Careers talk

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We have just launched a careers forum for you to talk to each other about your careers. We have experts in several sectors on hand to give you tailored advice about your career - whether you want advice on your CV or you are having trouble deciding what your next step should be.
Log in and start a discussion.
We also want to know what it's really like to work where you do - you can post anonymously.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/careerstalk

Ritual humiliation

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Watching the Apprentice last week (can't believe it's finished - have 3 months passed already!) I, like most people, was squirming during a number of the interviews. Not least when, winner Lee was asked to perform his impression of a reverse terradactyl (not sure really what that is). I mean why would you put that this was something you did on an application? Why?

Worse than doing it though was the interviewer asking him to perform it just to see whether he would or not - the explanation being if he refused it would show some sort of strength of character. But I suspect, actually, the motivation was purely for the interviewer's enjoyment at being possibly able to humiliate and exert power over the interviewee.

Talking to a couple of people after the programme I was astonished to hear that many people have been subjected to higher levels of humiliation on a daily basis in their workplace and it seems that recruitment consultancies particularly are horrid places to work.

Stories of workers having telephones cellotaped to their heads for not making enough calls during the day and being made to go home like that or workers being made to stand on tables for not reaching targets. I mean really! What the hell is going on! I thought these were things of urban myth - made up scenarios from shows like the Office, not in real life.

I must have led a very sheltered life. I thankfully have never come across this kind of thing. Have you?

Competition: prize is a Panasonic camcorder

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The best thing on television at the moment, by far, is The Apprentice. We love it because it's about work - and I want more like it. I want to know what everyone else spends their days doing. I want to know what else is out there and actually I want to know how people got where they are.

To this end we have launched a competition to find the best short film which shows you in your role. You can take your video on your phone or on a digital or a video camera. The only restrictions really are that it be no longer than five minutes (any longer and it won't qualify), and that you have permission from whomever you work for or with.

Your video should clearly state your role, who you work for and your name and must show what you do day-to-day. It can be filmed with humour but it must be an honest account.

Click here to enter.

Spend, spend, spend!

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With all the talk of tightening the purse strings and the doom and gloom of the predicted economy, I wonder whether all of those collecting their first pay packet this month will have the luxury of blowing it all on frippery?

So much of our adult lives is spent being cautious - preparing for a downturn, keeping an eye out for disaster and actually in debt (the average adult now owes £33,000) - that it should be compulsory for a first pay to be indulged.

I spent £150 of my first pay on knickers. That was nearly 20 years ago, so it was a ridiculous amount of money.

I will never forget the enjoyment of watching my underwear being parcelled up with tissue (a particularly apt wrapping) - or the feeling of pure wantonous. It is a memory I have often recalled in my more salient moments of trying to balance my large outgoings with my smaller incomings. I am glad therefore that I took the chance when I could, to be indulgent.

Did you? What did you spend your first pay packet on?

Tempted? Always.

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Looking after the content on a jobs site is a constant battle of restraint. Every day I am tempted by job ads and every day I face a daydream of a different life, a different location, a different salary ...
This is a particularly onerous on days when the weather is at odds with the time of year ie; snow in spring.

There's a particularly tempting job being advertised at the moment in Italy. It's for a community editor. They don't specify the actual location but just the mention of Italy is enough to transport me on to a piazza, sipping a glass of Amorone in dappled sunshine.

And if a recent report on working abroad by the Centre for Future Studies, I wouldn't even have to take a pay cut. In fact I would be looking forward to a 43% rise.

It's not just in the rest of the world, though, where temptation lies. Closer to home, the idea of working in Brighton and emailing from the beach as you can with the free WiFi access now, is really appealing.

Just in land a little from Brighton there's a project editor job in Lewes. Which some will argue is better than Brighton to live. I could start on my costume now to join the locals in celebrating the downfall of the Gunpowder Plot - apparently what Lewes is most famous for. Carry a torch through the streets and let off some fireworks.

Today however the one which has caught my eye is based in Dublin: content manager for Getty images. I have always quite fancied living in Dublin (not that I have actually been there). It appeals to my literary persuasions. A small enough city which I could walk round, an exciting and developing economy, especially around new media, 167 different languages to choose from ...where's my CV?

The question is of course, would changing my location improve my quality of life? Or would everything just be the same? Has a change in your location changed you?

Questions you should have asked at interview

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How many times have you come out of an interview wishing you had asked more pertinent questions? It is surely one of the hardest parts of an interview - the any questions section at the end. It is so hard to remember that the interview is your chance to make sure the company and the job is what you are looking for just as much as it is about them choosing you.

Some of the questions I wish I have been able to ask (and ones I will try to ask in my next interview) are:

What was it about my covering letter and CV which prompted you to invite me in to interview?
I have never asked this question yet it is something I am always dying to know the answer to. In fact you should really ask this question right at the beginning of the interview. That way you have a much better understanding of what they are looking for and you can then tailor your answers.

What do I have to do to make sure my salary keeps rising and when can I expect my first pay rise?
Pay is always tricky to ask about. You don't want to come across too intersted in the money - after all it should be about the role not the reward - however it is a key issue and we shouldn't feel unable to clarify the pay structure nor the pattern for rises.

How much do you invest in training? And how are you going to develop me?
You should make sure that the company you are going to work for has a comprehensive and transparent training programme. In your interview ask directly about training.
If you are to give them your time, expertise and commitment, they have a duty to invest some cash in developing your career. I would like to ask for an actual schedule and list of personal development courses they have on offer.

What is my line of promotion?
Again tricky as you don't want to seem overly ambitious to the extent that they begin to consider why you applied for this particular role, however, it is important to know where you can go from this point and how long it could take.

These are the questions that immediately spring to my mind - what questions do you wish you'd asked in the interview for your current role?

The Apprentice: No place in business for an academic

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Hurrah! The Apprentice has started again. "I would be quite happy to cut people out of my life to succeed" - one of the first statements... quickly followed by "I am the best sales person in Europe", ha, ha, ha! Where on earth do they get this self-belief? Have these people never seen the series? Do they not know these hyperbolic statements will come back to haunt them?

Well the first person to get kicked out is barrister Nick. Quite unbelievable that he is a barrister - his defence in the board room was awful. A man who freely admitted to being devasted at only achieving a B grade in his French GCSE - a blot on an otherwise unblemished A grade academic record. Jesus! To say he crumbled in the board room would be an understatement, he was a blithering wreck. I hope to God I never have to employ him to represent me in court.

Alan's conclusion? That there is no place for academics in business. Is this really true?

Such a simple task they had to do - sell fresh fish bought at wholesale, for a profit. Why is it that people who have reportedly dealt with million pound contracts can't operate on this level? They mostly all fell to bits - bickering like kids. Especially the boys team. A class divide was blamed for the failure of the task - interesting. So defensive.

There are tears already in the next week. Looking forward to it.

I wonder what the general consensus is - does being academically bright preclude you from being successful in business?

Work Hate

Work Hate



Wonder what you think about HR?

Is there a role for HR?

Is the HR an unnecessary financial burden on a company or does the department have a valuable role to play in the future success of industry?

A report out recently from the Chartered Management Institute called Management Futures suggests that the world of work in 2018 will see many more people working from home. In fact of the 1,000 professionals consulted for the report, 65 per cent expect working from home will be commonplace to reduce the carbon footprint and 73 per cent think work-life balance will be the key to job choice.

Add this to the fact that many of the traditional duties of the HR department are now being outsourced, for example payroll, and it starts to look like human resources professionals will need at the very least to do some comprehensive PR if they are to survive.

Thinking of my own dealings with the department I am not altogether sure what they do for an employee beyond sending out the company policy document and making sure they have filled in the correct starter forms.

Having not had to seek them out, thankfully, on any employment law issues, my perception of human resources is based entirely on the job seeking process. And it's not a good one. I have seen the department as the gatekeeper between me and the person I want to see my CV - an unknown force which I had to cleverly circumvent if I was to get my CV successfully seen by the person who I am want to work for.

One suggestion is that, in the face of all the predicted problems of retention and recruitment of talent, HR departments are going to become a destination for employees to visit and discuss their career options.

I like this idea of going to an HR department to discuss my career - how I'm developing in my role and what opportunities could be open to me. I think people would feel much more likely to stay within a company if they felt their career was being actively managed.

I'd like to know if you have a relationship with your HR department. Is part of their remit to identify high performers, to talk to employees about career paths, to offer advice and suggest strategies for individuals to get the most out of their jobs and their relationship with your employer?

What do you want to be?

In a recent survey for RAF careers 70% of young people aged between 16 and 24 said that when it came to jobs they were looking for rewarding roles and wanted to be proud of what they did for a living.
Not so long ago to be rich was the standard answer, but it seems that the desire for money alone is no longer enough of an attraction. If the results are to be believed we now have a generation who need to feel spiritually connected to the work that they do - not just well paid. The question is how do we match their aspirations?
Last week we heard the government is considering legislation against sexist career advice in schools. This suggests the service in schools is woefully out-of-step with the aspirations of the people they are serving and in dire need of an overhaul. Is it capable of coping with a new set of workers with different aspirations?
Maybe we should stop looking at which professions young people want to go into and start looking at their natural preferences in terms of how they interact, how they learn and what motivates them.
Psychometric profiling is having a positive effect in recruitment. Candidates regularly say they wish they had been tested earlier to prevent bad career choices. Wouldn't profiling students at school be a good indicator of which career would be best for them?

The virtue of virtual interviews

I was reading Canadian Paul Shearstone's blog about job interviews and the importance of first impressions and it started me thinking about the recent Second Life recruitment fair (which the Guardian) sponsored, and how traditional interview preparation advice will need to be rethought.
In the Second Life fair, three companies held virtual interviews with candidates who had applied in advance. Candidates were interviewed in the guise of their Second Life avatars - personas which can be male or female, a strange mutation of gender or indeed animal, and don't necessarily bear any resemblance to the person behind them.
The response from both candidates and recruiters was positive. Both commented on the level of honesty enjoyed during the process - something they felt was unachievable in a traditional first interview. Both parties said they were able to ask direct questions and were not clouded by preconceptions based on accent, gender, or race. All that mattered were the responses to the questions.
It seems to me virtual interviews are the way forward. They provide the perfect solution to the nerve-wracking first meeting and also mean no travel costs, no time lost, and no commitment other than the time to answer the questions.
But if they do take off, careers advisers will need to take note. Advice about how to make a good first impression face-to-face will not be relevant in a virtual world. Indeed advice in general about our working lives will need to adjust especially if reports such as Getting real work done in virtual worlds are to be believed.
So how do you prepare for a virtual interview? Have you ever done one - if so, did you find it a good experience? Were you able to use anything you had learned from traditional interviews?

Engaging the third age

Some facts to ponder:
·The number of people aged 65 years or over is expected to rise by nearly 60% in the next 25 years to more than 15 million - at that point nearly 23% of England's population will be aged at least 65 (ONS 2005/2006)
·At the moment the UK's average retirement age is 63.8 years. Today a man who works to 64 spends on average 31% of life in retirement. In 1950, the average man retired at 67 and spent 18% of life in retirement (DWP 2006)
·By 2011, the mean age of the UK population will exceed 40 for the first time; by about 2017/18, there will be more people over 40 than below (ONS 2005/2006)
·And from 2010 onwards, the number of young people reaching working age will begin to fall by 60,000 every year, fundamentally changing the shape of the workforce. Between 2010 and 2020 the UK will need 2.1 million new entrants to the adult workforce, a demand which can only be met through a combination of most adults working longer and a huge increase in the number of adults re-entering the labour market (City and Guilds 2006)
New research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) suggests not enough is being done to recruit, retain and engage these "third agers".
Employers are going to have to address the challenges presented by our ageing workforce.
I wonder what real options are available to the older workforce, other than on the checkout at the local supermarket. Do you consider yourself a "third ager"? What opportunities have opened up for you and have you been able to use your experience or are you back at entry level?

Should I stay or should I go?

Keeping hold of staff is going to be the biggest challenge HR professionals face this year, according to a survey by US firm Taleo. This isn't a surprise in what is now an employee's market. Employers will find themselves increasingly required to get in line with what employees want, and if they don't they risk losing the battle to attract and keep the talent needed to stay afloat.
The golden age of a job for life that we all hark back to may be something of a myth - even in 1985 only 10% of workers had been with the same employer for 20 years of more. But we have so much choice now that our careers are characterised by a series of job-hops.
I used to be a great believer in job-hopping, but my opinion is changing. I wonder whether I am alone now in finding the idea of sticking with one company very attractive. Not least because during my working life I have witnessed a number of promotions being awarded partly as a result of longevity of service.
My friends who have shown commitment to their companies seem to have achieved a greater depth of satisfaction from their working relationships and a much better work-life balance - all from staying put and growing their role from within. But is this possible if you are at a company where there is no clear career path?
What is best for your career - to stay or go? Have you benefited more from changing jobs every two years or have you been more rewarded by growing with one company? Where would you be now if you had stuck with your first job?

Longevity over suitability

It seems to me as I get older that one of the keys to success in your career is longevity - the ability to remain in position longer than your peers. I have witnessed four promotions in the past couple of years that were meted out primarily because they were the easiest choice – they were ones in the department longer than the rest and there was no other internal competition.

It was shocking to me the first time but it’s amazing how quickly you become desensitized and the unusual becomes the norm. This is not to say I agree with this way of progressing someone’s career. I had entered the workplace believing it was a meritocracy - was this naïve?

I am finding myself reassessing all sorts of beliefs, lately, many of which I have previously taken for absolutes. I am wondering now how far I would have been in my career if I had not flitted about like a thirteen year old, falling in and out of love with my jobs with regular flippancy, and instead stayed put with one company.

Obviously there were other factors for the promotions I am talking about – longevity is just one of them – but none were reasons that pointed them to being the best person for the job. A few as examples are; the fact that they were privy to some company secrets; that they would kick up a massive fuss; that they would be too expensive to make redundant; that they would be disruptive if they weren’t promoted; that the company didn’t want to shell out on recruitment fees; that the company didn’t want to waste any time in searching for an external replacement; that the company didn’t really care who was given the position as long as it was done quickly; that the person was easy to manipulate …I could go on. All negative reasons - none positive.

I have to state at this point - these comments are not born from a bitterness - quite the contrary I loved every one of my jobs - but from a curiosity about whether staying put rather than jumping ship actually bears more fruit.

What I want to know is where would you be now if you had stayed with the company which gave your first job? And what do you think is the key factor in an internal promotion?