How to tell your next employer

Many people wonder whether they should conceal the fact that they were made redundant when being interviewed. There is nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about when declaring that you have just been made redundant. It is a sad fact that there have been a lot more redundancies in the past few years due to the economy, and employers know that this is common in today’s climate.

The best thing to do is to come clean, approach it with a positive attitude and let your employer know that you are ready for the next challenge on offer.

Redundancy Pay

You are entitled to redundancy pay when you have been in continuous employment with a company for over two years when being made redundant.

Your employer must give you a written statement explaining how your redundancy pay has been calculated. If you still do not receive this even after requesting the information in writing, then you must take the matter up with the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service.

Things that may affect redundancy pay

You will not be entitled to redundancy pay if:

Your employer is able to offer you suitable alternative work within the company, that you refuse without good reason.

You have been made redundant on the grounds of gross misconduct.

You go on strike within your notice period, and refuse to make up the time lost.

If you do not fulfil your agreed notice period or the terms of your redundancy then this may also affect your entitlement to redundancy pay.

Redundancy help and advice

When being offered a redundancy package, ensure that you do not rush into anything. Make sure you understand the contract or ask to have it looked over by the legal department, and discuss fully any options you are given so that you can make the right decisions.

If your employer tries to offer you another position that is unsuitable, based on location or job role, you are not obligated to take them up on this offer. Any attempts to force an unsuitable position on you by your employer could give you grounds for unfair dismissal, so ensure you seek advice.

If you are being denied your rights then you should talk to a trade union official within your place of work or seek advice from ACAS.

For more help and advice on redundancy related issues, visit the Direct Gov Website.

http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=1461

Most CV templates and advice about CV writing will suggest that a jobseeker should have a small section of their CV dedicated to personal hobbies and interests. The jury is still out as to whether this section helps to make an employer’s mind up when employing a candidate; however there is no reason why having this info on your CV should put an employer off; providing that you avoid the common pitfalls.

I’ve put together some advice and information to show you the right way and the wrong way to tackle this section of your CV, so you can make sure that your CV is flawless from start to finish.

Relevancy is the key

You might have an amazing passion for knitting, but does it have anything to do with your vocation? If it does and you happen to be a trainee fashion designer for example, then go for it! But remember the thing to avoid at all costs is any irrelevant hobbies that just fill space and don’t actually support your CV. Remember this isn’t your Facebook bio, it’s your CV- the aim of which is to secure your dream job. So be ruthless and even though your hobbies might be great, it might not be something your employer needs to know.

This is not to say that all hobbies and interests don’t belong on your CV. A lot of hobbies have transferrable skills which could reinforce your suitability for the position.

For example, being the coach of your child’s football team highlights your ability to manage a team and excel in a leadership role.

Running a book club emphasises a keen passion for literature and your ability for creative thought and organisation.

If you are applying for a job in an active environment, then showing off your sporting passions will not be out of place on your CV.

Achievements

Don’t be modest about any achievements you may have in a professional, sporting or skill based capacity. This shows passion, enthusiasm and talent, which are all great qualities. Boasting about winning the class spelling bee in primary school is not quite what I have in mind here- keep it relatively recent!!

What NOT Write

Not everyone is going to have an exciting array of hobbies and interests to list on their CV- but don’t worry, it is probably best to leave this section out altogether than make the following mistakes...

“I like to socialise/ I enjoy going out with my friends”- Ok, so points for not being a recluse, but in the working world it’s about as useless as writing that you enjoy 3 square meals a day.

“I enjoy going to the cinema”- you may do, or you might enjoy long walks in the park or collecting stamps, but does this help the employer see why they should employ you? This kind of info might be more appropriate on a personal ad than on your CV, so have a good think about the relevance of what you put down.

Any kind of lie is not a good idea- if you put that you are a keen scuba diver and have never touched a flipper in your life, then this is just over-padding and pointless. You need to ensure, like with any part of your CV, that if an employer asks you about it in more depth, you know what you are talking about. The last thing you’d want is to find out that your interviewer is also a passionate scuba diver- but a real one- you could find yourself in a very uncomfortable situation!!

Like employment history, your education and qualifications are an important aspect of your CV. It can be especially important if you have had more educational experience than work experience. Where you decide to position this section on your CV will depend entirely on how important it is as a selling point. If you have had more work experience than education, then your educational achievements will probably appear below your work history. If however you are a recent graduate with excellent exam results, then this will probably appear towards the top of your CV. Your CV is about how best to sell yourself to an employer, so you can decide which aspects are more beneficial for showing what a great candidate you are.

Your education history does not need to take up much space on your CV. Unlike your work experience, where you will need to outline your job description, job title and other things, your educational achievements will just need a grade/ pass level and the subject this was obtained in.

If you have carried on your education to a degree level or higher then you may wish to add extra detail on specific aspects of your course, such as the subject of your dissertation, a research project you completed or details of any industry experience/training that formed a part of your qualification.

Along with educational achievements, this section should also include any short courses, qualifications or awards you have obtained that may be relevant.

You should put your educational achievements in reverse chronological order so that the most recent qualification is at the top of the list. Avoid wasting space listing all of your GCSEs, this information can be summarised in a short sentence as a way of making your CV less cluttered. You can always give more space to higher qualifications that may be more relevant to the job you are applying for.

Here is an example of what your educational history may look like:

Education History

2005-2009            University of Edinburgh
2:1 BA (Hons) English Literature
- Completed 8000 word dissertation: The impact of feminism on Nineteenth Century Literature.
-Studied a variety of literary periods including the medieval era through to contemporary fiction.
-Assisted the organisation of the drama society production of The Duchess of Malfi.

 2003-2006           Joe Bloggs College of Arts, London
A-Levels in: Sociology (A), English (A), History (B) and AVCE ICT (C)

2001-2003            John Smith Secondary School, London
11 GCSE Grades A*-C including Maths, Science and English.

 Additional Qualifications

The employment history on your CV is one of the aspects that will be much considered by an employer. They will use this information to see what kind of work you have done in the past, what skills you will bring to the table and whether you have worked for any similar companies in similar roles.

If you are about to look for your first ever job then your employment history might be, well, non-existent so far! If this is the case, then you should focus more attention on other aspects of your CV and make sure you stand out in other areas. If you have no employment history it may be worthwhile trying to gain some work experience, it might be unpaid; but it will allow the employer to see you have obtained some useful transferrable skills.

On the other end of the scale, if you have had a lot of different jobs you can always trim your CV down and tailor it to the job you are going for. An employer will be looking through your CV to find examples of where you have displayed similar skills and attributes to those required, so it is the perfect opportunity to cut down your CV to be relevant to specific employers.

What do you need to include?

-When: You need to make sure you include the dates that you worked for each company. If you can’t remember the exact date, the correct month and year should be specific enough.
 

-Where: Make sure to put the full name of the company you worked for and where it was based.
 

-What: Include your full job title, such as Sales Manager, Marketing Executive, Pastry Chef, etc.

-How: You should include a brief list of your main duties, which you can expand upon at interview, if asked.

Example:

Aug 06- May 09                 John Smith Advertising Agency, London, Public Relations Executive

Main Duties:                 

-Creation and distribution of press releases.
-Developing strong relationships within the media.
-Reviewing and proofing press documents.
-Assisting with the development of media campaign strategies.

I am always looking for job related blog fodder so I was very happy to discover on the BBC News Website last night the emergence of, what can only be described as, the next contender for the best job in the world...

Wookey Hole in Wells, Somerset is currently advertising a job vacancy. Nothing strange about that you say? Well you’d be wrong, as it is in fact a £50,000 per annum post for a witch to inhabit the Wookey Hole caves to: ‘be a witch and do the things that witches do’.

The advertisement that has appeared on the Wookey Hole Website is comical, intriguing and a downright genius bit of PR that has already made its way across the country’s news sites. The advertisement announces that auditions for the witch role will be held on Tuesday 28^th July, and that candidates should turn up bringing ‘any essential witch accoutrements’ they might need, and are also advised that ‘a limited range of potion ingredients will be available’.

The other requirements outlined for the post are also far from conventional, with the site stating that the candidate ‘must be able to cackle’ and ‘must not be allergic to cats’.

It is yet again another commendable PR effort for a business which perhaps remains relatively unknown outside of the county of Somerset. As with the Hamilton Island, ‘best job in the world’, the advertisement has the ability to drive traffic to their website, drive visitors to the attraction, and inevitably fill the vacancy, with more candidates that you can shake a broom at.

And for all you men out there that might feel slightly perturbed that the advertisement calls for a ‘witch’, be assured that due to sexual discrimination laws, the post must be advertised to both men and women interested in the position. Political correctness gone mad, it may be, but they cannot exclude male applicants for the role; unless, as the website states, documentary evidence can be produced showing that the original witch was female.

So for all of you budding witches out there, dust off your broomsticks, straighten out your pointy hats and head over to Somerset, where you might just be cackling all the way to the bank...

Job Summary

Job Role: Witch

Location: Wookey Hole Caves, Wells, Somerset

Salary: £50k Per Annum (As the website states this should be an ample sum, ‘Enough to buy designer-label rags, frogs from Fortnum and Mason’s and a Le Creuset cooking pot’.)

Requirements:

-Must be able to cackle
-Must be prepared to travel
-Must be able to work weekends and school holidays
-Must be a good communicator
-Must not be allergic to cats

Interview Date: Tuesday 28th July at 11am

Further Information: Please phone Wookey Hole 01749 672243 or email witch@wookey.co.uk