joblifeupgrade.com

Appearance pt2 – Tattoos, Piercings and Dreadlocks

Rebecca — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 09:15:55 +0000

In interviews, the smarter the better is a general rule. So, what do you do if you have a tattoo, piercing, or fluorescent yellow hair? Show that you’ve made an effort.

So, if you have facial piercings, play them down by wearing clear studs, or smaller bars. If you have a tattoo somewhere easy to cover up, do so, but don’t lose sleep over it. Certainly don’t attempt to show it off or wear something that intentionally makes it visible.

Hair colour is a bit more tricky, as wearing a hat or scarf is generally a no-no. I’d recommend dyeing it so that there are only some parts of your hair a bright colour – like highlights, or a dyed fringe or undercolour – and then when you start work, ask them if they’d mind you dyeing more of it. With dreadlocks, tying them back makes them look more uniform and under control.

The bottom line is that you shouldn’t completely change the way you look, but you should certainly show that you have made an effort to smarten up.

Appearance pt1 – First Impressions

Rebecca — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 15:22:50 +0000

Many people know to wear a suit for an interview. But what do you wear if you’re going to hand CVs round, or if you’re just popping in to see if there are any jobs? Many people would just do this whilst out shopping in their jeans and trainers, but if you want them to make an effort by considering your CV, you should make an effort to appear professional and interested.

If you go into an office or school wearing jeans and a crumpled t-shirt, your prospective employer is likely to believe that you are either careless, lazy, or ignorant. None of these are assumptions you want them to make.

Make your first impression count by starting as you mean to go on; dress smartly and appropriately, and you’re more likely to be remembered for your preparation. (You can always take some trainers in your bag to change into between places!)

Governments Long-Term Unemployment Strategy

Rebecca — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 09:05:02 +0000

If you’ve been unemployed for six months of more than the government have launched a new six month offer to help individuals gain the skills needed that local employers are looking for and need. Careers advice experts based in various centres will help you discuss what skills you want to work and what skills that employers want in their employees. This will help get a training plan under way and an advisor will help agree on a training course between 2 and 8 weeks. Some of these courses vary in length but all count towards a recognised qualification that you can work towards.

Eye Catching CV’s

Maddi — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 09:01:27 +0000

Your CV is the first step in any job you apply. It’s your chance to show the employer that you’ve got the skills they want and the experience to take the role on making you the right person for it. There are various rules of thumbs that a CV needs to follow – it needs to be clear and concise, well laid out, evidence given of the skills needed for that particular job and any qualifications that might help you secure it on the internet you can find many tips for formats to use as well as step by step guides to help you write a eye catching CV out.

Interview Tips

Aaron — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 09:56:57 +0000

If an employer thinks you’re a good match for a job then they will most probably call you in to discuss the job further with you and find out if you’re the right person to join their team and organisation. You need to prove that you can do this job and to help you prepare there are several things you can do before hand. It’s important that you dress smart even if the role you’re looking to get doesn’t require you to dress in a shirt and tie. First impressions always count and generally this is formed as soon as you walk through the door. The next most important point is to be on time – if you’re going to a new location its best to try the route out beforehand to ensure you don’t get lost on the day.

Volunteering and Voluntary Work

Maddi — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 09:55:23 +0000

Volunteering is a great way to learn new skills as well as help organisations whilst getting what you want out of it too. The type of volunteering activates that you can get involved in is vast and in most cases the assistance you provide is really appreciated. The type of roles can vary from cleaning up a nature reserve, to helping out in a old people’s home to working in a nursery! In the long term this can help you get into paid work by equipping you with the skills you need. It’s also a great way to meet new people and work in a area to make a difference.

Careers Advice Centres

Rebecca — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 11:51:48 +0000

If you’re starting to look for your first job or looking for a change, knowing the kind of job you want to do will make the search much easier! Careers advice centres have specialists who will help you think about the kind of career you want and what job might be best for you. One of the key factors which will determine a job from a career is if you need to work just to pay the bills or if you want a job to give you little bit more than that. What are your aspirations in life and where do you want to be – this will all help determine the path you want to take.

Follow your dream or appease your bank manager?

Maddi — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 17:31:58 +0000

Careers in this day and age are not as clear cut as they were in our grandparents, parents and even older siblings time. The reason? Recession.

Learning what you are good at, and often what you enjoy, comes about in our school years, and we then focus our higher education towards attaining the skills and qualifications to get the job we would love to do.

But will this job be around in 10 years? Will it be a job to take to retirement? These sorts of questions haven’t really occurred to most 16 to 18 year olds, but this generation is struggling to find a first job, let alone a job to take them through the rest of their lives.

So, do we follow our dream job, or do we find a job that will last and always pay the bills?

The need for basic reading, writing and numeracy skills in the workplace.

Aaron — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 08:53:54 +0000

These basic skills are vital in any job and with the current state of the education system we are finding more and more young people lacking in these basic skills. This is not the end of the world but it does require some action.

Are you finding yourself struggling with reading, writing and numeracy? If so then there are lot of options out there to help you. You could take a course or work towards a recognised qualification. First of though you need to know the best way for you to learn. Are you happy with classroom situations or would you rather self? Speak to your local careers advisor or jobcentre who may be able to send you in the right direction.
It is worth considering improving your skills as the benefits could be immense, like a better job or you may find yourself wanting to study further.

Facing Redundancy?

Maddi — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 08:56:09 +0000

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.