And it's not just me. In a recent survey of 2,000 participants, more than 54% said that pay was the main reason they looked for a new job with just 42% wanting to move for an increase in job satisfaction. No big shock there. But compare this to the same survey held in 2010, in which 61% put job satisfaction first with just 48% wanting more money.
So why the change? We were all reeling from the recession last year, after all. Well, for me, I am really starting to feel the pinch now - and 18% of workers say that it's a 'constant struggle' to make ends meet. From food prices in the supermarkets to MORE hikes in fuel bills, we're all having to tighten our belts, especially as many companies continue to freeze pay or offer below-inflation salary increases.
And actually, people moving jobs can be good for our economy, particularly if you're moving up the career ladder. There are lots of people out of work at the moment and if you're leaving a junior position behind, many people could have the skills to fill it. Plus we all need a new challenge from time to time and we mustn't feel scared to take the plunge, economic downturn or not.
A family friend of mine, a graduate, recently went for a job interview. She's intelligent, well-spoken, and has a great attitude on top of the excellent degree she will end up with this summer.
She was well prepared for the interview - her CV was carefully written and she had done her research about the organisation that she was visiting, printing off important information from the company website. However, when she arrived, she was told that this was to be a group interview. Cue shock, horror and panic. I can only imagine how this must have thrown her!
With 12 other candidates, none of whom was expecting a group interview, she was herded into a room and spoken at for 40 minutes. Fair enough; they were told about the company, its history and, of course, about the job role itself.
They were then asked to complete a 40-minute personality test, before being ushered into a room to finally meet the hiring manager. For five minutes.
Unfortunately, she didn't get the job. But how could she have improved her chances, and how can you cope with a sudden group interview situation?
Well, for a start, get as much information from the company beforehand as you can. Sure, a bit of research into the company ethos and history will score you valuable points in the interview itself, but a quick call to your recruitment contact should help you identify what to expect from the interview. It's not pushy to ask who you're going to be meeting, how long the interview is likely to last, what kind of preparation they'd like you to do and, of course, what kind of interview it is. In fact, in most instances, asking key questions like this will show the initiative that employers are looking for.
Another thing you can do is ask yourself why the company has sprung a group interview on you. I'm sure there are many different reasons, but I guarantee that they're doing it to test both how you assert yourself in a group situation and also how you deal with the unexpected. Both of these tend make a lot of your interview preparation redundant, but there are still ways you can be prepared for the unexpected. Getting friends and family to ask you random questions will help you think on your feet, and facing down the embarrassment of doing a full-on mock interview with a friend will certainly help you with the group situation.
Most importantly of all, though, is that you should never get despondent at any time during the interview process. Even if things aren't as you expected, even if you are asked to perform tests that seem frankly weird, the best thing you can do is stay at the top of your game. Whether the company in question gives you five minutes or three hours to sell yourself to them, use it effectively. Granted, you'll have to condense your thoughts if you only have a few minutes, but if you make sure you only tell them your best stuff, then you can make as much of an impact as in a full 30-minute interview.
And if you've been dazed and a little confused during the interview process, and you feel you missed out on a chance to say what you wanted, don't despair. Send the interviewer an email the next day thanking them for their time, reiterating how much you'd like the job, and reminding them why you think you're ideal. Don't go on and on, but an email like this will help put you at the forefront of their minds, and may just be the clincher to getting the job.
]]>Finding the right job is something that I've noticed a lot of people just aren't very good at. This might be down to a simple lack of understanding when it comes to using search terms or, for a lot of people, it centres around a scattergun approach of applying for far too many jobs in the hope of landing one. With the latter, it often ends up that people spend less time than they should on each application, with the effect that they get nowhere fast.
As I've said before, I started at totaljobs but a few months ago. For me, this was quite an unusual way to find a job - seeing a job for a jobs board on the very same jobs board. Saying that, it made it easy for me to demonstrate my knowledge of the company, as I had obviously been using totaljobs to look for jobs. However, my experience helps demonstrate why so many people fall before they've even reached the first hurdle.
As with so many job types, the role of content manager is known by a whole load of different names. I'd been searching for tags like 'editor', 'journalist' and 'writer', but 'content manager' wasn't really on my radar. Thankfully, totaljobs has a section at the bottom of every job ad showing relevant tags, and this is how I picked up on the advert for the job I eventually got, but I've found that not enough people use tools like these to help themselves, and instead choose to focus solely on a specific job title with a tunnel vision-like focus.
Even if you don't have access to tools like these, the key is to widen your search as much as possible, within reason, to include as many suitable jobs as you can. If you work as an electrical engineer, then searching for other engineering disciplines will do you no harm, but trying to find jobs that apply to you within the accountancy fields will probably lead you to a dead end. Remember as well that recruiters are human; they choose a job title based on their views, and these can often be slightly different from the terms you would use.
The perfect job is out there for everyone. With so many jobs available, and so many people applying for them, the key is making sure that you can find the gem in the rough.
]]>According to Mr Tata, "nobody is willing to go the extra mile", claiming that, even if he had flown in especially from Bombay for a meeting, UK managers were completely unwilling to stay beyond 5pm. He contrasted this with his management team in India, who are happy to work to midnight during a crisis. Note that he didn't offer any criticism of plant staff themselves; all of his ire was reserved for management.
Now, nobody would condone swathing job cuts like this, but Ratan Tata's comments on the mentality of managers in Britain raise some very interesting questions. Are UK managers really as negative, lazy and inflexible as Mr Tata implies?
Most of us have suffered the well-known 'boss from hell' at some point in our career, and one of the biggest professional challenges we face is dealing with this person effectively. While there are plenty of different types of bad boss, most of them leave us with similar sentiments: anger, outrage and an complete inability to understand how they haven't been caught out yet. Whether their main trait is laziness, general incompetence or a complete lack of interest in your wellbeing and career development, the end result is you feeling demoralised and trapped.
Often, the only route available to you in the long run is an escape tunnel to a new job, where you take your chances on landing a better boss. From my own experiences, a fresh start in these instances is often a great option. But what methods do you use to keep on top of a bad boss?
And if you're reading this, cogitating on your bad luck to be stuck with a godawful boss, spend five minutes reading some of the memos of legendary Texan oil tycoon Edward Mike Davis. I guarantee that you'll feel a lot better about your lot in life pretty quickly.
Oh, and it goes without saying that my manager woes were all in the past, and that my current boss is a lovely human being in all respects. He really is.
]]>But I digress... Whilst chuckling at the idiocy of this year's Apprentice candidates as they still haven't learnt the lessons of previous series, I realised that there are some genuine lessons to be learned watching them (that's my excuse, anyway!).
1. Speak up, stand out
Nothing makes Alan Sugar say 'You're fired!' faster than a shy, retiring wallflower, and in today's jobs market it's certainly the case. Whether it's shouting about your skills on your CV or showing off your personality in an interview, make sure you stand out from the crowd.
2. Stick together
When you have a job, particularly when you're worried about possible redundancy, then your team mates can really help. By being a team player and not stepping on other people to get ahead you can actually do your chances of progression within a company a great deal of good. Successful Apprentices have always been supported by the other candidates.
3. No room for egos
Nobody likes egotistical people, particularly when it's unwarranted... And we all remember Stuart "I'm not a one trick pony. I'm not a ten trick pony. I've got a field of ponies ready to run toward this" Baggs from last season's Apprentice. Exactly. Whether it's when you're applying for a job or after you've won the role, keep it in check!
4. Confidence rules
That said, there's nothing I hate more than someone who's constantly on a downer about themselves - and this is true of employers and colleagues. It's tiring having to always lift someone's spirits and it does you no favours!
5. Entrepreneurial spirit
The biggest change in this year's Apprentice is that Alan Sugar is no longer looking for an employee, he's looking for a business partner. And whilst the thought of going into business for myself terrifies me - as it does many people - we can all learn from this. Always show that you're a forward-thinker and have innovative ideas to help drive a business forward. Nobody wants drones anymore who will just clock in and out each day and not bring anything fresh and new to a role.
Ok, so maybe I'm reaching. I just love The Apprentice! But there is a serious edge behind the show and it is pertinent to all you jobseekers out there and anyone looking to build on a job they already have.
]]>It could be worse, though. I read this week that Orange staff in Darlington were told that their call centre was being closed, and they could only carry on their employment if they moved to The Philippines. The best bit? Their new salary would be around £200 a month, and they'd get a rice allowance. Cue panic in the Darlington area, alleviated only when Orange admitted this had all been a huge mistake. The call centre is indeed closing, but everyone will be offered jobs within the UK.
A move halfway across the world is a tad excessive for most of us, but it does make you wonder how far people would go for that dream job. It's a recruiter's market at the moment, that's for sure, so the pressure is on the jobseeker to be as flexible as possible. And while we're emerging out of the recession with all the speed of Usain Bolt trapped in a lift, and with competition for jobs as fierce as it's ever been, I wouldn't bank on picking up a hefty relocation budget with your new job either.
My relocation was essential, and after a couple of months of upheaval, I'll get straight back into my humdrum routine. Unfortunately, some people have it much worse than me. You have to feel for those who, with no jobs available in their region, are forced into casting their net further afield. The delight of bagging that dream job is undermined by a realisation that they simply cannot afford to move house. Because of this, some people are commuting for up to six hours every day, just to make ends meet. It hardly seems worth it, does it?
So, how far would you go to land a job you genuinely wanted? Would you even move country? And we all moan about our commute, but how much time would you be prepared to spend travelling every day to hold on your job? I'm off to spend my rice allowance now, but your thoughts would be appreciated.
]]>Happiness has made it into the news recently with the launch of Action for Happiness - a charity that encourages people to pursue a better way of life. They even gave out free hugs... Yeah, free hugs from strangers aren't for me, either, but you've got to at least admire the idea behind their thinking. And so, when working or looking for a new job, what do we need to consider to ensure our own personal happiness?
Money, money, money
Does money really make the world go round? I have to admit that were those Euromillions numbers to roll around, it probably would make me smile... OK, it would make me jump up and down with uncontrolled joy. And we all like to be given pay rises. With cost of living on the up and wage rises frozen or below inflation for many of us, it's no wonder we're all such miseries.
For those out of work and looking for a job, money is obviously a big cause of stress and anyone who's ever been to a jobcentre will know it sucks the life out of your very soul. Maybe looking for a new job with more money will make you happy? The totaljobs.com salary checker will tell you if you're being undervalued, after all... But it's important to bear in mind that we're a much richer society than 60 years ago - and still not a happier one. It's more than just a few extra pennies each month that amounts to real happiness...
Work-life balance
I once had a boss who pulled me into her office and had a massive go at me for taking an hour's lunch every day. Now, I wasn't underperforming and was, if anything, above target but she felt it wasn't setting a good example to the team and was making me look like a slacker. This wasn't in the eighties 'lunch is for wimps' era, either. Nor during the recession when we all had to work a bit harder. It was just an expectation.
It's important that when you look for a new job, you find out about the working culture. If you treasure your lunchtimes or evenings with your friends and family but are about to enter an environment where you're expected to work through every lunchtime and stay late every night - and I'm not talking the occasional late one we all have to put in from time-to-time when on deadline - think twice. Priorities are key to happiness. Work hard, play hard and get the balance that's right for you.
We're all going on a summer holiday
Hands up how many of you lost holiday days last year because you didn't get round to taking them? Yup. That's a lot. Following on from work-life balance is the much-needed break. You are no use to anyone burnt out and I know that when I return from a break, I work much harder and I'm enthusiastic about my work. It's also when I'm the most creative. Tired people are sad people are useless people.
So, if your current or potential job has a good holiday allowance, be grateful and use it! That said, a recent survey found people in the US are happier than those in the UK, and they're lucky to get two weeks holiday a year... So spend it wisely!
The sun has got his hat on
Sometimes happiness is beyond our control. The recent bout of unseasonal high temperatures and gorgeous sunshine has made people smiley, excited and yes, red-faced. Sun block, people! Everyone is enjoying life and - shock horror - being a bit nicer to each other. Unfortunately, this is Britain, it's now raining and we have to make ourselves happy first!
Visit totaljobs careers advice for expert advice and opinion
Fast forward six months and my two friends have each gone their separate ways. The first, a project manager, liked it initially, but got fed up of only having her dog for company and went back to traditional working. The other, a digital agency director, loves it and says there isn't a cat in hell's chance he's going back to his old working style. For both, the reality of having to keep the work wheel turning has been more difficult than they thought.
The pros
Pyjamas aside, there are countless advantages to remote working, both for you as the employee and for an employer. As an employee, you save on travel costs, have a sense of autonomy and control over your working day, and have much more flexibility over working hours - a huge benefit for those with kids. Meanwhile, employers can make savings on overheads and make a positive contribution to their carbon footprint. According to BT Business, if every small business in the UK replaced ten meetings with audio conferences, small businesses could collectively save more than 1.7 tonnes of CO2.
The cons
While the pros are more obvious, remote working has its negative points too, and if you're considering a job like this, ask yourself if it fits your personality. Working independently can be lonely, and some people find it difficult to focus without regular face-to-face contact with colleagues. It also requires motivation, organisation and drive. If you lack any of these skills, you could find yourself dilly-dallying around until lunchtime before you actually get your head down to do some work. And at the opposite extreme, if you find it hard to switch off from work, you could find yourself fighting the urge to check emails in the middle of the night.
Get connected
Wherever you are in the world, you can be available in real time with the right technology. There's an increasing number of ways to communicate and collaborate with colleagues, making remote working easier than ever. With services such as instant messenger and Skype you can be easily contactable by colleagues. With a broadband connection and a telephone line you can use online remote meeting services like Gotomeeting, which allows you to meet with colleagues around the world. And you don't need to be in the office to access files on the network. With a VPN (Virtual Private Network) connection you can access office systems from home. Similarly, a VoIP connection (Voice over Internet Protocol) allows you to make business calls from your home phone, which are automatically charged to your company rather than your own bill.
On the up
Remote working is still fairly unusual, although it's on the increase. The current economic climate means it could be something we see more of over the coming years as companies attempt to reduce costs. And where this style of work used to be the domain of freelance writers and IT specialists, it's creeping into other areas of work. In the case of my friend the project manager, remote working in her field was unheard of just a few years ago.
Location independent
Working in your PJs and having lunch whenever you want may sound great, but the real beauty of remote working is you can, in effect, work anywhere. Your living room, kitchen, garden shed - even the other side of the world. With a reliable and secure internet connection, the world is your oyster.
Not a bad job if you can get it, eh?
]]>We've all heard the stories: there was the 16-year-old girl who described her new office job as 'boring' on Facebook and promptly lost said boring job; the New Zealand rugby commentator who innocently revealed market-sensitive information about viewer figures on Twitter before being axed by his bosses; and even the case of a woman who told her boss she had to stay home as she had a severe migraine before posting on Facebook all day. Yes, she too was fired. It's important to remember that we all leave a social media fingerprint whenever we join the digital world and this is something savvy employers can play on when recruiting.
So, on your CV you talk about how great you are, how you're a motivated individual and are dedicated and successful. Then, in a moment of madness, you Tweet how you can't be bothered to do any work today so are instead playing chair races with your colleague whilst your boss is out at meetings. Or you go into graphic detail about how many beers you chugged in half an hour or how you were sick on the nightbus on the way home... You get the idea.
Nowadays many employers Google their potential interview candidates - I know I have when I've recruited for positions - and you'll be amazed at some of the things you come across. Especially now with the advent of the Smartphone meaning you can tweet and post anywhere at any time. Once upon a time we just had to worry about not calling an ex at 4am, now you have to be careful not to declare your feelings to the entire world. We all have our indiscretions in our personal lives but it's important to remember that by posting it all over the internet it goes from a harmless bit of banter with your mates to something altogether more serious - a potential barrier to you landing your dream job.
Now, I'm not saying that you shouldn't have a bit of fun with social media - that's what it's there for, after all - just remember where you've posted stuff and be sure you're in control. You can lock down your Facebook and Tweets and remove blog content if you're applying for jobs and realise there are things you'd rather keep private between you and 500 of your closest online friends. This way, any potential employee is less likely to stumble across reasons not to hire you. In this difficult marketplace they don't need much of an excuse to land your CV firmly on the no pile.
]]>White lies on your CV
While of course it's important to market all your achievements on your CV, if you've played with the truth a little and can't back them up when being interviewed then you're taking a big risk putting them on your CV.
You can't fail to remember the Alan Sugar wannabee Stuart Baggs who fell down on the question around whether or not he was a fully licensed telecoms operator in the Isle of Man. All this after he admitted before the interview that he knew what he said should be consistent with his application form.
Jamie Lester had elaborated on his CV that he marketed a property management business single-handedly, when he had a partner, and was quickly found out as he just couldn't back it up. We all want to be remembered, but if you make things up, you won't be remembered for the right reasons!
Do your research
Joanna Riley was a serious contender, or so I thought, until she couldn't correctly pronounce the name of Viglen (one of Sir Alan Sugar's businesses) and clearly had no idea what they did. After that she had no chance - how do you bounce back when you haven't done any research?
You really can't do enough preparation for an interview and I don't just mean a five-minute trawl of the company website; it's always obvious if a candidate is just recycling information.
I always Google the name of my interviewer as you can often find out if they've been quoted in the industry or where they worked previously - all useful stuff. Make sure you read up on competitors and have the latest trends in the industry at the tip of your tongue; these can also help you ask relevant questions.
Handling challenges on your weaker areas
This year's winner, Stella English did this really well, as did the runner up Chris Bates. They had taken time to think about how to answer questions on their weaker areas - for Stella, being very corporate, and for Chris, changing his mind and lacking work experience.
Interviewers aren't looking for you to wheel out the usual answer on what your areas for development are (I'm a perfectionist, since you're asking) but to have identified what areas you may lack experience in on the job description and be able to demonstrate how you would tackle that, is bound to impress.
All in all, a bit of extra preparation and taking time to research the business for every interview will pay off for you.
Good luck for 2011 and I hope this is the year you land your dream job!
Ruth Miller is Director of rma, supporting businesses with advice on talent acquisition, and jobseekers with career counselling and CV writing.
Visit totaljobs careers advice for expert advice and opinion
Play the eager beaver
Even if you don't have any questions, or nerves get the better of you and you really want to run away screaming down the road, avoid saying 'no' - it just suggests you can't really be bothered with the interview.
Play the eager beaver and try to ask some basic intelligent questions. The more general ones to throw out there might be: What opportunities are there for career progression? Or, What can I expect from the company in terms of development, support and motivation?
It's a two-way game
Don't forget that interviews are a two-way process, and just as the interviewers are trying to figure you out, it's your chance to suss them out too. Really!
See the 'any questions?' trigger as your chance to drill down on the bits of the job and the company you're unsure about. If you're a bit unsure about some aspects of the job you've applied for, it's fine to ask them to explain what you'll be doing day to day and who you'll be working with.
Leave a lasting impression
Even if you sailed through the interview, a limp ending could make the big difference between a job offer and a rejection. You've done the hard part, now use this final few minutes to really blow their socks off. Some of these might give that lasting impact as they can challenge the interviewer and get them openly talking about themselves, the company and the role, which can lead to genuine dialogue and create a bond:
Plan ahead
Have a proper think before you go into the interview: what do you really want to know from them? What information would help you decide to accept the job should they offer it to you? Have a few questions prepared before you go in - you'll probably find the interview itself stimulates new thoughts in your mind, but if not, at least you won't look like a rabbit caught in headlights when they ask the question.
The reason why this got me thinking is that a few decades ago this way of working would have been pretty unusual. However today, 'portfolio careers' - working part time, contract or freelance across multiple sectors, just like my new train friend - is an increasing trend. A few years back it was popular with those a little older with kids, but now it's becoming popular with 20- and 30-somethings.
Lifelong careers are dead
Indeed, the notion of a 'career for life' has lost favour over the past decade and today it's not unheard of for people to try out a few careers for size before settling on the one that fits. Portfolio working is an extension of this - rather than moving from career to career, portfolio careers are all about gathering skills and working across multiple fields at the same time.
There are some obvious advantages to this way of working: the endless variety, the mental challenge of working in different roles, the option of a change of scene each day and a sense of autonomy and real control about your career and the direction in which it is heading, are just a few.
Try before you buy
But portfolio careers aren't just for those who want to mix up their 9 - 5. If you're looking to break into a new career, you may find the portfolio approach helpful since it offers the chance 'try before you buy'. That way you can avoid lurching blindly into any untested career waters. Similarly, it's also a great way to do work you enjoy but which doesn't pay so well, or perhaps which will take years to build up - maybe you have a yearning to become an artist, aerobics instructor or a ferret-breeder, for example. You may even have found yourself forced into this way of working as a result of cut backs in the jobs market over the last few years.
Spreading yourself too thin
But, alas, before you go scampering off to write your boss a resignation letter, there are some hefty drawbacks to portfolio working. Juggling competing employer demands is no walk in the park, and there's every chance you'll end up working longer hours than you do in your current cosy 9-5. Finding employers and employment that will fit into your new working style will also be a tricky affair, and indeed, portfolio working lends itself more easily to some fields than others. In areas such as journalism, IT and design, for example, it's relatively easy to freelance or go contract.
If you feel trapped in the hamsterwheel of Monday-Friday 9-5 working, the trick is to think laterally: how can you apply your expertise to other fields? If you're a marketing specialist, perhaps you could you double up as a teacher at a local adult education college, for example. Perhaps you could launch a part-time consultancy business, or put pen to paper and write for industry publications. There are options out there, but it will take time, will, entrepreneurial spirit, a smidgen of luck, and large daily doses of caffeine to find them.
Is a portfolio career for you?
Indeed, portfolio working isn't the easy option and involves a large degree of self career management. This won't appeal to many, but for others the idea of moulding a very personal and unique career is where the fun starts. If you're now wondering where to sign on the dotted line, it's worth asking yourself the following questions:
If you've answered 'yes' to all three, why not make 2011 the year of the portfolio career?
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