Finding the job for you #Spon

Hi all.

Today I'm talking about work and finding the right job, despite being far from an expert I'll share my expertise with you, even if you fall about laughing!

The perils of finding the perfect job can be a long, winding road with a plethora of stresses, heartache tied in with the euphoria from landing the perfect job you always knew was out there. I know there will be many people who read this and they're happier than ever in the job they currently have, even though they schmooze over the job boards every week just on the small chance they'll find something that will top what they're currently doing, sadly in many cases it means you could be overlooking something even more amazing that you would not even think about.

On top of this many people are confused by the ever changing world we live in and they feel a new or refreshed career is out completely of reach and I'll admit I don't have a clue what future employers would want from a nerd like me, so to help you lovely people out I asked three fantastic bloggers for some tips and these are what they sent over to us

Carolin from Mummy Alarm Let all your friends know that you're looking for a job. They can keep their eyes and ears open for you and maybe even recommend you for a job. Sometimes who you know is more important than what you know.

Ali Clifford gave the following small tips for those looking to come back into employment
The job centre are really helpful for certain roles, but could be the catalyst for other agencies.
Make sure you Google yourself. Make sure all of your Facebook/Twitter profiles have no stupid photos or any profanities as many employers do social media searches on potential new hires. This could make all the difference even if they like you one dodgy comment could blow it. 

It could be worthwhile to join local Facebook job groups, as they may have localised jobs that aren't always advertised in mainstream media. 

Helen from Kiddy Charts passed the following pearls of advice.

For the more social people out there Linkedin is a very important tool for potential future employment. Yes it's an effort to keep it up to date to ensure you look professional at all times. (H1UK Edit - From family experience it can be the opening to some amazing job prospects.)
Write up your C.V. - and tweak for each job you apply for don't send the same one out each time, so think about what you learnt in each job and how that applies to the one you are applying for. 

Also get someone else to look over your C.V. In many cases a fresh set of eyes may spot something you may have missed. (H1UK Edit - Trust me it can cause some huge headaches.) 

Keep the C.V. to a maximum of two pages - try to do a skills based C.V. rather than a list of qualifications if possible. 

With these top tips you'll hopefully have the grunt to land that ideal job in no time at all. Additonally if you'd like to share your top tips feel free to comment below and we'll add them here too. 

Also, are you in your dream job already? If so let us know how you got to that happy place. 

Paul 

Disclaimer - This post was created in association with City Calling 

A New Start

Today has been a pivotal point in my working life.
I'm now unemployed on capability grounds, because I can only carry 10kg in a repetitive work position. It's taken close to three years to get here. But I'm happy We've come to an agreement none the less.

While cycling home (there is another blog post there, trust me) I had that dangerous process of thoughts popping through my head.

• What does this mean for me now?
• Who will take me on when I can barely carry a thing?
• Am I really a jobless bum?
• Why did I wear these smart but tight jeans while cycling? 
• Damn that truck driver is being nice... Oh wait..(cuts up)... funge!
  Why didn't I install the bike cam today?

I'm thinking over a few plans, but I have to work out what would be a viable plan for me to take. After all It's not just me I have to think about, there's the three kids and my disable partner (love you lady) who I have to try my best to continue to support in the best ways possible. And in the middle of this I have to find a form of income which will not take the Care i provide to my partner or penalise her financially in the eyes of the DWP.

Now back to reality I know one thing for sure I have to look into now. What do do with myself!

I will admit I do have an idea for a business but I'm fearful it'll never take off. Computer repair. I'm already qualified in many technologies from the 80's AT/XT based machines to today's modern beasts. This makes the prospect look good, (also the fad/huge saturation of pc repair services has moved to cupcakes and foodstuffs. Tasty but puts another business idea out the window for now) We'll have to see what buisness link say to me when I sit down with them soon.

While writing this post something hit me.... I've stupidly forgotten about how this affected my own mental health.

Finding some part time work to get me back into the swing of things, being off for such a long time has thrown me out. I'm becoming lazy (some of that is painkillers reactions) grumpy, depressed, Anti social and can't be arsed to blog.  In short it's turned me into a bit of a twunt. Until today I'd not thought about how this could be one of the root causes to many little issues. And I'm shocked to say it's fits in like the last piece of a puzzle, or the square peg in the square hole.

Some of this probably stems from How I'm proud of the work I've done in my life. With exception of this and a six week stint when I lost the management role in a pub when younger. I've worked since the age of 14, far from work shy as some have assumed me to be in the past.

Have you been in this position before?
Am I the only one thinking like this?
Please drop me a comment below.

Paul 

P.S. Props to Kay at ACAS and I wish nothing but good luck to Pete, Dave and everyone at my previous job. Many a laughs shared with you all, even when me and Keith were arguing over silly things. I wish you all the best in the future.