Unemployment figures drop again

UK unemployment has fallen again this month to 4.7% its lowest since the summer of 1975 according to The Office for National Statistics (ONS).

They are still being cautious as the gap in wages has narrowed and has slowed significantly in the first 3 months of 2017.  Wage growth is one of the most important pieces of data that the Bank of England uses with regards to interest rates. The next interest rate policy is on Thursday next week.

Zero contract hours now equates to 2.8% of all people in employment.

Constantly being rejected? Could this be the reason?

It is highly likely that your CV has spelling and grammar errors in it!

Ok so I’ve probably lost you now!  Are you are thinking, I’m a great speller, I’ve got a qualification to prove it and I’ve proof read my CV,  it’s perfect this doesn’t apply to me? 

Please keep reading........

You will be surprised to learn that most of the CV’s we receive have spelling and grammar errors in them, a whopping 95 to 98% of applicants. These are from people of all ages and include lots of people who are surprised to find an error in their perfect CV.

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Mistakes will prevent you getting a job!!!!

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Companies will overlook your details assuming: You lack attention to detail.  Have a poor command of the English language.  Think you will make lots of mistakes in written work, which could damage their brand and reputation.  That you simply don’t care enough to present yourself properly as a future employee for their company.

Your CV should represent the very best of you and your experience!

I often have conversations with people, of all ages, when I am interviewing, about how very difficult it is to spot our own mistakes, in things we type ourselves.  Our brains are very clever at working out what we mean to say, which leads to the copy we write, reading ok in our head but not necessarily on paper.  It’s not until someone else reads it that they spot the errors.  You can spot some mistakes yourself by re-reading, especially if you walk away and check it later.  However having another person check it, helps ensure any additional errors are corrected ahead of you applying for a role.

I use this example when I give career guide talks at local universities, to emphasis the point to students, before I ask them to check each other’s CV.   As this is not exclusive a young person problem, anyone would benefit from this quick test.

"i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg, if i an raed ths jsut igamine how mnay msitaeks cluod be in yur CV!"

Ok so this is an extreme; however it just shows how our brains help us out.  It can usually work out the word if the first and last letters are in place and all the other letters are jumbled up.

For the last few years, I have seen more capital letter errors.  This includes, job titles missing a capital letter on the 2nd word.  Lower case I’s being used.   Descriptive words, in job experience text starting with a capital letter, when not part of a job title.  I can only assume this is due to texting, where we use less capital letters, looks like our brain is evolving to not spot these as important mistakes.

As an experienced recruiter, if I spot an error I am always happy to point it out, so it can be amended ahead of it reaching a potential employer, however this is a last resort and I have also rejected applicants with numerous errors in their CV, especially if a role has an element of proof reading or attention to detail in it.

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The simple fix is: 

Ask someone else to proof read your CV! 

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Highest Employment in 11 years

Unemployment at it's lowest for over a Decade, showing the UK jobs marketing has remained resilient despite the warning it would be hit by the Brexit vote.

UK unemployment has fallen by 7,000 to 1.6 million people according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Wages have increased by 2.6% in the last 3 months of 2016 which was faster than the rate of inflation. 

https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/bulletins/uklabourmarket/feb2017 

Design and Marketing Jobs on the UP since Brexit

Creative and Marketing are in the Top 10 industries to show an increase in job vacancies post the Brexit decision, which is fantastic news for job hunters.  Design jobs are top of the leader board, showing a staggering 43% increase in jobs since June 2016.  Marketing roles are up by 25%.

The data, which analysed the average number of jobs in the UK’s key sectors in 2016, found that the top ten industries for work in 2017 are:

1.            Design – up 43%

2.            Leisure/Tourism – up 33%

3.            Catering – up 33%

4.            Legal – up 32%

5.            Agriculture – up 32%

6.            Automotive – up 28%

7.            Social Care – up 27%

8.            Manufacturing – up 26%

9.            Marketing – up 25%

10.          Education – up 25%

Good to see that so many industries are growing.  This confidence has to be good for all businesses.  The challenges are to attract the very best people to fill these roles and this is where a specialist, like Green Shoots Recruitment Ltd can help.  With over 20 years recruiting for the Creative, Marketing and Digital sectors we are able to provide the highest quality candidates for your roles.

Data provided by CVLibrary

Working Millennials in 2017

I nearly wrote several separate articles on this talk, I have just watched on line (link below) one for Employers, Millennials and another for those that don’t fit this bracket.  Millennials is the term used to describe the people born after 1984. The talk was brought to my attention by my daughter who fits this age bracket. 

I’ve chosen combine my thoughts because I think all sides need to be aware of the challenges the other has.

Millennials moving jobs within a year?

As an Employer, you may have seen people in this age group, leave your employment out of the blue or you cannot quite put your finger on it but they just don’t seem content in their roles.  You have invested time and money to train an employee, only to have them leave within 12 months or feel like they may do soon. Often just as you are feeling they are making an impact. 

Not feeling like you are making your mark quickly enough?

As a person in this age group, you may feel that now you are in the world of work - it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.  You may be frustrated and lacking in self-belief and confidence.   Leading you to think your only option is to give up in your current role and move on, as you try to find your perfect role that gives you a perfect life.

Not your fault!

Millennials have grown up in a fast paced technology driven world.  With Schooling and Parents telling them they can have it all, be who they want, that good things will come to you.  They were constantly rewarded by both as children,  when society told us that everyone was a winner!  There were medals for all on sports day - rightfully so for the winners, those that excelled worked hardest to come first.  However medals were handed out for everyone, devaluing the winner’s hard work.  What about everyone else, well in your heart as a child you knew that you weren’t worthy of a medal for coming last!

Lots of online friends?

We put value in the number of online friend we have, some we might see regularly.  However most will be distant, from the past and some we don’t know at all!  We see snap shots of these people’s lives, mainly in photographs; do we sit down and chat with these people face to face, do we truly know them?

We are all using Social Media to mask our real feelings and experiences.  To the outside world, we are fun, colourful, doing amazing things and full of life and laughs.  We all have times like this but if we are honest with ourselves our day to day life is a little different. 

We all need to learn to engage with people on a face to face basis, especially those people we work alongside.  

Hang in there!

I think as a Millennial you will recognise yourself in this talk.  It might help you recognise that to get what you want, you will need to learn patience and that there are joys and satisfaction to be had with sticking with things long term.  An employer could help teach this age group, that a quick fix is often not the answer and long term solutions will bring more rewards.  As a parent it might help your son or daughter communicate better with others, if you yourself make some changes.

As employers we need to find ways to address this, otherwise the constant churn of staff in this age group will continue and get worse.  We need to find a ways to show the Millennials that they are making their mark in our companies, they are appreciated.  That following things through long term can bring many rewards, job satisfaction and the happy fulfilled life we all desire.

Here is an example of a recent applicant; who qualified in 2012, has already worked for 7 different companies, will not accept a job title less than Marketing Manager, ideally Head of Marketing and a salary no less than £37k.  Now I admire the self-belief here, however most employers would look at the job churn and assume in 6 months this person would be moving on and therefore not consider this applicant as a serious contender for a permanent role.

Get the creative juices flowing!

Ideas happen when our brains are not doing other things, such as, when we are driving, waiting for a train, waiting for a meeting, walking.  Essentially we are more creative, when we are not filling our brains with stuff and social media or being online is now a huge part of this.

Love your Phone and Technology

I love technology, my phone, tech gadgets and being connected; I’m not giving this up or suggesting anyone else does.  However having listened to this talk, I’ve made some adjustments.  If you stand back just a minute and look at how technology and being connected 24/7 is affecting the very thing that makes us human.  It makes you realise we all need to take control of how we communicate with and encourage the people we are closest too. 

And what is even more concerning, Millennials still grew up with less technology than those born since 2010.  How will the next generation cope when they enter the work environment!

If you are Employer, Millennial, Parent or anyone else that doesn’t fit this bracket, take 15 minutes out of your busy day just to listen to this guy. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hER0Qp6QJNU

Would love to hear about your experiences:  Email ann@greensr.co.uk

5 Questions you should ask to get the best out of your interview

Introducing the five interview questions you should be asking to get the most out of your interviews!

If possible try to keep every interview the same. By giving every candidate the exact same opportunity to answer, you are giving yourself the ability to be able to compare responses with ease and accuracy.

I know these questions might seem incredibly obvious but when employers get into an interview, these vital questions often slip their mind. Whether you are thinking about the meeting you had that morning or the meeting you are preparing for later that day, sometimes, an interview structure is often low on your list of priorities. But it shouldn't be. After all, this candidate could be the potential future success of your company or team. Spend a few short minutes to write these down beforehand or just print this and take it in with you! You won't regret it once you have answers to compare and you realise that your decision has become far easier.

Five Questions

●  What do you know about us as a company?

The strongest candidates will have studied your company thoroughly. This is not solely about you investing in a candidate, a candidate should be keen to invest in your company too.

● Why did you apply for this role?

You are trying to highlight the candidates with a career plan, real interest in the role or desire to work in your business. Understanding a candidates motivations, should play a key part in your decision.

● Why do you think you are suitable?

As awkward as this is to ask, it is important to know why a candidate feels they are suitable. If a candidate is not confident in their own abilities, how can you be confident that they will succeed?

● Tell me a bit about yourself?

This opens up dialog about what they’ve done in their career but also further into your interview it can be revealing; a candidates hobbies says a lot about the type of person you are talking to. By using this question, you’ll learn more about the personality of a candidate and this will help you gauge whether or not they are a culture fit for your company.

● Do you have any questions?

This helps clear up any questions but can also reveal how much a candidate has invested in this interview.