The publishers created a video, and I’d forgotten all about it.  Have a watch here – it lasts less than a minute

In the lead up to a test session make sure you learn as much as you can about the sort of tests or questionnaires you may be asked to complete. If you are sent a practice test make sure that you complete it; and read any other details very carefully.

Some tests will place greater emphasis on accuracy and others on the number of questions attempted, always ask for it to be made clear before hand.

Don’t be alarmed if other people appear to be working more quickly. It doesn’t mean they are getting the answers right!

The best thing to do in preparation for a psychometric test is to get a good nights sleep the night before and try to relax.  It is also in your best interests to NOT do psychometric tests in the following circumstances:  If you are tired; If you are suffering from stress (whether personal or work related); If something happens (such as an accident) on the day or the day  before the day of testing; If you are sick (e.g. flu, viral infection).

Download the full leaflet here

I love working with young people, and with the increasing costs of going to University it is even more important that career choices are well thought through. I use reputable assessments such as the Highlands Ability Battery and the Strong Interest Inventory alongside coaching and strong listening skills.

Read more at

http://www.amazingpeople.co.uk/pdf/L3-CareerCoachingwithYoungPeople.pdf

and access a brochure here

http://www.amazingpeople.co.uk/pdf/L3-CareerCoachingwithYoungPeople.pdf

I have many articles and blog posts aimed at young people and please do let me know how I can help, or to tell me more about your situation. I work with a persons budget.

Far too many young people wait till they’ve gained their degree or later.  Too late they find out it was the wrong degree, the wrong time for them to go to university, they didn’t make the best use of their time, and they have done nothing to enhance their CV.

Is university the answer?

As costs increase, young people, and their parents need to become active in making a choice.  Taking a degree should not be a passive choice, the automatic next step after A levels, but something chosen to help achieve career and personal goals.

If a young person is passionate on a subject and wants to expand their knowledge then a degree is likely to meet personal goals and expectations.  But it won’t necessarily get them a place on a graduate training scheme, or a job. Much more is needed such as developing work relevant skills and building a CV.

Potential students should think hard and ask questions before deciding on a university career

• What will I get from going to university?
• What transferable skills will be gained?
• What knowledge will be learned?
• How will I grow and develop as a person?
• How will this degree and university increase my chance of getting a job?

Read More>>

One of my clients has emailed with good news, he’s got an interview next week, he’s not sure if he wants the job but said that he would go along as it is good for interview practice.

No, No, No!

You must want the job you apply for otherwise you are setting yourself up for rejection.

Think about it.

If you really want the job you will do lots of research and preparation, you will carefully research probable questions, you will think hard about how you really match up with the job spec and carefully list the questions to ask.

BUT if you aren’t committed …

Your preparation will be half hearted

You will do some research but could have done more

but most importantly you will be unlikely to come across as someon committed and interested in this particular job.
And the result will be …

!! REJECTION !!

Is this really want you want? Is this the experience you wanted to gain? To get a rejection letter? How is this helping your job search?

The Best Approach
You only apply for jobs you actually want.

If you get approached
Decide if you want the job, or would take it if offered. If you answer yes to either then give 100% to your preparation. If not, politely decline.

A very informative article can be accessed here:

http://on.wsj.com/yjf7S6

Read more and listen to an interview via this site

http://n.pr/wdk9kj

You need a CV that you use when applying online!

Would love to know your thoughts, please comment on my blog, below
or FaceBook page

The 5 top tips are

1. Forget about being creative. Instead, mimic the keywords in the job description as closely as possible. If you’re applying to be a sales manager, make sure your résumé includes the words “sales” and “manage” (assuming you’ve done both!).
2. Visit the prospective employer’s website to get a sense of the corporate culture. Do they use certain words to describe their values? If a firm has a professed interest in environmental sustainability, include relevant volunteer work or memberships on your résumé. The company may have programmed related keywords into its resume screening software.
3. Keep the formatting on your résumé simple and streamlined—you don’t want to perplex the software. With a past position, the system “sometimes gets confused about which is the company, which is the position, and which are the dates you worked there,” especially if they’re all on a single line, says Mr. Bersin. To make sure you hit all the categories, put them on separate lines. And “don’t get cute with graphics and layout,” says Mr. Rueff.
4. Some screening systems assign higher scores to elite schools. You may not have gotten your B.A. from a top-tier university, but if you attended a continuing-education class at one, include such qualifications on your résumé.
5. But don’t ever lie or exaggerate just to get through the screening process. Recruiters and ATSs are savvy about tricks jobseekers use (such as typing false qualifications in white font). “You don’t want to get through the black hole and find out it’s a worse hole you got yourself into,” Mr. Rueff says

All the best,

Denise x

I remember back in the 1990s when we got an intranet at work, it became exciting to send an email, but how helpful is it? Without the tone we get from voice communication messages can be confusing and it can also take far more time than picking up the phone.

When I get enquiry emails I send some imformation and suggest we talk by phone to fully understand someones needs.

In your job if you pick up a phone and make a call it can really make a difference to the people you work with so why not try it?

Also think about the amount of emails you send to others, particularly when we copy in other people. Most of the time people don’t actually need the full document. Also when we share a document and ask for feedback there can be many different versions in existance.

What we should consider is to opt for an internal WIKI which means that everyone within an organisation can collaborate online.

Dropping the priority of emails can also help to give us our lives back so we no longer are a slave to the smart phone. Just because someone emails us in an evening doesn’t mean they expect an immediate response.

And finally ….

We are usually at our best first thing, this should not be the time to email but the time to do the work that will benefit from out full attention. For most of us waiting till mid morning will be a much better time to review emails.

Best wishes, Denise

If you have a question, post it on my Facebook page, and please like it! and I’ll respond within a few days.

John wrote that he is out of work due to redundancy. He has had senior level positions before at the functional head type level. I think the odds are against me at the moment because

1) I’m not sure my senior level track record is strong enough to be an attractive option and as time pass…
2) If I go for “lower level” jobs, despite my willingness, people are naturally suspicious that it’s just something to keep me going till something better turns up
3) Ageism. Absolutely convinced I have experienced it but absolutely convinced I could never prove it
4) Competition (!)

For reference, my areas of maximum experience / enjoyment are IT, management and Leadership

Let me address your 4 points, 1 by 1

1) I’m not sure my senior level track record is strong enough to be an attractive option and as time pass…

>> Decide if you want to get a comparable job to the one you had before. If so what will enhance your application? You could volunteer to do a more strategic voluntary role with a charity, take a short course if finances commit, attend a conference as a helper so you get in for free. You must be very clear on what makes you stand out from other people. You could opt for a similar job but with a smaller company.

2) If I go for “lower level” jobs, despite my willingness, people are naturally suspicious that it’s just something to keep me going till something better turns up

>> with this option you have to be really clear on why you want the job and how you are a great choice. Think really hard about WHY a particular job and company. So if you opt to apply to work at a garden centre, for example, be ready to explain how this fits in with your life now – perhaps your mortgage is paid off and you can say that now you want to do the sort of work you have always been attracted to and link it to your personal life. For this option to work you must be very clear on the benefits to the company of employing you.

3) Ageism. Absolutely convinced I have experienced it but absolutely convinced I could never prove it
>> Yes, you are probably right, I’m not sure what we can do to address this.

4) Competition (!)
>> It’s hard at all levels to get a job. I’m encouraging my clients to look beyond a permanent full time to a portfolio career, so if you could get short term, part time work, and perhaps some consultancy that may be a good option for you.

I’m sure you will find useful further advice in my book – How To Get A Job In A Recession.

All the best, Denise

January to March is a busy time of year for me, I do consultancy for The Cabinet Office and working on the FastStream assessment process. It’s important I maintain my skills of assessing to best help my clients, but it takes up quite a bit of time.

I was a guest on Kate Clark’s radio Gloucestershire show. We discussed my new book – Fat to Fantastic and topical subjects in the news and on TV. In our 50 minute session some of the items we discussed were …

Read more at http://www.amazingpeople.co.uk/newsletter/Feb2012.pdf