How to Find a Public Sector Job

How to Find a Public Sector Job In the good old days if you wanted a job in the public sector you did one of three things; for admin jobs you looked in the local paper, for professional jobs you looked in a professional journal and for everything else you looked at The Wednesday Guardian.   It used to be bigger than many of today’s papers.   In these days of the WORLD WIDE WEB, it is seen as the answer to every question. So isnt the answer to how do I find a job? simply ‘on the web’. Post your CV on a big jobs board like Monster and sit back and wait? Public jobs are always advertised surely? There are some myths around   that all public sector or at least all local government jobs must be advertised. And they are just that, myths. The requirement is to get the best person for the job and to have a representative workforce. Together these two influences drove many organisations to advertise widely to recruit just such people. But it is not a legal requirement. And think of the cost! Advertising in the press or on the web can cost a lot. So in these straightened times many organisations have changed their strategies. They may advertise only on their own website if at all. It is increasingly common for jobs to be posted in a very limited way. So it is important to understand just where you will find the role you are looking for .. and some of them may surprise you! Public sector jobs on the internet You can use the internet to find a job. There are: Employers’ Sites â€" every local authority has a site and their vacancies will be on there, NHS employers, (NHSJobs) civil service jobs are sites where you can find those employers advertising. These sites require you to register for job alerts and then they will send you an email for roles you are interested in. Dedicated jobs boards â€" who only publish jobs for certain sectors- such as Careers for Leaders, (nearly all local government) or The Ladders which publishes jobs in certain professions about £50k. Registering on CV Library will mean you join 5 million other people in a huge database that employers pay to search. JobsgoPublic, has a smaller database and is a public sector site. Profession specific sites- sites like People Management or Personnel Today, often attached to a professional institute will advertise a range of roles. Try Changeboard for HR roles. Web crawler sites â€" sites like Indeed.co.uk, Simply Hired  or   Jobs1.co.uk can make life easy as they literally crawl the web to look at other sites and collect together all the vacancies. Agencies and search firms- although the world has moved on and profit margins squeezed for these intermediaries they do still have public sector roles to fill. Manpower, Hays, Morgan Law, Badenoch and Clark are all still, Reed, are still handling public sector temp and permanent roles.   Executive search is still active: Odgers, Penna, Gatenby Sanderson and Veredus still have public sector roles to fill, they have their own websites and many have a LinkedIn group that contains jobs. LinkedIn, whilst many local authorities have been dismally slow to post their vacancies here, you will find organisations like Surrey County Council doing so. Do a regular search and see what comes up. Often people turn to these alternative methods of advertising when they can’t recruit. And it is still true that there are skills shortages. The hidden public job market But not everything is to be found on the internet, some roles dont get advertised. So what sorts of jobs don’t get advertised? The short term contract type, the temp roles, the ones where the actual employer is not the public sector organisation, the ones which are filled by contractors not employees. And don’t forget that much of the work that was done by the public sector is now in the private sector. So if you want to collect refuse, care for people, do accounts, answer the phones, run libraries, deliver IT solutions, advise on planning applications or manage multi million pound projects, you need to be looking into the private sector as well as public. There are new players in the digital marketing field, they don’t broadcast advertise, they do targeted advertising. By finding people who work in relevant organisations or who are looking for relevant information. Every time you agree to cookies you are leaving a digital fingerprint. These sophisticated tools use them to find you and target you with their advert. So how can you find them? Talk to the organisations that you want to target. Ask them how they fill such posts, do they have arrangements with agencies? Are they running their own in house agency/talent pool that you can join? Are they sourcing candidates through boards like Monster? Are they using Facebook or LinkedIn. Talk to people who work within the organisations you want to work for. What they tell you about how people get to work there may be different from what HR believes should be happening. In the private sector the golden rule of job searching is ‘network, network, network’. It is not so different in the public sector.   So if you know people, or you know people who know people, get networking and see where the work is and how to get into it. In spite of the tradition of open advertisement there are many opportunities that will never appear in the paper and some more that will never appear on a web site. So think laterally and pick up the phone. Get talking, get networking and good luck! Related:  What Job Boards are Most Useful for Jobseekers? Image: Shutterstock

Finally Graduated 5 Ways to Turn Your Skills into Assets

Finally Graduated 5 Ways to Turn Your Skills into Assets University is full to the brim with enjoyable nights out and endless chats with mates,  and it comes with its fair share of nervous breakdowns, stressful exams and  revising into the wee hours, too.  And, now that you’ve finally graduated, you’re probably feeling a bit  worried about where to go from here. Everyone goes through this inner-turmoil. Anyone that has ever been  to university before understands the panicky ‘but what if I’m not good  enough?’ thoughts.  The key to jumping straight from university and into a job is in  knowing which doors are already standing open for you, and which you’ll  need to find the keys for.  Here are a few tips for you: 1) Be articulate: It’s 5.20pm, an employer is feeling tired and hungry, but they still have  a stack of CVs to trawl through. Anything less than perfect simply isn’t  going to cut it from this point onwards. Your CV needs to stand out from the crowd in every way possible. It  needs to be sharp, to-the-point and professional.  Here’s how: Get rid of chunky blocks of text that are hard to skim-read and replace  them with bullet-pointed lists. Filter out any filler and try to keep your CV under two pages. Beware of buzzwords. Overused buzzwords such  as ‘motivated’, ‘innovative’ and ‘dynamic’ can be an instant turn off for  employers. Always, always thoroughly proofread your CV to check for typos,  grammatical errors and unnecessary information. Include up-to-date contact information, including your email address,  phone number and LinkedIn profile. If relevant, add a link to your online portfolio to give employers a  chance to see your work. 2) Get to grips with networking: The word ‘networking’ probably conjures up images of schmoozy  dinners and awkward events, but this isn’t how it needs to be for you.  Networking is the number one way to meet people in the  business, and it can help you to find out who you need to know in  order to get a job. While a lot of recruiters probably don’t want you to know this, it’s really  the people you know that often gets you into a new job. If someone at a  company knows someone who knows you, their boss is much more likely  to hire you over a complete stranger. The personal recommendation that  you’ll come with can do wonders. You don’t need to get to know everyone, and you certainly don’t need to  pay a fortune to attend any swanky dinners, but what you do need to do is  get your name out there.  Start sending your CV out to all of the companies in your area that  you’d love to work for, and remember to craft an amazing covering letter  while you’re at it. You can see some important tips here. 3) Further your skills: Just because you have a degree now doesn’t necessarily mean that  your studies are complete. You may wish to strengthen your knowledge  by continuing to study on your own, or by taking additional classes or  qualifications in important aspects of your chosen industry. In fact, a lot of employers are actually more likely to hire graduates  with a broad knowledge of their field, rather than a narrowed  scope specialising in just one area. 4) Be prepared to get knocked back: It’s sad, but true. You will be rejected at least a handful of times before you get your first  job. Why? Simply because there are so many people applying for jobs at the  moment. Don’t take rejection too badly though. Understand that: It can give you a chance to hone your skills take any feedback and use it to better yourself. It is out of your control. At the end of the day, the employer has the final say in which candidate they go with, so don’t beat yourself up about it. Some employers may not actually know why they decide to hire certain  candidates and reject others. They often simply get gut reactions and feel as though they have to hire a particular person. 5) Keep up the hard work: The number one way to get into work after you graduate is to never  stop looking for jobs. Job hunting should become your job. You should be  looking for work every single day! There are lots of websites out there that you can use, and your  university is sure to be happy to help you with your search. They may even  be able to introduce you to some key people in the business. Have you recently graduated? If so, how will you handle your job  search? Let us know in the comments below. Author: Aurora Johnson works for  EmptyLemon.co.uk, a recruitment website that puts candidates directly in contact with  employers.

Shut Down Your Screen Take a  Break From Social Media

Shut Down Your Screen Take a  Break From Social Media Feeling overwhelmed by your constant social media feeds? You’re not alone. More and more people are looking for a break from the distractions of being continuously connected. Whether it’s Cute Kittens on YouTube, Facebook or Instagram, or updates on LinkedIn or Twitter, sometimes you just want to get away. Why Take a Break  from Social Media According to Mediakix, many of us are now spending up to 5 years of our lives on social media. That includes daily doses of Facebook (35 mins), Instagram (15 mins), Snapchat (25 mins), YouTube (40 mins) and Twitter (1 minute -which seems quite low to me!).  Despite the advantages of easy communication, people benefit from electronic downtime. Constant connectivity is not the same as productivity. Sharing posts with ‘friends’ is not the same as sharing experiences with people. Misunderstandings are common. In his book, The Distraction Addiction, Alex Pang describes several ways to disconnect and calm the newsfeed in your brain. Breathe Most people hold their breath when checking their inbox., It’s as if we’re waiting for a saber-toothed tiger to jump out of the screen and eat us! Remembering to breathe while waiting for your messages in any platform to load is important, but not always easy. If you struggle with it, try taking a few deep breaths just before looking at your screen. A couple of breaths can help. Try using Insight Timer’s guided meditations (I love this app!), or visit Do Nothing for 2 Minutes, then just look at the ocean on the screen and breathe. Digital Sabbath What’s a digital sabbath?   It’s not religious, or even necessarily spiritual. It’s just a way of saying ‘during this time, I will rest my connected self.’ The phrase originated with Anne Dilenschneider, a psychologist and pastor, and Andrea Bauer, an executive coach. They developed it working with Silicon Valley types. Everyone’s digital sabbath is different: you decide how long it will last, and how extensive it will be. Will you switch off everything with a power button for a full 24 hours, or just leave on 1 phone (on vibrate) so family can reach you in emergencies? Either way, just reduce your connectivity for a while and get back in touch with the real world. If you find this particularly stressful, that’s a sign that you really need to do it! Read the real-life experience of another Ms. Career Girls digital break here Get into Nature Fortunately, there are still places without power outlets every 10 feet. Get into nature: visit a local park, a forest, a field. Forget your camera â€" just look at the scenery. Count the different types of trees. Listen to the birds. Walk. Smell the flowers, feel the ground under your feet. Just rest your eyes, and your mind, from the digital. Find Your Right Social Media Level As much as connectivity has improved our lives, it can still be stressful. Our feeds are so integrated into our lives now that even these practices can be challenging at first. Keep trying, and notice your mind calming, the background chatter of ‘see-respond-react’ slowing down. Try it!

Math essentials for your career

Math essentials for your career Most of us never had dreams of being a mathematician or economist; we suffered through algebra as a means to get to senior prom. But if you think youre going to march up the ranks of management with no math, forget it. So first, the  bad news: You absolutely have to manage the math side of business if you are going to get ahead in your career. The good news is that you dont need to be good at math in school to be good at math at work. In fact, so much of workplace math is practical that people who are excellent mathematicians are at a disadvantage. Math at work is about spinning the numbers. And mathematicians are focused on finding pure truth. There is no pure truth in workplace numbers. Job Hunting Take, for example, your resume. The line that says, Increased sales 50%. That could be true. It could also be true that everyone else increased sales 65%, or that the next quarter you got fired for under performing, or that customer returns on those sales were an incredible 45%. Numbers at work tell a story, and you pick numbers that tell the best story. You never lie, but you cannot tell every piece of information in the whole world, so tell the ones that suit you best. The best resume is one that lists quantified achievement. So you should evaluate all projects in terms of possible numbers. If there is no way to show project victory in a number, do not take the project. And do not think for one second that you are in a career that does not require quantified success. Even a ballerina can use numbers: Increased ticket sales 35% when I took over the lead in the Nutcracker, sounds much more persuasive than danced beautifully. Image Management Once you land the job, the easiest way to let others quantify your failure is to go over budget; never, never, never go over budget. Always pad each line of your budget, because you cant control everything and some costs will be higher than anticipated. This budget bloating will force you to cut line items from the start, but better to cut them at the beginning than be over budget at the end. Before you go blaming your cost overruns on someone else, remember that your bosss boss never sees your budget line by line and definitely doesnt care about your finger pointing. She only sees your final number and whether or not you stayed within budget. The best way to manage your image among the higher-ups is to stay in budget no matter what. Getting a Raise Use numbers to negotiate your raise, too. When it comes to compensation, do your own research to present a rational, numbers-based explanation for why your salary is not in line with comparable salaries in your field. If your company wont budge, figure out which non-financial perks will equal a financial perk. (Finally! A use for high school algebra!) For example, extra vacation time is free to the company and a laptop, after tax deductions, is very cheap for the company. If you want to get more comfortable with this kind of math, take a look here for help. Presentations and Reports This is my favorite book about numbers: How to Lie with Statistics, by Darrell Huff and Irving Geis. This book is a must for everyone. Each of us must use numbers to make our point. So we should all learn to present the numbers in the best light possible. Managing numbers is not about lying (this book title aside), managing numbers is about being smart about what you show people. Innovative Thinking Another must for everyone is Excel. Its quick to learn the basics, and Excel provides endless fun for turning recurring fights with your significant other into statistically revealing graphs. I hate to plug Microsoft, but really, learning to use Excel teaches everyone â€" even English majors to think about numbers in new ways. And new ways of thinking always opens up new avenues of achievement. You dont have to be a math star to present numbers well. But you do need to give time and thought to numbers on a daily basis so you can leverage statistics to bolster your career.

Are You In Control of Your Career - Career Pivot

Are You In Control of Your Career - Career Pivot Are You In Control of Your Career Do you feel like you are in control of your career? For many of you, I am sure the answer will be no. If you read the two previous posts in this series, Social Disruption â€" How Job Search has Changed and The Traditional Job Search is Dead â€" R.I.P. , you know that, if you are following a traditional job search, you are not in control! Do You Have a Career Development Plan? Most of you who came up through corporate ladder will remember development plans. You sat down with your boss every year to document your career trajectory. When was the last time you did this? My last career development plan was in the late 1990s when I still worked for IBM. I have been in control of my career choices ever since. Reflect back over the last 15 years of your career. Who has been in control? Have you been laid off or unemployed? When you lost your job, did you see it coming? It is time to take control and be prepared to change jobs every 2-3 years. That does not mean you will change jobs every 2-3 years, rather, that you will be prepared. More:Baby Boomer Career Development Plans The New Development Plan In previous posts, I have written that you should take time to reflect on your career twice a year. If you live in the United States, two easy dates to use are July 4th and January 1st. Both of these are holidays. You should update your resume and LinkedIn profile twice a year based on your reflections. You should also create a development plan which needs to contain the following sections: Listen to the most recent episode Career Goals â€" Short Term (1 year) and Long Term (3 Years) Current Standing â€" Access where you stand right now in your career. Include skills and areas of expertise. Where do you see pitfalls that could be an issue in the coming year? Formulate Options â€" Determine what skills you need to develop. What skills will become obsolete? What steps can you take to develop or enhance your skills? Develop an Action Plan â€" Develop a step by step plan to reach your goals. Make sure that all of your steps adhere to the SMART acronym. Goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound. Your development plan is a living document and should not exceed 3 years. No one can predict what the economy will look like past 3 years. More:Career Reflection â€" A Twice a Year Duty In Control of Your Career If you want to be in control of your career in the era of Social Disruption of Job Search, you must be proactive. If you are not regularly assessing your industry directions and how your skills fit, you are not in control. Have you been in control of your career? Comment below and tell us your story about being in control of your career. Marc Miller Like what you just read? Share it with your friends using the buttons above. Like What You Read? Get Career Pivot Insights! Check out the Repurpose Your Career Podcast Do You Need Help With ...

Top Four Ways to Prove Yourself Invaluable to Your Company - CareerEnlightenment.com

Top Four Ways to Prove Yourself Invaluable to Your Company It can be difficult to make a name for yourself within your new company. You are the new kid, and many people around you have high seniority. Even if you do have a good idea, you might be shot down because you are not yet familiar with how the company works and how they do things.There are many ways to prove yourself invaluable to your employers, but for that to happen, you need first to try out multiple strategies:1.  Take on Extra Roles Ask around what you can do to help out, and you will do two things. One, you will show that you have the drive to succeed. Two, that you are willing to go above and beyond. You also exhibit a few key traits that many companies look for, like great communication, team building, and of course, the go-get-em attitude. You will also be helping out your fellow co-workers, which is a huge plus and can help make your new job a new family.2.  Learn From Your Co-Workers There is so much that you can learn from your co-workers, both within and outside of you r department. For one, you can learn the tricks of the trade. You will also learn how other departments work within the company, allowing you to improve your collaboration and strategies. Want to Read More Articles Like This One?Sign up here to receive weekly updates from Career Enlightenment, and never miss another powerful job searching tip! SUBSCRIBE! You have Successfully Subscribed!We hate spam too. Unsubscribe any time. 3.  Find Smart Solutions You are on the ground and therefore know more intimately what your department needs to improve. By reaching out and finding the solutions to these problems and then bringing the idea to your manager with a full rundown of the benefits you can be the one who single-handedly improved the company.For example, say you are looking for great contact center solutions to improve your team’s efficiency and the customer’s service. By showing your manager Sabio Solutions, and outlining how migrating to the cloud could improve your operatio ns, you can boost sales and productivity within your department all at once.4.  Improve Your Own Skillset Don’t rest on your laurels. Invest in ongoing training yourself. Attend local events in your industry to network and learn from the best, and pick up skills. This can be done either online or in person, but the benefit is clear â€" you become more invaluable.For example, if you work within the communications team of your company, you can learn how social media marketing and other forms of marketing to improve how you communicate. Moving up to a more managerial role, you can then work to combine the two more closely so that the customer experience is better than ever.Proving yourself invaluable to your business is one of the fastest and easiest ways that you can establish yourself and showcase your talent. It is also how you build up the basis to ask for raises or promotions. You might be recommended for a promotion. Either way, going the extra mile is essential for your career and can help you feel fulfilled and valued from the start.

Technical Writer Resumes

Technical Writer ResumesA technical writer resume is an ideal basis for a technical writing career. The resume contains information about the writer's educational background, work experience, awards, and professional affiliations. It is not mandatory that a person has to be a professional in order to be able to write technical resumes. There are lots of people who have made a decent living writing technical resumes.The writer's career can also be in computer programming. Technical writers are usually hired to write applications, databases, software, or even blogs. These days, a lot of people are interested in using the web to develop their careers. Technical writers must be able to adapt to a variety of writing styles in order to meet the demands of the market.If you are looking for a way to gain entry into the field of technical writing, you must develop your writing skills. You must understand the content as well as style of every writing. You must use appropriate spelling and gram mar. To improve your writing skills, you can take a course on English composition or online classes for a few hours each week. You should also practice the kind of writing you intend to do.A technical writer must have a complete knowledge of all aspects of information technology, such as software programming languages, databases, user manuals, website design, and even business etiquette. These are the sorts of things that a technical writer must know in order to be able to write the kind of resumes needed by employers. In order to gain entry into the field of computer programming, you must have written proficiency in these subjects.A technical writer must understand the needs of the job description. It is essential that a person who is applying for a technical writing job write a good technical resume. A good resume will contain the necessary details about the applicant's educational background, experience, and credentials. Your resume should also be well-organized and straightforwa rd.A technical resume should present a clear picture of your technical abilities and accomplishments. A technical writer resume must include relevant information about the position for which you are applying. A writer should use the appropriate terminology and avoid inappropriate grammar or spelling errors. Technical writers should be able to work with deadlines and should be able to meet deadlines. Technical resumes are designed to catch the attention of the employer and can help the applicant to land the job.If you find it difficult to create a technical writer resume, there are a number of online resources where you can get information about how to do this. Several online sites provide free tips on how to write a technical resume. Many of these sites offer sample resumes for download.Before writing a technical writer resume, you should gather as much information as possible about the job. It is also important to compare your skills and education against those of the company befor e submitting the resume. It is better to have at least one good quality resume compared to having none at all. Having more than one good quality resume helps to ensure that the selection process goes smoothly.