, or they can only use their phone. But if you are serious about your career, and recognise that this is an important part of the process, then invest £20 in a decent WebCam. Then set yourself up somewhere in the house with decent lighting and a plain background. It will pay real dividends.

Get the lighting right and you can shine.

Alex is a highly successful digital marketing specialist. He understands the environment, is extremely computer literate highly creative and knows how to put effective presentations together.

He had applied all of this knowledge to his CV. And while it looked very attractive it was not doing the right job for him in the recruitment market. There were too many messages going on, it was not focused enough on his undoubted achievements and it was difficult for people to understand exactly what he did.

We completely rewrote his CV, laying it out in a “machine friendly” fashion, that allowed modern recruitment systems to read it logically.

We are pleased to say that he quickly found himself back in the market, but receiving plenty of positive responses.

Alex’s Testimonial

“I was finding it really difficult to identify and properly represent my strengths and most notable achievements on my CV.

I was really struggling to be accepted for interviews and often being approached for far more junior positions as a result of my CV not representing me effectively. Guy was really helpful and gave me tailored advice specific to my industry as well as a completely restructured and segmented CV guidance.

I have since been complimented on by numerous potential employers on the clear and results orientated layout of my CV. I have since accepted a position at a fantastic company as a result of the expert consulting and bespoke experience I received, big thank you to Guy and his team for putting me on the right path”

 

It is quite simple “I’m 99% certain I’ll accept the offer”.

Having recruited for employers all over the world for many years, I can tell you that I know exactly what that phrase means. I have heard it perhaps 300 times, and on the balance of probabilities that would mean that 297 of that 300 have accepted the job.

Except in reality they never do. Because a candidate who is 99% in, is 100% out.

A bit like a football really. A ball that is 99% over the goal line is 100% not a goal. On the flipside a tennis ball that is 99% out is 100% in.

So 99% means to me that they are preparing you for the 1% doubt. That they quite like the idea of the job but they know they won’t accept it. But they don’t have the guts to tell you today, so they’ll leave that lingering doubt in your mind overnight until they call you tomorrow. Or go quiet on you.

If you want to reassure a recruiter that you are going to accept their job (but you possibly have no intention of doing so because you are seeing three other employers in the meantime) then do not use the 99% word. They have heard it all before. 

In fact we are much happier with lower percentages, because they are much more genuine and quite often end in a good outcome. Somebody who is 90% certain may well accept, and someone who is 80/20 will accept most of the time.

So I’ll never believe 99%. But I might give you 110% for effort. 

On your CV? Completely. (Though there are ways of telling the truth that are better than others)

But when you’re dealing with third parties, especially agencies, then you do not need to share everything. Having operated in recruitment ourselves for many years, let me tell you a typical scenario that can really harm your chances of getting your ideal job.

The typical scenario goes something like: you are a very capable candidate who has two or three opportunities on the go. You have been offered a job, or are strongly in the running for one, through an agency who has introduced you.

You mentioned casually that you are also in the running for a job with XYZ Ltd. Perhaps you have been introduced to them by somebody else or even a friend.

Here is the agency’s dilemma. They know you are a strong candidate for one of their clients, but also for someone who they are not dealing with. Agencies range from the very ethical, that is like how we always wanted to behave, to the very “sharp”. 

A sharp operator will not be able to let this go. As soon as they have put down the phone they will make the following judgement, you are 50-50 between their client and XYZ Ltd. If they can get one of their candidates into XYZ Ltd, they have the potential to make two placements. Clearly it will halve your chances of getting your next role, but for the sharp operator that is not their concern.

It happens a lot more than you would believe. And especially in the current climate, where new roles are difficult to come by. If they can get a lead on someone who is definitely recruiting, many will follow it up.

So my advice to you is simple, if you want to be open and upfront with an agency you trust by all means tell them you have a couple of opportunities in the pipeline. But never reveal the identity. 

The harder they push you, the more you know they want to contact the client themselves. You are under no obligation to tell them, and if I were you I would insist that the role is extremely confidential and it would be a breach of trust to reveal the identity. End of conversation.

In the meantime good luck, I’m delighted you have two job opportunities.

The question I’m often asked – ”Why did they get the job when they’re nowhere near as good at it as me?”

Because many people who are brilliant at their jobs are rubbish at communicating it. They don’t understand that what comes to them naturally, is difficult for others to comprehend.

And they don’t understand that if you can learn to communicate your skills, can explain exactly what makes you different and why you have better results, you will get noticed.

It has always been one of our biggest frustrations that the best operators sometimes don’t get the career breaks they deserve. And we have often looked on in amazement at those who cannot perform at that level rise rapidly through the ranks, impressing everybody at each stage of the interview process. They can’t manage but they can interview well.

Learn the secret to this process and your career will take off. Pretend that it makes no difference and it will hold you back.

Talk to us, we can tell you how.

On the one hand they aren’t really. If you know what you’re doing.

But most of us are not broadcasters. And the only video calls we ever really make are with our mates, and never really trying to impress a new employer.

And how many interviews have you ever had to do with the family running around in the background? Or with the stereo blaring from upstairs?

Because many of our jobseekers have to overcome these hurdles and more. How do you get the lighting right? How do you dress? How do you lead and guide the conversation rather than a series of grunts and Yes’s and No’s?

We know that the online coaching that we do makes a massive difference. So do our jobseekers. 

In any interview first impressions count. An online interview is not an informal chat – get it right, understand the principles involved and you will be way ahead of the competition. And whatever background or experience you have, you will stand a much better chance.

In today’s market, as we all try to keep apart from each other, recruitment still has to go on. And if you can master the online interview then you will find yourself back in work much quicker than most. 

 

Of course I realise it’s a tough market, and of course there are millions of people looking for work.

But we work with lots of people, and we know that many have poor CVs, are looking for jobs in the wrong places, and are putting themselves at the back of the queue when it comes to their job search.

The problem is, most of us panic when we are out of work. And most of us think we know better than anyone else about their career.

We work with individuals at all levels. And do you know what? Few have a high enough opinion of their own experience and their own abilities. So they rarely communicate just what a positive effect they have had on their previous employers. If you don’t tell people how good you are, no one will guess it.

There’s a whole load of technology that sifts and filters applications, especially when those recruiting are receiving 1000s of them. Most of it is common sense and a great help to sift through potential candidates.

But if you do not realise it is there, if you do not know how it works, then you might think a friendly human face is going to make an inspired choice and choose your CV. Computers won’t do that, especially if you don’t play their game.

And employers are now using remote technology to interview and shortlist. You won’t understand how a poor online interview can make you look terrible. Some simple steps can make you look far better than anyone else. But if you have not been told, then you don’t have much of a chance.

We see this the whole time, and we can change people’s chances in just a few weeks. As plenty of testimonials will show.

It doesn’t cost much, but talk to the professionals. We really can make a difference.

 

People who find themselves out of work tend to do one of two things in our experience. Either they refuse to look at anything even slightly below the job they have just come out of, or they go completely the other way and want to look at anything and everything. Insecurity and fear of being out of a job forever means they take the first thing that comes along. Even if it is completely inappropriate.

If you are in the unfortunate position of finding yourself unemployed, try not to panic. But equally do not dismiss every job that comes your way because it doesn’t look perfect. The one thing you have in your situation that costs you nothing is time. Time to speak to people, to explore opportunities, to get known by other employers. And you never know where an opportunity or a conversation might take you.

The test we have always recommended is “If this was the only opportunity around in three months time, would I look at it?” If the answer to that is yes, then look at it now. You can always turn it down, but if it is the only game in town and it is interesting why not have a chat?

Good luck, it is not an easy market but on the other hand you have real skills. Believe in yourself and talk to as many people as possible and you’ll probably find the ideal opportunity.

 

Anybody remember Boys from the Black Stuff? 

An early 80s Alan Bleasdale drama that dates anyone who watched it, it starred Bernard Hill as Yosser Hughes. 

Yosser used the worst networking style you could imagine – he would normally open the conversation “Gizza job, I can do that”. He topped it off with a head-butt for anyone who didn’t.

There are much more subtle ways, especially if you are approaching people who you have known well. Nearly everybody, even if you are old mates, will feel embarrassed if you approach them and ask them if they have a job. 

They will feel especially embarrassed if they do have one but you are not right for it, or if they just can’t offer you one. And so they may not reply and hope that you go away.

But most people are always open to helping their old friends. So anybody who approaches them asking for helpful contacts or places to look creates no embarrassment. At worst you are happy to reply and say you don’t really know anybody at the moment but will keep your eye out. Or alternatively they will genuinely know somebody who is looking or who is worth talking to.

Once you have opened the conversation they might decide actually you’ve changed, you’ve matured and you have the right experience that might help them out. And as they know you they know your strengths and your weaknesses but know you are genuine.

In any case, the indirect approach nearly always works well in networking. The direct one rarely does. And old acquaintances are the best place to start looking.

Good luck 

Coronavirus has created an awful lot of redundancies, but people are still finding new jobs. It’s time to find out how you can do that too.

This might be the worst slump we’ve had in the past 12 years, and just possibly unemployment is about to go through the roof, but employers are still recruiting. 

In fact if you look at the figures many SME’s (small to medium-size enterprises) are planning to recruit this year. Some of them have landed on their feet in sectors that are doing extremely well, others naturally have a steady turnover of jobs and are always looking to find new people. 

But if you compare the job market today to the one that we saw 12 months ago, it is very different. And as a result, before you even start to apply for jobs, you need to understand how to give yourself the best opportunity.

And while for many that means applying for jobs online, the operative word here is many. Everybody’s doing it. It makes it really difficult to stand out from the crowd if that crowd is a really big one.

Much better, therefore, to find yourself in a shortlist of one. How do you do that? You need to be seen by employers before they even know they’re looking for a job. Or before they have briefed recruitment consultancies, or because someone you know well has recommended you.

It is time to dust off your old contacts. And it is time to leverage these contacts through LinkedIn. It is the premier networking site in the world, while it has its limitations, when you genuinely know somebody is a great way of getting back in touch.

You won’t remember all of them, but if you put all of your details properly into LinkedIn and search for people who were at the same school, university and employer as you, it is surprising how many familiar faces you will see. 

And it is surprising how old faces are really happy to help someone if there is an opportunity.

 

 

The Internet has changed everything. With one click of the mouse you can apply to hundreds of jobs, but so can everyone else.

While it is easier to apply, it is much more difficult to stand out.

And it is more difficult for companies to choose the right one, so the way they view and sift applications has also changed.

Because just as machines have helped with applications, they are also doing a lot of the selection. Programs that look at relevance, experience, character, stability and many other factors. Sifting began with simple pre-qualifying questions, but now some recruiters use sophisticated readers to scan application letters and CVs against specific criteria. Scary.

As we go increasingly mobile, recruitment decisions are now being made on mobile phones and iPads rather than paper. So you need to ensure your CV will stand up to scrutiny and out from the crowd when viewed in these new formats.

So, what can you do?

First of all, read the advertisement carefully. What is the company looking for? Look at your CV, especially the “profile” section. Savvy applicants now make sure this profile matches almost exactly what is requested in the advertisement.

This is not for the benefit of humans, who rarely read profiles, but for computers who never tire of them.

Apparently this is the most feared question in interviews, and features in more Internet searches than any other interview question.

And it’s surprising really, because if you think about it it is the one question that you should know all the answers to. But then most candidates are worried about how they express themselves and how they present themselves in the best possible light.

Well here’s my first tip, don’t talk about yourself, talk about the things you’ve done and achieved, the things that you are most proud of. And give due prominence to the most recent events. It is absolutely fantastic that you got the best A-level results in the country, but if that was 40 years ago I don’t think it is going to impress many employers.

On the other hand, if you have taken your current dealership from bottom of the manufacturers league to into the top 10 in the last two years they may well sit up and listen. If you just tell them you are an inspirational leader they probably won’t take your word for it and ask for some more proof. Achievements, figures, objectively measured results are what matters.

The key thing is to expect this question, it will get asked at least 50% of the time in interviews. Prepare and practice your answer and you will be rarely under pressure when you answer it.

It is always tempting, you are desperate to justify yourself in an interview.

And the best way to do that is to demonstrate what an idiot your previous boss was. Or how incompetent the board was. Or what a ridiculous strategy they were following.

It is probably one of the most common mistakes that jobseekers make. It is entirely understandable and completely wrong. All employers want loyal committed and preferably compliant recruits. It is best not to fall at the first hurdle by giving them definitive proof that you are anything but.

However idiotic or stupid your employer may be, and we all concede that it is quite possible, do not fall into this basic trap. You will almost certainly head to Room 101 before you get a further chance to explain yourself.

All employers have their own agendas, few of them are perfect and everyone accepts that. But few accept that the person you were reporting into is more idiotic than you. So if you’ve been stupid enough to work for them that any length of time it reflects badly on you as much as it does on them. And your disloyalty and disrespect will put almost everybody off.

By all means explain you have had disagreements, by all means explain that you were not the right person for the job. But never be rude about a previous employer, because you won’t get the next job.

Whether you are submitting a CV or attending an interview, the initial impact you make will broadly determine the outcome of the process.

In fact it can be as little as five seconds during which a lot of decisions are made.

Take the humble CV, for instance. Tests have shown that a recruiter will make up a decision about a candidate’s CV in between 6 and 8 seconds.

Admittedly that decision may be a definite No, a definite Yes and lots of Maybes. They then spend a bit more time on the Maybes, but in eight seconds you might not get that far.

In interview situations, however objective the process, a similar instant reaction, apparently less than five seconds, is made by most of us. It dates back to much earlier times, when your very survival depended upon whether an individual was for you or against you. And we just can’t help using those instincts, whatever process we are asked to go through.

It is not the whole secret to preparing a CV or to attending an interview, but if you are entirely capable, and competent, and you can make a great first impression and you can interview well then you are on the road to success.

If you can’t, you have to work that little bit harder. Learn to make an instant impact and you will do better.

However unfair that is.