It is even more important for immigrants in London to develop their skills. The slowing factor to achieve a successful career in England is that your education and work experience may not be easily transferable. The first step is to get relevant certificates, or qualifications so that they are recognizable by English employers. Whether you are an electrician, a lawyer, a nurse, an accountant or an IT technician, laws and conventions may be different from your home country so you need to adjust your knowledge to the local standards.

And what about cultural differences in the workplace? Do you remember about saying ‘How are you?’ and giving a smile, small talk about the weather or complaining about the tube service, telephone manners, Friday evening at the pub, and the extra pair of flat shoes in the handbag to change from high heels? Each profession may have some specific rules of conduct and it’s worth learning about them so you can put your best foot forward.

Everyone comes to London for a reason. Whatever the reason, developing your personal skills will help you to improve your quality of life.  Learning about leadership, self-actualization, confidence, creativity and motivation will give you tools that can help you in building your career as well as enhancing your personal life. Discover your weaknesses and strengths, improve your communication skills and body language, and in no time you you will reach your goals!

You may be interested in reading our previous posts:

How to stay focused?

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

Finding true meaning in your life: Self-Actualization

Rich Dad, Poor Dad

Photo from Flickr by victoriapeckham

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The interviews are from different industries (sales, retail, PR, advertising, accounting) but going through them I’ve noticed many similarities. They check your creativity and honesty, your judgement and learning skills, ask about your previous employer, check your knowledge about the industry and why they should hire you. Also, there are many questions about what you want from your career, how you want to progress, what you want to achieve and why you want the job. During an interview, which sometimes is an open discussion, you may have an opportunity to show your personality, how you make decisions, solve problems and communicate with other people. You’ll find lots of challenging questions about you and your competences!

My favourite interviewers are:
-    Ruth Badger for her difficult but honest questions;
-    Nick Band for provocative questions;
-    Oliver LewisBarclays for questions about ‘life’.

My favourite questions are:
“What will I discover if I check you on Facebook?”
“Nintendo Wii’ or ‘Playstation 3?”

The trickiest ones:
“What other jobs are you applying for?”
“Tell me exactly what you think of me?”
“Where does your employer think you are today?”
“Tell me about a time when you failed to meet a target or achieve your desired outcome.”
“Based on what you know about us, what could we be doing better or more efficiently?”

Key words in random order:
excitement            motivation           drive          optimism            enthusiasm               personality            honesty

To watch the interviews questions click on the link below:

http://www.jobsite.co.uk/bemyinterviewer/interviewers/Keith-Potts.php

Flickr: Country Boy Shane

Recession, Recession the word is everywhere. When we hear this word we automatically think job losses and economic doom. It is all around us, the TV, websites and radio are all reporting stories of financial despair. What officially is a recession? A recession is the extended decline in the gross domestic product (GDP), typically two consecutive quarters. You may be wondering, if businesses are experiencing a decline, are they willing to hire? Is now the time for me to begin a job search and start a new career? Though hearing the word and thinking of the consequences stemming from the recession can be scary, rest assured there are still reasons to keep a positive outlook in a job search.

Over the next five years, 76 million baby boomers are expected to retire leaving large vacancies in the management ranks across many industries. According to The Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the areas expected to lose the most employees are Education, Healthcare, Manufacturing and Engineering. The expected shortage from the boomers departure will have a profound effect on the availability of jobs. Even with a recession, many of these retirements will still happen, and jobs will still be available.

There is more good news. Based on activity within the FPC system nationwide, biotech, pharmaceutical, medical device, along with environmental, security and international business are just some of the areas with strong job activity.

Let’s take a look at steps you can take in your job search during an economic downturn.

1. Research your industry. Is your field growing or decreasing? Have job functions been removed? There are a number of online resources that can provide projections for specific areas. The Bureau of Labor and Statistics (http://www.bls.gov),The Wall Street Journal (www.wsj.com), Barron’s (www.barrons.com), and Financial Times (www.ft.com) are a few sources. Look to your industry associations for information. They can tell you what is happening in your industry and give you a better idea of what the job market looks like. There are also a number of industry and business blogs which you can locate using a blog directory such as www.blogcatalog.com/directory

2. Stay Flexible. If you are particularly interested in changing positions now, maintaining a flexible attitude toward transitioning your skills into a new area will help you broaden your reach and make you more marketable.

3. Evaluate your expertise. Have you expanded on your skills over time? What can you offer that others cannot? Are your skills transferable into another industry that is projected to stay strong?

4. Network. By networking you can find out about job openings that are not advertised. If you are hesitant about networking, read our article entitled “The Practical Guide to Networking.” The article is designed to help those people who do not feel particularly skilled at networking. Seeking informational interviews through networking is a way to get the word out about your job hunt and get some assistance from the inside.

5. Always have your resume ready. FPC has devoted an entire section of the website to resume writing, from writing an effective resume, and tailoring your resume, to not getting lost in a company’s database.

6. Partner with an expert. Find a mentor who can lead and support you through the process. A recruiter or a career counselor can help position you for a successful hunt. Recruiters also have access to positions that are not advertised to the general public and can highlight your achievements to potential employers.

7. Help others with their career search. Anyone who reaches out to help others network for their job search is more likely to receive reciprocal assistance. Whether you are looking for a job or not, always lend a hand to those you know are seeking networking help.

8. Maintain Your Online Presence. In today’s job market, it is vital for candidates to be cognizant of their online presence. This means knowing what a potential employer will find if they google your name. You do have some control over this, so make sure you put some effort into branding yourself online. This can mean a profile on the professional networking site LinkedIn, or social networking sites like Facebook, or any other place your name appears online where you have the opportunity to sell your qualifications. Read the article entitled “Social Networking Can Damage Your Job Search” for more information on managing your online presence.

Taking these steps will make you more marketable and competitive in your search.

It’s also important that you lay the groundwork now for a successful search. That means, taking steps where you are now to pack your resume with accomplishments will help you stand out in the crowd. Some of the things you can do within your current company to help your job search include:

1. Seek ways to cut costs. Find areas of waste within your company. Suggest ways of efficient spending in the workplace.

2. Increase your visibility. Be noticed in positive ways. Leave a great impression each day with co-workers and supervisors.

3. Go above and beyond. Work beyond your job title and description. Volunteer for additional responsibilities that can be highlighted on your resume.

4. Skill advancement. Take a few classes or attend career enhancement workshops. You can also take online software classes – often for free. Even if you don’t use a given software at your company, learning an industry standard software is very important.

5. Keep a positive attitude. Be professional at all times. Be a team player and promote a positive morale within the office. People remember this, and you will need your coworkers to provide glowing references to potential employers. A disgruntled employee rarely gets a positive reference.

If you’re not working in a promising career field, focus on your skills that can be used in other industries and consider changing your career path if necessary. Plan your next move, network and research different industries to find your niche. There are many tools online that can help.

About the Author:

Ron Herzog, CEO and President for FPC (Fortune Personnel Consultants), has spent a number of years developing extensive knowledge of the recruitment industry and successful franchising since joining FPC in January 1995.

Ron is considered an industry expert and has provided insight into workforce trends for print publications, radio broadcasts and industry podcasts.

Ron earned his MBA in management and undergraduate degree in marketing and management.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/career-management-articles/recession-there-are-still-reasons-to-stay-positive-759894.html