Practically all recruitment these days has been moved to the virtual world, so the importance of having your online profile optimised cannot be emphasised enough! LinkedIn is the best professional platform for getting yourself noticed but you need to ensure that you enable the right people find you by effective building of your profile.
Tell Your Story
LinkedIn gives you the opportunity to build a picture of who you are professionally, showcase your strengths and style whilst showing your range of experiences and accomplishments. It is important to include keywords that are directed at the type of career you are seeking, so that recruiters, in that area, can more easily find you. You may need to do a little research into what ‘keywords’ your ideal employer would be looking for.
Avoid Buzzwords
The way in which you sell yourself is very different now, as in the ‘buzzwords’ that used to be considered important, are now big NO-NO’s. Things like “hardworking”, “motivated” and “driven” etc. have been widely overused and are words to avoid. Instead, strategically weave targeted keywords in every part of your profile, the headline, summary, experience and skills.
Make sure you get your LinkedIn profile updated and optimised, so that the job you are seeking is more likely to come to you.
Category Archives: Finding a Job
Pre-Interview Tips
It’s always a nice feeling when you’re invited to an interview with a prospective employer. In most cases, it means they liked your cover letter and your CV, so if you can impress them in the interview, then the job could well be yours. To make sure you don’t fluff your lines, follow our advice below:
Listen Carefully to the Questions
No matter how nervous you are on the day, the most important thing is to remember to listen. Every time an interviewer asks a question you have the opportunity to impress them, so listen and think about your response first, rather than panicking and rushing in with an unimpressive answer.
Show Interest
You have to show you’re interested in their business and the role itself, and by asking questions and creating a more casual dialogue, you can make a positive impression on the interviewer.
Make Eye Contact
Eye contact can show you’re confident in your abilities, and answering a question correctly is one thing, but eye contact can show you truly believe in your skills, and it will give the interviewer more confidence in you.
Tell them your Experiences
An interview is the perfect opportunity to use real life experiences to make your case. Before an interview make notes on your experiences, such as when you solved a problem or achieved something noteworthy.
How Volunteer Work can Kick Start your Teaching Career
There are many teaching opportunities in the UK and overseas, but without experience and a busy CV, you may struggle to compete for entry-level teaching positions. If you’re a fresh graduate or you’re currently training to become a teacher, you may want to consider volunteer work, and we”ll explan why.
Volunteering shows you care, and whether you’re helping to teach students in Africa, volunteering for a wildlife charity or helping homeless people in the UK, you can add another dimension to your CV. Today it’s not just enough to complete your degree and jump straight into a job, you have to work hard, undertake work experience and prove you’re passionate about people and teaching.
Many teachers have undertaken volunteer work at some stage in their careers, and if you want to prove you’re determined to becoming a successful teacher, we recommend you consider some of the volunteering roles early on, and there are plenty of options throughout Europe, Africa, Asia and America.
Working As A Teacher Abroad
Many people fancy the idea of working abroad, due to the exotic stories they get from people who have gotten the opportunity to work in other countries. Teaching jobs abroad are extensive, you can rarely exhaust them. They come in all categories, making it easy for you to choose one that best suits you. The teaching jobs abroad are in a wide range of countries, and you can always have a chance to choose one from your dream country.
Among the many opportunities of teaching careers from various countries are opportunities in the United Kingdom. The country is appealing to work in, due to its straight forward curriculum. In addition, there are extensive holidays for the teachers and other than gaining an expansive teaching experience, one has time to explore and enjoy the different parts of the country.
International Supply Teachers
Education is one of our most prised experiences. From a young age we begin to learn, gathering information from the world around us. We are taught by our parents, by our life, and by our peers. Most importantly, we are taught by teachers. We often forget (especially as children) that our teachers are humans, still growing and learning themselves. Occasionally, our teachers are taken away from their work for unavoidable circumstance. For those who have experienced substitute teaching, it is common knowledge that the quality of the fill-in teacher can be varied depending on the availability of skilled educators in the area. This is especially a challenge for international schools, whose focus is the education of children from expatriate families and those wanting to gain broader, more widely accepted qualifications.
The weight of this challenge is what inspired qualified educators to institutions all over the world. Because of the unique challenges facing international schools, many recruitment agencies individually screen each application, selecting candidates with at least two years of classroom experience who are flexible, adaptable, and ready to travel immediately. The staff has worked in over fifteen countries, responding to emergency requests since 1999. Teachers through the agency are typically available for periods of six weeks to twelve months, are able to teach kindergarten through twelfth year, and have experience in British, American, and International curricula. Continue reading
Dealing with Graduate Recruitment Agencies
Many businesses are on the lookout for graduates, and naturally the salaries for these positions will be low compared to senior roles. This is something you have to accept early on, as you will not have experience required to come in at a mid-level or senior salary. During university, you may well be told by your lecturers that opportunities in your field are scarce, and this is usually motivational talk, because if you do come out with a good grade, there will be opportunities.
Most of the time, you’ll be speaking to recruitment agencies, and you do have to be careful with some of these agencies. They’re interested in filling positions fast, and they may not be taking your best interests into account. It’s best to make sure you stand firm and only accept a position you’re comfortable with, one that’s not too different from the industry you’re looking to break into.
Recruitment agencies are there to make money, and while some consultants will take the time to understand your needs, a lot of them won’t so only apply for roles that you’re entirely comfortable with.