Simply Hired UK Blog

Recession Proof Your Job

We recently quizzed visitors to SimplyHired.co.uk on what they are doing to recession proof their jobs: the results show a variety of ways in which employees can keep up with the competition as well as stay happy as they progress up the career ladder.

The working world is changing, and employees are finding new ways to stand out at the office. Even certain benefits are more appreciated now than they once were. According to 56% of you, extra time off trumps extra pay. An extra holiday might keep you feeling happy and healthy, and help the company you work at to reduce additional costs as well.

So what are the other options?

• While kissing up to the boss seems like a good option (10% of you are willing to try!), 36% of you agreed that learning a new skill such as a business language like German or French to earning an extra qualification, could put you a cut above the rest and really showcase how valuable you are to the company.

• The early bird does get the worm – while working longer hours is not ideal for your work / life balance (10% thought it would be a good idea) – showing your boss that you are a hard worker will prove your loyalty to the company. Just be realistic about what you are capable of – progression shouldn’t be about travelling more than three hours each way to work (as six percent of you reported you were willing to do)!

• Volunteer for an additional responsibility. You could create an office event to help with team bonding or become a mentor to an employee who has a junior role to you. 18% of you are venturing out to networking events to learn more about the industry you are in - not to mention earning brownie points for coming back to the office with a potential new business lead.

• Time management is a must. Completing your tasks before the end of the day will show you can effectively work to a deadline and are ready for a bigger challenge.  However, 26% of you are not taking any steps. Don’t worry; it’s not too late to start…so what are you waiting for?

Simply Hired wants to know what other great ideas employees are choosing to keep their future secure! Write a comment below and share!

Job Seekers’ Week in Review

A roundup of the most useful articles and blog posts for job seekers over the past week.

This week...

• At the Independent, Rowenna Davis weighs in on the importance of internships in Internships make a difference when it comes to getting a job.

• On our SimplyBlog we announce the launch of our new LinkedIn mashup that lets you see your connections in your search results. We also show you how you can share jobs with our new features.

• Julia Kollewe of WalletPop UK reports the optimistic news that Unemployment drops again, raising hopes the recession is ending.

• Job Market Success guides us through some of the more frustrating aspects of job searching in The good, the bad, and the illogical of job hunting.

• On the Guardian Careers Blog, Clare Whitmell offers tips on using the web more effectively to Make it Easy for Recruiters to Find You Online.

Nearly a Quarter of Job Seekers Spend a Full Workweek on Job Searching

SimplyHired.co.uk surveyed visitors to the site on their job search habits, with some surprising results.

In response to the question, how long do you spend searching for a job each week, nearly a quarter (22%) reported spending 36 hours or more—the equivalent of a full-time workweek.

The full results were:

• Less than 5 hours = 11%
• 6-15 hours = 34%
• 16-25 hours = 20%
• 26-35 hours = 11%
• 36 hours or more = 22%

Site visitors were also asked how they found their last job. The overwhelming majority of respondents used a recruiter (40%) or staffing agency (10%), while more than one in five (21%) reported finding a job through networking.

The full results were:

• Recruiter = 40%
• Networking = 21%
• Job board = 12%
• Staffing agency = 10%
• Newspaper = 10%
• Company career site = 2%
• Trade publication site = 2%

Share Jobs with Friends and Family

SimplyHired.co.uk has another new feature that leverages your social network for your job search. Now, you can even share great jobs you find with your friends and family through your favourite social media sites.

We’re rolling out a new “Share” feature that lets you share interesting job openings with friends and followers on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, as well as on email. This feature is the first of its kind, and allows users to share jobs like they would stories and articles. Come across a great opportunity for your sister or best mate? With a few clicks you can easily Tweet it out and make sure no dream job gets away!

Simply click the “Share” option underneath the job posting, then select which social media site you would like to post the job to. It’s as simple as that, and allows you to share great job opportunities with your friends and family. 

This new feature is up and running, so go on and get to searching!

New Social Features Launch Today on SimplyHired.co.uk

We’re excited to launch an upgraded feature to help job seekers tap into their social connections while searching for jobs online.

For the first time, you’ll be able to view your LinkedIn connections instantly alongside your job search results with our new LinkedIn mashup. Many of you have used our popular Who Do I Know? feature when searching for jobs on SimplyHired.co.uk. Now, we’re taking that information and providing it with your results in real time. As your network grows, your search results will always show your most recent and relevant connections.

With this upgraded feature, job seekers can now see images of their LinkedIn connections next to the job postings, giving them a better idea of who they know at which companies and also how well connected they might be without even knowing it.  Just activate the feature and your connections will appear to the right of the job postings. 

Networking has become an integral part of job search, and we know that this feature will alleviate the pain of trying to get a “foot-in-the-door.”  Simply browse through your connections as you search for jobs!