Gillian Rixey | Company Jobs Direct

Practical Advice for Finding a Job

There is a wealth of job-finding advice on the internet, but much of it is highly impractical: suggestions like 'networking' and 'putting yourself out there' are incredibly vague, and sometimes reading such advice will actually discourage you. Networking is for people who read magazines that tell us about things like LBDs (little black dresses), it isn't for those of us who just want a quiet life with a normal job that pays enough to do the things we have to do and maybe even some of the things we want to do. Luckily I'm here to help. Because I find…

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May 1, 2018

General

UK Recruitment Trends 2017

I've assessed a number of resources in order to find out the greatest range of 2017 recruitment trends for employees and employers alike. Read on to discover what challenges and benefits there are for job-hunters and hiring companies that look set to continue into 2018: Casual Hiring Bronwen Hann, President & Senior Partner at Argentus Supply Chain Recruiting, notes a trend of companies choosing to cash in on a 'gig economy'. According to Hann, 'more companies than ever are choosing to 'rent' rather than hire talent, even at the director level and above.'(1) Skills Shortage There is more competition than…

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April 1, 2018

Applying for a Job

Ban-the-Box

Well well, what do we have here? I wrote an article about 'ban-the-box' in America for another site, and after last month's post about name-blind applications I thought it would be appropriate to find out if the UK had its own version of 'ban-the-box'. Unsurprisingly, I did a quick google search and voilà — the UK has shamefully followed in the politically-correct footsteps of its American counterparts. I can't say I'm surprised, but I'm more than a little disappointed. So what is the box, and why should it be banned? The box in question is the box you find on…

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March 1, 2018

Applying for a Job

Name-Blind Recruitment

As soon as I read the definition of name-blind recruitment, or blind recruitment as I'll call it from here on out, I knew I'd be a bit of a skeptic. Nonetheless, this form of recruitment is gaining momentum, so it's worthy of discussion. Blind recruitment is the practice of removing information that personally identifies you from your job application. Things that are often removed from a blind application include your name, gender, age, and education. Immediately I'm wondering why on earth education would be removed from an application, considering the fact that you need B.Sc's, B.A's, PhD's, A.B.C's and the…

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February 1, 2018

General

Trump’s Effect on Jobs in the UK

Last Friday, the 20th of January, saw the inauguration of America's 45th President, Donald J. Trump. A controversial figure, Trump's campaign promised to bring manufacturing back to America and look after the American worker, who he felt had been severely let down by the Obama administration. I'm not here to tell you what I think about Trump. I'm here to tell you something much more relevant to recruitment. This post examines the effect of Trump's presidency on the UK job market. How will his inauguration directly affect British workers and job-seekers? Let's find out. I'm no stock market expert, but…

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January 1, 2018

Applying for a Job

How To Create a Good Computer-Readable CV

I've previously written about what information should appear in a CV, and how to divide information between a CV and a cover letter (here if you didn't read it yet). The points in my previous writing were concerned with general C.V writing. This post, however, focuses specifically on how to write a good CV for online applications. The title above, 'How To Create a Good Computer-Readable CV', is illuminating. Many job-seekers aren't aware of the fact that the actual layout of their CV can impact their chances of getting the job they're applying for. This is because many companies use…

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December 1, 2017

Interview Tips

What is your Greatest Strength?

This month's blog continues the series of most popular interview questions. So far I've addressed 'What Are Your Weaknesses?', 'Tell Me About Yourself', and 'Why Do You Want This Job?'. Now I'm going to address the 'What is Your Greatest Strength?' question. When you prepare for an interview and want to think of a smart way to answer this, remember the following: The strength you highlight must be relevant to the position you're being interviewed for A lot of interviewees make the mistake of being familiar and transparent when they formulate their answer. For example, you may think of yourself…

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November 1, 2017

Interview Tips

Why Do You Want This Job?

Moving on from Brexit, this month's post returns to the series I started back in May. So far, I've covered two popular questions asked in interviews: 'What are your Weaknesses?' and 'Tell Me About Yourself.' I suggest you go and read those too, particularly if you're preparing for an interview. Now that you' ve come to terms with those two unpalatable questions, here is an even more unpalatable one: Why do you want this job? This is going to be asked at pretty much every interview, because for some reason, employers want to know that you know about their company.…

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October 1, 2017

General

Post-Brexit Job Market

Happy September-almost-October everybody. This post is four days overdue. In case you hadn't noticed, they're supposed to be out on the 25th. Well, I have no reasonable explanation for why I didn't make the deadline this month. I actually just lost track of the date, and the only way I was reminded of it was checking the use-by on sausages in the fridge. Anyway, last month I promised to be more specific about the impact of Brexit on the job front, so here it is. After consulting various sources provided below, I have some insights to share with you that…

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September 1, 2017

General

More About Brexit

I promised you all I would write in greater detail about Brexit last month, so here it is. One month after the referendum, The Guardian published an article talking about the impact Brexit had on the economy. Now, The Guardian is an anti-Brexit newspaper, so pretty much any discussion they put out there is going to spell doom and gloom for the future of Britain. However, that being said, the article in question does present some graphs and evidence; a refreshing anomaly compared to the usual patronising rhetoric. So it's up to me to have a look and see what the…

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August 1, 2017