What is an interview panel really looking for?

A good degree, a positive attitude or a firm handshake? What are recruiters really considering when interviewing candidates, particularly for professional and graduate positions? According to an article in HR magazine, reviewing the results of a study of 2000 recruiters, many employers consider ‘personal attributes’ more important than a degree because having a degree is taken as
standard. The research, carried out by Aldi, found that, understandably, confidence was the top characteristic mentioned, with 56% of recruiters also looking for a spread of outside interests. More unusual statistics were those on the importance of a good handshake – cited by 12% of respondents. And don’t just be polite to the interviewer, the survey found that more than 25% said ‘they judged potential staff on whether they were polite to reception, security and cleaning staff.’ For more advice on how to impress your next interview panel, read the full article
at http://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/hro/news/1072597/employers-view-degree-recruiting-aldi

A LinkedIn profile, a C.V. or both?

Many career experts advocate the importance of having a profile on LinkedIn as well as a well-crafted C.V. but what should you do to maximise the effectiveness of your online profile? In a recent article on The Guardian’s careers blog, career coach Denise Taylor goes through what people do wrong and how they could do better. A turn-off for potential recruiters is often an incomplete profile. As Denise writes, “ Registering for LinkedIn and not doing much with it is like joining a gym and expecting to get fit - you have to do the work.” More positive things to try include writing in the first person, getting at least 5-8 recommendations and use key words in your main profile. The article also warns against how you write about your current position particularly thinking about company confidentiality. For more tips on getting the most out of LinkedIn, read the whole article http://careers.guardian.co.uk/linkedin-better-than-cv

Stressed? Need a holiday?

Can taking a holiday reduce rising stress levels? According to Grant Thornton’s International Business Report (IBR), business leaders who took the most holidays reported lower stress levels. The U.K. was one such country as well as The Netherlands, Russia and Denmark where more holidays were taken and less incidences of stress reported. At the other end of the scale were countries such as Japan, Thailand and Greece.
Although the research was done amongst senior executives, some of the main reasons cited for causing stress are probably familiar to many other job roles. The top five areas in order were reaching performance targets, volume of communications, office politics and the elusive work/life balance. The good news is that the report found a trend of falling stress levels but maybe senior executives in Greece would disagree. For more about the survey read the article on the Grant Thornton website http://www.grant-thornton.co.uk/thinking/elevate/index.php/elevate_templates/article/uk_business_leaders_are_less_stressed_and_taking_more_holidays/

Protecting your job, planning your career

Even when you’re happy in your current role, being prepared for change and the next step is crucial according to the three part series on workawesome.com. For example, the series recommends always having an up-to-date C.V. – ‘your resume is the most financially important document you will ever own because it opens the doors of professional employability for you’. The article looks at protecting your job by both working effectively in your current role and always being open to new opportunities. In the third part of the series ‘Stay Connected and Visible’, recommendations include networking internally and getting regular updates from employment agencies to always be aware of the opportunities in your area. Even consider a ‘career management database’ to hold all the contacts, job postings and company news that you collect to focus on your career plans. Whether you are actively job-hunting or not, read the full article here http://workawesome.com/career/stay-connected/#more-15933

EU proposals for more female directors

With female directors still only making up a small percentage of top company boards, different countries are taking different approaches to redress the balance. They may be even forced to make changes. According to the BBC’s Robert Peston on his BBC blog, the European Commission's female Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship commissioner ‘ wants to see a mandatory increase in female representation on boards: 30% of big companies directors to be women by 2015 and 40% by 2020.’ In Britain, a government report called for 25% of the boards of FTSE companies to be female but all change is on a voluntary basis. Some countries, however, such as France have already introduced legislation ‘requiring 20% of directors of listed French companies to be women by 2014 and 40% by 2017.’ For more details and analysis of how such potential legislation could affect British companies and employment read Robert Peston’s full report at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17257124

Key skills for a career in administration

According to Office Pro magazine, although administration departments have seen some cutbacks, more and more employers are realising that companies do need key administrative professionals. The 2012 Office Team Salary guide looks at, in particular, what skills those employers are looking for in that key role. The article looks at ‘technical expertise’ as one of the most important areas with proficiencies required in a range of applications. The more basic ones would include applications such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint but also valued are database and project management programs such as Microsoft Access, Microsoft Project and SAP. All these skills should be handled by someone who is ‘well-rounded’ who can adapt to change and proactive’ – looking to help with a project before it is assigned. If you are in the job market for an executive administration role then you can read the whole article ‘Administrative Hiring Trends in 2012’ at http://officepro.iaap-hq.org/RIDE/viewer.aspx?id=8&pageId=1&lang=&lid=0

Enterprise Awards in Gloucestershire

With the Enterprise Awards 2012 from the University of Gloucestershire you don’t have enter the Dragons’ Den to show your entrepreneurial skills or even give up the day job. The award scheme is looking for entries or nominations from individuals or businesses who have demonstrated entrepreneurial flair outside or within their current roles. The competition is open to a range of people or businesses connected with the university, now or previously. Current and previous students can apply or be nominated as can current members of staff. If you know a company that supported or mentored you as a student or have since supported a university project, they may also be eligible. Judges include senior business figures such as Edward Gillespie, Managing Director of Cheltenham Racecourse. Nominations are open until 20th April with the winner announced in July. For all entry details and nomination forms visit the university’s website here http://insight.glos.ac.uk/departments/cei/enterpriseawards/Pages/default.aspx