The Blog has moved

I now have the blog integrated into my web site, and you will now find it here:

http://www.amazingpeople.co.uk/blog/

denise xx

Even the rich and famous can hate their jobs

I read in the paper today that Hugh Grant is saying that he longs to pack in showbiz. To us he is wealthy and successful, but perhaps this isn’t the right business for him. He is lucky, he will have sufficient money to start again – buy a farm like Liz Hurley or  move into something else. For too many of the clients I work with they feel unable to make the change. It is so hard to move into what they really want to do when they have gained expertise as a professional and have commitments that taking a significant pay cut is not an option.

Job prospects fear as boys shun university

“Men face a struggle for good jobs in future as growing numbers of teenage boys shun university, Government officials have warned. Ministers are becoming increasingly concerned at the widening gender gap in higher education, after 22,500 more young women than men won university places last year”.

“http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=432584&in_page_id=1770&ct=5

But is this necessarily all gloom, perhaps young men are being the sensible ones. Too many young people spend thousands on gaining a degree, only to find that they don’t get a “graduate job” and find work in a call centre or similar which they could have gone into 3 years earlier. Much better to be more sensible at get a job at eighteen, and learn as you earn. The cost of a degree may mean that people are more careful in thinking this decision through – what do they want to do for the future, what is the best route and to balance the benefits of going to university against other options.

A degree will always be a good choice for the brightest students but for some, on the job learning may be preferable, or to study later once they are clear on what they do want.   Young people may also choose a more practical job – plumber or other tradesperson for which a degree would be a positive disadvantage.  I worked with a graduate recently who gained a degree to meet parental expectations but always wanted to be an electrician. A year after university she was clear electrician was the job she wanted and found out that at 23 she was too old for an apprenticeship and no one wanted to know.  

Recruitment methods

I’m working as an assessor, helping to recruit graduates for the civil service and the process we use is thorough and validated. Candidates understand what they need to do and the assessors encourage them to do their best.   But other companies differ …

I’ve read recently that B&Q ask prospective employees to dance to The Jackson Five’s “Blame it on the boogie” .  The company say it was optional but candidates didn’t know that and some found it humiliating. 

Too much of recruitment is done using gimmicks that don’t measure what they set out to measure, and this can be hard for candidates. I’ll be writing more on this soon.

Rudolph Steiner Schools

I’ve worked with a number of clients for whom teaching is a good match for their personality and abilities but they have little interest in working in a state school. I suggest they look at Rudolph Steiner schools as it is a much more person focused means of learning. Today i’ve read a very good article, so here is the link:

 http://education.independent.co.uk/news/article2180737.ece

Do young people get the help the need with career choice and job search?

Most of my clients are graduates and career changers, but I see some students (and wish I could help more before young people take a step in the wrong direction in career planning. When my enquiriers are from the under 18’s, and their parents I always suggest they contactthe Connexions service first of all. It’s the free governement service for under 18s. so often i’m told that they weren’t helped.  Obviously if they were, they would be unlikely to come and see me but over the past week I’ve been approached three times.   The msot recent was a mother who sent me the CV of her son, who left school without qualifications, which may be as he had special educational needs. The CV was not helping him achieve what he wanted and there were numerous very basic improvements, so why wan’t he helped?

I have provided feedback but I’m sure the young man would benefit from some interview practice. I’m encouraging them to go back to connexions and be specific on what they need.

Career coaching available

 On my travels in India I spotted this road sign, don’t forget I offer this service and have already worked with two people who currently live in India.

Becoming climate neutral

Climate change is one of the most urgent problems of our time, so making a personal commitment to reduce your ‘carbon footprint’ is a step in the right direction to achieving a healthier environment.

We have recently returned from a holiday in India with http://www.intrepidtravel.com and partly chose them as they are concerned about the impact on the planet.

They have written a useful article on how to make some simple lifestyle changes to leave the planet healthier for future generations.  Three tips I recently read about in their newsletter are:

Eat less red meat
If you reduce your intake by one 150g serve (5 oz) of red meat each week, you will save approximately 10,000 litres (2642 gallons) of water and 300kg (661 pounds) of greenhouse pollution in a year!

Cycle or walk to work
Cycling 10km (6 miles) to work and back twice a week saves about 500kg (1100lb) of greenhouse pollution each year.
Buy fewer new clothes
On average worldwide, every new T-shirt made takes about 1.5 kilograms of chemicals (pesticides and fertilizers) to produce.  So only purchase what you need and ideally buy clothes that will last, or even better, consider second hand clothes.

You can read more here:

http://www.intrepidtravel.com/expressarticle/2111/travel?promo=express

The importance of follow through when job hunting

When you apply for a job what do you do next?

Too many people wait, and wait and eventually they might get the “regret” letter but often people hear nothing.

If you want the job, you can’t leave it to chance. You must folow through. When you submit your letter and CV by email, keep track of the date and if you have not had an acknowledgement within 48 hours,  get back in touch to make sure your information has been received.

You can expect to wait a couple of weeks as the cut off date may be a week or so ahead, but again if you hear nothing, make a polite enquiry. Don’t be pushy, but do ask and find out when you will hear something. Do make sure that you sound enthusiastic so you will be remembered.

The cost of going to university is to go up and up …

Tuition fees for undergraduates in England will have to rise to £6,000 a year or more to cover teaching costs, according to a Guardian survey of university vice-chancellors and senior staff.

You can read the full article here:

http://education.guardian.co.uk/students/tuitionfees/story/0,,1992900,00.html