There has been much written, and even more speculated, within the recruiting and HR communities during the last couple of years regarding candidates‘ social media profiles – specifically over the question of whether recruiters and potential employers are monitoring them to gain further insight into potential job applicants.

Whatever the rights and wrongs of ‘social media referencing’ the availability of this information on public platforms will inevitably lead to curious hirers wanting to seek out further information.

The infographic below is from Reppler – a free social media monitoring service that’s focused on the individual – and shows the results of a recent survey of more than 300 hiring professionals. There are some interesting findings!

Maybe the most important of all to a jobseeker is that 90% of recruiters and hiring managers have looked a candidate’s social media profile (primarily Facebook and Twitter) as part of the screening process…and almost half have done it after receiving an application and before initiating a screening conversation. 69% have rejected someone based on their social networking profile, whilst almost the same numbers (68%) have hired someone because of what they have seen on a profile. Continue reading “Are Recruiters Watching What You Say Online?” »

If you followed the livestream discussion on our recent blog about Creating Online Profiles then you would have heard our guests, Jurgen Sundberg and Steve Ward, talk about the continuing importance of the CV and the need to keep it simple, focusing on content not presentation.

The topic of CVs – how to write them, how to present them, what to include and which formats to use – is one of ones that definitely interests our readers the most, which is why it is a subject that we often return to.

Gather a group of career coaches in a room and the chances are that you will get quite varied views on all the key questions around CVs…including whether or not they will retain their dominance over online profiles.

Here we round up some recent blogs from the career space that deal with a few of the key questions…we hope you find them useful: Continue reading “5 Blogs About CVs” »

There’s no doubting that equality in the workplace has come a long way since the beginning of the last century, but how much further can it go?  A long way according to a recent report by Visions of Britain…

It’s been a slow, drip-drip process, but things are definitely improving for women in the workplace. However, there’s still a long way to go before there’s total equality. A recent report by Visions of Britain 2020 looks at the way things are for women in the workplace today and how this may change by 2020. Some of the findings might surprise you:

55% of working women think there will still be a big pay gap between men and women by 2020

Unfortunately, this is one of those arguments that will run and run as long as women continue to have families. However, as more and more career women rise through the ranks, perceptions will eventually shift as men realise that women really are serious about their careers. Career-minded women are proving that it is possible to be a working mum and to do both jobs properly. Chloe Smith, a mother of two from London, is one such mum. Keen to prove that her job is just as valid as her husband’s she chose to go back to work full-time after having her children. “I had got to a place in my career where I was starting to earn good money,” she says. “My husband and I share everything equally – childcare, mortgage, bills – so it was important to me that I continued to earn to pay my way.” With more women thinking this way, it will only be a matter of time before the pay gap eventually disappears. Continue reading “The Future For Working Women” »

The working world has changed beyond recognition over the last 10 years but what does that mean for the older generation? New opportunities and a new lease of life, possibly…

Being an older jobseeker has never been easy but at least you had some job security back in the day when a job was for life and you worked your way steadily up the ranks. In the past 20 years we have experienced so much change – fluid careers, the rise of technology – that for the over 50s, the office can sometimes seem like a foreign country.

More than ever we are seeing the younger generation rising meteorically to dizzying heights on the career ladder. This is thanks in part to the technology boom and the rise of the internet – a new language that just isn’t spoken among the over 50s. Being computer-savvy is one of the most fundamental skills that any employee needs today. Anyone worth their weight now needs to tweet while they eat, socialise with their Facebook friends as much as their ‘real’ friends, and catch up with the news over the internet. Newspapers, today, are looked upon like relics from a bygone era: the working world is changing and you’ve got to keep up. Continue reading “Golden Generation – Looking at New Opportunities” »

There are many benefits to becoming a consultant, says Huw Hilditch Roberts, director in charge of the Institute of Consulting. If you’re thinking about going it alone, read on for his expert advice about how to make the move into the exciting world of consultancy…

“Consulting is attracting people of different ages and backgrounds because it offers a rare combination of challenge, diversity and work flexibility. If you are looking for your next challenge and want to work in a different industry sector, or for a variety of different clients, and can offer specialist skills and knowledge, then consultancy might be the ideal career move for you.

What is consultancy work?

Before you take the plunge, it is important to know what consultancy entails and to plan your transition carefully. Becoming a consultant means taking a risk – leaving behind the relatively safe world of permanent employment to branch out on your own. You will become your own boss and master of your destiny, free to choose the work you do and the hours you do it in. This can be exciting, diverse and hugely rewarding.

The work will often involve identifying and assessing business problems, reporting and making recommendations on how to solve problems and providing advice on how organisations can change or improve their business processes.  Continue reading “Is Consultancy The Career for You” »