When not to look for a new job

There are times when, looking for a new job is not a wise idea or a good risk. Such times could include, for instance, a credit crunch – anyone seen one recently?

However, if you are feeling frustrated in your current job or with your existing employer, there is much you can do to freshen up your outlook and future job prospects when the outlook does look better, and improve existing skills or create new one’s which recruiters are looking for employers seek.

Firstly, let’s take attitude – is the existing job really that bad? Yes, you may have found that you are paid 10% less than a work colleague, or 20% less than a friend doing a lesser job at a rival firm: but are they really being paid that much more? If you think yes, then why not ask for an out of cycle review with your boss to asses performance. Even if the outcome is good, are you likely to get more money doing the same job? No, but if the review is good you should be offered more responsibility, and that should equal more pay – plus as a well assessed employee, you have just reduced your chances of redundancy in that employer by at least three fold

The other in-house problem may be work colleagues, or even the boss. If that is the problem, then chat to a trusted third party in a casual conversation, to see if they feel that the other person has a reason to have something against you, or whether its just them. If you find a reason, then change your self first and then change them. Talk the other person about how you feel, and what you are willing to do to solve the issue and what you would appreciate them doing. May be it is as simple as saying hello in the mornings, or occasionally making the coffee/tea – problems can be quite small but harmful. But honestly, no one wants to work in an unhappy atmosphere, and you will probably be amazed that they also don’t feel happy and would be happy to find a better way forward.

May be the problem is your home life. Have you in the past six months moved, changed partners, had a new addition to the family – pets can be as troublesome as babies – or is a family member going through some tough times, and it’s reflecting through you? Changing everything at the same time adds a lot of stress to anyone’s life, and much as though the job may be boring or not want you want right now, getting stability in your home life would improve your view of it. Plus it can be a sanctuary of normality and stability away from the stress of the home. When ever I see people in Ajiri not feeling happy, I always ask them to sit down and chat, and make a point of asking about how home life is. My rule is always: home first, work second - if your home life is stable, then your work life is a lot easier.

May be none of the above are the reason, and you are just bored and in need of a change. That can always happen, but always remember not all job changes work out – with some employers, as low as 20% will be there one year later. Plus if you are last in, and redundancies are required, you WILL be first out – under most law, you have few retention rights or redundancy package rights for at least the first 6monts, and possibly as long as a year – all career change is a risk.
OK, so you think you want a change. Firstly, before you look at any adverts or jobs boards, have a look around your work world. What is it that is so boring, under whelming, and not fulfilling in your current job? Is there anything you could add to it which would make it better, by doing something else – or even gaining promotion?

Secondly, before you start looking at job adverts, get a plan and a goal together – what you are looking for may well be right where you are, plus a little bit.

Thirdly, once you have the plan you can have a look at the jobs boards and adverts in local media. If your ideal next job exists, then you will see it advertised – no adverts for it, then it might not exist, or be in demand right now: this is a sign of increased unemployment risk. If you do see jobs like the one you want, are they asking for more qualifications than you have, or wider experience? Note these down, and place them in your plan.

Now go back to your boss, and chat about your job. Bring up that you want job enhancement and development, and suggest the areas you noted. Ask for the training you spotted in the adverts as a development exercise – you may not presently get sponsorship for training, but you may get released for college on agreed hours. All of these steps means that you increase your value to your existing employer, and your desirability to your future employer; both of which add up to a lower chance of a period of unemployment.

It is natural that people will from time to time get bored with their jobs, and look for change – most outside their existing employers. If they looked at the reasons why, made a plan and asked for a few inputs from the boss and changes from co-workers, life may well look a whole lot better where they are – and they would be in a far, far more secure position in these dangerous economic times.

Good Luck!

Beyond the Resume and CV: is recruiting via web 2.0 that different?

BMany people in the recruiting and HR world are talking about recruitment 2.0. These people are those in that world who are totally web aware, and probably have a blog – so no wonder why I am writing about this phenomenon!

But, is recruitment web 2.0 style really any different to recruiting properly? In my personal opinion – NO!

Recruiting web 2.0 style is seen as a free flow of information between candidates and employers – there by cutting out the recruiters – where by employers find passive candidates through use of amazing tools and online social networking; while candidates find hidden opportunities in amazing employers.

Well, here’s a shock. Great companies have always hired for talent – they may not have had a position, but they do have systems which recognise talent, and they have captured it. For example, until 1998, who had ever heard of the UK Secret Service MI5 recruiting? Why did they have to do this – because the European Union in effect forced them to do it through legislation, plus not all situations required a while male Oxbridge graduate: in fact in certain situations, it was a hindrance to your future prospects of breathing. The UK Secret Service had to diversify their recruiting channels, and advertising when you are perceived as a wholly white male Oxbridge bastion can help to change potential recruit’s perceptions – they could widen the net, and get better quality candidates for new situations

What still shocks me today, is that much as though web 2.0 proponents suggest it brings freedom and a far lower cost process of recruiting to the employer, most employers still don’t use their own two greatest tools of cheapest cost recruiting and retention: their own brand, and their own workforce. The issue any recruiter has to deal with is not just skill competency of any candidate, but also social fit within an employer. Most honest recruiters will accept that even the best at this only get around 50% of placement right on the social fit measure: it is hence why the head hunters always put more than one candidate forward; while the bottom end and high street will put more than 10 forward because there’s bound to be one that fits in there somewhere! If you were employer, and were looking to expand your team of nuclear fission research scientists, where would you go to find more of them? Most employers send out an advert or pay a recruiter, where as less than 1 in 10 employers speaks to and incentives their existing people – who know the social fit of the company better than any external resource could ever – and who probably just flick through their own diary to earn a fee of less than 10% a half competent recruiter would charge. Who needs Facebook or LinkedIn when you have a workforce?

One thing web 2.0 can do is reduce the time to recruit, and the efficiency of that process. Aaron Strout, Vice President of New Media at Mzinga.com correctly points out that web 2.0 recruiting means that an employer can get a far, far better rounded view of any employee. Web 2.0 cuts out the need to contact them, bring them in and interview, and then ask for references: they have already given you the references thanks to their open social networks profiles. In fact, one of the things I have suggested to many candidates when they decide that they want to find a new job, is to firstly clean up their social networking profile, and then secondly increase that profile by changing a few key words and taking some simple actions. Hence, any candidates you do invite in for interview via a web 2.0 process search are hence more likely to have social fit, and be able to be offered a job – but I still think, that process still won’t be perfect, just better.

One thing Strout has asked his candidates to undertake for the companies new Citizen Marketer post is not to send him a CV or Resume, but to blog and socially network with him and others to get an interview. Is this a web 2.0 tactic or strategy? In this case it is not, it is a test posing as a web 2.0 cutting edge development. Simply, if you want to hire an X, you need to test during interview and assessment for the core competencies that an X would need. A Citizen Marketer apparently needs to be able to use web 2.0 tools such as social networking and blogging to satisfy Mzinga’s client’s requirements – this application process merely tests for those skills. A business acquaintance who runs a private dining catering company asks all new potential employee’s to peel a potato (its not a test about peeling potato’s, it is a test about cleanliness); while in BT and many other telecoms companies, field workers are asked to pick out certain copper cable colours from a piece of cable (it is a test of eye sight and colour blindness). They, like the blogging test set by Strout, are all just tests to test core competencies of the potential employees against a defined role.

Web 2.0 as a technology does offer more – its offers both candidates and employers the opportunity to access a wider network of opportunity: and that’s good for all, as long as you make sure your online reputation is in order first, and continually updated. Is it the answer to every HR teams recruiting question – no, probably not. For employers, using a better employment process and focusing on improvement of a talent management system will still bring the best results, which web 2.0 can bring new tools to – and that’s all folks!

Good Luck!

Political discrimination in employment law

In light of the news tonight that a former Welsh employee of the British National Party has published the entire 2007 membership database of 10,000 people on the internet - some current members, some past members - I think it is worth a quick review of discrimination law and how it effects employment in the UK.

However, firstly a quick legal statement. As both employment law and internet law is covered by certain legislation in the UK, and as the list contains individuals personal information which is covered under the Data Protection Act, there is a potential breach of UK law, and as the publication of this list is subject to a complaint by the BNP party leader Nick Griffin to Dyfed Powys Police who are presently investigating, I will not be making a link to the source or any duplications of the list from this blog. If you find such a link, this has been placed here in error, and I request that you inform me immediately of this link which will be removed as quickly as possible. If any comments are inserted which include links to the source list or copies therefore, they will also be removed as quickly as possible. It is therefore requested that you do not place links in comments which link to such sources. I will also freely state that I am not nor have never been a member or sympathiser of the BNP, and have only ever been a member of the UK Labour Party by default when a member of the Post Office Telecoms Union between 1979 and 1982, when I opted out of paying the political levy.

There are clear laws and excellent legal precedents on many potential issues of employment discrimination on many issues, including sex, age, race, disability and religeon. You may not agree with some of these, but personally I think these are good laws for the entire UK population and its long term harmony, and employment. From a business view point as well, these laws are excellent - your market probably has many different people represented, and addressing the needs contained within these laws means you should resultantly be able to address your market in a better manner.

However, one potential area of discrimination not addressed in these specific laws, or the generic law of the UK or the EU, is political discrimination.

Employees have the enshrined legal right to join a trade union, thanks to the Labour government of Tony Blair which repealed the majority of the Trade Union law installed by Margaret Thatchers Conservatives. However, there is no direct legislation in England, Wales or Scotland which protects a person from political discrimination in the work place, but there is such legislation in Northern Ireland.

An employee has the right to join a trade union, and should not be refused a job, dismissed, harassed or selected for redundancy because they are a member of or want to join a trade union. A member of a trade union has the right to take part in its activities, whether it is recruiting members or attending meetings.

Some employees face dismissal in certain defined jobs on the grounds of evidence of membership of some political activities, including the BNP. This includes certain government jobs, which for the BNP members since 2004 includes not being able to be a police officer: "This is because such membership would be incompatible with our duty to promote equality under the Race Relations Amendment Act and would damage the confidence of minority communities" has commented Peter Fahy, of the Association of Chief Police Officers.

Northern Ireland:
Inequality between Catholics and Protestants in employment was a key issue at the heart of the conflict in Northern Ireland. Over a long period, successive administrations introduced fair employment legislation, outlawing discrimination in employment on the grounds of religion or political opinion.

The Fair Employment and Treatment (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 introduced far-reaching provisions on equality. It imposed duties on public authorities to have due regard to the need to promote equality of opportunity across diverse situations and identities, and regard to the desirability of promoting good relations between persons of different religious belief, political opinion or racial group.

In the whole of Northern Ireland, it is illegal to discriminate against anyone, including a child or young person, on the grounds of religious or political belief. If a person has suffered religious discrimination they may be able to take action against the organisation or individual responsible.

The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland has more information on political discrimination, and publishes an excellent booklet.

European legislation:
The only piece of legislation where discrimination against individual's political belief may be protected is under the European Union Human Rights Act, which became part of British law in 1998, although there is no specific legislation regarding political discrimination under the act. Examples where part of the act could work are:

- Article 10: Freedom of expression
- Article 11: Freedom of assembly and association

How these are interpreted by the courts remains unclear, but an example where a person may not be discriminated against, using Article 10 or 11, could be when taking part in any demonstrations.

Suggested actions:
On all occasions where you feel you may have been discriminated against, your first point of call should be to a employment law specialist solicitor. If you can't find one, then use the Law Society website "Find a Solicitor" service using Employment Law as a pre selection. Often, initial consultations are free (always check first), and it is quick to discover if you have a case. If discrimination is suggested, then in many cases there are multiple grounds of discrimination - ie: disability and sexual. Always follow your solicitors advice in such cases, and do nothing without prior consultation or their agreement - you are paying them, so take their advice.

If your name is on this published list, them I recommended that you complain in writing to the website where you found the listing as well as their listed ISP service provider/hosting company.

If you are no longer a member of the BNP, but your name appears on the list, then when you next go to work ask for a meeting with your manager and/or the HR manager. Explain that you are no longer a member, which they may request to be followed up in writing - don't do this until asked to do so. The reason for this is that if you are dismissed after the date of your resignation from the BNP, then the reason for your dismissal can not be political - discrimination can not be applied retrospectively.

Good Luck!

Unemployment: temp or part time job opportunity into fulltime career

As the unemployment circle bites, many are now looking at the prospect of job hunting for the first time in many years, if not decades. On that note, I have sympathy with Harry Blackwood, the journalist turned college lecturer who now finds himself unemployed after 35years.

However, much as though sympathy and understanding is fine, it is finding work quickly which is the key; and from some, only in the right sector.

I have written here before about changing sectors, but how about if you can’t get the dream job, but just want a job in your dream company or ideal sector? The reason you probably can’t get in to your ideal job if you have tried every tactic and lesson possible, and had your CV checked over, is then based on:

- Your skills
- Your experience
- The competition is better qualified

If you still really want that job, how about getting it from the inside rather than the outside? How about a contract or part time job then? And in the credit crunch, this tactic works even better.

Most employers today want flexible workforces. People unlike chocolate bars don’t come in half size pay scales, but there is the option to take on half a wage or less than a 28day notice period, either through part-time workers or agency staff/contractors. The immediate advantage to the employer is that they get a flexible workforce, and their pay costs better match their income profile.

However, there is a distinct advantage to the job seeker. This choice by an employer means you have a far better chance of becoming an insider when a new job post comes up. The advantages to the employer of this tactic is that they know you and your capabilities. Should a suitable job come up, any issues you may fall short on with regards skills, qualifications or experience are made up for by the taking the risk of hiring out – if they are considering letting you on to the applicant list, its says: “we think we can bridge that gap with training.”

If you know your ideal sector or employer, check the local newspapers for adverts. These may not always have the employers logo or details stamped on them, so if in doubt ring the employer/s HR department and ask for a list of the recruitment agencies on their Preferred Supplier List (PSL). Then call these agencies, and register ONLY for this employer or sector.

Be flexible in terms of the types of work you will do when an opportunity comes up. It doesn’t have to be your ideal job in your ideal employer, as my sister found out when temping as a typist having just finished her degree, and being offered graduate training posts for HR and finance work: it just has to be in your target sector or employer.

Once on the inside, be clear on communication and the targets expected of you. One thing you need to discover are the high performer targets, and to make sure that within your first 20 days of working there you hit them at least once. Yes, it might mean long hours and not a lot of social life, but it will be worth it.

After 28days or at the end of your period of employment if less than that, ask for a meeting with HR. Get them to review your work and agree you have done a great job while working with them. To confirm this, ask for a written reference – say it is for your portfolio if asked. Now you have that check knowing that they think you are great, ask if there are any job opportunities? They may say no, but having just handed you a fresh hand written reference they are more likely to say yes or at the very least say “stay in touch.” Make sure you do that, and in either case make it clear you don’t expect a job on a plate – you are happy to compete, and prove you are the right person.

Job hunting need not be hard, and getting your ideal job may not be difficult. But it may require the job seeker to deploy some thought and tactics to get what they want from the inside.

Good Luck!

Sunday Thoughts: When will the economy recover? When both a family in Florida and you know what your house will sell for

There is much talk in the Sunday newspapers about the economy, and the comments of UK Shadow Chancellor George Osbourne. The question is – how long will the recession be?

Simply, at present I don’t know anyone who knows the answer to that question. The answer to part of that question is: do you know what value your house would sell for tomorrow? OK, November is not a great time to be selling a house, so what would it sell for say next April, as Easter is traditionally a high spot for the home sales market?

You may think “well its worth X,” and there are many people still believing that – just take a quick look at UK house marketing website RightMove, and see how many properties have the words “Offers in Excess of” tagged before the price. But really, all that is a view of hope over economic reality.

When I was in college, there was an argument between the electronics lecturers and the business lecturers over a project they lead us through, to design and market a product. The electronics lecturers said that the price of the product was cost plus fair margin; the business lecturers said it was whatever the market was prepared to pay. Siding with the business lecturers was what eventually made me end up going into business – its economic and market reality, as in theory the value could go to zero.

My view is that those who put “Offers in excess of” would have sided with the business lecturers – but then, watching those properties, they have now been on the market on average in excess of six months; and those that don’t have those words are starting to – slowly – turnover and sell. These are either fire sales by mainly what seems like buy-2-let owners, or repossession resales by mortgage companies – of buy-2let flats. I have said to friends now for a while, that this recession could well be a middle-class one, where by the buy-2-let dream becomes a reality of “prices can go up as well as down.”

But fire sales always happen in markets, as do repossessions – it’s the growing volume which is concerning, and those growths are not signs of a stable market. It’s the sales price of the average family home which is where the problem of valuing assets is currently the part answer to the recession question.

On Friday, various mortgage lenders re-entered the tracker-mortgage market. The products though, as economists had predicted were changed. The changes were in the form of: a larger “gap” between the Bank of England base rate and the mortgage rate – with some predicting new products may well be based soon on LIBOR as opposed to BoE rates; and the amount of deposit required – there are now less than 50 mortgage products on the entire UK market which require a 10% deposit, and nothing below this level.

What does this data say? It says that most mortgage lenders, already short of cash, can’t take a bet at present on house prices dipping by a further 10% in the next two years. In fact what it is saying, is that that is what is going to at least happen. In most stable markets, a 10% deposit would be enough to take care of most economic changes - at present it is not, and until it is this recession will not find a bottom.

The hailed for and resultant stock market rallying – possibly Gordon Brown lead, I think so – injection of capital into the banks together with buying of so called “toxic” debts has still not occurred. In the United States, Henry Paulson stated that the US Treasury had so far with its $700Bn cash pile only bought shares in banks, not the toxic debt – which resulted in more turmoil on the global stock markets; while new RBoS CEO Stephen Hestor still debates the how and when of the proposed BoE cash injections. All this means that the lack of trust between banks continues, resulting in the continuing instability of the interbank markets reflected in LIBOR, resulting in less lending, and hence to the stock markets falling and climb like the Red Arrows – the whole problem that the Gordon Brown solution was supposed to solve.

The economic storm was started by: over lending in the United States mortgage market; and packaging of these debts in to the world finance market, and purchase by global bankers who didn’t know what they were holding. This storm will continue until the banks can trust each other, and know that either they have sufficient cash to pay back debts, or can sell assets to pay these debts, and know the value of those assets. While the lack of cash-injection continues, and a resultant lack of lending, the value of those assets will fall, and hence the cycle will continue downwards.

What about specifically the UK? Downturns are when Governments should spend, and that what Gordon Brown is proposing – from listening to the media, a tax cut in a pre-Christmas budget. However, as one commentator said yesterday, even a 10% tax cut putting in £30 a week in the average pay packet will be swallowed up by rising fuel prices rather than high street spending – so I don’t like that idea.

My view is – if you don’t have any savings in the cupboard (which the UK doesn’t), and you need to spend (which we ought to), then spend on long term projects, which you would have had to have borrowed for anyway. Transport is a good sector for such projects – which creates many jobs in the construction and operations phase - so why not revive plans for a high-speed link in the UK? Virgin had plans in their bid for the East Coast mainline a few years back, and there is always the old “rebuild the Great Central Railway” which is still relatively untouched post-Beeching; and I can’t see why electrification of the old GWR can’t be undertaken, or a review of the long term location of London’s main airport can’t be undertaken – there are far fewer homes in the Thames than the M4 corridor.

So, when will the recession end? It will bottom after Mr Paulson and Mr Dowling get on and inject their cash into the banks; after Barack Obama gets into the White House; and once you know the price of what your house will sell at next Easter, and the banks will give the buyer of your house a mortgage on a 10% deposit from a choice of more than 250 products, knowing that it provides a fair risk/return. Until that point, and no matter what Gordon Brown spends on or George Osbourne says will make little or no long term difference – it will only add to the peaks and troughs which say: neither I, nor you, nor the bank know what your house is worth.

Good Luck!

Remember, even in the credit crunch, there are still Births, Deaths, Marriages – and SEX!

It’s tough times now, and it is going to be even tougher times ahead in 2009 – I think we are close enough now for me to be able to write that. Many people are losing their jobs, and those who are unemployed can’t find jobs – so what hope is there?

Last week, there was a lot of bad economic data either side of the Atlantic, even after Barack Obama became President elect:

• Car sales down a record 26% to a 20 year low. The big three are hurting, and GM has said it will run out of cash in early 2009
• House sales down a further 20%, effectively now down 48% in the UK from just two years ago
• Retail sales down 12%
• Unemployment at five year highs, and heading higher

But please note – although the figures are DOWN, they are not ZERO. Why is this? Let’s take a simple scenario:

Young man on a rare night out that he can afford meets a young lady, takes her back to his place and ….. nine months later, after getting married and buying a family car, they welcome a child. His apartment now won’t suit their needs, and nor will hers, so they need a house. Houses require mortgages, and after doing a deal with both fathers on a 20% deposit, he needs a better job to pay for it while she will do some part-time work from home for the next 12months – or perhaps she employs a nanny? The house needs decorating…

One thing that is always constant, whether we like it or not, is the fact we are time-limited biological life forms on this earth. You can check this out by reading your local BDM column – it might be shrinking a bit now in the M section, but B and D are still at pretty much the same level they were last year.

These life forms are also emotional, made up of complex calculations and mixtures of chemicals which play a huge part in the micro-second calculations we each make to stay alive on this planet – including the answer to the immortal question of time, life and the universe of “do you want fries with that?”

This is because every one of them needs energy, and hence has to eat, drink, sleep – you can check this one out at the local supermarket: I still see people buying food. And every so often, because no man can be an island from his fellow man – and certainly no lady can resist the odd bit of male company, accepting that shirt doesn’t match his trousers – we all need to get merry with a few other people out there.

And every so often, when people on the odd occasion make a single mistake, they need new cars. And even if they don’t know they need a new one, the old one is also time limited through a form chemical interaction between iron and oxygen which is as old as the earth itself.

So, why are the economic figures not zero? Because life carries on – check BDM, check the supermarket, check that the sun goes up and down, and the moon comes out: life carries on.

So if life carries on, are people still being hired – Ah, YES! Why – do I have to explain BDM again? And now your question is – and how do I make myself one of those people?

Honestly, its simple – and here’s the answer: realise who you are, what your skills are, what you like and could do even if it means doing something different from what you are doing now; and then get a PLAN and IMPLENT IT.

If you have a plan and a goal, and the gumption to stick to it, something inside you picks up and wham – you ace the interview. If you don’t have a plan or know what you want to do, then you need the world’s largest economic boom to stand a chance of being employed at all.

And the amazing thing is – you don’t need to be great to get employed right now, just focused and resultantly enthusiastic; about the job, and the employer:

• If you just did 15minutes of investigation of the employer you are about to apply for a job to, your chances of getting the job would rise by 25%
• If you rang to enquire about the job before applying, your chances would rise by 50%
• And if you re-read the night before just the stuff you printed off of the computer before the day of the interview, and prepared six questions about the employer and the job, your chances of getting the job would rise by 100%.

You have just trebled your chance of getting employed, and all it took was an economic down turn to learn how to do.

Still, even now that I have told you that, I bet there’s a 66% chance you won’t change and hence do it. I know that, because I do read the BDM column and I am still interviewing candidates on a weekly basis – and both tell me that probable outcome.

So, stop reading and take some action – life is still going on, people are still getting hired.

Good Luck!

Sunday Thoughts: "English is widely spoken, but not widely understood"

I saw this quote recently, and smiled!

When I ran the largest call centre design team for a large UK based TelCo, we always trained our guys to design systems around the customer experience, and data collection for the client (it amuses me when I think about it, that nominally those are two great principles around which to design a website). In designing customer experience, we always insisted on a lot of input to the agent selection process - my best client took this to another step, and really challenged the team asking us to design the building: he went on to start what is now the UK's second largest outsource call handling service on the same principles. When we designed solutions, we always thought about customer flow and volumes - and always thought about language. It meant when we designed in country A for a flow of customers in region B, the agents were mainly from that region.

I thought the late 1990's flow of call centres to India was interesting, and shortermist. Basically, it was Exec's more worried about bottom line economics of running their businesses, than thinking about customer relationships. My most annoying experience was cashing in the endowment policies associated with a mortgage. The original policies were issued by two separate companies, which some 15years later had merged - one had outsourced to India, and it took 3months and 20 phone calls to get cashed; the other presently still handled the calls in the UK, it took 28days and one phone call to cash. I had a life insurance policy with that company, which I also decided resultantly to cash and move elsewhere, and after doing so wrote to the Chief Executive to explain my experiences and reasoning - he still moved the call centre handling completely to India! I think there are excellent Indian based call centres - but the good agents were the one's who had travelled, and returned home - and they were picked up years ago.

Some 12months later, the new CEO of the insurance company announced he would be moving front office handling back to the UK - a short hand way of saying what other banking CEO's admitted later, that customer turnover was escalating out of the roof when calls were handled overseas from the customer, while locally based solutions showed more stable relationships. About two years later, I was interviewing an experienced Call Centre business development manager for a job, who had handled the review of the a large UK car breakdown companies thoughts about off-shoring. He took a brief on a Thursday, wrote a business case through the weekend which he presented to their telecoms team on the following Tuesday; and had a commendation by Friday from the CEO, together with a two year deal to retain all telecoms services for his company. Why? Because he had taken their own data of each customer being worth an average of £480pa in revenue, with an average life relationship of 47years, and calculated the point at which increased client turnover (and hence lost revenue) outstripped the cost saving of off-shoring - the answer: 0.01%, or 23days!

I think there is a role for off-shoring, but in customer relationships there are other factors. I always thought these would show through, and eventually the effective off-shoring would be "back office" mainly non-client interaction and processing, not customer handling. Many of the biggest and best Asian IT outsourcing firms now employ "localised" front offices, with the back office where it is most cost effective - but the article questions: is it really, even at that level? I know of contractors in a large Swindon based organisation now complaining of continual delays in implementing a new IT solution, because the solution is being written some 6,000miles remotely, and communication issues mean wrong deliveries which are continually late.

I don't think this is a language issue - and I don't think its a cultural issue. I do think its an issue where we ought to accept each other as human beings, and that we truly are unique and different in many, many ways.

I think the question for us in business, is how do we manage these human scale differences to ensure delivery and team harmony? I have seen what are in the majority simple communication differences, translate into become highly disruptive racial problems - and that's just daft.

Credit crunch to real economy – 1million migrant workers going home: job seekers need to look at their core competencies

The credit crunch is now leading to a severe downturn in the real economy, and creating severe problems for job seekers.

Firstly, we had the credit crunch. As a result of various bans not lending to each other, and a 40% drop in stock and equity values, Oxford Economics estimates that 194,000 jobs will go from the London markets in the next two years. The London borough of Tower Hamlets it estimates will be highly effected, with half of its 18,000 financial services employee residents made redundant out of a total workforce of 38,000

Secondly, we had the downturn in the housing market. Effectively recruitment in the construction industry is non-existent, while the estate agent sector is now suffering.

And now we have the result on the high street, resulting in spending on the service food and clothes sectors down turning, and UK plc heading for an inevitable recession.

Where will this end, where will this turn – and is there any hope of employment?

The answer for the job seeker is to follow the Boy Scout’s motto, and BE PREPARED, and hence be flexible.

The first up turn has been in HR services. With so many people being reviewed, there is a UK national shortage of HR specialists. This in turn has led to growth in the insolvency and financial restructuring sectors. And all this pressure, plus the rise of 50% alone in the Polish Zloty in the past 18months, has led to many Eastern Europeans going home – an estimate of 1,000,000 over the next two years, with 250,000 already gone. This leaves spaces in the service sector unfilled

What does this mean for the unemployed or the job seeker? If for instance you are a financial services professional, the conclusion of all the data is that financial services jobs will not becoming back soon in the same volumes. To find new employment quickly and at a higher ratio, you need to think about your transferable competencies which could be transferred to another sector. Sales, HR and finance skills are the same sales, HR and finance competencies in any sector, not just financial services.

Please, in this financial downturn, and if faced with unemployment, think about your transferable skills. Your chances of employment just by doing so will have risen by three fold.

Good Luck!

How do I get back in the market after several years of illness?

Paul asks: How do I get back in the market after several years of not working due to illness? I am currently disabled would like to work since my critical thinking skills are still sharp, but physically challenged. I was laid off at previous employer while ill. It took years to get a proper diagnosis for a complicated genetic disease, the literature says 7-11 years is the norm. If you have been through this I would appreciate your feedback. Working from home would be best. Medical benefit coverage is paramount with coverage for pre-existing condition.

In answer:
Paul, you clearly demonstrate the fact that man is made up of mind, body and spirit - and while your body may be challenging you presently, it is your mind and spirit which will both enable you to live a full life and an employed one.

The question now is - what "floats your boat," and makes your spirit really soar in the world of business? Understanding that and your existing skills/competencies will really help you to define what you could do, and in which environment it is best to do it in: either employed or self employed.

I have to be wholly open here, and say that most corporates would want to know that your health issue is at least stabilised. The open minded ones will recognise the benefits of employing disabled staff - they are more loyal, harder working, and often hence more productive. However, unstable conditions are the employers greatest concern - your question therefore has to be how work capable you are, and what could you do. You need to be really honest in this assessment, and agree it with your doctor - any employer will ask to consult them for a reference/report.

Self employment would offer many opportunities for you. There are a number of SME businesses who still to this day can't figure out whether they should be deploying IT systems, and if so how. I would do some research with the help of your local Chamber of Commerce to see what the market locally is like, and what they seek.

If you choose the corporate employment market, then I would choose a solutions based approach. Pick around 10 organisations, and do some research on the key issues for them. Then undertake a bit of scenario planning, and rationalise a solution for them with costs/time scales. Then send that in a report format via recorded delivery to the President's office, with a Cover Letter and including your resume at the back, and see what happens. Any good executive would recognise the sharpness of being able to employ your mind, while accepting the current status of your situation, because they see the opportunity.

I wish you luck in finding a new career, and if ever I can help you, please - just ask.

Good Luck!

If the CV/Resume is a sales document, then it surely must be OK to lie?

The hardest thing for any new or returning job applicant (also called a candidate), to recognise, is the strange world we recruitment people live in – that is both recruiters and HR professionals.

Firstly, we talk a strange language – a simple one, but a strange one. We also live in a world of words, but have cold and often formal handshakes – it’s a legislative thing, and we have to be equal in our manner to be neutral in our recommendations to the hiring manager. As a result, we are often the most liberal and open minded types, and horribly PC in our work. On the downside, we are a scheming bunch of so-and-so’s, so that when we talk to you on the phone or meet you for an interview, we regularly throw what to you seem like curved balls to annoy you and get you upset (Note: yep, that is the purpose on some occasions, but certainly not always – we are human being who are just trying to get at the real you and your potential.)

One early aspect all job seekers must pick up on, is that the CV/Resume is a sales document, and NOT a school-like list of everything you have ever done or achieved.

Now, many don’t relate sales with the truth. They think sales means that if they were a character actor, it would mean slipping on a 110% polyester suit, a pair of plastic brogues, and a silk tie; then getting in a far too flash car with chrome wheels, driving to a second hand car lot and lying their heads off.

So, here is why a CV/Resume is a sales document, and the type of sales document it is. Imagine you are a hiring manager, and you need a new member of staff. You approach the HR manager, and they ask you for a description (in the trade, that’s called a Job Description). Much as though you majored in art in college, you can’t draw to save your life – so the only way to describe the job is to create a 3D template in which the ideal candidate will fit.

Please note that I didn’t use the word mould, because moulds are like templates in many aspects but one – you pour liquids in which then set into a mould, while templates judge fit around solid shaped objects.

Hence, think of you and your skills (with evidence of delivery along a track record, we call those Competencies), as a lump of stone. You could carve that stone in many ways to many shapes, but if you just stand back a foot or two (the role of the mentor or coach), there are some clear and obvious things into which you could carve it. Now, it would be great if the employer gave you the applicant the template they were using, but they don’t – they give you an advert, which is like a pour quality paper version of a steel template. The CV/Resume hence takes the basic stone (you), and the basic paper template, and added with a few trade tricks carves the stone to fit the paper template.

In the employers mind, if you can’t fit the paper advert and its wide tolerances, you won’t fit the final steel Job Description – and if they really wanted a granite finish over an alabaster, well forget it!

You may think: well hang on, all I have to do is add a few bits and pieces here, and carve out a bit more there, and I will get an interview. Possibly is the answer. But those attached pieces and the incorrect carving of the stone will stick out like blue-tac added after thoughts to the classic Venus de Milo in interview.

What about the under qualified? Not enough stone in the right places to fill the template shape. And what about over qualified? Well, from the employers view point, they will be questioning the wasted stone lying around the carved result.

So the CV/Resume takes hard facts – the stone – and turns them into a shape which fits the adverts template. You can’t take things and add them because they will stick out; and you can’t understate competencies just to make you look like a better fit – the question will be why?

OK, so now that you know what a CV/Resume is, what is a Cover Letter? Think of the Cover Letter as a set of high lights, which with warmth light up the carved stone. They show the employer that the key issues of their requirements are met, and that they should proceed with the process of trying fit with the template. Hence, if you don’t attach a Cover Letter, then really it’s like turning the lights out on your job application.

Next, we can cover interview technique as a dance – I told you recruitment was a strange world!

Rise in UK national minimum wage - 1st October 2008

From Wednesday 1st October, the UK national minimum wage increases from £5.52 to £5.73 per hour for workers aged 22 and over, £4.77 for 18-21-year-olds and £3.53 for those aged 16 and 17.

As is seen by the pursuit and prosecution of high-profile employers like Loch Fyne restaurants, not only are HM Revenue and Customs and the Department for Work and Pensions enforcing the regulation, tough new penalties are set to come into force from April 2009 for employers that flout the rules. An information campaign over the next six months will aim to make sure that every employer is aware of the changes.

Pat McFadden, employment relations minister, said: "Ten years ago, the National Minimum Wage was born, marking the start of a hard-fought campaign to introduce a basic standard of employment rights that every worker could be protected by. The minimum wage has made a lasting and significant difference to the low paid, with around a million workers benefiting from the increase each year.”

Is the national minimum wage a good thing? Much as though there is an argument that jobs are resultantly forced overseas, I don't think its right that employers paying people below what are considered minimum living standards, and hence result in the tax payer then subsidising them, is at all right: employers should pay reasonable wages. And much as though the level of the minimum wage was set at least three months ago, and costs are falling in the credit crunch - it still seems pretty reasonable, if not low. Hence, I don't think holding it back will make any difference to unemployment levels over the next two years - it will still rise: but its introduction will mean that employee's will be fairly paid

Why do companies not follow-up after conducting an interview?

Ari asks: Why do companies not follow-up after conducting an interview? I notice a job ad, pitch myself to the employer, am asked to come in to their office for an interview, meet with senior managers, and am told I will receive a follow-up call or email in x number of days. Time passes without a response. I wait another week for good measure and call/email my interviewer or their assistant to inquire and 9 times out of 10 I never receive a response. I can cite numerous examples of this corporate behavior and I don't understand why. If *I* pitch *you* and you respond to me, that indicates I exhibit enough interest to warrant an hour out of your schedule to meet with me. Then you don't respond. I don't get it. On the extreme, I was invited to meet with a firm last year THREE TIMES and was never told the outcome nor was responded to when I asked for a status. Thoughts?

In answer:
Simply, its horribly unprofessional on behalf of the hiring company. Under EU law, there could be a case for legal duress, so most HR managers are on top of this. But in North America and other parts of the world where there is not so much focus on HR and Human Rights law, then such incidents can be common.

A professional would always close out - how ever badly the interview went, and even if it was clearly obvious to all in the room at the time that it was a "Don't call us, we'll call you" opportunity. Plus, a candidate deserves feedback on an interview, and how they can improve/apply more relevantly next time.

I would change your approach in one area, and review your performance in another. Firstly, the way you describe this situation it seems to be happening very often - so if after the stated time period you have heard nothing, go back with "Look, I am assuming I haven't got the position, but would appreciate your feed back on my application and interview performance." That's a far, far softer approach than a "have I got the job or not" question, and would allow even a wholly negative reaction to be delivered.

Secondly, I would review your choice of posts applied for, or your interview performance. Ask a friend before you apply for any new positions to check your application through for errors; if they think its appropriate and OK, then its probably your interview experience which needs a bit of buffing, so again ask a friend who has been a hiring manager to give you a mock interview, or take some training. Once you have learnt the skills, the situation should not repeat.

Good Luck!

What is the best answer when responding to salary requirements for a job?

Barbara asks: This is really puzzling to me as I know what I am worth, I know my work ethic and I know what I need to survive. It is a bit uncomfortable when applying for a position and they request salary requirement. I always put a large enough range stating I am willing to discuss the salary as it is negotiable yet, nothing happens. When asked during the interview what my present salary is, I don't like to say as I am asking more, $5-$10K more than I am making. I took close to $5K less at the job I am at now because I needed a job. Any suggestions on what to do?

In answer:
I just talked a very good friend through this one, so happy to help!

First step - set a minimum on a budget you know you can live off of. Don't apply for jobs where the package is less than that.

Secondly, you will be asked your currently salary at some point - so be honest with the recruiter, and at the point where the employer is considering a job offer ONLY IF THEY ASK! To no one else and no sooner. If your requirements are greater than your current salary, say why you are moving and why your requirements are greater.

Each job is worth X to each employer/market, and that salary range and some package details should be included in the advert - if it is not, ask the question before any form of formalised interview. Where you get a bland answer, don't go any further with the application - to make sure it meets your minimum. Also, undertake some research into similar jobs with different employers - get a feel for what the market price is, and hence know that:

(a) what your minimum is achievable
(b) what the employer is offering is reasonable - ie you are not under paid

In the interview, when asked the question, now simply say: "Well, it is above the minimum I require for my life style, and the stated range seems reasonable but low when compared to the market. I am looking for a whole package, and that from what has been stated to me seems that we can reach an agreement." And then stop! If they ask what the numbers are, just repeat their own advert or as stated in telephone call numbers back to them, and again says "...and that from what has been stated to me seems that we can reach an agreement." If they press again, say "Look, I think we can reach an agreement if the level is as stated, but I would have to review the whole offer that includes salary as part of a package in a written contract form before I could make a final decision."

This way you don't state a number, but are saying that you like them, and if they like you and make you an offer in their stated range, you would highly consider it. In others words, for the sake of saying a number you don't exclude yourself from an offer letter, and show willing but not soft.

This strategy allows for the inevitable "job description creep" in interview of "Oh, we didn't realise you had that skill, so may be we could use that/deploy it" which means you end up doing a bigger job for less pay. It could also mean you play one part of the package later against another - OK, not as much base but better OTE; a better car; more healthcare, etc.

Only you know what's the right salary and package for you, but there are good ways around getting job offers and possibly employed without falling into the pit of stating a number.

Good Luck!
.............................................
Ian,

You are an angel! I thank you so much for going through all you did to help me secure a good response. Please extend my sincere thanks to your friend, I appreciate all your help.

Regards,

Barbara

Why are candidates asked to "list main weaknesses"?

Jane asks: Why are candidates asked to "list main weaknesses"? The question itself is intimidating, instantly puts people on the defensive, and encourages people to lie. Has anybody ever revealed a serious weakness in response to the "weaknesses" question, that was hidden throughout the rest of the interview? It seems that asking people "What are you most proud of" gets more or less the same info - what people struggle with most is usually their weakness - but keeps the tone positive.

In answer:
The question is not meant to be intimidating or place the candidate on the offensive. The question is to assess how honest or self-aware the candidate is of their weeknesses or improvement needs. When asked this most people try to be genuine and it is the type of question that can make you think. Whatever the answer you will gain insight into how the person thinks and that can only be helpful in the assessment process.

Firstly, it allows the interviewer to discover additional weaknesses either in the weakness itself or in the way the weakness is conveyed to the interviewer. So it is not just the weakness itself that is an issue, but how this is conveyed: ie - is it done professionally or reframed appropriately, etc.? This can help the interviews understand who socially aware and groomed a candidate is. Second, it also give the interviewer some insight into how the candidate thinks about his/her weaknesses. What do they consider a weakness? Why do they consider it a weakness?

The candidate who responds "none" is not being honest with the interviewer or themselves. The way most people will answer this question is to turn it into a positive, for example "I'm a perfectionist, I need to review all the details and ensure what I am presenting is the best". This is a way to put a positive twist (which most interviewers are aware of), a good interviewer will dig deeper to determine if this gets in the way of doing their job.

How do I align myself with a recruiter or firm to best market my skills?

Milton asks: How do I align myself with a recruiter or firm to best market my skills? As the casualty of the economic downturn in the technology sector, I have found myself on the job market. I'm actually excited at the prospect of changing fields, and want to continue using my strengths as a talent developer, coach and strategist for organizational design. There appear to be a lot of recruiters in my market, and it is a daunting task to know where to begin. Are there any thoughts, advice or real-life experiences that anyone can share to help me find clarity?

In answer:
You need a strategy which encapsulates the ability to be found. Now that's not hard, but the question is - do you know what you want to do next (in terms of skills development or extension), and do you know what the market needs?

Start with talking to a few friends who have recently (in the past 12months ideally), found new jobs, and ask how they did it? More often than not, employees are now being found more directly by employers over indirectly via recruiters; but employers now use third party vetting services (ie - fixed fee recruiters who check applicants out), so the process has not really changed just shifted. Your friends should be able to recommend both employers, resume and job finding sites, and reliable recruiters they trust - and those are your three routes to being found and hence employed.

A good recruiter, who focuses on your sector (that's always rule one) should:
- be honest about you, your skills and ambitions
- say where they think you could be best employed: which might not fit with your view, but at least hear them out - they get paid to do this daily
- be honest about the opportunities they have on their books that fit your skills: the norm is to say "Yes, we have a job that will exactly suit you" but the honest one's will be honest and give it as it is
- be able to tell you how much their company and they individually will gte paid: avoid any who take a fee from the employer up front of more than 20%
- re write your CV/Resume
- be communicative in terms of progress of opportunity
- be wanting and able to meet you at least once during the process!

And finally through the whole process, you should once they place you be able to keep in contact and know when you are looking for your next post be able to go back to a professional.

If you work with a recruiter alongside doing your own direct tactical applications to employers, be sure to keep that activity focused in the same market area (ie - IT/electronics), and be communicative. Try not to register with more than one recruiter, and NEVER go direct to the employers they tell you they know and will put you forward on - you'll lose the job, is the outcome!

Good recruiters know the market, can asses you and will work with you to get a job; and its not all their effort and you just sit back, work with them. A good recruiter should be able to get you placed better, quicker if the job is done right.

Good Luck!

Do I need a degree?

Zulkifly asks: Peoples without a university degree is less successful compare to those who has it?

In answer:
Success is a measure of achievement against a goal - much like the equally literally abused use, particularly in vehicle and product advertising, of the word "quality:" its conformance to specification NOT and an implied betterness.

Hence, no - either can successfully succeed against their own defined goal: it just depends on what the goal is.

If you mean by success monetary income, then that is a defined goal - and each can be equally rich, as can be seen from the Forbes or in-country measurements like the Sunday Times Rich List.

However, here's a thought........ To read the rest of this post, please visit Degree Education

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