Category Archives: employee

Steps to Employment: 5 Ways to Improve Your CV

CV, employee, recruitment, Uncategorised, , , , , , , ,

 

When sending your CV into an employer, it is easy to slip

under the radar among other applicants for the same

position. The most important thing for a candidate to do is

to stand out and be memorable in the RIGHT way. Here

are senior consultant Paddy Steele’s top five tips for

what makes a successful candidate CV:

 

Make it Your Own

The term ‘CV’ actually stands for ‘course of life’, so make sure to tell yours! Make sure that your CV represents how you see yourself as an employee, and who you want your potential employers to see you as.

Keep it Simple

Here at Black Fox Solutions, one of the first things we ask our candidates for is a CV so that we can gain a comprehensive understanding of what experience they have, and what skills they can offer.

If it is difficult to read, or unclear what roles you have accepted in the past, we are unable to gain a holistic view of your experience and qualifications.

For example, as a graphic designer you may feel like a bright and colourful CV would best represent your skill set, however this could seem busy and distracting.

Part of our responsibility as recruiters is tailoring your CV for the positions that we put you forward for, so if it is difficult to read then it is difficult to edit!

Less is sometimes more, and the added bonus of applying through Black Fox Solutions is that you let us do the work for you!

TO THE POINT

When discussing tips for a successful CV, Paddy immediately recalled a candidate with a CV that was almost five pages long, and how he reduced it to just two and a half pages before he sent it to potential employers.

As well as being straight-forward to read, your CV must also allow employers to know within a short space of time whether you are suitable for their position!

Target your CV Towards Each Position you Apply For

It is common knowledge that employers sometimes look for specific words within your CV in order to assess your capability for the position.

Therefore, when applying for each job remember to reference the key terms and requirements that the position needs!

This means that the employer will be able to clearly pick you from the other applicants, as you have marketed yourself as specifically suited for the position!

SPG is More Important Than you Think

Not every role requires a candidate to have a perfect grasp of the written English language, but it is important to try and make sure that your CV is free from misspellings or accidental typing errors.

A CV is the first impression that an employer will have of you, and spelling, punctuation, and grammar mistakes can give the impression of carelessness.

Ask another person to read over the document, or if you have applied with a recruiter, we can do this for you!

 

As professionals in the recruitment industry, an integral part of our job is to ensure you, our client, are fully prepared for all aspects of a job application, including helping to prepare you for an interview, and applying for jobs on your behalf.

For further help in your pursuit of employment, contact Black Fox Solutions on 02890994111, or Follow The Fox on social media:

 

@LetTheFoxHelp

 

Black Fox Solutions

 

Black Fox Solutions

Steps to Employment: 5 Ways to Improve Your Interview Skills

company, employee, Interview, recruitment, ,

When applying for positions, the initial task of simply getting an interview can be difficult in itself.

Therefore, when you are lucky enough to secure one it is important to make a good impression with your potential future employer, and ensure that you have done enough to stand out among an array of other qualified candidates.

One of our senior consultants, Ben Ritchie, has listed his top five tips for success in an interview below.

Research the company

Although this is a pre-interview step to take, it is arguably one of the most important ones: it is vital to spend some time researching the company you have applied for.

I advise my candidates to spend ten or so minutes the night before an interview on their potential future employer’s company website.

Pay close attention to what type of work the company does, what kind of people they employ, and,most of all, the requirements of the job you have applied for.

This will give you hints as to how you should answer their questions and what aspects of the role to mention when doing so.

Dress the Part

The person interviewing you will ultimately see you before they hear you, and so it is important to convey what type of employee with what you are wearing.

A neat and professional appearance will cause the interviewer to hold this opinion of you throughout the exchange.

Wear something smart, but also something that you feel comfortable in.

Although it is important to dress professionally, if wearing a suit makes you VISIBLY uncomfortable then it is better in this instance to dress ‘smart-casual’.

Arrive on time – or even better, arrive EARLY

A well-known interview tip, this ensures that you appear organised and punctual.

What this also allows you to do as an interviewee, is it gives you a few minutes to observe the working environment and the other employees.

In addition to this, these few minutes can be used to calm any last-minute nerves or anxieties over the interview itself.

Remember to take a few moments to relax: being asked for the interview means that they have seen something desirable in you for the position, and therefore like you as a candidate already. Be confident in yourself.

Make the first and last seconds COUNT

The first impression you make to the employer is vital:

  • Say hello
  • Introduce yourself by name
  • Speak clearly and loud enough that you can be heard
  • Make eye contact
  • Offer a firm handshake
  • Make sure your body language is relaxed yet confident

Most importantly, be the best version of YOU.

This is your opportunity to sell yourself as an individual, so make sure that you endorse yourself properly and prove why you are the perfect candidate.

When you finish, make sure you thank your interviewer for their time and don’t rush out. Leave in the same manner that you introduced yourself.

Keep in touch

Following your interview, remember to contact your recruiter.

This gives us an opportunity to reaffirm your enthusiasm for the role to the employer and helps to give you an advantage over the other candidates!

Often, we at Black Fox Solutions are in direct contact with the company and may already have received feedback regarding how the interview went that we can pass on.

 

As professionals in the recruitment industry, an integral part of our job is to ensure you, our client, are fully prepared for all aspects of a job application, including helping to compile your CV and applying for jobs on your behalf.

For further help in your pursuit of employment, contact Black Fox Solutions on 02890994111, or Follow The Fox on social media:

Black Fox Solutions

 

@LetTheFoxHelp

 

Black Fox Solutions

Perception or deception… Which category of millennial do you fall into?

company, employee,

Today’s millennials fall into two categories. For some it’s important to be perceived online as successful regardless if it’s true or not, and then there are others who are hungry for success whether they are perceived to be or not.

Do we finish early on Fridays? Can we bring our pets to work? Do we get free breakfast? These are common questions asked by the millennials eager to showcase online. They are digital natives, hence their need to post online, but has this ability give the perception of a fantastic life outweighed the reality of having to work hard to achieve it?

Many want a ‘cool’ job as it raises their online status while enabling them to buy items to show off in their latest post. They want to travel, shop and socialise more than working their way up the career ladder. Even though we all know the online world isn’t always as it seems, these types of millennials are swept away by the need to buy and travel to have an exciting online profile.

Many believe they should have early finishes and plenty of holiday days to help them maintain a social image, all the while still expecting to be given promotions and salary increases. The problem with this is that many millennials put too much focus on having more fun than working, equalling in an uneven work-life balance.

Many view work as an integral part of their life that’s helping them build the lifestyle, they want but are not willing to let the stresses of work negatively impact their social life, unlike other generations. Instead they get more stressed about making sure strangers believe they have a great life, instead of having one.

Then there are those who don’t care about the benefits highly, the number of holidays or the option of flexitime won’t be what makes them accept they job. They will say yes to a job offer because of an established company or career progression opportunities.

Even though they are dubbed the ‘entitled’ generation, there are those who have a greater grasp on reality and realise the importance of working your way up the career ladder to experience the life they want, rather than just pretend they do.

It’s time that the millennials more focused on perception drop the focus of an alluring life and get back to reality. Pay your dues, work hard and you will get what you are after and it won’t just be on your Instagram images. At the end of the day, while you’re choosing what filter to choose, there are those out there choosing what email to send and it’s those millennials who will end up with the better online profiles and it won’t just be perception.

 

Look After Your Employee’s Mental Health at Work

company, employee, mental health, recruitment, , , , , ,

No matter what industry, what role or what level on the hierarchy an employee is on, they may be silently suffering from mental health problems. While many focus on the importance of maintaining physical health, mental health is just as vital to be aware of.

After all, as mind.org revealed it does affects one in six of us in the workplace, so the question you must ask yourself is, are you doing enough to support your employee’s mental health?

2019 has seen a rise in people speaking out about their struggles with mental health with influencers, celebrities and charities such as makeitok.org backing the ‘it’s okay not to be okay’ campaign and stating that it’s time to take about mental health more frequently, which covers many issues including stress, depression and anxiety.

It has been highlighted that these are the most common problems for workers in a workplace, with a survey from mind.org revealing that 21% agreed they had called sick into work due to stress and the option of resigning crossed the mind of 42% of workers when stress got too much.

Josh Krichefski, from Campaign often highlights the importance of breaking the stigma of mental health, especially at work. He says that “most workers present an image of themselves in the workplace” and that the extrovert ones are assumed to be able to brush stress off easily, but this isn’t always the case. There needs to be more office support, with Josh revealing only 36% of UK businesses currently doing so.

However, there are measures you can take to prevent these issues from becoming prevalent in your company and keep your team fighting fit.

Recent developments from The Economics Foundation has shown that simple steps such as talking to someone instead of emailing, asking them how they are and properly listening and speaking to someone new can really help improve wellbeing in the workplace.

Having an open-door policy in your workplace will help employee’s feel more comfortable to speak about issues they may be having. However, you can’t expect openness if you don’t emphasise the importance of it. Mention occasionally during meetings that if anyone is feeling over-stressed or anxious, that you would rather they come to you instead of keeping it in. Staff who feel supported are less likely to take time off, resulting in a more productive workforce.

Ensure your company culture is positive, as fostering this environment will help more staff with work. A happy workforce equals a motivated workforce.

Incorporate a mental health section into your company policy, you should also offer your team counselling and training sessions focused on awareness of mental health. Encourage staff to be productive during the day, make sure their workloads are realistic and keep check over those who seem to be acting differently.