Searching for an Engineering Job

Filed Under (Job Search Guidance) by admin on 18-04-2009

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When searching for an engineering job, candidates will invariably need the expertise and experience of a specialist recruitment firm. The reason for this is because such recruitment firms can significantly streamline and expedite the whole process of finding a suitable engineering job placement. There is no doubt that the defence/aviation sectors have one of the most lucrative job markets for engineering professionals. Employers within these sectors are willing to offer highly competitive remuneration packages and work agreements to those candidates who meet their exact skills and experience requirements. At this junction, it is also worth mentioning that the engineering job market within the defence/aviation job markets is becoming increasingly competitive. As such, the influence of specialist recruitment firms has become even more key. The problem here is that there are not many recruitment firms which have adequate experience and specialised knowledge in terms of providing engineering recruitment solutions to the defence/aviation sectors.

This means that engineering candidates who are looking to work within these sectors have limited options available to them when it comes to seeking expert recruitment advice and guidance. There are certainly some good examples of companies which have both the experience and specialised knowledge to provide candidates with effective recruitment solutions. For over years and years, these companies have maintained an excellent track record and reputation for effectively deploying engineering recruitment solutions to many top firms within the defence/aviation industries. Many of their clients include top brand names such as GKN, Rolls Royce, Agusta Westland, MoD and a host of others. The top UK defence recruiters can therefore be regarded as some of the leading firms in Europe for providing technical staff to the defence/aviation sectors.

With the aid of a recruiting agency, engineering candidates certainly have an increased chance of securing their desired job placements. These agencies are some of the few recruitment firms which provide their clients with long-term support and guidance. This sort of client-based service which these companies provides guarantees the success and progress of their candidates within their new roles. The close relationships which they build with top management within the defence/aviation sectors also ensures that they have immediate visibility on the most current roles. This further allows them to have a full understanding of the requirements of both their corporate and candidate clients. With this in mind, it is little wonder that the UK defence recruiting field is regarded as the home of defence/aviation engineering jobs in the European continent.

Career Advice for Job Seekers

Filed Under (Job Search Guidance) by admin on 12-04-2009

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The economy is rough nowadays, and with mass lay-offs and plenty of discouragement, its a good idea to look for career advice to change your focus to something you can be passionate about. The difference between a job and a career is that the first option is labor oriented and usually does not have much advancement involved, and the second option is passion oriented, allowing you to advance and grow using skills that you have learned through some kind of formal or technical education. If you do not know what direction to go into, seeking an advice is an excellent first step to organizing your goals while helping you head down a path that will encourage and motivate you to succeed.

As you begin your quest for a career, you may not have an idea about what kind you should be pursuing. An easy way to determine what direction to take, and the first bit of advice to edge you forward, is to think about what you have always loved to do with your time. There are activities that you take part in because you enjoy them as hobbies, and activities that you take part in because you could see yourself doing them to make money seriously. Those activities that you could see yourself turning into a career should be your first stepping stone to paving the road to success for yourself.

The second point of advice for is to consider going back to school or taking some kind of training to help enhance your skills. You may not be equipped with the necessary skills and education to begin your future plans right away, and finding a job without the right skills will be nearly impossible. It is best to research what colleges and institutions you can attend that will allow you to get a degree, certification or license in the field that you are interested in. Choose a college or program that you will enjoy going to in a location that makes you excited to be there. This will help to motivate you to continue on with your studies.

The final point of career advice is to learn how to negotiate your salary so that you can live a lifestyle that is enjoyable. Research the high, average and low incomes for your career so that you know what kind of base salary to expect with your experience and skill set. The skills you have obtained my be high end skills that allow you to select a salary that compliments what you have learned. Be confident when you negotiate your salary, but not cocky. It is always better to be humble than to come off as obnoxious or snobby, so keep your attitude in check and enjoy making the money that reflects what you are worth.

Resume Writing Tips – How to Impress Prospective Employers

Filed Under (Resume Writing) by admin on 11-04-2009

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When the idea of this article came in to my mind, I decided to start with an analogy. When you go for shopping and see different types of products in the racks, do you understand how helpful the products could be? Can you guess the functionalities of a specific product unless you go through the brochure or the user-manual? Once you are impressed with the description written in the product page, you take more interest in the product.

Applying for a job is no way different! You need to market yourself properly to get the job. Your employer does not know anything about you, unless you are an icon! So prepare your resume in such a way that gives your employer a fair idea about you – your abilities, your strengths and your skill set. This would help them judge how helpful you can be for the organization.

Hence, in this case, your resume is the brochure! If the employer likes your resume, they will call you for an interview and you will get a second chance to prove yourself.

So you need to put adequate effort and thought while preparing your CV or resume whatever you call it. Make sure, it attracts the viewer so much that they pick it up readily leaving all other resumes on the stack.

To start off, judge the requirements of the employer carefully; do your homework before you start resume writing. If you are applying in reference to an employment notice or advert in newspaper, magazine or online job board, go through the entire text thoroughly. Read the ‘about us’, job responsibilities and requirements line by line. Once finished, read it for another time. A lot of people do the mistake of scanning online employment notices lightly and often miss the important points.

Having the requirements inspected carefully, start preparing your resume. Highlight the facts about you that are helpful for the employer. For example, if you are applying for jobs in advertising and the advertising agency is looking for a creative person, why don’t you start your resume describing the advertising project that you did in college and how successful it was!

Resume Formats: Chronological, Functional, Combination

Three resume formats are there – chronological, functional and combination. In a chronological resume you list your work experience in reverse chronological order, i.e., the latest work experience is mentioned first and so on. After work experience, educational background is listed in the same way. Chronological resume expresses your career growth.

On the other hand, a functional resume highlights your abilities and skills under the title of various functions you have performed in different organizations. Functional resume is useful when you decide to switch your career – this format helps your employer understand how swift you are at adopting new job profiles.

Combination resume is a hybrid of both of the above mentioned formats. Here employment history is listed chronologically and then the skills and abilities are presented adhering to functional resume writing properties. Combination resume can be useful for those who are changing career and have worked on various industries in past.

Choose the right format for your resume and hit the job market. A well-written resume is the key to successful career.

Resume Writing – Keep It Short And Concise

Filed Under (Resume Writing) by admin on 09-04-2009

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One of the main questions asked about resumes is, “Do I have to include everything on one page?” The most common misconception of resume writing is that your entire professional history has to fit within one A4 page of white paper.

The truth is, the resume should be well written and concise, and should promote your qualifications in the best possible light. This is sometimes impossible to do in one page. Thus, a resume can extend to multiple pages, with some consideration depending on your career level.

1.Be concise.

This is critical. Do not use lengthy sentences and paragraph forms to disclose your experience and your education. Employers want straight forward statements that highlight your qualifications. A resume is not a place to show your creative writing skills.

2.Perfect your resume.

You have second to catch your potential employer’s attention. Make sure that your resume is properly formatted, and you are not trying to fit too much copy on a single page of paper. Create appropriate and professional sections for your resume. Your potential employer is more concerned with the look and content of your resume than with its length.

3.Keep it short and focus

Longer is not better when you don’t have the experience to meet your career objective. If you are new to the job market, are changing careers, or you’ve only had one job, stick to a one page resume.

If you don’t have the experience to meet your career objective, no matter the reason, do not apologize for it. Don’t try to fill up your resume with irrelevant content; instead do your best to highlight your transferable skills, and stick to the short and sweet.

3. Do not exceed two pages

Unless you are applying for an executive-level job, or are composing curriculum vitae, your resume should not exceed two pages.

The purpose of a well-written resume is to sell you as the best candidate for the job with a confident and a straight-forward approach. Do not oversell your skills. Do not list more than three to five previous positions you’ve help.

Stick to those skills and experiences that best meet the job requirements and your career objective. The most relevant information has to be included on the first page.

The second page should be numbered, with your contact information included as well (just in case the pages are separated when printed, you don’t want your potential employer to discard the second page of your resume completely).

If you find yourself going over two pages, review your resume and make sure that you are not incorporating information that is irrelevant to your goals or to the position you are seeking.

4.Statements should be applicable to the job

Make sure that your professional history warrants a resume that is three pages or longer. As mentioned above, unless you are a senior- or executive-level professional, or you are composing curriculum vitae, your resume should not extend to over two pages.

If you have a longer resume, you will have to make sure that every statement on the resume is applicable to your career goals.

If you have had decades of leadership experience for example, demonstrate that using the reverse chronological resume style and only list those jobs that best qualify you for the position you are seeking. If you need to include an extensive list of publications or certifications, your resume can take up more than three pages.

Make sure that the important information is still listed on the first page. This includes your career objective and professional profile, and your current or most recent professional experience. All subsequent pages need to be numbered, and include your contact information in the heading.

Career Advice: How To Be One Of The Top 20 And Gain Job Security

Filed Under (Career Management) by admin on 05-04-2009

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Eighty percent of the work is done by twenty percent of the people employed. This rule of thumb proves to be true no matter the type or size of the organization.

Common sense career advice says work your butt off to be sure you are among the top 20 who are getting the job done. That’s a major step toward job security in these times of economic uncertainty.

Here are some career tips on how to be in the top 20.
Know where your job fits in the scheme of things and what is expected from you. If you and your boss haven’t agreed on a clear picture of your career path, ask for directions.

Monitor and document your on-the-job performance month-by-month. Gain strength and confidence from your achievements. Learn from your mistakes.

Make sure you are receiving regular performance appraisals, so you can make mid-course corrections on your career path, and your employer recognizes the results you are producing. Assure your boss you want to assume more responsibility. Seek additional training to improve your value to your current employer and increase your chances of landing a new job if the pink slip comes.

Work with a plan that sets career goals with specific actions and timelines.

Prepare a fallback plan covering actions you would take if you were to lose your job.

Find out what challenges your boss is facing. Make his job easier, not harder. Demonstrate you are helping him to reach his career goals.

Stay up to date on what’s happening with your company and the business sector in which you work.

Do more with less. Go above and beyond the call of duty.

Take the initiative; come up with new ideas. Come in early, stay late.

As added insurance, refresh and extend your contacts within and outside of the organization that employs you.

Solve problems, don’t create them. Don’t require special attention from your boss and your co-workers.

Be a team player. Share the workload, as well as the credit.

Recognize there are no shortcuts to career success.

Don’t Let Negative Nellies Block Your Career Path

There’ll always be Negative Nellies who will try to distract you from maintaining your top 20 position.  If you let them, they can throw you off your career path.

Here are five steps you can take to thwart the negativists who inhabit all organizations.

1. Distinguish between negativism and analytical questioning. The former is destructive; the latter is constructive.

2. Don’t waste time and energy arguing with those who are habitually negative. Overlook them. Avoid gossiping and spreading rumors.

3. Act quickly and decisively to examine and reject wanton negative doubts.

4. Take action to advance your career plans when the odds are reasonably in favor of success despite those who deal in negative thoughts.

5. Avoid the company of negative thinkers. Their attitudes are contagious. Don’t engage in I-told-you-so when the negative thinkers turn out to be wrong. That only invites more of the same from them.