Forget About Your CV and Start Networking Now!

Recently, Simon North, Founder of Position Ignition wrote an article for Jobsite.co.uk, one of the largest job websites in the UK. The theme was on CVs and how we put such a great focus around them when actually from his experience, networking is a much more powerful job searching tool and should be taken much more seriously.

In this article he says that for "as long as he can remember, the CV has been the ‘passport’ to jobs and to work. However, it is a really one-dimensional document which usually starts at the moment where we’ve finished full-time education and ends up being a list of jobs that we’ve done for different organisations. It has its use as far as it goes; which frankly isn’t very far."

He shares that those in recruitment and others involved in the hiring process will on average spend less than a minute glancing over any particular CV and that in reality it's more likely to be 30 seconds of someone's real attention. We don't really have much control over our CVs and the people who read it and so he questions how effective they really are. It's a way for many of us to work the job searching system but it's not where we should be spending most of our time.

Simon therefore suggests that one should focus a lot more on networking. He says "Networking is based on a combination of face-to-face relationships that you can build and have built, together with online social media, which is changing with amazing acceleration in front of our eyes. And before we go further, let’s just note that the best networking is based on quality, not on quantity.

It encourages us to be specific; specific about who we are, what we have to offer and what our value and our contribution is. We have control over what information we release about ourselves and through which channels we release it. Networking, critically, allows us to control what suits our style, whether we’re perhaps an introvert or an extrovert. It allows us, in other words, to put our best foot forward in a way that suits us best."

So what does Simon say about these networks and how to use them? Well he suggests that before going out there and starting our relationship building, we need to be clear about what our intentions are and what we're after. Do you know who you want to work for and what information you need to know in order to make this happen? What job is it that we know will suit us best at this stage of our career?

Click to read more ...

Timeline – Where you are versus where you want to go with your Career – Part 2

In part 2, I will share a genuine experience using a timeline.   It is an effective technique supporting people to move goals forward and provide a different perspective.  I enjoy using this tool as you’ll notice in the forthcoming story.  In respect of confidentiality, actual names and specific details will be omitted. The Guide is Stephanie and the client will be referred to as Paul.

Step 1: We were both standing.  I asked Paul to mark his present state and his desired state. Interestingly, Paul pointed to the past or behind him, for his present state and he identified his desired state in front of him, to the future.

Step 2: I asked Paul to identify a path between his states.  Paul mapped out his path as two valleys and two hills in a wavelike formation.

Click to read more ...

A Guide for Beginning your Career in IT

IT careers have been popular for many maths, computer, and engineering students and professionals for more than half a century. Jobs within IT have altered quickly over the years from old positions like punch-card processor and various types of programmers, to modern positions starting now such as capacity planners and cloud architects. Despite these changes, the field of IT is still one of the fastest-growing career fields ever.

There are various ways to enter the IT field, from getting a low-level position out of high school, getting an IT-based degree from a college or university, joining the military to enter a technical field and more. Professionals currently working in non-IT fields have the option of taking night classes or external training like Microsoft Training Courses to enhance their skills.

Define your Direction

If you are unsure of where you are heading, you will never know how to get there, nor will you know when you have arrived. Research the IT field to narrow down what it is you are interested in doing. Make sure those are areas where there will be opportunities over the next several years (or longer). For example, don't spend time learning C++ programming. 

Gain Knowledge

If you have the option to select classes within your current university, find those that will give you the best education towards your chosen area. If you are already working, take a look at Microsoft Training Courses or other options to find specific classes that will provide you with what you need to know.

Click to read more ...

When Should I Start Considering Retirement?

It’s a question a lot of people ask themselves as they start getting older, and many have no idea how they are going to financially afford to retire, not to mention answer the question, ‘what will I do’. 

Working, in a psychological sense, gives people meaning and structure, as well as security.  It means that you belong somewhere and know what you’ll be doing each week, month, year.

When the option to retire is considered, these things should be well thought out.  Sure, the dream of retiring is wonderful, playing more golf, travelling, taking up that hobby you’ve put off and reading the list of books you have been meaning to get to – and, that porch swing, rose garden and everything else that has nothing to do with a job comes into view through rose coloured glasses. 

Sure, its fun to fulfil all of the desires you dream about while working that 9 to 5, but have you thought what you’ll do when you’ve taken that trip and planted that rose garden?  Are you prepared to wander aimlessly through life without being needed somewhere?  Like the place you get paid because you’re a valuable asset?

The main consideration, of course, is financial.  Are you ready to retire and to be able to live your life similarly to what you are living now?  Have you set yourself up to be able to pay those bills, take the trips, and live a leisurely life without running out of funds? Have you thought about moving to a smaller home, with less maintenance, heating bills and expenses?

Click to read more ...

Book Review: Life Is What You Make It by Peter Buffett

When you have one of the most famous businessmen in the world as your Dad and he is one of the world’s richest people, you build assumptions about the writer. You can’t help it can you?

Peter Buffett is a very decent man.  He seems sensible, interesting and has a low ego. It is latter that stands out in this book. At no point do you think or feel that he is lecturing you or spinning some impractical line that only the rich can follow.

Peter Buffett’s book, Life Is What You Make It is based on solid, family values. When he mentions his parents, it is to honour the wonderful and simple things that he and his siblings were taught as young people and which have underpinned how they have been allowed to grow into adults.  They knew that they were privileged and they also knew that they would not receive financial support from their parents just because their parents could give it.

The book is all the more interesting for this. Peter credits his father’s advice and not his cheque book. His father’s light touch is a classic case of “less is more” – a secret of good parenting and also  a significant reason why Berkshire Hathaway businesses have done so well over the long run.

Peter Buffett’s value system runs deep in this book. They are exemplified in the poem extract about the teacher and how much difference he is making in the world relative to what a fellow diner (a professional in another field) is “making”. This section summarises the book.  Money is not the most important issue – even when you have loads of it. It all comes back to the importance of those things behind us, with us constantly and consistently, that are within us and that allow us to lead the life that we want.

Executive Job Search: What to Wear to the Interview

For those of us in the process of an executive job search, we may have found that one of the most challenging aspects of it is adapting to the contemporary recruitment market. This is because if we’re at executive level, it’s very likely we spent years or even decades at our previous organisation, being promoted through the ranks instead of having to find a new job in a new company every once in a while. Therefore, as a job seeker in the here and now, it can almost feel as if we’re finding our first job all over again because modern job search strategies are so unfamiliar to us.

For example, do we even know what executive job candidates typically wear to interviews nowadays? Of course, clothing hasn’t changed that radically over the past few years and classic styles and shapes are still the best bet for a job interview, but it’s nice to refresh ourselves on various ideas, tips and tricks. Your outfit isn’t the be all and end all in an interview, but if we can feel comfortable whilst at the same time knowing we look the part, it can take a lot of the pressure off.  With this in mind, here are a few pointers for what to wear to an executive job interview.

Men

• No matter how much you think you want to hide your body, a tailored shirt in the right size is always more flattering than a baggy, shapeless one.
• It’s better to stick to plain ties rather than striped ones, as ties that are just one colour are easier to match to the rest of your outfit. And it goes without saying that novelty ties are not appropriate for a job interview.
• As an alternative to a shirt and tie, try a polo neck jumper underneath your favourite blazer. It’s comfortable without looking too casual.
• A lot of men feel they have to stick to neutral colours like black, white and grey, but this is not the case at all. You can turn up to a job interview in a navy blue suit or a maroon sweater and still look and feel smart and professional.

Click to read more ...

Timeline – Where you are versus where you want to go with your Career – Part 1

Timeline is an NLP technique used to gain a different perspective on the size of a current issue.  Within the context of career change, timeline is an effective technique to move goals forward.  I have experience using it to progress my own growth and development and with clients.  It is most effectively used by physically moving around whilst discussing a topic.

In order to illustrate how it works I will take you through an experience within the context of career development and change.  I’ve used this technique in person or over the phone/Skype.  In Part 1, I will identify timeline steps.  In Part 2, I will share an real life experience.  As a technique, I’ve discovered timeline as a powerful and effective way to experience making change and realising a goal.  In relation to Transactional analysis it is a great opportunity to tap into play (natural child) and progress a desired outcome!

Click to read more ...

Salary Advice: What Should I be Earning?

We recently wrote about how to ask for the salary you deserve, but how do you know in the first place what you deserve? We obviously can’t tell you that, but we can give you some tips for finding out for yourself what your market value is, as it were.

We use the term ‘market value’ because, as an economic worker in the labour market, you are of value to employer organisations. Whether you’re in your first job or in the latter stages of an executive career, you have something of worth to offer to your current organisation—and your next employer—in terms of your labour. Your precise value is dependent on many factors. These include your level of experience, your education, your availability and your profession. The salary you can expect to get is also dependent on external factors such as your employer’s wage structure, the company’s organizational strategy, the position of the industry in general and other macroeconomic market forces. How can you even begin to go about assessing all these factors in order to come up with a figure you can realistically expect to earn?

Click to read more ...

Position Ignition and Durham Business School Webinar: Taking Control of Your Career in a Tough Market

We at Position Ignition are looking forward to a very exciting 2012 and a big part of that will be a series of informative and interactive webinars we’ll be facilitating, some of which will be at various universities and schools. Within this year-long series, we’re teaming up with Durham Business School and its Alumni Relations Team to present a self-contained series of webinars covering all areas of career development and transition.

The first of these webinars, on Thursday 19^th January, is entitled ‘Taking Control of Your Career in a Tough Market’ and we’ll be discussing how to manage your career and make career transitions in an uncertain economic climate. Position Ignition founders and career experts Simon North and Nisa Chitakasem will be facilitating the session and sharing their experiences, practical tips, advice and insight with DBS alumni.

DBS alumni can sign up for this webinar and others in the series, here. We look forward to seeing you on the webinar!

Click to read more ...

Guardian Jobs Presents, How Much Does Your Job Cost You?!

>Each year we’re required to spend thousands on our jobs. Whether it’s grabbing a coffee on the go, battling costly commutes, dining on gourmet sandwiches or musing over the ultimate dilemma, ‘the city or the suburbs?’, at the end of the working day the question still stands: how much does your job really cost you?

Guardian Jobs has explored this question and presents an all-in-one visual aid to help weigh up the situation and throw figures into the equation. Read on and reap...