How to make recruitment agencies work for you
There are two different ways that you can use recruitment agencies to find your ideal job. This article explores how you can find your ideal job without wasting too much of your precious time.
Most people have experienced the recruitment agency black hole. This is when you register with an agency, fill out every form that they ask you to complete and attend a lengthy interview with a recruitment consultant. Then you hear nothing.
It is so frustrating when this happens because you have been led to believe that you will be flooded with interview offers as soon as you register. It makes you less likely to believe in recruitment agencies and more likely to ‘go it yourself’ in the future.
There are two different ways to use recruitment agencies to find your ideal job. They are as follows:
1) Register with as many recruitment agencies as possible and wait for them to get back to you when a job opportunity appears
2) Register with one or two carefully selected recruitment agencies that specialise in your particular job sector and get to know at least one of the recruitment consultants within that agency as well as possible
Unfortunately most people go for number one. This means that they are only told about jobs that are particularly hard to fill.
So how do you make sure that you are told about they key jobs as soon as they become available? Simple. You need to be KNOWN by recruitment consultants in your industry. Whenever they receive a new job requirement from one of their clients, you need to be the first person on the recruitment consultant’s mind.
In order to be one of the first people to be informed about an excellent new job opportunity you need to initially carefully select one industry specialist bespoke recruitment agency. You then need to meet one of their senior industry specialist consultants face-to-face to explain your specific requirements.
However, in addition to meeting the specialist recruitment consultant face-to-face, you also have to stay in touch. Consultants browse through thousands of CV’s (Resumes) every month, so if you don’t phone them every two weeks then there’s a good chance that they’ll forget about you. Another star candidate will have risen to the surface by then and you will be a historical statistic.
The mantra for dealing with recruitment agencies is
Stay in touch
Stay in touch
Stay in touch
Don’t rely on the automated candidate finding systems that each agency has. Unless you form a personal relationship with one of the consultants, constantly asking them about new opportunities then the chances are than you won’t even find out about top jobs that are available.
Good luck with finding your ideal job in the near future!
David Bain is a consultant to http://www.UteachRecruitment.com - a specialist UK teacher supply recruitment agency. U Teach Recruitment is based in Coatbridge, Scotland and brings schools and teachers together from all over the UK. Teaching opportunities include RE teaching jobs. Visit www.UteachRecruitment.com to search for UK teacher supply jobs today.


Ten Career Related "Must-Knows" About Your Cyber-Messages & E-mails
Did you know that . . .

According to the Wall Street Journal, each employee spends an average of almost one hour a day processing emails?
The Net Future Institute (NFI) reports that almost 70% of executives perceived 25% of e-mails as completely unnecessary?
People believe that the most effective way to deal with e-mails is to respond to them immediately or within a few hours? (source=NFI)
Whatever statistics show, one reality is undeniable: electronic communication has changed the way we exchange information with each other; but, most important, this shift has also impacted how we build relationships with colleagues and people we encounter who can potentially greatly influence our career growth and advancement. Therefore, it becomes imperative that we are cautious on how and when we use e-mail because both the positive and negative impact could be greater that most of us can imagine.
Here are TOP TEN crucial points to remember:
E-mail is the quickest way to send a message but certainly is not private and will not get you the quickest response back. Even with the sophisticated “personal/confidential” caveats one may choose in applications such as Outlook, the message can still be forwarded to anyone in the world. Choose your words carefully and wisely. Think about someone you respect and tend to be conservative around. Would you feel comfortable having that person read your e-mail? If the answer is “yes,” proceed. If in doubt, be safe and do not send it out! Of course, this issue can work for or against you. If you write beautifully, your message can end up in the hands of a manager who can facilitate that next promotion or, if you do not, it might get to someone who can swear never to allow you to move forward with your career in that company – ever!
E-mail is more like a conversation that a business letter but without the advantage of having the physical interaction. Research shows that over 90% of communication is non-verbal, and, since e-mail takes that away from the exchange, keep it simple and to the point because anything can be misinterpreted. As a rule, if your message cannot be conveyed in more than two or three sentences, you are using the wrong venue. If it is a longer e-mail, the rest of it should serve as an expansion or explanation of the core.
Even if you mean well, watch out for the tone! Since you do not have the benefit of sound, unless you are using a microphone and instant messaging, of course, be conservative in the use of capital letters, colors, and choose your words very carefully.
Be aware of intention versus perception. Most likely, the e-mail will sound how the person would have written it rather than how you intended it. The question then becomes: who is my audience? Know the people you are directing your correspondence to and write accordingly. Using the wrong tone with the right person can have disastrous long-term consequences because once you hit that infamous “sent” button, there’s no recall guarantee. In fact… it’s sent!
Misspellings, wrong grammar, and equivocal use of punctuation. Here’s a career killer! Anyone can forgive a minor typo here and there, but, if you are consistently sending messages that violate the above, you will develop a reputation for being a poor writer altogether. There is an easy solution for everyday use: turn on your spell checker on Outlook. For non-routine use, leverage MS Word as your e-mail editor. Additionally, consider creating your documents in a word processor and pasting your paragraphs into your e-mails. This process sounds like a great deal of work, but when it comes to presenting a professional image, there is not enough that you can do!
Do not use e-mail to let off steam! As a former therapist, I have to agree that it is very therapeutic to write a response and get anger out of one’s system. So, I suggest a compromise: do so BUT apply the 48-hour rule. Here’s how it works: write your e-mail making sure there is no address in the “to/cc/bcc” fields. Let it sit in your draft box for at least two days. Print it out and read it. Edit it very carefully. Show it to someone else whose judgment you fully trust and get feedback. If after all these steps you still think your e-mail is worth sending out, by all means do so. In my experience, most individuals choose not send it; yet, they get the benefit of working through their feelings of anger and/or frustration, and they save themselves from potential problems, embarrassment, or – even worse – career suicide!
Never deliver unpleasant news over e-mail. Never fire someone or turn down a job using e-mail. Ideally, the first one should be done in person. The second one deserves, at a minimum, a phone call (by the way, a voice mail message is as inappropriate as an e-mail). A crucial part of building a career is about networking. Sometimes it feels like your field has a huge number of professionals but – trust me on this one – in your geographic region, chances are that they all know each other through organizations and other colleagues. You never know when opportunities might arise, and, what seems like a good idea today because you are in a hurry and have five plus job offers waiting for you might come back to bite you 10 years down the road when an economic slowdown hits again.
Use e-mail as a cost-effective way to maintain written records. This point is important for several reasons. At a more mundane level, you might want to maintain files of applications and response during job searches or other administrative tasks. In a more sophisticated way, electronic communications are now recognized as discoverable evidence, which, in plain English means that they are official documents in cases that go to court, such as wrongful terminations (and related performance records) and discrimination cases. Either way, as long as you organize your system well, e-mails can be a wonderful tool, just be careful how you do so because everything and anything you say to your boss about your job performance could become “official.”
Setting the context of your e-mail is as important as the content. Use the subject wisely without tricking your reader. Tell them what you want from them, what the e-mail is about, and/or if there’s an action expected of them. Summarize the core in your first couple of sentences, including the most important information first. Then tell the reader how they can get more information – either through a link or an attachment. Give the individual a choice! This approach shows that you are considerate of the other person’s time, organized, concise, to-the-point, and knows how to communicate what you need and want… all fantastic skills in a competent employee any manager would want to hire!
10. Be careful of sexist or offensive language. Though it might sound very basic, I still see correspondence of all sorts, not just electronic, using the outdated use of “he” or referring to racial groups inappropriately. A seemingly trivial error can easily be misinterpreted and transformed into a political debate or battle if seen as an ill-meant statement by a recipient.. So, always be safe and neutral when writing.
Perhaps much of what I have written in this article is common sense, but, as the cliché says, sometimes “common sense is the least common of the senses.” And, as someone who does communication in all formats for a living, I see these issues have all sorts of consequences ranging from minor to atrocious to people’s futures and careers. In short, remember: simple is better, use short versus long sentences that get quickly to the point, and, most important, do not write anything that could come back to haunt you!
Use all the wonderful 21st century advances to enhance your productivity but never let these take the place of people interaction. The most important piece of advice I give my participants in my e-mail writing courses: sometimes the best way to communicate is through the e-mail you don’t send. Take a minute, pick up the phone or walk a few steps to the cubicle down the hall and actually talk to that person. Good old-fashioned human contact will still do wonders for your career… In my view, more than all the technology in the world will ever do!


Survival Techniques for a Workplace that Just Won't Stop Changing
“Change is inevitable,” we have all heard, “and it is the only constant we can count on.” What a true statement that is! Yet someone along the way forgot to acknowledge and tell us how hard change is for those of us called “humans.” There seems to be a disconnect between the outdated equipment we come to earth with -otherwise known as our bodies- and the realities we have to face in this century.
We are built to defend ourselves and cater to our basic survival needs for food and shelter, yet, to those of us blessed to have a job and a steady income, the truth is that we are poorly equipped to deal with the issues that challenge our perception of being able to survive in the work world. If you have ever been through a lay off, reorganization, changed bosses, or been reassigned to a project you hated or were not qualified to do, you know exactly what I am speaking of. All of the sudden, we move from a foundation of security to the land of the unknown. And talk about switching into “fight or flight” mode!
The issue is that our bodies and minds do not seem to know the difference between apparent and real danger. Whether we are about to be attacked by the prey we need to hunt for dinner or we are being consumed by the stress caused by a re-assignment, we automatically respond in the same manner, unless we make a deliberate effort to not do so. Nevertheless, the possibility exists, and there are a few things that you can do to preserve and protect your physical well-being and mental sanity through times of change.
Change: what is it? By Encarta’s definition, change is “to pass or make something pass from one state or stage to another.” Note, then, the element of being transitional and, additionally, I cannot emphasize this point enough: it will pass! Remind yourself that your feelings, including doubts, uncertainty, insecurity, and the “not knowing,” are all part of the process. One of the tricky components is to not buy into the one of “eternity.” Though going through times of change tends to distort the sense of time, this is part of the trickery of perception. In reality, our doubts are the ones that make us believe that time slowed down.
Take care of yourself. Due to our body’s reactions, the importance of physical and emotional care become a lifeline to survival. Do not give into the temptation of giving up your exercise routine or overeating to cover up your anxiety. Find healthy ways to cope with what you know will be difficult times. You do not need to punish your body or mind for this change. In fact, quite the opposite!
Be patient with yourself and others. Stress and change make us behave in unusual ways and, sometimes, inadvertently take the frustration or anger out onto others. Be overly cautious and try not to overreact. If you do, overtly acknowledge what is going on. People do not need to know the details, just say “the word’ (c-h-a-n-g-e), and people will understand.
Find support in peers who might be going through a similar situation. Though you might feel unique, chances are you are not alone. Only one caution: be careful of non-productive, critical complaint sessions where employees get together just to criticize. It is very tempting to join in, but, on the flipside, I guarantee you that you will feel very heavy and “toxic” afterwards because you will not only carry your own negative energy but you would have picked up your peers’. So, if you do meet with them, do it from the “how can we help each other through this rough times” perspective. You can be the leader on this one!
Assess how much control you have over the situation and behave accordingly.
No matter how hard you try, certain things will not return to the way they were. A good “letting go” exercise you might want to try if you feel stuck is the following: divide a large piece of paper into two columns. On the left side, write down “What I have control over,” and, on the right side put down: “What I don’t have control over.” Answer the questions and let this rest for a day or so. Go back to the paper and rip it in half down the line that separated the two sides. Then, analyze your results by answering the following questions: “What can I do about the things I DO have control over?” Write down your answers and choose a couple to put into practice over the next three days. Take the ones that you do not have control over, rip it into pieces, and physically throw the leftovers in the garbage can while telling yourself that, through that ritual, you are letting go of these issues.
Look for the positive. Isn’t it ever so tempting to focus on the negative and have pity parties for one through times of change? But… stop! You have a choice: continue or look for what is good in the situation. If there is nothing good to point out, move on to my next point.
Disconnect from work and the change that is occurring. Resist the appeal of discussing the change 24x7… It will consume you and will not resolve anything. Indeed, channeling your energies into what is negative will only add fuel to the fire. Here is a tried and tested technique from a “master worrier” (me): allow yourself a discrete amount of time to worry about the change (e.g. 1 hour a day). During that time, you can talk about it, write about, complaint about it, and do whatever you need to do to get it out of your system. But that is all you get! Then, let it go. For the rest of the day, every time you catch yourself going back to the “worry place,” remind yourself that you cannot worry until your next scheduled time. If that still does not work, write the worry down, put it in a “worry box,” and pick it up the next scheduled time.
Re-focus. Just like constantly speaking about the change, be wary of shifting all your energy to this “new” situation. Purposefully look for a place where you energy can be channeled in a positive way and can be valued and appreciated, if that is not the case at work. Hobbies, family, friends, or whatever works for you. The key is to stay away from the toxic.
Center on helping others. Just like nature has taught us, shifting our focus can be a very powerful way of transforming energy because change, managed inappropriately, can be extremely toxic. Unfortunately, a reality I have observed: most organizations do a very poor job at managing change effectively. However, like plants, we have the capacity to take that CO2 into and transform it into oxygen, if we want to, with marvelous results. Can you imagine stepping into a room full of one versus the other? What a difference! Nature teaches us a great deal, doesn’t it?
Set a routine. Because one’s foundation gets shaken during times of change and transition, make sure to continue your routines and do not succumb to the temptation to go array. Find things you enjoy doing that are familiar to you and bring comfort. Purposefully incorporate them into your day.
Write about the change. I believe in the power of writing and getting it out of one’s system. I already mentioned a couple of exercises, but, free-flowing writing is also very healing. What we hold on to, will poison us. And sometimes we hold onto things that we do not even know we had inside! Allowing our minds to let go and our hands to write “out” will provide that cleansing process.
Know when to seek professional help. Sometimes, the change can be so stressful it can affect our health in ways that require medical assistance. If such is your case, do not interpret it as a sign of weakness. Be smart and get the help you need. “What won’t kill us, will make us stronger,” is a true saying. But you have to be alive to prove this cliché right on how strong you are!
The power of believing in a higher purpose. Although I understand that not everyone believes in a higher source (such as God, angels, higher power, and Buddha), I have found comfort in knowing that there is meaning in life learnings, as pointed out by such amazing teachers like Dr. Viktor E. Frankl in his book “Man’s Search for Meaning.” Like Dr. Frankl, I believe that things happen for a reason, even if we don’t understand it at the moment, and, there is tremendous strength to be found in this core foundation. Surrendering can also be very powerful. Believing that we are on earth for something beyond the physical existence makes the hard times go by more rapidly.
Know that this, too, shall pass. Think of a situation that you have already survived in your life. Chances are you already have survived other changes successfully. Keep it mind as an example of your skills to overcome problems and difficult times.
Finally, I like to share the words of Dr. Spencer Johnson, from his book “Who Moved My Cheese?” ?an excellent change management resource? who states: “Adapt to change quickly. The quicker you let go of the old cheese, the sooner you can enjoy new [one]!” And, although I do personally understand the challenges of change, I also know that it can be managed effectively with intention, support, and proper guidance. The only one who can make the choice to be miserable or make the best of the situation is you.