Planning ahead; re-writing your CV

The traditional Christmas shut down is now about 5.5 weeks away and after a quiet December the jobs market has historically always picked up in early January. The drivers behind this are two-fold; firstly many companies are now in new financial years and therefore have new budgets to spend and secondly the Christmas period has always been a time when many candidates reflect upon their careers and aspirations resulting in a surge of activity in the New Year.

As a candidate you can wait until your frustrations kick in once you are back at work and update your CV then, you can do it over the holiday period, though I feel sure that there will be too many other distractions and it will be put aside or you can start planning to get ahead of the game now, re-write it and get it out to all the search firms or recruitment companies that you’ve used in the past.

CV’s are marketing documents, so you want yours to portray you in the best light possible. Of course you will read it, re-read it, ask your friends and former housemate, the one with a double first in English, to read it and give their comments on it. I suspect that you will tweak the format until it's just perfect, but the chances are you're still probably making some - if not all - of these errors.

1. Your CV reads like a job description. True, there are similarities, but there are also distinct differences. If you write, "Responsible for sales in the Midlands" that tells me nothing about what you accomplished. It tells me and prospective employers what you should have done, but not what you actually did.

2. There are no numbers on your CV. Numbers bridge corporate cultures. If you write, "Increased revenue," that's a good thing. If you write, "Increased revenue by 25 percent over a three-year period," then that tells us a lot more about what you did. How many people did you supervise? How big was the budget you managed? By what percent did you increase efficiency? How many clients did you have? This tells us so much more and means that your CV will stand out from all those others sitting in the pile.

3. Your formatting only works on your computer. Not everyone uses the same word processing program that you do, meaning your formatting may not translate. Bullet points disappear. Tabs get shifted. Check how your resume appears in Microsoft Word, Open Office, Google Docs and any other common program before you email it. Formatting problems make you look sloppy even if your resume was perfect when you hit send. The other issue is that many companies now use CV scanning systems, which have problems reading boxes on CV’s: keep it text driven.

4. It's too long or too short. No, there isn't a secret, perfect length for a resume. But if you're a new graduate with two full pages, you'll look pretentious. And if you're someone with 15 years of experience with everything crammed onto one page, you'll look like you haven't done anything. Scientists and academics need extra pages for their publications. The point is, you will need to work out what is standard for your industry and your experience. The rough rule of thumb guideline is one page for new grads, two/three pages for experienced employees and extra pages for candidates with numerous publications.

5. You have an objective statement. I have never - and I really do mean this - never ever seen an "objective statement" help someone get the job. We know what your objective is - to get a good job with a great salary in an environment where you can learn and grow and blah, blah, blah. If you have something unique to say, put it in your cover letter. Take it off your CV and fire any “career coach” or CV writing house that tells you to include one.

So, that’s now set you up to attack the job market in the New Year, good luck, it will be a challenge in the current European economic situation, but it can be fun and hopefully it will ultimately be very rewarding for you.

These are the thoughts collated by my colleagues at Chesterton Gray, if you have further points that you think could be added to the list, then as always we would be delighted to hear from you. www.chestertongray.com

The Annual Appraisal.

It is one of those times that no matter how hard you’ve worked and how good you think that you are at your job; the butterflies kick in and rational sentiment can go out the window.


Your annual appraisal might seem like the at-work equivalent of a school report but in reality it's a progress report for both you and your boss.

"A review is an opportunity for the manager to motivate an employee, by recognising their good work and redirecting their efforts and energy if necessary," says Brian Poggi, author of "I Am Not Average: How to Succeed in your Performance Review." He has conducted hundreds of performance reviews during his time in corporate America, which includes stints at GE and Polaroid.


Here are six things Poggi says you should never say during your appraisal. They can damage not only your review, but also your career:


Nothing at all

If you fail to prepare for your review (by not giving yourself a self-review and anticipating questions or concerns), you should be prepared to fail, as the saying goes. "It communicates that you don't see this as an important event, and that signals that you may not be a competent employee," says Poggi. If you have some talking points ready (perhaps things that would help you do your job better), there will be a natural give and take of ideas -- particularly important if you are anticipating criticism.


How did I do?

"By asking this question you're inviting a critique, and while you may get some positive [input], you're leading them down a less-than-optimum view of your performance," Poggi says. Your boss will share his or her concerns -- you don't have to draw their attention straight there.


What can I do better?

Again, a relatively vague statement like this not only invites criticism, but also shows that you haven't really prepared or aren't self-aware. "Instead, say, 'These are some things I'd like to work on,'" says Poggi. He adds: "Rather than ask [about your faults], present how you can make your job more productive and the company a better place."


Can I have a pay rise?

Poggi says simply asking for a rise because you have been at the company for X number of years will get you nowhere. On the other hand, the review is a prime time to prove your worth -- which lays the groundwork for that salary conversation. "Your boss probably has several direct reports and there is no way he will remember all the great things you've done," says Poggi. "Many employees think if they keep their heads down they'll be rewarded. It's great in theory, but it doesn't work."


I'll do better

If you do get criticism, ask for further explanation or an example of what you can do to improve. "If they say, for example, you need to work better on a team with others, say 'Can you give me an example of how I can do that better?'" Poggi says. This shows you're interested, and gives you a clearer idea of what success in this area looks like to your supervisor.


I'm bored

If you're bored with your current position, outline your successes -- and then point out other areas where you could add value in a specific, new way. But don't mention giving up other responsibilities to focus on more challenging or interesting stuff just yet. "You want to come across as wanting more, not wanting to wash your hands of something," says Poggi.


So there you have it. A few simple thoughts on how to manage what might be a difficult and stressful situation and ways to turn it to your advantage.


If you have thoughts from either side of the annual appraisal table then we would be pleased to hear from you. www.chestertongray.com

Loving your employees.

Whilst it’s hard to escape the news that Europe, or at least several parts of it, are in a downturn/recession/double-dip recession/in stagnation (please delete which option you feel isn’t applicable), the fact remains that there are successful businesses across the continent that are trading profitably, show growth signs and have cash in the bank. Invariably they don’t have a monopoly and as a consequence they have competitors which would like to steal (a) some of their market share and (b) quite possibly a number of their key employees.


That means that you run the risk of one of your staff handing you an envelope on a Monday or Friday with their resignation in it; so how are companies making sure that that doesn’t happen?

I'm talking about the things that the best companies do to engender the dedication, loyalty and, yes, even the love of the people who work for them.

Everyone knows that the days of the one-company career are long gone. Depending on what data you choose to believe, the average person will change jobs between five and seven times in a lifetime. So if you run a business, it is virtually certain you will lose every employee you have (hopefully not all at once).

It's a reality that hurts, because enlightened companies know that employees are every bit as important as customers and other stakeholders, and great employees are hard to find and painful to lose. Whilst you may have to accept that your employees won't stay forever, you should never stop working at making your company the kind of place that's hard to leave.

Companies with the happiest and most productive employees, and the lowest turnover, tend to have key people-priorities in common.


Trust. In both directions. Your employees need to trust you, know where they stand with you, and feel safe with you. And you must show that you trust them, whether it's with projects, decisions, time or money. The miserable and destructive phenomenon of "office politics," as clichéd as it may be, really boils down to nothing more than issues of trust.

Responsibility. Give your people as much as they can handle, maybe even a little more. It tells them that they and their jobs are valuable and gives them a chance to shine (or fail). It helps you identify star performers, it discourages logjams and gets more done, and it's good for your business.

Culture. Your company culture is its heart and soul, the glue that holds it together. Great employees don't stick around in companies with lousy cultures, and all other things being equal, employees perform better within a great culture. And this is usually an area where smaller businesses can almost always have an edge.

Opportunity. People naturally want to keep moving, preferably upward. And they will naturally stay with an employer longer if they know they can earn the chance to do more or different things, climb the proverbial ladder, and earn more money. This can be challenging for small companies, as with only a handful of jobs there just might not be a ladder to climb. You should seek and create opportunities for people wherever and however you can.

Recognition. Some people love getting awards, plaques and employee-of-the-month certificates. But what really matters over the long term is ongoing, straightforward, day-to-day appreciation and recognition. Give genuine praise, both publicly and privately, for work well done. Never take even tacit credit for someone else's work (and in general give much more credit than you take). Say thank you, often. There are few things that will get an employee to start polishing up their CV faster than feeling unappreciated.

Salary. Of everything on this list it's the one over which most small businesses have the least control. Clearly a good employer must do its best to pay good people what they're worth, but small companies often can't compete with big ones when it comes to compensation or "packages." So while pay is obviously a critical issue, the limited resources of a small business make the other five elements all the more important.

Trust, responsibility, culture, opportunity and recognition are entirely within the means and resources of any company, and it has been proven time and time again that employees will, within reason, make salary compromises for the most appealing overall opportunity.

The employer/employee relationship is much the same as any other relationship: what you get largely reflects what you give.

For more on Chesterton Gray then please visit our web site www.chestertongray.com

Interview preparation & how to be on the ball

As we approach the traditional summer break I thought that I would put a few thoughts together for the post holiday’s blues return to work. Over the last twenty plus years that I’ve been recruiting it has almost always signalled an upsurge in candidates hitting the market and clients finally recruiting after months of inertia. There are 1001 subjects that I could write on but few are more important than that face to face meeting; the interview

Before you walk into a job interview, you want to give yourself every opportunity to show yourself at your very best. Here are six things to do in the hours and minutes before your meeting:

Eat brain food

Put down the doughnut, the Danish pastry, anything sweet -- it'll just leave you susceptible to an energy crash during your big moment. Instead, fill up on meals and snacks that will sustain you and won't leave your stomach growling mid-question. Just as in everyday life you should eat meals that are low on the glycemic index and combine carbohydrates, fats and proteins. There is a huge quantity of research that has showed that proven brain food includes fish, blueberries, spinach, nuts and vegetable.

Warm up your mind

You want to be firing on all cylinders by the time your interview begins. If your meeting is first thing in the morning, consider doing the crossword or Sudoku while you're already stoking your brain cells with coffee. It's a great way to get into the problem-solving mode.

Get handy with deodorant

Sweaty palms leave a soggy first impression and just feeling yourself melting down can cause you to lose focus. Over the years I’ve met many a candidate who occasionally gets sweaty palms under stress, and the best tip that I was given was to rub a dab of unscented deodorant on your palms.

Call a positive pal

Please don't spend time with someone who always thinks that the glass is half empty, who tends to discourage you or makes you nervous, instead, call Mr/Mrs Positive - a friend, partner, mentor or even a relative -- who can give you a last-minute boost. It will work wonders for your attitude when you walk into meet your interviewer.

Put away your notes an hour before

Many candidates have a tendency to rehearse talking points in the car or taxi ride on the way to an interview. But preparing up until the very last second can backfire. Don't over-practice, you don't want to memorise your answers. You have to be genuine and spontaneous.

Take a quiet moment

Before you enter the office where your meeting will take place, try to briefly clear your head. Find a quiet place near your interview - a church, a library or a far corner of a hotel lobby - take a deep breath and try to calm yourself. By doing so you'll enter your interview prepared and on the ball.

If you have an interview, then good luck and let us know if you tried any of these tips and if they worked. If not, what tips have you used that work?

As ever, the team welcome your thoughts at www.chestertongray.com

Simple steps to achieve your objectives

If there was a shortcut to success, would you want it? A strategy to follow that would help you get what you want in the most efficient and effective way possible?

Most normal people have a limited number of hours in the day and a limited amount of energy to get what you need to get accomplished, while at the same time going after your bigger goals.

Reading the autobiographies of successful business people and politicians, it becomes clear that they have all adopted broadly similar strategies, of which these tend to be the key four:

1. Know your desired outcome. When you use your car's sat nav, do you type in all of the addresses you don't want to go to or just the one where you do want to go? Clearly, it is critical to know your desired outcome. What do you want to achieve? What are you going after? Now is not the time to be casual, vague. Imagine you've rubbed the magic lamp and you get one shot at requesting what you want. Be clear and be specific.

2. Take action. Get started. Simply do something -- anything, really. Don't fall into the trap of having to know the best action to take to get started because this will cause delay. In fact, it's the excuse far too many use so they don't have to get started.

3. Focus on feedback. Remember the games that you played as a child? What if you only played them and never moved on? You'd never know if you were getting closer or farther away from the prize. If you try to analyse every conceivable next step, you'll never know if your path is leading you closer or farther away. Taking action is how you get feedback. Take the step, because even if you are wrong, that will give you valuable feedback so you can adjust your approach in the future.

4. Be flexible. If you notice your actions are not leading you to your desired outcome (or maybe not as quickly as you wish), then you have to be flexible in your approach. It's not enough to just notice what you are doing isn't working; you have to shift your strategy. Stop, turn, and take a step in a different direction until you get closer to your outcome even if you've invested a lot of time and energy in your previous moves.

It really doesn’t matter what you’re doing, whether it’s in your business or personal life, if you keep to these four steps then they will help you achieve your goals faster and more efficiently.

Please feel free to let us know your thoughts or whether you feel that there are other traits that should supersede these four. www.chestertongray.com

How NOT to fire someone: 5 common mistakes

Unless you're a natural bully, firing someone is never fun. It is, of course, a necessary part of being a manager, and it's a skill that can be honed. The worst mistake, according to experts? Going through the motions like a robot. Act like a human being. There is a very good chance that one day it may be you on the other side of the desk and you'd appreciate being handled like one.

Here are 5 common firing mistakes. Avoid them, and you'll become as proficient as possible in the skill of laying someone off with respect:

Not looking your soon-to-be ex-employee in the eye One of the best ways to show respect is to make eye contact. This is incredibly important - there's another human being across the table from you and being human at this difficult time will make a huge difference to them after they've left and recall how this was handled, especially if it’s their first time. It can scar people for years to come.

Being cagey about your reasons Explaining your reasoning -- briefly -- is the fastest way to give this difficult situation a silver lining. Done the right way you can help catapult someone's career instead of paralyse it. By being open, you can help them excel in a different environment if they don't fit yours.

Being too friendly about it It is entirely possible to sack someone and to be so nice about it that they don't realise they have actually been fired. Getting fired is emotionally very tough, but you can soften the blow by making your message clear and as concise as possible. This means starting right away with your unfortunate message, and then adding any "thank you for your contributions". Of course, this latter comment will depend upon the situation.

Not involving HR Whether your human resources team is ever-present or stays behind the scenes, this is one of those key times that it can often help to use your HR team. If you can have an HR Manager in the meeting with you or waiting elsewhere, it allows the person being terminated to talk afterward with the HR person who can explain issues such as final pay and any ongoing benefits, that will become very important to the individual.

Not shutting up After giving someone this difficult news, give them 30 seconds to digest the blow. Continuing talking while the message is being processed doesn't help them and can certainly hinder the person's ability to get through this moment. Finally, avoid getting into a very detailed discussion of the situation (beyond a brief explanation). By doing so there is a very good chance that you could unintentionally say something that may come back and bite you at a later occasion. Having an HR person present who understands the legal niceties can prevent you from saying too much, or too little.

In my experience almost everyone has either been through this situation or knows someone who has, so as ever, the team at Chesterton Gray would like to hear your thought. www.chestertongray.com

Why You Should Stop Being a Wimp

Have you ever met a truly successful wimp?

I didn't think so. Somewhere out there you might find a wealthy wimp, but having money doesn't necessarily mean success. (And not having money doesn't necessarily mean failure.)

Who succeeds in the business world? It's not the person that sits back and doesn't take any chances.

Business owners cannot build their businesses by being wimpy. They take financial and personal risks. They evaluate the market and see what services are missing and try to jump in there or they think that they can do a better job than the people already out there. Sometimes (frequently) they commit themselves to pay other people's salaries before they know for sure if they'll bring in enough income to pay their own.

Successful sales people have to go out every day and risk rejection in order to sell their products. You cannot sit at home (or at your desk) and expect customers to call. If you are easily upset at being told no, you won't be successful in this area.

Senior Directors didn't get there by keeping their head down and doing precisely what their bosses asked of them. They looked for new opportunities. They suggested new paths for the business. They made decisions that perhaps the rest of us wouldn't make, because others might think they are stupid. They didn't go home at night and complain that they weren't being promoted. They asked for promotions, spoke up in meetings, and put themselves in the path of rejection every day.

Creative geniuses didn't achieve genius status just be drawing one picture, designing one ad campaign or auditioning for one play. They succeed because they recognise that they have something to offer and they do not give up. They show their portfolios. They attend audition after audition. They seek out feedback, teachers and mentors to show them where their mistakes are and what they can do better.

A lot of us have some traits that reflect a little of the wimpy side. It's much easier to take the safe path. And, honestly, there's nothing wrong with being safe. But just as being safe reduces your risk of failure, it also reduces your risk of success.

Now, this isn't advice to go in to your boss and announce loudly that you quit because someone told you to. It isn't advice to be irrational. It isn't license to be rude. Wimps are rude. Strong people are politely firm. You must think through your plans--you must have plans in the first place. But it is advice to take your risks where there is potential for payoff. It is advice to speak up in a meeting. It is advice to work extremely hard and then ask your boss for the recognition you deserve.

In short, stop being a wimp.

www.chestertongray.com

Ironically, being a slacker leads to burn-out

If you were one of the many chronic procrastinators at university who swore you'd turn over a new leaf when you hit the workforce, psychologists have some bad news for you: studies suggest that the tendency to be a slacker actually bodes pretty badly for your career after graduation, and not in the ways you'd suspect.

How was this ominous titbit gleaned by researchers? The British Psychological Society Research Digest blog reports that a pair of psychologists completed standard tests of procrastination and expectations for success for nearly 300 college students. Then they tracked how these same students (now grown up and part of the workforce) were doing in their jobs.

The conclusion:Students who found reason to avoid work-related tasks at university, and who were pessimistic about their chances of success, were more likely, 10, 14 and 17 years later, to report feeling disengaged from their job, and were more likely to report experiencing work-related burnout.

What's the final thought on this? Primarily, that psychologists discover the strangest things, but the findings are also a stern warning that taking it easy and putting off tasks is not a recommended way to keep work easy-going. Ironically, a tendency to slack off seems to actually lead to burn out and boredom.

Criticism and how to gain something positive from it.

We all want to feel like we're "good" at our jobs. More than ever, our identities are tied up in our professions. The first time that we meet someone new, the initial question is usually, "What do you do?" not, "What are your favourite hobbies?" or, "What kind of parent are you?" Nowadays work defines us in such a substantial way, even constructive criticism can feel like a blow.

Yet being able to accept and process criticism is crucial to success in the workplace. "You are not paid to be a diva, and if you act like one, you won't get promoted," said Roy Cohen, author of The Wall Street Professional's Survival Guide. Eventually, resistance to criticism may even get you fired as Lord Sugar has pointed out on numerous occasions. If you get defensive and shut down when criticised, you won't be able to turn those negative remarks around so that they can now have a positive affect on your career.

We have compiled 5 tips to help you use criticism to your advantage:

Listen and ask questions
It's very important to listen carefully and to ask questions -- not only will it help you understand the issue, but it'll show that you want to solve it. Showing a degree of empathy for the person giving the criticism will also work in your favour. A positive response such as: 'I wasn't aware of that -- where do we go from here?' will help you move forward.

Think about the source
Some criticism needs to be taken with a grain of salt. For instance, is this critique coming from someone who you need to impress and/or respect (such as your boss or mentor) or someone who might want you to second-guess yourself (such as a competitive colleague)? If the person is an expert who understands you and your skills and background, the criticism may well be valid and useful. If the person is not an expert or doesn't know you then the information may be less helpful. By the same token, it's probably best to ignore unhelpful career advice from your hairdresser or mother-in-law.

Consider sleeping on it
Particularly if you a highly defensive individual, you might consider listening to criticism, then asking for a follow-up conversation the next day. It is extremely helpful to revisit [the issues] with your boss the next morning, and that action will make you appear as a thoughtful employee. Not only will you be less likely to blow up or get defensive, but you may begin to solve the problem so you can make the criticism an opportunity for future success.

Give thanks for the critique
It's important to give genuine thanks for constructive criticism, especially if you consider it at all helpful. Expressing your gratitude conveys your belief that: 1) the person giving the feedback is someone you respect and trust and 2) you are open to constructive feedback. Showing that you are open to receiving criticism demonstrates that you are a team player, not a prima donna.

See the silver lining
The world is split into the optimists and the pessemists and even if you’re one of the latter, try to see the glass as half full. It may not feel like it in the heat of the moment - but criticism is actually a learning opportunity. If it is received in a positive light, it can be used to advance personal growth and development and may ultimately further your career. If the powers that be didn't think you brought value to your team, they wouldn't offer criticism -- they would just wait for an opportunity to either make you redundant or simply fire you.

Which situation would you actually rather go through?

The five reasons that we’ve come up with probably only scratch the surface, if you have others that are better or simply different then we’d love to hear them.

As ever the team can be contacted as www.chestertongray.com

The Eeyore Candidate

During a recent assignment we were interviewing candidates for a position that had been open for months and it felt like we were never going to find the right candidate who. That was until we found the perfect CV.

Before redundancy the candidate had a proven track record and had worked for some major companies in the right sector. Without any hesitation, we set up an interview and I was certain that as long as they showed up and were breathing, they’d get the job.

A week later it was time for the interview and I went to the reception where I saw two candidates waiting. One was sharply dressed and exuded confidence. The other looked like they had slept in their suit. Considering the importance of the role, the smart candidate had to be mine. I walked up and introduced myself, but a small, quiet voice behind me in the scruffy suit corrected me and introduced themselves as my candidate

What followed was the longest and most boring interview of my life. We gave them every possible opportunity to impress us, but every question was answered in a ho-hum tone and it became apparent that they weren’t all they seemed to be. Needless to say we didn’t include them on the shortlist but they definitely left an impression on me. We described them as Eeyore, the depressed donkey from “Winnie the Pooh.”

I understand that being unemployed and looking for work can turn even the best of us into an Eeyore, but keep in mind that Eeyores don’t get jobs.

If you think you might be an Eeyore candidate, try these 10 tips…
1) Surround yourself with positive peopleIdeally everyone you come across will be supportive of your job search, but some people’s idea of support is actually detrimental to your success. You will come across people that make up excuses for you, like “The job market just sucks right now. It’s not your fault.” Try to distance yourself from these people. While they are trying to help, their “solutions” will only keep you down. Instead, if you have friends, family, and colleagues who say things like “I know you can do it,” or “Keep it up!” or do things like e-mail you jobs to apply to, keep these people close. Their support is positive, and being around them will give you a more positive outlook.

2) Don’t take it personallyThe most amazing job seekers will encounter rejection from time to time. Most of the time, the reason for rejection has nothing to do with you anyway. The reason you don’t get the job or don’t even get an interview might be because of budgeting, internal candidates, or a complete revamp of the company or department you’re applying to. Don’t focus on things you can’t control. Focus on yourself and your abilities.

3) Tell yourself you’re hirable
If you’ve worked at least one day in your life, then you must have some hirable skills. You are good enough to get a job, but no one will hire you if you don’t think you deserve it. And besides, beating yourself up every day gets downright exhausting.

4) Practice interviewing
There’s nothing as depressing as completely blowing an interview. There’s one easy way to combat this: practice the interview. Most recruitment people will ask the same questions over and over again. You can find articles and books online of standard interview questions. One word of caution though: a successful interview isn’t just about being able to answer the questions. It’s about how you answer the questions. Practice how you will answer the questions you anticipate being asked. Set up a mock interview with a friend, a recruiter, or even your other half. Acting out the scenario in a friendly setting will help you prepare for the real deal.

5) Get out of the house
When you’re looking for a job, your job search should be one of your top priorities, but it should not be your only priority. You can only sit in front of your computer and send out CV’s for so long before you get cabin fever. Getting out of the house is okay. Reward yourself for your hard work by going out for a walk or a treat of some sort. Just getting outside, being around other people, and being in sunlight will have a dramatic effect on your outlook.

6) Network
Find some professional networking groups in your area or in your industry. Many of them may even have events that cater to people who are “in transition.” The people you meet at these events may be able to give you advice on how to be an effective job-seeker and may even point you in the direction of companies that are hiring.

7) Set small, achievable goals
It’s great to start with the end in mind, but don’t let the end be your one and only goal. If you wake up every day of your job search thinking, “Today is the day I get the job,” the fact of the matter is that you will fail from achieving your goal every day except for the very last day of your job search. That feeling of failure isn’t exactly motivating. Focus on the smaller steps you need to help get you there. Tell yourself, “I will apply to 15 jobs today,” or “I’ll RSVP for two networking events today.” These are small, achievable, attainable goals, and you will feel good about yourself when you cross them off your daily to-do list.

8) Go shopping and give yourself a job seeker makeover
As I commented at the start; Clothes definitely make the man (or woman), so take some time to go shopping for a new interview outfit if necessary. Apparently the act of shopping makes you temporarily happier!! Investing in a new outfit that makes you look like a success will also make you act like a success. When you like the way you look, you will exude the confidence, happiness, and positivity that Eeyore candidates lack.

9) If it’s really serious, then get serious help
Being unemployed, especially for a long period of time, can easily lead to a serious depression problem. If you notice any depression warning signs over an extended period of time, such as having difficulty getting out of bed every morning or heightened alcohol consumption, go to your doctor right away and get help. Your job search is important, but your mental health should always be your top priority. Also, if you are clinically depressed and not getting proper treatment, your depression will be a major hindrance to your job search. Take care of yourself and everything else will fall into place.

So let’s look forward to a positive year and make sure that it’s the one where we all achieve our objectives.

www.chestertongray.com

How to leave the office at 5pm

Over the twenty odd years that I’ve been in (allegedly gainful) employment the culture of hours worked has changed markedly. The 80’s with its booming yuppie years accelerated the acceptance, or should that be expectation, that you were in before the first light of dawn and if at all possible were the last person to leave at night. In many cases changing the mindset of management has been part and parcel of changing a business’s culture and through some very high profile law suits and heart attacks the business world finally realised that the work life balance of its employees was an integral part of its success or failure.

Talking to the number of candidates that we do it is plain that every morning they set a goal to leave the office in time to spend the evening hanging out with their family and friends. And every evening around 5 or 6pm, they look at the pile of work that’s still outstanding and realise it's not happening. Again!

But before you settle for another late night of takeaway’s and furious family members, think about this: many people actually do manage to have both fulfilling careers and fulfilling home lives. What do they know? From all of our interviews I've realised that these successful people adopt a few key tactics for shutting down their pc at the end of the day and leaving the office:

1. Realise you can leave before everything's done. In our rapid-fire age, email, requests for assistance, calls and meetings can fill all available space. If you aim to go home with a zero inbox, you will almost certainly never go home. Work will always be there and will take whatever time you give it. So give it less time. We all have a point of diminishing returns.

2. Split your hours. Leaving the office at 5pm doesn't mean you need to be done for the night. Try going home, spending time with your family or pursuing other personal projects, and then if you must work from home, fire up your laptop later in the evening for another hour or two. You'll probably be refreshed enough to solve problems that would have taken you until 8:30 if you'd stayed put.

3. Do a 4pm triage. If the to-do list for the day that you created first thing has been too ambitious, you'll probably realise, by mid-afternoon, that it can't all happen by 5pm. So at 4pm, go through and rank the most important tasks. If you knew that the electricity was going to go off in your office at 5pm, rendering more work impossible, what would you do before then? Do those things. Then stop. Pick up the to-do list again when you do your evening session or better still, the next morning. Who knows, maybe some of the problems will have solved themselves in the night!

If you have some better thoughts and ideas on how to ensure that you’re not stuck in the office until midnight, the team at Chesterton Gray is always keen to hear from you.

Want to be a great communicator? Use plain English

For most professional people there comes a point in their lives when, sooner or later, their boss will take them aside and advise them that at the next meeting or business conference they’ll be making a presentation on....

After all, you can’t get very far in your career without learning to present. Well, the same is true of speaking and writing.

And if you work with and listen to enough successful executives and other business leaders, you’ll find that, with rare exception, they use plain English and cut to the chase. Think of Sir John Harvey-Jones as a classic example. That means no jargon, no beating around the bush, no padding and no flowery or big words.

Sounds great, doesn’t it? Well, here’s the catch. For some odd reason, most people seem to have great difficulty being direct when they communicate.

When I first started working in sales I’d just come from working in a warehouse I couldn’t write or speak to save my own life. The first time I had to make a presentation, I was so terrified by my lack of experience that I nearly did a runner. The only thing that saved me was I was only given twenty minutes notice over lunch and my boss never left my side.

But, I worked for a big company and saw a number of very good practiced speakers who made it look easy and that’s where I learned two things:

1) Ditch all the flowery composition and big words they taught us in school, and
2) Get your message across as crisply, as clearly, and in as few words as possible.

Now I appreciate that that’s easy to say but harder to do. So here are 10 tips to help you succeed in business by learning to speak and write in plain English:
1. Be direct with your point or position. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Don’t over-think or over-complicate it.
2. People will remember the first and last thing you say or write. Long rambling laundry lists are worthless.
3. Communicate economically, as if you have to pay for every word. Your audience is actually paying with their precious time and share of mind.
4. Words come from your mouth and fingers, but wisdom and inspiration come from inside you. Dig deep.
5. People are more likely to remember things you tell with stories and humour.
6. When you fumble around, it usually means you’re trying to come up with some way to spin what you want to say.
7. People connect more with genuine feelings than intelligent logic. People may learn from ideas but by and large they follow people.
8. It’s a proven fact that people do business with those they feel comfortable with and trust. They judge that, in a large part, on how you speak and write.
9. Communication is bidirectional, not a one-sided data-dump. Remember, you give a little to get a little.
10. Don’t over-rehearse or over-edit. Where to draw the line comes with time and experience. Anyone who has ever had to be best man/woman can tell you all about that one!

So now hopefully you are a little more prepared for that next occasion when your boss taps you on the shoulder and asks you to be their key note speaker.

As ever, comments, thoughts and suggestions are welcomed by the team at www.chestertongray.com

5 Things you should never say in a job interview

Sometimes it feels as though I’m stuck in Groundhog Day where everyday, or an event, is a repeat of a previous one. Earlier this week I overheard a colleague having to explain a few basic interviews techniques to a candidate who has changed jobs several times before but who plainly felt the need for guidance and reassurance.

We all know that job interviews are never easy and they’re especially stressful when opportunities are so few and far between, as they are at the moment with the European economy going through its travails.

When you have at last secured an interview, the single most important thing you can do is prepare and practice, by doing both a run-through with a savvy friend, and then doing a self-review. This practice should help settle your nerves and help you work on weaknesses. So, on the back of some surreptitious eavesdropping here are 5 things never to say to the line or recruiting manager:

1. Something they’ve heard a million times before
Some people just love interviewing others and spurring them to be creative and compelling in their answers. Others ask the same dull questions they’ve been asking for years. Whether your interviewer is inspiring or barely conscious, you’ll need to come up with new answers to what are likely old questions. Never be cliché. For instance, don’t tell the interviewer you are a people person. Prepare and practice your talking points prior, and you’ll be less likely to rely on stock answers.

2. A request for any kind of concessions
You can’t do overtime because your children’s day care finishes at 5. You’d like to work from home part-time because you have a new puppy. You need an ergonomically-sound mouse and phone set-up. You’re not so into working on weekends, holidays, or your birthday. Especially in a first interview, you want them to want you — badly. Once they do, you can then ask for what you want, which includes specific questions about salary, benefits, or holiday time.

3. Anything that shows you’re over or under ambitious
Inevitably you will be asked the question “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” A question which can make certain candidates answer too honestly (”I have no idea!”) or show their true colours (”Hopefully, in your job…haha…”). Helping you find your true passion isn’t really their problem, and the fact that you want to advance ASAP can also raise concerns that you’ll jump ship quickly.

4. Anything negative
You probably know better than to criticise your former boss. But you should be positive throughout the interview process. Don’t be negative about anything including your previous office, your old company’s personnel policies, traffic on the way to the interview, or the weather. That said, there are certain times to be constructively critical of your former corporation as well as the company with which you’re interviewing. The key is constructive input. What can you do to improve their situation with your skills and experience, instead of merely mocking it?

5. That you have no weaknesses
Yes, the question “What is your biggest weakness?” is incredibly annoying, boring, and irritating (see “Something they’ve heard a million times before,” above). But asserting that you are a perfect human being isn’t the answer either. That way you certainly won’t come across as credible if you say that you have no weaknesses. Ideally you should talk about a real weakness that is not central to the position that you are seeking and show how you have overcome that weakness. This will help the employer see you as a three-dimensional potential employee, instead of as a two-dimensional resume.

I truly don’t believe that any of the above is ground breaking news to the majority of job seekers, but equally it never does any harm to refresh one’s knowledge before you find yourself in the one interview situation that you didn’t want to be in.

As ever, thoughts and input more than welcome.
www.chestertongray.com

How burnt out are you??

Here we are in the middle of the last week in July, the schools have broken up, the sun is temporarily shining and across Europe our counterparts will be shutting up shop and decamping to their holiday homes. In Britain we don’t have that culture but in my world August is a dead month as the decision makers tend to have children and to use this time to take also go away.

Everyone that I seem to speak with mentions how much they are looking forward to the break and blames fatigue as one of the reasons that they’re in the state that they are.

Whether it’s due to the lingering recession, job insecurity, increased workload or other factors entirely, fatigue or job burnout is on the rise around the world.
Neither symptom is simply about being bored or disenchanted with your work. Instead it appears to be the result of prolonged work stress and is characterised by exhaustion, cynicism, a lower sense of accomplishment and severely reduced productivity. It is a widely accepted fact that burnout can also lead to increases in stress hormones, heart disease, and mental health issues like depression. There are plenty of studies on the web about the condition which have found that there are generally three types of burnout: frenetic, under-challenged, and worn-out.

In a recent study in the journal BMC Psychiatry, researchers identified the factors which can contribute to each type of burnout and suggested possible “cures.”

Frenetic burnout
• You work increasingly harder to the point of exhaustion and border on being a workaholic.
• The more hours you work, the more at risk you are of burnout.
• You are extremely involved and ambitious, and overload yourself to fulfil the demands of your job.
• You feel guilt about the idea of not achieving your ambitious goals and are often driven by this guilt.
• The Fix: Work on understanding the cause of your excessive ambition and your guilt, while reducing your personal involvement in work to satisfy personal needs.

Under-challenged burnout
• You have little to motivate you at work, and have to cope with monotonous and unstimulating conditions.
• This type of burnout is more common in men than women and in fields like administration and service personnel.
• You feel indifferent and bored and don’t experience any personal development in your job.
• You feel cynical, because you’ve lost interest in their work.
• The fix: Understand the disenchantment caused by feeling trapped in a job that bores you. Look for ways to renew your interest in your personal development at work.

Worn-out burnout
• You have been in the same organisation for many years – the more you’re there, the greater your risk, but being in one place more than four years can trigger it.
• You give up when faced with stress or lack of gratification.
• You don’t have any control over the results of your work and no recognition, which leads you to neglect your responsibilities.
• You have a somewhat passive coping style and may become less productive, which can lead to feelings of guilt.
• This type of burnout can be buffered if you have a college degree, a stable relationship and children.
• The Fix: Work through your feelings of despair and your passive coping style, and seek out a social support network at work to help you become more motivated.

The summer holiday always acts as a catalyst for individuals to get away from those stresses and strains and to re-evaluate what they want from their career and work life balance. We inevitably see an increase in assignments in the post summer holiday, matched by candidates who are more eager to discuss opportunities than they might have been earlier in the year.

If you’re away over the next few weeks, then I’ll take this opportunity to wish you a happy and relaxing holiday and hope that you return ready to face the autumn with renewed vigour.

However, if you are one of those who has re-evaluated their career options whilst lying on a beach somewhere, then please feel free to contact one of the Directors at http://www.chestertongray.com

Should I resign?

Most of the time when we meet candidates it is for a specific assignment that we have approached them about, rather than for a “chat” and yet although the majority would ostensibly claim that they are happy in their roles we are surprisingly frequently asked this question. After a little probing it tends to transpire that in fact they’re not very happy in their current job because it doesn't seem like there is much opportunity for movement or promotion at the company.

Whatever you do don't start clearing your desk just yet – at least not before you've fully evaluated your current situation. You should determine if the problem is really with the job and the company or whether there's something else at play such as your energy level or dissatisfaction with other areas of your life.

Changing companies or roles may not be enough to make you happy. There are a number of important questions you'll want to ask yourself. For example: Have you explored all of your options at the company? Have you taken the time to fully evaluate your development and career path with your manager? Could there be other non-work areas affecting your level of engagement and fulfilment? What do you like and not like about your current situation? What do you want in your career moving forward?

Even if you already know the answers to these questions and still feel like you're ready for a move, there's no need to rush. Start by contacting people in your various networks to explore what opportunities exist and consider making a strategic move. If you want to explore another kind of work, it may be wise to stay put for a time while you evaluate your next steps.

It is equally important to evaluate what you can offer a new company. Take a hard look at your “brand”, professional reputation and any other qualities and skills you bring to the job. If you can, forget for a moment that you are a company employee and instead picture yourself as a "business-of-one,” Businesses who decide to 'fire' a client that gives them the majority of their income must make sure they have a strong brand or reputation they can market, know their ideal target audience and the best way to reach them, and be certain there is enough of a demand for their services.

Now you should identify at least 25 companies where you would want to work and ensure that they employ people with your types of skills. Then you should try to network with individuals who have been hired at these companies to see if they can shed some light on what is valued by the organisation and the best way to get considered for a position. Networking often leads to learning about 'unpublished' jobs. If you can't or are unwilling to do these steps, then you're not ready to move on. Over the years most of us here have seen too many people jump out of a bad job and into a worse one.

Naturally we would very seldom advise any candidate to resign without having a new role to go to, unless there were significant mitigating circumstances.

If you would like to chat over your career options then please feel free to contact one of the team at www.chestertongray.com

Write a Covering Letter that Gets Noticed

The subject of this blog isn’t new and it follows on from my last one about how to speed up your job search. And what I’m about to say has been said many times before, but as ever it all bears repeating. Most of our team who sift through covering letters all agree that far too many are just boring, vague or ineffective. Those go straight into the bin.

So what does a covering letter need to get noticed? Here are 8 tips from the team:

1. Sell yourself. A covering letter is a sales pitch. All of us who believe in something important are selling – be it a proposition, an idea, or maybe ourselves. This, by the way, doesn’t mean you steal credit–just that you emphasise your achievements.

2. Demonstrate interest in the job. Sounds obvious doesn’t it? But so many people don’t bother to do homework on either the company or the role for which they are applying. Reference something about what you have learned in your covering letter. This is where you can tailor the needs of the company/role to the expertise that you offer.

3. Address it to the right person! Every day we receive covering letters addressed to the wrong person and even to people who don’t work for our firm. The letter has been cut & pasted from one to someone else in a different firm. Sloppy and insulting.

4. Be declarative. A good covering letter is a page. Get to the point quickly, telling us what you’ve accomplished. “This is what I have accomplished…”

5. Omit the conditional. Avoid statements such as, “As conditions warranted..,” or “Given the circumstances…” Conditionals detract from the power of your message. Drop them.

6. Avoid the passive voice. Using the passive voice makes you sound like a bystander. Instead of “Our effort was led by me,” write, “I led our effort.” Remember, you are the initiator.

7. Proof it. Take it from us: don’t click send until you have a trusted friend or your spouse read your letter several times to check for clarity – did you mean to say that? — and typos – Oops!

8. Be humble. This is a caveat to the first item on this list. You are pitching yourself but remember that as a leader you achieve good results through the efforts of others. It is always good to mention how you work well with and through others.

Good luck and good letter writing. Your next job may depend upon it… but of course you already know that. If you would like to discuss how to write a CV or covering letter, please feel free to contact one of the team at www.chestertongray.com

7 Ways to Speed Up Your Job Search

I’ve been in recruitment now for more years than I care to remember and try not to admit to, and I never cease to be surprised by how many times my colleagues and I are still asked many of the same questions that we were asked fifteen or more years ago. Sure, technology has moved many of the processes on and has eased the application process but there are still many of the same issues that candidates face.

So, not only is the job search often frustrating, but it also becomes intensely time consuming. Many candidates who are out of work end up looking for several months before an interview opportunity finally materialises.

How can you speed up the process and land your ideal job in less time? Here are a few ways that my colleagues and I believe that candidates can speed up their job search:
• Use trusted job search engines and networking sites. Looking for opportunities via job aggregators can lead you to postings by the actual company and not a third party. You can also sign up for alerts so you don’t miss any important opportunities. Many networking sites work the same way—someone who works for the company (or knows someone who does) often posts the job opportunity in a group or on a message board.
• Start blogging regularly. Creating and maintaining a blog helps to position yourself as a thought leader in your industry. It’s also a great way to increase your visibility and broaden your network.
• Increase your visibility online and offline. There are many things you can be doing to increase your visibility. Blogging, mentioned above, is a prime example. You should also consider attending networking events, conferences, association meetings, Twitter chats, workshops, and webinars. All of these can help you gain more skills and knowledge about your field while meeting people who may be able to help boost your job search.
• Talk with a career coach. A lot of people are unsure of how to properly go about job searching—and it’s no surprise, as many of us were never formally taught how to job search. A career coach can help you navigate the world of the job hunt and give you tips and advice on how to market yourself properly. If you’re unsure of what makes you unique among the other candidates, they can help you identify that as well. We have many close links with coaches who have helped candidates reappraise themselves and move from a trough of inactivity to a successful interview. Talking of which….
• Be well prepared for your interview. In this tough job market, one of the worst things you can do to yourself is get an interview and show up unprepared. You need to know how you’ll answer the traditional interview questions and what experiences you want to highlight for the hiring manager in your answers. You also need to know as much as possible about the company, its culture, and how you’ll fit into it all.
• Volunteer your time at a local non-profit organisation. Volunteering is a great way to fill gaps in your resume, gain valuable skills, and meet new people. It’s also fulfilling to be using your skills to help a local community group and a great way to keep busy while job hunting.
• Optimise your CV and online profiles. Keywords are an essential part of the job search today. Recruiters like us and hiring managers are looking for a specific candidate and often find that person through searching several keywords or key phrases. These are often shared in the job description—so make sure that your online profiles and resume align with the job you’re applying for.

Keep your CV short, that’s ideally three pages or less, and pertinent. Despite the many articles out there on how to write a CV we still receive many that are well over ten pages and I’m afraid that most are dropped straight into the on-line re-cycle bin because we receive over 250 CV’s a week and simply don’t have time to read that much information and do the rest of our assignment tasks!

If you apply these basic principles when you are looking for a new job, then you will significantly improve your prospects. We can offer further tips and guidance to candidates on their job search so please feel free to call me or my colleagues for an informal discussion.

Can problem leaders ever change?

Being a relatively sporty person I don’t watch very much TV, but one Saturday morning I found myself channel-surfing for about 15 minutes. I was amazed at how many of the ads were about getting in shape. Some of the “promises” they made were:

“Six-second abs.” “Easy shaper.” “Incredible — a miracle!”
“Quickly turn your flabby abs into that sexy six-pack!”

My favourite was one that claimed that “visible results” could be achieved in two three-minute sessions. Excuse the language, but a phrase from my childhood captures my feeling for these claims: “What a load of c**p!”

If you want to know why so many goal setters don’t become goal achievers, you can pore over a bunch of enlightening academic studies about goals, or you can watch webinars for hours on end. Where did we ever get the crazy idea that getting in shape is supposed to be quick and easy? Why do we think that there will be almost no cost and why are we surprised when working out turns out to be arduous?

In the search industry we see the impact of this kind of thinking all the time. We recently received a call from a HR Director who was dealing with the integration of people and systems after their company had made a large acquisition. They had concerns over one of the senior Directors and his management style and the CEO had suggested they get an executive coach to work with the Director. They hoped to see a dramatic change in him within a couple of months. Could we help us and when could we start?

Like anybody who buys miracle products to help them get in shape, they wanted a miracle coach to immediately change the Director.

It was pointed out that he was a 56-year-old executive and just as with diet and exercise, his behavioural habits took years to develop and wouldn’t go away overnight. We all set goals to get some aspect of our lives in shape. All too often, we fail to meet them. Why? There are five major challenges that we usually underestimate:

Time: “This is taking a lot longer than I thought it would. I don’t have time for this.”

Effort: “This is a lot harder than I thought it would be. I’m tired. It’s just not worth it.”

Distracting events: “I had no idea I would be so busy this year. I’ll just have to worry about this later.”

Maintenance: “After I got in shape, I celebrated by drinking beer and eating curry. Now, for some unexplained reason, I’m back to where I started. What am I supposed to do? Go on some kind of diet for the rest of my life?”

Rewards: “After I lost weight, I thought that everyone would fall in love with me. I still can’t seem to get a date, so why bother?”

We often confuse the words “simple” and “easy.” The changes we help people make are generally very simple. However, they are never easy. Just as with diet and exercise, changing behaviour involves hard work and takes time.

During the next year, he will be barraged with distracting events that will take him away from his efforts to change. He needs to realise that lasting leadership development is a lifelong process. A temporary change in behaviour to “look good” in the short term will only create cynicism if he doesn’t stick with it. We can help if he is willing to put in the time and effort. If not, hiring us would probably be a waste of everyone’s time.

Look in the mirror. Not just at how you look, but at who you are. If you want to be a better leader, a better professional, or just a better person, don’t kid yourself. To achieve meaningful goals, you’ll have to pay the price. There’s no product, no diet, no exercise program, and (I hate to admit it) no executive coach who can make you better. Only you can do it. If your source of motivation doesn’t come from inside, you won’t stick with it. This may not be good material for a Saturday morning infomercial, but its great advice for any real achievement.