Client Video Testimonial - Management Training

We've just received another client testimonial on video which you may enjoy watching.  It's less than one minute long and reflects a management training programme and team building events we facilitated on behalf of a NHS regional team.

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Tips For School Leavers Joining The Job Hunting Crowd

 Volunteer – show that you are looking for experience and to contribute to society. It also shows maturity

Research – what is the job about? What skills/character traits might they be looking for? If you apply for an internship at a Vet’s, the vet will want to know more than just the fact that you love cuddly animals. How are you with humans? How are your animal handling skills?

Appearance – you will not impress potential employers with the same fashion style that you would use to impress someone your own age. Dress smartly!

Establish reference points – you have done many things in your past. Maybe you were member of a football team or the school choir. How can the experiences you made there be useful for a potential employer?

Be honest – don’t take credit for things you have not done. Share credit with others.

Show potential – you learned how to learn at school. Show that you are willing to learn and develop you skills continuously. It is not important to be the best at having an outdated skillset, but to be able to learn the new skillset the fastest.

Be likeable – we want to work together with people we can get along with. Don’t be a brown-noser, but be polite, friendly, and enthusiastic.

Ask questions – the more information you gain from the prospective employer about the job and the company, the better you can tailor your answers.

Focus on applicable experience – when writing your CV, focus on the things that the prospective employer might be interested in. If you list your hobbies, make sure that they have some real-world application and you can show that you learned useful skills or developed positive character traits from them.

Prepare – what kind of questions might you be asked? “What is your biggest accomplishment so far?” “What are you proud of?” “Tell us about an instance where you screwed up.” Think through questions like that and come up with answers that are honest and show you in a positive light. Sometimes just showing that you learned a lesson and gained maturity will make a very positive answer.

Catch their interest quickly – when writing an application letter, get your main point across in the first paragraph. A prospective employer will receive dozens, sometimes hundreds of application letters and you will need to stand out. If applying for a job in a library, don’t focus solely on your love of books, but on how well you can organise, prepare, administrate, catalogue, and deal with visitors. Think about how your skills and expertise can benefit the employer and put those first in the letter.

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Scott Watson is Founder of Summit Consulting and Training Ltd and co-developer of http://www.MyOnlineJobCoach.com/

Yorkshire Jobs Disappearing Fast - Time To Do Something Proactive

A report by Lloyds TSB has concluded that the Yorkshire region is shedding jobs faster than any other region in Britain.

According to Martyn Kendrick, Lloyds TSB Commercial Area Director for the region, new business stagnated last month, while backlogs of work also fell sharply.  These findings have fuelled concerns that Yorkshire will bear the brunt of a potential double-dip recession.

Scott Watson, human resources expert and managing director of Halifax based Summit Consulting and Training states that, while there is little which can be done to reverse the trend in the short term, employers should take a proactive, socially responsible stance in efforts to help their employees facing redundancy to return to employment as quickly as possible.

'It is very important for company bosses needing to cut jobs that they remember that corporate social responsibility is not just reserved for the good times, it is perhaps most needed and appreciated by employees when times are hard.  This is why we are encouraging employers to invest a few pounds in ensuring that employees are supported when the time comes to make cuts.'

"To this end, we have developed a comprehensive video based online resource that provides expert coaching on the complete job hunting and recruitment process.  This includes helping the user to identify hidden job opportunities, market themselves more effectively and even how to recover when they screw up during a job interview.' 

Our decade of research has identified that in a crowded jobs market where recruiters are spoiled for choice, it isn't always the best candidate who is successful in securing the job, it is the candidate who is the best prepared and most convincing.  Our comprehensive online resource, MyOnlineJobCoach.com provides a very cost-effective redundancy support solution for employers who are under pressure to cut costs but also want to take a responsible role in helping their employees secure their next job as quickly as possible.

HR Expert urges LEP to focus on outcomes

Last Friday’s Leeds City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) summit identified 4 strategic priorities to deliver sustainable growth into our region.

Key among these priorities is the enablement of a flexible and skilled work force. This is to be achieved by skills investment, the promoting of better information among employers and others and the boosting of employment and productivity.

According to Scott Watson, MD of Halifax based Summit Consulting & Training Ltd, these goals, if implemented in their entirety, will help deliver prosperity to our region, as well as a culture of innovation, entrepreneurship, and aspiration.

‘For this strategic priority to be delivered, employers and LEP executives need to be aware that turning these goals into reality relies not solely on training people in business skills, but also life skills, such as:

-how to deal more effectively with the emotional turmoil that unemployment can bring
-how to deal with adversity more effectively
-developing realistic levels of optimism
-developing the emotional muscle & resilience to not only set personal goals, but also the commitment to achieving them,’ Watson says.

‘This will not be done by basic one-day training events, which espouse the latest trends; it needs to be developed in a manner that endorses and supports an ongoing personal commitment to creating and maintaining a sustainable affinity for lifelong learning,’ he adds.

‘Employers and users need to be emotionally and intellectually engaged when introducing such a project – it is unrealistic to expect LEP to deliver this on its own,’
explains Watson

‘It can, though, be achieved through a stringent procurement process which is more focused on the potential partner’s ability to deliver substantial value in terms of real ground-level value rather than just classroom training which tick a box,’ he concludes.
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http://www.SummitTraining.co.uk/

Region’s Growth Damaged by Obsolete Job Hunting Skills

Recent statistics have indicated that the UK’s recovery from recession is faltering, and that nowhere is this more apparent than in the Yorkshire region.

With quarterly economic growth languishing around the 0.2% level, our area runs the risk of falling behind the rest of the United Kingdom in economic terms, as well as vital job creation.

Against this backdrop, one Yorkshire-based company has launched a resource aimed at both public and private sector organisations which, as victims of economic flatlining, are needing to downsize workforces.

Myonlinejobcoach.com has been developed by two local HR experts with a wealth of experience in retraining individuals faced with the spectre of redundancy. The website features intensive video advice and little known tips and techniques for anyone wishing to secure their next job more quickly. It includes advice on searching for the right vacancy, developing credibility with recruiters, writing a CV that a busy recruiter actually wants to read because it stands out from the crowd for all the right reasons, as well as tips on how to recover from mistakes made during an interview.

Scott Watson, international business consultant and founder of Myonlinejobcoach.com, takes the view that many people re-entering the job market have probably not needed to apply for a new position, or even taken an interview, for over a decade. “Not only does this have adverse implications for the applicant, but it can also cause problems for a potential employer, simply because the best person for the job may not have the most up-to-date interview skills. This means that both parties could be missing out on opportunities, simply because of lack of recent training,” he said.

The services offered by Myonlinejobcoach.com are intended to be bought as a license by organisations needing to downsize. The principle is that, as part of an organisation’s legal and corporate and social responsibility obligations, the training package available will then be offered to individuals being made redundant. The site shares with job hunters insider knowledge and expertise which, until now, has only been available to Human Resources bosses and recruiters, explaining how to identify and attract the highest quality candidates.

According to Watson, recruiters are currently spoiled for choice, so they can more easily offer candidates a lower salary package, which will adversely impact on household spending, and hence the local economy. “Although public and private sector businesses sometimes provide one day outplacement training, participants tend to forget all that they have learned within this sheep dip approach. An ongoing support mechanism is required to maximise retention and application of learning through what is often an emotionally turbulent time. Classroom training on its own is definitely not value for money, for a business, for the employee or for local tax payers,” he explained.


“A positive approach is important, but this needs to be supported by a relevant, employer friendly mind set, together with appropriate self marketing skills. It’s vital to remember that you might be the right person for the job but, if you can't demonstrate this to a potential employer, tough. After all, people need to remember that it's not last century’s job market anymore,” Watson concluded.

ENDS

Editors notes:

Further details of http://Myonlinejobcoach.com are available by visiting the site. In addition you can visit http://www.SummitTraining.co.uk

For interview opportunities, expert comment and opinion, journalists are encouraged to contact Scott Watson by email at Scott@SummitTraining.co.uk or by telephone on 07968 241 818.