Ever wondered if you could escape the monotony of the same desk, the same coffee mug and the same old faces every day? A lot of people like the security of a permanent job, and there are many advantages, but if you’ve found yourself daydreaming of working from the Bahamas, you may well be after [Read more…]
Middle age may once have been a time for coasting into retirement, but no longer: workers are increasingly looking for work that stimulates and stretches them throughout their careers. This is likely to be one of the reasons why thousands of apprenticeship starts in the UK come from over-50s, and why research shows that 40% [Read more…]
Personal recommendations are one of the most powerful influences on employers’ hiring decisions. One survey found that after the interview and your CV, references have the biggest impact on whether you get the job. But many of us treat references as an afterthought, perhaps assuming that they rarely get checked. In some cases, your past [Read more…]
Many of our students go on to start their own businesses, perhaps no surprise when you consider that small businesses now account for about 60% of the employment in the UK private sector (and around half of the turnover). The internet has significantly opened up the possibilities of starting your own business and marketing it [Read more…]
One unfortunate fact of life is that the more you succeed in your career, the more likely you are to bring work home work and all the stresses that come with it. A University of Toronto study found that professionals “with more authority, decision-making latitude, pressure, and longer hours” were the most likely to find work [Read more…]
When it comes to brushing up our expertise, for many of us it’s digital skills that are top of the list. No wonder IT courses are one of the most popular choices. More than three-quarters of businesses have some degree of shortage of digital skills, affecting the bottom line in 29% of cases, a survey [Read more…]
Choosing a job – or switching careers – is one of the biggest decisions we make. In a survey by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, people rated it as more significant than when to start a family, whether to get married or where to live. It all makes sense: we spend nearly a third of [Read more…]
Looking for a new job can be hard work, so wouldn’t it be better if employers were fighting over you? Pursuing a career in a shortage occupation can have plenty of advantages, with rising pay and more choice over where to work. Of course, businesses won’t just hire anyone to fill the gap. They’re looking [Read more…]
If Silicon Valley is to be believed, it’s the next big thing. Augmented Reality (AR) is technology that can combine realistic digital visuals dynamically with the real world, as viewed through your phone camera or dedicated goggles. Companies like Apple and Google are betting big on the technology, putting it at the heart of the [Read more…]
It’s one of the most common career dreams: what if you were the one in charge, with the freedom to choose your own hours and set the direction of the business yourself? In fact, according to research by recruitment specialist Robert Half, about three out of ten employees dream of saying goodbye to the boss [Read more…]