RSI LONDON Group | Russian Specialist Recruitment Consultancy
Do you ever feel like a leaf blowing in the wind? Like you have no control over your career? Searching for a job can feel like this. One search after another leads to nothing, no return calls, or rejections that seem out of hand at best. Does any of this feel familiar to you?
Well, the good news is that it doesn’t have to be this way. It really doesn’t. How? We will tell you here:
Identify strengths and weaknesses in job hunting
These questions will help you to identify what you need to focus on. Everyone is different and we all have our own strengths and weaknesses. Think about yours and create your own action plan.
– Are you not getting response from recruiters when you apply for jobs? Does your CV work for you or against you? Have you considered professional CV writing?
– Are you getting invited for interviews, but not getting any job offers? Are you confident in your interview skills? Maybe interview coaching could be handy? But, how do you know?
– Are you dreaming of relocating abroad but have no idea where to start? Would your profile fit the sponsoring visa requirements? How do you improve your chances? Do you want to find out how?
– Are you tired of not knowing what you do? Are you craving change, but keep getting the same types of jobs offered to you? Redirection of a career path can feel like an impossible task, until you plan the transition with the help of a career coach.
If any of these ‘development stoppers’ sound familiar, please write to admin@redsquareinternational.co.uk quoting the reference: COACHING1209.
Just to clarify, we don’t do full coaching, but we will direct you to the right coach for your specific question. Yeah, we have great business partners!
How to get ready for the opportunity:
Every recruitment agency has a particular number of roles available at any given time. They are usually posted on a vacancy page and on third party job boards, such as Reed.co.uk. However, new roles are usually posted across several platforms, which can create a large volume of applications and allowing anyone to apply for any job.
The selection process at a recruitment agency consists of several stages and is based on sets of predetermined, job-specific criteria. An application has to meet the minimum criteria first. Not everyone does and that’s okay. We advise:
– You’re not alone if your application doesn’t get the response you expect. Statistically, a new graduate, for example, has to make a hundred job applications to get one positive response. It’s not just you, it’s a learning curve. Next time you don’t get a response, or you get a response in the negative, you should analyse the job specification closely and then tailor your CV/next application as close to that job specification as possible.
– What about developing an effective approach? Apply for less roles, but smarter. If you feel you have done some of the required tasks before, but they are not on your CV, or written at the very bottom of it – go on, surely bring them all the way up! Make sure to provide true information about your skills and experience.
– When you do get that call/chat/interview – make sure you are at your very best! Prepare for it. Don’t waste the opportunity. Prepare, research, review, get advice, get support, listen to your career coach, to your recruiter, or mentor! Just listen and practice your interview skills!
Know how recruitment works, so you can make it work for you!
London recruiters aim to find the best possible solution for their clients (companies). We filter a lot to find the best matches and aim to match clients’ expectations and interests to our candidates’. We take a close look at your skillset, experience and personality and determine how this fits with what our clients are looking for. We also consider the dynamics – yours as well as all of our clients’. Then we connect you with a company that has an open vacancy in the area of your expertise, in which we think that you’ll thrive.
In saying that, any recruiter who is blown away by a candidate at the interview by their expertise and knowledge, and if they have the appropriate experience in the client’s field, will send their profile to the client with a recommendation to consider for the role. This is what we call a shortlist. However, we typically don’t include any more than five candidates on a shortlist.
At the same time, if you are not doing your best at the interview and don’t show interest in the role discussed, well… you know how that goes. Recruiters will always invest in inspiration, so brush up on your interview skills! Like now! Right now!
Just to summarise: how to get noticed by a recruiter
In order to increase your chances of getting a job, set aside some time to do your research. Read job descriptions and requirements carefully. Think about your own professional experience and times when you had similar duties that are expected in this new position. Add them to your CV. Think about the role titles and if they represent what you did in the industry. Re-write your CV/application summary, so that it matches the role(s) you apply for. Write down why you are applying for a particular role and think about the story your CV tells us, what your strengths are and what your priorities are. Think about what makes you stand out professionally in a large pool of applicants, what makes you stand out at interview, and about how you might present yourself better.
We hope this article helps you to improve your job hunting strategy and gives insights on how to get prepared for your next job!
Read more about the Job Search strategy;
The skills that will help you to get a better job;
About Red Square International and how we work.
In the era of constant digital interruption, use of smartphones and social media, not being able to focus for a prolonged period of time. Our brain gets hundreds of stimulations from outside worlds, let alone our own cognitive processes. However, this may affect the way you work and influence where you are heading with your career. Ability to concentrate allows to finalise projects on time and not only see a bigger picture of it, but be attentive to the details and find better solutions at work. Ability to concentrate and be attentive increases awareness and, in some cases, lowers stress level.
Let’s look into what affects your ability to focus at work.
Generally speaking, an open space office is more difficult to concentrate in because of the constant interaction with others and level of noise (phone calls, colleagues’ conversations, printers, etc.). Sometimes, the nature of a job does not allow long attention spans. For instance, when the role itself entails dealing with incoming calls from customers on a daily basis.
Speaking of environment, it’s important to emphasise the need for good dynamics in the office. A friendly environment and transparent culture help to support healthy professional interactions. People in such companies feel confident to approach their managers, colleagues or even their CEO. When it comes to solving an issue or asking a question, they will go ahead and do so, instead of postponing due to knowing it’s difficult to receive support and listened to.
Some aspects that we cover in the article might be less tangible because we look deep into organisational psychology.
– Analyse your work and choose an appropriate time for each task.
– Set up your desk in a way that you know where everything is.
– Take regular breaks and make sure to go outside at least once per day.
– Find someone in the company you can approach easily and ask for support when required. Maybe there is someone who could potentially become your mentor?
Providing employees with good quality equipment to perform well at work is essential for the success of any modern business.
Such little details, as not having a second language keyboard, may dramatically decrease an employee’s productivity. If the internet is slow or unstable, it delays working. When an admin has to work on an old computer, it takes a longer time to write or edit documents. Not having a second monitor when employees work daily with large volumes of information may influence performance.
– Report IT problems on time. Have IT contact numbers and emails nearby.
– Communicate with your manager if something does not work right or if you require extra support, such a newer computer. Do it in advance so that it can be added to the budget.
Constant usage of smartphones dramatically influences our ability to concentrate for long periods. Constant interruptions became the norm. However, there are a few easy steps to take if you decide you want to improve your concentration:
– Read at least one page a day regularly (of a paper book or magazine).
– Work with a timer. Choose a task and focus on it for 15 minutes without interruption. See if you can go for the full 15. Increase it to 20, 30, etc. when it becomes easy to focus.
– Write down the steps of what you have to do in order to complete a task. Big tasks or projects may feel intimidating and we tend to procrastinate because we’re unsure of just how best to approach them. Cutting these down into small pieces makes them doable step by step.
– Learn to meditate. Do it just five minutes every day and see the difference.
– Exercise. As little as 20 mins per day makes a major difference.
There is a constant flow of information and interaction with others in our daily lives, however, it’s up to you to choose how to work and how to achieve your career goals amidst all of it. Being able to concentrate on tasks will help you to learn quicker and better and you will progress faster. Being able to concentrate helps you to complete what is important and, eventually, create your own career around the skills that you will manage to obtain in focused, concentrated work.
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