As an employer, filling a job vacancy can take up a lot of time and often mean that productivity goes down. If you have a lot of applications to get through and have to do more than one round of interviews then you can expect the application and interview process to take a good few weeks.

Firstly you need to go through the pile of CV’s that have been sent in by potential applicants.  After you have narrowed the CV’s down you then have to run a round of interviews possibly even two or three rounds, quizzing candidates before finding the right one.

On average it is said to cost approximately £4000-£4500 to fill a vacancy, this is including the advertising costs and wages cost of the people carrying out the interviews and managing the recruitment process.

Another option you have as an employer is to use a recruitment agency to help you fill the position. They can take a lot of the hassle away from you by doing all the advertising of the job, going through CV’s and selecting only candidates that are suitable and then carrying out a basic interview. The interview may be done over the phone.

Agencies will charge a fee for this service which is often calculated as a percentage of the job roles’ annual salary.

Looking for a job can be tough and you may have to apply for many before you are asked to attend an interview. Once you have landed the opportunity of a job interview, you need to ensure you do the best you can in order to boost your chances of getting a job offer.

The first thing you may want to consider when preparing for an interview is what you are going to wear. You should always dress smartly and make sure that your hair is tidy and you have clean finger nails. Think about any jewellery you are wearing, if it is not discreet then you may wish to cover it up or remove it. Same goes for tattoos, many people chose to cover their tattoos when attending an interview.

Do plenty of research in to company that you are hoping to work for. Find out the history of the company and the management structure. You may want to make a note of any questions that you want to ask them based on your research.

Ensure you arrive in plenty of time for your interview, it is better to be early than late. Plan your route before you set off and be sure to find somewhere you can park for long enough.

As part of the employment process, you may be asked for references from previous employment. People often find this hard if their current employer doesn’t know that they are job hunting or if they have not had many successful jobs previously. A person cannot give you a bad reference but they can refuse to give one.

You will need to provide a reference or references from people who can confirm the skills and qualifications that you have that are applicable to the job you are applying for. If possible, it is good to have your list of reference ready when you start applying so you don’t have to rush round afterwards trying to get them.

Former bosses and co-workers can often give reference in terms of professional ones and friends, neighbours and people you may have volunteered with should be able to give you a personal one. Make sure that you pick someone that is reliable and will complete the reference on time. Some company policies state that they will not give out references, only confirm your employment and job title.

If someone agrees to give you a reference, then try to make it as easy for them as possible. Give them an updated copy of your CV and state the types of job roles you are applying for.

With the world of IT constantly advancing, web development is a great role to get in to and pretty much guarantees a job placement at the end of your training. You do not need to have a degree to be a web developer, in fact, some of the best programmers are self-taught. It often comes down to experience and skills more than qualifications. You will however probably need to start off in a junior role until you have learned enough to progress up.

The first thing to do is learn the languages that you are going to be programming in this may include HTML, CSS, JavaScript and JQuery. Although you do not need to know how to do everything, having a good knowledge of these will help you.

Next, create a great portfolio website. Your portfolio is the first thing potential employers will look at when considering you, so it needs to be a real reflection of your skills and yourself.

Try and do as many projects as you can even if just for friends and family and add them to your portfolio to show your previous works and experience. The projects don’t have to be huge ones. You can offer, for example, to re-do a navigation for a local company or create an e-newsletter in HTML for a charity.

If you have applied for a job and be selected for an interview, then this is your chance to shine. You may only get one interview so it is vital that you should the interviewer what you are capable of and why they should hire you. With jobs still in high competition some employers will look for even the smallest reason to discount you from a long list of candidates, something which you don’t want to happen.

The first few minutes of an interview are crucial and can often be make or break. The first impressions you make are important and will last long after the interview has finished. The first point to consider is what you will wear. Everyone should dress appropriately for an interview. Even if you are applying for a job in which you will be wearing a uniform or that you will be able to dress down you should still attend an interview in smart clothing. You may not need to wear a full suit (unless this is the normal attire for the job) but you should at least wear a shirt / trousers or smart dress or skirt. Make sure that you offer a hand shake when you walk in to the room and smile. A smile can ease the tension in a room and make the whole interview process more relaxing.

Almost all of us get a little bit nervous when starting a new job and meeting new people. You may worry about the job that you are expected to do and be concerned if you make mistakes, or you may worry about the people you are going to be working with and whether you will get on with them and they will get on with you. If you are starting work for the first time, returning to work after a long break or simply moving jobs, it can be very daunting but there are some things you can do to calm those first day nerves and tips and advice on how to ensure you have a great first day.

The day before you start your new job make sure that you have everything prepared. Make sure that you have your uniform or clothing laid out ironed and ready to put on and that you have everything packed that you may need to take with you such as a laptop or note pads etc. It may be worth making sure that you take a packed lunch for the first day so if you don’t feel like going out or are not sure of where you can eat, you have something with you.

First day is all about impressions so you need to make sure that you come across as professional and willing to learn. Always make sure that you are on time, especially on the first day. Even if you arrive early, this is much better than being late.

So you have sent your CV off or completed an application form to apply for a job. You may then hear back from the company as to whether or not you have been invited to attend an interview. If you have then you need to spend some time preparing for your interview before the big day to give you the best chance of securing the position. Many people feel very nervous of interviews and if you are not someone that finds it easy to talk to people you don’t know then you may worry about how you will get across the information you need to.

Often people think that you cannot practise for an interview, but you can. Firstly have a read through your CV or application form and highlight any areas that you want to discuss. It may be experience or qualifications that you feel are particularly relevant to the position you are applying for. Also be sure to look through for any anomalies that you think they may ask you about such as breaks in employment or being in one job for a short period of time.

Next do your research on the company that you have applied to for the position. Find out a bit about their history, their ethos and even the members of staff that are currently working there. Much of this information can usually be found on their website.

So you have applied for a job and just received a phone call inviting you in for an interview. Some people can find interviews hard and struggle to stay relaxed, but as with many things, if you can be prepared you will probably get through it much better.

You can prepare for an interview and should take some time to do this. Research a bit of background information about the company that you have applied for the job with. Try and find out how and when the company was set up and the structure in terms of management etc. This will also allow you to possibly put faces to names in your interview and may make you less nervous.

Check to see if they have a social media account such as a Facebook or Twitter profile, you may be able to find out some interesting news that they have recently shared or industry change that may affect the job you are applying for.

Some people think that they do not need to prepare for an interview as they do not know what they are going to be asked. This is simply not the case as there is always some sort of revision you can do before attending an interview with a potential employer. Firstly revisit your CV and cover letter. Have a read through and highlight any sections you wish to expand on and any anomalies (such as time out of work) that you may need to explain about. Test yourself on questions they may ask you about your CV and be sure to have a confident and correct answer ready.

Apart from re-reading your own CV, you should also spend time researching the company background. Try to find out who the managers are and a bit about the history of the business. You should also have an overview of the products and services that they sell as they may well ask you about these even if full training is offered.

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Narrow Down Your Keyword Search

The internet is a convenient job search tool. Many turn to it to identify opportunities and to make the necessary moves that they need to secure lucrative employment contracts. Despite its efficiency, there people who can’t figure out how to effectively hunt jobs via online platforms. One of the reasons is accredited to the use broad search words. This means that a long tail search term such as – primary teaching jobs Oxford- is likely to yield better results that a short tail search term such as – teach in U.K. (more…)