In the current climate redundancy is becoming more and more common. So what happens when you are faced with this and what’s the best way to deal with it?

First off you may feel that this was your fault or that it is the end of the world. Don’t worry this is not the case and it is not down to you it is the company that has suffered along with the hundreds of companies out there. Think positive as there are still a lot of opportunities out there.

Within this period you will need to learn about how this affects you and your normal life, especially as your main source of income has stopped. You will need to look into the benefits system to help tide you over at this point. Cut unnecessary spending and get yourself job hunting. If you are able to enjoy the time off then do so, it doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom.

If you have been living under a tree for the last few years then you will have no need to read this article. However if you haven’t and you have been keeping up with the times then there are some things to consider here. Do you have a Facebook, Bebo or MySpace profile?

If so then you need to be aware that this is being used widely now by employers and employment agencies to help vet the applicants they receive. If you are currently looking for a job ensure your profiles are clean, non offensive and puts you in good light if an employer was to find your profile.

This seems to be a rather popular subject for a lot of people. There are some serious misconceptions when it comes to what apparel to wear for job interviews. A safe bet is to always dress smart for an interview meaning suit, shirt, smart tie and clean shoes. Even if you are told the interview is very much informal the best advice to treat it as a formal interview.

Dressing smart shows that you care and goes towards presenting yourself in an interview. Remember your interviewer only has a little amount of time in which to judge you don’t give them the slightest bit of ammo to do this negatively. Also your interviewer will have taken the time to smarten themselves up and taken the time to interview you so it also shows a little respect.

One thing to remember if you are in a job and you do not like what you are doing or you are fed up with it, is that you can always go back to College and do something else, you could go in the night time while you retain a full time job or just go back to College full time.

Open University is an option but they are more expensive than normal University generally because they are open to anyone, hence the name.

I wouldn’t recommend staying in a career if you are not getting out of it what you want, or you are just bored of it, have a think about what you want to do and just do it.

1. Promotion

Don’t be afraid to seek out those promotion opportunities. It’s not easy but if you are determined you will see the fruits of your labour. There are hidden opportunities within companies for promotion which can include other departments. Sometime volunteering yourself for new projects or certain tasks can put you ahead of the rest.

2. Movement and timing

This is difficult for anyone. If you leave your company will you miss out on that big bonus? Is your industry surviving in the current economic climate?

3. Taking a step back is OK

Taking a step back in your career is not always a bad thing. Sure it may well be less money but some companies do offer fast tracking which means you could be where you want to be in not time.

4. Relocating

Think this through properly. You find yourself focusing on just the negatives. What about the positives, more money, better prospects or maybe your company is just relocating. A willingness to move will go down quite well.

5. Career changing

This is down to you. If you hate getting up and going to a place you hate then it’s time to move before things get worse. Motivation is the key here.

Some companies have a very weird interview process and I have been very fortunate to experience quite a few different ways of interviewing.

A lot of companies have the ususal 2 stage / 3 stage interview process which can be quite grueling and worrying.    In my current job I had a normal 1st interview, but then had to do a presentation on my field and go into detail in regards to methods I would use etc.

The best thing to do in this situation is to remember that they wouldn’t have asked you back if they didn’t like you in the first place, so you have pretty much got the job already, but at the same time don’t be complacent because you don’t want to fall at the last hurdle.

Needless to say there are a big amount of recruitment consultants around the country who will hound you and meither you but just as quickly drop you as a candidate.

I have dealt with a lot of recruitment consultants and one thing I have learnt very quickly is that the only ones worth your time are the ones that want to meet you first before anything, I have only ever had one which came to me, and I have to say he was very polite, organised and really listened to me and what I wanted, rather than the best post he can put me in for his clients.

Everyones first day on the job is a nerve shaking one, meeting new people, worrying about getting things wrong and generally worrying about anything and everything.

There is nothing to worry about because they wouldn’t have employed you if they were unsure etc, yes you need to keep on your toes and make sure you do things properly but at the end of the day everybody knows its your first day, so stop worrying!

Try to avoid asking daft questions just because your trying to make conversation, as people will genuinely start thinking you have no idea and second thoughts may drift around.

There are many ways you can find a job, most people go to the job centre but most jobs are now on the internet as it is a much cheaper way of advertising them and you can take them off very quickly if they are filled.

I use monster because you can put your CV up there and define your CV by certain keywords e.g. sales, accounts, engineer so potential employers or recruitment consultants will find your CV if they are looking for potential candidates with your skills etc.

Every job I have had so far has been through monster because I find it very easy and all I have to do is put my CV up and the calls come rolling in,  the last time I did it I put my CV on the site at 22:15 on a sunday evening, 08:10 on that very monday morning I got a phone call from a recruitment consultant with a job spec for me which matched exactly what I had been doing for the last 2 years and the job was 10 mins away from me.      Now I work in a niche sector so the jobs were few and far between!

Once you have got your CV noticed, you are normally invited for an interview, however some companies prefer to do a telephone interview first before they meet you face to face.

one thing you should never do is panic or get nervous, obviously everyone gets a little nervous but the key is to be calm and collected, as you will be asked questions and people are looking for not only your response, but in the manner you respond too, body language can speak very loudly so try not to slouch or fidget etc.     What I do is sit up straight (don’t overdo this though, make it look natural) and if there is a table in front of you try holding one hand in the other both on the table, you will give the impression that you are open and ready to give accurate and concise answers to the questions asked, one thing which is particularly important is your articulation, pronounce your Ts softly, don’t go extreme and decide to put on a posh accent becuase that would just be daft.