In “Using the internet to look for work,” we covered online resources such as search engines, job sites and agency sites. We also discussed ways of saving time while searching and completing online profiles.

In “Ways to Use Social Media to Find Work,” we looked at social networking and how to utilise it for your own gain.

“How to Sell Yourself” had tips on how to view your search as a marketing exercise and how to exploit it. It discussed promoting yourself, and features and benefits.

“Streamlining the Job Hunting Process” was all about saving time. Using email signatures, CV templates, and using RSS to deliver new vacancies to your desktop or smartphone.

“Using Employment Agencies” discussed how to get the most out of an agency. How they view the world and what they are looking for.

“How to Make a Killer CV Part 1” is where the true skill lies. Learning how to make a CV that will appeal to busy people, and the importance of following the rules.

“How to Make a Killer CV Part 2” continued with more information about letting your personality shine through. It also tried to emphasize the importance of checking spelling and grammar.

“How to Make a video CV” talked you through how to make a digital video CV. These are a new way of getting yourself out there, so should be used wherever you can.

“Writing a Great Covering Letter” is the logical next step. Every CV you send needs a covering letter. Learn how to write a good one.

“Novel Ways of Getting Noticed” is more an exercise in what’s possible than anything else. It’s an article designed to show you there are a myriad of ways of getting yourself noticed.

“Are Speculative Applications Worth it?” discusses the relevance of sending CVs blindly in the modern jobs market.

“How to Handle Phone Interviews” contains excellent advice on handling these increasingly popular recruitment exercises.

“How to Manage Body Language in an Interview” takes a look at nonverbal communication and how we transmit messages without even knowing it. Learning this gives a real edge!

“How to Answer Interview Questions” is a general guide on how to answer questions. Much is made of what to answer, so we cover how to answer.

“How to Handle Second Interviews” gives advice on what to expect and how to handle yourself. They are different to first interviews and should be handled differently too.

“Negotiating the Salary” seeks to address something we aren’t very good at. Negotiating a starting salary, or a pay rise once we’re in work.

“Accepting the Job” is more a checklist of what to check and how to accept a job properly. Everything you need to know is here.

“All About Employment Contracts” is a brief overview of what to expect in your contract of employment and what it means in layman’s terms.

We hope you have enjoyed this series, and that it offers some value in your job hunt. Feel free to take from them what you want, and good luck with the search!

Commencement date. This is when your contract starts, and where your statutory rights are calculated from.

Job title and duties. What you’re called and what you’re expected to do. There will often be a mention of “other duties as deemed reasonable,” this is fair.

Place of employment. The usual place of work should be listed. It is usual for to include a provision permitting employers to move or transfer employees (“the mobility clause”) to other locations.

Hours of work. Normal working hours, break times and any overtime rates should be listed.

Holidays. This should list the amount of holiday entitlement and the rate at which holiday accrues. It should also mention when the leave year begins, and what happens to unused leave.

Remuneration. The wages or salary and how and when it is to be paid should be stated. There may also be a provision for regular review.

Nature of employment. Employment can be temporary, permanent or for a fixed term. Make sure you get what you signed for.

Sickness and absence. This should list the rules relating to sickness and absence. It should include the amount of sick pay an employee will be entitled to receive.

Grievance and disciplinary procedures. These procedures should be non-contractual and are often incorporated into a separate document. ACAS guidelines should be followed in all cases. The right to dismiss an employee in circumstances amounting to “gross misconduct” needs to be included in the contract as a contractual right. A list of examples of those offences deemed to constitute “gross misconduct” offences should be included with it.

Notice of termination. If specifics are not provided in the contract, the Employment Rights Act sets out minimum notice periods. This needs to be fair across the board. Often it’s the same period as the pay. If you’re paid weekly, one weeks’ notice. If you’re paid monthly, a month’s notice is usual.

Acceptance and acknowledgement. Employers should ensure that the contract is signed by the employee to indicate acceptance of the terms contained in it.

Those points are just the basics. There are many other clauses in the average work contract and you need to read them all. It’s important to get it right before signing as it can be difficult to get them changed afterwards.

Most of my days were spent on the sun drenched snowy slopes with a general feeling of being able to get by on my skis.  Oakley goggles, Solomon helmet, Animal ski  jacket and salopettes, and lashings of thermal underwear, I was pretty much the embodiment of the saying “all the gear and not a lot of idea” on my winter holiday!  As time went by my confidence increased, my expertise developed, the slopes became more familiar day by day.  Most days the sun shone and the conditions were good.  My snow plough manoeuvres progressed to parallel turns and blue slopes turned into reds and then came the dreaded black runs.

Familiarity breeds contempt as they say, and as the week went on I became more acclimatised to the alpine ski slopes and then I noticed a subtle change.  On several occasions aided by my growing confidence, ambition definitely started to get the edge and cunningly outstripped my ability.  Suddenly, I would be half way down a slope when I would become painfully aware that I was in fact hurtling downhill, almost completely out of control and even more worryingly with ever increasing speed.  It’s at this point, as G forces started to take hold, that I quickly realised that I had two very stark choices.  I was faced with a dilemma, and one that needed addressing in less time than it takes to shout “where’s the brakes?”  All I needed was a nanosecond of clarity.

Here lies the conundrum:

Should I

a) Keep gathering speed either in a straight line down the hill or in a traverse across the slope, which would ultimately and certainly lead to a considerable and undoubtedly painful drop over the edge.  Or …

b) Put in a turn?

Putting in a turn would be the more obvious, sensible and from a spectator standpoint, apparently simple answer.  But the novice and lower intermediate skiers amongst you will recognise that there are occasions when this simple sounding manoeuvre is much more easily said than done.  Despite the lack of logic on the face of it, continuing on my existing course regardless of outcome sometimes seemed preferable to an unfamiliar and potentially tricky turn.  There is no need for answers on a postcard as more observant readers will notice that I am in fact here back in the office, and so must have managed the critical turns, despite the difficulty encountered, and mercifully with all my limbs intact! (or at least the two fingers required for typing.)

The analogy of course and the point of my article is that once on a course of employment, it can appear easier on the face of it, to continue in a role where in your heart you know that ultimately the course you are on is not the right one. You are familiar with your surroundings, your days are predictable, you may be relatively comfortable right now, but you are faced with unavoidable and all too familiar downsides to your job that hang heavy like a grey cloud.  Perhaps redundancy is looming or you know that your job is just plain wrong for you, but staying with the devil you know until your hand is forced, can often seem preferable to the deep blue sea alternative of willingly and deliberately initiating the action of changing course.  Changing your job seems possible in theory, but you might not be equipped with the practical skills and knowledge to make the leap of faith it will take to change your career direction.  You know getting a new job is possible, but just like carving a turn on the ski slope, making it happen is an entirely different matter.  It’s more the fear of the unknown and unfamiliar that is holding you back and the perceived effort of changing your job than anything else.

Now, here is the good bit.  I have some good news at this point for anyone who recognises this dilemma.  Unlike ski school which will cost you an arm and a leg (hopefully not literally), there is an abundance of completely free tuition available on the internet to help you make the transition.  Research will pay dividends and practice will make perfect in your preparation for job hunting.  Perfecting your CV, honing your interview technique, networking effectively with possible employers and recruiters, there is more careers advice on the internet than you can shake a stick or even a ski pole at.  Just like learning to ski I cannot guarantee you will get it right first time, and you might fall flat on your posterior a couple of times along your journey, but hopefully it will be a learning curve, and ultimately you will head off on a new direction to pastures or slopes new.  There are videos, articles, blogs, websites all completely free and written by those in the know, so if you really want to do it, fill your ski boots, take courage and put in the turn.

For those who would rather après ski than trawl the net, here are a few starting points.

Video 4 in a series of 4 on how to write a CV

Video 3 in a series of 4 on how to write a CV

How to answer competency based interview questions

http://blog.giraffejobs.co.uk for many more useful articles

I was recently posed this question, which brought to mind all sorts of obvious connotations, which I’ll try to avoid in my response.  I pondered the ethical and potentially sordid implications of such a question for a nanosecond and then I got a grip of my rambling thought processes.

Now, I could be wrong, and perhaps the questioner was simply asking if they should enlist the services of an escort agency, however as this question had been posted in a forum for CV Writing, I will assume that the subtext of this question is more closely related to questioning whether investing money in your job search, will enhance your attractiveness to prospective employers.  Happily, it’s in the area of careers and job hunting that I feel more qualified to provide advice, rather than the more tricky territory of the birds and the bees.

Writing a resume can be crudely described as “selling yourself on paper”. This is a skill which may come easier to some more than others.  However, all is not lost to those who don’t even know where to start. Before you get your wallet out, I suggest you make use of the vast amount of quality free information related to writing a CV or resume readily available on the internet. A quick google around, and before you can say Yahoo! or perhaps more recently Google Chrome, you will find loads of free articles offering sound advice from professionals who know what they are talking about when it comes to showing your best side on paper.  At this point I am tempted to make a shameless plug of my own blog where you can find ample free CV advice to get you started, but I’ll make you wait a bit longer for this little nugget.

Which takes me nicely to time, and time is money so they say.  So I advise serious job seekers to invest as much time and effort into getting a new job as they would into actually working.  So if you’re serious it’s got to be a 9 to 5 job, or if you’re already working, you’ll have to take this second job in the evenings, or at the weekends to achieve your goal, and start by writing a winning CV.   I’ll allow you the odd duvet day, or perhaps a post lunch nap, but you get my drift, generally the amount of effort put into your job search will correlate to the success of your search.  And just like being at work, just turning up is not good enough, you’ve got to be proactive.

For those of you who are lacking the motivation or confidence to make a start, I’m sure there are many excellent careers coaches and resume / CV writers out there who for a fee will do a good job in promoting you.   However, I’m an advocate of DIY, or at least looking in your tool box and giving it a try yourself as a first stage attack.   So log on, Link In and look around for the abundant free advice that’s out there for the taking.

Finally, and here comes the shameless plug to my blog, which has been written just for you, as a free resource to help you in your job search, and where if you take the time to have a good poke around you’ll find plenty of articles to stimulate your resume writing senses, along with 4 short videos in which I talk you through writing a winning CV.  And all free of charge!

http://blog.giraffejobs.co.uk

Take heed, keep your cash in your pocket or spend it on roses, and feel the prospective employer love!

Enjoy!
Rowena

When asked the question “What is the ideal length of a CV (number of pages) in your opinion and experience?”, the overwhelming response was 2 – 3 pages. I have seen articles saying a CV should be no more than 1 page long, which I consider too short. So I asked the question “What is your reaction to a CV of only one page?” Again the response was overwhelming in saying that this would be too short. Employers considered a CV of only one page to be vague, lacking in information, crammed, not enough experience to make a judgement on, and even graduate CVs were expected to contain more than one page demonstrating why they would make the ideal potential employee. I thought I would go the other way, as many people ask me if their CV is too many pages. I asked “What is your reaction to a CV of 5 or more pages?” Again the response was almost unanimous in the perception that a CV longer than 4 pages was waffling, contained too much information, irrelevant detail, was too long and that they would lose interest and perhaps even stop reading it before then end.

This led me to thinking what about the more experienced candidate who has been working for say 30 years, how should they detail their work experience and do justice to the vast knowledge they have amassed while not exceeding the 2 – 3 page rule? I asked the question “If you are reading a CV of someone with 10 years plus experience, how important is the detail about experience which is more than 10 – 15 years ago in your assessment of the candidate?” Most employers responded to this by saying that over 10 to 15 years you should only put dates, employer name and job title, they thought that you should omit the detail of the role. The information on jobs more than 10 – 15 years ago gives them insight into how your career has progressed but the detail was not at all important. This advice should help those with more work experience to shorten their CV without feeling that they are compromising their experience. Employers are most interested in what you have been doing recently, remember that as an applicant you are probably being assessed against a large number of other skilled and qualified candidates, so it will be those who most closely recently match the job requirements who will be shortlisted. This may be depressing news for some who feel that they have substantial and relevant experience albeit from 15 years ago, but I’m sharing inside information here about how it will be perceived. Incidentally for those looking for a change of career, perhaps back to something they did several years ago, you may be interested in another article I have written on this subject. Click here for career change advice.

The quality of CVs that come across my desk daily varies enormously, so as an afterthought I asked “How important is spelling and grammar to you when assessing a CV?”   Again the overwhelming response of the people who will typically be reading your CV or resume, and making a judgement on your suitability, responded that poor spelling and grammar reflected an applicant who couldn’t be bothered, lacked effort.  They replied that poor spelling and grammar on a CV generally gave the impression of someone who hadn’t put any real care or time into making their application.   I realise that spelling and grammar is not a strong point for many people, but you probably have spell check on your computer, you can buy a dictionary and you can ask someone else to proof read your CV for you…. I expect this last point will prompt a flood of eagle eyed Giraffe blog readers to respond with numerous errors on this very blog! I really must get round to reading Eat Shoots and Leaves one day!

For more advice on writing a winning CV you might like to watch the 4 short videos I have prepared offering further advice based on inside information on reactions from hiring managers and my own experience of spending the majority of my working day reading applicant’s CVs. http://blog.giraffejobs.co.uk/inside-advice-on-how-to-write-a-great-cv-resume/

In this article I will try to provide some ground rules and guidance for you if you are thinking of changing your job and specifically having a complete change of direction.

If you are trying to change your direction and move into a new career, my general advice at this point in time is Don’t do it! However I would like to add a couple of clarifying points to this. If you are in a secure position where you are, consider the state of the world economy and the daily news of redundancies. There are at present large numbers of people losing their jobs due to the recession, many of these will be highly skilled and experienced in their area and will be joining the long list of job seekers looking for their next job. If you are trying to change your direction in your career you will be competing with an increasing number of experienced applicants for the same role. I’m not trying to dissuade anyone from looking for a new job, on the contrary there are lots of really exciting opportunities out there, even in this time of economic suppression, but right now it’s probably more realistic to look at career opportunities within your existing area of skill and expertise. This advice applies equally to you if you have been made redundant and are looking for a new role. If there was ever a time to play your joker and use your areas of greatest strength it is now.

A good example to illustrate my point was a recent applicant who was a Chemist in a pharmaceutical company, he approached me for advice about getting a job in the offshore industry. He wanted to know if I thought he would get an interview for an offshore Chemist job. My advice was that I thought it highly unlikely that he would progress to interview stage in the face of competition from applicants with offshore Chemist experience. He said that he would be happy to pay for his own offshore survival and medical. Again I had to advise that simply possessing these certificates may not increase his chances, as the key factor in short listing would be evidence of relevant experience in the sector. My advice was that he should look at moving into a petrochemical / oil and gas related chemist role onshore initially so that he gained experience in the right sector, and that once he had done this he might even find that a company may sponsor his offshore survival and medical. So keep your expectations realistic, set your goal and work out a set of steps that you need to take to reach your goal. It may be that you need to take a number of small steps rather than a giant leap of faith.

Have you thought of finding a new role using your existing skills and experience but in a new way or with a new company? I spoke to a candidate only yesterday who was completely unaware until very recently that his skills were very much in demand. He is a Mechanical Engineer with particular experience in Maintenance and Reliability engineering and he has good petrochemical experience. At present there are a number of companies looking for these skills and this person was delighted to find out that he could command a good salary or daily rate in a new and challenging role with a new employer. He had been feeling that his role had become stale, it had lost its challenge and he felt stuck in a rut. What better time to look for a fresh new start where he can use his 30 years of experience in a new and interesting job, and in this persons case one that will pay generously for his knowledge. I’m currently waiting for news of an interview, and he was under the misapprehension that no one else would be interested in him! Nothing could be further from the truth for this person.

So if you are feeling like you’d like a change of job, analyse whether it is your duties, your employer, your career aspirations or your colleagues that you want to change, and decide which of these factors is the most important to you? Do you really need to change your direction completely, perhaps you just need more of a slight deviation than a complete U-Turn. Tempering your desire for complete change may prove more lucrative too. Now look for your next role, contact your recruitment agent and take advice. Spend time polishing and honing your CV, it’s your key to change, and is a critical factor in your success. Advice on writing a CV is addressed elsewhere on this blog, and finally, keep your expectations realistic. (However being a glass half full kind of girl I always struggle with this last one myself!)

If you have found the information on this blog useful I welcome your feedback and would be pleased if you would pass my link on to others who it might benefit.

Thanks

Rowena

This is a short article on one specialist area of mechanical engineering in the Oil and Gas industry – Subsea Seawater Lift Pumps.  This article  is aimed at giving an insight into the type of work a Mechanical Engineer might be involved in  when working in the Oil  & Gas industry.

One of the specialist areas that a Mechanical Engineer may be involved in when working in the Oil and Gas industry is the design, installation and maintenance of subsea submersible seawater lift pumps (SLP) on fixed platforms and FPSOs.

Submersible Seawater lift pumps are key to the safe and efficient running of production facilities offshore. The seawater lift pump supplies utility water with the pump lying approximately 10 metres below the deck and under the surface of the sea water. There are two main types of seawater lift pump, the conventional vertical line shaft pump which uses a diesel engine and 90 degree gearbox which the diesel engine drives. The other type is the ESPs which stands for Electrically Submersible Pump (and not Extra Sensory Perception!) The ESP helps to free up deck space and weighs less, other benefits include less noise and vibration and reduced, and less maintenance and capital expenditure. Both pumps can be used on fixed offshore platforms and FPSOs.  Vibration analysis, reliability and condition monitoring of such equipment is another specialist area you might choose to work in.  This work would be involved with ongoing assessment of the condition and operation of the equipment which has many moving and rotating parts, in order to ensure regular maintenance would prevent unnecessary and costly breakdowns.  Analysis of rotating equipment often uses high-tec methods such as laser alignment to check that vibration and movement out of alignment is not causing wear on the moving parts.

If you are thinking of following a career as a Mechanical Engineer you may choose to take a path which leads you to this interesting and lucrative area of oil and gas production engineering. The design and maintenance of the moving parts in this piece of mechanical rotating equipment would be within the remit of a mechanical engineer, and your work would be integral to the safe and efficient working of the oil rig.

We are currently seeking a Mechanical Engineer with specific SLP experience in UK waters, for a job description of this work go to our live vacancies page

http://www.girafferecruitment.co.uk/jobs/index.php/component/option,com_neorecruit/Itemid,158/id,298/task,offer_view/