BREAKING NEWS: Budget in brief

In today’s Budget, the Chancellor George Osborne
highlighted the importance of rewarding work as key to the UK’s economic
recovery.

Osborne told a packed House of Commons: “This Budget
rewards work. Britain is going to earn its way in the world. There is no other
way to recovery.”

Osborne pledged “to help people look for work”
and to “unashamedly support ambition”.

So it was no surprise, in this most leaked of all
Budgets, when Osborne announced what he claimed was “the largest
ever” increase in personal allowances. From next year, this will increase
to £9,205.

“Millions of working people will be £220 better off
a year,”

said Osborne, bringing the Coalition “within
touching distance” of its goal of people not paying income tax until they
have earned £10k.”

Responding to this measure, Andy Hogarth, chief executive
of food processing, manufacturing, e-retail and logistics staffing firm
Staffline Group, tells Recruiter: “This must help to get people out of the
basic rate of tax. It can only help the economy and encourage higher
employment, and that has got to be a good thing.

“I don’t think it will increase the supply of people
but it will encourage people to work and make life easier for the Revenue by
cutting red tape.”

Tim Watts, chairman of Pertemps, criticised the
Chancellor for not reducing National Insurance, which he says “is a 13%
tax on employment”. He told Recruiter:

“Why, when you have got unemployment, do you have a
tax on employment? It doesn’t make sense.”

As expected, the Chancellor also announced that from
April next year, the income tax rate for top earners, those earning more than
£150k a year, would come down from 50% to 45%.

“No chancellor can justify a tax rate that distorts
our economy and raise next to nothing – it is as simple as that.”

Among the other measures were:

- corporation tax to fall to 24% next month and to 22% by

2014

- £1bn fund to help
smaller business obtain finance – as an alternative to bank funding

- enhanced capital allowance for the Royal Docks
Enterprise Zone, and the creation of new Enterprise zone in Scotland and
Northern Ireland

- tax credit scheme to boost the UK’s video gaming and
animation industry

- the roll-out of ultra fast broadband and wi-fi into 10
UK cities

- reductions in red tape for business

- “a radical change” in the administration of
tax so employers are taxed on the basis of cash running through their business
rather than more complicated methods used by larger employers.

This will benefit 3m companies with an annual turnover of
up to £77k said the Chancellor.

- a review by the Independent Pay Review Body into
introducing regional pay in the public sector

- announcement of a new UK Centre for Aerodynamics next
year, as part of the government’s objective of making the UK “Europe’s
technology centre”.

Commenting on the cut in corporation tax, Tim Evans,
managing director of Boxington Corporate Finance, tells Recruiter: “In
terms of business, the drop in corporation tax to 24% is a strong, positive
move.

“But what the budget lacked is more immediate business
growth measures, particularly proactive incentives for large cash-rich
companies to spend their cash on investment. This is what will get the economic
cogs turning more immediately as is needed.”

And John Cridland, director-general of the CBI, adds:
“An extra 1% off corporation tax this year could make a big difference to
investment intentions.

“Plans to reduce the top rate of tax to 45p by April
2013 will show our top and aspiring talent that this government wants them to
create wealth here.”

Chief executive of the Recruitment & Employment
Confederation (REC), Kevin Green, was lukewarm over the Chancellor’s
initiatives for jobs.

“With today’s Budget, the Chancellor has taken solid
steps in developing an internationally competitive tax regime in the UK to help
kick start job growth. But it could have been bigger, bolder and braver, so I
give this budget 6/10 for jobs.”

He said that changes to corporation tax would encourage
businesses to invest in their workforce and create certainty for businesses.

However, he said there were some missed opportunities,
“such as specific measures to cut EU red tape, reduce regulations
surrounding agency workers and to simplify the new pensions auto-enrolment
system, all of which are necessary moves to help business and encourage job
creation”.

http://www.recruiter.co.uk/rec-report-on-jobs-permanent-roles-stronger-temps-fall/1013099.article

1. Revisit your goals

Your Linkedin profile should not be a re-hash of your CV. Your CV shows where you have been, what you have already accomplished. Think about where you want your next step to be and convert these goals into keywords which will make your profile more searchable. Think about what a recruiter will put in the search engine

2. Utilise keywords

The Linkedin search function will first and foremost search the headline of your profile so choose your words carefully. If you provide services for a highly targeted market the words used in your headline should reflect this.

3. Strip out clutter

The average person would have changed jobs six to eight times before they turn 30. Make sure the roles you outline on your Linkedin profile are relevant to where you want to go. For example if you are a lawyer but was once an accountant in your past life, a comprehensive list of your accounting experience and projects may cause distracting. Likewise, your experience in part time roles during your teenage years are usually not relevant so it is ok to omit them.

4. Reintroduce your personality

Remember that your Linkedin profile is not as formal as your CV. Put a little bit of your personality into it. Explain why you love doing what you do, what your aspirations are, why you have got to where you are today. Bringing your personality into your profile allows future employers to see that you are human, that you have enthusiasm and flair. Keywords are important but at the end of the day employers don’t hire keywords, they hire people.

5. Is that photo really what you want to be conveying?

Always put a picture on your Linkedin profile. It gives words on a page a face and shows a bit of your personality. However, make sure the picture you choose conveys what you are trying to achieve and do. Does it reflect what you do as a professional? If you are for example a banker, your photo may look very different than someone who works in creative advertising. The goal of this photo is to reflect how you will look when you meet a customer. Remember though that a good photo flatters but don’t mislead. Eventually you will meet some of these people who connect with you on Linkedin and the reality between yourself and a photoshopped version of yourself will be jarring.

6. Get recommendations

In the professional world it is as much about who you know than what you know. Ask for recommendations from influential people that you have worked with and always offer to provide recommendations before you are asked. To build good connections you have to be willing to give something in return.

You can read the full article on workingmums.co.uk, Work Life Balance Nearly as Important as Salary, 15/2/2012.

Here at Square Mile Connections we also appreciate that achieving a good work-life balance is important which is why we are winners of the 2011 Workingmums Champion Award, an award to highlight our Managing Director’s achievements in not only promoting flexible working within our own office, but also within our client’s. If a good work-life balance is important to you in your next role please get in touch. We recently have helped many working mothers get their next step on the career ladder while at the same time promoting flexible working conditions in the workplace whether that be working part time, childcare assistance or flexible working hours.

A 2012 McKinsey report found that companies with women on their management boards performed 56% better than companies who did not have any women in management. The main issue for gender inequality in the workplace has been the role women play in the household. It is still traditionally held that women have a bigger part to play in the upbringing of children than men. Only three out of ten European entrepreneurs are women and only one out of ten board members of the largest companies listed in the national stock exchange of EU Member states is a woman.

The PM has hoped solutions could be found to encourage women into management positions but has not ruled out creating a quota system.

The biggest issue confronting jobseekers is Facebook’s new product, Timeline. Following a nationwide test in New Zealand and subsequent ‘opt-in’ option, Timeline will become compulsary for all users. Timeline formats your Facebook page into a magazine-like layout, easier on the eye but very dangerous when it comes to job seeking. Timeline divides your profile page into dated segments, 2011, 2010, 2009, right back to when you were born. This makes your profile easily searchable by month and year. Chances are you started using Facebook at a much younger age where you were probably a bit more irresponsible when it came to the consequences of posting those pictures of your Saturday night, the Hen/Stag party, and strongly worded posts about certain companies, products or people. Potential employers are able to search these with one click.

So how can you protect yourself? The key isyour privacy settings. Your privacy settings are left open by deafult. Make sure you set your privacy settings to limit who can see your pictures, posts and updates. Secondly, before your Timeline becomes ‘Active’ you have seven days to cleanse your facebook page of any unwanted posts that will be visable. You are able to hide unwanted posts and pictures.

There is nothing wrong with freedom of speech or freedom of expression but when it comes to your personal  information be careful what you leave yourself open to on the internet and remember what the www. stands for.

Hint #1: Preparation

Prepare yourself, interviews are two way meetings. They are both an opportunity for the interviewer to find out about you and whether you are a suitable candidate – and for you to find out about the organisation and if the position will provide you with the challenge and job satisfaction you are looking for.

Think about your skills, qualifications and experience and ensure that you can talk confidently about what is written on your CV. Particularly ensure that you can talk about the skills relevant to the position you are going for.

Prepare some questions to ask at the interview. At the first interview it would be wise to restrict your questions to the details of the job and the organisation. Salary and benefit discussions are best left until a second interview or a job offer is made.

Hint #2: Do your homework

Find out as much as possible about the company prior to the interview. A good starting point is to look up their website and find out about the products and services they offer, the location of the office/s, and the number of employees. Ask the consultancy if they have any extra information on them. You could also phone the company and ask them to send you an annual report.

Square Mile Connections is proud to have good relationships with our clients, many being previous candidates of our. We always prepare all candidates going to interview on the ins-and-outs of not only the company but also the specific team and any personality traits we know of.

Hint #3: Dress code and appearance

Smart business dress is a must.

Ensure you are well groomed with tidy hair, clean shoes and clothing. Do not wear too much perfume or aftershave and keep make-up, jewellery and nail polish simple.

Hint #4: Travel and timing

Plan your journey beforehand to ensure you arrive a few minutes early. Allow for possible travel delays. Just in case of a major hold up, make sure you have your contact’s telephone number so that you can call if you suspect you will be late.

Hint #5: What to expect

Interviews come in many forms – panel interviews, one to one interviews, group interviews etc. Ask your consultancy what form of interview it will be beforehand. You may be asked to take a test before the interview, depending on the type of organisation. These might consist of psychometric or aptitude tests.

There are many different interview styles and each interviewer will have their own personal style. Some interviewers will fire questions at you while others will start off with an open question such as “tell me about yourself” leaving you to do most of the talking. The majority of interviews will be somewhere between the two. Be prepared for any style of interview.

Square Mile Connections will always prepare you on the type of interview that you will be having.

If you are aware that some or all of the questions will be competency based questions e.g. Tell me an example of when you have been challenged at work, think about structuring your answer based on the STAR approach. Think of a situation, describe the task you were asked to do, tell the interviewer what action you took, and then the result of that action.

Hint #6: Two-way communication

Make sure the employer knows the benefits of employing you. It is important to sell yourself by telling the employer details of your relevant skills and experience that you have to contribute to the organisation.

Try not to monopolise the meeting – let your interviewer talk.

Find out what the key parts of the candidate specification are so you can show how you meet them.

Ask how the job contributes to the success, efficiency and profitability of the organisation.

Show that you have done some research.

Don’t give negative information or bad news if you are not asked for it and don’t criticise previous employers or jobs. The key is to turn negative information into positive information.

The next steps

Agree exactly what the next steps will be, such as who will contact you to let you know if you have been successful and by when. You should also find out whether there will be second interviews and who will conduct them. If you are really interested in the position make sure you tell the interviewer.

After the Interview

After your interview call your recruiter to let them know what you thought of the interview. Your recruiter will always go back to the employer and let them now you’re thoughts, if you are still interested, and any questions that you have.

Your recruiter will then collect the interviewrs thoughts and relay these back to you. Any further interviews will be arranged through us.

Negotiation

Everything is negotiable. If the final offer is not what you had hoped for, ask the consultancy to talk to the client. Say that you like the job but the package is not up to your expectations and ask if the company can be at all flexible

You can find the article, Successful Interviewing, rec.co.uk, here.

Read the full article here, Number of Househubands Triples, workingmums.co.uk, 30/1/2012