Do you return from a holiday full of renewed energy for your job or does it leave you unsettled and wanting to escape again? If so, it could be that your career needs a bit of a shake-up…

If the thought of your two weeks in the sun is the only thing that’s keeping you going at work, you’re not alone. The holiday season is upon us and for most people it’s a good chance to recharge our batteries, so that we’re buoyed up and raring to go for the next half of the working year. But holidays can sometimes unsettle us, and rather than coming back refreshed and raring to go, our only thoughts are how to get on the next plane out again!

When you return from holiday, if you literally have to drag yourself back to the office, and you just can’t settle back down to work, it might be that the holiday has triggered thoughts that have been underlying for some time. Continue reading “Are holidays bad for your motivation?” »

When recruiting, employers naturally want to hire someone who is worth investing in, someone who is keen to develop a long-term career within the organisation. Here’s how to convince an employer that you are a good catch…

What do you look for in a partner? Someone who fits the bill just for now? Or someone who shows that they are committed? Depending on our circumstances, most of us would opt for the latter and it’s the same with an employer. During the interview process (the equivalent of a first date), they will be looking for employees who can demonstrate that they are in it for the long–term, someone who shows, not marriage potential, but management potential.

If you think about it, would you be prepared to invest all your time and energy in a partner who was only going to be around for the next month or so? No, you probably wouldn’t. If you thought this partner was interested in developing a long-term relationship with you, you’d quite happily invest time and effort – again it’s the same with your employer. They will be prepared to spend time and money investing in someone who can show they are interested in developing a long-term career with them.

“It doesn’t matter what job you are going for,” says Jo Ellen Grzyb from Impact Factory, an agency specialising in communication skills, “but if you just go for the immediate, you are not indicating that you are interested in development within the organisation.”

So, how do you show an interviewer that if you get the job, you are here to stay? Continue reading “How to show management potential” »

Job seeking can be a job in itself.

Self-motivation is the first step to finding a new and rewarding job. However, it’s not always easy to find the motivation to write seemingly endless applications, especially if you’ve spent all day at work or received a number of rejections. Nevertheless, by persevering and setting time aside in your busy schedule, you can change your life and bring new opportunities to your door.

Job seeking success begins with:

• Knowing what you want
• Thinking about how you are going to achieve your goals
• Establishing some objectives, such as completing a certain number of job applications a month
• Effectively communicating what you want to achieve to others
• Prioritising your personal or work-related activities in order of importance will help you achieve them. Job applications usually have a deadline, so by looking at which one comes first you can decide which to apply for first
• Review and adapt your approach according to any feedback you receive from recruiters

Continue reading “How to Manage the Workload of Looking for a Job” »

With all the negative press about the state of the economy and the resulting increase in unemployment, it is not surprising that mums currently on career breaks are “conditioned” into thinking and accepting that a return to work in the current climate will be tough if not unachievable. Majella Wilkins from Return2WorkMums offers advice to those who have taken a career break and want to get back into employment.

All careers can be refreshed, you just need to know how, plus you need to stay focused and persistent. It will not happen overnight and there will be some rejection along the way. However, you make your own luck and contacts and networking could just be your secret weapon.

You are in the driving seat so set your course!

It is up to us to make our own luck and take charge of future events that are within our control. Effective job searching is an activity that we are in control of and can, therefore, increase the chances of our success. One of the first steps in advance of job searching is to build and explore ideas of where you would like to work. Once you have your “long list” you will then need to refine these ideas to reach a short list that will fit in best with your family demands. Remember this is not idle day dreaming about an unobtainable, idealistic utopia of being a working mum. There are a range of practicalities of being a working mum and the 2 roles of working and being a mum need to fit together as best they can – sometimes it will be an uncomfortable juggle and there will be compromises to be made. Continue reading “Advice for Mums returning to work” »

If you are reading this article, then it is most likely that you’ve been invited to attend a second interview. So what’s next? There is still some work to be done before you can prove you’re the ideal candidate. Nevertheless, you can be proud of yourself for what you’ve achieved so far – managing to sell yourself to your prospective employer.

However, you won’t be the only candidate that’s been invited to a second interview. You will need to impress the same interviewer again, someone else from the company or organisation, or even a panel of decision-makers. We’ve put together the following tips to help you:

1. Preparation is key to success:

Don’t become complacent; you still need to prepare for the second interview – just like you did for your first one. Even if you’ve already looked at the company’s website before attending the first interview, consider having another look as a certain amount of time may have passed since then.

Reading the latest industry news or talking to people who’ve previously worked with the company will also help you to find the right questions to ask the interviewer(s). There may be some repetition from the first interview, as your interviewer might want to dig deeper or find out if a senior colleague agrees with their opinion about you.

Continue reading “Second Interview Advice” »