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Category: Job Seekers

CV Advice

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A CV needs to be clear, concise, informative and most of all promote you. If you spend time creating a professional CV then you should receive a good response from companies.

A CV should be between 1 and 3 pages long on white A4 paper. Keep sentences and paragraphs short and use past tense. It should be easy to read and bullet points used where possible. Avoid fancy fonts, overuse of graphics and coloured backgrounds.
Ensure that the spelling is correct. Check it carefully and ask at least two people to check and read through your finished document.

We have put together some suggestions to help you impress employers on paper. As much as you intend to at interview stage.

Contact Details

Ensure you include full name, email addresses, home and mobile telephone numbers.

Personal Profile

This is an optional part of a CV. Tailor the profile specifically to the position, use key words and terms that are relevant. This section can be best when punchy bullet points of your 3-6 most impressive achievements are listed.

You need to present yourself in terms of your skills, strengths, experience and knowledge. Illustrate skills gained from successful activities and highlight your communication, team working, problem solving and management skills – be objective and positive.

Education

Include names and dates of further education institutes you attended along with subjects and grades achieved. Reduce detail as the qualifications become less recent or important. State if qualifications are ongoing.

Additional information

You might not think this area is important but it is an important part of your CV. You will need to include any Professional Institutes you are a member of; any relevant health and safety certificates held; identify your computer software skills and any languages you are up to speed with.

Employment history

Present your employment history in reverse chronological order with your current employer first.
Give enough relevant information about your previous employers and projects to interest the reader. The best candidate CVs summarise a wealth of knowledge and experience in a concise and engaging fashion.

Employment dates should be made clear and give ideally month and year. Any gaps should be explained. Previous employer names should be correct and your position held within that company should be made clear. All job roles undertaken within one employer should be broken down with dates.

List your duties, responsibilities and the reporting structure you worked within and any unusual features of your role or project or experience. You need to make the most of your abilities and experience, but remember to be factual.

Hobbies and interests

This paragraph will help prospective employers with their assessment of you as an individual. Include any charity and voluntary work you undertake plus any social activities. This should be kept as concise as possible.

References

It is adequate to state ‘References Available on Request’ at the end. However, if you have already made enquiries and know who is happy to be a referee, it is worth adding them now.

Finding your next role after redundancy

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Being made redundant can be hard but it’s time to put your best foot forward and consider your future employment. As one door closes another one opens, so it’s important to be open-minded, positive and committed to finding a new job.

Here are some top tips for finding your next role after redundancy.

Use your downtime to improve your CV
If you’ve been in your last job for a while, then chances are that you haven’t updated your CV in a while. Use your downtime to update it with any new training or qualifications you have gained, skills and responsibilities from your previous position. Take your time to write a strong opening profile and check for spelling mistakes and grammatical errors as this could be a red flag to employers.

Consider taking on more training
There are always new ways of improving your knowledge, so why not take a course and expand your skillset? Not only will this show your willingness to learn, but additional training could increase your job options too. No matter what stage you were in your career, training will automatically enhance your CV which could be the difference between securing a job over another applicant.

Register with an agency that specialises in your industry
If you’re struggling to find new positions on job search sites or you want to increase your chances of employment, register with Future Select. Some roles are not typically advertised online, but we have strong relationships with a range of employers and can put you forward for roles that you can’t apply for elsewhere.

Consider a career change or new role
When you’ve been doing the same kind of work for years, sticking to what you know can make you feel safe. However, take your redundancy as an opportunity for growth and new beginners by broadening your horizons and considering a change. If you see a role that catches your eye, sending off your application could the first step into a new and exciting career.

Keep busy
There is no timeframe for securing your next role, but during this time it is important to stay busy. Having no routine can make you slip into unhealthy habits and lose motivation to look for jobs. Instead, try and create some structure to your routine such as working out, reading, cooking, going for walks and keeping up to date with the latest roles. This will keep you in a good mindset for when you are invited to an interview.

Future Select is an independent market-leading recruitment agency specialising in the recruitment of permanent candidates in the water treatment/hygiene, legionella, asbestos, LEV, Validation, Health & safety and Environmental compliance sectors throughout the United Kingdom. Get in touch with us today as an employer or job seekers and speak to our professional team.

Starting a new job

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Moving things forward smoothly
Continued contact with your new employer and recruitment consultant is the best way of ensuring everything goes to plan in the run up to your first day in your new role.

Arrangements for Starting
A week or two before starting it is worth reconfirming the day, time and location for your first day, and who it is you will be meeting.

Double check on arrangements for the collection of any items on or before start date such as company car, mobile phone etc. This may be best arranged with Human Resource/Personnel Department rather than your line manager.

Letting People Know
Ask for your details to be deleted from any agencies, or job boards you have used to avoid receiving embarrassing phone calls in your first few weeks!

Resignations and counter offer advice

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How to Close the Deal
If you want to move your career forward, giving your resignation is often an unavoidable task.

Be Professional
Time your resignation to be considerate of the working patterns of your boss. Bring a carefully prepared resignation letter to the meeting to show your resignation is an intention not a whim.
Explain the reasons for leaving in positive terms and avoid personal criticism of current colleagues wherever reasonably possible.

Focus on the positives of the new position that are not available in your current role. Most people will appreciate your reasons and offer you their congratulations despite their disappointment in letting you go.

Agree a provisional departure date at the time of resignation; it can always be changed. This sets up a framework within which everyone can plan for the future.

If you are hoping to leave before your official notice period ends, suggest targets for you to achieve that would allow them to be able to release you earlier than contractually required.

In the very unlikely event of the meeting turning sour, retain your professionalism and conclude the meeting at the earliest opportunity. They may well need time to reflect on your news. Such a response may further strengthen your resolve that you are doing the right thing.

Invitations and Promises to Stay
The worst possible thing you can do tactically is walk into a meeting intending to resign, and walk out agreeing to stay. If sudden promotion prospects, salary improvements and great futures with the company appear, it is rather unlikely that they had been planned for you a few minutes earlier. If you genuinely feel you have heard something new that may influence your decision, confirm that your resignation and provisional departure date will stand, and agree to meet again in a few days once you have had the chance to reflect on the conversation, and confirm the accuracy of the new information. Are your colleagues of the same grade getting the same pay rise and promises? Have they had them already? Discuss your situation with your recruitment consultant who will help you weigh up the pros and cons. Some less scrupulous employers have a consistent track record in relation to counter offers that may be worth you being aware of.

Interview tips and advice

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Specific interview advice will be given to you by one of our consultants before your interview. It is essential that you approach your interview seriously, some general advice to help you prepare is below.

1. Be prepared
Take the time to look at the company’s website before your interview and learn a few important facts. Speak with your Consultant to understand the details about the company, who you are meeting and what they are looking for. It shows initiative if you have researched the company and prepared questions beforehand.

2. Be slightly early
Plan your way to the interview and be early. This gives you time to compose yourself and mentally prepare.

3. Make a good impression
First impressions are highly important. Make sure you look smart and professional. Give a firm, positive handshake, maintain eye contact and smile.

4. Interview Manner
Listen to the questions and answer clearly and precisely. Do not interrupt at any time. If you are being interviewed by more than one person address them all when you reply. Try not to give one word answers, but also, try not to waffle.

5. Knowing your CV
There is no point in having an impressive-looking CV if you cannot answer questions about it. Make sure you can answer questions about your employment history with confidence. Also, make sure that you can explain any time gaps in your CV. Always be professional when talking about previous employers.

6. Specific achievements
Prepare examples of things you have done that you are particularly proud of, how you have solved problems and what you have learnt from difficult situations Remember this is a time to really sell yourself.

7. Questions
Make sure you are clear about why you feel you would be ideal for this job and what qualities you can bring to the company and role. Consider what your strengths and weaknesses are.

8. Honesty
Be honest, there is no point lying about your achievements and skills, If you get caught it may cost you a job offer.

9. Close
Close the interviewer(s). At the end of the interview; ask them if they have any concerns or reservations about offering you a position, this will be your only to chance to answer any objections they may have.

10. Be positive and stay calm!
Thank the interviewer(s) for their time, express interest in the position and ask when a decision might be made.

Convert interview into a job offer

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How to Convert an Interview Into a Job Offer

Phone your Future Select recruitment consultant straight after the meeting with your initial thoughts. Include both the positive and any negative feedback. We will listen closely to your views, and offer realistic suggestions, where appropriate, regarding how best to move things forward with the company you have met. There may also be an impact in relation to applications to other companies.

There is no need to rush into anything at this stage, and it is important to carry out any research or follow up work prompted by the meeting to ensure you are happy with what was discussed.

Salary Negotiations
Having built up trust with your Future Select recruitment consultant, you can now work together to secure the best available financial conditions for you as a part of the overall job package.

Our recruitment consultants will put your interests first in these negotiations. It is important to be frank about your opinions, and take the time to discuss what is vital as a part of the salary and package and what is negotiable.

There is a misconception that agencies want the biggest salary and related fee possible. At Future Select Limited we ensure both candidate and employer are happy with the terms agreed. This is how we have built and are continuing to build upon reputation in the Legionella, Water, Fire, LEV, Validation, Health and Safety, Asbestos and Environmental compliance industries.

Verbal Offers
If you are offered a position verbally, either directly by a client or via a Future Select consultant, it is always a good idea to think about it before responding. At Future Select we regard a verbal acceptance as a professional commitment to be honoured; hence appropriate consideration needs to be given before formally accepting. This consideration may take a few hours, a weekend or even slightly longer. We will not pressure you into hasty decisions. We will advise on how long the offer is open to you for, and ensure you are empowered to make the best decision possible. Sometimes it is advisable to indicate a strong interest and await a formal written offer.

Written Offers
As with verbal offers, written offers are a matter requiring serious consideration before responding.
We value the honesty of our candidates in relation to the offers they receive as a result of our efforts. If you are waiting for an offer via another agency, just say so. We can help you secure the extra time you need to make an informed final decision.