“The best way you can predict your future is to create it “
The New Year celebrations have faded and Xmas is a distant memory and already we are fast approaching February!
We are now 20 days into the New Year, so what ACTION have you taken to ensure that 2011 is the year that you shine, the year that you fulfill your career ambitions?
For many, the past two years (and this includes myself) have been difficult, however, I do feel some comfort knowing that I wasn’t alone. The recession has bought redundancy and uncertainty within the City and for those of you who have held onto your jobs then perhaps you have experienced taking on more responsibility or working harder to justify your existence within the workplace.
I read a very interesting article this week in the Evening Standard giving hope to those who are looking for new opportunities in 2011. The article predicted that there could be potentially 20,000 job moves within the middle and back office alone!
So, it appears that the City is optimistic which is great news for job hunters, however, don’t expect it to be easy…there is a lot of competition out there and companies want the best people on board.
With this in mind what ACTION can you take to stand out from your competition and ensure that 2011 is a successful year for you?
Below I have listed six important points to consider when looking for new opportunities either internally with your existing employer or externally for a new employer:
Adding Value – How can you add value to your existing or new employer? Being aware of your strengths and being able to talk about your key achievements to date is essential when interviewing.
CV – This is essentially your marketing tool, is it up to date? Have you included your key achievements for example how have you added value to your role by saving money or time for the company?
Telling Your Stories – It’s important that you have real life experiences / stories to talk about during an interview. Have you heard of the STAR technique? Whilst this is widely used in competency or behavioral based interviews it is also worth remembering that you can use this technique in any interview situation. The STAR technique will help you to focus on the answer without going off on a tangent.
Interview Preparation And Practice - “When you are not practicing, remember, someone somewhere is practicing, and when you come up against that someone he/she will win” If you assume that most people don’t prepare or practice then you can also assume that the odds in your favour start to improve greatly if you do make the effort and take the time.
One Minute To Win It –This is your sales pitch, your opportunity to impress. I recommend that you prepare a brief summary of your career and achievements. That’s it. Just your career – jobs you’ve held that relate to the position you are interviewing for. If you have relevant experience, this is the place to bring it up. If not, explain why the experience you have can help you in this role.
Networking – If you consider that 80% of jobs in the US are recruited via LinkedIn then it’s important for you not to underestimate the powers of networking.
Will you act NOW and get noticed or sit back and keep dreaming?
During the month of January I am offering a full CV critique including making the necessary adjustments to your CV for just £57, if you would like to take advantage of this offer then please contact me NOW!
Nikki Hutchison, founder of Chilli Pepper Global http://www.chillipepperglobal.com/ advising you on every aspect of the job seeking process guiding you step by step.
Showing posts with label London City Recruitment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label London City Recruitment. Show all posts
Thursday, 20 January 2011
Thursday, 9 December 2010
Recession, a blessing in disguise?
A contingency plan…why would we possibly need a contingency plan???
I can honestly say that the recession of the early 1990’s had no effect on my life what so ever. My father a policeman and my mother a housewife with 4 children to support, always managed, and still do live within their means. Don’t get me wrong, as children we never went without and enjoyed holidays abroad every year, we would jump into the caravan, drive through France and spend 4 weeks on the coast in Spain.
I’m the eldest of four children and I have two sisters and one brother, my sisters both live in Perth, Australia and my brother in South London, my parents retired to Spain some years ago.
I’ve always been very independent and at the age of fifteen I secured a Saturday job at with a company called Bejams or now known as Iceland Frozen Foods.
I left school in 1990 to go to work at the age of 17 and I worked for Harrods, I worked long hours and weekends too and after a year I decided that I had better things to do at weekends and wanted a 9-5 job instead!
So…back in those days I hand wrote 100 letters, sent my CV to the City Banks and started my banking career with National Australia Bank and got a taste for City Life…
I bought a brand new car at the age of 18 and my first house by the time I was 20. Everything was great and a decade later I found myself self employed and running a successful City Recruitment Business with my husband and his business partner. Life couldn’t be better.
In early 2008, the builders had moved in and had started knocking through the back of our house as planned, the kids were in full time day nursery and business was great, why would we need a contingency plan?
And then it happened, overnight, totally unexpected Lehman Brother’s collapsed and the UK followed the US into a Global Recession. Business started to dry up very fast and so did the bank account, where was our contingency plan...that’s right, we didn’t have one!
So now, I’m 35 with 2 young children to support and a modest mortgage and lifestyle to maintain.
My world was starting to crack around me. Having no income for the first time in 20 years meant that I had to make some serious changes to my life.
I sat and hoped for months and do you know what happened? That’s right nothing, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!
My confidence had been knocked sideways, my self esteem was lower than low, so what did I do?
Firstly, I had to get back my CONFIDENCE and SELF BELIEF. I had to get back on the road to success. So I wrote down my goals and started to devise a plan
Secondly, I had to identify what it was that I LOVE about my job.
Thirdly, I had to stop making excuses, doing nothing and instead change my mindset and take ACTION.
It’s been hard, probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to deal with both physically and mentally.
We are all faced with challenges at some stage in our lives and with no work for over a year, 2009 for me was definitely a life changing experience although it took me almost a year to realize!
The recession has highlighted to me what’s important in my life, where I should focus my time and energies.
And although it’s been challenging at times the time I have spent with my children has been amazing, I’ve learnt so much about myself and wouldn’t change any part of the past couple of years.
Out of the recession I created my new business Chilli Pepper, mentoring individual’s through the job seeking process when looking to move internally with their existing employer or externally with a new employer.
I’ve embraced the change and feel a whole lot better for it!
As once said by Martin Luther King, Jr.
“The ultimate measure of a person is not where they stand in moments of comfort and convenience, but where they stand in times of challenge and controversy.”
For me the recession was a blessing in disguise!
Nikki Hutchison, founder of Chilli Pepper Global http://www.chillipepperglobal.com/ advising you on every aspect of the job seeking process guiding you step by step whether you are looking to move internally or externally.
I can honestly say that the recession of the early 1990’s had no effect on my life what so ever. My father a policeman and my mother a housewife with 4 children to support, always managed, and still do live within their means. Don’t get me wrong, as children we never went without and enjoyed holidays abroad every year, we would jump into the caravan, drive through France and spend 4 weeks on the coast in Spain.
I’m the eldest of four children and I have two sisters and one brother, my sisters both live in Perth, Australia and my brother in South London, my parents retired to Spain some years ago.
I’ve always been very independent and at the age of fifteen I secured a Saturday job at with a company called Bejams or now known as Iceland Frozen Foods.
I left school in 1990 to go to work at the age of 17 and I worked for Harrods, I worked long hours and weekends too and after a year I decided that I had better things to do at weekends and wanted a 9-5 job instead!
So…back in those days I hand wrote 100 letters, sent my CV to the City Banks and started my banking career with National Australia Bank and got a taste for City Life…
I bought a brand new car at the age of 18 and my first house by the time I was 20. Everything was great and a decade later I found myself self employed and running a successful City Recruitment Business with my husband and his business partner. Life couldn’t be better.
In early 2008, the builders had moved in and had started knocking through the back of our house as planned, the kids were in full time day nursery and business was great, why would we need a contingency plan?
And then it happened, overnight, totally unexpected Lehman Brother’s collapsed and the UK followed the US into a Global Recession. Business started to dry up very fast and so did the bank account, where was our contingency plan...that’s right, we didn’t have one!
So now, I’m 35 with 2 young children to support and a modest mortgage and lifestyle to maintain.
My world was starting to crack around me. Having no income for the first time in 20 years meant that I had to make some serious changes to my life.
I sat and hoped for months and do you know what happened? That’s right nothing, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!
My confidence had been knocked sideways, my self esteem was lower than low, so what did I do?
Firstly, I had to get back my CONFIDENCE and SELF BELIEF. I had to get back on the road to success. So I wrote down my goals and started to devise a plan
Secondly, I had to identify what it was that I LOVE about my job.
Thirdly, I had to stop making excuses, doing nothing and instead change my mindset and take ACTION.
It’s been hard, probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to deal with both physically and mentally.
We are all faced with challenges at some stage in our lives and with no work for over a year, 2009 for me was definitely a life changing experience although it took me almost a year to realize!
The recession has highlighted to me what’s important in my life, where I should focus my time and energies.
And although it’s been challenging at times the time I have spent with my children has been amazing, I’ve learnt so much about myself and wouldn’t change any part of the past couple of years.
Out of the recession I created my new business Chilli Pepper, mentoring individual’s through the job seeking process when looking to move internally with their existing employer or externally with a new employer.
I’ve embraced the change and feel a whole lot better for it!
As once said by Martin Luther King, Jr.
“The ultimate measure of a person is not where they stand in moments of comfort and convenience, but where they stand in times of challenge and controversy.”
For me the recession was a blessing in disguise!
Nikki Hutchison, founder of Chilli Pepper Global http://www.chillipepperglobal.com/ advising you on every aspect of the job seeking process guiding you step by step whether you are looking to move internally or externally.
Friday, 3 December 2010
Will it always be a Man’s World?
“Some of us are becoming the men we wanted to marry!”
A couple of weeks ago I was very fortunate to be able to attend the 30th Anniversary of Women in Banking and Finance (WIBF) http://www.wibf.org.uk/ held at the House of Lords in Westminster. I listened with great interest to guest speaker and Patron, Baroness Fritichie who talked about a number of changes which have greatly improved the rights and status for women in the 21st century.
Did you know?
A couple of weeks ago I was very fortunate to be able to attend the 30th Anniversary of Women in Banking and Finance (WIBF) http://www.wibf.org.uk/ held at the House of Lords in Westminster. I listened with great interest to guest speaker and Patron, Baroness Fritichie who talked about a number of changes which have greatly improved the rights and status for women in the 21st century.
Did you know?
- It was in 1973 that women were admitted onto the floors of the London Stock Exchange for the first time.
- From 1975 it was made illegal to sack women for becoming pregnant.
- Barbara Castle as Secretary of State for Employment introduced the Equal Pay bill which was enacted in 1975 together with the Sex Discrimination Act. This Act made it illegal to discriminate against women in employment, education and training.
- In 1979 Margaret Thatcher became the first female Prime Minister.
The banking industry was soon to become one of the largest employers of women but still the number of women in senior managerial positions was less than 1%.
This figure has risen over the years and according to a recent article in the FT.com at 13.6% the UK has the sixth highest proportion of women at board level in Europe, however this figure accounts for just one woman on the board in 84% of British companies and only 17.5% have more than three so will this figure improve over the coming years?
The European Commission has warned this year that if companies did not move voluntarily to ensure gender balance on executive boards, it might force them to do so. Read the complete article http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5bbf3712-f0ec-11df-bf4b-00144feab49a.html#ixzz15Od8p6ws
Whilst it would seem that women have come a long way in a ‘Man’s World’ they still have a distance to go until they achieve equality.
Baroness Fritichie ended her speech with the following poem which she wrote about 15 years ago when she reflected on the life that she had intended to live!
Someday My Prince Will Come
Someday my prince will come they said when I was small.
Brave and true, kind and strong, handsome, dark and tall.
I’m only a woman doing my best, waiting for my turn.
Supporting, listening, smiling, nodding, and knowing I have much to learn.
Only men could do the tough stuff, telling others what to do.
I just ran the home, the kids, my job, filled the larder, cleaned the loo.
Along the way I met some stars, pretenders who didn’t tarry.
And then one day I realised I’d become the man I wanted to marry!
By Rennie Fritichie 1996
Nikki Hutchison, founder of Chilli Pepper Global http://www.chillipepperglobal.com/ advising you on every aspect of the job seeking process guiding you step by step whether you are looking to move internally or externally.
Wednesday, 24 November 2010
Can ENTHUSIASM really give you that edge over your competitors?
"Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm."
What is enthusiasm? Enthusiasm is contagious. Getting excited. Being passionate. It’s one of those things that you know when you see it and other people know when you have it.
I have genuine enthusiasm and how do I know? Because I've been told over and over again and luckily for me this is something that comes natural, I'm an optimist and my glass is always half full and I'm also very passionate and get very excited about the people I choose to work with.
Over the years I've held and attended hundreds of meetings with my clients to include both employees and employers and I can't remember a single time when I've successfully assisted someone who lacked entusiasm either for the job they were hiring for or the job that they were interviewing. I can't help but to get excited for my clients and I firmly believe that YES, enthusiasm really can give you the edge over your competitors whether you are the potential employee or employer.
Enthusiasm + Passion = Rapport = Successful Professional Relationships
During an interview enthusiasm comes through in the way that you talk, your facial expressions, the way you dress and your posture.
Would you feel confident in the interviewer if they talked quietly, didn’t look you in the eye, had a weak handshake, didn't smile, slouched, and dressed like a slob?
Take a look at the following 5 techniques that will keep you focused and ensure that you come across oozing with the enthusiasm of a strong candidate whether you are looking to move internally with your existing employer or external with a new company:
1. Enthusiasm when you speak
By increasing the volume, the pitch, and the speed when you talk it will also improve your enthusiasm on the inside. Before an interview think of something you are enthusiastic about and keep this thought in your mind whenever you feel your enthusiasm is lacking.
2. Enthusiasm can become a habit
Ensure that you practice good interview habits to covey your enthusiasm to the interviewer by standing up straight, smiling, giving a firm handshake, and eye contact REMEMBER you have to believe in what you want to be enthusiastic about. If you don't believe in something, and you try to be enthused, you will come across to others as being phony. If you believe, your enthusiasm will be genuine.
3. Retaining enthusiasm in your job search
The longer you spend looking for work, the harder it can become to retain your enthusiasm for your job search. Whilst you can´t help feeling defeated at times after submitting dozens of applications and attending numerous interviews you need to find ways to motivate yourself, you have to find your inner passion again and again.
If you’ve been looking for work for a while then find an interest that you are passionate about. Even if your interest is not relevant to the job you are looking for then by spending time in the interests that you love will help give you the energy you need for your interviews
4. Retaining enthusiasm during the interview
If you no longer feel enthused with your answers or questions then the interviewer will also become bored senseless too! In each interview you need to find something to be enthusiastic about. It could be changing your answer or asking a different question. You need to show the interviewer how you will solve their problem by hiring you and above all you have to be enthusiastic about it!
5. Maintaining your enthusiasm
Before attending an interview read something that inspires you or watch a movie that gets your enthusiasm going.
Write out your goals and dreams. I have created a `Dream Chart´ with my 6 year old daughter, we’ve created a chart with pictures of things we want now and in the future. By visualising our goals and dreams each day we feel enthusiastic to take the appropriate action.
There are plenty of ways you can motivate your enthusiasm and they don’t always have to be difficult they can be simple too!
“Enthusiasm makes ordinary people extraordinary."
Nikki Hutchison, founder of Chilli Pepper Global http://www.chillipepperglobal.com/ advising you on every aspect of the job seeking process guiding you step by step whether you are looking to move internally or externally.
What is enthusiasm? Enthusiasm is contagious. Getting excited. Being passionate. It’s one of those things that you know when you see it and other people know when you have it.
I have genuine enthusiasm and how do I know? Because I've been told over and over again and luckily for me this is something that comes natural, I'm an optimist and my glass is always half full and I'm also very passionate and get very excited about the people I choose to work with.
Over the years I've held and attended hundreds of meetings with my clients to include both employees and employers and I can't remember a single time when I've successfully assisted someone who lacked entusiasm either for the job they were hiring for or the job that they were interviewing. I can't help but to get excited for my clients and I firmly believe that YES, enthusiasm really can give you the edge over your competitors whether you are the potential employee or employer.
Enthusiasm + Passion = Rapport = Successful Professional Relationships
During an interview enthusiasm comes through in the way that you talk, your facial expressions, the way you dress and your posture.
Would you feel confident in the interviewer if they talked quietly, didn’t look you in the eye, had a weak handshake, didn't smile, slouched, and dressed like a slob?
Take a look at the following 5 techniques that will keep you focused and ensure that you come across oozing with the enthusiasm of a strong candidate whether you are looking to move internally with your existing employer or external with a new company:
1. Enthusiasm when you speak
By increasing the volume, the pitch, and the speed when you talk it will also improve your enthusiasm on the inside. Before an interview think of something you are enthusiastic about and keep this thought in your mind whenever you feel your enthusiasm is lacking.
2. Enthusiasm can become a habit
Ensure that you practice good interview habits to covey your enthusiasm to the interviewer by standing up straight, smiling, giving a firm handshake, and eye contact REMEMBER you have to believe in what you want to be enthusiastic about. If you don't believe in something, and you try to be enthused, you will come across to others as being phony. If you believe, your enthusiasm will be genuine.
3. Retaining enthusiasm in your job search
The longer you spend looking for work, the harder it can become to retain your enthusiasm for your job search. Whilst you can´t help feeling defeated at times after submitting dozens of applications and attending numerous interviews you need to find ways to motivate yourself, you have to find your inner passion again and again.
If you’ve been looking for work for a while then find an interest that you are passionate about. Even if your interest is not relevant to the job you are looking for then by spending time in the interests that you love will help give you the energy you need for your interviews
4. Retaining enthusiasm during the interview
If you no longer feel enthused with your answers or questions then the interviewer will also become bored senseless too! In each interview you need to find something to be enthusiastic about. It could be changing your answer or asking a different question. You need to show the interviewer how you will solve their problem by hiring you and above all you have to be enthusiastic about it!
5. Maintaining your enthusiasm
Before attending an interview read something that inspires you or watch a movie that gets your enthusiasm going.
Write out your goals and dreams. I have created a `Dream Chart´ with my 6 year old daughter, we’ve created a chart with pictures of things we want now and in the future. By visualising our goals and dreams each day we feel enthusiastic to take the appropriate action.
There are plenty of ways you can motivate your enthusiasm and they don’t always have to be difficult they can be simple too!
“Enthusiasm makes ordinary people extraordinary."
Nikki Hutchison, founder of Chilli Pepper Global http://www.chillipepperglobal.com/ advising you on every aspect of the job seeking process guiding you step by step whether you are looking to move internally or externally.
Friday, 17 September 2010
P is for…Personal Brand
“Your brand is what people say about you when you are not in the room”
When creating your personal brand ask yourself “What does my name say about me?” If you were to put your name into a Google search engine what information could a potential employer find out about you on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or perhaps even your Blog?
It’s important for you to know that it’s becoming more and more common for recruiters and potential employers to Google names of individuals and make up their own assumptions before they even consider a meet.
So, bearing this in mind it goes without saying that when looking for work it’s vital for you to portray a professional image. Below I have listed 5 different ways in which you can start creating your personal brand:
Be Authentic What are your passions, desires and dreams? In order to be authentic you have to be real, genuine and not false. You should be able to provide evidence and facts with regards to your experience and show that you are reliable and trustworthy too.
Contact Details You must ensure that an email address or a mobile answer message is simple and professional. Create a simple Yahoo or Google email address and remember to check this on a daily basis when looking for work.
Social Networking Be aware of anything derogatory on Facebook and if need be ask your friends to take down photos that include you. If you haven’t already then I would recommend that you set up and complete your profile on LinkedIn, a social network for professionals www.linkedin.com
Tell Your Story Prepare and practise a 30 second speech or pitch so that you can explain what sets you apart from other candidates, what makes you different.
Personal Appearance It’s important that the clothes you wear portray the image you want to give. I would recommend that you always attend both internal and external interviews in smart business dress even if you know that they have a policy of ‘dress down’
Branding Test
1. Identify three brands that you like and write them down on a piece of paper
2. Why do you like them? Write down specific reasons for liking each one.
3. Do you notice any common themes across all of your three brands? You may have chosen your brands because they represent “quality” or “reliability.” The traits that come up repeatedly are likely to match your own personal brand values.
4. Now that you know some of your personal brand values, use them as the basis of messages that you could use to advance your career. Write down your brand messages.
5. Review your brand messages. Are they powerful and convincing? Why not show them to your boss, close colleagues or perhaps even your clients and ask them for honest feedback.
Leave a good impression and start to create your personal brand now.
A good read is a book called ‘Brand YOU’ written by John Purkiss and David Royston-Lee
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Brand-You-Talents-Winning-Formula/dp/0955116422/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1284639554&sr=1-1
Nikki Hutchison, founder of Chilli Pepper Global www.chillipepperglobal.com advising you on every aspect of the job seeking process guiding you step by step whether you are looking to move internally or externally.
When creating your personal brand ask yourself “What does my name say about me?” If you were to put your name into a Google search engine what information could a potential employer find out about you on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or perhaps even your Blog?
It’s important for you to know that it’s becoming more and more common for recruiters and potential employers to Google names of individuals and make up their own assumptions before they even consider a meet.
So, bearing this in mind it goes without saying that when looking for work it’s vital for you to portray a professional image. Below I have listed 5 different ways in which you can start creating your personal brand:
Be Authentic What are your passions, desires and dreams? In order to be authentic you have to be real, genuine and not false. You should be able to provide evidence and facts with regards to your experience and show that you are reliable and trustworthy too.
Contact Details You must ensure that an email address or a mobile answer message is simple and professional. Create a simple Yahoo or Google email address and remember to check this on a daily basis when looking for work.
Social Networking Be aware of anything derogatory on Facebook and if need be ask your friends to take down photos that include you. If you haven’t already then I would recommend that you set up and complete your profile on LinkedIn, a social network for professionals www.linkedin.com
Tell Your Story Prepare and practise a 30 second speech or pitch so that you can explain what sets you apart from other candidates, what makes you different.
Personal Appearance It’s important that the clothes you wear portray the image you want to give. I would recommend that you always attend both internal and external interviews in smart business dress even if you know that they have a policy of ‘dress down’
Branding Test
1. Identify three brands that you like and write them down on a piece of paper
2. Why do you like them? Write down specific reasons for liking each one.
3. Do you notice any common themes across all of your three brands? You may have chosen your brands because they represent “quality” or “reliability.” The traits that come up repeatedly are likely to match your own personal brand values.
4. Now that you know some of your personal brand values, use them as the basis of messages that you could use to advance your career. Write down your brand messages.
5. Review your brand messages. Are they powerful and convincing? Why not show them to your boss, close colleagues or perhaps even your clients and ask them for honest feedback.
Leave a good impression and start to create your personal brand now.
A good read is a book called ‘Brand YOU’ written by John Purkiss and David Royston-Lee
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Brand-You-Talents-Winning-Formula/dp/0955116422/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1284639554&sr=1-1
Nikki Hutchison, founder of Chilli Pepper Global www.chillipepperglobal.com advising you on every aspect of the job seeking process guiding you step by step whether you are looking to move internally or externally.
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