For more Information: [email protected] OR [email protected] Tips for surviving redundancy For more information or for any Learning related query please contact: • [email protected] • [email protected] Tips to help you survive Redundancy
For more Information: [email protected] OR [email protected] REDUNDANCY Possibly one of the most stressful times of a person’s life, particularly if this is your first experience of being made redundant. You may feel shock, resentment (of your current/former employer), sadness, anger or just be generally worried. Some people feel relief, although not the most common of feelings at this time, but redundancy can be the beginning of something better, the start of a new chapter in your life. One where you can shake off all the things that annoyed you in your last job. Resentment, sadness, anger, worry - I felt all these things when I was made redundant, not all at the same time, and sometimes I only felt some of them. Having faced redundancy six times the only thing I can definitely say is that if you accept it as a chance to make a change for the better then you are more likely to do this. Get yourself organised, your new ‘job’ now, is to find a job, and to find a better one and don’t believe anyone who tells you, “There are no jobs out there”. During recent redundancies I considered working for myself, to become self-employed. This won’t suit everyone, but don’t be scared by this option, it is not as bad as you think. Both being an employee and being self-employed have their advantages. This guide has been put together to hopefully get your mind focused on what you need to do to survive being made redundant, to help you get ‘your house in order’ and find a better job. If you only do one thing after reading this, make that one thing be to: Start getting job search ready today – don’t put if off until tomorrow If you do decide to read on, this guide has 10 Tips to help you. You may not need to read all of them, and it is not an exhaustive list as some career change specialists will likely tell you to do other things. Some more brief advice: Don’t be stubborn and refuse to listen or accept advice from those trying to help you. Likewise, it is okay to be skeptical of anyone in a rush to get you to invest/ part with any redundancy payments. Our Tips (in no particular order) 1. List your skills 2. Consider new skills or refresh your current ones 3. Check your finances / State Benefits – Now is not the time to ignore them 4. Stay positive / Stay Organised 5. Get a CV 6. Cover Letters / Cover Emails 7. Get an Online Job search profile 8. Consider Self-Employed 9. Use this time wisely 10. Don’t be embarrassed to seek support PLEASE NOTE: ADDITIONALLY, YOU HAVE THE BENEFIT OF NUMEROUS COURSES TO HELP WITH RE-SKILLING. SEE END OF BOOKLET FOR LINKS
For more Information: [email protected] OR [email protected] L I S T Y O U R S K I L L S LIST YOUR SKILLS If your first reaction is ‘what skills’, you are not alone. Many people whether they are facing redundancy or not are unsure of what skills they have. Unless they are obvious, for example you are a Carpenter or a Web Designer etc., then most of us are left to wonder what skills we have. To confuse things further career change Guru’s will refer to your transferable skills, but exactly what are transferable skills? Read on to find out. This may surprise you, but you have many skills, and many of them will be valued by your next employer. Even if you have spent many years working on a particular machine that no one else uses you will have developed other skills that will benefit another employer. Things like teamwork, working under pressure are transferable skills. To help you get started think about and note down a couple of points for each of the following: • Things you love to do (try to avoid things like drinking or sleeping!) • Things you are good at (are you well organised, a good listener, good at directing a team?) • Your personal qualities (are you patient, caring, honest, have an eye for detail etc.) • Your work experiences (list a few points about things you have done for a while in work) Also think about what went well in your job, what made it successful, what was your involvement in them? Even an everyday ‘simple’ task like fulfilling a customer order 100% accurately and on time, didn’t happen by itself. You had an impact on that. It was successful either because you could direct the team to achieve it, you were organised to get it done, you worked with efficiency, you could take and accept direction from someone else or maybe you overcame a problem to get it done, or simply asked for help. If you done one or more of these things, then you have a skill(s) that is transferable. You have a skill that will be a benefit to another employer: What done Skill Demonstrated Directed the team Leadership Delegation Completed order on time Organised Time Management 100% accurate order Integrity Reliable Attentive Took directions from others Attentive People Skills See, this ‘simple’ everyday task proves that you have around 10 transferable skills!
For more Information: [email protected] OR [email protected] 15 Most Commonly Sought Transferable Skills Before you read on, DO NOT panic if you do not have all 15! And do not panic if you can only match about 3 or 4. These are the commonly needed skills, if the job you are looking for is not a normal 9-5 Monday – Friday type job you will probably have other skills that are still valuable. You just need to think about what they are for a bit longer. Transferable Skill Description of Skill Adaptability Can you easily accept changes, do a routine task at a different time? Work with someone else, in another place or on a task you haven’t done before? Being able to adjust to different times, workflow, people, jobs etc shows you are adaptable. Analytical Like problem solving in a way (see below). Some problems and tasks at work are big, complex things. Being able to break these down into smaller chunks and find solutions step-by-step is likely to mean you are analytical. Attentive This skill is about the finer details, you can find the ‘needle in a haystack’. Or rather you go through things with a fine-tooth comb, find errors or omissions and correct them. Commonly you are known as the ‘Fuss-pot’! Communication If you can speak and write and maybe type, then you can communicate? It’s not that simple, if you can share ideas and instructions in a way that is straight to the point, easily understood by all and clear then you have a skill in communicating. If you waffle all day long and ummm and arrrr a lot, then maybe you don’t. Computer Skills Can you build a website? Can you programme an App? Not many people can, and thankfully in most (non-IT specific) roles employers are looking for more basic skills. Can you send an email? Can you make a poster on a computer, can you find something online, book an event online, use social media, know about the dangers of working online, can you use the ‘cloud’ or take part a in video call online? Well over 90% of all jobs now need some sort of computer skills, so if you are a complete novice (can’t switch one on) you probably need some training. Creativity A step on from the skill of thinking (critically). Being creative is not a common skill, but the ability to develop an idea, an idea that is different to anything else that has been tried and then bring it to life. Creative people tend to be impulsive, are happy being different, may change their mind often. They have original ideas or can develop other ideas in a different way. Leadership Now, you don’t need to be in a specific leadership role to have leadership skills. In fact, being a true leader is different from being a manager. Even some managers lack this skill! Leaders inspire people and motivate them, they are key to building a strong team by their personality and input. If you often show your colleagues how to do something, encourage them, explain things to them in a way that gets the tasks done well, then you most likely have leadership skills.
For more Information: [email protected] OR [email protected] Transferable Skill Description of Skill Listening To be able to solve problems, to be able to work well in a team, to be able to lead you must be a good listener. This is not just about listening though, but active listening, where you hear what the person is saying and can understand them. You won’t be a good listener if you are doing another task at the same time e.g., looking at your phone. Literacy Basic literacy we are on about here. Communication skills is part of this. Think whether you can write/type a clear message, a clear email or instruction. Could you write or type a short report on a work task? Is your spelling okay? Can you form sentences, okay? Do you know where an apostrophe (‘) goes? If any of these scares you – you may want to consider improving this skill and completing a Literacy Course. This skill is one of the most moaned about by employers, as it is lacking in all ages of the workforce. Numeracy Notice we don’t say maths skills! We are looking for everyday use of numbers to count things, measure things, make a judgement based on the numbers in front of you, being able to realise that 1/3 off is a better deal than 25% off. What is the average price, being able to add, subtract, multiple, divide without a calculator. These are Number Skills, and like literacy skills if you have them you are probably in a minority! People Skills Again, you don’t need to be a manager to show people skills (most of them don’t!). If you have people skills you get on with other people, you can listen and relate to them. You show empathy for others and are willing to work to help them. You are probably flexible, patient and are dependable. Problem Solving Work is full of problems, right? That is why we moan so much about it. But, if you cannot just identify problems in the workplace, but you’re the type of person that suggests ways to resolve them – then you have a valuable skill Teamwork The common saying is. “There is no I in team”. In other words, if all your work experience and your all your CV is only about you, then are you really a team player? To have this skill you not only must be part of a team but work positively and actively within in it. Thinking (Critically) Not thinking about what you going to have for tea that evening or what top to wear out on Friday but thinking that has logic in it. In other words, you can use information to make a sound decision or judgement. Your thoughts are based on evidence, not something you read on Facebook. Time Management Are you always rushing, often late, rarely make work deadlines? These are the sorts of things that mean you have poor time management skills. If, however, you are the opposite of this and are able to plan your work and tasks into an order (urgent ones first etc) that mean you get the job done and always avoid the 3 evils at the beginning, then you have time management skills. REMEMBER: On your CV, in your applications for a new role and in interviews etc it would be useful to have 1 or 2 examples of how you actually demonstrated your transferrable skills
For more Information: [email protected] OR [email protected] N E W S K I L L S A A R E F R E S H S K I L L S NEW SKILLS / REFRESH YOUR SKILLS Hopefully, you have already seen that you have several Transferable Skills. Alongside these you may also have some other skills, skills that are more easily measured or skills that have led you to getting recognition for them. What we are really talking about here is those skills that you get a Certificate for: GCSE’s, A-Levels, NVQ’s, BTEC’s, Essential or Functional Skills, Degree’s, Certificate of Participation etc etc. All of these could be useful to you in finding a new role. There are 3 things to consider here: 1. Do you need to list all of these on your CV? (e.g., GCSE’s done 10-15 years are not so relevant today) 2. They should either be listed in the order you achieved them OR in the order of how well they suit the role you are applying for 3. Do you need to refresh any of them, OR do you need to get some new ones? 1. Do I need to list all my qualifications on my CV? The answer to this, really depends on how many you have got, and how old they are. If your qualifications are over 10 years old, and you can answer YES to the question below, then you should list them all. QUESTION: Are they relevant to the job OR are they the only ones you have got? Remember, don’t just think about qualifications you gained at school / college, any certificate or study you have done since may count. For any qualifications you put on your CV list the year you gained them as well. 2. How to order my list of qualifications The general advice tends to be, to list them in reverse order according to when you gained them, the most recent first, then going backwards. A simple list looking like this would suffice: Business Skills BTEC Level 3 - July 2018 GCSE English Language (A Grade) - July 2016 GCSE Business Studies (B Grade) - July 2016 It also accepted to list them in order of how relevant they are to the job you are going for. This would only usually apply when you need specific qualifications for a role. 3. Should I refresh them or gain new ones? If you gained them in the last 5 years you probably don’t need to refresh them, unless you personally feel the need to. Any that are over 5 years old would certainly be worth refreshing. Here we are NOT talking about your PE or History GCSE’s, etc, unless you are still doing something that relates to these specific qualifications. The more relevant ones to the general world of work are English, Maths and Computer Skills.
For more Information: [email protected] OR [email protected] If you haven’t done any formal learning in English, Maths or Computer Skills in the last 5 years you should think about refreshing these. NB: These qualifications may now be titled Literacy or Numeracy or Digital Skills etc. “All you need is 1 hour a week to start changing your life” Likewise, if you didn’t do very well at school in these subjects maybe now is the time to have another go. Adult Learning is a very different experience to that of school or college. Plus, all you need is around 1 hour a week to start changing your life. There are loads of good online courses that last anything from 1 hour to 30 hours + and you can study them whenever suits you. IMPORTANT Employers love applicants who are regularly updating their skills or learning new ones What Skills should I study in adult life? This is a question that is almost impossible to answer in a way that would suit everyone reading this. There are just too many jobs with too many options to try and list here. However, as mentioned above: English (Literacy), Maths (Numeracy) and Computer Skills are important for nearly every role. So, below is a list of some of the possible places you may want to look for ideas on what learning you could, or should do: • Careers Wales or Working Wales websites • National Careers Services - England • Your Union (the GMB have over 550 courses that you can study for FREE!) • Local Colleges • Your employer (current or new one) There is an almost endless list (that is forever changing) of providers that will offer you free courses, or there may be some funding that could pay the course fees for you. If you are interested in learning / upskilling then challenge the GMB’s Regional Learning team (details at bottom of page) to help find you a course! If you are really unsure of what qualifications or skills you need for a job, spend about 10-15 minutes searching for vacancies for the job you want. Do this as soon as you can, because if you need to do some learning, the earlier you start the more chance you have of being qualified before you actually apply. Paying for a Course Don’t do this until you have at least checked with the first 3 places listed above. There is a lot of support to help fund your learning and increase your chances of getting a job. For example: Members in England Members in Wales Over 550 Courses offered by the GMB Over 550 Courses offered by the GMB Help & support from Regional Learning Team Help & support from Regional Learning Team Lifetime Skills Guarantee Personal Learning Accounts Job Centre Plus Rapid Response Service ReAct Funding Skills Network Courses WULF – Welsh Union Learning Fund
For more Information: [email protected] OR [email protected] C H E C K Y O U R F I N A N C E S CHECK YOUR FINANCES Do NOT delay in doing this! It is a very scary thing to check if you will be okay financially when you are losing your job. Particularly, if you are leaving with little or no redundancy payments. Most of us don’t have large sums of money in the bank for ‘a rainy day’, and again most of us will live from one payday to the next so it is important to know where every penny is going. Go through the following steps to try and save a few pennies or pounds: 1. Check recent bank statements to find out the total cost of all the direct debits that go out. Can you still afford them all if you are out of work for a short time? 2. Then go through them and ask yourself can you cancel them or reduce them somehow. If you can DO IT! 3. Can you ask your Mortgage Lender for a ‘payment holiday’ or to reduce payments whilst you find a new job? 4. Can you do the same with any credit or store card companies you might owe money to? 5. Do you really need the full Sky Sports Package, all the Movies, plus Netflix and Amazon Prime? 6. Is that Gym membership (that you really haven’t used for 6 months) still worthwhile? 7. Can you do your weekly food shop at a less expensive supermarket? 8. Should you start cutting back on your ‘regular’ Domino’s takeaway or your weekly Chinese? 9. Try to keep a diary of where your other daily expenses are going. You will be surprised how many of us will sub-consciously have a Starbucks Latte every day and a Sainsburys Meal deal without truly noticing that it is costing you close to £30 a week. Whether it roughly written on an old envelope, neatly laid out on a piece of A4 or typed into a spreadsheet you NEED to have an idea of: • How much money you have coming in o Your pay o Your partner’s pay (if relevant) o Any family related benefits you receive o Any unemployment benefits you will get • Total cost of your direct debits • How much money you have after all your direct debits have gone out • How much you should have left (after direct debits have gone out) • How much you have left to spend each month / each week
For more Information: [email protected] OR [email protected] If you don’t have enough to live on, you might be able to get help from your local council or an interestfree loan from the government. If you're waiting for benefit payments to start, you might be able to get your benefit paid earlier. NEED HELP WITH FINANCES? Citizens Advice https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/ Stepchange.org https://www.stepchange.org/ Money Advice Service https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/ Turn2us.org.uk https://www.turn2us.org.uk/Get-Support NEED HELP WITH STATE BENEFITS? Citizens Advice https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/ Money Advice Service https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/ Government Sites https://www.understandinguniversalcredit.gov.uk/employment-and-benefits-support/redundancy/ https://www.gov.uk/guidance/redundancy-help-finding-work-and-claiming-benefits NEVER BE AFRAID OR EMBARRASSED TO ASK FOR HELP TO WORK OUT YOUR FINANCES NEVER BE AFRAID OR EMBARRASED TO SEEK OUT ANY BENEFITS YOU ARE ENTITLED TO
For more Information: [email protected] OR [email protected] S T A Y P O S I T I V E & O R G A N I S E D STAY POSITIVE / STAY ORGANISED This will probably be one of the most annoying things you will hear people tell you after you have heard about your Redundancy, right up there along with “Don’t worry, you’ll be okay”. Certainly, in the few days after both being told about redundancy and then being made redundant it will most likely not seem that helpful. Here, we are not saying you need to be positive 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. But you need to realise early on that job hunting is like riding a rollercoaster. Initially you will feel sick, apprehensive, maybe scared. There will be high points and low points and this journey will be ‘one heck of a ride’. At the end you will feel relieved, elated (that it is over) and maybe even excited for the next stage. It is very, very unlikely that you will get a response from most of the jobs you apply for, it is very unlikely that you will be successful with all those you do hear from. That is why you need to stay positive. “Job-hunting is a job in itself” • Set time aside to look for and apply for jobs • Remember to take breaks and have time away from job searching • Don’t forget the importance of eating and sleeping regularly • Don’t ‘drop’ your hobbies or keep fit workouts – these will help you stay positive • Have separate folders (either paper ones or on your PC) to store your applications, CV’s, Certificates etc. • Keep a list / diary of all the applications you have made, the dates you had replies (if you had any) • Don't be afraid to ask an employer for feedback if you weren’t successful following an interview • Check and update your online profile o Your ‘new’ employer is VERY likely to check you out online! o Check your social media accounts, removing any photos / comments that might affect your chances of getting a new job o In some social media platforms, the people / places you follow may be visible to others, make sure your list will not affect your job searching success or embarrass you o Look at the email address you use: [email protected] might have been impressive in high school, but it could affect how successful your job searching is
For more Information: [email protected] OR [email protected] G E T A C V U P D A T E Y O U R C V GET A CV / UPDATE YOUR CV CV, Curriculum Vitae, or Resume is simply a summary of all your jobs and qualifications to date. If you don’t have one, now is the time to make one. Already got one? Then now is the time to update it! Don’t know what a CV looks like, what should go in it or what you should do with it? Don’t panic, unless you are aiming for some flashy graphic design or interior design type role a simple, no fuss typed CV will do. Follow these steps to create your first one: • If you haven’t already done so, write down all the jobs you have been employed in. • Start with your most recent and work backwards • For each list your job title, and the month and year you started / left • For each als0 list 3, 4 or 5 things you have done in each job. Try to make some of these something that you had done well. For example: I was the Company’s Top Production Line Employee for 3 months in 2019 I developed new menus to promote our local produce meals and sales rose 15% I changed my sections beachwear layout and displays, and our sales doubled • Whatever you have done well, try to state what positive effect it had for your employer • If you are really stuck, stick with listing the main parts of your job role. For example: Operated a Manux 500 Line to produce 55 flange gaskets per shift Served customers at a busy upmarket Café bar, taking orders, delivering meals and drinks, tidying up and ensuring that customers had the best experience possible Ordered and replenished stock on a busy Ladieswear section and helped customers • Once you have this list, the next thing to think about is what is known as your ‘Personal Statement’. This is 3 -4 lines of text that do nothing more than SELL YOU! Think of yourself as an item on Amazon or a film on Netflix, what 3-4 lines of text would make you stop and want to buy the item or watch that film? • All your personal statement is meant to do is grab the reader and entice them to read the rest of your CV! o Sell your best qualifications o Sell the best things you have achieved at work o Sell the best qualities you have as a worker
For more Information: [email protected] OR [email protected] What your CV should look like A basic layout will look something like this, note the first 3 lines after your address etc., this is your personal statement: First Name & Surname Address Postcode Email Address Telephone Number A fully qualified Fork-Lift Driver and Health & Safety Advisor. Responsible for ensuring storage systems are 98% accurate. Organised regular stock takes and safety inspections. Work with integrity, selfmotivated and proud that site has been accident free for last 3 years. Career Mar 2012 – Present: Warehouse Operative / Health & Safety Advisor Somerlands Food and Drink Centre, Bristol • Helped train staff and launch new storage control system • Picked stock for 8 Local Retailers with regular 99.5% accuracy and regularly exceeding productivity targets • Completed weekly inspections of Forklift Trucks and charging stations Sep 2008 – Mar 2012 Dispatch Controller Kingsley Building Products, Bath • Responsible for ensuring loading and dispatch of goods to 12 Garden Centers • Liaised with drivers, pick staff and stores to ensure accuracy and dispatched vehicles on time Qualifications Forklift Truck License IOSH Managing Safety First Aid at Work Certificated Eight GCSE’s including four A-Grade passes Hobbies / Interests WWE Wrestling Reading – particularly autobiographies
For more Information: [email protected] OR [email protected] CV’s – Other Considerations Firstly, if you are still completely stuck at this stage, check with the Regional Learning Team for help and support to create and write a CV. Alternatively, check out the “Star Method” for CV & Cover Letter content and for use in Interviews (below) The GMB has a number of online courses (FREE) that can help you to create a CV, including the IT Skills to make it Look at the following sites for advice and/or CV Templates: • https://www.cvmaker.uk/ • https://www.reed.co.uk/career-advice/free-cv-template/ • https://www.cv-library.co.uk/career-advice/cv/cv-templates/ • Microsoft Word has built in CV Templates: check File > New from Template and look for Resume’s NEVER MORE THAN 2 PAGES : NEVER MORE THAN 2 PAGES If your CV ends up on more than 2 pages you have ‘waffled’ too much or included too much irrelevant stuff. Read it again and consider taking out job details over 10 years old, old non relevant qualifications. Do NOT use a font lower than Font Size 11. Font size 12 is the ideal. SPELLING – SPELLING – SPELLING • Your CV Is only intended to get you an Interview NOT a job • Spelling and grammar are more important than the content and look of your CV • Don’t use flashy fonts styles or different colours, Stick with simple black text, Arial or Calibri • Avoid: information in tables, headers and footers, dates written as 12/05/2021, pictures and embarrassing email addresses • Unless you need to fill your CV leave off references for now – provide them at the interview. The space is better used for information about how good you are! • If you are making your CV in anything other than MS Word, save it as a .PDF file before you send it electronically. This way it is more likely the employer will be able to open/read it • When going for an interview, even if it is an online interview have a copy of your CV to hand • Your CV should always be formal and factual – never lie about what you have done • Avoid shortening words such as we’ve, didn’t, I’ve. Use the full words instead: we have, did not, I have etc • NEVER send your CV without a Cover Letter or Cover Email
For more Information: [email protected] OR [email protected] C O V E R L E T T E R S & E M A I L S COVER LETTERS & COVER EMAILS Unless the job application specifically states for you NOT to send a cover letter, for all other job applications you definitely should. Whether you are applying online through an agency, online via email or through the post a cover letter/email should always go with your CV or Application Form. Some job adverts will state that a cover letter is optional – it is NOT! Unless you want your application filed straight into the bin. Find or create a really good cover letter and save it somewhere safe, then adapt and reuse it for all your job applications. AGAIN – MAKE SURE SPELLING AND GRAMMAR ARE 100% PERFECT! All you need whether it is a letter, or an email is 4 short paragraphs (+ your address etc on a letter) and a greeting and closing remark. 1st Paragraph Short, sweet and simple: What job you are applying for and where you saw the advert. 2nd Paragraph Sell your best professional or academic qualifications, your best bits of your working life. If these things are a bit ‘thin on the ground’ use this space to sell your best qualities (your transferable skills). It can be useful to refer to parts of your CV “as you can see from my experience as a waitress on my CV……” This paragraph would be around 4 or 5 lines long. 3rd Paragraph Sell how your skills and what you have listed above will be a big, big benefit to this company. Try to use actual examples of things you have done / achieved. Ideally if you have done something that either saved your former employer(s) money, increased sales or increased profitability and you don’t include it here – you need a slap! 4th (and last) Paragraph This is where you repeat why you are interested in the role, and why you are the right choice. The last sentence here should be something like. “Thank you for your time and consideration, I look forward to hearing from you.” How to Open / Close a Letter or Email • NEVER, EVER start with Hi or Hello – in a letter or an email • AVOID To whom it may concern • NEVER, EVER finish with Cheers or Thanks – in a letter or email Best to start with: • Dear (+ name of person) OR if unknown (+Sir or Madam) OR (+ Hiring Manager) Best to end with: • If you have used Dear (+ Name) then end with Yours sincerely • If you have used Dear (+ Sir or Madam) then end with Yours faithfully
For more Information: [email protected] OR [email protected] Cover Letters & Emails (continued) NB: The word sincerely and faithfully DO NOT need to start with a capital letter NB: Ending a letter/email with Regards, is also acceptable but not as good as the options above For examples, tips or for template letters check out: • https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/cover-letters • https://www.cv-library.co.uk/career-advice/cover-letters/how-to-write-cover-letter/ • https://www.reed.co.uk/career-advice/free-cover-letter-template/ THE STAR METHOD The Star Method is a useful tool to help you describe your job role on a CV, to help ‘sell’ what you did on a Cover Letter, or to help you plan to express yourself better in an interview. STAR stands for: • situation - the situation you had to deal with • task - the task you were given to do • action - the action you took • result - what happened as a result of your action and what you learned from the experience How to use STAR You can use the STAR method to structure the examples you give to questions, especially in interviews. You can use it to highlight particular skills and qualities you have that the employer is looking for. When using STAR, remember: • to use examples from work, home or volunteering • keep examples short and to the point • try to get your points across in a conversational way so as not to appear too rehearsed • be prepared to answer follow-up questions about the examples you give Example 1 Interviewer: “Tell me about a time when you have shown leadership skills.” Situation: in my previous digital marketing job, the company wanted to get more people to sign up to a newsletter which was not receiving a lot of attention. Task: my job was to find a way of getting more people to sign up. Action: I organised a meeting with other important members of the marketing team to come up with creative ideas, and I led the social media campaign to generate interest in the revamped newsletter. Result: over a period of 3 months, there was an 25% increase in sign-ups to the newsletter and the approach I took was used by the management team in other departments.
For more Information: [email protected] OR [email protected] THE STAR METHOD (continued) Example 2 Interviewer: “Give me an example of when you faced a problem at work. How did you handle it?” Situation: I was working in a florist shop with the manager, and we were arranging an order of flowers for 2 weddings. The manager, who had taken the order, had mixed up the customers’ addresses and the flowers were delivered to the wrong venues. Task: I had to get the flowers to the right place and apologise to the customers. Action: I told my boss that I would deal with the mistake, leaving her to take care of the shop. I spoke to both customers on the telephone to explain and reassured them that we would put things right straight away. I drove to both venues, swapped the flowers in time, and apologised in person. I gave both customers a voucher for a bouquet as compensation. Result: the customers were grateful that we had acted quickly. Later, they both came back to the shop to spend their vouchers and have since recommended us to their friends.
For more Information: [email protected] OR [email protected] G E T A N O N L I N E P R O F I L GET AN ONLINE JOB SEARCH PROFILE An online job search profile – think of it as the CV that never sleeps! The days of handing in CV’s or Job Applications to a real person are nearly all gone. Most of this now tends to happen over the Internet either directly to the company offering the job, or more than likely via a Recruitment Agency. Basically, your Online Job Search Profile is a smaller electronic version of your CV. So, let a Recruitment Agency do all the hard work for you and get yourself registered with them. As many as you feel comfortable with. They will likely also help you make, or perfect your CV, give advice on cover letters / emails and interview tips. In most cases they will even submit the job application for you and organise the feedback and interviews with you. All you need to do is find them and register your profile and job needs with them. Then let them find the jobs for you, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. And, as your job search profile is now ‘floating’ around the World Wide Web, potential employers will use it to come and find you! Some suggestions you may find useful: • Reed.co.uk • Total Jobs.co.uk • Monster.com • Brook Street.co.uk The Power of Social Media Maybe not WhatsApp, Snapchat, TikTok etc but don’t forget the power of Social Media for finding a job. LinkedIn is a very useful site for ‘selling’ your talents and looking for jobs. Quite similar to Facebook in some ways, but without all the hassle! Depending on how you use Facebook/Twitter etc, these could be useful tools for job hunting or spreading the word. Just check first that there is NOTHING on these forums that could embarrass you in an interview or stop you from getting an interview. NOTE: Be prepared, once you start registering with Recruitment Agencies, they will be very welcoming and likely be in regular contact via email or phone. Additionally, other Agencies (that you haven’t approached) will start to find and contact you, about jobs.
For more Information: [email protected] OR [email protected] C O N S I D E R S E L F E M P L O Y E D CONSIDER SELF-EMPLOYMENT Imagine being able to work when you want to, start and finish when you want to, take breaks when you want to, pay yourself whatever you want to. Work without managers constantly hassling you or without colleagues that you don’t like. If this sounds good. Self-Employment could be for you! So long as you have or can supply something that other people and companies want, then being self-employed gives you a number of benefits. Plus, it is not as hard or as scary as you think. • Do you need an Accountant – NO • Do you need a separate Bank Account – NO (although it could be easier if you do) • Can you do other jobs as an employee at the same time – YES • Can your home be your workplace – YES • Can you claim an allowance for working from home – YES • Can you use your own car and claim and allowance for it – YES Self-employment has many benefits and should be a serious consideration if you have a service you can provide, or a product(s) you can sell – providing there is enough demand for you to earn enough. Most people are put off because they think dealing with HMRC and doing a Tax Return is too difficult. IT IS NOT! I say this as a former PAYE Employee for over 30 years, who had a young family and a mortgage at the time I decided to become Self-Employed. I can safely say the hardest bit is not registering or dealing with HMRC, the hardest bit is switching off from your work! For some help on starting off, look at: • https://www.gov.uk/working-for-yourself • https://www.simplybusiness.co.uk/knowledge/articles/2019/11/how-to-set-upas-self-employed-with-hmrc-uk/
For more Information: [email protected] OR [email protected] TO FINALISE REDUNDANCY TIPS • List your current skills and qualifications • List your work history and things you have done well • Get yourself a CV and decent cover letter/email • Treat job hunting like a job • Do NOT ignore the power of being Online and telling the world you want a job • Sort out your home finances – at the very least know how much is coming in and how much is going out • Try to stay positive, you will get turned down and ignored – A LOT! It happens to everyone, don’t take it personally • Consider becoming Self-Employed • Use your time wisely, it is very easy to put off job hunting to do other things (a bit of Gardening / DIY and getting through that boxset on Netflix), these things are important too, but they won’t pay your bills for very long – make sure you dedicate some time each day to either getting organised for job hunting, actually job hunting or applying for jobs. • Don’t forget your Union, the GMB can help with all the above plus find you courses to help you FINALLY Don’t forget support is available Contact: [email protected] OR [email protected] LASTLY – Check out our full list of courses available to you: Scan the QR Code or go to: - https://anyflip.com/bookcase/edsin