We have been asking YOU whether you are looking for a job this month.
Our results reveal the following.....
- 63% of people say "YES" they are looking for a job and do not already have one.
- 30% say "YES" as well that they have a job and they are also looking.
- 2% do not want a job!!
- 4% have a job and are not currently looking.
Positive news that the majority of people either are looking for a job or have a job with only 2% happy not to work.
January is a great time to go on the hunt with many more companies recruiting, advertising and looking for grow. Many want to start fresh and use January as a good time to make new, positive changes to their lives.
Is that you? Tell us your story.....
Over the last month we have been investigating the likelihood of jobseekers using CV and Resume Writing Companies to review and re-write their CV's/Resumes.
We first looked into how likely people were to using them. It was a close call with just 10% difference between people saying "never" and others saying "definitely". In fact there was a small difference between Never, Maybe and Definitely looking at the illustration between the options below.
28% said they would never use a professional CV / Resume Writing company, 32% said maybe and 40%, definitely. We are safe to say that there is a market for such companies to help those get their CV / Resume's up to scratch.
Following on from this analysis, we looked into why people would decide to use such professionals. 44% clearly felt that they would do a better job than them - whether this is true or not is another story. This could simply be down to a lack of the individuals confidence rather than their actual ability. 38% just did not know where to begin when reviewing and re-writing their CV/Resume so needed some direction. Finally, 18% did not have the time to re-do their CV/Resume and so would choose to use the professionals. With people being so busy and rushed today and longer hours being worked, this reason is definitely a deciding factor for many.
So once you have made the decision to use an external professional, how do you decide which company to use? It is always a good idea to shop around and see which company is suitable for you and works within your industry and location. It is also a good idea to go on recommendations and potential partnerships of businesses who recommend their services. Here at TipTopJob, we currently recommend Get Interviews which offers services within the UK, the USA and Worldwide. They offer a FREE CV / Resume review in the first place before purchasing any of their services. You can read a little more about CVGetInterviews here and GetInterviews 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?
You usually hear about the boss shouting at their employees but have you ever thought about an employee who shouts at their boss?
Our latest survey results reveal that 79% have NEVER shouted at their boss, which is a promising figure showing most of our users do respect their boss or have never had the need to express any negative emotions towards their leader.
Although the majority sit in this bracket, we do still have 21% who HAVE shouted at their boss in anger at some point in their career. Although we have not dug down into why, we can assume that it may have happened for a number of reasons.
Did the boss do something to provoke the attack and did the boss deserve it? Maybe the boss has shouted first? But even so, should the employee then shout back? How could this make the employee then feel after the action? Do they resign and leave or apologise and pretend it never happened?
Whatever the reason behind shouting, it is not the best course of action, even if it is a reaction to a poorly behaved boss. Our advice is that if a boss has acted in this way to you, then remain calm and approach your boss with a professional attitude. Take some time before you speak to them to gather yourself and calm down if you need to. You do not want to make other employees uncomfortable and you certainly do not want to ruin your chances of a decent reference in the future.
32% of employees exist in a company with 4 or more hierarchies of reporting. Latest research into the number of hierarchies within businesses also found that 25% have 3, 23% have 2 and 20% have 1.
The graph below illustrates the results of the survey highlighting the differences between the number of bosses and the number of hierarchies. We can clearly see that there are more employees with just the 1 boss that they report into and there are more companies using 4 or more levels of hierarchy.
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!
Our latest survey results reveal that 73% believe they are "hard" workers compared to 25% who felt they were "smart" workers.
Funnily enough, less than 1% of people admitted to being a slacker and 1.7% a chancer. It was an anonymous survey so it is not like people did not feel they could tell the truth! We are pleased to have this feedback :)
So, why are more people "hard" at work, than "smart" at work? Quite possibly because people feel that because they work long hours and put in as much effort as they possibly can, then they quite simply feel they work "hard" and maybe do not understand the difference between the two. Smarter work involves using others to assist you, managing your time, organising your diary, networking, working within the right industry, being creative, recruiting the right people around you, asking for help and knowing when to cut your losses, to name just a few.
Reading that, we do wonder if people may feel they are more "smart" workers now.....do you? Let us know here.....
Our latest findings around office gossip compared how common it was in the workplace across the UK.
67% of workers in London and the South said that is common and rife in their workplace leaving only 33% that do not experience it.
Workers in the North of the UK were the least gossipy of the lot with only 20% experiencing office gossip as common and rife.
We also asked those in the Midlands and East Anglia who were very closely matched like in Scotland and Wales. 54% felt it was common in their workplace around the Midlands and East Anglia areas and 46% in Scotland and Wales.
If we have not covered your location, tell us here if you find office gossip to be a common practice in your workplace?
In a recent study, we found that 4 out of 5 individuals would take a demotion and pay cut to secure their dream job.
Taking a pay cut may not be a viable option with the current increase in the cost of living but IF it is affordable many would take the jump into a job of their dreams. Not only will moving into the perfect role help with overall job satisfaction and happiness moving forward, it could also help to path the way to further career progression in the future. At times, taking an initial step backwards can help to achieve a persons longer term goals.
This, however, can be a very difficult decision especially if you have a family, mortgage and other financial commitments. So, how can you make the decision? Here are 5 top tips to work out if you should take the leap.
1. Work out financially if it is a viable option and whether you can realistically cover the cost of living. If you can, then it is worth a shot!
2. Sit down with someone impartial and go over the pros and cons of staying at your current role versus moving on. Someone impartial will help you to think about things you may not have!
3. If the move is a total career change, then have you thought long and hard enough about whether you will enjoy the role you are going for. It is a huge decision so it is important to spend a good amount of time deciding if your skills will fit truly. Maybe consider volunteering to give yourself some practical experience.
4. If you are considering a location move, talk to your family and ensure they are all happy. This especially goes for the children, if any are involved. It may take some time for them to consider the move and come to terms with it but it is important to consider how everyone else will feel.
5. Be confident once the decision is made. Even if you have a small wobble it is important not to outwardly show these nerves or worry and to knock them on the head straight away. If you have spent enough time making the decision to change your role, this should not even be an issue.
Good luck!
We have recently issued this press release highlighting our latest findings about office romances. Take a read here....
We have all watched an office romance brew, develop, fizzle out or indeed last. With them being such a common act in the workplace and Valentine’s Day around the corner, TipTopJob investigates how office romances end up.
TipTopJob surveyed over 1000 users to find out if office romances ended in long term love, a short term fling, they were left as friends or if it was the end of a once friendship. 52% of people have witnessed an office romance end in a fairy-tale with long term love and the couple remaining together happily.
The survey also found that a quarter witnessed short term flings, slightly more (23%) ended in an amicable friendship and 17% sadly saw the end a friendship all together.
Spokesperson, Corinne at TipTopJob commented, “Office romances are not uncommon. It is important if you are getting involved in such a romance that it is handled correctly as you do not want to end up without a job. It is easy to become unfocused when you are falling for someone. We have some tips in our Career Centre should you want some advice on dealing with a blossoming office romance yourself to make sure you handle it in the best way!”