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5 TOP TIPS WHEN CHANGING YOUR CAREER

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Changing careers can seem like a daunting prospect but it can be a great opportunity for you. It offers you the chance to build new skills and find new challenges. Many people change careers for a variety of reasons such as job burnout, better salary or simply trying to find a better work life balance. The main question of course is where do you start, who could you consult about it? There is plenty of help and guidance out there to support you especially recruitment agencies. They will offer support in areas such as updating your CV, preparing for interviews and all the other things you need in your career change toolbox. To help you on your way here are 5 top tips to guide you in that promising career change.

  1. Update Your CV.

Your CV is one of your most important tools in order to enter a new field so it is vitally important it is completely updated. Employers will look at your CV, your many experiences and why you would be a strong fit for this position. Ensure you highlight your strengths and your experience and skills relating to the role.  This is also a huge chance to display your transferable skills that you can bring to a new position. There are also plenty of CV workshops if you are unsure as to how you should go about updating your CV. Contact your local recruitment agency as they will have knowledge of upcoming workshops.

  1. Update your skills.

Changing career will allow you to develop and update your skillset, lifelong learning is expected from all employers so they will want to hear and see what you have been doing to stay relevant.  New skills can not only help further your career but help strengthen your soft skills such as your confidence and communication. Whilst it is good to build new skills it does not mean the skills from your previous work are to be discarded. A new work environment allows you to transfer those skills and further utilize them. Examples of transferable skills are those such as teamwork and organization.

  1. LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the perfect opportunity to develop your personal brand online and showcase your digital presence. There are several ways to promote yourself on LinkedIn than just writing down your experiences. You can let recruiters know that you are open to job opportunities by updating your personal headline. You can display your skills which your connections can endorse you for and you can also receive recommendations from former colleagues/professional connections. You can now upload examples of your work/portfolio to LinkedIn so potential employers can see your strengths and how you could be the perfect fit for their organization.

  1. Networking

There is no greater opportunity than to make new professional connections than networking. Since you will be changing careers, research the field you wish to enter and any upcoming events in this area you can attend. Social platforms such as Eventbrite and Meetup are good to network with people that have a similar interest or attend a company event that you wish to work for.

Don’t be afraid to approach people and ask for advice or guidance as to how you can enter this sector or of any new job openings. Also inquire about training or workshops to help further your potential in this industry.

  1. Prepare for Interviews  

Finally make sure you prepare for any upcoming interviews. This will help with your confidence and your ability to have two way conversations. Please highlight relevant experience and prepare your answers and examples around the key problems that needs solved by the employer. Dress suitably for the interview. Ensure you know the travel route and arrive at least 10 minutes early. There is plenty of available guidance to help you prepare for interviews so check out our website for more interview hints and tips.

 

 

 

Shropshire Chamber Business Expo was a Success

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Shropshire Jobs and Business Opportunities to follow after Chamber Business Expo

The day started with a networking breakfast featuring guest speaker Ashley Shackleton, head of public affairs at British Chambers of Commerce, who spoke about Brexit, discussing the opportunities and challenges inherent in the political and economic transition that lies ahead as well as what it means for Businesses in Shropshire.

Meanwhile, nearly 50 businesses and organisations from across the county set up stands in the Sovereign Suite, including Halls Holdings, Natural Welsh Water, SBC Training, Rybook BMW, Precision Colour Printing, Weston Park and Telford College, all showcasing their varied products and services.

During the morning, seminars were held with talks on digital marketing by Clear Design Consultancy, social media by Teresa Heath-Wareing and business growth by Maisy Owen of MO Management Consultancy Ltd. Julie from Graffiti Recruitment was also attending some of the workshops. Some of the content discussed in the workshops will help Graffiti Recruitment promote and advertise Shropshire Jobs.

Lunchtime provided yet another networking opportunity for both delegates and visitors, with Chamber chief executive Richard Sheehan, saying: “Once again we are absolutely delighted with the turnout for this final exhibition of the year.

The chamber is committed to promoting connectivity and economic growth and these events create a perfect platform for collaboration opportunities. These opportunties will generate more Shropshire Jobs.

First time exhibitor Leah Whitley, of Rent-a-Space, based at Battlefield in Shrewsbury, added: “Our new business only opened in September and the first thing we did was to join the chamber which immediately provided us with inroads into the local networking groups.

“Business exhibition events such as these will provide the ideal introductions to help us build our brand in Shrewsbury and we have been delighted at the sheer number of visitors to our stand and the genuine interest shown in what we have to offer.”

To see more articles on Business Networking, Economic Development, Superfast, Investment and Shropshire Jobs, check out our blog page by clicking here!

– Shropshirelive

How to Fire Up your Business Plan with Research and Development (R&D)

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Discover how to use Research and Development (R&D) to your full advantage and completely strengthen up your Business Plans!

Research and development, known as R&D, refers to that part of your business plan that is your ability to gain knowledge in order to design, develop, and enhance your product, services, technologies, or processes. If your company is a high-tech firm, R&D is number one on the list of capabilities crucial to your long-term success.

Even if your company isn’t technology- or manufacturing-based, though, don’t assume that R&D isn’t a necessary capability. Even a one-person consulting business needs research ability to track the competitive arena, find out about prospective customers, and keep on top of industry and client news.

For example, a business that liquidates households for people who can’t do so on their own hardly seems in need of R&D capability. But, think again. The Internet now plays a starring role in the sale of antiques and collectibles — whether through online auctions or through specialized auction and antique sales sites.

And even if the business owners never go near an online sale, almost certainly they’ll use online resources to find out what people are paying for items like the ones they’re selling.

For other businesses, R&D is the key to enhancing business skills, enlarging product and service portfolios, and staying on top of customer, industry, and competitive research.

Ways to improve your R&D skills include:

  • Attending trade shows with research-related sessions
  • Taking industry-specific courses, in person or online
  • Participating in social media networks with people in your field who share findings, ideas, and advice
  • Subscribing to mailings from innovators in your industry
  • Completing certification programs
  • Updating your computer skills
  • Keeping up-to-date through trade journals and sites
  • Joining an industry group
  • Broadening your awareness of industry, market area, consumer, and industry issues and opportunities
  • Your business plan should include a section that addresses your R&D capabilities, including the following:
  • The importance of R&D to your competitive success
  • A description of your current R&D capacity (including a description of the expertise of staff and contract sources)
  • Your agenda for R&D over the next year
  • Planned R&D expenditures over the next year
  • Your long-term R&D goals

 

Now you are familiar with all these key pointers to consider when planning the Research and Development aspect of your Business Plan, be selective on which factors would suite your business the most and then use them to your full advantage. Good luck!

Are you already familiar with R&D and it’s importance within a Business Plan? Would you like to actively contribute to the growth of a thriving Business? Check out our latest job opportunities by following this link! 

 

– Steven D. Peterson

– Peter E. Jaret

– Barbara Findlay Schenck

Microsoft to buy LinkedIn for $26bn

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Microsoft is buying the professional networking website LinkedIn for just over $26bn (£18bn) in cash.

The software giant will pay $196 a share – a premium of almost 50% to Friday’s closing share price.

The deal will help Microsoft boost sales of its business and email software.

Microsoft said that LinkedIn would retain its “distinct brand, culture and independence”.

Ben Wood, head of research at CCS Insight, said the deal would give Microsoft access to the world’s biggest professional social network with more than 430 million members worldwide.

“That’s a valuable asset that can be deeply integrated with a number of Microsoft assets such as Office 365, Exchange and Outlook. That said, Microsoft has stated that the company will continue to operate as an independent business, so we’ll have to see how deeply the integration occurs,” Mr Wood said.

Analysis: Rory Cellan-Jones, technology correspondent

Ever had one of those annoying LinkedIn emails inviting you to “endorse” a contact for some skill or another? Perhaps LinkedIn chief executive Jeff Weiner and its founder Reid Hoffman deserve to be endorsed for salesmanship after today’s deal.

After a tricky period in which the shares have fallen amid widening losses, they have persuaded Microsoft to make its biggest deal. The software giant is paying a 50% premium on Friday’s closing share price to buy LinkedIn, a price which amounts to $250 (£170) for every active user. To put that into context, that’s about the market value of Sky, or eight times as much as Daily Mail owner DMGT – and they are both profitable.

But this deal is about more than money: it is meant as a powerful signal of where Satya Nadella is now taking Microsoft. He sees its future as a cloud computing business providing all sorts of professional services to clients – including a social network to connect them to each other.

“We are trying to ride the wave of the new technologies,” Mr Nadella told me from Seattle. “It’s about AI, it’s about mobile, it’s about cloud and we’re trying to bring those things together.”

However, the deal to buy Nokia’s mobile phones division had a similar logic – and the entire value of that purchase was written off just a year later. So Microsoft’s investors may look at that $26bn price tag nervously, while anyone with a few LinkedIn shares may be using the network to send a message of congratulations to their board.

Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella said he had long admired LinkedIn: “I have been thinking about this for a long time.”

The deal was “key to our bold ambition to reinvent productivity and business processes”, he added.

The company planned a different approach to integrating LinkedIn to preserve its culture and brand, Mr Nadella said: “That’s what’s going to be very very different about this.”

Microsoft had a long record of successfully integrating acquisitions, he explained, citing Minecraft – the video game whose maker it bought in 2014 for $2.5bn – as well as its very first purchase: the presentation software PowerPoint for $14m in 1987.

LinkedIn shares soared 47%, or $61.50, to $192.60 in New York following the announcement of the deal.

Shares in the company, which floated in May 2011, have fallen by more than 40% this year.

The stock plunged by a quarter in February after the company issued a profit warning for the first quarter and reported an annual loss of $166m.

Ivan Feinseth, analyst at Tigress Financial Partners, said that LinkedIn was a great business “even though the company stubbed their toe back in February. It’s a premium company and it deserves a premium valuation.”

Shares in Microsoft fell 2.6% to $50.16, bringing the decline this year to almost 10%.

‘Incredible opportunity’

Jeff Weiner will remain chief executive, reporting to Mr Nadella. He and Reid Hoffman – the chairman, co-founder and controlling shareholder of LinkedIn – both backed the deal.

“Today is a re-founding moment for LinkedIn,” said Mr Hoffman. “I see incredible opportunity for our members and customers and look forward to supporting this new and combined business.”

LinkedIn has been trying to expand by offering users more messaging options, mobile apps and a revamped “newsfeed” to help boost engagement.

Last year, the site pledged to send less frequent and “more relevant” messages after numerous user complaints.

The takeover is by far the biggest acquisition made by Microsoft, which paid $8.5bn for Skype in 2011 and bought Nokia’s mobile phone business for $7.2bn in 2013.

The LinkedIn acquisition also eclipses the $19bn that Facebook paid for WhatsApp in 2014.

Despite having a cash pile of about $92bn, Microsoft said it would pay for LinkedIn mostly by issuing new debt.

It expects the deal, which must be approved by regulators in the US, EU, Canada and Brazil, to generate annual savings of $150m by 2018.

– Chris Johnston

Be sure to check out our latest job opportunities here!

A Guide to IT Infrastructure / Cloud Computing

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What is Cloud Computing?

Cloud Infrastructure refers to the hardware and software components — such as servers, storage, networking and virtualization software — that are needed to support the computing requirements of a cloud computing model. In addition, cloud infrastructures include a software abstraction layer that virtualizes resources and logically presents them to users through programmatic means.

In cloud computing, virtualized resources are hosted by a service provider or IT department and delivered to users over a network or the Internet. These resources include virtual machines and components such as servers, compute, memory, network switches, firewalls, load balancers and storage.

In a cloud computing architecture, which refers to the front end and back end of a cloud computing environment, cloud infrastructure consists of the back end components.

Cloud infrastructure is present in each of the three main cloud computing models — infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS) and software as a service (SaaS). Together, these three models form what’s often called a cloud computing stack, with IaaS as the foundation, PaaS as the middle layer, and SaaS as the top layer.

Businesses use cloud infrastructures to run their applications. Unlike subscription-based pricing models, or payment structures that enable users to subscribe to vendor services for a set price, cloud infrastructures are typically purchased using a pay-per-use model. In a pay-per-usage model, users only pay for the services consumed — generally on an hourly, weekly or monthly basis.

Rather than purchase cloud infrastructure from a provider, businesses can also build cloud infrastructures on-premises. When cloud providers maintain the cloud infrastructure, the environment is a public cloud. When the organization using cloud maintains the cloud infrastructure, the environment is a private cloud. And when both the cloud provider and user own pieces of the cloud infrastructure, the environment is a hybrid cloud.

If you are already familiar with all this information then be sure to check out our latest job which offers the opportunity to join a business with sky high performance results and infrastructure solutions.

– Techtarget

6 Reasons You Should Keep Up Your Job Search During the Holiday Season

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As the holiday season draws in, it’s easy to get distracted by all the festivities going on around you and your job hunt will often get placed on the back burner. It’s a busy time of the year and it’s a common misconception that hiring managers won’t be making any new hires over Christmas, however this isn’t necessarily true and it could actually be a really good time of the year to rev up your job search a bit.

With the new year approaching, not only would a new job make a nice fresh start for you, but employers are also focused on reaching their business goals and would also like the peace of mind that there will be someones sitting behind the desk come January.

If you’re unsure about whether to continue your job search over Christmas, here are a few reasons that you would be silly not to!

1) There’s less competition

A lot of job seekers will put a halt to their job search over the holiday period, due to their busy schedules or the false impression that companies will not be hiring over Christmas. So if you’re looking for a job in a competitive field, now is your time to get one up on your competition, while the number of applicants is down.

2) Business continues

Just because a lot of us think of the holiday season as a time to take a bit of a break and slow down, that doesn’t mean that business comes to a stand still. Hiring continues regardless of the time of the year and the end of the fourth quarter may even be a particularly busy hiring period, as a lot of companies feel the pressure to finalise any new hires before the new year due to business and financial goals.

3) Christmas parties are networking opportunities

The Christmas period is jam packed with social events, from big bashes to festive dinners, so what better opportunity to get networking? You never know who you’re going to meet at one of these dos, so get talking and discuss your job search and career plans with people, as they may be able to point you in the direction of a great opportunity.

4) Prevent a job search rut

If you slow down your job search over the holidays, it could make it difficult to get back into the swing of things once you restart it. By continuing your hunt, you’ll keep the momentum going and won’t miss out on any opportunities that arise during this time.

5) Make the most of the time off

If you’re already in a job it can be difficult to find the opportunity to work on your job search, so the Christmas break may actually be your perfect opportunity to dedicate some time to it. If you have any days left to use of your annual leave then make the most of them to update your resume and get some applications sent off.

6) Reconnect with existing contacts

The holiday season is a good opportunity to touch base with old networking contacts, recruiters and previous employers to wish them happy holidays, as well as provide them with a little reminder that you exist. Dropping them a line on LinkedIn or arranging a catch up could lead to progress in your job search.

[Image Credit: Shutterstock]

//theundercoverrecruiter.com/keep-up-job-search-holiday-season/

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