Where Do Our Career Choices Originate?

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Euro London

Choosing a career is a decision that is somewhat time consuming with the process for many beginning at such a young age. Many decisions may be slightly farfetched from ‘Superman’ to the more attainable career path of a police officer, a doctor or a nurse. But where do these career choices or decision originate from throughout our lives?

Some are simply dreams of course from childhood imagination, (no one can really be Superman, can they?) but others are passed onto them from parents or even grandparents. Choosing a career path that your parents are in is typically an old age tradition which still continues today. But why has the tradition continued over so many years?

First of all there are a number of positives when it comes to inheriting a career path, particularly in the current economic climate. For instance, a parent can be an asset for your career path especially if it is in the same field as theirs. Having access to an expert within an area that you are looking to go into is invaluable; it allows a strong possibility that an opportunity into a company is achievable.

In some cases this is not always attainable, but there are still fantastic opportunities for you to get some great networking opportunities to those that work within the industry. Remember the saying “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know?” Therefore it could be argued that having someone as a source of knowledge and expertise, as well as someone who can open doors, is the main reason for children following in the footsteps of their parents. With the recession still lurking around every corner in the European Union and its effect of certain markets it has become an incentive to seek opportunities that are closer to home.

On the other hand what a number of young adults forget is that the world is forever changing and skills, qualifications and what is needed in todays economy is diverse to what some parents grew up with. Multilingual jobs are all over the job market and continue to grow across every continent in the world and in sectors other than teaching and translating.

Language skills can be useful in many different fields including IT roles, support roles, sales and marketing, just to name a few. Businesses are branching out vastly across the world and are seeking language speakers to assist them in traditional roles. So even if you follow in the footsteps of a member of your family – why not add something new to the table and keep up with the world by learning a language?

Overlooking Temporary Positions? Don’t!

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Euro London

The job market over the last few years due to the financial crisis has been somewhat, unreliable. Europe has witnessed first hand some of the highest unemployment figures it has ever seen accompanied, every so often, by shiny glimmers of hope as the job market rises. So why is it that a number of job seekers seem to be letting countless, (perfectly good might we add) jobs slip through their fingers when it comes to temporary roles?

Now we’re not on a different planet and we do in fact understand why a number of people tend to overlook temporary positions; one of the main reasons usually being the lack of stability due to short term contracts. However, by skimming over these positions you could actually be missing out on some fantastic opportunities within your career and here’s why…

Whether you’re in-between jobs trying to find a new career path or job or even a student looking for a foot in the door, temporary job positions allow you to gain some valuable work experience. A temporary job can range from any time frame from 1 day to 6 months. It is important to remember that at the end of the job you will be able to add a new set of skills to your resume and build upon your employment which can ultimately help shape, or even change your career path.

Not only can you gain experience from working in temporary positions but you are able to network within the industry you are in. Meeting, working and even socialising with professionals within work can generate references for the future or further networking connections or opportunities when you’ve found a more permanent job.

Due to todays current economic crisis many companies take on temporary recruitment in order to test the water in order to see how well the job can be done. Always go into a new temp job with an open mind set as it is a possibility that you can be called back if another job becomes available again or even offered a permanent position within the company! Even if the company doesn’t have a position that is available immediately, if you prove yourself to be a hardworking individual it is possible the company would think of you straight away once a position becomes open.

When it comes to employment (and your CV for that matter) there is nothing worse for an employer to see than long periods of time where you have been out of a job. As a result temporary positions can be a brilliant way of filling gaps between you trying to find a more permanent position. Temp jobs show other potential employers that you are actively seeking a new position. It also helps keep your skills up to date so you are ready for the next opportunity.

Temp jobs can keep your perm job hunt alive as finding permanent positions for some, can slightly more difficult than others. It can also keep your interpersonal skills alive – being in a working environment and mind frame instead of being at home watching mind numbingly dull afternoon TV is a far better situation (although some may still disagree).

So, remember to keep the focus on the job and not keep the emphasis on the temporary. Whether or not it is temporary or permanent, in some form or another whether it is getting out of the house or having some form of an income, it is aiding you.

Interview Tips

Posted on October 23, 2012 by Euro London

So, you’ve impressed with your CV and landed yourself an interview even though the odds haven’t truly been in your favour. As previously mentioned in our blog (Invest in Your Future Career By Using A CV Clinic); a staggering 53.7% of CV’s are thrown away [1] so ideally you want to continue in the winning streak by impressing your potential employer.

The next crucial stage is here – the interview! Now you may be confident in your approach when it comes to the interview process therefore leading you to have a successful interview. However there are some candidates that even though they have all the skills and qualifications needed for a job role they choke on the interview stage. The interview stage although initially positive can leave candidates to feel anxious, leave them with a blank mind or in some extreme cases even physically faint.

Is this you? Well don’t worry because we’ve decided to give you a few interview tips which will help you fly through your interview without all of the turbulence.

Do Your Research – Make sure you are entirely prepared for your interview. It’s almost a certainty that specific questions will be asked during interviews so make sure you expect these questions and you have a unique way of answering them in order to stand out. It is also important to know the ins and outs of a company before you attend an interview. Therefore why not look into the company’s history, what the company is currently up to and if there are any developments that are planning to become reality. Most importantly expect the unexpected. Employers can sometimes like to put interviewees on the spot to see how they cope in under pressure or in certain situations.

Practice Your Answers – As we all know interviews can be daunting leading us to develop a sudden case of temporary amnesia. However if you practice your answers you are more likely to remember what it is you want to convey. Remember to be careful though and do not make yourself sound like a robot, the interviewer will pick up on this and it won’t work in your favour.

Look The Part – Believe it or not your personal appearance does count for a lot in an interview. Just a few tips to take into consideration; tattoos should be hidden so your image looks professional, have a shower so you are looking and smelling clean and deter yourself from using too much aftershave or perfume as you don’t want to make the interviewer pass out. Further to this make sure you are groomed and dressed in a presentable manner (even if the job role you are applying for is informal).

Be Positive – Positivity will put you in a better frame of mind and can even alter your answers in an interview. If you go into an interview believing in yourself this will come across in not only your answers but your body language too which can have a positive effect on your interviewer.

Are there any tips that have worked for you in an interview, if so what?

[1] http://www.thecvclinic.com/

The British Relationship With Foreign Languages

Posted on June 13, 2012 by Euro London

This week Michael Gove, the British Education Minister, announced that children will have to learn a second language from the age of seven. These include traditional modern languages such as French, German and Spanish as well as emerging languages including Mandarin, Hindi and Russian.

The move is part of broader reforms within the British schooling system but the debate over whether British children should or need to learn another language from the age of seven has been the main headline.

It may surprise some of you from outside the UK that British schools currently only require students to learn a language from 11-14, at which age students in the UK pick which subjects they’d like to continue studying . Unfortunately a foreign language is often not picked. Government ministers hope that the decision to make learning a language compulsory at a young age will see a higher continuation of language learning when students pick which subjects they are going to study further, leaving them better equipped to compete in the global economy.

There have been two schools of thought emerging when debating the subject of teaching children a second language (I think you may be able to guess which side we fall into).

One side argues that teaching children English needs to come first, an argument I’m sure that resonates around Europe with each country and their own language, but this leaves me wondering how some countries equip their students with a second, third and even fourth language whilst the UK seems to focus on only one? This argument also usually comes with the assumption of “we don’t need to learn a second language as most people speak English anyway”; a statement that isn’t actually that true now and with the emergence of the BRIC countries will see it become less and less true in the future.

We support the school of thought that learning a second language as a child can give you the best possible opportunity starting in life and that in a difficult jobs market can differentiate you from the crowd. As we’ve highlighted before [1], languages are not just extremely useful in the workplace, but also in your personal and private life and to learn a language as a child will give you a great head start in life.

Here in the UK, around one in ten primary schools offer no language classes at all with a further 20% only offering them to specific year groups, so one thing is for sure; Michael Gove will have a lot of work on his hands with these reforms.

[1] http://www.eurolondon.com/blog/en/12-reasons-to-be-proud-of-knowing-a-second-language/

Would You Give Employers Your Facebook Password?

Posted on April 3, 2012 by Euro London

Over the last few months a worrying workplace trend has been highlighted by the news, some hiring managers have been asking for access to a candidate’s personal Facebook profiles as well as other social media accounts.

We’ve already seen a common trend for hiring managers to search candidate’s social media before offering them a position in their company. In 2008, 34% of employers checked social media to research a candidate [1], by 2011 this figure had risen substantially to 91%, with 69% of those organisations saying they had rejected a candidate due to what they had seen on the candidate profile, although 68% conversely also said they hired someone due to what they had seen on a candidate profile [2].

In the USA, where this trend is thought to of started, there has been an outcry. Several Senators have urged the US Department of Justice to launch investigations into the legality of the practise, citing that employers may be able to see personal groups, which can lead to discrimination [3]. However, whereas you can personally change the settings of your Facebook profile, something we recommend you do; a hiring manager asking to see your personal details through your personal Facebook account can put you in a precarious position. On the one hand it is your right to refuse the hiring managers request to see your Facebook profile, what you may do in your personal life may have no bearing on your professional competency and capacity. But on the other hand what would be the repercussions if you decline, will the hiring managers look less favourably on your application.

In most developed countries and many developing countries there are laws against asking personal questions on the grounds of discrimination, these can include questions which directly relate to a candidates Gender, Age, Religion and other personal information. The fear now is that although asking such questions are illegal, this information could be extracted from a personal Facebook account which could be used to potentially discriminate.

In a social age, are there new expectations of openness and transparency from hiring managers? Are social networks just considered an extension of your personality or does asking to access your personal information go a step too far? After all what you do in your personal life, probably won’t impact on your professional life.

Would you feel comfortable allowing a hiring manager to view your Facebook account?

[1]http://www.careerbuilder.co.uk/share/aboutus/pressreleasesdetail.aspx?id=pr459&sd=9%2F10%2F2008&ed=12%2F31%2F2008

[2] http://mashable.com/2011/10/23/how-recruiters-use-social-networks-to-screen-candidates-infographic/

[3] http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/mar/26/employers-warned-facebook-login-details

Happy New Year

Posted on December 31, 2011 by Euro London

Last week we celebrated Christmas, now it’s time to conclude the festive season! After eating all the food, opening all the presents and drinking all the champagne, it’s now time to welcome the New Year!

So let’s celebrate what we’ve accomplished and plan for what we want to achieve. The New Year is synonymous with doing something new. Resolutions; be it joining the gym, giving up a bad habit or taking up something new, are made around the world.

What do you want to achieve? Perhaps one of the options above, perhaps you’d like to shed a few kilos or perhaps you’d like to start a new job or career path and if you do, we’re here for you.

Wherever you are in the world on New Years Eve, have fun celebrating the start of the 2012!

These are some spectacular scenes from around the world last New Year! Where is the best place you have spent new years?

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2WNK0_mbCc&w=560&h=315]

It’s The Season To Be Jolly

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Euro London

It’s that time of year again!

The time of year when you wake up hoping today’s the day, the time of the year that it’s socially acceptable to wear the jumper your auntie got you four years ago, the time of year when the airwaves are filled with those songs that get everyone singing along and evoke the memories of your childhood.

That’s right, as the great Noddy Holder would say; “It’s Christmas!”

So hang up your stockings, write your Christmas cards and enjoy the Christmas markets. The last two months of planning and preparations have come together for this day! This one day; where the family get together, Christmas crackers are pulled and the Christmas dinner is carved. So enjoy it! For this day comes but once a year. So from Euro London Appointments Joyeux Noel, Fröhliche Weihnachten, Feliz Navidad and Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year!

We’ll be asking what your new year’s resolutions are going to be next week. So put your thinking camps on and ponder what you’re going to change next year! Whether it’s losing a few kilos or finding a new job we want to know what you’re going to do differently.

Merry Christmas!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AG4BPNvayWo&w=420&h=315]

What Impact Is Social Media Having On Your Job Hunt?

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Euro London

If you look back at the last few years, there has been a growing buzzword used by businesses, organisations and individuals situated all over the world. This word is Social Media! The amalgamation of two very different words, social media was born out of the World Wide Web.

It has the ability to report the news to you, live and uncensored, the ability to bring down governments and the ability to get you a job!

In a recent survey of employers, 90% would check a social media network before or during a candidate’s interview process. These include Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, so if you’re on any of these networks, which statistically you probably will be; you’ve been warned!

Tweets on Twitter, Photos uploaded on Facebook and updates posted on LinkedIn may not be as private as you think and could unfortunately damage your job hunting opportunities and career prospects.

However, if you manage your social media networks right, far from being damaging, they can enhance your job hunting opportunities and it’s not as if it’s hard to do, you do it on a daily basis after all.

Check your privacy settings and what groups or pages you may like! More often than not you may have set your photos to private, but not any groups you may be a part of and these can show up on your flashcard page. If you don’t want recruiters/employers to see this, either leave the group or look to change your privacy settings.

Be careful what you say and to whom, Twitter is a prime suspect for this point. Twitter can turn from a friendly micro-blogging device into a disaster for your career opportunities very quickly, with one rash tweet.

Apart from taking care of your social media in a reactive role, you can also take a proactive position! Joining professional networks to interact with possible contacts, making sure you keep up to date with latest industry news and developments within your field can really show your commitment to any potential employer to your ambition and commitment to any career.

Social media is the new kid on the block and it’s got lots of friends in high places, be aware that recruiters no longer rely on just the interview to hire someone anymore.

First Impressions Are Lasting Impressions

Posted on December 8, 2011 by Euro London

Whether you are going to an interview or starting your first day at work, it’s important to make a great first impression! Of course, you’ve heard it all before, but how can you be sure your first impression is a positive one? Studies show that a lasting impression will be formed of you within 30 seconds to ten minutes of meeting you, and this impression will last!

So what are the tricks, tips and all the good bits that can be shown off about your personality in these ten minuets to make a great lasting first impression?

Firstly let’s get rid of the clichés in this scenario! The strong handshake and not arriving late are the bear basics of the first impression and hopefully you know them already!

Your body language is the most important part to the art of a good impression! Studies show that 70 % of what you say is conveyed by your body language and a further 10% by the tone of your voice. This means that 80% of what you’re actually saying isn’t the words you are speaking at all. Standing tall, not slouching and making good eye contact is a great place to start when meeting someone new, as this will convey confidence and ability. If you are sitting down, don’t fold your arms or create what is called a unconscious barrier to you. Sit with your hands out and have an open, welcoming posture; smile and listen – we were given one mouth and two ears for a reason! This will lead you onto the second part to help develop a great first impression.

Making good conversation! You may have already accounted for 80% of a conversation, but you’ve still got 20% to fill. This is a virtuous circle, the more conversation you make, the better you get at it and the more you will converse, so everyone is a winner, but remember that there’s a difference between good conversation and small talk! It’s very easy to spot small talk, it’s irrelevant and forgettable, an engaging conversation will leave a positive lasting impression.

Whether it’s a job you are going for or your first day; Research the company! Know what they do, how big they are, where they have offices etc, you don’t want to be left looking dumbfounded if someone asks you a question about the company. It takes 10 minutes to look into a company’s profile and shows that you are committed to the company from an early stage.

No matter how advanced our technology may be getting, it will always be important to make a personable good first impression! So make sure you’re prepared for your first interview and your first day.

Cover yourself with your Cover Letter

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Euro London

Over the last few months we’ve given you some of our best advice on how to land that dream job of yours. We’ve given you great advice (well we think anyway) on how to write a CV, but what was missing from that advice is the obligatory Cover letter you need to send in with that brilliant CV of yours.

Cover letters are short articles, no more than one A4 piece of paper long, you write about yourself to send in with your CV. They don’t need to be long, they don’t have to be fancy, but they do have to explain why you are perfectly suited to the job. This means tailoring each and every cover letter to the job you are applying for. Whilst the jobs you apply for may not be that different to each other and you may not feel the need to change your cover letter, every hiring manager; no matter how similar the role, will have a different idea, a different set of attributes they will be looking for. It will therefore be up to you to demonstrate these indirectly through your actions written out in both your CV and your cover letter. Do your research on who they are looking for.

You may have heard the famous John Kennedy quote: “ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country”, the same can be said about going through the interview stages of an organisation. Incorporate the research you have done for the position into this covering letter and emphasis what you can do for the company.

Often if you are emailing or sending a CV to a recruiter the covering letter will be the first information they see about you, it’s so important to make a good first impression! Like previously stated in our blog on how to write a great CV, check for spelling and punctuation mistakes, make sure what you are sending out is literally perfect.

Overall cover letters should complement not duplicate your CV, if you find you’ve repeated the same points on both your CV and your cover letter, have a second look at what you’ve written.

Relocation, Relocation, Relocation

Posted on November 24, 2011 by Euro London

The UK jobs market has seen one of the biggest squeezes in recent times with the decline in the availability of jobs, which is being matched around Europe. Even Germany, seen as the steady ship of Europe, is seeing a contraction in the number of jobs available and a rise in the number of people who are unemployed.

Being a multilingual recruitment agency, we often place people of various nationalities from around Europe into another country in Europe for a role, most are happy to relocate.

But it seems that in the UK, this option is extremely limited by the lack of ability to learn or even try and learn another language. A report out last week [1] states that two in three Brits can’t speak a single foreign word! We think that the report may be over exaggerated, but we know that other points were re-iterating what we have always known; that the majority of the British public’s attitude to want to learn a language is abysmal.

Without the possibility of relocating abroad to work, apart from the obvious British tourist hot spots, there is a very slim chance of finding work in a non English speaking country, vastly narrowing the number of job opportunities.

We often find that many of the companies we are working with to place staff, here and elsewhere around Europe, desire English speakers. But native English speakers more often than not, are not able to speak another language.

It’s not only the lack of experience and language ability that can hold someone’s job search back, but the lack of will to relocate or commute to any job that is not located on their back door.

It’s a global world; it’s time we all started thinking global.

Have a nice day! Goodbye! Au revoir! Auf Wiedersehen! Arrivederci! ¡Adiós! Ok, you get the point.

[1] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2062982/Two-Britons-speak-SINGLE-foreign-word.html

Equality – Is it just a word?

Posted on November 10, 2011 by Euro London

It’s been decades since most states within the European Union developed legislation that protect men and women from discrimination in the workplace on matters such as pay and promotion. However, this week new statistics out have showed a worrying trend. All three of the top stock exchanges of Europe; London’s FTSE, Frankfurt’s DAX and Paris’s CAC, have Less than 20% of the seats on the board of directors occupied by women[1]. This week, Theresa May, the United Kingdom’s home secretary, stated that she thinks the UK alone is missing out on £21 billion a year in growth in the markets through a lack of female leaders and a further £42 billion a year would be produced if there were as many female entrepreneurs ran businesses as men [2].

So why is there still the fabled “glass ceiling” for so many women, when not only is there legislation to prevent discrimination, but also groups set up to help, such as the 30% club on the FTSE which hopes to see 30% of the number of the seats on boards taken by females. (I’m not sure why it’s not 50% to be honest, if you’re going to aim to make a difference, why not aim for equality?). There is also a general consensus that female board members are greatly beneficial, bringing a type of process and calculation to situations where a man’s pride may have taken over in a male dominated environment.

So is it a lack of ambition? Perhaps; But the world has turned into the most equal it has ever been! Where before the norm would have been for a daughter to cook and clean, to be the doting wife to the husband who would go out to work, nowadays a daughter is just as encouraged and supported as a son to go out and aspire to be all they can be.

Perhaps then women don’t want to fall into the stereotypes of a leading woman “conniving…ice queens…single…a token…a cheerleader”, but are these stereotypes still relevant today? Were they ever truly relevant at all…apart from in the films? The female leaders of some of the worlds biggest companies, such as Indra Nooyi, the chief executive of PepsiCo, has never lived up to any of the previously stated stereotypes.

So why do you believe there is still a disproportionate amount of men in positions of leadership? Especially in industry, the lucrative banking and petroleum companies etc. When do you think we will be equal? Will we ever?

[1]http://www.corpgov.deloitte.com/binary/com.epicentric.contentmanagement.servlet.ContentDeliveryServlet/USEng/Documents/Nominating-Corporate%20Governance%20Committee/Board%20Composition%20and%20Recruitment/Women%20in%20the%20Boardroom_Deloitte_012011.pdf

[2] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2057723/Theresa-May-Female-talent-boost-economy-60bn.html

How Much Trouble Is Europe In?

Posted on November 18, 2011 by Euro London

This week has seen a culmination of the troubles that have been brewing for months within the economy of Europe. All current decisions made now, are being made to avert what would only be described as financial recession; it seems that the future of Europe is hanging on a knife edge.

There have been some quite considerable changes within EU member states; Italy and Greece have both appointed new leaders to try and stem the flow of ever growing worries within their economies, whilst Spain appears to be heading for a change of leadership.

Interest charged on government backed bonds is hitting unprecedented levels; these rates indicate the risk perceived on the ability of the country to pay it back, the higher the interest, the higher the risk. Earlier this week Greece was faced with having to pay back 22% on top of what it initially borrows over the course of 10 years, and there is a very high fear that Greece won’t be able to meet its commitments and that is worrying the financial markets. To put that 22% in perspective, Germany’s interest on a 10 year bond is just over 2%.

However, positive news can be found in the consolation that the economy of the 17-nation Euro Zone grew by 0.2%, between July and September, not much but at least it has grown, kept buoyant primarily by the German and French economies after several other countries including Greece’s economy shrunk.

Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel has described the ongoing Euro Zone situation as the continents toughest hour since World War Two, a highly charged use of words that was sure to grab the headlines across Europe and highlight how serious the predicament we are faced with.

What are your views on the current situation around Europe? Have the EU leaders got it right?