Should organisations outsource blogs?

Following the tragic death of a British soldier in Afghanistan on Sunday, it emerged that he had written a blog expressing his – and his colleagues’ – frustrations over the lack of protective body armour which had been promised and the overall poor state of equipment.

Rifleman Andrew Fentiman was not the first soldier to publicly express his concerns, and he probably won’t be the last. And this raises the question of whether organisations – whether they are public or private sector – should monitor employee blogs and even consider outsourcing blogs?

What Peter Mandelson can teach us on how to handle radio interviews (and our top 10 tips)

From a sudden onset of dry mouth syndrome or an attack of the nerves to all the ‘ums’, ‘erms’ you can possibly muster combined with that nightmarish moment when your mind goes totally blank as you struggle even to remember the name of your kids, radio interviews can turn even the most seasoned professional into a jabbering wreck. But why? Is it the knowledge that x’thousands of people are listening to your every word? Maybe you’re afraid that one wrong word could blow the whole interview – and your chances of that big promotion at work?Whatever the reason, a little tweaking here and there can turn you from a jabbering wreck into a strong, confident interviewee.

So the next time that innocent-looking fluffy mic is thrust in your face and you imagine yourself in some sort of modern Spanish Inquisition scenario, here’s a few tips that I have picked up on how to master the radio interview.

With social media here to stay and influence all aspects of business practice, will video interviewing become the norm during the recruitment process?

As a regular follower of Andy Headworth’s Tweets and blog I read with interest the current debate surrounding the pros and cons of using video as a central part of the job application process. Canvassing the thoughts and opinions of some of the leading players within our industry – some for and some against – his blog is a thought-provoking piece. Here’s my tuppence worth.

As the blog rightly points out, Mario Gedicke (aka Mayomann) has a vested interest in all things video – as that’s how he makes his living. However, his comment that both interviewer and candidate will be “comfortable in their own environment and therefore more relaxed and [less] nervous” is surely something of concern? Conducting an interview whereby the candidate is at home is something that I would not recommend. Here’s why.

Should you hold out or sell out?

So what do you do when you need a job but, the job you’ve just been offered isn’t your dream job? Should you take it or hold out until the ‘right’ one comes along? After all, it may be some time before another offer comes your way.

This is more than a simply a question of yes or no. If the bills are piling up and the mortgage company is knocking at your door then yes, you may have to accept the job on offer. But if you’re financially set and can afford to hold out for a while, then do so.

If you make the choice – forced or otherwise – to accept a position that is below your potential, you have to approach it in the right mindset. Instead of being resentful, look at it as an opportunity – albeit in the short term – to learn new skills or even try your hand at an entirely different industry, whilst at the same time never taking your eye of your overall objective to land the job you really want. Besides, if you are as good as you say you are then your ability to hit the ground running during this interim period combined with your penchant for short-term success could be a welcome boost to your self-confidence.

A weapon called the word

For years public relations has had to work harder than any other part of the marketing mix to get its voice heard. But with recession forcing most organisations to cut their marketing budgets an increasing number of Welsh business leaders are quickly realising that public relations packs a bigger punch than its traditional marketing and advertising counterparts.

Public relations goes beyond the capabilities of marketing and advertising by using a diverse range of tactical tools to communicate your organisation’s message to the right people at the right time, whether that message is to educate and inform your audience, differentiate you from your competitors or position you as one of the leading players in your industry sector, for instance.

Don’t abandon your green policy when recession bites

Going green has steadily made its way to the top of the political agenda in recent years, with government’s throughout the world being forced to wake up to the realities of global warming and climate change. But while we’re all being encouraged to do our bit for the environment, it seems that some employers have shelved their green initiatives until the economic storm blows over in a bid to cut costs. Yet those who don’t abandon their green initiatives will not only help save the planet but save money in the long term too.

Suppose you could save your company £6,000 by doing something as simple as flicking the ‘off’ switch on all electrical equipment at the end of every working week, would you do it? That’s how much money the average company in Wales could save every year for minimum effort, according to the Carbon Trust.

Will caution prevail during the January 2010 jobs rush

With the UK still in the grips of recession, will January’s traditional ‘New Year, New Start’ rallying cry turn to one of muted overtones or will job seekers be more determined than ever to get a new job?

Last January the number of people who claimed they were looking for a new job reached record levels, according to online CV expert iProfile.org – a fact supported by Jobsite who found that as many as 42% of people planned to find a new position with a further 13% planning to start their job search upon receiving their first post-Christmas pay-check.

Tough interview questions (and how to answer them)

Interviews are designed to do just one thing: identify the best possible candidate for the advertised job. And sometimes it may feel that the question being asked have been designed to deliberately catch you out or make you question whether you are up to the job or not. But that’s not their intention. Some questions aim to establish how well you cope under pressure, others will be to reveal your personality or to see what your career aspirations are. Just remember that there is no need to draw a blank or clam up if you have done your research and preparation beforehand.

So if you want to avoid an interview disaster, here are some of the toughest interview questions and their suggested responses.

The pros and cons of job hopping

Fans of football will have heard of Nicolas Anelka. Currently at Chelsea, Anelka made his football debut when he joined Arsenal in 1997 for a fee of £500,000. Three years later he moved to Real Madrid for fee of £22.3m before returning to his home club Paris St Germain for £20m and then a further 5 clubs in as many years in the English Premiership, netting him over £43m. The point to this analogy is to illustrate that regardless of what profession you are in, job hopping inevitably occurs.

Indeed, it is common knowledge that the job for life culture that once existed during the Babyboom generation has all-but disappeared. Today, it is widely acknowledged that workers in their 20s and 30s will change jobs as many as 8 or 9 times. So does this make you an erratic employee that any recruiter in their right mind should avoid at all costs? Or does it actually make you a highly experienced professional and an attractive proposition for any would-be employer?

How to cope if you are made redundant

Jan 09 – 

It’s official. Britain is in a recession.  In the last quarter of 2008 the number of people out of work leapt by 131,000 to a total of 1.93 million – a rate of 6.1 per cent. And January marked the 12th consecutive monthly rise in unemployment to make this the biggest recession in the UK since the early 1990s. So it’s not surprising that a recent survey by the TUC found that around 13 per cent of workers (over 3 million) are concerned about the threat of redundancy, especially when you consider the demise of some of the UK’s biggest institutions.

Woolworth’s, for example, closed its doors for the last time in January after 99 years as the mainstay of the British high street with the loss of 27,000 jobs. Luxury goods manufacturer Burberry soon followed with 1,100 redundancies announced. Whilst Corus and Philips are shedding 2,500 and 6,000 jobs respectively in the first quarter of 2009 along with a further 850 job cuts at Ford. By the start of February it has been estimated that over 50,000 jobs had already been lost with independent analysts suggesting that the current unemployment level of 1.93m is likely to pass the 2.8m mark by the end of the year.¹

If your company has wielded the axe over your job and you find yourself facing redundancy, it is important to ensure that you are fully prepared to cope with the financial, professional and psychological challenges that you will inevitably face once your P45 lands on your desk.