Personal recommendations are one of the most powerful influences on employers’ hiring decisions. One survey found that after the interview and your CV, references have the biggest impact on whether you get the job. But many of us treat references as an afterthought, perhaps assuming that they rarely get checked. In some cases, your past [Read more…]
Middle age may once have been a time for coasting into retirement, but no longer: workers are increasingly looking for work that stimulates and stretches them throughout their careers. This is likely to be one of the reasons why thousands of apprenticeship starts in the UK come from over-50s, and why research shows that 40% [Read more…]
One unfortunate fact of life is that the more you succeed in your career, the more likely you are to bring work home work and all the stresses that come with it. A University of Toronto study found that professionals “with more authority, decision-making latitude, pressure, and longer hours” were the most likely to find work [Read more…]
When it comes to brushing up our expertise, for many of us it’s digital skills that are top of the list. No wonder IT courses are one of the most popular choices. More than three-quarters of businesses have some degree of shortage of digital skills, affecting the bottom line in 29% of cases, a survey [Read more…]
Choosing a job – or switching careers – is one of the biggest decisions we make. In a survey by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, people rated it as more significant than when to start a family, whether to get married or where to live. It all makes sense: we spend nearly a third of [Read more…]
If Silicon Valley is to be believed, it’s the next big thing. Augmented Reality (AR) is technology that can combine realistic digital visuals dynamically with the real world, as viewed through your phone camera or dedicated goggles. Companies like Apple and Google are betting big on the technology, putting it at the heart of the [Read more…]
So you’ve decided that gaining a new qualification is a vital part of climbing the next rung of the career ladder. Congratulations – but you’re probably wondering how you’re going to fit it all in. Studying is demanding enough when you’re focusing on it full-time. But many mature students returning to education after a spell [Read more…]
It’s one of the most common career dreams: what if you were the one in charge, with the freedom to choose your own hours and set the direction of the business yourself? In fact, according to research by recruitment specialist Robert Half, about three out of ten employees dream of saying goodbye to the boss [Read more…]
Looking for a new job can be hard work, so wouldn’t it be better if employers were fighting over you? Pursuing a career in a shortage occupation can have plenty of advantages, with rising pay and more choice over where to work. Of course, businesses won’t just hire anyone to fill the gap. They’re looking [Read more…]
Work experience has changed: it isn’t just about having someone in to make the tea and do some photocopying any more. Increasingly, employers and teachers see it as a vital step in every student’s education to help them make the transition to employment. In a 2014 survey, 66% of employers said work experience was a [Read more…]