1) The Consultant who at the end of Telephone interview with a client, hung up after saying “Love You”.

2) The consultant who told a candidate the best thing to come out of Devon was Cornish pasties.

3) The MD who told a manager presenting at a sales meeting to stop his presentation and leave the room because he wasn’t wearing a belt and the same MD not allowing another Manager to speak at sales meetings because he was welsh.

4) The consultant who asked a client whose job title was HR Manager what HR stood for.

5) The lady who propositioned the consultant by getting her breasts out.

6) When asking for a contact number

Consultant – “Mobile?”

Candidate – “Nokia”

7) When asking a candidate to sell the product to the interviewer in a role play scenario

Candidate goes out the room, knocks on the door comes back in and says

“Hi I’m Joe Bloggs from Bloggs Industries, what do you want?”

The consultant that apologised to the candidate he was interviewing for the noise coming from outside the building, he said give me a minute I will go and sort it out. He returned 5 minutes later with broken glasses a bloody nose and a ripped shirt, the kids making the noise had beaten him up.

9) The Candidate who smoked a joint just before an interview “to relax himself”.

10) The Consultant who sent a Candidate to the Clients House rather than the interview location because the Clients Home address was on the system.

As its Valentines Day and therefore is the time for love we thought that the most suitable topic for our blog this week should be “Why we love our Job”

After having spoken at length to both our in house consultants and also a couple of our clients we have compiled a list of the top reasons we love our jobs! (Obviously some of these will be geared towards recruitment!)

I Love my Job because…..

1) I love having a positive impact on somebody’s life.
2) I love helping talented people find satisfying jobs
3) I love working with my colleagues (all helpful and inspiring people).
4) I love learning a variety of new things.
5) I love the diversity and the challenge
6) I love the work/life balance it provides and the flexibility the job allows.
7) I love how close to home I work.
I love my personal career development.
9) I love the money!
10) I Love the Buzz I get from winning a retained assignment!

We asked one of our key decision makers what their thoughts were

Matt a senior decision maker from a FMCG manufacturer loves his job because…….”of the people. Within any business any resource is critical to the success and growth of the business but none more so than its people. Ask yourself “Are my people at the very heart of my business?” If not, ask yourself why not and what could be achieved if they were.”

Most articles on this topic list blunders that very few people are dumb enough to actually make. Maybe we’re making a bold assumption, but it’s not likely that very many people are “stating that they work well in the nude”, as one CV blunder article cautions against. Nor are very many job seekers likely to “use pale blue paper with teddy bears printed around the border”, as another article warns of. Very helpful! But nevertheless, there are quite a few real CV blunders that perfectly intelligent people commit, which you should be aware of, because they can diminish you in the eyes of employers.

1. Letting typos slip through

Possibly the easiest CV blunder to make, letting typos slip through is almost one of the most dangerous. A recent survey indicated that 84% of hiring personnel toss a CV in the bin upon spotting just one or two typos! Understand this for what it is: the HR people do not have some type of vendetta against spelling errors in and of themselves. Rather, what they see when they come across as a spelling error is a lack of conscientiousness. They see someone who apparently did not even take their application seriously enough to proofread it before clicking the “Send” button or mailing it in. This isn’t the impression you want to give off, so be sure to eliminate all spelling errors before submitting your resume.

2. Inappropriate e-mail address

It is common today for applicants to leave an e-mail address on their CV. Nothing wrong with that. Unfortunately, many applicants make the mistake of leaving personal or inappropriate e-mail addresses rather than professional ones. Put yourself into the HR guy’s shoes. You are looking at two very impressive applications, but one them lists their e-mail as “ismokeweedeveryday@gmail.com” while the other lists theirs as “JohnSmith@gmail.com.” Which person are you more likely to hire? If you don’t already have a professional-sounding e-mail address, just visit one of the many free e-mail providers (like gmail, yahoo, and hotmail) and sign up for one.

3. Listing irrelevant, non-job-related information

Too many applicants try to get “cute” and show how eclectic they are by listing non-job related information in their CVs. This can be anything from the vacations they’ve taken, the hobbies they enjoy, or even (in rarer cases) the pets they own! It’s understandable to want to “liven up” your application, but remember this: the HR person who will eventually read it reads thousands of applications each year. They have trained themselves to relentlessly skim through applications searching for only the very relevant details.

4. Poor formatting

Remember: employers and their HR staffs scan CVs. They do not painstakingly read each and every word. Being that this is the case, the best thing you can do is make your CV scannable. This means using one of the many free CV templates that come with Word or that can be downloaded on the Internet. These are the formats employers are used to reading, and it’s one easy way you can take friction and hassle out of their reviewing of your CV. Don’t get “cute” with formatting!

5. Use of personal pronouns

Remember back in school when your teacher didn’t let you use words like “I” or “me” in essays? Keep this rule in mind when creating your resume as well. Like a school essay, a CV is a formal document (albeit a business document rather than an academic one.) For example, rather than saying
I oversaw the creation of a new department that generated £5 million in sales and increased pre-tax profits by 15%.
Say this instead:
Oversaw creation of new department that generated £5 million in sales and increased pre-tax profits by 15%.
If this seems like a lot to remember, just pretend that you are someone else, describing yourself to another person. This rule will help keep you on track.

6. Trying to sound “well-rounded”

Some applicants believe they will look better to employers if they seem well-rounded. Such people typically play up how many committees they’ve served on, how many different and varying job titles they’ve held, different industries they’ve worked in, and the like. Unfortunately, this does not work as intended. Most employers see such people as not being great at any one thing, and they are thus unsure of how to evaluate them. Most often, such applicants are simply passed over in favour of those with more specific skillsets.

7. Self-deprecation

Too many CVs have self-deprecating remarks and phrases. While it’s understandable to not want to be seen as bragging on your application, you still want to look good. It is for this reason that statements like “graduated in the top 66% of my class” and “self-employment: what a disaster that was!” will not make you look good. Rather, they will make you seem like a potential threat to the organization, someone who probably shouldn’t be trusted with much power or autonomy.

8. Bragging

Of course, the other side of the CV blunder coin are applicants who excessively brag about themselves or their achievements. Again – you do want your CV to make you look like a strong candidate. What you do not want is obnoxious arrogance, as seen in statements like “you will never find a better candidate than me”, or “my job performance is unsurpassed”, or “if you don’t hire me, you’ll regret it!” Such statements make you seem cocky and indicate a potential lack of team spirit (or even narcissism!)

9. Focusing on responsibilities instead of achievements

The best CV draw attention to what you as an employee have achieved – sales growth, cost-cutting, higher customer retention, etc. The worst CVs talk only or mostly about what responsibilities you have held – manager, committee supervisor, etc. Take a good, hard look at your CV and determine if it is primarily responsibilities or achievements based. If it is not already achievements-based, make sure it is before you send it in to employers!

10. Important skills buried at the bottom

Some otherwise good CVs handicap themselves by listing important skills at the bottom – say, computer skills. It should go without saying that the skills most relevant to the job you want should be listed top, front, and center in your resume. Read over your CV a few times and put yourself in the position of a busy, beleaguered HR person. Would your job-specific skills jump out to them? If not, re-arrange your CV so that they will.

11. Lack of bullet points

As alluded to earlier, scanability is essential to creating a good CV. One of the most critical elements of scanability is the use of bullet points. Do not make the mistake (which many applicants do) of writing everything in as a “wall” of text, hoping that whomever reads your resume will painstakingly peruse your every word to extract the important parts. They will not. That being the case, be sure to use bullets early and often!

12. Listing references directly on the CV

You should list your references on a separate sheet of paper or, ideally, only provide them when asked. Including them within the CV itself only adds bulk (which makes it more tempting to rush through) and does you little good, since references will only matter if and when the employer decides to interview you and advance the process beyond the CV-reviewing stage. When in doubt, leave the references out!

13. The “more is better” mentality

An article listing the 100 funniest CV mistakes says that one woman divided her CV into acts as though it were a play: ie, Act 1 of the CV, Act 2 of the CV, etc. We realise this is rather extreme and ridiculous, but it’s telling because of how many people (albeit less dramatically) adopt a “more is better” approach with their CVs. This is absolutely false. In fact, research would probably show that CVs are read less often in proportion to how large they are. Whenever possible, try to include only the essential details necessary to convey your main point.

14. CV sent as an attachment without you knowing how it’ll look

We’ve all been there: you send something out as an e-mail attachment, only to have it look different (sometimes drastically) on your recipient’s computer than it does on yours. This can be disastrous if the random factor and chaos of the Internet messes up your CV’s formatting or bullets! Luckily, this need not become an obstacle. Before sending your CV via e-mail, simply “test” send it to a few of your friends and verify how it looks on their computers. If it looks as it does on your computer, send it to the employer. If not, find out why and fix it.

15. Passive-aggressiveness

Not every job applicant has the benefit of writing a CV with a sparkling job history. Some have been fired numerous times or been involved in conflicts with bosses at one or more jobs. There is a strong tendency among such people to demonize their ex-bosses in the CV, blaming them for their own failures. But while you might think this makes you look better, it rarely has this effect. Rather, most employers will read something like “I only got fired because my boss was an unrealistic jerk” and imagine themselves being in that boss’ shoes someday. You will be seen as a “problem-person” and probably ignored. The far more effective and mature approach is to simply acknowledge any past difficulties you may have had and exude an honest, sincere willingness to put those things behind you.

By far, the best way to stay motivated in your job search is to approach looking for a job as if it were a job all on its own. This means disciplining yourself, keeping to a schedule, being organized, setting objectives and measuring your performance against those objectives.

Organise Yourself Properly

Believe me, it is all too easy to lose track of what you have done, where you have sent your CV or in which organisations you have made a warm contact that you met at the coffee shop. Don’t fall foul of the common mistake of submitting your CV for the same job through more than one agency.
Get yourself organised, put emails in folders, use a spreadsheet to log your conversations and where your CV has gone. It may seem like overkill but you’ll be able to stay on top of what you’ve done and see the areas that you have made progress.
Plan your day too, If you aren’t taking at least 3 specific actions every day towards finding a new job you probably aren’t doing enough. Use your network, speak to family and friends, even friends of friends; work your way through LinkedIn with a great profile. Anything you can think of should be listed and then added to a task list. Just imagine how much better you will feel as you tick off your actions every day, it is a great motivator.

Only Apply for Jobs You Want

Some people will tell you that getting a new job is just a numbers game. Push out enough CVs and one will come through for you. Well let me tell you straight, it is not a numbers game. Getting a job today needs a deliberate and considered approach.
So you see a job that sounds interesting enough and close to what you want, it’s worth a punt surely? The reality is it could be too much of a stretch, or worse, not a good fit for you. Be honest with yourself about your strengths and preferences, do some research on the company and the position. Is it really just a desperate attempt that will set you up to fail? You don’t really need another rejection letter now do you?
Try this approach, how much effort will it be to target your CV specifically for the job? Will it be lots of work? (Of course you target every CV anyway don’t you?) Now decide.

Be Prepared to Stretch Yourself

What if a great opportunity comes your way but you don’t feel quite ready to do the job, maybe you lack some experience? Be prepared to talk about it. Discuss your perceived shortcomings with a recruiter or hiring manager but embrace the opportunity to stretch and gain some new skills.
Organisations will still consider hiring for potential as well as skills and experience. Remember, nothing ventured, nothing gained and it may not be so difficult to step up to the role as you think.

Be Honest with Yourself and Others

Now honesty is essential in many areas of a job search. Primarily you need to be honest with yourself about your capabilities and desires so you end up looking for the right things in a job. Well-meaning supporters can often push you in the wrong direction, family and friends can be wrong.
Especially if you are not sure where to turn next in your job search it will pay huge dividends to get expert support about your options and choices.

Ask for Help

Many of us avoid asking for help. Somehow being unemployed and looking for a new job creates a social stigma. Naturally you don’t want to come across as needy and desperate, but you will be surprised at how many people will be pleased to offer advice or consideration.
One key to asking for help is be specific about what you are looking for and not to ask for too much at once. If you write an email, make sure it can easily be passed along to someone else. An important point to bear in mind is to ensure you don’t respond badly if someone is unwilling or unable to help you in the way you’d like.

Help Others Along

Be clear about this. Helping others can have some very positive outcomes and you may be surprised by how often you are rewarded. If you come across an opportunity that would suit someone else, and you know that someone, why not share it? Some people see this as being a class act. Now that’s a good reputation to have is it not?
And why not consider deliberately going out of your way to help others, participate in a job club for example. Not only will you feel good about yourself but you’ll probably have something interesting to say when you are asked what you have done in your time out of work.

Keep Your Eyes Open

How many times have you been looking for something you’ve lost only to find it right in front of you? There is every chance that you might see a company tucked away in a back street in town that you didn’t know existed.
If you walk around with the intention of finding a job your manner will be different than if you are wondering around feeling “unemployed”. You’ll feel better I promise.
You need to be observant about the job opportunities you find too. Often what you are told differs from the reality, probably not intentionally but you need to know what you are getting yourself into. If you walk through the office of a potential employer and everyone looks glum, being told it’s a great place to work may not ring true if you have your eyes open!

Take Time to Learn

In a job search today it’s as much about who you know as what you know. So learn how to network. But you can also take time to learn more about your industry, what the future holds, who the movers and shakers are and what they are saying.
Learn from you job search failures – always ask yourself what you could have done better, but my gold star award goes to those of you that ask what went well and what you learned.

Over the years Wallace Hind has had its fair share of Christmas parties, we try to do something different each year, we have had parties at one of the directors’ house, gone out for meals, gone go karting, paintballing, had karaoke nights, comedy nights and more! There are those who leave early, those that stay to the bitter end and then there are those that make the office gossip the following day!
We think that there are some essential bits of advice worth remembering before embarking out for your Christmas Do!

1) Make the effort and dress up, for example if the party is fancy dress, go in fancy dress! Same goes for black tie!

2) If it’s a free bar don’t abuse the generosity of your host, this can reflect poorly on you, not just with the boss but also with your peers.

3) If you partake in a group activity during the day i.e. paintballing, remember, whilst it is important to get involved, being overly competitive is not a good look!

4) Remember to pace yourself when it comes to alcohol. Being near paralytic at half past 7 doesn’t usually go down to well!

5) Finally, It’s a Christmas party and it’s about everyone having a good time BUT remember you have to go back to work on Monday!

Enjoy your Party!

This blog comes in 2 parts as there are two very important people involved when it comes to making a decision. Just like in the recent American elections sometimes 2 candidates appear to be very close or 2 job offers can really muddy the water. How do you decide? The follow information might help along the way be it as a decision maker looking to appoint the right person or as a candidate which job to take.

Part 1 – Decision Maker

Ultimately as the decision maker you will be considering 3 vital components:

• Can I work with them?
• Can they do the job?
• Can they add value to what I already have?

Their personality/presence i.e. “Is this a person that will gel with others here? Complementing the current team or the last piece in the jigsaw is essential to consider. How was the candidate received by the front desk/reception these staff can give an excellent insight to whether or not the candidate mixed/interacted well with others?

Getting to final stage would suggest that the candidate’s ability to do the job has been well considered, but it can be the little things that count, did they follow previous meetings with a phone call or ‘thank you’ email.

Feeling the candidate is going to go the extra mile, be honest about forecasts and genuinely give 100% to the cause are all areas to contemplate. Can you give them a task and feel confident it will be completed.

Adding value, what about the bigger picture, is this the only role this candidate can do, can they grow or bring skills that are not currently available.

Occasionally it can be just about trusting your gut instinct !

Part 2 – How does a Candidate choose between two Jobs?

There are 6 main questions that we think a candidate should ask themselves if they have to choose between two roles.

1) Which Company offers better Career Prospects/Opportunities?
2) How well will I fit in at the company both on a professional and social level?
3) Which company is offering the better package (This includes salary/company car/holidays/pension/funded learning etc.) Is it just this role or is progression and development available? Can you put a price/value on career or experience).
4) The Commute, how often do you need to be in the office, distance and time is key travelling 15 miles across London does not take 15 minutes, nights away from home and the cost of fuel are important factors to consider.
5) What is the reputation of the company? Can to research previous employees, canvass opinion from current ones, is there the opportunity to ‘spend a day out’ with someone in a similar role to you?
6) How well did you get on with the interviewer – the interviewer is usually a good representation of the company, could you see yourself working under them? Do you trust them?

These are all points to consider and think about, however sometimes it may just be best to go with your gut feeling!