TipTopJob Blog

Our latest research tells us that recruitment agencies do not get a look in compared to job boards and direct applications to specific jobs and organisations.

After a month of asking jobseekers what they do once they are happy with their CV / Resume, we found that 45% choose to upload it to a job board and make online applications via their systems. 39% apply directly to company opportunities and lagging way behind is the option to use a Recruitment Agency with only 12% taking that route.

There will always be a market and desire to use Recruitment Agencies especially within certain specialist industry sectors so it really does come down to what kind of jobs are being applied for. Many jobs can be found on job boards so it is quick and easy to make job applications online in this way where the CV/Resume can be saved within a users account. On the flip side of this though, some companies will never publish their vacancies on job boards or even enrol an agent, so direct applications to companies would be the chosen avenue.

Where have you found the most success when applying for a job? Tell us here.....

There are plenty of cities that are frequently declared to be expat havens, offering a high quality of living and a vibrant international community to help new residents from all over the world feel at home. But if you’re a finance professional looking for your next step, there are other factors to bear in mind when you’re deciding where to relocate to.

As well as setting your sights on the world’s global financial centres, it’s important to look into the typical salaries on offer for finance professionals at your level in different locations. You may also wish to consider what personal income tax you’ll need to pay, and the economic stability of your potential new home.

For financiers just starting to research their options, here’s a look at some of the best cities in the world for people working in the finance industry.

Frankfurt
Often cited as the finance capital of Europe, Frankfurt is home to the heart of the European Central Bank and German Central Bank, as well as the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority. The city’s ‘House of Finance’ research and teaching institute is said to set new standards in researching capital market issues, and a number of banks looking to relocate from London as a result of Brexit have decided to move their teams to Frankfurt because of its status as a financial powerhouse.

Data from PayScale and SalaryExpert places Germany in the top 10 countries worldwide when it comes to average pay for both Finance Managers and Financial Analysts, while additional data suggests that expats living in Germany also have a higher level of disposable income than those in other finance hotspots like Singapore and Hong Kong.

Aside from the ease with which you could find a job in Frankfurt’s finance sector, it’s also a trendy and welcoming city with plenty of great food, drink and shopping potential, as well as historic sites and cultural activities to enjoy.

Singapore
Salaries for financiers living in Singapore are generous, and this city-state is also known for being a safe location and one with an excellent quality of life. Rated as the second best place in the world for expats by HSBC’s Expat Explorer survey, this is a politically and economically stable location where career opportunities mix perfectly with an expat-friendly environment.

In 2018, the number of jobs in financial services and fintech in Singapore grew by 6,900, with an additional 4,000 financiers being hired during 2019. Salaries are comfortable, though it’s worth noting that the cost of accommodation and services varies from district to district and can be high.

You may also need to take out a global healthcare policy to cover any medical expenses while living in Singapore, because only those who are permanent residents or citizens will have access to the public healthcare system. Even so, Singapore’s private healthcare system is of a world-class standard and is only slightly more expensive to access than the country’s public healthcare system.

English is the language of business, which makes settling in to a new role that little bit easier, and if you’re moving with children in tow you’ll be pleased to know that HSBC’s Expat Explorer ranked Singapore in first place for both schooling quality and childcare quality.

Hong Kong
Whether you work in brokerage, banking, wealth management or another area of finance, Hong Kong is a gateway to China that offers a rapidly growing market for finance roles. If you speak Cantonese you’ll be at an advantage, but there are also positions available for solely English-speaking expats.

Hong Kong is known for being busy and crowded, and the cost of living is high. However, it does also have some of the lowest personal income tax in the world – currently capped at a maximum tax rate of 17% of earnings. A colourful culture and lively nightlife are just a few of this region’s selling points, along with an excellent public transport system that means you won’t have to spend your salary on personal transport.

70 of the world’s 100 largest banks have operations in Hong Kong, making it one of the highest concentrations of banking institutions worldwide. HSBC’s Expat Explorer rates this location as the best in the world for expat career progression, and states that ‘most international workers tend to leave Hong Kong wealthier and more senior’ than when they arrived.

Dubai
One of the main attractions for many people moving to Dubai is the fact that there is no personal income tax. This is because government expenditure is funded by revenue from the oil industry, income tax, inheritance tax, stamp duty and capital gains tax, which are all considered unnecessary. On top of this, it’s easy to get by without speaking Arabic – though it is, of course, polite to try and learn the basics.

Dubai has been making considerable efforts in recent years to become the financial centre of the Middle East, and the Dubai International Finance Centre is a ‘special economic zone’ with its own legal and regulatory framework. Housing hundreds of financial institutions, from wealth funds and private investors to multinationals, the area offers a 50-year guarantee of zero taxes on corporate income and profits.

One thing that’s important to keep in mind if you’re considering Dubai for your next career move, is that this is a conservative location with deeply ingrained customs and laws that may be unfamiliar if you’re moving from the western world. Female expats in particular should thoroughly research the local culture before a move, as while Dubai is more liberal than other parts of the UAE, there are still requirements for women to dress modestly in public, among other things.

Tokyo
Japan is one of the world’s safest countries, and while there’s likely to be an element of culture shock settling in to a place as bright and bustling as Tokyo, this is another area offering a good quality of life and opportunities for career progression.

More than 50 foreign banks have operations in Japan, including Citibank, Deutsche Bank and JPMorgan Chase, and Tokyo is the centre of all things finance in the country. Described as a ‘key financial centre for the international market’ , Tokyo does have a high cost of living to accompany the high salaries you can expect to find here. However, you can still expect to have a reasonable level of disposable income.

When you aren’t working, you can spend your time between historic temples or modern shopping malls, or simply eat your way around the city’s many excellent restaurants and street food stands. Tokyo’s work-life balance isn’t quite as life-focused as that of other cosmopolitan cities, but as a destination that is more politically and economically stable than the UK and the USA, you may find life in Tokyo less stressful in many ways than life elsewhere.

Your specific finance role and whether you’re moving alone, with a partner or with family, will help to indicate the location that’s best for you. Wherever you decide to move to, the good news is that there are plenty of cities around the world which can simultaneously offer you good career opportunities, a high standard of living, and room to develop both personally and professionally.

We are investigating the reason why you may want to leave your job and if it is because of the boss! Here are our latest findings...

40% of people want to leave their job because of their boss. 16% of these do not agree with how he/she works, 15% do not like him/her and 9% say their boss bullies/harasses staff. 

60% of the respondents like their boss and are not considering leaving their job.

If you were one of the users that responded within this 40%, let us know what it is exactly that you do not like about them or what you do not agree with? How are you handling your situation? Sharing your own personal stories and letting others know may help and support others who are struggling and finding working life difficult. 

Have you ever lied on your CV? 

We are pleased to say that in our latest study, an amazing 86% of people have NEVER lied on their CV. Obviously, we wanted to see 100% as the result but it is apparent that some individuals feel the need to change their profiles/history etc in order to find themselves a new job.

6% said that they had told a big lie on their CV and 8% just a small white lie. Unfortunately, even though it is a small percentage, there are still some that feel they need to make such changes in their CV.

So, what, we would like to know are people lying about? It is their age? How long they were employed for? If they took a break? Job titles? Education history? References? 

Advice at TipTopJob is not to lie. Is the risk worth it? If you get found out it will definitely cost you the job! If there is something you feel you need to explain, then explain it to the employer/recruiter so you are open and honest as this will be received much better than a potential lie.

What are your thoughts on this? We would love to hear.....

Resilience in Recruitment

We all know that resilience is a life skill; we have to be able to bounce back from our setbacks, ready to face the world again. But resilience in job hunting can feel like a very different beast. So, how do you keep the faith and pick yourself up, time and time again?

Remember, it’s not personal it’s business ...

We all know what job hunting can be like – spending hours sweating over application forms or changing the focus of your CV to accommodate the requirements of an individual employer. The elation of being selected for interview, thinking you’ve aced it, only to be told that you weren’t going to be offered the job. It all feels very personal. And that’s the first rule of job hunting resilience: rejection isn’t personal. So, how do you use this to your advantage? 

• Objective reflection: Give yourself a little time to grieve (but not too long – time is money!), then spend some time reflecting on the interview process. Make some notes on the things you felt you didn’t project strongly enough and how you could improve.

• Education and Qualifications: Not just a few words rattled off in an email or tagged on to the end of the phone call where they break the news. Get some quality feedback. The best interviewers (and the more sensitive ones) will ask if you want to arrange another time to talk about the interview and the outcome: say yes! Then go away and prepare for that conversation as if it’s another interview. Take time to gather your thoughts, and cultivate a better frame of mind. Make a list of questions you want to ask, points you want to raise, and make sure you have paper and pen to make notes of what they say to refer back to later when preparing for other interviews.

• Don’t burn your bridges: Remember to stay professional; you might be feeling hard done by now, but there may be other roles with that company in the future and you want to make sure that they remember you for all the right reasons. 

Take a Reality Check ...

If you aren’t getting past the application stage you need to take some action. 

• Do you meet all of the essential requirements (and most of the desired ones too)? If you aren’t ticking those boxes, then the likelihood of you getting an interview are very slim. You need to be realistic in your job choices, spend your valuable time on those which have a good chance of being successful.

• Are you doing yourself justice in your applications? Think about how you are expressing yourself on your CV or in your applications. It’s important to not only tell employers about the skills you have, but to give them some evidence to prove you have successfully used them, detailing any results if possible. Using the CAR formula (Context, Action, Result) can help to structure what you write and keep it concise. 

• If in doubt ... if you’re unsure about how you are presenting yourself then get some advice! Ask friends to look over your applications and discuss the roles you are applying for. Using a service like CVKnowHow can give you professional, objective guidance. 

Take Back Control ...

The whole process of job hunting can feel like someone else is pulling your strings. Thinking that you’re at the mercy of their decision making can make you feel vulnerable and, well, it’s just a little bit scary. However, there are many other ways that you can take back some control: 

• You can decide where and how you look for jobs – besides job sites, you can also use your own network, asking if friends or family are aware of any opportunities, or simply identify companies you would like to work for and contact them speculatively. 

• What you apply for is your decision too – remember , your time is too precious to waste. 

• Don’t put all your eggs in one basket, as the saying goes. Send off the application, or attend the interview, and then move on to the next one. Knowing we have choices is an empowering force in itself. 

• How you present yourself and obtaining help to do his effectively is completely within your control. 

Be Kind to Yourself ...

Self knowledge is a wonderful thing – knowing your strengths and skills and recognising them as valuable assets can communicate many positive vibes to prospective employers: if you feel good about yourself, it projects! When things get tough remind yourself of those skills and qualities (some people I’ve coached have kept a list to look back through – it worked for them!) – valuing yourself means employers will value you too. 

Take some time out to relax and focus on something other than job applications – even if it’s just a little time – keeping your mind healthy. 

About the Author: CV Knowhow, our CV writing company partner, have written this article. They are ready and waiting to help you put your new CV together. Check them out here and submit your CV for a FREE review today. 

Which CV layout is suitable for you?

Author: CV Knowhow, CV writing experts in CV Writing 

It’s a big enough decision to start thinking about putting together a CV. It could be the first time you’ve ever had to create such a document, or it might be years since you’ve had to apply for a job, so where do you start? A quick look online can bring up a huge variety of examples: different layouts; different sections; some with colour, and some without; and you never knew there were so many font styles to choose from! 

But which one is right for you? 

The point of a CV is to provide a prospective employer with just the right amount of information about your skills and qualities, in an easily accessible way, to make them want to find out more about you. From the first few seconds of reading your CV they will be able to either see you working with them or not. So, it is crucial to choose the right CV design which best reflects what you have to offer. 

There are 5 main styles of CV:

Resume

This is a single page CV, mostly used in the USA and Canada, and you would adopt this style if you are looking to apply for roles in either of those 2 countries. Its focus is on your skills and achievements within jobs and education, and, because of the space restrictions, being concise is absolutely the key to success here – every word counts. There is no room to include anything that is not totally relevant to the job role you are applying for, and so you must have a solid understanding of the skills and experience required to fully tailor your CV. This style of CV is also used for some jobs within the Financial sector – check with the employer if they require this style, if it’s not made explicit in the job advert or application guidelines. 

Skills Based CV

The clue is in the name! This CV prioritises your skills before listing your work experience or academic achievements. You provide a list of skills as headings, once again remembering the golden rule of targeting them to the requirements of the role you are applying for, and then give evidence, written in bullet points, of when you have used that skill, For example: 

Team Work: 
•Worked in a small team whilst employed at Fred’s Diner, supporting colleagues through flexible working and sharing best practice. 
•Achieved first place in a debating competition, working with fellow team members to develop a successful group strategy. 
•Supported fellow students whilst creating an IT presentation, sharing ideas and enabling others to express themselves coherently and concisely, resulting in achieving a group mark of 92%. 

The variety of examples here, taken from work and education, give an added depth to the CV. This style of CV is useful if you have undertaken a number of short term jobs and have generated a lot of work history within a small space of time, helping to package your information in a much clearer way. This is also the ideal CV style for career changers or those with a limited amount of work history, but other, equally valuable, experience from elsewhere, such as voluntary work – the evidence you provide to support the skill can come from anywhere! 

Chronological CV

This is a nice, ordered layout – taking an employer through your employment / academic history from the present day all the way back, reversing the chronological order. Usually, you would only provide information on the last 10 years of your work history – however, this rule isn’t set in stone, and it would depend on how much work experience you had accumulated and the value of what you have done in relation to what you now want to go on to do –remember to target the CV to the role requirements! This CV works wonderfully if you have a clear employment history within the same sector, and you are quite happy to stay in that same area, providing an obvious pattern of progression and achievement. 

Hybrid CV

This is a little more complicated, but is, actually, one of the main styles of CVs used. It has a foot in both camps, taking elements from the skills based and the chronological formats, spinning them together to create something new and very effective. This style of CV would have a Key Skills or Key Competencies section and / or a Key Achievements section, highlighting the targeted skills required by the employer or sector. Following these sections would be the chronological elements of work history and education. This is a particularly good style for highlighting, very concisely, those key targeted skills - use the job description and person specification to help you focus on the right vocabulary, reflecting the employer’s expressions within your CV. A small word of warning, though: take care not to add too many of these sections in: you don’t want it too complicated or run the risk of repeating yourself in the chronological sections. 

Academic / Medical CV

This is the only style of CV where size does not matter! There is no prescribed length for an academic CV – unlike the Skills based, Chronological and Hybrid, which usually can be no longer than3 pages. However, all the information still has to be relevant and concisely expressed – it is not a cart blanche to tell them every detail about your life! As it suggests, this style of CV is used by medics / post-doctoral students or academics looking to work within research or teaching at academic institutions. It allows you to include sections on research work; teaching experience; and publications. 

A final thought ………

So, knowing more about the different types of CV you can use should make it easier to pick the style most suited to your needs! Just remember, though, that you are not alone – help is always available at CVknowhow, where our consultants can advise on style as well as content. If you are wondering if your CV is right for you, submit for a free CV review here.

Writing a CV that will sell you to a potential employer can seem like an overwhelming task – summarising your entire life on two pages, whilst blowing your own trumpet but not sounding arrogant can be a challenge. But fear not! CV Knowhow have put together their ten top tips to bear in mind when writing a CV. You’ll soon have an enviable CV that will support your job search, give you confidence and enable you to take the next step in your career. 

1. Start with your contact details 
It’s amazing how many people omit this basic information! You could have the best CV in the world, but if a recruiter can’t get in touch to call you for an interview there was no point in writing it at all. Include your town and postcode, telephone numbers (landline and mobile) and email address. You should also consider adding a link to your LinkedIn profile, so that the recruiter can look at your online presence to find out more about you (and hopefully notice all the endorsements and recommendations you no doubt have!). 

2. Write in reverse-chronological order 
To make a great first impression, your most relevant skills, responsibilities and achievements need to be the first thing a recruiter reads. Structure your career history so that your most recent job is at the top and goes further back in time as you progress down the CV. The same rule applies to your education section. There’s no point starting your CV with qualifications you gained 20 years ago, if you can wow the recruiter with recent success in your chosen career. 

3. Target the CV to a specific role or industry 
A powerful CV is always focused on a specific job. If you try to cover all bases, you’ll end up looking like a Jack of all trades and master of none. If you’re targeting a few different roles, then unfortunately that means tailoring your CV to each one. If you have a person specification for the job, cross-reference your CV with the specification to ensure you’ve demonstrated how you meet their requirements exactly. 

4. Write in the third person 
A CV written in the first person (I, me, etc.) comes across as quite basic. It’s also quite repetitive to use “I” on every other line. To look more professional, try to write in the third person. Not only is this best practice when writing a CV, it keeps the CV impersonal and enables the recruiter to focus on what you’d bring to the business. 

To read the full article, please CLICK HERE >>>>>

Uber are recruiting worldwide! We currently have almost 3,000 jobs across Argentina, Australia, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Indonesia, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, USA and Vietnam. The driving jobs have been registered in various local languages so you can visit the TipTopJob site to read about the roles, requirements, responsibilities and apply online directly to Uber. 

Drive with Uber and get paid weekly in fares by helping our community of riders get around town. Driving with Uber is a great way to earn cash on your schedule. The more you drive, the more you can earn. It's simple and perfect for those looking for seasonal, work from home, entry level, temporary, or any type of job opportunities.

Here are some words from working for Uber...
"We’re building something people use every day. From how you get home from work, to how you eat meals, or how you move huge shipments of absolutely anything, the work we contribute moves the world a few steps forward. And that’s one of the best parts about working here—knowing that the work you do helps shape the future.

And getting to that bright future means solving some of the most difficult problems of the present. It takes a lot of hard work, a lot of love, and support from colleagues all over the world. At Uber, we have brought together a world-class collective of problem-solvers. And we all fundamentally understand that tough challenges help us personally grow the most. That’s why we wholeheartedly believe in learning by doing—and that there is no better classroom than real-world experience. Because if it helps you grow, then we all grow. Together."

So, are you interested?

Do you know someone who may be interested?

CLICK HERE TO BROWSE ALL UBER JOBS

OR, to see the jobs in your selected Country, click on the Country of your choice below, type in "UBER" into the search box, click search and you will see all the jobs available to you.....

Argentina
Australia
Canada
Colombia 
Costa Rica 
Indonesia
Mexico
New Zealand
Nigeria
USA
Vietnam

We are pleased to share some great progress this January so far. If you know anyone looking for a job, then please do share TipTopJob with them. It is a great time to register, search and apply for new jobs all over the UK. Click on the image to register on the site.

Interesting stats show that 62% of newly recruited staff, remain registered with job boards with their situation the same.

Research from TipTopJob, finds that 21% remove themselves from online recruitment sites altogether once they have started a new job and 17% remain registered but change their availability. 

What does this show us? Are people concerned about having made the right decision about their move so are therefore keeping their options open? Should newly recruited staff remove themselves from job boards to really show their commitment to the new organisation? 

Job boards would usually consist of jobseekers who are actively looking rather than passively. It is however up to individuals as to what they decide to do with their registrations and a lot of people like to always have their eyes out for alternative options. It will also depend on the industry and role type/level. If you imagine contractors, they are constantly changing roles and always need to be out there looking for their next opportunity and this is markedly different to Managing Directors who may only be changing roles every 10 to 15 years.   

What are your thoughts? Do share here....