1. What makes you tick?

Understand what motivates you and use this to identify your dream job.

2. Action plan

Have a clear objective, and some stepping stones.  Make your career change come alive but committing the steps to paper and giving yourself some SMART goals.

3. Check your financial position

 If you are changing direction you might need funds for retraining, or you may want to take a reduced salary to get your dream job.  Being financially secure and having enough money to make the transition ensures a strong starting point.

4. Keep positive

Self confidence and self-belief are most important at this time.  Focus on what you want and how you achieve this, tackling obstacles as they appear.

In every successful job search and career change there are five critical areas:

A focused and realistic job and career objective

A clear objective based firmly on your strengths and supported by your experience.

A dynamic presentation

This objective must be communicated energetically, both in writing and in person, Your CV and your verbal presentation must be clearly focused and show you at your highest level of effectiveness.

A well-planned job search

A campaign based on your clear and growing understanding of how the job market functions which enables you to use your time most efficiently and is the key to the successful outcome of your job search

Building a contact network

Your job search should encompass building a contact network that is both supportive and challenging. Regardless of where you start, the people you meet and build relationships with are the most important factors in a job search.

Thoroughness and persistence

It takes a determined effort to write good letters, conduct productive meetings/ interviews and follow up opportunities. Your commitment to a planned campaign will pay off.

Good luck

There’s also the process to finalise. These are a few things to consider:

• Have you got an in-house design that you need to stick to? What will the content of the advert be?
• How will applicants respond? By application form, fax, telephone, in person at the organisation or agency, by letter, by email on the internet, by tape or braille?
• Who is to be responsible for sifting the applications? What is the selection process going to be?
• If interviews are to be held, when will they be and will everyone who needs to be involved be available?
• Are selection tests to be used? Is there the expertise to administer them and ensure they are non-discriminatory and appropriate?
• Are references/medicals to be requested?
• Are arrangements in hand to give prompt acknowledgement of applications received?

Now, the advertisement itself.  These need to be designed to catch and attract the right applicants.  If you are submitting to newspapers or professional journals, you can ask for guidance.

Remember to target the right audience, so tailor the advert appropriately. The advert should be clear and easily understood and must be non-discriminatory, avoiding any gender or culturally specific language.  It is a good idea to include your company’s statement of commitment to equal opportunities saying you welcome applications from all sections of the community.

Top tips:

• if your company is well-known, does it have a logo that could feature prominently in the advertisement? Make the advertisement consistent with the company image
• should the job title be the most prominent feature?
• keep the text short and simple while giving the main aspects of the job, pay, career prospects, location, contract length
• can specific details – such as pay, qualifications and experience required – be given in a way which will reduce the number of unsuitable applications?
• is it possible to avoid generalisations such as ‘attractive salary’, or ‘appropriate qualifications’ which may discourage valid applications?
• can you provide job details on tape or in braille and accept applications in a similar format?
• is the form of reply and the closing date for applications clear? Is there a contact name and phone number for further information and enquiries?

All advertisements should carry the same information, whether for internal or external use.

• Career, Aptitude & Selection Tests, J Barrett, Kogan Page
• How to Pass Graduate Recruitment Tests, M Byron, Kogan Page
• How to Pass Selection Tests, M Byron, S Modha, Kogan Page
• How to Succeed in Psychometric Tests, D Cohen, Sheldon Press
• How to Pass Civic Service Qualifying Tests, M Byron, Kogan Page
• How to Pass Verbal Reasoning Tests, H Tolley & S Thomas, Kogan Page
• How to Pass Computer Selection Tests, S Modha, Kogan Page
• How to Master Personality Questionnaires, M Parkinson, Kogan Page
• Test Your Own Aptitude, J Barratt, G Williams, Kogan Page
• How to Win at Aptitude Tests, P Pelshenke, Thorsons
• Interviews Made Easy, M Parkinson, Kogan Page

Lynn Tulip Chartered MCIPD, PgDip Guidance & Assessment
HR & Career Management Consultant
http://assessment4potential.tel/

What are Psychometric Tests?

The British Psychological Society definition of a psychometric test:

‘a psychological test is any procedure on the basis of which inferences are made concerning a person’s capacity, propensity or liability to act, react, experience, or to structure or order thought or behaviour in particular ways’.

Who uses psychometric tests?

Large, medium, and an increasing number of small firms use psychometric tests. Over 70 % of larger companies are currently using psychometric tests to gather vital information from potential and current employees. More and more companies are using psychometric tests for:

• graduate recruitment
• filtering out candidates when there are large numbers of applicants

Over 70% of large companies use them in their recruitment process and small companies are using them increasingly.

They are also used to assess existing employees for:

• training and staff development needs
• promotion

What do psychometric tests measure?

Psychometric tests may measure aptitude, personality or interests:

Aptitude Tests – these measure how people differ in their ability to perform or carry out different tasks. (these are the type you are most likely to find at the first stage of a selection process).

Interest Tests – these measure how people vary in their motivation, in the direction and strength of their interests, and in their values and opinions (these are less likely to be used on new graduates but are sometimes).

Personality Tests – these measure how people differ in their style or manner of doing things, and in the way they interact with their environment and other people (personality).

Whereas aptitude tests measure your maximum performance capacity, the other tests examine typical or preferred behaviour.

Why use psychometrics in an employment setting?

The main advantages of using psychometric tests are:

• Objectivity – they dramatically reduce bias and personal perspective.
• Clarity – they provide a robust framework and structure.
• Equality and fairness for all individuals (tests are standardised so that all individuals receive the same treatment).
• Increase the likelihood of being able to predict future job performance (they have a high level of ‘predictive validity’).

• The identification of training needs.
• Encourage employers to do thorough job analysis in order to identify appropriate skills and abilities. This helps to ensure that candidates for a position are assessed on skills only relevant to the job.

What are psychometric tests used for?

Some uses of psychometric tests are:

• Selection of candidates to jobs
• Personal development/identification of training needs/staff development
• Careers guidance
• Building and developing teams

What do I mean by TOPICAL?

• T – Targeted at the specific vacancy, role or sector you are applying for
• O - Ordered and set out in a clear way
• P – Positive; demonstrate your achievements, your skills and your confidence
• I - Informative; gives relevant and reasonable detail
• C – Concise – usually no need for more than 2 A4 pages
• A – Accurate in content, spelling and grammar
• L - Logical; relates to what you want to do and what you are applying for.

The Framework

There are no hard and fast rules however an ideal and simple format to follow is:

Contact Details
Personal Statement  (optional)
Skills (optional)
Employment History
Education and Training
Interests and Hobbies (optional)
Additional Information (optional)

1. Contact Details - these MUST be clear and complete.  Remember to include your full name, postal address, at least one phone number and an e-mail address.  [It's worth setting up an e-mail account to ensure that your address is suitable for potential employers to contact you - hotlips69@mailservice.com is not appropriate!]
2. Personal Statement – A maximum of three sentences summing up who you are, what you can do and what you are looking for
3. Skills section – this gives you the opportunity of summarising transferable, sector specific and perhaps alternative or voluntary skills.  You might want to add an Achievement section here to summarise your accomplishments.
4. Employment History - list your most recent job role and employer first.  Ensure that the dates are included and relevant information about what you can do/what you did do are listed.  Quantify the statements.  Potential employers want to know what you can do for them.
5. Education and Training – list in reverse chronological order all relevant training, qualifications and if appropriate; school exam results.
6. Interests & Hobbies – depending on the role you are applying for depends on how much you want to include.  Risk averse employers do not want to read that potential employees spend their recreational time participating in high risk activities.  However intellectual, cultural activities are usually acceptable to mention – but be prepared to answer questions on them.
7. Additional information – you may wish to include details of your right to work, ability to drive and anything else that might support your application favourably.  You are not obliged to include your date of birth or your marital status.

Your CV is a sales pitch that tells a potential employer that your skills match their job criteria. It only has one purpose – to get you an interview. It has to be clear, concise, look good and sell your achievements.  A trained eye will take around 20 seconds to scan your CV. You must make an immediate impact because a potential employer may not get past the first half page.

Reduce your whole life down to just 2 pages, and make it 100% better!

If you would like more information, please contact Lynn

We’ve done the shifting now it’s onto switching.  What will it be next?

Many of the city professionals are changing direction and using their transferable skills to find alternative employment.  Jack Grimston writes in the Sunday Times that “Bankers, Lawyers and other professionals flooding into schools may soon outnumber new graduates”.  So taking a reduced wage and an alternative lifestyle they are getting themselves back to work.

What will this mean for the schools?  A fresh approach in the class-room or a dull uninspired outlook?  How long before they want to return to their original chosen career?

Whilst reading the Sunday Times, I also picked up on the article on women entrepreneurs. That was a good read

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• Lipstick Entrepreneurs in The Sunday Times (thenextwomen.com)

With redundancies rising one might expect outplacement consultants to be chomping at the bit in anticipation of rising demands for their services. However, more often than not it seems that businesses are side lining the services and making staff redundant without offering professional add on support.

Using robust outplacement services can mean that the negative effects of redundancy can be off set for both those that lose their jobs and those that remain in post. Survivors syndrome often shows up as a demoralised guilt ridden workforce resulting in loss of production. Using professional services can help a company retain its credibility and maintain its market position.

Redundancy is difficult for all those involved, employees and employers alike. Outplacement services support both the individuals and the employer through the challenging time. Support services can be from breaking the bad news, setting up a communication strategy, to supporting the exiting staff and helping them move forward and make alternative job choices, focusing on a new CV, Interview coaching and Job Search strategies whilst maintaining the morale of the remaining employees.

The benefits?

Using Outplacement Services gives

• a positive clear message that shows a company cares and this will undoubtedly have an impact on existing staff and for attracting new employees in the future
• affected staff support through their career transition to new employment, education or training
• strength to reduce individual’s emotions and manage their possible anger, disappointment and resentment

What is offered?

Executive Outplacement – These are programmes tailored for executives or senior managers. They are bespoke programmes facilitated through 1-1 coaching and cover topics including: moving on after redundancy, career assessment and direction, CV support, job hunting strategies and interview preparation.

Individual Outplacement –These programmes offer 1-1 coaching and flexibility to meet individual needs. These programmes vary in length and content with modules – career coaching and assessment, CV preparation, job search, interview advice and ongoing support.

Group Outplacement – This is a workshop programme designed to help a group.