Do you think it is important to know the background of your company? Do you even care? Or are you one of the 67% of people who DO know the history!
When applying for a new job and you are invited to an interview, it is hugely important to research the company, its owners, history, growth, changes, staff, its industry and anything else you can find out. An interviewer could well ask you questions surrounding the topic so it is good to have the knowledge for this reason but also because if you are applying for a new job there, you probably should have the desire to know what kind of company you could potentially be employed by.
Researching this kind of information helps to give you an insight into the culture, values, ethos, mindset, vision etc so can be useful in deciding whether it is the kind of company that would suit you!
33% of employees DO NOT KNOW their company background but what exactly does this mean? Does it mean they are bad at their job? Not necessarily. Maybe the culture, staff, values etc do not matter to them and they can perform their job without having to know anything more about the organisation itself.
Knowing the history of the company is definitely more important to certain industry sectors and employment levels, such as, Managing Directors, Project Managers, Account Directors and such like.
We would love to hear your thoughts on this topic. What job do you do and do you know your company's history? Comment below.....
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.
In a recent study, it was revealed that 76% of workers would prefer to have a more flexible approach to their working location.
We asked over 1000 employees about whether they would want to work from home and if so, how much time would they settle for. We found....
- 25% are happy working at the office
- 8% would like to work one day per week at home
- 26% would like to work 2 to 3 days per week at home
- 41% would like to work more than 3 days per week at home
Although, there is a decent percentage of employees who are happy to remain working in an office environment, a much larger number of people are not. Why is this? Why are employers not speaking to their employees and respecting their wishes?
In some instances, really it comes down to the industry and job in which these employees are working within. How can an IT support worker who deals with on-site issues throughout a day possibly work from home. On the other hand though, a telesales person could quite happily do their job from home without the need for social interaction with colleagues. Also, being around other people throughout the day is much more sociable and allows for quicker and more comprehensive communication with colleagues.
How does working at home affect an individuals productivity? It is hard to give a blanket response to this question as when we have spoken to people in the past, some are massively self-motivated, able to get their job done without any distraction at home but others find any reason not to knuckle down. Employers are frightened at not being able to monitor daily tasks sometimes as not everyone works as hard when left to their own devices.
What are your thoughts and views on this subject? At the end of the day, should it be based on a case by case basis depending on the individuals personality, work ethic, self-motivation and more? We think so!
