TipTopJob Blog

Most employees find that it is "The Company" that hinders career progression over anything else. In our latest survey we asked what most employees find holds them back from moving their careers forward out of a number of given options including "The company", "The Role", "Colleagues", "The Boss", "Their Skills" and "Their Confidence".

37% of responses selected "The Company" as the main reason for hindering their progression. Second to this were the individuals "Skills" of which 22% responded. Next, 14% selected "Confidence" from the options available - amazing that so many people have a lack of confidence that holds them back in their career!!

"The Role", "Colleagues" and "The Boss" were at the bottom of the pile. Only 6% chose "Colleagues", 8% "The Boss" and 12% "The Role".

Whatever the reason, career progression is so important to keeping an individual interested in their job and willing them to work for the company for the longer term rather than just the short term. The fact that most employees are stating that it is "The Company" holding them back shows that there are potentially no opportunities to progress within the company they are working for so the only option for promotions or advancements would be to move elsewhere. Have you got experience of a company hindering your career progression? Tell us the details here....

Our latest findings reveal that 66% of employees carefully select what they post onto their social media profiles as they fear it will negatively affect their chances at work. 48% of this figure feel that it therefore restricts their use of social media.

21% of the employees say it is does not stop them and it does not worry them at all. 

Social media is being used everywhere, not just for personal uses but business as well so it is hard to draw a line for some employees if they are using it as part of their job. Surely, someone with access to Facebook who is posting company updates, will sneak the odd peak at their personal profile? No? Should there be some leeway on personal use anyway in an office or does giving an inch turn into a mile?

Well it varies depending on the industry and job role really. Working in the marketing and media industry would require regular use of social media across all platforms. But when working in recruitment there would be constant use of Linkedin required but not so much on Facebook and Twitter. At the end of the day, it is down to the company and what their rules and regulations are. Our advice would be to not take advantage of your situation or you may have to deal with more serious consequences. 

What are your thoughts on social media in the workplace? Should it be allowed or is it a distraction?

When you are searching for a new job on TipTopJob, there are several things to bear in mind. Here are 6 Top Tips to help you use the site in the best way to find the perfect role for you. 

1. Register with TipTopJob as a jobseeker first. This will allow you to save jobs to your basket for a later date and easily attach the CV from your account when applying. 

2. Always choose "all" of the relevant industries that the role you are interested in could fall into. If you are looking for a Marketing Manager job for a large Supermarket chain, you must select the "Advertising, Marketing & PR", "Management" and "Retail & Wholesale" industries. You do not want to miss out on any opportunity that may be on the site in an industry you have not looked in!

3. Boolean search is always the best and can result in more accurate results. Take the advice on the Job Search Tips link on the search page on how to use it in the best way. 

4. If you are interested in working in more than 1 Country, start by searching in 1 Country and then move onto the next in a new search. You cannot search for jobs in multiple Countries.

5. If you are not able to find something that you want to apply for, make sure that you register an "Email Alert" which specifies the criteria of the role you want. This will allow the TipTopJob system to send you an email AS SOON AS a new job that is registered matches your criteria. You can then be the first to apply. You can register multiple "Email Alerts" so if you are interested in several types of jobs, register one for each.

6. Make sure that you attach your most up to date CV/Resume and one that is relevant to the job you are applying. You can save multiple CV/Resumes in your account so that you can tailor them accordingly.

Since the beginning of the year we have been collating survey results around workplace relationships to help with research behind National Hug Your Boss Day. We have been able to gather some fantastic and interesting findings.

For example, we can tell you that...................

- 16% want to laugh at their boss when they are told off
- A third of employees think their bosses top weakness is being impatient
- Most employees are happy if their employer is happy
- 96% would NOT kiss their boss
- 85% would NOT date their boss
- People working in the Advertising, Marketing and Media industries are more likely to socialise with their boss.
- Employees in the Accountancy, Finance and Legal industries are least likely to socialise with their boss
- 47% rate their relationships with co-workers as excellent
- No employees thought their co-worker relationships were poor
- 72% of us feel we are "hard" workers
- Most employees feel "courtesy and respect" are most important bosses quality
- A third of employees would swap their boss for President Obama
- Only 1% would want to swap boss for Piers Morgan
- Three quarters of employees have shouted at their boss in anger
- Most of us want a "calm" boss
- 2/3 of Americans LOVE their boss in comparison so almost 100% of those in China

This is just a snapshot of some of the great Facts and Stats. There are 80 new items on the website. You can check them out on the website here.

Here are the graphical representations from a handful of the survey results....

With National Hug Your Boss Day fast approaching, we are turning around our survey questions rapidly to gather lots of interesting data to report. Do help us by casting your votes on the homepage of the website.

Last week, we asked how many bosses you report into. Surprisingly, we found that 12% report into 4 or more bosses. 

However, more obviously, there were 54% of people who only report into the 1 boss, making it a little easier for them.

26% report into 2 bosses and 8%, 3.

Having many tiers a hierarchy is fairly common practice but the number of bosses you directly report to is different and can clearly vary from company to company. 

So, all of you out there that report into more than the 1 boss, would you prefer to have just 1 boss to report to or do you find multiple reporting OK?! Do tell us here.....

To focus our efforts in marketing across the UK, we have now switched ALL International job advertising for the rest of the 84 Country domains that we cover to FREE. 

This allows all Recruitment Agencies and Direct Clients the opportunity to post anything from a single job to unlimited jobs.

A Recruiter simply needs to register as normal on the site and choose their local Country domain e.g. de.TipTopJob.com for Germany. This will automatically allow the Recruiter to then proceed to post jobs. If using a job posting board, the login details need to be passed onto the board and posting can continue as normal. For multiple uploads via CSV or XML, Recruiters will need to get in touch with TipTopJob. Otherwise, everything can be done online.

Our full list of Country domains can be found on the website here.

The only Country that is not allowing FREE job advertising is the UK. However, new advertisers within the UK, can request a FREE TRIAL for unlimited job advertising before purchasing any packages.

For any questions, please do get in touch with us on +44(0)1628 207350 or email sales@TipTopJob.com.

Our latest survey reveals that a massive 43% ONLY use a Mobile for job searching via the Internet. 

We asked over 2,000 jobseekers, when they visit a jobsite, what they normally use. We provided a number of options and combination of options to include the following:

- Mobile?
- Tablet?
- Desktop?
- Mobile+Tablet?
- Mobile+Desktop?
- Tablet+Desktop?
- All 3?

The results tell us that the Tablet is the least most popular device to use. Only 4% ONLY use a Tablet, 5% would use a Mobile + Tablet and ONLY 1% would use a Tablet + Desktop. 

No surprises when looking at the Mobile data being the most popular. As we have seen 43% would use ONLY a Mobile device, 5% a Mobile + Tablet but more popularly 15% use a Mobile + Desktop. 

12% reveal using all 3 devices at some point or another when searching for a job on the Internet.

With the growing use of Mobile devices across the World and easy access to Smartphones, it is no wonder that Mobiles are more popular. People are able to access the Internet on the go, anytime, anywhere. We wonder how much these stats will change and grow by next year - we predict at least a 10% increase in mobile usage!

Have you ever wondered whether job searching via the Internet in Kenya is dominated by mobile access and how it compares to the users across the UK? Or if the residents in the USA sit at a desktop computer looking for a new job more than those in Russia? No need to wonder any longer as we can now reveal some interesting stats and facts illustrating the differences between 186 Countries across the Globe.

So, it turns out that the Internet users in Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Gabon, Cuba and Chad use desktops to search for jobs more so than mobiles and tablets. In fact, 97% of people in Kyrgyzstan use a desktop computer. 93% in Russia, 89% in Gabon, 86% in Cuba and 86% in Chad.

Mobiles were used the most in Sudan, Kenya, Palau and the Falklands. 94% of users in Sudan chose a mobile over a desktop or tablet.

Interestingly, Internet users in New Caledonia were the only users more likely to use Tablets. In St Lucia, Jersey, Guadeloupe and Greenland, tablets were used more than any of the other Countries analysed.

The UK and the USA rank right in the middle when it comes to its usage of the desktop and mobile. The UK found 57% using a desktop versus 33% a mobile and the USA, 52% versus 43%, respectively. A similar result was found in Australia with slightly more internet users choosing a desktop in comparison to a mobile; 49% v’s 41% and India; 50% v’s 48%.

The stats turned on their heads for a few other Countries where there were more mobiles being used. For example, in the UAE, 43% chose a desktop to job search over 53% a mobile. In South Africa; 38% v’s 51% and Japan; 43% v’s 49%.

The data comes from the usage of TipTopJob over the last 6 months and compares the sessions from 186 Countries. You can see a full breakdown in the chart below.

Source: TipTopJob.com

- 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.

In our latest survey results we discovered that 43% of individuals WOULD work harder when their boss is in. Although, more respondents said that they didn't and that they work just as hard when the boss is in to when the boss is not, 43% is still a very large proportion of people who need constant supervision and guidance.

So, why do people need this constant control and direction? Are there just too many distractions with the open access to the World Wide Web that when the boss is not around it allows employees to do their shopping or catch up with friends on social media? Are colleagues developing better friendships at work that they just chat, have a joke and mess around at the expense of getting their daily tasks completed? 

Whatever it is, you need some motivation to focus on your day to day activities without requiring the boss to be a around! If this is you, maybe you need to consider having some benchmarks and guidelines between you and your colleagues on how long you are going to "chat" for before then turning your focus on your daily chores. Maybe give yourself 10 minutes in the morning to have a natter. And if you are serial Facebooker or shopper and click back and forth from your task in hand, maybe stop yourself from shopping through working hours and only so this in your break or lunch break. 

Do not forget, you are being employed to do a job so you want to make sure you are performing to the best of your ability. You do not want to get the sack and have to move on without a reference. Our advice is to try your best all of the time :)