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....

Users send in support...very amusing

Here are a couple of cuttings that we have been sent by our users that we thought you might find amusing...

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

Part 2 - Top 10 Job Hunting Mistakes to Avoid

Last time, in our series on the Top 10 Job Hunting Mistakes to Avoid we discussed the importance of understanding the personality of the interviewer and making sure you respond during the interview using the appropriate language, familiarity and personality.

The second Job hunting mistake we should all avoid making is No.2. Not Keeping track of your accomplishments. I bet most of you will have had to work late trying to write your annual performance review. Scratching your head trying to think of what you did in Q2 last year is always difficult. Similar, if you've just been approached about a very interesting career opportunity and need to quickly turn your CV around you can save yourself valuable time simply by having a reminder of what you've worked on over the last year.

There is no 'right' way to do this. The key is coming up with a system that requires very little effort on your part to record your accomplishments in a safe place.

My preference was to use Outlook and create a 'Performance Review' folder where I'd keep emails reminding me of all my achievements including stakeholder sign-off emails, positive feedback about work I'd lead, and significant documents could all be found quickly in one place.

Having an organised filing system can help job your memory too. One tip is to have a folder for each year in your Documents folder and group all your work for each project in a new folder.

Every time you start a new role, whether it be with the same company or a new one, you should try and make a note to update your CV. This may be asking a lot as we all lead busy lives, and the last thing most people want to do after researching, applying and interviewing for their new job is to re-visit their CV again! At the very least, do yourself a favour and keep your folders, files and emails organised and grouped so you can quickly refresh your memory about all those accomplishments as you need to.

What's next in the Top 10 series?

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 CVto the position
8. Not paying attention/ being empathetic in an interview
9. Not being prepared
10. Not coming across well on the telephone interview

No.3. Leaving on a bad note; why you should never be tempted to have the last word!

Oliver

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.

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

How do I get the right job for me? Top tools for your job search

As a student, recent graduate or young professional changing jobs and moving to a new company is always daunting. Making the right decision and applying to the right job and right company for you is vital, after all, you spend most of your life at work so it better be something you enjoy.

There are plenty of job boards and recruitment consultants promoting their vacancies but how do you get underneath the job description and sales pitch to the real career information and insights you need to make an informed career decision?

To help, here is what we think are the top tools (in no order) that will boost your chances of making informed careers decisions:

1. Corporate Websites - while there is obviously a lot of marketing content here corporate careers websites continue to improve. This should be your first port of call to understand the company's culture, industry and operations. There are often very good case studies and tips about the recruitment process. You can access the orporate websites for all the companies on TheCareerMole via the Target Companies section when you login.

2. Vault.com - each company has a forum where past and present employees can sound off about their company. Some useful insights but take with a pinch of salt as some contributors clearly have a grudge to bear...

3. TheCareerMole.com - There is no substitute for talking to directly to real employees who have first-hand experience of the work that potentially interests you. Introduce yourself directly to employees, build relationships, ask all the questions that matter to you and then apply directly to the company, via the employee, once you have found the right job and company for you

4. Careers Advisory Services - lots of resources for current students and graduates to research companies and meet prospective employers during term time. See our list of CAS to find your university

5. Recruitment Consultants - most of us have a story about a cowboy recruiter but there are good ones out there who have first hand experience of their industry and can provide valuable career advice. Best way to find a good one is asking your network who they have used in the past that they were pleased with

6. Target Jobs - a good resource for information on graduate employers with active forums for Q&As

7. TimesOnline's Careeers In... - lots of articles about working in a particular industry

You should use all these tools to help understand which is the right company and job for you, before you apply. When you're ready to apply boost your chances by introducing yourself to real employees on TheCareerMole.com who can help you prepare and understand the company and application process before they refer your application to the recruitment process on your behalf.

Use the comments to let me know what your experience of these sites has been - what worked for you, and what should be added to the list?

Oliver

New Features, New Perks

So some of you may have noticed we've added some new features to the Mole. Check out the scrolling Mole News feed for to keep up to date with what's going on at TheCareerMole.com. You can also tell us what your thinking via the Mole Poll.

Finally, we're very pleased to announce that Virgin Wines have joined us as a Mole Lifestyle Partner. Everyone who registers on TheCareerMole.com will now get a £20 off a crate of wine from VirginWines.com. Check your activation email after registering for more details. Existing member? Watch out for our next newsletter which will contain details of the offer.

It's Friday - the sun is shining - everyone's in a good mood. Whatever you're doing this weekend have a good one!

The Mole

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.

Friday Night Mole - Dance Off Time

Help The Mole warm up for the Friday night out. Throw some shapes and post yours scores to have the dubious honour of becoming our first ever 'Mole Travolta' Friday champion. Oh yes - what an honour, and it could be yours.

FYI Series - 001: Ideal Candidate Profiles

In order to refer candidates as a Mole you must ensure your ideal candidate profile is complete.

To check whether your Ideal Candidate is complete find your Mole Profile on the Meet Our Moles and click on the Ideal Candidate button - you'll see this:

If any of the fields say 'To be completed' you must login and update before you can receive invites to refer and get the most out of TheCareerMole.com.

Benefit of IC Profiles to Moles:

• Once complete you can be contacted by potential candidates who you could potentially refer to your employer


• Reduce the number of unsuitable candidate introductions you receive by enabling The Mole to automatically match certain fields on the Candidate's CV against your Ideal Candidate Profile - if they don’t match the candidate is automatically rejected


• Increase the relevance and suitability of Candidate introductions you receive by adding more detail to your IC Profile and give candidates the information they need to objectively evaluate their chances of success, before they contact you

Benefit of IC Profiles to Candidates:

• Gain an insight into the minimum requirements and skills you must have to be successful at a company, and its individual departments, written by people actually doing the job


• Increase your chances of being accepted by Moles by carefully reading their IC Profile and ensuring you are a good match


• Don’t waste your Contact Credits - only contact Moles who are likely to accept your introduction

Hope that is useful. So in summary: Moles - make sure you login and complete your Ideal Candidate Profile; Candidates make sure you read the Ideal Candidate Profiles before contacting Moles!

Happy Referring!


The Mole
TheCareerMole.com
Network. Refer. Progress. ...Everyone's unfair advantage!

The Great Mole Hunt of 2007

Our aim is to bring the benefits of TheCareerMole.com to as many employees, job hunters and employers as possible. To do this we need your help to launch The Great Mole Hunt of 2007.

Look out for details soon, but there will be some great prizes for introducing your friends, colleagues and employers to TheCareerMole.com. To be in it to win it all you have to do is get your friends to join as a Mole and ensure they enter your full name in the 'Referred by' field on the registration form.

Every time your name is entered by your friends you will be entered in to the prize draw, so the more people you sign up the more chance you have of winning! In the meantime, watch this space for details of the prizes up for grabs!


The Mole
TheCareerMole.com
Network. Refer. Progress.

What can TheCareerMole.com do for me?

What we are doing at TheCareerMole.com is very different to the services the recruitment industry currently offers, we're revolutionising the industry! Unsurprisingly some people who have not yet come across employee referral schemes before see this as a big change. Hopefully this post will emphasis what TheCareerMole.com can do for you and your colleagues.

TheCareerMole.com is a utility for forward thinking professionals like you who want to get a step ahead in their career:

Looking for a job? Use TheCareerMole.com and chat with professionals (Moles) from within the companies where you want to work; gain unprecedented access to job opportunities and the insider information you need to make an informed decision about your future career. 'Moles' act as mentors and will support and refer suitable candidates through the job application process.

Not looking to move? Then become a 'Mole' and get a step ahead in your own career; stay in touch and network with your colleagues old and new by inviting them to join your own 'Mole Network' as a trusted business contact. As Moles (employees at your company) choose to make yourself available to be contacted by TheCareerMole.com's talented candidate members who you can recruit via referral into your company. This is your chance to make a direct impact on the quality of employees in your workplace and you could also be eligible for an employee award.
We like to think of it as everyone's 'unfair advantage'. Register now, cut out the middleman and get a step ahead of the rest.

So what do you think?

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

Glorious day

Another glorious day here in London and The Mole is very happy. Thanks to everyone who continues to sign up and join TheCareerMole.com. Great to see the community growing every day. As always if you have any questions, feedback or comments let us know.

The team here at Mole HQ are delighted by the interest we've had from some leading employers and are very excited at the opportunity to partner with them to maximise their referral recruitment volumes.

More later

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

Meet our Moles

If you haven't done so already, Meet our Moles. Here you can search through Mole Profiles by industry and sector - You might recognise the profiles of your friends and colleagues…

This page is the beating heart of TheCareerMole.com: Every Mole has a Profile which is displayed here and allows candidates to introduce themselves to Moles and gain balanced insight into their company and job, before they decide to apply - via referral.

In addition to helping candidates make informed career decisions and referring relevant candidates to their employer's recruitment process, Moles can also use Meet our Moles to develop their own professional network with existing workmates and friends, as well as introducing themselves to talented professionals they have not yet had the opportunity to meet.

Start getting the most out of the TheCareerMole.com - join and start developing your own Mole Network with talented professionals.

Enjoy

The Mole
...Everyone's unfair advantage