Simply Hired UK Blog

Why The UK Defence Cuts Are Good News For British Business

Guest post by Hugh Andrée, Founder of ForceSelect

The defence cuts that have been announced by the government in recent months are bad news for our nation’s security and for the many thousands of service personnel who will now find their careers in the forces cut short through no fault of their own.

If there is a positive aspect to the news of such dramatic cutbacks, it is that British businesses will benefit from the wealth of talent that will become available from the Armed Forces.

I remember when I left the Army after a decade as an officer serving on the front line finding that I had little support to guide me through the dramatic changes I would encounter in ‘civvy street.’

Of course service leavers’ skills and experience vary according to regiment, squadron or unit but that is in their favour: the next wave of service leavers will be able to fill positions as engineers, aviation specialists, logisticians, project managers, operational and business managers.

Regardless about what you read in the media about an increase in unemployment, at ForceSelect we find that British businesses still want exceptional candidates to help their businesses to sustain and grow in these challenging times.

We have placed candidates in roles as varied as engineers, film extras, investment bankers and marine experts, and have a variety of partnerships in place with companies such as UPS, British Gas and JP Morgan - all committed to providing fulfilling second careers for service leavers.

It’s our job at to translate their military experience into civilian speak and we’re fully committed to working with British businesses to provide them with first class staff who will be an asset to their organisations.

Top Tips – why should British businesses employ military service leavers? 

• Service leavers offer a wide range of transferable skills

• Service leavers have been trained to the highest standards by the Ministry of Defence and are capable of working under extreme pressure

• Service leavers are trained to work to exacting standards and are efficient, reliable, disciplined and enthusiastic, working well both in teams and as individuals.

Practical Tips for an Effective Work Commute

It has been reported by The Guardian that commuting is ‘more stressful for women than men’ because mothers find it harder to commute due to their commitments at home. Regardless of the findings, commuting is a stressful period for most workers and time spent sat on public transport often feels wasted. However, there are ways to make the most of this time. SimplyHired.co.uk has picked some of these great options below to make practical use of your commute:

• Read the news – It is always important to know what is happening in the world and specifically your industry. Knowledge of the news can be a great conversation starter once you arrive at work.

• Read a book – Reading in general is a great way to spend your commute, but if possible why not read something relevant to your work? This will allow you to learn experts’ opinions on your industry.

• Network – If you’re on public transport in the morning, it is more than likely that everyone else around you is also commuting into work. If you’re in a chatty mood, use this opportunity to network. Start up a conversation with your neighbour and forge new relationships.

• Learn a new skill – Sitting on a train is a great time to learn a new skill such as a new language. There are many CDs or apps that can help teach you a language in small sections whilst on your commute. This will be fun, help you when you take holidays, and enhance your career prospects in the future.

• Write a to do list – If you share in the feeling that your commute is a waste of time, get a head start on your day by writing your to do list. It will allow you to begin the day quickly and prioritise your tasks effectively once you arrive at the office.

• Read emails – If you have no signal, you can still read emails that you received the night before. This means you won’t need to spend time playing catch up when you get to your desk.

• Write draft emails – Again, signal may prevent you from sending emails, but you can certainly draft your responses. If you have your responses to go once you regain signal, you will have ticked off something from your daily to do list.

• Write a shopping list – This may seem like a mundane task however, if you plan your meals for the week, you will save time and money in the supermarket.

If you can make your commute practical, you will soon begin to feel that you are gaining time instead of losing it.

Point to note: these tips are for those commuting on public transport; these tips are not feasible whilst driving! 

Job Seeker’s Week in Review

This week in employment news…

• The Guardian reported that commuting is 'more stressful for women than men' because of the greater responsibility for childcare and household chores which burden women.

• The BBC highlighted that the graduates’ pay premium has fallen. Employees with a degree earned 85% more last year than those educated to around GCSE level, but the gap has narrowed this year.

• The Telegraph reports that graduates are now 'more likely to end up as cleaners' compared to a decade ago following recent official figures.

• On our own Simply Blog we looked into the increasing tuition fees and asked if university students are more likely to take on part-time work.

• Wallet Pop UK investigated the claims that council workers are being forced to take unpaid leave.

• The Telegraph highlighted the top five most popular apprenticeships for those not wishing to continue on with further education in the light of the recent GCSE results day. 

Did we miss anything this week in employment news? Let us know in the comments!

4 Essentials for Reaching out to Strangers on LinkedIn

Guest Post by Joshua Waldman, the founder of the CareerEnlightenment.com and the author of Job Searching with Social Media for Dummies (Wiley, 2011). He specialises in helping frustrated job seekers use social media to find work FAST! Sign-up for his newsletter today and get access to his exclusive training videos for free.

Last week, I received an info interview request from a total stranger as a direct message on LinkedIn. And, despite my very busy schedule, I decided to take his call. Over the weekend, I asked myself, "Why did I agree?"

Let’s take his email apart and put it into four essential elements so that you can use them in your own LinkedIn communications. 

First, here's the email I received via LinkedIn from J:

Hi Joshua, 

I noticed that we are both connected to M – how do you know M? I first met her at Jacob’s Ladder, and she actually photographed my wedding. Small world.

I wanted to touch base with you because I saw an open position at J.R. that I thought would be a great fit for me. I'm located in Portland now (after being in Massachusetts and DC for many years), and do social media strategy for a digital marketing agency here in town.

It's a fun role, but you know how agencies are – fingers in a lot of different businesses, but no ability to truly own a marketing program. It looks like I would be able to do that with the Marketing Communications Manager role that is posted.

Would you mind if I called you sometime this week to hear about your experience at J.R. and your perspective on the marketing organisation there? I'd really appreciate it.

1. Lead with something in common.

My interviewee, J, began his email by pointing out our mutual friend M. And although I know M from my sister's university days, what really got my attention was that M was the photographer at her wedding.

Now, with LinkedIn, there is a danger that the first-degree connection isn't really a close friend. I went through an Open Networking phase and about 100 people in my LinkedIn network are complete strangers to me. 

So don’t assume that just because they're connected, they know each other.

J took a calculated risk. However, he mitigates that risk by further sharing a personal tidbit…he's married. And as another recently married man, I can very much relate to his situation. (i.e., he has my sympathy).

2. Get to the point – fast.

J wastes no time, he's writing to me because he saw an open position at a company I have a relationship with and thinks he’d be a fit.

Notice he says, "I saw an open position." He doesn't assume I know anything about this position. In fact, it was news to me. And so I can infer that he's not assuming I’m any kind of decision maker. I know this is going to be a purely informational interview.

Furthermore, he concludes the email by re-affirming that he's just looking to hear about my experience with J.R., the company, and my perspective on their marketing organisation.

My guard goes down because I know he's not going to put me on the spot or ask me for more than just my opinion. 

3. What makes him qualified?

Without bragging, J makes it clear that he's a serious candidate, not one of those job fisherman.

He tells me he already works at an agency. And that even though he enjoys the agency, he's looking for more. He wants to "truly own a marketing programme."

It might occur to me, after all, that if he already has a job, why is he looking to make a change?

That concern is alleviated.

4. What do you want from me?

He concludes his email with, "Would you mind if I called you sometime this week…" meaning, I won't have to do anything except wait for a phone call and talk to him… Sounds easy. 

I would have even mentioned the exact amount of time such a conversation would have taken, "Would you mind if I called you this week for just 10 or 15 minutes?"

Other observations...

You may have also noticed that:

• The email was VERY short. It took me less than 30 seconds to read it.
• He named the position he was after by name, he did his research, and I know he won't waste my time.
• He is sensitive to and grateful for my time, stating, "I would really appreciate it…"

The next time you are reaching out to someone new over LinkedIn, consider bringing in one or more of these elements to your message. I'm sure it will make a big difference in your response rate.

Have you had success making new connections on LinkedIn? Share your story with us in the comments section below, so we can learn from your brilliance!

Are The Increasing Tuition Fees Making You Think About Part-Time Jobs?

Many students are being put off going to university by the rising tuition fees. Wallet Pop UK recently reported that the higher tuition fees coming into force in 2012 could lead to students finishing their degrees with debts of almost £60,000. This may completely deter some students, which is not a negative as there are many opportunities out there if you decide not to continue with further education.  Those who want to go to university, however, are stuck with increasing pressure knowing that the next three years are going to leave them with a debt that they could be paying back for decades.

A great idea is to start saving early. It’s difficult to think about saving money when you are moving away from home for the first time, but getting a part-time job will really help you whilst at university. Not only will you gain valuable experience for your CV, you will also be earning money to put into a savings account. This can start earning interest and help you on your way to paying off your student debts in the future.  

In a recent SimplyHired.co.uk poll, we asked “If you will be a university student next year, how has the prospect of increased tuition fees changed your plans for working during term time?” Of poll respondents, 34% said that they were not planning to work and now they will have to. This is a large proportion of the expected thousands of students going to university this year. Forty-seven percent answered that they were planning to work, but will now have to work longer hours and only 6% answered that they are not planning to work. 

This data is extremely important as it highlights that students can no longer afford to focus solely on their studies. University used to be about gaining life experience away from home whilst undertaking further education. Students will now have to make increasingly difficult decisions about juggling their studies and their work. Sixty-one percent of respondents believe that they will have to take part-time work during term time on their days off and in the evenings. Thirty-seven percent believe that they will have to work between 10 and 20 hours a week. For students this is extremely high, with some planning to work 5 hours a day, on top of their lectures, tutorials and work. This will leave little time for extra-curriculars that are highly important on a graduate’s CV.

The highest percentile of prospective students answered that they are interested in retail work whilst at university. Retail is a great option for part-time work. You often get to choose your shifts and if you start working in your first year of university, you will have the chance to progress throughout your three-year study period. Retail work also offers students transferable skills that will be useful when they begin applying for graduate roles. They will learn about the stock of the shop and they will also deal with money on a daily basis. In the future, merchandising, buying, selling and even marketing roles will be happy to see retail work on your CV. 

Do you have plans to work during university? Tell us about it in the comments.