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Leaving the structure and routine of education can be extremely daunting. Suddenly, we have to make our lives for ourselves. Finding a job and figuring out next steps can be overwhelming and a seemingly impossible task; where do I start? How do I make myself stand out against the next person? But there are actually a number of practices and exercises you can do to give yourself the best chance of success in entering the world of work. That is the focus of this article. Whether you have just left University, or you are still currently in school, this article will equip you with a range of ways to improve your employability.
By employability, I mean those aptitudes and capabilities which make you appealing to employers. Those qualities that give you the edge and serve you up as the ideal candidate for a given role. Work through the checklist provided here and you will enhance your employability and ensure your job search and working life is successful. 1. Construct and refine your CV Having a strong CV will be hugely beneficial in your job search. It serves as the first impression that a potential employer will have of you. Their initial opinion of you will be based on these 1 or 2 pages, so it is vital that you build your CV to present you in the best possible way. Make sure your CV is up to date with all your qualifications, work experience, skills etc, as well as being strongly written and appropriately structured. If you would like further guidance on building a strong CV then check out our CV Job Guide: https://www.careerguidancecharts.com/store/p222/Job_Guide_-_Writing_a_CV.html 2. Gain work experience in your chosen sector If you can acquire some practical experience in your desired industry then this will immediately give you an upper hand with potential employers. By seeing that you have already actively sought out work shows, not only that you will have skills and knowledge of the role, but also that you are genuinely interested and will work hard. There are many ways to find work experience. You can apply for an apprenticeship or a traineeship in your field, or you can directly contact businesses that you are interested in and see if they have any work experience available. For more information on apprenticeships you can read our Apprenticeship Job Guide: https://www.careerguidancecharts.com/store/p251/Apprenticeship_Job_Guide.html 3. Volunteering Similar to work experience, volunteering also helps show a desire to work as well as allowing you to develop valuable skills. Evidence of past voluntary work will appeal to prospective employers as it shows you are not purely driven by monetary reward but rather by an interest in the role. Having a more ethical backbone to your working motivation will help you stand out against other applicants and reassure employers that you have a good work ethic. There are many places and websites to find volunteering opportunities in your local area. Check out sites such as do-it.org, charityjob.co.uk and reachvolunteering.org.uk. 4. Build a good social media presence Increasingly employers are sourcing and hiring new talent on social media platforms. Therefore, it is essential that you ensure your accounts are secure and professional. Check all your personal profiles across various platforms and remove any images or content that could harm your job search. After you have cleansed your profiles you can then start networking and following organisations or business profiles that are relevant to your career interests. Use our Job Guides on Facebook and LinkedIn to help support you during your job search: https://www.careerguidancecharts.com/store/c38/Job_Guides.html 5. Grow your network Use LinkedIn to grow and develop your network. Make connections with people already in your desired sector, follow relevant pages and accounts, and keep up to date with what’s happening in your market. There are around 50 million businesses active on LinkedIn, and 3 people are hired through the platform every minute. Therefore, it is worthwhile for you to try and be consistently active on LinkedIn because you will likely come across a range of businesses and opportunities. For more information on how to use LinkedIn in your job search, buy our LinkedIn Job Guide: https://www.careerguidancecharts.com/store/p216/Guide_to_Jobseeking_on_Linkedin.html 6. Build your skill set Having a range of relevant skills and competencies will make your application far more appealing to employers. You can develop such aptitudes in a variety of ways. For instance, by taking part in extracurricular activities at school or University you will build leadership and teamworking abilities. Similarly, if you have any hobbies or interests these might display certain skills or a drive for learning. Playing violin for 8 years to grade 5 level, for example, shows a high level of discipline and dedication. You can use your interests to boost your profile and show employers that you have what it takes. Another way to build your skill set is to actually take a related course. For instance, you could take an online course in marketing if you are wanting to enter into that industry. This tells employers that you are driven and hardworking as you have sought out and completed training yourself. 7. Assess your skills Once you have developed and built up your skill set you can then reflect on these and identify your core strengths. By understanding where you excel you will be able to find jobs that are better suited to you and your personality. This will mean you have a higher likelihood of success in acquiring such jobs as they are well-matched to you and you will come across as a good fit. But you need to make sure you show employers that you are the best candidate for them. You can do this by using concrete examples during the application process where you have showcased these strengths. Furthermore, if you are struggling to identify your strengths you can take our short free Career Values Quiz which assess your core principles and personality: https://www.careerguidancecharts.com/career-values-test.html 8. Know how to learn This might sound strange but it is crucial. Knowing how to learn means displaying resilience. Markets and businesses are constantly changing and evolving, so if you can show an ability to learn and evolve too then employers will see you as a good fit for them. Improving our capacity to learn and cope with shifting circumstances can be done in a number of easy ways:
9. Be open and alert to opportunities This may sound vague but consciously making an effort to be aware of opportunities can make a huge difference to your job hunt. This can be in the form of small changes such as browsing through job alerts on LinkedIn for half an hour every day, or regularly reading and keeping up to date with news in your industry. This will increase your chances of coming across an opportunity that is applicable to you. Such opportunities may seem out of your depth but you can always learn something and gain valuable experience. Even from failure. We learn and develop by doing. So if you do come across an opportunity; it could be work experience or volunteering for instance, then go for it! Apply or send in your information and see where it takes you. Another important thing to remember is to be proactive. Some opportunities may land at your feet but often you will have to seek them out yourself. This could be inquiring with local businesses to see if they have any work available, or directly messaging any experts on LinkedIn to see if they know of any available openings. 10. Find out as much as possible about your chosen field Get clued up on what your future job might entail, and how the industry works and is structured. Basically, just research and find out as much as you can about your chosen field. Not only will this mean you can display expertise during your application and interview, but also so that you can reflect and assess whether it is actually the right career for you. Ways to research your chosen field:
11. Be prepared for interviews Interviews are possible the most significant part of the application process. Here your employer will decide whether or not you are right for the job. Whilst this might seem daunting, with the right technique you will be able to perform highly at any interview. It all comes down to the preparation. Tips for interview preparation:
If you want a more thorough guide on how to prepare for interviews then check out our Interview Success Job Guide: https://www.careerguidancecharts.com/store/p227/Interview_Success_Guide.html 12. Prepare your STAR stories Your STAR stories are real-life examples where you have showcased key qualities and aptitudes which make you the ideal candidate for the job. It is essentially a way for you to highlight your unique selling points to potential employers. They should all follow the STAR method:
These stories don’t have to be directly related to the job or work that you will be doing, but rather need to display your strengths and competencies. They are responses to behavioural questions, depicting your ability to react and behave in certain situations. For example, one could be about hosting a party, and you could talk about your organisational skills and ability to juggle various tasks at once. Try creating 3 to 4 STAR stories which you can keep at the forefront of your mind and use during interviews or in cover letters. These will show your employer that you don’t just look good on paper, you also have the practical skills and aptitudes to back it up. Moreover, once you have created your set of STAR stories, you should practice talking about them regularly. This will make you come across as more compelling and confident in interviews, which goes a long way. 13. Be honest Although it may be tempting to claim that you are proficient with certain software systems, for example, if this is actually untrue it will likely end up doing more damage than good in the long run. Throughout the entire job searching process, make sure you are being authentic and creating a true depiction of yourself. You can still show an enhanced version of yourself, for instance highlighting your strengths, but don’t state anything that is actually untrue. If a potential employer were to find out that you have not been honest they are unlikely to hire you as you will come across as deceptive and manipulative. Therefore, whilst it may seem obvious, be extra careful that you are telling the complete truth during the application process. 14. Be organised Being organised will greatly help your employability. Use schedules and calendars to make sure you are using your time efficiently. For instance, allocate a 30 min slot every day at 5:30 to networking on LinkedIn. You can also use this to keep on track of any other job searching activities, such as interviews, application deadlines etc. This will greatly reduce your stress levels and also show prospective employers that you are an efficient and organised individual. 15. Maintain a positive outlook Lastly, maintain a positive outlook. This sounds obvious but it is extremely important for increasing your employability. Having a bright and positive attitude will improve how recruiters and employers perceive you. Positive people are more likely to be problem-solvers and increase productivity in the workplace. Also, all businesses experience shifts and fluctuations, and having an optimistic and confident personality will assure employers that you are the sort of person who can continue to thrive despite changing circumstances. This will make you a valuable asset to the team. Moreover, maintaining a positive attitude will help you when dealing with the job searching process. You will likely experience rejection and disappointment, but by consciously trying to remain optimistic you will learn to use rejection as constructive criticism. This will then help you to develop and be more likely to find success in the next application. More information... For more resources on the areas covered in this article please take a look at our range of Job guides here: https://www.careerguidancecharts.com/store/c38/Job_Guides.html To access a variety of posters and infographics see our Career and Employment series here: https://www.careerguidancecharts.com/store/c16/Career_and_Employment_Series.html
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One of the greatest ramifications of Covid-19 was the worldwide shift to remote working. Many organisations have maintained this style of work or have opted for a hybrid blend of office and home working, so it is crucial for people to know how to work from home effectively.
The purpose of this article is to equip you with some useful tips for productivity and motivation when you are required to work from home. 1. Get Dressed Whilst this may seem strange, what you are wearing can have a large impact on how you feel throughout the day. If you remain in your pyjamas all day, you are likely to never really feel like you are at work, and as a result will be easily distracted and less productive. Whereas, if you get up and get dressed as if you were going into an office, you are putting yourself in that mindset of going to work and will find it easier to focus on your tasks. This is a very simple but effective way to increase concentration and motivation whilst working from home. 2. Have a Clear Structure Structure your day as you would in an office environment. Ensure you have a clear schedule that arranges your tasks into defined time slots. This enables you to fully focus on each task and equally ensures you do take breaks and don’t run the risk of over-working. For instance, give yourself the same hour for lunch at 1:00 as you would do if you were working in the office. This gives you a sense of normality and routine which in turns helps boost that sense of it being an ordinary working day. 3. Have a Defined Work Space Being able to distinguish between your work life and your home life is especially difficult when working remotely. However, a great way to strengthen that distinction is to have a designated space for work. Make sure this is in a different room to where you relax or sleep or else you run the risk of blurring that boundary and reducing productivity. This also means that when it is time to stop working you can go to those other rooms and be able to properly relax because you have that division between working and resting. Furthermore, your work space should also include all the necessary equipment required for peak performance. For example, a strong internet connection or a comfortable chair. These things may seem insignificant but will have a great influence on how motivated you feel to work. 4. Get Out the House Being in one space all day can become draining and cause you to lose focus. This is a common issue when working from home. Therefore, it can greatly boost productivity to actually leave the house at some point during the day. For instance, going for a quick walk round the block during your lunch break. The change of scenery can let you re-focus on work once you return home, and even help inspire new ideas as you explore a different environment. 5. Mute Distractions When working from home it is particularly easy to slip into the grasp of common homelife distractions. Family members having a conversation in another room or social media notifications appearing on your phone screen can all lure you away from the work you need to get done. However, proactively disengaging and avoiding these distractions is possible. By muting social media notifications and explaining to household members when they need to be respectful, you can separate yourself from these interferences. 6. Be Organised This might seem obvious but many people working from home fall into the trap of just waking up and getting to work without any real planning or preparation. Whereas, if you construct a clear to-do list for that day prior to starting work, you are better set to focus on completing those tasks and thus be far more productive. 7. Maintain a Work/Home Distinction This feeds through all the previous points but that is because it is the most significant. Essential to productivity whilst working remotely is the ability to separate your work life from your home life, and this goes both ways. Whilst it is easier to give in to distraction when working in your own home, it is equally easy to work longer than you should and risk burning out. However, by applying all these tips you should find yourself successfully differentiating between your work life and personal life even in the single environment of your home. What are the benefits of working from home? It is also worth considering the advantages that come from remote working.
Ultimately there are some undeniable disadvantages to working from home, such as lack of motivation, blurred home and work life, and distractions. However it can also save on time, and money, and by following the tips laid out earlier it is possible to retain high levels of productivity. More information.... Follow the link below to find our Job Guides which provide further support and advice in preparing for and developing your career. https://www.careerguidancecharts.com/store/c38/Job_Guides.html  Click on the image to buy this poster. What are they? In recent years, as the need for climate change action has risen, we have witnessed the emergence of Green Jobs. This refers to all those roles dedicated to tackling climate change, from chemical engineers working within the renewable energy industry to solar panel technicians and low-carbon farmers. The United Nations Environment Program defines Green Jobs as “work in agriculture, manufacturing, research and development, administrative, and service activities that contribute(s) substantially to preserving or restoring environmental quality.” Green Jobs are essential in the fight for planetary protection. What sectors do they cover? Due to this overarching goal of preserving the environment, Green Jobs can be found across a range of sectors:
Green jobs in a post-Covid world This trajectory of growth in Green Jobs has been on the rise, with the UK Government aiming for 2 million more by 2030, and this has been accelerated further by the recent Coronavirus pandemic. Whilst this event was undoubtedly catastrophic, devastating the economy and turning the job landscape into a sort of economic graveyard, we are coming out the other side in a rather unusual position. Due to the increased rates of redundancy and job insecurity, we can actually now re-build and reconfigure the makeup of the job world in a different way. By shifting the focus to promoting the welfare of the planet, jobs that previously did not fall under the ‘green’ label can be enveloped within the industry. We have the chance to “build back better” as emphasised by the G7 Ministers during their meeting on Climate and Environment. Attitudes are already transitioning to a more green outlook, and now we have the opportunity to align this with the economy. For instance, large corporations like Nike and IKEA are already taking up more sustainable practices, such as sourcing from sustainable foresters and redesigning boxes to reduce packaging. Also, the organisation Green New Deal UK has released data showing that the 813,000 jobs lost over the course of the pandemic could be counteracted by a rise in Green Jobs. Hence, despite the pandemic being a devasting force on peoples’ livelihoods, we could use this as an opportunity to reinvent the world of work in a way that not only protects the environment but ensures greater job security for more people. A new meaning for 'Green Jobs' In response to the pandemic and shifting attitudes, Green Jobs are starting to transcend their traditional sectors and infiltrate the rest of the economy. Existing jobs are being reconfigured to achieve sustainable and green production and processes (recall the previous example of Nike and IKEA). As stated by James Watts, co-founder of BrewDog, “Sustainability should not be a bolt-on; it needs to be a core part of everyone’s role, regardless of their job title.” More and more jobs are placing green values at the heart of their philosophies, even those not directly involved in environmental work. From a study by the graduate recruitment app Debut, it was discovered that 89% of female and 80% of male students say that they only wish to work for organisations with a strong environmental policy. Even if the job itself is not labelled “green”, people are still seeking jobs that maintain the associated principles. So perhaps we require a new definition. The title of ‘Green Jobs’ is no longer limited to those specific roles that function within the various environmental sectors. It has become a term representing the global transition to a greener economy. Next steps.... A question still remains; how do I actually get into a Green Job? As with any career, there are certain things you can do to make your way into the industry and the same goes for Green Jobs. This can range from getting involved with projects and events in your local community, to enrolling on relevant courses or internships, to utilising platforms like LinkedIn to build connections with people already in the industry. However, here I will provide some specific examples of pathways into a Green Job to highlight the routes one might take to enter the industry.
*Landbased industries covers a range of roles from farming to animal care, forestry or conservation.
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Russ BannerI have 10 years experience of working in careers guidance and am director of CGC. We publish career infographics for schools and colleges Archives
November 2022
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