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Why is January the Best Time to Find a Job?

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January 2020 – Is the Best Time to Find a Job

During the Christmas period it can be a struggle to search for a new job, but once that’s over it is a brand-new year, and some say it is the perfect opportunity to find a new career. January has been classed as the hunting season when it comes to finding a new job. So, if you are one of those people that has ‘find a new job’ on their New year’s resolution list then listed below are some reasons why January is the perfect month to job hunt and what you can do to prepare yourself.

Why is it the best month?

Employers are looking for new employees

In the New Year employers are feeling motivational and are eager to see what talent they can employ. They have a clearer mindset at this time of the year as they are less likely to be tied down to deadlines and projects. As January is the month for job hunting, there is a lot more competition for employers to choose from. Having a greater talent pool will enable employers to choose carefully resulting in a greater chance of your CV needing to impress them.

New budgets

The first few months of the year are normally the best times to apply for new jobs. Many job deadlines close at the end of January, so it allows for candidates plenty of time to apply within the New Year. Employers are also given a new budget at the start of every year, so this gives candidates a better chance at finding a new job and being hired. The salary is the main factor a candidate will look at when applying for a new job, so linking this with a company’s new budgets may mean the company will have more money to give to candidates.

What you can do to prepare yourself

Update your CV

When applying for new job in January it is essential that you keep your CV updated to keep track of your most recent skills and progression. Your CV is the first thing an employer will look at and it is your chance to stand out from the crowd, therefore making it a crucial factor when you are trying to start a new career. The key areas of your CV that you will need to keep updated are:

  • Your skills (technical and soft)
  • Employment history
  • Work experience
  • Qualifications

Once you have updated your CV it is important for you to understand exactly what job you are looking for. Applying for jobs you are marginally interested in will not benefit you in the future as this will impact your engagement, performance and success. Instead of applying for any job, try and find roles that you are passionate about and perhaps create a list that aligns with your personality, skills and interests. From this you are able to understand what companies you want to apply for and why.

You can also register with a recruitment agency that specialise in your area of interest and skills. Having a professional confidant in the industry can help you find jobs that may not be advertised on generic job boards.

 

Practice interview answers

For some it may have been a while since you have been interviewed and therefore it will be beneficial to practice some generic interview questions. If you have been invited for an interview, do not wait until the night before to go through potential interview questions, you should start preparing as soon as you can. The majority of employers will always start with questions about yourself such as ‘Tell me about yourself’ or ‘What do you do in your spare time’. Following this they may ask you some competency questions which are based on your previous experience and certain situations you may have found yourself in. Competency based interview questions are a good way of an employer finding out how you would handle certain situations if they were ever to arise, and this can say a lot about you. It is also a good idea to know what you are looking for from the jobs you have applied for. This way if you are asked during the interview process, you can answer in a matter of seconds.

Some companies will have a long interview process which can last a few months, whereas other companies may invite you in for an interview within the next week. Therefore, you should always be prepared and have an interview outfit ready, so you feel well equipped for when the day comes. You can check out other interview hint and tips here: https://2icglobal.com/interview-hints-tips/

 

Update your social presence

Although your CV and cover letter will be the first documents an employer will look at, it is also beneficial to keep your social channels up to date. Recruiters may look at your LinkedIn for example to see if your experience matches up with your experience on your CV. More employers are using LinkedIn and may want to view your profile before calling you. You should ensure that you have a professional photo on your profile, your work experience is up to date and you have the relevant skills listed as this can be a decider for some employers.

 

Good luck! We wish you the best in achieving your career goals this year, and hope you’ll be in touch with us if you’re looking for a change so we can help.

Top 11 Skills Wanted By Employers in 2020

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The 11 Most Important Job Skills Every Company Will Be Looking For In 2020

As the world evolves to embrace the 4th industrial revolution, our workplaces are changing. Just as other industrial revolutions transformed the skillset and experience required from the workforce, we can expect the same from this revolution. Only five years from now, 35 percent of the skills seen as essential today will change according to the World Economic Forum. While we’re not able to predict the future, yet, here are the eleven most important job skills every company will be looking for in 2020.

1.  Data Literacy

Data has become every organisation’s most important asset—the “fuel” of the 4thindustrial revolution. Companies that don’t use that fuel to drive their success will inevitably fall behind. So, to make data valuable, organisations must employ individuals who have data literacy and the skills to turn the data into business value.

2.  Critical Thinking

There’s no shortage of information and data, but individuals with the ability to discern what information is trustworthy among the abundant mix of misinformation such as fakes news, deep fakes, propaganda, and more will be critical to an organisation’s success. Critical thinking doesn’t imply being negative; it’s about being able to objectively evaluate information and how it should be used or even if it should be trusted by an organisation. Employees who are open-minded, yet able to judge the quality of information inundating us will be valued.

3.  Tech Savviness

Technical skills will be required by employees doing just about every job since digital tools will be commonplace as the 4th industrial revolution impacts every industry. Artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, virtual and augmented reality, robotics, blockchain, and more will become a part of every worker’s everyday experience, whether the workplace is a factory or law firm. So, not only do people need to be comfortable around these tools, they will need to develop skills to work with them. Awareness of these technologies and relevant technical skills will be required for every job from a hairstylist to an accountant and everything in between.

4.  Adaptability and Flexibility

As quickly as the world is changing, the half-life of skills is constantly reducing. Therefore, people need to commit to learning new skills throughout their careers and know they must be adaptable to change. Important to this is understanding that what worked yesterday isn’t necessarily the best strategy for tomorrow, so openness to unlearning skills is also important. Additionally, people must be cognitively flexible to new ideas and ways of doing things.

5.  Creativity

Regardless of how many machines work beside us, humans are still better at creativity. It’s essential that creative humans are employed by companies to invent, imagine something new and dream up a better tomorrow. Tomorrow’s workplaces will demand new ways of thinking, and human creativity is critical to moving forward.

6.  Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

Another area where humans have the edge on machines is with emotional intelligence—our ability to be aware of, control, and express our emotions and the emotions of others. This ability will be important as long as there are humans in the workforce since it impacts every interaction we have with one another.

7.  Cultural Intelligence and Diversity

Organisations are increasingly diverse, and effective employees must be able to respect differences and work with people of a different race, religion, age, gender, or sexual orientation. Also, businesses are increasingly operating across international boundaries, which means it is important that employees are sensitive to other cultures, languages, political, and religious beliefs. Employees with strong cultural intelligence and who can adapt to others who might perceive the world differently are also key in developing more inclusive products and services for an organisation.

8.  Leadership Skills

Leadership skills will be paramount for not only those at the top of a traditional corporate hierarchy but increasingly for those individuals throughout the company who are expected to lead in the 4th industrial revolution. Enabled by the support of machines, there will be more individuals who are in decision-making positions, whether leading project teams or departments. Understanding how to bring out the best in and inspire every individual within a diverse and distributed workforce requires strong leadership skills.

9.  Judgement and Complex Decision Making

Machines might be able to analyse data at a speed, and depth humans are incapable of, but many decisions regarding what to do with the information provided by machines must be still made by humans. Humans with the ability to take input from the data while considering how decisions can impact the broader community, including effects on human sensibilities such as morale, are important members of the team. So, even if the data support one decision, a human needs to step in to think about how a decision could impact other areas of the business, including its people.

10. Collaboration

When companies are looking to hire humans in the 4th industrial revolution, skills that are uniquely human such as collaboration and strong interpersonal skills will be emphasized. They will want employees on their team who can interact well with others and help drive the company forward collectively.

11.  In addition to the skills listed above that every company will be looking for in the 4th industrial revolution, there are several self-management skills that will make people more successful in the future, including self-motivation, prioritisation/time management, stress management and the ability to embrace and celebrate change. Those people who have a growth mindset, are adept at experimenting and learning from mistakes, as well as have a sense of curiosity will be highly coveted in the 4th industrial revolution.

Learn how to implement and execute these top 11 skills in preparation for your next interview. 

 

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. Bernard Marr

7 Benefits of working within an SME vs Large Corporate

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A large enterprise or corporate businesses offer big benefits and perks like good salaries, a fancy workplace, etc. but when it comes to personal or professional growth, SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) play an important role. Working in a small business, offers an abundance of benefits, as it recognises the potential and value of every employee.

Small businesses offer exceptional career opportunities to its employees, giving them a chance to stand out in the workplace. Working in a small or medium enterprise (SME), connects an individual to the senior management, allowing greater exposure to widen an individual’s skill set.

Listed below are 7 benefits of working within an SME:

  1. Widens your skill-set: Working in SMEs leads to a better understanding of the job role, helping develop and broaden your skill-set. Small businesses develop their employee’s overall skills set and encourage their entrepreneurial drive. They get an on-the-job, first-hand experience to understand and introspect the business better.

 

  1. Advancement in the career graph: With ample opportunities to learn, all individuals get a platform to showcase their talent towards a positive progress in the company.

 

  1. Offers employee-centric work culture:A smaller workplace leads to more cohesion amongst the team. An employee centric work culture leads to a better understanding amongst professionals and greater transparency in workflow, which is crucial to an organisation’s growth. Unlike a large company, an SME creates an atmosphere that is more nurturing than that found in companies with thousands of employees.

 

  1. Client-facing roles which facilitate better customer- centricity: Employees working in SMEs are in a direct client facing role, mostly. This lets the employees of SMEs understand the clients’ ask better, to give them a customised solution.

 

  1. Adaptable and Flexible:A large company often has a complex structure whereas an SME has a more flexible work policy. This allows an SME professional, to contribute more to the company than someone of an equivalent designation in an MNC (multinational corporation).

 

  1. Rapid Response to Change:A simpler structured SME allows even junior level employees to learn more about the company’s industry as compared to employees of similar ranks in huge multinationals. Employees who work in an SME intimately feel the pulse of their industry. Also because SMEs have a simpler corporate hierarchy, employees of such companies are able to understand and adapt more quickly to changes in their industry.

 

  1. Greater Learning from Niche Industries:Many of the world’s largest companies are also the customers of equally large companies. This often means that many of the smaller niche segments in an industry are serviced by smaller and medium-sized businesses. This creates a niche that is ideal for SMEs to exploit and allow those working there, to gain better insight into niche industries and market segments.

 

Working in any organisation opens avenues for many learning experiences. SMEs stand apart from their larger counterparts because of their ability to help employees grow in a manner, which is unique and distinct from the kind of growth possible in companies that have a thousand or more employees.

We are partnered with some amazing SMEs throughout the UK that offer excellent benefits including personal and professional growth . Check out some of the latest featured jobs that could be right for you.  

5 Reasons To Follow A Career As A Project Manager

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Project managers are always in demand: No matter what the industry, qualified professionals are always needed to plan and provision the work. Of course, that’s just the high-level view of project management, which can be a complex and rewarding career. Why project management? If you’ve wondered whether becoming a project manager is right for you, hopefully we can help clarify why project management might be your best career move.

What Do Project Managers Do?

The basic principles of project management include planning, organising, securing, controlling, leading and managing resources and tasks to achieve specific business goals. Project managers determine strategies to kick off the project, evaluate and understand the project requirements, analyse and bring the required professionals on board, and monitor the progress of the work.

In addition, a project manager also:

·        Sets the budget for the work

·        Leads meetings to track the project’s progress

·        Sets the schedule and time frame for the project and all sub projects

·        Decides how the work will be completed

·        Reports on progress to stakeholders

Juggling multiple projects, schedule, and tasks can be extremely difficult, but with training and experience, individuals can learn to handle this and more.

Scope of Project Management

Like many jobs, project management requires a person to have a variety of skills to be successful. In addition to keen organisational skills, project managers should also be effective problem solvers, and be clear communicators. For those who enjoy varied responsibilities, project management may be a good match.

Some other reasons to follow a career into project management include the following.

1.   The demand for project managers is high. The Project Management Institute (PMI) expects 22 million new project management job openings through 2027.

2.   Project managers are needed in a wide variety of industries. Although quite common in the IT field, project-oriented work is also common in the business service, oil and gas, finance and insurance, manufacturing, construction and utility industries—all over the world.

3.   Salaries for project managers are competitive. An Entry-level project manager salary can range from £25,000+.

4.   Working with project teams and clients can add a lot of variety and creative challenges to the job.

5.   Project managers are always learning. They must regularly refresh their knowledge of processes and structures, new markets, technology, products and services, and customers.

Are you currently working as an Account Executive, Project Co-Coordinator or similar, and are ready to take the next step in your career as a Project Manager? Contact one of our Recruitment Experts for some free confidential advice and support. You can also check out some of our Project Management jobs here now.

Python overtakes JavaScript as most queried language on Stack Overflow

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A new study from crowdsourced QA testers Global App Testing has explored developers’ biggest pain points, with Python dethroning JavaScript as Stack Overflow’s most questioned programming language.

The research focused on JavaScript, Python, R, Ruby, C#, C++, Java, Objective-C, Swift, PHP and SQL – not so much 11 languages but 10 languages and a database – and went through a semantic route to determine major issues.

In terms of sheer numbers, JavaScript came out on top with more than 1.75 million questions asked over Stack Overflow’s more than 10-year history. Java came second with 1.51m, with C# (1.28m), PHP (1.26m) and Python (1.1m) the others to break the million mark. Yet with regard to today, Python is top of the shop, having overtaken JavaScript for questions asked in late 2018.

Digging down into what developers were looking for in each language – the data cleaning was done in Python and the word cloud builder was in JavaScript, just to be fair – led to arguably few surprises. For JavaScript, ‘jQuery’ was by far the most questioned framework, with ‘function’, ‘duplicate’ and ‘string’ also popular words. For Python, the latter two were the most popular, but of interest to note was ‘django’. “Python is a general purpose duct-tape language and gets involved in many different domains of tech,” as the researchers put it.

The other languages analysed came up with some more interesting results. For Ruby, the most popular word was ‘rails’; hardly surprising, but it was the most popular by a street. More niche-purpose languages such as R, for data scientists, came back with more specific terms, including ‘dataframe’, ‘datatable’ and ‘ggplot’.

Global App Testing assessed the overall research thus. “Each programming language has over time been geared toward – or was even designed for – a particular niche within tech,” the company noted. “R is to data science as Swift is to iOS development as C++ is to video game development. This explains some of the differences in the types of problems that arise… why we see ‘database’ a commonly questioned concept in SQL but not, for example, Objective-C.

“Despite these obvious differences, these visualisations represent some fundamental similarities within the different domains,” the company added. “Base-level data types such as strings and arrays – but not integers, floats, or Boolean values, apparently – are frequently pain points that cause developers of all stripes and creeds to turn to Stack Overflow.”

The developer portal has previously noted some of these trends. A report from Stack Overflow last January noted how jQuery remained the most popular JavaScript framework while adding the share for market voice was ‘brutal’, while as far back as September 2017 the company was assessing what it called ‘incredible’ growth in Python.

You can read the full Global App Testing analysis here.

Interested in a career change using Java, Javascript or Python, check out some of our latest jobs here!

 

 

James Bourne – Developer Tech

Q1 2019: Tech Industry Round Up

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Can you believe that we’re already at the start of Q2 2019? Filled with warm weather, cold weather, Brexit (still) and plenty of IT news and developments, let’s take a look at the highlights from Q1.

 

Let’s hear IT for inclusion

Diversity and equality in IT have been in the spotlight for good reasons this quarter. Amazon launched Amazon Amplify — firstly, a program of initiatives to increase the number of women in its UK technology and innovation roles. Also the Learning Foundation and Nominet joined forces to ensure that all children in the UK have equal access to digital information and education.

 

IT salaries on the rise

An increase in IT and tech jobs wasn’t the only growth in the UK last year. We saw a significant surge in salaries within the IT sector, most noticeably within machine learning, AI, DevOps, big data, data science and CIO roles.

 

Cloudy with a chance of change

This quarter saw the launch of the FinOps Foundation. The non-profit consortium, consisting of big names including Spotify and JustEat, aims to help enterprises manage their cloud costs better by sharing financial management strategies. It is hoped that this leads to faster cloud adoption and better utilisation of cloud resources across the globe.

Speaking of the weather, the 2019 State of the Cloud Report was released, with some interesting data on the adoption of Azure. While AWS still leads when it comes to the public cloud market, Microsoft Azure is catching up, with interest in Google Cloud on the rise.

Cybersecurity headlines

Cybersecurity remains firmly in the news this quarter, following cyber incidents and data breaches involving Airbus and the Student Loans Company, who suffered a shocking 965,639 cyber attacks in 2017/2018.

In more positive cybersecurity news, Tech Nation launched the UK’s first cybersecurity scale-up accelerator program, and Orange acquired SecureData — making them a leading player in the European scene.

 

 

Speedy Gonzales

Speed enthusiasts will be pleased to hear that Virgin Media began testing 8Gbps this quarter. Eight homes in Cambridgeshire experienced what it was like to download a 20GB ultra-high definition 4K film in 20 seconds. Meanwhile, O2 announced that it will begin rolling out its 5G network this year — a year earlier than planned, and just in time for the new broadband speed regulations. It will also be launching a number of 5G innovation spaces across the UK, allowing businesses to begin testing their devices.

 

 

Hackaone

Stack Overflow hosted its first ever hackathon. Employees working on Stack Overflow products or with the Stack Overflow community were all encouraged to get involved learning where issues were and thinking about how to tackle them next time. Part two TBC

 

It’s been a positive and strong start to 2019! Good luck to all of you for Q2 and thank you again for all your support! If you need any help or advice with your career or your business, please get in touch!

Don’t forget to take advantage of our April promotion and have your CV updated by one of our professionals. Let us take the time, stress and hassle out of changing jobs.

 

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