It's official - we're in a recession - The King says so

So the UK is officially in a recession says Mervyn King in his speech yesterday to business leaders in Leeds. I don't think any one will disagree with the man. Still after 16 years of good times, for many this will be their first recession. If you've been unfortunate enough to have lost your job already, or are worried you may be next take a look at this list of Top 25 recession proof jobs....

Job Alert: Cancer Research UK - Corporate Business Development Group Team Manager

We are very excited to be working with Cancer Research UK - the world’s leading charity dedicated to cancer research - to help them attract ad recruit talent.

Cancer Research are a unique charity, spending in excess of £320m a year on funding research into the causes, treatment and prevention of cancer.

They have a new position available for a Group Team Manager in the Corporate Supporter Development team. You will be responsible for the management and development of the account teams and their portfolios to deliver and develop income and added value through long-term sustainable partnerships. Your role will also involve you in contributing towards the strategic development of corporate partnerships as a whole. As well as working on partnership delivery, development and retention strategy, including engagement of the wider organisation, you will also be focused on the management and development of either team managers and/or account managers, towards the delivery of agreed objectives.

The Person

In addition to significant corporate partnership experience in an account management and new business development role, ideally with other charity and/or external/corporate experience, you will demonstrate a proven track record in people and performance management. You will also come with comprehensive knowledge of the corporate fundraising portfolio (such as: employee fundraising, cause related marketing, affinity marketing, sponsorship). Possessing excellent interpersonal skills, you will have a real ability to convey complex ideas succinctly and persuasively and be skilled at coaching, training and motivating direct reports.

How to Apply

All applications should be made via www.TheCareerMole.com‘s website. Register/ Login as a candidate, search for 'Cancer Research' jobs and apply.

The online application process involves attaching your CV and introducing yourself to a Cancer Research employee via TheCareerMole.com.

Closing date: 12th September 2008

Dragons' Den

For those in the UK, TheCareerMole.com will be featuring on Dragons' Den on BBC 2 today (Monday 1st Sept, 9pm).

We haven't been on TV before so we are excited and petrified all at the same time. The whole experience was superb. Incredibly well organized, the day was run with military efficiency and before you had chance to absorb what was going on, you were at the foot of the stairs waiting for your turn to go in front of the Dragons…To find out what happened you’ll have to watch Dragons’ Den on 1st September, 9pm on BBC 2.

Let us know what you think about the show - Send your comments to the.mole@thecareermole.com.

Ollie

Do video CVs really work?

So i've been reading a lot about video CVs being the next big thing. I'm not sure this is true. Or certainly, i don't think it will be true for the English audiences for a very long time to come.

Maybe it's down to the Great British personality but being natural and comfortable talking to camera is a strange and difficult experience for most. Start talking about your strengths and all the good interview speak normally saved for 1-2-1 sessions with the interviewer and things will probably get harder. Talking to an interviewer in the flesh is more natural and candidates will be able to get themselves across better.

So, will a video CV help you get an interview? No - not least because most recruiters are not ready to receive and view video CVs. A classic example of it not working is here.

Will the Great British public be producing their own video CVs? You tell me.
Do you have a video CV?
What has the reaction been?
Has it helped you get an interview / job offer?

Is it possible to get a job in a week? A friend of mine thought so!

Is it possible to get a job in a week? A friend of mine thought so. We put him to the test to see if he could go from writing a CV to a signed employment contract in just seven days. Can simply being persistent, bold and active get you through companies' recruitment processes more quickly, or will he get beaten by the system? I had a wager on the system winning – not that I doubted his abilities. We will follow the story over the next few weeks and see what he does and what the secret to job hunting might be.

“A job in week? No problem. This is going to be easy!”. Never one to be short of self-belief, Jim had a few gulps of beer and finished off his crisps. “I’ve been out of work for a while, not because I can't get a job, but because I haven't really tried to get a job”. We laughed and retorted "Pah! £100 quid says you can get a job in 7 days!"

Everyone agreed it was about time Jim got a job, even Jim. So sure of his employability, Jim even let us set criteria for the job. A few moments later, it was agreed. He would apply for a job in the charity sector, working at head office in a full time job, paid at least 20k a year in London's Zone 1 - and he wasn’t allowed to use contacts that he already knew. I should add that he had never worked in the charity sector before. Success would be measured by a signed employment contract by 8pm on the following Friday, back in the same pub.

Now, Jim is a talented and smart chap. It wasn’t that we didn’t think he could get a job. We just didn’t believe that the recruitment systems and processes would enable it to happen that quickly. So, the challenge was on.

Can you get a job in week? From writing the CV, finding the jobs, applying, interviewing and then processing the paperwork? The wager was placed, hands shoook, and Jim armed with a brief plan scribbled on the back of a napkin, grinned and announced “This is going to be easy!”... We all laughed again. ... Easy money, surely?

Watch this space for the first installment of Jim's epic challenge.

1 man; 7 days; 1 job offer; £100s on the table.

Top 10 Job Hunting Mistakes: Not understanding your interviewer

In the first of the series, we explore the importance of judging your interviewers character (though this can be applied to any relationship, both at work and at home) and how that affects the answers that you give.

This post is inspired by a great book by James Borg called ‘The Art of Influencing People’. The book is well worth a read and goes into detail about how to interact with different personalities in many different scenarios to get the best results.

It struck me that exploring and understanding the personality of your interviewer could be key to your success. You spend your whole life (subconsciously) assessing people’s characters, and then changing the way you behave to suit the person and situation. Often however, this goes out of the window as soon as you are in an interview situation. You can get a good idea about the interviewer’s personality and style when they greet you or when walking to the interview room. Being able to work out their personality type will help you respond appropriately and win them over – as personality defines attitudes, perceptions and beliefs.

Although there is a huge amount of research into personalities, in order to keep this advice practical, I will group people into four types from which you decide how to deal with the various types. People can largely be grouped into:

1. Senser
2. Intuiter
3. Thinker
4. Feeler

The first two, Senser and Intuiter, relate to how your interviewer will ‘take in’ information. The Senser will like facts. When taking in information, they tend to be practical, observant and skilful in remembering facts and processing them i.e. they are methodical. The Intuiter pays attention to the vision of what could be. They rely on imagination and are constantly on the lookout for new ideas and stimulating projects. They like new and different experiences.

The second two, Thinker and Feeler, relate to how your interviewer will make decisions. The Thinker relies on intellectual processes to make decisions – based on logic. They will decide impersonally. They might be oblivious to the feelings of other people. For a Feeler, logic may not play a significant part and instead they will rely on emotion. Decisions will be made on personal values and what pleases them - they tend to show a lot of empathy.

Your interviewer is likely to be a combination of the Senser / Intuiter and Thinker / Feeler. The way you should communicate with them should change depending on these combinations.

If they are a Senser – Thinker they will want facts, stability and will make practical decisions:

• Tell them what can be achieved in the short term
• Use facts/ data if you have it
• Conduct yourself in a detached, business like manner
• Don’t waffle in your answers – be concise

If they are a Senser – Feeler they will want verifiable facts, believes in loyalty and trust and being friendly and helpful:

• Use all your natural empathy and conduct things on a personal basis where appropriate (i.e. talking about personal life etc)
• Try and find a shared interest
• Listen intently to what they say and do not interrupt
• Answer questions in a methodical manner

If they are an Intuiter- Feeler they will decide if they like you based on weighing up personal values. They are enthusiastic and value personal relationships, teamwork, cooperation and new ideas:

• Ask a lot of questions and listen carefully
• Show your natural friendliness
• Don’t inundate this person with detail
• Highlight the things that will be new/ may change if you were to work there

If they are an Intuiter – Thinker they will make decisions based on impersonal analysis. They like to analyse and look for logic. They look at the big picture and focus on the long term:

• Concentrate on business and leave ‘personal’ conversation (if there is any) till the end
• Let them have their own time to speak
• Accept that this person may bombard you with criticism. They are just trying to judge your competence. Don’t take it personally
• Be logical and emphasis cause and effect what you have achieved in the past
• Be punctual and well organised

If you use the above as a guide and tailor your answers based on their character you will go a long way to winning the person over. After all, that’s what you (subconsciously) do every day of your life.

Remember however, you still need to be yourself. You have to fit the style of the company too. Don’t simply act as you think they want you to – you are the one who is going to have to work there. Make sure you are a good fit to the company as well.

Good luck!

P.S. Watch out for the next post in the series Top 10 Job Hunting Mistakes to avoid... 'No.2 Not keeping track of your accomplishments.'

The Top 10 Job Hunting Mistakes to Avoid...

There are many factors that affect you getting the job that you want (or you think you deserve). Some of these factors are totally out of your control; economic factors, decision making process, timing. It’s really not worth worrying about these things too much, so don’t. Rather, concentrate on getting the things that are in your control perfected. Below you will find a list of the most common mistakes from our experience (some obvious, some not so obvious) that people make which sabotage their job hunting success.

Over the coming weeks we will expand on each of the points below. The aim is not to tell you what you are doing wrong – but to provide you with practical advice, looking into factors such as; the characteristics of different interviewers and how to behave with them; the importance of expressions and language in telephone interviews; using the right body language and how to make networking work for you.

1.Not understanding the character of your interviewer
2.Not keeping track of your accomplishments
3.Leaving on a bad note
4.Not networking
5.Only using the Internet for research
6.Writing a generic cover letter
7.Not targeting your résumé to the position
8.Not paying attention/ being empathetic in an interview
9.Not being prepared
10.Not coming across well on the telephone interview

Over the next few blog posts we will go into detail on these points helping you to boost your job hunting success.

Read No.1 Not understanding the character of your interviewer now

Watch the movie - How TheCareerMole.com Works

Check out our new movie - How TheCareerMole.com works for a cool animated take on what we do.

Hope you find it useful.

Ollie

What Makes a Good Boss?

I have had some pretty bad managers in my time and so was interested to read this article on what makes a good manager. The points of view come mostly from HR professionals, so it would be interesting to hear the views from people on the ground as to what you think makes a good manager. Does your manager have to tell good jokes? Perhaps take you out to celebrate successes? Everyone is different so let us know your thoughts.

What not to do in turbulent times

We are indeed in turbulent and uncertain times. People are being shown the door and there's always the worry that you might be next. First things first - don't panic. Now, Emily Ford from the TimesOnline has a few helpful tips to boost your chances of avoiding the chop.

Read te full article here: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/career_and_jobs/article4019395.ece

Chin up - it might never happen to you - but if it does, it may not be a bad thing. You'll suddenly have time on your hands. Ponder your future, be positive and perhaps consider a change in direction. Try something you've always wanted to do - and perhaps speaking to a Mole will help get the ball rolling..


Ollie
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TheCareerMole.com
Meet. Refer. Progress.

Hello

Hi All

Apologies for the lack of posts over the last week. Things here have been extremely busy. We've all been working hard on some great new features which will be available soon. We've also confirmed an exciting new addition to Mole Lifestyle Partners which we'll be announcing soon so watch this space...

The Mole
www.TheCareerMole.com

Is the Credit Crunch putting your job at risk?

As the credit crunch continues, people have been asking me what I thought it would mean for the recruitment market, in particular the impact on their own job hunt. As ever, this is a tough question that will differ between sectors and job types. As uncertainty about the state of the financial markets persists it will of course translate to uncertainty in the recruitment market. I think I can however, make some general comments on where we see recruitment market going.

At times like these, firms tend to baton down the hatches and even go as far as recruitment freezes. Often this is simply to provide it’s shareholders with the confidence that they are looking to reduce their costs at a time where revenues may be down. Note the redundancies in the financial sector – Citi, Merrills, Morgan Stanley and even Goldmans are laying people off. One thing is clear though, forward looking companies will not want to stop recruiting for too long. Hiring may reduce, but it is certainly not going to go down to zero. Specific sectors in the financial markets are still hiring; people who have been layed off are finding new jobs. Not only will their be positions to fill in the short term, whenever we come out of this downturn (and will come out of it eventually), companies need to have the right skills and numbers of good people to be able to cope with any upturn in business. Rarely is a recruitment freeze the answer to cost cutting – coming out from a downturn like this and retaining and strengthening skills can provide a great competitive advantage. Right now employers may be looking for people with skills in strategic in cost cutting and efficiency gains, that can help organisation become leaner when they most need it.

I think it is fair to say that we are going to seeing more candidates chasing fewer jobs. To be competitive you need to give yourself the best start by preparing as much as possible, network, meet people working at the company and differentiate yourself from the competition. Employers have a different challenge – they must filter even more candidate applications before they find the right candidate. With extra focus on costs, now is not the time to make hire the wrong person. If you’re an employee of one of these hiring companies I’m sure you’ll see the internal ‘employee referral scheme’ being promoted, which that if your participate and refer the right candidate you can earn a little extra from the employee referral reward. Direct-hire strategies like referral schemes are an employers most valuable weapon delivering high quality, pre-screened candidates to the interview process at a greatly reduced cost compared to traditional recruitment methods.

Companies regard their people as their most important asset. Never has this been more true. It is the one thing that will truly provide a competitive advantage. I hope that the current uncertainty is not made worse by pessimistic reports that could see the impact of the credit crunch spread out from the financial markets and prolong this blip any more than is necessary. Employers must not loose sight of their longer term strategic goals when reviewing their current agenda. There are certainly going to be jobs out there, and if you are a good candidate there will still be opportunities

Expensive mistakes! The Top 5 worst financial recruitment mistakes ever?

We always knew that recruiting the wrong person can be an expensive business. Spare a thought for the recruiters who decided to take these 4 guys on board. Between them they racked up losses for their firms of over £5.6bn. I think we can class that as a bad recruitment mistake?

£3.7bn – In pole position, Jerome Kerviel - Société Générale. By far the biggest recruitment mistake. This loss dwarfs any single loss by any of our other entrants in the list. It is alleged that he was making trades way above his authority level since 2007. He was making up losses to offset the gains he was making, which ended up backfiring but it was too late to stop huge losses for the bank. It’s said that he worked alone and didn’t profit personally from what he was doing. The investigation into exactly what happened continues…

£827m – he held the top slot for a few years, Nick Leeson – Barings Bank. The most famous rogue trader in our list, Nick Leeson, brought down one of the grandest names in British banking. Leeson initially made large profits for the bank by dealing in derivatives and futures. But after running up losses, he hid his bad trades in a single account in 1992. These losses grew over several years, forcing him into a series of increasingly desperate but unsuccessful attempts to make the money back. Leeson finally fled in February 1995 after a bet that the Tokyo stock market would rise went badly wrong.

£551m – In it for the long run, Toshihide Iguchi - Daiwa Bank. Toshihide Iguchi, one of its senior US executives, confessed in a 30-page letter that he had lost $1.1bn through unauthorised bond trading. Iguchi ran up the losses over several years. Having risen from the back offices to become a trader in 1984, a lack of segregation within his division meant he could hide his losses from his superiors while he tried, and failed, to trade back to profit. Following his confession, it emerged that he had conducted the cover-up for over a decade

£355m – A lesson in following your gut instinct, John Rusnak – Allied Irish Bank. Betting mainly on the Japanese yen in the mid 90s, Rusnak used fictitious trades to hide his losses over several years. Some outsiders suspected that all was not well, with Goldman Sachs reportedly refusing to do business with Rusnak. But it took until 2002 before routine checks finally uncovered the true nature of the bank's exposure.

This is the first in a regular series of some of the world’s worst recruiting mistakes. For example, some of England’s Football team managers may be in the running, or perhaps some politicians that have caused more harm than good. Let us know of any expensive mistakes you can think of. Write to us at the.mole@thecareermole.com

Competitions

Keep an eye out for monthly competitions coming soon. As members of The Mole we will be offering great competition prizes from our Lifestyle Partners and beyond each month.

Following on from the fantastic Champneys weekend for two that was one last year will be a tall order. Fortunately we have some great prizes up our sleeves.

March's competition will be launched shortly so watch this space for details.

The Mole
TheCareerMole.com
...It's all about who you know. Tell your friends about us!

New Site, New Features, New Mole

Thanks to the tremendous interest we have had, The Mole is growing fast. We have heard back from lots of you and continue to make changes based on the feedback. Not only have we changed the look and feel of the site, we’ve also implemented some great new stuff to make it easier for all of our users to: Meet talented people like yourselves, Refer people to your company or get referred to your next job and Progress your career.

Meet – Talented People Like You
It’s now even easier to grow your business network and make contact with people who can help you get ahead in your career.

- Meet Moles doing the job you want
- Stay in touch with friends and colleagues
- Share ideas and opportunities with talented people like you

When you are viewing Mole Profiles as a Mole, simply click on Introduce Yourself, put in an introductory message and start growing your network of valuable business contacts.

Refer – Each Other
Whether you are looking for a new job or looking to find talented people for your company, we have made it simple, fast and fun.

- Get referred to your next job
- Refer great people to your Company
- Rate your colleagues and provide feedback

It’s now quicker and easier to contact people, so expect to receive more friends and referral invites than before. Login, and see the changes we've made to the members area. Update your Mole profile to encourage people to contact you.

Progress – Your Career
Raise your profile and start progressing your career. Get your friends and colleagues to endorse you and your work.

- Be rewarded and raise your own profile
- Apply and get the right job for you
- Be discovered by leading employers

Now everybody has both a Mole and a Candidate profile: so whether you are looking for a new job or looking to make referrals, you can switch to the most appropriate profile and get the most out of TheCareerMole.com.

Animal Charity Starts Mole Count

Apparently Moles are useful! So much so that they are starting to count you - as seen on the BBC website today. So, you Moles out there, stand up and prepare to be counted.

A conservation charity is calling for thousands of volunteers to take part in a national survey of moles. The People's Trust for Endangered Species says the much-maligned mammal is actually a misunderstood creature which can help gardeners and farmers.
The survey will involve a molehill count because the underground-dwelling animals are rarely seen.

The trust hopes to compile a map of the distribution of the animals to help with future research.
Online survey. Britons have historically had a mixed relationship with the creatures.
Conservationists say farmers would hang moles from gibbets to ward off other moles, and moleskin clothing became so fashionable in the 19th Century that up to 13 million skins were sold a year.

Ways of deterring or terminating moles are a frequent topic of conversation among gardeners.
However, wildlife experts say moles are beneficial because they eat insects and aerate the soil with their tunnels. (Ed: And they make recruitment better for everyone)

The online survey will be taking place until September 2008

20Days - Yahoo Find of the Year 2007

We're very excited to announce that the first Mole Lifestyle Partner - 20 Days.co.uk - has been shortlisted for the Yahoo! Awards - Finds of the Year 2007!

This is great news and reflects the excellent job the team at 20Days do. Make sure you visit their site and check out some cool ways to use your well earned vacation days.

If you have a second, please vote for 20Days by visiting http://uk.promotions.yahoo.com/finds2007/peoples-choice/

Thanks

The Mole
TheCareerMole.com
...Everyone's 'unfair advantage'!

Hello All

The Holidays seem like a distant memory. We are back in the swing of things and really excited about the coming weeks. There will be some significant changes to The Mole that will make applying for jobs and referring candidates even more of a joy.

Watch this space for more news soon.

The Mole
TheCareerMole.com
Meet. Refer. Progress.

Happy New Year

Wherever you are in the world - here's to a happy and successful 2008!

Cheers - English
Slainte - Irish
Prosit - German
Salud - Spanish
Skaal - Danish
Bottoms up - English
Slainte Mhath - Scots Gaelic
Sanitas bona - Latin
Kampai - Japanese
Le'chaim - Hebrew
A votre sante - French
Oogy Wawa - Zulu
Gezuar - Albanian
Yum Bui! - Cantonese
Kippis - Finnish
Na zdraví - Czech
Genbei - Mandarin
Na zdarovya - Russian
Salute - Italian
Gun Bae - Korean
Gesondheid! - Afrikaans
Gia Sas (pronounced Yiassas) - Greek
Sahha - Arabic
Serefe - Turkish
Cin Cin - Italian
Choke Dee Kap - Thai
Gezondheid - Belgian
Proost - Dutch
Budźma - Belarusian
Na Zdravje - Slovenian !

The Mole

Happy New Year

Hi All

We hope you've been enjoying the time away from work, whatever it is you've been doing for the holidays.

Team Mole have been very busy over Christmas and we're looking forward to launching some exciting new features in the New Year.

Have a great time over New Years and we'll be in touch soon

Happy New Year!


The Mole
TheCareerMole.com
Meet. Refer. Progress.