Dazzling CVs - Career Surgery
Are you at a career crossroads or facing redundancy and an uncertain future?Do you need some advice on how to kick start your career and open the door to new opportunities?
Well if so, you have come to the right place! Check out the articles from career experts SMP Solutions.
Whether you are trying to work your way up the career ladder, are looking to change your career or just want to stand out from the crowd, you will find advice and key tips.
SMP Solutions offer a variety of individual career development coaching programmes and career transition workshops to help you unlock your potential and navigate your way to a brighter future! Check out the SMP Solutions website www.smp-solutions.co.uk
SMP Navigate the way to a brighter future and spring into a new career!
Spring is now here and the season for change and fresh starts. The flowers are in bloom but is your career blossoming or is it time for a career �spring clean'?�
As a result of the success of our recent April workshop...
SMP Solutions Guide: Is the time right to rethink your career?
In the current economic downturn and rounds of redundancies, many people are likely to be re-evaluating their future and careers.Although it may not seem to be the best time to change career, if your chosen sector is experiencing extreme difficulties...
SMP Solutions Guide: How Social Networking Can Help Your Job Search
In these days of web 2.0, online forums and blogging, having an online presence is equally important as offline. Most of us have heard horror stories about how a person's online profile wrecked his or her job search or career. However, there are increasing amounts of social networking sites and both candidates and forward.
SMP Solutions Guide: Top 20 Careers to Pursue in a Recession
Following a recent article in HR World, SMP Solutions takes the lid off some of the careers that are least likley to be at risk in a down turn. If you want to recession-proof your career, the key is to focus on work that continues even when most people don't have disposable income to spend.
SMP Solutions Guide: A Case Study - Career Transition
The Client: Richard had a good job as a senior HR Manager and had influenced and managed significant change in the company over the 7 years he was in situ. However, he was bored, increasingly frustrated at the way the company
SMP Solutions Guide to Getting Ahead of the Job Pack
Finding a job, especially the ‘right’ job for you, can be almost a full time occupation, particularly in a difficult employment market. So how to you get yourself ahead of the pack to stand a greater chance of success?
SMP Solutions Guide to Negotiating a Job Offer
You have battled your way through the rounds of interviews and received the call you have been waiting for to advise that you have been successful in winning the job. Congratulations! The next burning question you have on your mind is likely to be regarding salary. How much will they pay you?
SMP Solutions Guide to Redundancy Support
What should you do if you are faced with redundancy? Are you one of the thousands of job �victims� affected by the credit crunch and the downturn in the economy? Not a pleasant situation to suddenly be faced with, unless you have been quietly plotting your escape route and can now walk away with some spare cash, or you always knew that the time is right to get out.
SMP Solutions Guide to Winning with Attitude
Is getting your next job or promotion just about you having the right skills? What other factors could play a major part in both your job search and also success in career advancement? Many people think that skills and knowledge are the be all and end all for most jobs.
SMP Solutions Guide to Changing Jobs in a Downturn
What are the implications of changing your job or career in an economic downturn? Are you frustrated in your job but are concerned about changing job or career in the current economic climate due to employers using the ‘last in, first out’ policy when looking at redundancies?
SMP Solutions Guide to the 'Velvet Rut'
What is the Velvet Rut? The 'Velvet Rut' is where you find yourself in an unfulfilling job in which you are not learning anything new, not using the full extent of your skills and are just�bored stiff. You probably disconnected several�months�ago and are now�just going through the motions.
SMP Solutions Guide to Graduate Career Transition Part 1
Got the graduation blues! Looking to move from academia into employment but unsure how to move forward? If this is your first foray into the world of work, after enjoying university life, for the majority of people it is a scary situation. The dawn of reality!
SMP Solutions Guide to Graduate Career Transition Part 2
Looking to move from academia into the workplace but unsure how to move forward? You have now hopefully addressed the questions in part 1 of this guide. If not it is best that you refer to this first, as it will save you time and get you focussed!
SMP Solutions Guide to Lessons from 'The Apprentice' 2008
What will you be doing on Wednesday nights now that another compelling series of 'The Apprentice' has come to a nail biting close? It is amazing how 'The Apprentice' has captured the imagination for viewers of all ages. Why is this?
SMP Solutions Guide to Job Search
How would you like to cut to the chase of the Job search process? Our experience shows that there are a lot of misconceptions about job search; not least that it is a very simple activity. Nothing could be further from the truth.
SMP Solutions Guide to Job Application Forms
Job application forms come in all shapes and sizes both online and in paper format. Many companies only use a basic form to collect key personal data and your CV would do the rest of the 'talking', or they may not require application forms at all.
SMP Solutions Guide to Transferable Skills
Skills are a key part of everyday life not just in the workplace. Whether you are a manager, a warehouse operative or a mum working minimal hours to pay the bills, everyone has skills that help them in their work and life in general.
SMP Solutions Guide to Moving up the Career Ladder - Part 1
Once you have decided it's time to move forward in your career you need to identify the sort of role and whether you wish to remain in your existing organisation. If the answer is no, then you need to consider what type of organisation you would like to work for. As with most aspects of management, one of the key ingredients to your future success will be planning your strategy plus also doing your research.
SMP Solutions Guide to Moving up the Career Ladder - Part 2
Most managers and staff find being promoted up the career ladder extremely stressful and one of the toughest challenges that they have had to overcome and second only to dealing with divorce a CPID survey has shown!
Also, don't expect your company to champion your career progression, unless you are extremely lucky, as the survey results showed that most people have little or no support from within.
SMP Solutions Guide to Mums Returning to Work
Whether you have been a 'high flyer' or helping the family income as a second earner, life is always very different as a mum.
Your priorities will almost certainly have changed with flexibility and work life balance being all important. Finding the right job can seem a daunting task, especially if you are suffering from loss of confidence and your CV and skill set are well out of date...
SMP Solutions Guide to 10 Challenging Interview Questions
Understanding the hidden meaning behind these key questions could give you a vital edge in winning interviews.
It will provide you the opportunity to practice your answers so that they become second nature, which should really help your confidence for the big day!
Remember that employers are always looking for specific examples of evidence to prove your competence in a range of job related areas...
SMP Solutions Guide to Get the Best from Recruitment Agencies
Recruitment agencies are a good source for finding employment (but best not to make them your only source) providing you are aware of what they can offer you and how best to manage them! Importantly, recruitment agencies are only allowed to charge fees to the employer. The service to the applicant is free, so never hand over any money is asked.All recruiters continually seek good quality candidates and it helps them if...
SMP Solutions Guide to Career / Job Search Networking
The Importance of Career Networking
When it comes to career success it’s often about who you know, not what you know.
Networking is now one of the most important, if not the most important, activities that job-seekers need to master to be truly successful in your job-search.
SMP Solutions Guide to Career Coaching
What is a Career Coach?
A career coach is someone who will help you realise your career goals or equally help you set your career goals to then realise them!
SMP Solutions Guide to Career Values & Needs
What are Your Values? Our values are the things which we hold dear and we all have a set of values. However, our values often change over time but we rarely audit them.
SMP Solutions Guide to Why Interviews Go Wrong
Unless you are particularly lucky, interviews are arguably not the most natural of situations and, depending on the environment, can sometimes even be described as a surreal experience!
SMP Solutions Guide to Portfolio Careers
Have you thought about setting up your own business but have held back because you could not decide which route to go down?
Lots of ideas and options but unsure how to choose?
Do you love variety and differing challenges?
SMP Solutions Guide to Work Survival Skills
These days it is not enough to just think about the skills that you need to compete and get you ahead in the workplace, if you are really forward thiniking, you will also think about the skills to survive the workplace.
The SMP Solutions Guide to What Employers Want
In today’s fast moving world of constant change, employers are generally looking for a number of key competencies and arguably the more you can prove and display the more marketable you become.
SMP Solutions Guide to Lessons in life from ‘The Apprentice’
Love Alan Sugar or hate him, ‘The Apprentice’ for many people provided some of the best TV of the year. Many twists and turns, some interesting personalities and some great learning points for viewers, regardless of their own careers and personal show favourites.
SMP Solutions Guide to Image & Personal branding
(part -1)
How to look, sound and behave for success part 1
What is Personal Branding?
Personal branding is about what makes you unique. It relates to how people see you, what you project to others and their perception of you.
SMP Solutions Guide to Image & Personal branding (part -2)
How to look, sound and behave for success part 2
Part 1 of our guide provided the background to Personal Branding Identity (PBI). You now have a great opportunity to find out how aware you really are of yourself, your image and PBI.
Our 5 minute quiz will help you discover how effective your personal brand is!
SMP Solutions Guide to developing a good CV
Firstly some key considerations …What is the purpose of a CV?
This seems like a simple and obvious question but amazing how many people of all levels and at all stages of their careers fail to grasp this!
…
SMP Solutions Guide to Making Redundancy Work for You
For many people redundancy is highly traumatic and rates with bereavement, divorce, marriage and moving house as one of the most stressful situations you may ever have to face in life.
If you have been in a job for a long time, it will inevitably have become an integral part of your life. To have this taken away from you can seem like your own personal loss or bereavement...
SMP solutions Guide to Winning @ Interviews
Are you getting interviews but not getting the job?
Maybe told ‘you did well but came a close second’?
Not had an interview for many years and find the thought terrifying?
Here are some key fundamentals to consider to help you along the way
What is the purpose of an interview?
This is not a trick question but one that many candidates overlook...
SMP Solutions guide to Self Marketing & Selling Yourself
How to become the architect of your own future and match your mission with your vision!
When managing your career, be mindful that the biggest mistake many people make is letting others make decisions for them.It may be that a recruitment agency tries to pigeon hole you into a ‘box’ but you don’t feel this represents either your true skill set or desired job role. This can often happen, as it makes their job much easier but could result in you not selling or marketing yourself in the way you desire.
SMP Solutions guide to Career & Life Change
Research shows that 1 in 2 people are in the wrong job and 2 out of 3 are unfulfilled in their jobs! This startling statistic was reconfirmed yet again by a recent Norwich Union survey. If this sounds like you, then now is the time to start getting your house in order, as life is too short!
The longer you have been in a job the harder making the break is likely to be. Also, the longer you leave your decision to change the more frustrated you will become and this will impact on your life and those around you, especially nearest and dearest!
