TipTopJob Blog

If you are currently putting together your CV but struggling to know where to start, we have a great article to read over in our Career Centre, titled "How to write a good CV".

A well-presented CV is vital in your search for a new job. It will not get you the job, but a good CV makes the difference between getting an interview and your application being thrown in the bin. With your CV being one of many, recruiters will only read it for a short space of time, so it is extremely important that it is structured clearly, with your best selling points presented in a logical manner and the most relevant information readily identifiable. 

Everybody writes and presents their CV as they like, there is no right or wrong way. However, with these words of advice we will help you produce a clear and concise CV that will increase your chances of being invited for an interview. 

The first part of the article addresses the Content of the CV. To begin, prepare a list of your key competencies and skills that your employer will be looking for. Be analytical about yourself and identify your main selling points that differentiate yourself from competitors. Head over to the article here, to see the list of content areas.

Then it goes onto the Structure & Presentation of the CV.

We hope it is a useful article for you and at least helps you get started on putting it together.

Do let us know if you would like to see any specific career-related articles from us.

One of the most daunting experiences for you right now is making the transition from military to civilian life. Not only will it seem like an uphill battle trying to fit back into this daily life but trying to find a new career can further complicate the situation. We have put together a few words of advice when faced with the task of putting together a CV.

What career?
If you know what kind of job you are going to go for, then you are half way there. Trying to decide what kind of job you want to do is difficult and it may be that you do not just decide on one job but several options. To get to this point, you need to sit down and list ALL of the skills you have developed pre-military and whilst within the military and cross-check this list with the skills required in an array of careers. This is the time to research all kinds of job opportunities, speak to your network of friends, family and acquaintances and get some first-hand feedback to work out if it is something you may be interested in doing. It is important to invest time in reading around all kinds of careers to see if something interests you! The internet is a great place to start and there are many sites out there with great explanations of what is involved in different job roles.

More than one CV?
It is highly likely that you may be interested in several kinds of jobs so it is very common to have more than one CV. We allow up to 5 CV’s to be saved into a jobseekers account on TipTopJob so that they can be used to apply to different kinds of jobs and this is the same for other job boards. Each can include different skills and experiences that relate to the role you are applying to. Each CV needs to be kept to under 2 pages.

Skills and achievements
As someone who has no direct experience in the role you are going to be applying for, it is important to pick out the “transferable” skills that you have picked up in the military and that can be used in civilian life. Some of these skills may include team work, decision making, leadership, IT and communication. You are likely to have some good quality and varied achievements that you can use to your advantage so try to pick out those most relevant to the role you are going to be applying for.

Language
Try to minimise any military jargon, acronyms, slang etc from your CV as this can be confusing for a recruiter. If you are describing specific military terms, try to explain and elaborate. You can always ask a friend to read over your CV to make sure they understand it before applying to a job.

Personal Development Record
This is something that civilians will not have so it is a good idea to use this to your advantage. You can quantify each of the areas and be specific with what you have done, who you have managed, what you achieved, what equipment you used etc For example, say that you managed over 20 soldiers, explain that you managed a budget of over £1 million and describe a situation that resulted in saving your department over £50K.

To finish
When putting your CV together, remember to keep it simple, not too wordy and relevant. There are companies that can help you to put a CV together or provide a review on what you already have. Invest some time in getting this right as it can help you to get your foot in the door. If you are rejected for a role, always ask for feedback as this can help you to tweak the content on your CV before applying for another job.

It is time to find a job, but where do you start? Today, there is a wealth of information available on the Internet and it can be mind-blowing. Job boards have become a very popular tool to finding a job but with many different types, functionalities, tools, features, specialisms and locations it can be overwhelming. Job boards seem easy to use but blindly registering on them all and madly uploading your CV across the board is not going to land your dream job! So, how do you best utilise a job board? We are here to help unravel it all!

Difference between aggregators, job boards and recruitment agencies
You will find aggregators, generic job boards, niche job boards, recruitment agencies and direct employer sites. Aggregators compile all jobs (well, almost all depending on who is paying to be listed) from across as many websites as they can. You do not register on the aggregator, you just simply find a job and click through to the site to then make your application. Job boards advertise jobs from recruitment agencies AND direct clients depending on the job board in question. You can register for free, upload CVs, upload cover letters, set up Job Alerts and search through all the jobs and apply online. With recruitment agencies, you can register but they also help you by finding and matching you to relevant jobs and the bonus is you are able to speak directly to them.

Use as a research tool
Job boards are an amazing research tool. Whether you know the direction of your next steps or not, the jobs, career advice available to you on most job boards is phenomenal. You can get a decent understanding of what kinds of jobs are out there, what skills etc are required, what companies are advertising. It is a quick and easy way to gather a lot of important information.

There is much more of this article. Please visit this page on our website to continue reading. We hope it is useful. Like always, if you have any questions please do get in touch on marketing@tiptopjob.com.

Have you tried to connect to people on Linkedin but still find they will NOT accept your request? Maybe there is a genuine reason like they did not receive the email from Linkedn to let them know about your request or the person just has not logged into Linkedin yet. Either way you cannot do anything to overcome these factors but there are OTHER things you should definitely make sure you are doing so as to make sure you are doing everything you can in your power to achieve as many connections as you possibly can. So what can you control?

Your Profile
Is it complete? You need to ensure you have a current job title and history or people will likely not want to connect. A good quality photo helps, history of employment and endorsements will give you a level of value in others eyes. Try to complete as MUCH of it as you possibly can.

Your Message
Do not send a one size fits all message to the person you want to connect to. This will just look like you are trying to build the number of connections rather than show that you want to connect to that specific person. Do not use the default Linkedin message when connecting. Make sure you enter in the person’s name and address them properly. If there is any common ground between you, explain that along with why you want to connect. Make the message meaningful and show how your connection could be mutually beneficial.

Spelling, Punctuation, Grammar
This is always a huge factor in any professional documentation.

Company Loyalty
Having friends at work can increase a person’s loyalty to the company as it is a big factor in deciding whether to leave and move onto a new job or not. People are not loyal to a company but to the people they work with.

Get The Name Correct
Some people will ignore a request if you are unfortunate enough to make the mistake of getting their name incorrect. Double check who you are connecting with before sending your message.

Do Not Sell
If your connecting message, just introduce yourself and connect. Avoid discussing any products or services that you want to sell in this first message as it could well and truly put some people off accepting. It can also be a little off-putting for people to receive a sales pitch straight after a connection so just be careful how quickly you approach them in your follow up.

It may seem like you have to invest a little time into each connection but if you want to build a genuine relationship, this is vital. Do bear in mind though that some people will never connect to others unless they work with them or have worked with them and know them properly so do not be offended if you fail to achieve some connections. Just keep building by connecting and your network will certainly grow!

You can also find this article on our website.

Our latest study found that just over a third of jobseekers believe they can write their CV/Resume themselves and do not need the assistance of a professional.

On the other hand however, 39% of respondents have used a professional CV/Resume writer. 28% of these individuals were also really impressed with the outcome, saying they were brilliant and would use the service again as well as recommend them. The other 11% were not so impressed but did use the services to help them in their job searching process.

A large proportion, 27%, said that they have not used one in the past, but would definitely consider it in the future.

The professional CV/Resume writing services around are a massive support for those who do not know where to start with updating and reviving their most invaluable tool when searching for a new job. Although it seems that many find this updating process easy and are self-able, many are not and therefore these professional services come in very handy to a large percentage of the population.

Here at TipTopJob, we value these services highly and have partnered with some professional CV/Resume writing companies. If you are based in the UK or in Countries that use a CV, you can link through to GetInterviewsUK or if you are based in the USA, there is GetInterviewsUSA where they focus on updating your resume. Get Interviews offer a FREE CV/Resume review to start with so why not give that whirl now? Do not forget to let us know how you get on and make sure you remember to upload your brand new CV/Resume onto your account on TipTopJob!!!!

Results of the survey are illustrated below....

We are pleased to announce that a number of new articles are now live on the National Hug Your Boss Day website. In our attempt to highlight relationship issues at work and resolve problems, we have written some advisory articles for you.

You will find articles for the managers/bosses and more for the employees.

Head over to the National Hug Your Boss Day website and click through to the "Motivational Articles" page. You will find articles on a multitude of topics, for example, "5 ways to manage your boss effectively", "How to deal with your employees office affair", "Clear signs that your boss is taking advantage of you", "10 things that really annoy your boss and solutions", "What behaviour is acceptable at work", "Sure signs you have a great boss" and more.

If you want to see something specific that we have not covered, please feel free to email us directly. We would love to hear from you. 

We hope we can help many of you out there to deal with relationship issues at work and make them better to allow your working life to be more enjoyable :) Let us know if we have helped you deal with or overcome anything.

- Do you think you are not been paid enough? Not being valued at your company?
- Do you look at your pay slip and wish you had been paid that little bit more that you deserve?
- Do you think you have been particularly successful in your job? And gone beyond expectations?

...... If you have answered 'yes' to any of the above, then it is time to negotiate a pay rise. But how do you go about this and what are the best strategies in order to get the best rise?

Most companies will conduct quarterly or bi-annually pay reviews for their employee's, which if successful will result in a pay rise. However, as a hard working employee that is successful, you may feel it is justified to approach your boss to ask for a rise before your review is due.

Whatever your situation is, you will have already agreed this is in your contract and know when your pay review will be - and before your conversation with your boss, the key thing to remember is that you must prepare!

Before you ask
It is advisable to do some background work about salaries in your industry and role and plan your negotiations prior to approaching your boss. You can normally use salary analyzers or something similar on the Internet, or even phone around to ask recruitment agencies for the market averages for your role.

You need to really know what you are worth and what you have achieved recently, and why you deserve the pay rise. You will need to explain what skills and benefits you have brought to the company, how you have excelled in your role in particular and that you are a loyal employee. You will need to focus on your knowledge and experience you have developed and the way you have grown, learnt and developed whilst working for the company. You should note any expectations you have exceeded, any additional responsibilities you have incurred and any extra achievements you have made that stand out and you feel you deserve credit for. You need to be able to explain all of these points in detail, expand on any of them in detail and show that these are the reasons why you should be considered for a pay rise!

You need to show your commitment and express your desire to do well and tell your boss what you are trying to target and what you want to achieve.

Things that you need to consider what you have done when negotiating a pay rise:

· Projects you have managed, led, completed and have been noted as being out standing
· Any awards you have received
· Any procedures you have put in place that may have saved the company money
· Tasks you have been individually assigned to do due to your unique skills and abilities
· Additional tasks beyond what you expected in your current job role
· Anything you have excelled on and been praised for in the past

Also be clear as to what your current salary is, what the average is and what you ideally want!

How much to ask for?
It is a good idea to ask for more than you anticipate and that you give yourself room to negotiate. Expect your boss to propose a counter offer after you have asked for your pay rise sum. You should definitely bargain and you should expect it to usually end up in a middle ground figure so always go in high!

What if your boss says NO?
Just because you are going for a pay rise, you may not necessarily get it - but do not be disappointed if he says no. Firstly, there is always next time and from the feedback on this review you can work towards the next. You need to understand the reasons why he/she has said no and reflect on them. It is not the end of the world and it is not forever.

It may be due to the fact that you are still in the learning curve at work and still developing new skills, in which case, once you feel fully developed; it could be time to ask again.

Do not be afraid to ask for non-financial benefits as well, such as, a phone or extra holiday. You could ask for training and development and the company may be more inclined to pay for this, as you will be learning more and bringing more value to the company. Employees are an asset to companies that they work for at the end of the day!

If you really feel you deserve a pay rise and you are not happy working at the company, then you can always search for a new job that would be willing to pay you more. It may be that your current company is not suited to you and this is your sign to take the next step.

Result!
It is a great feeling if you manage to receive a pay rise! If you work hard and achieve great results, they do not often go un-noticed and you will no doubt be rewarded with what you deserve. A good confidence boost, self-satisfaction and self-affiliation will be the result!

Good luck!

You can also read this article in our Career Centre.

Following on from our latest article on the 10 top tips for women on how to dress to get the job, it seemed fair to offer the same advice to men. There are common benchmarks for all, but here the main 10 top tips for men attending an interview…

1. Suit
Always try to wear a matching two-piece suit that is a subtle colour of grey, blue or back. Lairy pinstripes and bold colours can often give the wrong impression so try to avoid.

2. Alternative
If you do not have a suit or if the employer has specified no suits, then dark coloured trousers (grey, blue, black) with a light coloured long sleeved shirt and tie looks professional and smart.

3. Ties
Ties are an important accessory and allows a little colour to brighten up the outfit but avoid any bright colours or over the top patterns.

4. Shirts
Again when selecting your shirt, avoid any bold colours that can be distracting and give off the wrong impression. Shirts should have a collar and ideally long-sleeved and match the suit or trousers.

5. Belt
You do not want to be pulling your trousers up or showing your underwear so a smart, leather belt is suitable.

6. Socks
Again avoid anything bold by keeping to the dark colours.

7. Shoes
Likewise stick with dark or maybe a brown colour and ensure you have cleaned and polished them.

8. Hair
Make sure you have had a haircut and it is styled in a smart way. Do not over wax or groom though.

9. Facial hair
Avoid over grown beards or moustache hair by trimming the hair down so you are as smart as possible.

10. Finger nails
It is normal for women to make sure their nails are manicured and painted nicely but often this is over-looked by men. Make sure your nails do not have dirt underneath them and try to manicure them down so they are not sharp or over-grown.

By following these straight forward tips, you should not go wrong. You can check out the 10 top tips for women as well on this page and some general pointers for all here.

Read the article in our Career Centre here.

Deciding to leave your current career for life in the classroom can be daunting. Check out these top tips from education charity Teach First on retraining as a teacher and putting your industry experience to work in the classroom:

1) Know how to transfer your skills

You won’t be starting from scratch in a new career in teaching. Whatever your background the skills and competencies you have gained will be essential, especially for engaging and inspiring pupils. Over 20% of those who joined the Teach First Programme last year came from other careers, bringing a wealth of skills and experience into the classroom.

2) Prepare yourself for immediate responsibility

Moving into the classroom can be a challenge. Changing career through Teach First harnesses your experience and enables you transfer your skills, so be ready to demonstrate your ability to communicate and be a leader.

3) Tell us about you

Many people consider teaching as they want to give something back and share their knowledge and experience and become positive role models. Whatever your motivation be prepared to be open and transparent about your background, and don’t be afraid to ask frank questions about what teaching involves. Share your stories of leadership and overcoming challenges and communicate your enthusiasm for heading in a new direction. 

4) Look at your options

There are many different routes into the classroom. As a charity, Teach First offers a Leadership Development Programme which is focused on supporting pupils from low-income backgrounds. As part of this, our teachers are provided with a salary while they are training in schools over two years, as well as receiving a full teaching qualification (PGCE) and Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) after the first year.

Teach First recruit on a rolling basis and have a team dedicated to supporting career changers through the application process. For more information, visit their website.

You can also find the current opportunities being advertised by Teach First on TipTopJob here.

Are you after a pay rise or promotion? 

Whilst employed in any job, there are several things you can do to impress your boss to increase the chances of receiving a pay rise, further responsibilities or even a promotion into a new job.

Learn about your boss

By knowing what makes your boss tick, what their goals are and how they work, it will help you relate to them and understand how to work to make them happy. In general, individuals will work better with others if they know and understand them.

Trust

Show your boss that you can deliver what you say you can. Make sure you meet your deadlines and that you consistently complete tasks on time to a high standard. If you can do this, your boss will begin to trust you and rely on your ability to do the tasks you are set. Ultimately, your boss will assign you further responsibilities and you may be offered a promotion.

Rapport

By building a good relationship with your employer, you are more likely to work more productively and make your boss like you. Being friends with him/her and talking about your interests and hobbies will help to build up a good relationship. Always remember though, that they are still your boss!

Make your boss's job easy

As well as doing your current role, try to take the pressure off your boss by helping with additional tasks. If necessary, you may need to work longer hours in order to highlight your skills and abilities and really impress your boss. Try to resolve any problems they face or suggest new methods to issues that arise.

Work out what you are good at & enjoy your work

By organising your day and identifying what you are good at, you can work cleverly to impress your boss. If you can do things very well, then try to get involved in these tasks more to show you are extremely capable of doing them. If you are performing tasks that you are good at, you will enjoy your work more and as a result naturally be more productive.

Appearance and Presentation

Always turn up to work well presented and dress appropriately. You do not want to upset your boss by dressing down, wearing too much make-up or not being clean in the morning. If you can dress up smartly, you look professional and therefore approach your work in a more professional manner.

Acquire new skills and further knowledge

By going on courses and showing you are keen to learn and develop your skills, you will really impress your employer. Not only will this initially create an impact, but also it will give your employer confidence in your future skills and abilities, recognizing your enthusiasm to learn and develop. One of the best ways to secure a promotion is to expand your knowledge and skill sets. Ask your boss about courses, training or such like that will help advance your learning.

Keep up to date with current industry news

It is also known that those who want to succeed should keep up to date with industry news and events as well as interesting trends outside their own speciality. This can prove to be very useful to the company and by showing you are keen to research and keep to date with trends in the industry, you will no doubt make an impression on your boss.

Ask for more responsibility

By asking for more work, more responsibility or volunteering to help out in the department shows interest and desire to be there and to help the company succeed. This in itself will impress the boss.

Be a team player

Teamwork is invaluable to companies and a very important skill to possess. By showing you are a good, effective team player, you will build your reputation and increase your value.

We hope this was useful to you! Why not head over to our Working Life articles in the Career Centre where you can find more related articles?