Have you ever watched children playing together?

Often they start off happily enough but after a while things start to go wrong. Maybe they both want to play with the same toy at the same time, maybe they both want to set the rules of the game. Whatever it is, they hit a point when they are no longer able to play successfully, so they part.

Parting may only mean turning their backs on each other, rather than actually going apart, but in effect it’s giving them some mental space from each other. They have time to focus on themselves and their own actions without thinking about anyone else.

If they stay in the same room, chances are this ‘time out’ may not last too long. After no more than a few minutes they may make tentative gestures to one another, non-verbal hints that they’re ready to get back together. And soon they’re playing happily again, as if nothing had happened.

And usually this is the case as far as the children are concerned. As an observer we know something did happen. We know there was a situation that caused them to break apart. But they have let this flow past them, out of their minds.

As we get older we seem less able to do this. We seem to need to hold on to the hurts and slurs. When we have a disagreement with someone, or something goes wrong in our lives, we need to pick it to pieces, to investigate and recreate in our minds, to rehearse different scenarios, maybe to apportion blame. Sadly the last thing we’re likely to do is put it fully behind us and ‘let bygones be bygones’.

The danger of this is that we carry this baggage around with us and, like, the stereotypical cavernous woman’s handbag that holds everything bar the kitchen sink, we can pull it out whenever we need it. So next time we see the person we disagreed with, rather than starting afresh we quickly recall the recent hurts, and our attitude and behavior is based on these.

Maybe we’ll try to avoid him or perhaps we’ll try to slip a pertinent remark into the conversation, just to make sure he knows we haven’t forgotten what happened.

If we have to work with her and the problem was about a previous work assignment, maybe we’ll feel the need to bring it up ‘just to make sure we don’t have that happening again’.

Depending on how the event was perceived and remembered by the other person, we may find we create a hostile situation where none needed to exist. Or maybe there’s embarrassment over a genuine error that they hoped was now in the past. Perhaps there will be ‘point scoring’: our opening volley is met with a reply of ‘Oh that; surely you’re not still letting that bother you’, making it clear that we’re the one who holds onto, and worries about things.

And sometimes we can meet genuine bewilderment from the other person. They’re still able to use that childhood knack of putting something completely behind them. There are no negative feelings attached to the experience, it’s still in their memory but filed away with all the other miscellaneous stimuli they receive, rather than in their ‘must remember and re-use in anger’ drawer. So when we bring it up they honestly don’t have a clue what we’re talking about. And if we pursue the matter chances are we’ll just make fools of ourselves and feel even worse about it all.

That childhood skill is a good one to learn. Life shouldn’t be made up of worries about things that really don’t matter, about imagined insults, about missed opportunities or misinterpreted ‘wrongs’.

Start practicing now:

Next time you encounter someone with whom you think you have some ‘baggage’ act as if you don’t. Make a fresh start; treat them like someone you’re meeting for the first time. Forget all those preconceptions and past impressions. Give them another chance and they’ll most likely respond in the same way.

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When your career is at stake make sure you don't head off in the wrong direction

It’s a difficult time to be job searching, whether you’ve been made redundant, returned to the job market or you’re a first-time entrant from school, college or university. There is a tendency to panic, to jump at the first thing that’s offered you, or seek employment in a sector that is recruiting, but doesn’t match up with any of your actual interests or aspirations.

An article offering tips on some supposedly ‘hot’ job areas for new UK graduates recently contributed to this type of thinking, and I was concerned about some of the advice that was being offered. Here are just a couple of examples:

The article cited accountancy as a good source of graduate jobs, which I wouldn’t dispute; the financial sector has always taken a large number of new graduates. But that isn’t because there are so many new opportunities created each year. A key factor is the drop-out rate during training.

Accountancy is a career you can enter from just about any academic discipline, but to qualify you must pass the exams of the relevant professional body. You usually get a limited number of attempts at each level of these exams, and a stated amount of time in which to complete the qualification. Many people fail at one or other of these hurdles. This doesn’t mean they can’t work in this sector, but the opportunities will be more limited, based on being ‘time-served’ rather than fully qualified.

And of course the main recruiters are looking for that minority of people who clear all the hurdles and become fully qualified, hence the need to start lots of new graduates on the journey each year.

And then again, don’t forget: accountancy is about numbers. Okay, that’s a real simplification but obviously you’re going to have to deal with things like budgets, profit and loss, taxes, wages etc. There may be all manner of software packages to do the number crunching for you but that doesn’t get away from the fact that you have to understand the principles behind it all. It’s only when you’ve got the basics well under your belt that you’re likely to get opportunities that take into more general management areas.

So if you’re not comfortable with numbers, think at least twice before chasing those accountancy jobs.

Another ‘hot’ suggestion was nursery nurse. This one had my jaw scraping on the ground. For some reason that I was never able to fathom, large numbers of young people, usually girls, want to work with children and seek a career as a nursery nurse. In the UK entry qualifications for this career are accessible to those completing compulsory education. The trend is towards on-the-job training, for either all or part of the qualifications needed, and employers aren’t usually good payers for new entrants.

Where possible they take advantage of government supported programs that help keep training costs and wages manageable. And the annual average earnings quote in the article, which were only a few pounds short of those quoted for a secondary school teacher, were unrealistically high in my opinion. This is not a highly paid profession unless you reach the point of management, preferably of your own (string of) nurseries or playgroups. As the usual employee is there because they want to work directly with children, they’ve accepted the trade-off between money and job satisfaction.

To suggest this as a viable option for new graduates is to suggest that employers will believe that:

*  New graduates will work for the same remuneration as those just out of school or college.

*   Someone who has already invested several years in post-compulsory education really wants to enter a career they could have chosen several years’ previously, and which may not bear any relation to their field of study.

and

*   Someone with a degree will still stick around if a better offer comes their way.

In my experience you’d struggle to convince a potential employer of your genuine interest and commitment, even if it is 150% genuine.

It’s tough enough in the job search market at present without saddling yourself with poor advice as well. Tempting as it may seem to jump at the first offer, you do need to think into the longer term as things won’t always be this tough.

These simple suggestions could help you:

Don’t Be Picky This may seem contradictory to what I said above but it isn’t. If you have a particular career in mind, be flexible about the opportunities available. If you can’t see beyond the high profile employers you could miss good entry level jobs being offered by smaller, or less well known, companies. Once you have some experience in your chosen field, and especially if you’ve gained any work-based qualifications you need, you’re in a position to start thinking about progression.

And if you ‘simply must’ work for that company all your friends have heard of, and will be impressed by, you’re in a better position to secure that move. But be warned: high profile companies are no less susceptible to the ups and downs of the economy than smaller or less well known companies. And sometimes it’s the businesses working behind the scenes that are in a better position for survival.

Be Flexible If you’ve got your mind set on a particular job title or a particular location you could be limiting your options. The younger you are, the more potential you probably have for flexibility, especially in relation to location. If there are no jobs locally but you’re offered a good opening 500 miles ago then take it. Okay you’ll have to make new friends, find somewhere to live, find your way around, but you can do it.

Don’t worry – you will survive and you will likely benefit from the experience.

Build Your Knowledge If you have a clear industry or profession in mind but the opportunities don’t seem to be there at your level, find out how you could get yourself better acquainted with this. You could look for temporary work such as secretarial, administration or data entry.

Once you’re there, do the best job you can. You may be on a temporary contract but think like a permanent employee. Take opportunities to show your skills and communicate your interest. Speak to people involved in recruitment to find out about potential opportunities. Get to know managers and show an interest in the company and how it works.

Develop Your Vital Skills It doesn’t matter what the job is, there are some skills that are truly transferable. These are things like how you get on with other people, problem solving, IT use, and task management. Make sure you have these skills in your repertoire.

While you’re job seeking spend your time usefully. There are some skills you can develop on your own, such as familiarity with IT packages, but others require you to interact with people. There are thousands of openings for volunteers which can help you develop interpersonal skills on several different levels, from handling difficult customers in a charity shop to guiding and supporting people through personal difficulties or traumas.

Some programs will give you the chance to build task management and leadership skills. One option here could be involvement in a program that works in third world countries. These can be real personality-building experiences, and this type of year out activity, where you’re making a real contribution rather than just travelling round the world, is likely to gain more kudos on your CV.

And they aren’t just for young people. Older people with specific skills and experience are welcomed by many programs. If you’re free of ties this could be the ideal way to recharge your batteries and gain a new direction on life.

But whatever you do, don’t forget that invaluable advice from the Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy:

DON’T PANIC!!

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Don’t assume there are no job opportunities to be had out there. It would be rash to walk out on your job without a new one in the bag right now, but there are still companies that are hiring, either to replace people who have left, to fill new positions created by restructuring of some kind, or because they’re bucking the trend and expanding. So if you’ve been thinking about making a career or job change don’t assume you’ve got to put it on hold until times get better.

Don’t be afraid of the competition. Due to the downturn there are inevitably more people seeking new job opportunities. But don’t let that put you off. There is nothing to say that an employer will choose someone who’s currently job seeking against someone who’s already in employment, or vice versa. It all depends on the individual situation, what exactly the employer is looking for, what priorities there might be in terms of speed of getting someone into place, salary levels etc. And these are things you don’t know, so don’t try to second-guess them. Treat the process of job seeking in exactly the same way you would in a booming economy. If you don’t believe you stand as much chance of landing the position as the next person maybe you shouldn’t be applying for it, as you’re unlikely to sell yourself effectively.

Get your job search right in a downturn

Don’t sell yourself short. When you’ve been out of work for a while there’s a tendency for desperation to set in. Your confidence sags, you start telling yourself you’ll never find another job, signs of desperation start to creep in. Or maybe you find it harder and harder to maintain a positive outlook, to sell yourself effectively because your self-belief has taken a severe knock-back. These aren’t the signals you want to give to a prospective employer. Work hard to maintain a professional approach to your job search. If you’re applying for jobs below your previous salary and experience level your prospective employer may assume you’ll be off just as soon as something better comes along. You will need to be able to convince the employer that you’re a serious applicant who can be a long term asset to the company, not someone looking for a short-term solution to your own problems. Think about how your additional experience could benefit your new employer. Do you have skills, knowledge or contacts that could benefit their business aside from the job you’ve applied for?

Don’t think of yourself as unemployed. There is no stigma attached: a lot of people are out of work at present, many of whom never dreamed it would happen to them. But the word ‘unemployed’  tends to conjure up negative images which is exactly what you DON’T NEED right now. Unless you’ve made a conscious decision never to do anything again with any part of your life, you’re not unemployed. You’re between one paid employment situation and the next.

Don’t just stick to traditional methods of job seeking. Use the power of the internet to research companies, vacancies and networking. Check out this article.

Don’t overlook your opportunities. Employers want committed pro-active employees who will grow their company and grow themselves within it. An employee who does the basics but no more doesn’t stand out. A downturn isn’t the time to just keep your head down and get on with your job. It’s an opportunity to show what additional value you can add – ideally at little or no additional cost at this stage. Take the opportunity to expand your knowledge and develop your skills. Volunteer for that new project. Look for ways to make yourself or your company more effective – streamlining processes, mentoring colleagues, identifying new marketing outlets. Whatever the future holds, the time you invest in these activities won’t be wasted.

Don’t squander your time. If you’re unemployed it’s all too easy to slip into bad habits, to become distracted by unproductive activities. Use the time you’ve unexpectedly been given to enhance your value as an employee. Make sure you’re up to date with your industry. Identify new skills and find a way to acquire them – local colleges may offer free courses for unemployed people, or use the internet to source information. Build up your IT knowledge generally. Use the time to research a potential career change, especially if you find there are few opportunities in your current area. Identify your transferable skills as well as researching career moves that might suit you. Explore self employment options and money making opportunities that can be followed with little financial outlay, such as using eBay to turn unwanted items into cash.

Don’t miss up on the chance to give something to others. If you’re got time on your hands between jobs, why not do some voluntary work? There are many positive benefits. Getting involved with other people will boost your self confidence. Helping others will make you feel good about yourself. You may be able to learn a new skill or gain experience in a different type of work than you’re used to. You may find new career options through the experience. You may make useful contacts. You will have something additional for your resume that says a lot about your attitude.

Don’t get out of practice. Interviews are nerve-wracking at the best of times, but even more so if you haven’t had one for a while. The only way to get comfortable with the process is to do more of it. This doesn’t mean applying for jobs just for the interview practice – that’s not fair to the employer who’s given up their time for you. If you’re between jobs there are likely to be local services you can access that will offer you interview practice. Think about questions you might be asked and what answers you can give (there are many resources, on- and off-line, to help you here). Identify examples of where you’ve applied skills like time management, targets you’ve met, value you’ve added ready to use. Use job and person specifications to pinpoint the key factors of a position and make sure you know how your past experience and knowledge relates to this.

Don’t forget to ask for feedback from your applications. Remember there is only one person needed to fill each position, which means there are more disappointed candidates than successful ones. This is natural, it’s nothing personal. But you do need to make sure you are making the best job you can of presenting yourself, so don’t leave it too long before you pick up the phone and ask for some constructive feedback on your performance. Most companies these days are more than happy to do this for you.

Related Articles:

11 Ways to Fail in Interviews

Completing the Application Form

Getting It Right With Job Applications

Tips For Successful Job Search

What Career Should I Follow? — What Career Will I Enjoy?

Writing Cover Letters

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The idea can’t be faulted: no-one telling you what to do or when to do it, checking what time you arrived, how long you had for lunch, whether you left early. Then there’s the chance to do something you actually get satisfaction from (although often what you really want to do, and what people want to pay you for, can be very different). For many people the positives of making the move from paid employment to self employment are irresistible.

But it’s not always easy going. When you work for someone you usually know what you’re supposed to be doing each day. When you become self employed you’re faced with a blank page where you have to decide what needs doing, when and how. For people who like structure the change can be quite a shock.

How we stay motivated

It’s nothing to do with lack of interest in what we’re doing, more about that blazing ball of energy in the sky outside. And that’s a beautiful, cloudless, blue sky that we wake up to almost every morning for most of the year. Accompanying it is warmth which, given the English weather of the last few years, is a welcome change.

On its own the beautiful day could be resisted, but add to this the location and the daily fight is easier to understand. We’re renting a small apartment with views across to mountains on the opposite peninsula and to the local beach which is so long it takes a good hour to walk from one end to the other. It’s also sandy, shelves gently into a crystal clear sea which teems with fish, never gets really crowded even in the middle of August, and not 5 minutes from our door.

And after the worst winter for 40 years here in Greece it’s tempting to soak up the warmth while sipping a cool drink on the patio.

Help!!!

But: there’s this website beckoning: articles to write, products to review, blogs to update, research to do.

So how do we stay off the beach?

Try staying motivated with beaches like this just minutes away

Here are our strategies for staying motivated:

self employment means no work = no pay, and sand and sea water don’t taste so good

regular r&r days when work gets put aside and batteries get recharged

deferred gratification – the beach is the reward for successfully finishing the day’s tasks

and sometimes it’s just too hot to sit on the sand and much cooler indoors

Result: the door gets shut on that enticing scene, the computers are switched on and we get focused.

No-one ever said self employment was an easy option, and staying motivated can be one of the biggest challenges, especially in the early days. Read more about staying motivated

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As a career counselor with young people I often used to despair about their seeming lack of awareness of the realities of job seeking. A worrying number of those due to leave school seemed to have little idea of the practical steps needed to get their foot on the career ladder, whether this be through college or employment. And even those who knew what they needed to do didn’t always show the wherewithall to do it.

I heard myself explaining time after time that no-one was going to come knocking on their door one morning and offer them the job or course they wanted. They needed to make their existence and interest known to the people who had opportunities to offer. And I wondered whether my words were being digested, and if they would make any difference.

It was always a joy to meet that rare person who was motivated to succeed. They were the exceptions who proved that there were good jobs for young people and employers willing to give them a start, even in times of high unemployment when the outlook always seems bleaker for the young and inexperienced.

Having worked in career counseling through several economic downturns, it’s good to see that the current one could be different, at least for some job seekers.

In contrast with my ‘no-one’s going to come knocking’ mantra, JobAngels actually sets out to do that, after a fashion. In their own words:

‘At JobAngels, our mission is to help bring people together in a community setting where each person commits to a single goal: to help just one person find gainful employment. That person can be a friend, a family member, a colleague or a complete stranger. All it takes is one person helping one other person find a job. We are nimble, innovative, determined and impassioned to drive this movement and develop a fully operational non-profit entity that enables a new generation of talent networking that is both meaningful and results-oriented.

‘If you are interested in helping a job seeker find gainful employment, please know that help can come in many forms including spreading word among your network regarding the seekers career interests, offering real-world advice (if you’re an expert in recruiting or similar service), resume writing, and much more. Ultimately we are simply helping to put people back to work one individual at a time.’

From one person’s idea just 2 months ago (January 29, 2009 to be exact) the movement has quickly grown to a presence on several social networking sites. Job seekers and those who know of opportunities post information constantly, and the number of success stories is growing rapidly.  Over 1,900 people have already joined Facebook’s JobAngels group, and more than 5,500 are following them on Twitter.

If you’re a job seeker, or in a position to help job seekers in any way, you can get involved through these links:

Twitter – @jobangels
Facebook – JobAngels on Facebook
LinkedIn – JobAngels Group

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If you don’t know where you’re going, how do you know when you’ve got there?

Unless you’re focused on a clear goal you can find yourself drifting through life, not quite sure why you aren’t achieving the things you want to. But having a goal isn’t enough on its own, you need to take action to put your plans into practice, and your action is most likely to be successful in moving you towards your goals if you can plan and manage your time effectively.

Effective planning and time management can mean the difference between the satisfaction of knowing you are achieving things and moving forward, and the frustration of realizing that yet another day/week/month has gone past and you still haven’t gotten around to those tasks you meant to do before summer arrived.

Planning and time management are skills that everyone can acquire. There are many tools around to help. Learn more about an effective program for achieving your goals here.

Paper or software?

You won’t go far if you try to carry everything around in your head. There are two main choices for planning purposes:

1. A paper based system

Paper based personal organizers offer a wide range of tools to help you set goals. Daily, weekly, monthly and yearly planning sheets, to do lists and the like let you detail  milestones you want to reach, deadlines you need to hit, and the tasks that will let you achieve these.

You can keep your paper system with you wherever you are, so if you’re relaxing in the garden and want to check something out you can do it quickly and easily. The sheets can be  arranged to suit, so you can keep your to-do list in the front of your organizer or with your current diary page, as you choose.

Put your ultimate life goals together with motivational quotes on one sheet that you can keep easily accessible for those times when you need a boost to get back on track.

The downside is that paper gets filled with words, and unless you complete everything on your to-do list in order (which isn’t always going to happen) you can find yourself spending time transferring information from one sheet of paper to another. If your handwriting leaves something to be desired you might also feel you need an interpreter to work out just what you wrote.

Then at the end of the year you have to buy new inserts.

And while it’s great being able to keep your organizer with you wherever you are, what would happen if you lost it? Would you be able to remember all those tasks, deadlines and the like?

2. Electronic systems

Software packages that perform clerical activities usually include extensive sections incorporating a calendar, diary, task lists, automatic reminders etc., often with inter-related functions so you set automatic reminders of deadlines for tasks.

The benefits of electronic systems include their very complexity – rather than putting  information in different places you just put it in one place, tick a few boxes, click a couple of buttons and you’ve set yourself a detailed task with an interim reminder and a final deadline. Simple!

An electronic system can makes it easier to access different types of documents and  programs at the touch of a button. Look at your budget spreadsheet with your project plan. Far easier than carrying around lots of different paper and having to sort through it to find exactly what you want.

On the downside, while it is also possible to keep an electronic system with you, it may be less practical in some situations. You’re driving and need a telephone number to tell someone you will be late. It’s not one you use regularly so it’s not on your mobile – it’s on your laptop. Your battery runs out just when you need to access important information. You’re in an area where you can’t get an internet signal.

And that complexity can also be a negative. Default settings may not suit your preferred style of working so you lose time searching around to find out how to stop that irritating sound or message popping up.

Then just as you’ve finally got your head round the software, and got all the settings as you want them, there’s an upgrade. All those things you really need have been moved and you spend ages searching for them or working out what the programmers have replaced them with. Frustrating to say the least.

Paper or electronic planners will help you achieve your goals

So you can see that both methods have good and bad points, and will appeal to different people. You may be sold on one particular method until you find yourself in a situation where it fails you for some reason, when you realize that they can both have their benefits.

Remember that any system is only as good as the person using it. You can spend a lot of money on something sophisticated, with all sorts of whistles and bells, but if you don’t invest the time to learn to use it properly – or even use it at all –  it won’t work for you. And it’s not the system that is at fault, it’s you.

Underpinning any goal setting activity must be the right attitude. An attitude that says you want to achieve your goals, to manage your time more effectively, to get more done, to take responsibility for the things you have to do – and you are willing to make the effort that it will take to make this happen. That means making sure you open your paper organizer, electronic device, or whatever system you choose, look at what you’ve put in there, and DO IT!

To achieve your goals, first overhaul your attitude, then find a system that suits you. Learn more about an effective program for achieving your goals here.

What about you?
Are you a paper or software fan?
Have you had mishaps with either of these methods?

Other Articles That May Interest You

Struggling to Reach Those Goals?

Do You Use These Procrastination Techniques?

Time Management Tips

Finding Motivation – and Staying Motivated

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The internet is a great tool when it comes to researching job opportunities, and finding out more about industries and companies you might want to work for. It’s also great for advice on all parts of the recruitment process.

But never forget it’s a double edged sword.

While you’re using the web to research your career development, you current, or prospective future employer is using it to research you.

I used to be employed by an organization that worked directly with young people, and operated alongside several other government and privately funded services. It was part of our code of behavior that we shouldn’t undertake any activity that might be contrary to the aims of our organization, and that we should promote and support the aims of our employer in our dealings with others. No different to any responsible company.

And what employees don’t always realize is that this isn’t an expectation that stops when you walk out the door at the end of the working day.

In some cases there can be a personal dilemma in this. When you’re out for the evening and you encounter someone you don’t know making negative comments about your employer, should you jump into their conversation to challenge their comments, or keep quiet?

In other cases it’s much clearer. Employees who make derogatory statements about their employers or customers on social networking sites shouldn’t be so surprised when there’s some sort of comeback. Surely they realize that once it’s committed to the ‘paper’ of the web, it’s there for eternity, unless they remove it again. And given the nature of the web, you just don’t know who is going to be able to read your spur of the moment ’sound off’.

Google engineer Jon Perlow has developed a system to help GMail users avoid sending those unwise emails at night or weekends, when they might be the worse for alcohol. They have to answer simple math problems before their message can be sent. A definite benefit for anyone who decides to get back at their boss after a bad day.

When you’re being paid to work, then that’s what you should be doing, not social networking or browsing the web. My employer wasn’t unusual in regularly tracking email and internet activity. They found a few cases where email buddies were spending literally hours of each working week communicating with one another, and usually not about anything to do with their work. Not surprisingly, the company was unhappy to continue paying these people.

And while the company were willing to provide free internet access for personal use, this was restricted to times outside normal working hours. Even then, certain sites were barred.

And there are more proactive ways that employers are checking on their staff these days.

There’s always someone around to take a picture when you’re at your worst, acting the fool or whatever. And yes, they are funny, but your employer may not be quite as amused as your friends. If your workmates are discussing your latest posts there’s a good chance these days that your boss will get to see them somehow. It could mean your job if they feel you’ve brought yourself, or your employer, into disrepute. And if you’re applying for jobs it could make your prospective employer consider you a liability.

A recent survey by Viadeo, a business social network, reported that 20% of UK employers had found information about prospective employees from an internet search, and almost 60% of these employers said what they found influenced their recruitment decisions. In some cases they rejected candidates based on this information. These numbers may be small, but you can be sure they will grow.

Think before you click

Image courtesy of http://www.wpclipart.com

Don’t wait till it’s too late. Clean your act up now. If you know you’ve got posts that don’t show you in your best light, do something about it. But don’t stop there — search for yourself and see what results you get. Are you happy they’re positive PR for you?

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It’s that time of year again – the activity and excitement of the festive season is over and quickly forgotten. And somewhere in there you made a resolution to change career this year. Maybe you’d been thinking about it for a while, but it wasn’t until everyone was exchanging their new year resolutions that you really committed to it.

So what happens now?

Ready for a career change but not sure which direction to take?

It’s good you’ve taken the first step of deciding you want to change career, but do you know what you want to change to, or how to give yourself the best chance of success in the current economic climate?

You’ll find lots of useful information and guidance in these articles:

What Career Should I Follow? — What Career Will I Enjoy?

Tips for Successful Job Search

Writing Cover Letters

Completing the Application Form

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Getting it right with your Job applications is stressful enough without making mistakes that can eliminate you from the process altogether.

Here’s some advice I was given some years ago by a recruiter for the fire service:

This particular fire service (and I’d guess all others) have very strict recruitment procedures. Once tests and interviews are completed they tell candidates they will be learn whether their application was successful – by letter – within 2 weeks. If any of the candidates make direct contact to find out their results they are rejected – even if they had been deemed successful and were to be offered a job!

Why?

Follow instructions, however eager you are to know the outcome of your interview

Because the Fire Service needs people who can follow instructions without questioning them. They work together as a team and have to rely totally on their colleagues. You wouldn’t want your life to be a risk because a colleague decides not to follow instructions to the letter.

I was also told by a navy recruiter that they won’t consider anyone who needs a lot of dental work. They advise applicants to get themselves off to the dentist, and reapply when their dental work is in good order.

Why?

Because if you’ve got a vital role to do on a ship and you can’t concentrate because of toothache you could put your colleagues at risk.

Whether you agree with these things doesn’t matter. The fact is that if employers have particular requirements of you as a candidate, you should make sure you get it right with your job application by following them. In the current economic climate employers are unlikely to be short of lots of good quality applicants for their vacant posts, and they need some way to reduce this to manageable numbers.

If you’ve enclosed a resume when you were told not to, completed the form in blue ink when black was specified, or ignored instructions you’ve been asked to follow, you’re as good as saying ‘reject me!’

Find more advice about job applications in these articles:

Writing Cover Letters

Completing the Application Form

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In the current economic climate there is growing uncertainty about job security, with many companies more likely to lay people off than hire them.

Interviews can be difficult experiences, and not just for the candidate. If you’re job seeking, make sure you avoid these common interview mistakes:

Applying For a Job You Don’t Really Want

A company wants to know that you actually want to work for them, you’ve not just stuck a pin in the paper and applied for whatever job it landed on. And you should want to work for them. Even if you’re out of work you should still make sure you’re applying for things you are positive about doing, not just anything to earn some money.

If you don’t really want the job you’re less likely to prepare for the interview, and it will show.

And if you somehow succeeded in getting a job that you didn’t really want to do, chances are it wouldn’t work out and you’d be looking again before long. Everyone loses.

Knowing Nothing About the Company You’ve Applied to Work For

A vital part of interview preparation is background research on the company (you should have done this before you even applied for the job). You may be asked a direct question about the company in your interview, and if you can’t show any knowledge of their business, it is likely to count against you. The internet can make research much easier, as can trade journals and local press. Even the reception area while you’re waiting for your interview can be a source of information and inspiration. You may then be able to frame a good question based on what you’ve just read.

Misunderstanding the Job You’ve Applied For

A couple of years ago I was part of a panel interviewing for a post that involved developing links with local employers. The organization I worked for was mainly involved in finding work for young people, and many of the candidates had automatically assumed the job would involve working directly with these job seekers, and lots of 1:1 contact. They couldn’t have been more wrong (as they should have known from the job description they had been sent) but even when we tried to steer some of them back on course, they still didn’t get it. Nor did they get the job.

Read the remainder of 11 Ways to Fail in Interviews

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