Christmas jobs are available now

During the build up to the festive season many companies take on extra staff so if you are looking for a casual job now is the time to act.

The sectors that usually need staff to boost their employees are the hospitality and retail sectors with some companies nearly doubling their workforce. If you have experience working in these areas then getting a job should be easy but even if you do not have experience as long as you are willing to learn quickly you should get a post without any problems.

Many businesses advertise their casual positions either by putting posters in their windows or through their social media platforms where you can message the business directly to enquire about the positions. If you are asked to attend an interview it is important to arrive on time and be smartly dressed as this will be your opportunity to make a good first impression. Show the potential employer that you are willing to be part of their team and that you are available to work right up to the Christmas shut down. Some companies may want to keep you on after the festive season if you make a good impression and they need extra staff.

Building up your own business

Many people that have their own businesses started off small and built it up over the coming months or years. It may be that you started off by selling items in your local community to friends and family then ventured out to using websites such as Etsy and eBay to sell on. Overtime your business may of grown to the point where you need to have your own website to sell your items on.

Whatever business you have, it is vital that you continue to build it up if you want it to be successful. Even if it started off as a hobby, there may come a time where you can give up your full-time job and go all out with your own business venture. Thinking about how you are going to grow your business is very important and you may want to have short and long terms plans. You need to consider the cost implications and the return on your investment that you are likely to get. Although there is often an element of risk involved, this can pay off in a big way and turn your business around. Planning and preparation is key when running your own business and if this is not where your strengths lie then you may want to consider hiring someone to look after this part of the business for you.

How to make a great impression on your first day in a new job.

So you’ve done the hard part of updating your CV, going through the application process and landing yourself your dream job, now what? Well this is the point where usually those first day jitters could get the better of you, but fear not, here are some handy tips on keeping your cool on your first day.

Preparation is key – do you research! Look up where you need to be and use a route planner to familiarise yourself with your journey. You can also input an arrival time and the route planner should be able to calculate your journey based on average traffic congestion. Always give yourself an extra 15-20 mins just in case your travel time is increased.

Dress to impress – Ask about what the company dress code is. It may be full business attire or smart casual, either way, knowing in advance will mean you can take time to plan your outfit to ensure you are comfortable and dressed appropriately for your job.

Be prepared – ensure that you have some basic stationery and a notebook with you as there will be a lot to learn and taking notes will make you look enthusiastic and well prepared.

And lastly … smile, be kind and polite to everyone you meet and try not to let your nerves get the better of you.

University or apprenticeship, you decide

If your career choice dictates the need for a university degree for example a teacher, doctor or other professional then you have limited choice open to you and will have to account for the huge cost of going to university but if the field you want to work in does not require degree level qualifications it may be better to do an apprenticeship instead. The attraction of being able to earn while you are training is making apprenticeships in all fields more popular as school leavers want to begin their career as soon as they leave school rather than spend a further three years in the classroom.

Apprenticeships start from the age of sixteen but can be taken up to and beyond twenty-four years of age. They usually last at least twelve months and comprise of practical work alongside experienced colleagues and either time spent at college or online learning. One plus side to doing an apprenticeship is that some companies are willing to take on apprentices after their training period has finished because the company know the capabilities, reliability and the training that person has received and so they can be confident that they have the right person for the job.

On average those workers who have undertaken an apprenticeship earn potentially more over their working life than someone who has not so it should certainly be considered and compared to the route of A levels then university. So, whether you are considering a new career, want to upskill or simply want that first job an apprenticeship is worth considering.

Give yourself the best chance of landing that job

In some sectors there appears to be quite a few job vacancies currently especially if you are interested in working in the care industry. To give yourself the highest chance of getting a job, here are a few pointers to consider.

Firstly, apply for as many jobs as you can as this will increase your chances of being successful. Even though this will mean spending time searching every few days and filling in application forms or sending off your CV and covering letters to prospective employers it is a worthwhile way to proceed if you are serious about your job search.

As there is fierce competition for some roles, you will need to ensure that your CV and covering letters are top quality so that they can compete against other candidates’ applications. Experience alongside qualifications is the main thing an employer looks for when they make their choice as to who they should invite for an interview so make sure your CV lists all your skills and achievements. If you are not as qualified as others, it does not mean that you will be ruled out if you can demonstrate a willingness to undertake further training and have other attributes that will be valuable to the employer.

New year, new job

The new year is only a few weeks away and it is very common for people to start to make plans for the year ahead and this often includes thinking about their career. If you are already in employment then you may decide that you want to do something else. It may be that you want to do the same or similar job for another company or you may decide that you instead want to change your career totally.

IT is important to plan ahead if you are not able to be out of work as you ideally shouldn’t hand your notice in on your current job until you have another job lined up. The first few weeks after the new year are often quite business for many businesses as they are trying to catch up on work that they may of missed during the festive period. As we approach February and march you will likely see more and more jobs being advertised. As many companies have their financial year start again in April, this is often a time when they look to take on more staff as they have new budgets that they can use and allocate.

Christmas jobs that lead to full time positions

That time or year is nearly upon us again and many retailers have already taken on extra staff to copy with the increase demand in the coming weeks. IF you have been on the look out for a new job in the retail industry then you need to act fast to ensure you get a placement. You may be put off by the fact that many of these jobs are advertised as seasonal and are only on a temporary basis, but some in fact do lead to full time positions in the future. It may be that you work so hard and prove yourself that they decide they do not want to let you go at the end of the period of employment. Or perhaps they can’t offer you a job right now but will put your name down for as soon as something comes up. If you take a temporary position that doesn’t mean you cannot continue looking for permanent placements at the same time. If you do find another position hen you will just have to work your notice, which may not be very long at all if you have only recently started working there.

Could you be eligible for a free course at college?

You may of always wanted to return to education but couldn’t really commit to coming out of employment to go back in to study. If you have commitments such as a mortgage, rent, bills and children, then it is not as easy to give up a full time wage to go to be a student again. This is the main reason lots of people over the age of 20 do not go back in to education.

The government want to try and arm the public with more skills and therefore are offering many free courses aimed at people over the age of 19 who do not already have a level 3 NVQ or above. There is often a wide range of courses on offer but you do need to check locally as this does vary from college to college. You also may have to live in a certain area to be able to qualify for these courses. You can usually find a lot of information on the colleges own website but if not then you will need to call up and speak to someone to check whether you can study at that specific college for free.

Are more jobs becoming available again?

During the thick of the pandemic, most employers were not taking in new recruits other than in specific industries. There was so much uncertainly that they didn’t want to take of new members of staff to find that they didn’t have a enough work for had to close and therefore get rid of them again. Many retailers had to let go of staff or put them on furlough in order to continue.

Over the last few months as many restrictions have been lifted again in England, businesses are again starting to look to grow their companies. This is great news for the jobs sector as more and more positions are becoming available daily.

It may be that you are looking for work after having lost your job during the pandemic. You may decide that you want to go down a different career path to the one that you had before and this may mean that you need to return to education in order to gain a qualification or do additional training. At present there are many opportunities to get help and funding with this if it is something that you would like to do. This is especially true for people who do not already have a degree or NVQ level 3.

Teaching without the paperwork

For many teachers the amount of paperwork that is required to be completed over the year is huge especially if the teacher has extra curriculum responsibilities such as being a subject leader. Although most of the paperwork is actually completed on the computer it is still time consuming and many teachers feel it distracts from their many role of being educators.

If you enjoy teaching but do not want the burden of carrying out regular assessments and the resulting administration why not try working as a supply teacher. As part of this role, you will be required to assess how the pupils have progressed in the lessons that you cover but this is far less than a contracted teacher would be required to do. Leaving feedback for the normal teacher could be in the form of a handwritten note detailing how the day has gone and whether there were any issues or a more formal assessment sheet which could include individual pupil’s response to the lesson however most teachers will just want to know generally how the lessons went. If there is a teaching assistant in the class who usually works with the class they can be a real help when it comes to checking which children worked well and which children need to revisit the topic again.