Want job must travel!

BBC reports today of graduates taking internships in China to get some work experience on their CV so that they will stand out from their fellow graduates when applying for jobs.

Apparently there are 69 applicants for every graduate vacancy and employers can afford to choose only the best. Hence it is important that graduates make every effort to illustrate to a prospective employer that they are flexible and adaptable so worth employing.

The same is true for other jobseekers too, far too many unemployed are not prepared to relocate or spend the week away from home in order to secure a new job.

The necessity for social mobility is not new, I am reminded that my 5xGreat Grandfather Alexander Pollock a papermaker in Edinburgh found work in Keighley Yorkshire, Wrexham Wales and Northampton before finding a more permanent position at Darenth Kent where he worked the remaining umpteen years of his life. The difference is that back in the early 19C he would have walked, at least now we have transport.

So the message is widen your horizons, there is a job somewhere….

Why British Graduates are losing jobs to immigrants

Why British Graduates are losing jobs to immigrants

We have seen a lot in the press recently about British graduates losing out in the job market to immigrants: the reasons quoted could be a little misleading when  blanket statements are made concerning their education level.

I have no reason to believe that our universities are any worse than other countries universities; in fact I would say that our universities, on the whole, surpass many others. If this was not the case then why are so many foreigners applying to join our top performing universities? We rarely, if ever, see UK students applying to a university in Lahore or Mumbai, even though their standards are very good. Continue reading “Why British Graduates are losing jobs to immigrants”

Graduate Recruitment

Graduate recruitment

As recruiters we receive a large number of CV’s from graduates seeking employment, which I have to admit is not our area of expertise, however there are certain factors that we hear countless times that make us write off that particular graduate.

The most off-putting application that we receive is the one that begins with a telephone call from …The graduates mum; “hello I am ringing on behalf of my son who graduated from university with a degree and is seeking employment”. This applicant will go straight into the bin and never even be opened. If the graduate does not have the gumption to pick up a phone then they will not have what it takes to be employed by our clients. Continue reading “Graduate Recruitment”

Over 50 update

I have been contacted by quite a number of people agreeing with the fact that it does seem to be harder to find a new job if you are over 50 (or 40’s in many cases) but what has been refreshing is that I have had an almost equal number saying that although they are over 50 and have been out of work for more than a year they have recently found new employment.

Many job applications and rejections but perseverance paid off – gives you hope!

Over 50 – over the hill or just misunderstood?

Unemployment for those over 50 is rising much faster than for other age groups, why might this be?

Having just reached this milestone myself and being in recruitment maybe I can offer a few reasons.

We are probably the last generation to have entered employment with the prospect of a job for life, certainly when I joined Lloyds Bank this was one of the outlined expectations. As such we tended to start at the bottom and progress through the ranks of a company as we acquired knowledge and skills. The company tended to be loyal to you and hence the reverse was also true. Continue reading “Over 50 – over the hill or just misunderstood?”

Why don’t companies reply to my job application?

Why don’t companies reply to my job application?

How many times do we see and hear people say this? I have lost count. Sometimes it may well be ‘bad manners’ on the side of the recruiting company or agent, but with the more professional companies that is probably not the case.

The reasons for no response are varied: Continue reading “Why don’t companies reply to my job application?”

Have pay deals in the finance sector plummeted?

Have pay deals in the finance sector plummeted?

It has been reported that pay deals in the finance sector have plummeted despite signs of a recovery, with wage freezes accounting for 32% of all finance sector awards, according to XpertHR.

The survey stated that pay deals had to May 2010 increased by 2.3% down from 3.5% the previous year. This compares to a 1% basic deals across the economy as a whole.

Our findings are that for staff that remain with a company for a long period of time this is almost certainly the case, but it always has been so; long term members of staff see their real worth diminish over the years. Continue reading “Have pay deals in the finance sector plummeted?”

Recruitment what is it?

Recruitment of one type or another has been going on since man began using other people to do the work for them. In times past it may have meant slavery or the press gang, but now it means finding the right person to do a specific job within and organisation for the right price.

Nowadays there are various methods that firms use to fill a vacancy, and each one has its merits and of course its downside.

For the employer who is not really interested in his staff or any legalities there is the “gang master” who drives to a certain area where a group of hopeful workers are waiting to be picked. The workers are normally those not entitled to work in this country or possibly benefit claimants looking for extra illegal money. But the gang master couldn’t care as long as the work is carried out for cash in hand. Continue reading “Recruitment what is it?”