Simply Hired UK Blog

Understanding your Rights Within the Workplace

Being able to maintain a job within the current economic climate is something of an achievement, but you must take great care to ensure that the respect you show for your employer is reciprocated. After recent reports suggested that a total of 1 in 5 employees do not take a lunch break due to the rigours of their schedule, and a further 60% fail to take regular lunch breaks throughout their working week, it is clear that some individuals are working above and beyond the call of duty.

Typical Misunderstandings Concerning Working Rights

Of course, this desire to work longer hours can be a product of job insecurity. However, part of becoming an established and prosperous employee is understanding your own value, so try to avoid the following misconceptions while in employment: 

A lunch break is not a perk or a bonus, but in fact a legal requirement of your working day. Your breaks are determined by the number of hours that you work, and a standard 7-hour working day should result in a single hour break. 

There is also a legal requirement that you do not work more than 48 hours within the week, although some consider that if the firm you join opts out of this then you must do so too. However, the requirement is for the individual themselves, and your contract should allow you to choose whether you are happy to work more than 48 hours or not.

There are also certain benefits that are legally required with particular jobs. These include complimentary eye examinations if you work extensively on computers, or shift allowances if you have to work late or unsociable hours. These are designed to promote worker equality and ensure that roles are fair for both parties.

How to Ensure That You are Treated Fairly

With these aspects in mind, how do you best ensure that your employers treat you fairly? While understanding your rights is crucial, you must also take steps to make sure that they are upheld at all stages of your employment. Should your workload increase during a busy period and you are feeling overwhelmed, sit down with your manager to talk about your workload. As it is important that you take breaks and enjoy a lunch hour during your day, it may be wise to agree to a period of agreed and paid overtime with your boss to meet their demands.

Read your contract of employment thoroughly before you sign, and make sure you are aware of every clause and company requirement. For example, if they opt out of the 48-hour working week requirement then this is their prerogative, but consider your own position and decide whether this is viable for you before you sign.

Make sure that your benefits are reflective of the job that you do and your contracted hours, and question anything that is of concern to you. For example, if an employer expects you to have a busy workload, then ensure that you will be able to work commissioned overtime at a specified rate of pay.

Did we miss anything? Share your thoughts in the comments below. 

How to Become a Network Systems Analyst

The information technology sector has always been a prosperous one to enter into, but 2011 has seen an even greater increase in its growth. Even in the midst of a gradual economic recovery, numerous IT jobs have been created throughout the year, and this trend is set to continue into 2012 and beyond. With a soaring demand for network systems analysts in particular, it’s worth considering the requirements for this role, whether you are looking to graduate from higher education or retrain in a brand new market sector.

Understanding the Job and its Requirements

A systems analyst plans and develops a network of computers to perform specific tasks, and determines which models and software programs are best to meet a particular need. They will then install the necessary hardware and establish the network, before allowing them to be used by offices, warehouses or a residential household. So what skills and educational requirements must you meet to be able to perform this job?

• A bachelor degree is a minimum educational requirement, whether it is in computer science, information science, or an entirely niche sector of information technology. Pay careful attention to the area of IT that you wish to work in, and ensure that your higher education is tailored to suit this ambition.

• Of course, your education starts long before college, so work your hardest to achieve good high school grades. Focus your energies on IT and math qualifications in particular, as these play a significant role in system analytics. 

• The role of a network system analyst is a technical one, and requires you to possess a practical mind-set and an excellent attention to detail. Consider these attributes as crucial to the role, and do your best to display these either through your coursework or other job roles in you intend to retrain.

Giving yourself the edge as a candidate

Of course, factors such as achieving college standard and higher education are the minimum requirements, so these will feature as part of your rival candidate’s applications. The key is to make yourself stand out from the crowd within a competitive market place, so consider the following to give yourself the edge over your fellow job seekers: 

• IT continues to advance at a rapid pace. Therefore, a bachelor’s degree can quickly become out-dated or irrelevant in the sector, so it’s important that you constantly update your skills by undertaking contemporary courses.

• If you are looking to retrain and gain relevant industry experience, tailor your CV to suit your market sector. Highlight previous roles or job duties that required technical proficiency and an eye for detail, and emphasise these to potential employers.

• Finally, display an understanding of the role that network systems analysts play within an organisation. It is essentially a skilled support job, but flexibility and dedication are key to ensuring that things are completed on time so that the company can function effectively.

Do I Have Something in My Teeth? Interviewing Over a Meal

We know what you’re thinking, when am I ever going to be interviewed in a restaurant? It’s actually more common than you might think. Many second stage interviews, especially those for high level or corporate positions, happen over a meal or in a more social setting. This opens an entirely new situation for you to adapt to, and requires an appreciation of etiquette and suitable behaviour to ensure that you can handle the interview successfully.

The Challenges of a Restaurant Interview

There are several things that discern interviews in a social setting from those conducted within an office, and it is how you handle these subtle differences that will determine your suitability as a candidate. 

Although there is a vast difference between a social and professional environment, the demands of a job interview remain unchanged. Some interviewers will utilise a social setting to examine your professionalism, and ensure that you are as courteous and well behaved outside of the office as you are within it. 

You will also need to handle far more distractions in a restaurant interview, such as other diners, waitresses and alternative conversations that are taking place around you. This environment will seriously test your focus, and requires you to concentrate on every question that you are asked.

How to Ace an Interview in a Social Setting

While understanding these differences is one thing, it is quite another to deal with them. It is important to approach any interview with the same attention to detail and level of organisation regardless of the setting, and this will stand you in good stead in your bid to secure a specific role of employment. 

Remember to focus on each question and eliminate the environment from your thought processes. Maintain eye contact with your interviewer as you would during a standard professional interview, and answer each question directly and in as much detail as possible.

As part of your preparation, it may well be worth perfecting your social etiquette skills. This will allow you to display exemplary table manners and a comprehension of suitable social skills, and to further this it may be worth ordering something that is simple to eat and that will not create a mess.

It may seem like an exercise in stating the obvious, but refrain from ordering alcohol during your interview. It may be easy to forget yourself during an interview in a social setting, but ordering an alcoholic beverage can only create a poor impression of yourself while impairing your judgement when answering crucial questions. 

Top Tips for Securing a Training Contract

Have you just graduated from university and decided you want a career in law? Or have you decided a few years down the line that you want a career change and law is the way to go? Then a law conversion course is the way you need to go. Similar to law itself, starting a law conversion is somewhat confusing. You need to do a one year law conversion course which will convert your current degree into a law degree. Once you have completed this one-year degree, you then need to do your Legal Practice Course in order to be a solicitor or join a chambers and take your Bar exams in order to be a barrister. The process is lengthy, difficult and extremely costly. At the end, it will be well worth it – but you can’t get a job as a solicitor unless you secure a training contract.

A training contract is your first two years in a law firm where spending time in different areas of the firm to see what excites you the most. Training contracts are often compared to apprenticeships where you take what you have learnt and put it into practice. You are not a qualified lawyer until you have finished your two-year training contract. The latest Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) survey has revealed that the number of applicants going for each training contract vacancy has jumped from 35 (in 2009-10) to 65.5 (in 2010-11). In the current climate, the competition for training contracts is so fierce that there is a two-year waiting list on most magic circle law firms. If you apply for a training contract today, the application will be to start your two years training in 2013 at the earliest. It is essential that you apply for your training contract before you begin your law conversion.

This ensures that, first, you know you have a law firm to go to at the end of your studies. Second, most law firms that accept you for a training contract will pay for your law conversion and LPC which are extremely expensive. But with training contracts so scarce and competitive, what can you do to ensure you get one?

It is vital that you do some legal work experience. You need to prove to law firms that you have some background – amazing grades are not enough when there are hundreds of applicants for one training contract. Most law firms run vacation schemes over Christmas, Easter and the summer so start looking in advance. Often, if you secure a spot on a vacation scheme, you will be invited to interview for a training contract so it’s an added bonus. Legal work experience shows that you are committed and that you have an understanding of the law – two aspects which are vital to highlight on your application.

Choose the right type of firm – what type of law interests you? Where do you want to work? Do you want to work for a large firm or a small firm? These are all important questions to consider. When writing a training contract application you need it to be apparent that you are excited – if you don’t know what areas you are interested in, it will come across. List out what has driven you to law and decide what area of law you would like to work in and choose the firms that are most appropriate.

When you begin your application, research the firm you are applying to. You need to show precise knowledge of the firm and what they do – and especially what you personally could bring to the firm. Make sure not to apply to loads of law firms with one application. Each application must be tailored to the firm you are applying to – firms will know when you copy and paste, it is essential for them to feel that you have taken the time to learn about their firm, if not, they won’t want to learn about you!

As well as researching the specific firm, you must do some background work – commercial awareness. Prove that you know what is happening in the sector you are interested in. This is key to securing a training contract, if a prospective employer can see that you have done some great research and understand what is happening in your specific field, they will be more likely to invite you for an interview. 

Training contract applications must be extremely specific to each firm and the area you wish to work in – on top of this you need to follow general application guidelines:

• Do not rush your work – find the deadlines of all training contracts and start your applications as far in advance as possible
• Proof read and spell check your work – as with any prospective employee, grammar and spelling mistakes will drive them up the wall. Those who read your training contract application are likely to be lawyers or work very closely with lawyers and they will be used to scrutinising work – make sure there’s nothing for them to find!

Training contract applications are difficult, but not impossible. Read each question carefully, answer them honestly and above all else – prove that you are interested in law and that you can bring something great to the firm.

Simply Hired Launches in Portugal

Today, Simply Hired continues to expand its international presence by introducing a new localized job search site for Portugal (www.SimplyHired.pt). Portuguese job seekers will now have access to over 50,000 jobs, and will receive a personalized job search experience through the Who Do I Know?® LinkedIn integration.  

Simply Hired now has localized job search sites in 24 countries across six continents. 

For more information, read the full press release about SimplyHired.pt. 

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Hoje, a Simply Hired, dando continuidade à expansão de sua presença internacional, apresenta um novo site de busca de emprego com versão em português para Portugal (www.SimplyHired.pt). Os portugueses que procuram trabalho poderão agora ter acesso a mais de 50.000 empregos, e terão uma experiência de busca de trabalho personalizada através da integração com o Who Do I Know?® LinkedIn.

A Simply Hired possui agora versões de sites de busca de emprego em 24 países nos seis continentes.

Para informações adicionais, leia o comunicado à imprensa completo sobre o SimplyHired.pt.