Working from home: the five golden rules

It has been all over the news this week that Yahoo's new boss, Marissa Mayer, has just ordered her employees back to the office, issuing an edict that will ban them from working at home. A renowned workaholic, she's worried that they are secret slackers, and will miss out on creative brainstorming meetings with their colleagues.

This appears to go against the thought processes of many business leaders over the last decade, but should companies really turn their backs on the flexible working? In these more aware days of the work/life balance, we have a chance to shape our work to suit the way we live, instead of our lives to fit our work.

Home working has huge advantages, especially for people who have used it to juggle a career and childcare duties, but how can you make sure you are doing your jobs effectively, so that your boss admits that home working is a good idea?

Here are five ways to maximise your efficiency:

1. Create a private place

Create a dedicated workspace where you won't get distracted by the rest of your life, away from your DVD collection or where your kids watch telly or where the dogs can pester you for a walk. Turn it into a sanctuary full of plants, artworks or whatever you need to make it somewhere you like spending time, even if it is just a corner of a room. And remember, almost nobody (apart from Winston Churchill) ever worked efficiently lying in bed.

2. Go on a digital diet

Employers fear you will spend all day surfing and tweeting, so prove them wrong. If you need to ration your time online, for instance only checking email once every two hours. There are programs such as Freedom internet blocker, which turns off web access for a specified period.

3. Schedule your day

With nobody looking over your shoulder, you need to set clear daily goals; otherwise you may fritter your time away. At the end of each day, make a list of what you plan to do the next, and have it waiting on your desk for when you sit down in the morning. And prioritise that into an A&B list.

4. Arrange some human contact

Most people go crazy spending all day alone. So give yourself a daily dose of human interaction, which you can think of as a reward for knuckling down to work. Have lunch with a friend, go for a walk to the local corner shop or phone your favourite relative for a mid-morning break. Recharge yourself with conversation.

5. Use the flexibility

Where and when do you do your best thinking and working? Some people do their best problem-solving while out running at dawn, or think best surrounded by the white noise of a cafe. So do what really works for you, using the gift of flexible working to your – and your employer's – advantage.

As ever, if you would like to talk with a Director or Consultant then please contact us at www.chestertongray.com

How to get a job once you’re 50.

As someone who is now firmly in their fifties, along with my friends I’ve increasingly wondered about the employment opportunities versus the options a potential employer has to fill their openings with someone younger and cheaper.


For all of them it’s not just about finding a job, it’s about finding a job they wanted. Ensuring that they “stand out” among the candidates being considered required them to take stock of the factors that were motivating them.

The first was reflecting on the question, “Why am I still looking to be gainfully employed at my age?” My dad retired at 55, and he’s enjoyed his retirement until he passed away in his mid eighties. In the generation of my parents, with life expectancy a decade less than it is today, retiring between 60 and 65 years of age was the norm. Looking at my generation, many of us “Baby Boomers” lead healthier lives than our parents did. We eat better, exercise more, smoke less, and take better care of ourselves. We can expect to live longer. Given this, why not extend our professional careers at least a decade beyond that of our parents?

Another factor influencing people to remain employed longer is a financial one. Our spending and saving habits are not as rigorous as our parents, and many of us extended ourselves, having taken on bigger mortgages, and paid to put our children through private high schools and college, or simply enjoyed our lifestyles more than they did at a comparable age. The current savings rate allied to the state of the European economy hasn’t helped matters either.

Whether by choice or necessity, many of us who may have wanted to retire at the age our parents did could be facing another 10 years of employment, with retirement more likely closer to 70 years of age versus 60, particularly if we want to live comfortably in our “Golden Years”. There are many things you can do to strengthen your candidacy when you are faced with finding employment in your fifties or later. Here are four areas to focus on:

1) Research the market rates for the positions that you plan to apply for

You need to understand what the market is willing to pay for a person with your background and experience. Appreciate that your most recent total package may not represent what the market is now willing to pay. This is particularly true if you were released from a company that employed you for many years, providing you with annual increases that brought your total income to a level that is no longer “marked to market”. This is important. While you may feel you earned every penny that you were paid, you need to understand that if your goal is to earn the same in your next job, you may be searching for a job for a long time. Make an effort to understand what the market is willing to pay for a person with your experience, and prepare yourself to be willing to accept this level of compensation.

2) Maintain your professional networks

It may be overstating the obvious to remind you that who you know is more important than what you know. Don’t confuse this point, because what you know is in fact important, it’s just that who you know is more important first.

Today, the internet is an easy and effective way to identify job opportunities. Research the companies offering the jobs by reading their websites. Find out who is employed at those companies by scouring a source like LinkedIn and research what is being said about the quality of those firms. Only then should you submit your CV and cover letter. Sounds easy? It is not. If everybody is looking for a job then you need to differentiate yourself from them. How? Use your social networks! Do you know anybody who is employed at the company where you are a candidate? Would they recommend you? Have you worked with them in the past? Have you kept up with them, so they would be comfortable recommending you? If you’re not great about keeping up with current and former work colleagues, professional acquaintances then make a renewed effort at this, as it will most likely pay off for you when you most need it.

3) Don’t become obsolete

As you age, you must embrace technology and its rapid daily evolvement. Whatever you do, don’t become your father. Did he stop having an interest in music after they stopped making vinyl records? Do your parents push every button on your remote controls, to the point it takes you an hour to get everything back to normal. It is imperative you keep up with technological change and embrace it. Don’t allow yourself to become the equivalent of a “technology dinosaur.” Today’s companies embrace technology and use it to their advantage when competing for business. Don’t allow yourself to be eliminated from consideration for a job you desire because you have lost touch with technology.

4) Preparation, preparation, preparation!

“Failing to prepare is preparing to fail”. I couldn’t give better advice. Here are several key components to being prepared:

• Have your CV professionally written for you – There are dozens of companies willing to help you with this, some of whom will do it for free. They will work with you to create a CV that is germane to your experience and highlights your greatest competencies.

• Check your wardrobe – Have you been working in a “business casual” environment for years? Does your suit or blouse no longer fit the way it did when you purchased it? Is the style of your clothing representative of a different time? Spend a little money to make certain the first impression you make is a quality one.

• Have you researched the company you will be meeting – Do you know their turnover? Do you know what their primary product and service offerings are? Are they a public company? If so, what is their stock trading at? Do you know where their primary offices are? Do you know who their main competitors are? Have you read their website? Do you know who the members of the management team are? Take the time to learn this information, as it may distinguish you from your competitors during your interview.

• Interview your interviewer - This is a must! When the interviewer finally asks you if you have any questions, it is not ok to say, “No, not at this time.” Be prepared to ask your interviewer two or three questions. Asking questions expresses genuine interest on your part. Here are a few you can ask:

• “What are the strategic plans for growth for the company over the next three years?”

• “Who are your main competitors, and how do you go about beating them, in the markets where you compete with them directly?”

• “What is the company’s commitment to community service?”

• “Does your company have a Mission Statement or Core Values statement?”

• “How would you describe the culture of your organization?”



Whilst my generation is more inclined to seek permanent employment, the workplace has evolved to a point where most companies now employ a mix of consultants and contractors as a strategic component to their workforce. These tips are equally useful should you desire to pursue contract work instead of permanent employment and apply to the under fifties as much as us over fifties!

1913 v 2013

If 2013 were to yield as many talented individuals as 1913 then it will be a magnificent year.


Richard Nixon.

Was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974 when the Watergate scandal forced him to resign in the face of almost certain impeachment before being controversially pardoned by Gerald Ford who was also born in 1913. Although Nixon initially escalated America's involvement in the Vietnam War, he subsequently ended U.S. involvement in 1973. Nixon's visit to the People's Republic of China in 1972 opened diplomatic relations between the two nations, and he initiated détente and the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty with the Soviet Union the same year.

Eiji Toyoda

A prominent Japanese industrialist, who was largely responsible for bringing Toyota Motor Corporation to profitability and worldwide prominence during his tenure as president and later Chairman. He was born into a family of textile manufacturers but after completing his degree he joined his cousin who had established a fledgling car manufacturing plant and in 1938 he was asked to oversee construction of a newer factory near Nagoya, later renamed Toyota City.

Having visited Fords main production site, Toyoda decided to adopt US automobile mass production methods but recognised the need to develop core concepts of what later became known as Kanban and Kaizen, two of the key manufacturing concepts that are now globally adopted.

Michael Foot

British Labour Party politician and man of letters. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1945 to 1955 and from 1960 until 1992. He was deputy leader of the Labour Party from 1976 to 1980, and later became the Leader of the Opposition from 1980 to 1983.

Associated with the Labour left for most of his career, Foot was a supporter of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and British withdrawal from the European Economic Community. His first Cabinet appointment was as Employment secretary under in 1974 and later served as Leader of the House of Commons. A passionate orator, he was elected Labour leader in 1980 presenting himself as a compromise candidate capable of uniting the party, which at the time was riven by the grassroots left-wing insurgency and resigned after the 1983 general election when the party obtained its lowest share of the vote since 1918.


Foot had a parallel career as a journalist which included appointments as editor of Tribune and the Evening Standard newspaper. Among the books he authored are Guilty Men (an attack on Neville Chamberlain and others for the policy of appeasement), a biography of Jonathan Swift (The Pen and the Sword, 1957) and a biography of Aneurin Bevan.


Richard (Baron) Beeching

More commonly known as Dr Beeching, he was chairman of British Railways and a physicist and engineer. He became a household name in Britain in the early 1960s for his report "The Reshaping of British Railways", commonly referred to as "The Beeching Report", which led to far-reaching changes in the railway network, popularly known as the Beeching Axe resulting in the loss of 4,000 miles of railway line.

His early career pre and post war was at ICI to where he returned after his work on the railways and was appointed Deputy Chairman in 1966.

Benjamin Britten

Was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was one of the central figures of twentieth-century British classical music, and wrote music in several classical genres and styles, from film scores to opera. His best known works include Peter Grimes and The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, over the next nine years, he wrote six more operas, thus establishing himself as one of the leading twentieth-century composers in this genre. As a pacifist one of Britten’s greatest achievements in the 1960s was his War Requiem, written for the 1962 consecration of the newly reconstructed Coventry Cathedral

Jesse Owens

American track and field athlete who competed in the Nazi propaganda driven 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin where he achieved international fame by winning four gold medals: one each in the 100 meters, the 200 meters, the long jump, and as part of the 4x100 meter relay team, becoming the most successful athlete at the 1936 Summer Olympics. As a consequence of this the Jesse Owens Award, USA Track and Field's highest accolade for the year's best athlete, is named after him.

Mary Martin

American actress, singer and Broadway star. A muse of Rodgers and Hammerstein she originated many leading roles over her career including Nellie Forbush in South Pacific in 1949 and Maria von Trapp in The Sound of Music on Broadway in 1959. In many respects she has become better known more latterly as the mother of actor Larry Hagman. She received the Kennedy Center Honors, an annual honor for career achievements, in 1989.

Sid James

Was an English-based actor and comedian who made his name as Tony Hancock's co-star in Hancock's Half Hour and also starred in the popular Carry On films. He was known for his trademark "dirty laugh" and lascivious persona. His first major comedy role was in The Lavender Hill Mob in which he made up the bullion robbery gang headed by Alec Guinness. The characters he portrayed in the films were usually very similar to the wise-cracking, sly, lecherous Cockney he was famed for playing on television and normally called Sid or a derivative of Sid. His best now TV show was probably ‘Bless this house’.

Office presents; tricky but not impossible.

Now that Black Friday and Cyber Monday are behind us, holiday shopping season is officially underway. And for office workers, that includes shopping for colleagues and bosses. But buying gifts for them can be as much of an etiquette minefield as the annual holiday party. Give the wrong gift, and you can derail your career before New Year's. Give the right one, and you'll start 2013 off right.

Here are 7 brief tips which we hope can help you:

Don't blow your budget

It's all too easy to want to impress your boss and colleagues with expensive presents, but this may send the message that you're trying to buy their loyalty. If there is no agreed upon budget, spend less rather than more. An office holiday gift is meant to be a token of appreciation rather than a large holiday gift from Santa, not only will your gift be seen as more tasteful, your credit card will thank you.

Do make thoughtful choices

While your gift to your colleague won't be as personal as to your spouse or parent, show that you know something about the person. If you don't know them particularly well then choose something he or she can use at work, such as a quality pen, a stylish organizer, or an iPad or eReader cover. Gift or music vouchers or sports tickets are safe options. By and large it’s probably best to avoid bottles of booze or spa treatments (the first is risky if the person doesn't drink, the latter could send a mixed message)!!

Give gifts away from the office

If you're only giving gifts to a few select people (and not the entire staff) then you should consider doing it at lunch. However, if you're playing Santa to all, make sure the gifts are equal in value, particularly if staff members are at equal levels on the corporate ladder. You shouldn't give more to one than the other because inevitably they will compare.

Always give your PA something

Again, a small token is still fine - but always give something. It's a nice holiday gesture to show your gratitude to someone who supports you and shows loyalty throughout the year. Even if this person is new, it's still appropriate and can work wonders for the forthcoming year.

Think about joining forces

If you're not sure whether it's appropriate to get your boss a gift, consider organising a group one. By doing so it looks less self-serving and with joint funds you'll be able to give him or her a nicer gift without breaking your budget.

Remember to say ‘Thank you’

It always seems to happen that someone is caught off guard by a gift from someone they didn't buy for. Don't panic - simply give back your gratitude. It is not mandatory to reciprocate, but it is essential to accept the gift with a genuine smile on your face and say something such as, “Thank you so much for thinking of me”.

Just say no to gag gifts

Ok, we all like a joke and a laugh to lighten the working atmosphere, but anything that can be seen as possibly offensive has no place in an office environment. Save the gag gifts for very close family and friends. Unless your office is hosting a white elephant exchange where the premise is to give a silly gift, opt for tasteful over tacky.

Those few thoughts should give you plenty of time to prepare and come up with the perfect gift for your colleague(s).

As ever, the team can be contacted at www.chestertongray.com

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

Voicemail; love it or loathe it, we’ve all used it.

One of the foremost places that technology has transformed the basics of business etiquette is in the realms of communication. But there are few things that wind people up more than voicemail. Are there rules around the proper use of it? In fact, is voicemail acceptable at all anymore?


Considering I spend a sizeable portion of my life talking to people on the ‘phone you would have thought that by now I’d be a dab hand at leaving concise factual messages. But far from it. I know that occasionally I ramble and worse still I know that on certain occasions I am going to ramble when I have to leave a message!


The whole disaster that is voicemail hit home recently when I was interviewing and had switched the ‘phone to silent. After the interview I listened to the message from a candidate which went on and on and on, singularly failing to tell me who he was right until the end of the message, or even the gist of why he was calling me.


When I finally returned to my desk, I couldn't bear the thought of wasting another five minutes wading through the long, rambling message to find the candidate's name, email, and phone. So, after a short mental debate, I just deleted the message.


He could have left a short message with the pertinent details right up front. Even better, he could have simply emailed me, or at the very least followed up the call with a mail that contained the details I cared about. As a result he’s missed out and will probably do so again in the future unless he learns to present himself better.


I think my reaction was reasonable; in today's fast paced business world, I no longer have time to waste listening to voicemail, teasing out valuable details, and transcribing it onto paper myself. But what do you think? Is there a place for voicemail in the office anymore? If so, what are the rules of the phone that one should follow?

Here are my top five rules:

• Don't leave voicemail. It's fine to call and try to reach someone when they’re in the office, but if they're not available, skip the voicemail and leave an email, which is easier to scan for important details.

• Don't even call. If they’re not in the office, first try instant messaging. It's less intrusive, as it can be ignored if the person is busy.

• If you've decided to ignore my first two rules, keep it short. Voicemail is not the place for long narratives. If your message is more than a minute long, you're doing it wrong.

• The first words out of your mouth after the beep should be who you are, how you can be reached, and what you need. Once you're done with that, feel free to leave a little more context.

• Don't leave voicemail.

I’m quite prepared to be told that in fact I’ve got it all wrong and that voicemail is the singular most important office tool. If that’s the case drop me an email, not a voicemail, and tell me why I’m wrong!

If you would like to talk with one of the Directors or Consultants then please feel free to contact us as www.chestertongray.com