Archive for September, 2008
Tuesday, September 30th, 2008
Contract or Permanent?
Contract jobs Vs Permanent jobs have been covered to death on the wider Internet it seems, however it’s one of those debates that always swings round again - especially now in uncertain times!
Being a contractor has several benefits - you can pick and choose the work you do, and who its for! On the other hand you do lose job security and the benefits that go along with it.
Remember you’re paid for the days you work, if you don’t work - maybe because of sickness or holiday, you won’t get paid.
You’ll also need to pay for the benefits that a company would provide, such as healthcare and training. It does however allow you to set your own training budget and commitments!
In the current climate it’s wise to stay where you are - the job market is beginning to flood in some sectors as businesses such as banks close, and in others companies arn’t hiring to save on costs or see where the market goes.
We’ll come back to contracting over the next few weeks!
Friday, September 12th, 2008
What not to do when applying for a job!
There’s an excellent article on the Times Online, titled “What not to do when applying for a job.” It should cheer up anyone looking for a new career at the moment…
“Mistake a job offer for a prank. “I phoned an applicant and said ‘It’s Dan Hawes here, I’d like to talk to you about a job’. She thought it was a wind-up. I said ‘no, no – I’ve got your CV in front of me and you’re suitable for a job’. She said ‘stop taking the …’ I spent 20 minutes trying to convince her but she still thought it was someone playing a trick so I just left it.”
See the full article here, or “What not to do when motivating people!” here.
Points I’d also recommend:
- Don’t say you’re an expert - it back fires every time.
- Don’t lie - if you don’t know the answer in an interview, don’t try to ‘blag’ it.
- Spell checking - it takes one click and five minutes, it also stops you’re CV being the first in the Bin!
- Read the job advert - and don’t go off on a tangent in your covering letter!
- Don’t leave the “Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet” in the sample CV template you downloaded.
Top tip of all - a generic, downloaded template looks exactly like it is - a generic downloaded template. Taking the time to personalise the CV and Covering letter to a job will make the world of difference.