Mar 7, 2016 | IT
When applying for new roles, the quality of your CV is of paramount importance and instantly determines to a recruiter whether you are going to be suitable for the role or not. It is estimated that the average number of applicants one corporate job attracts in the UK is 250. Often, out of these only 4-6 people will be called for interview and 1 who will get the job. These are tough odds for those on the search for a new role. The jobs market is extremely competitive, so ensuring your CV is the strongest it can be is fundamental in your job search. Here are a few pointers to ensure your CV will stand out from the crowd:
Current Job Status
Not only do the details of your current job role give an indication of whether you the relevant experience for the role they are applying for, but it poses the question – why are you wanting to leave? If a candidate has only a few months in their most recent role, recruiters will often want to know why you are moving on so soon. Were you fired? Are you simply hating the role? It is always better to be honest about why you are wanting to move on, regardless of the reason. This is an opportunity to disclose your current status. Do not worry about the reasoning behind your wanting to leave, what really counts is your experience and ability to do the job.
Experience
Recruiters will scan your CV and try to determine whether you have a flow of relevant job progression shown in your previous roles. Increasing levels of responsibility is a good indication that the candidate is consistent and has a focus. Make sure that your CV gives an honest representation of previous positions. Do not try to mislead recruiters by over-exaggerating your responsibilities – the truth will always come out. Demonstrate throughout your resume where you added value to the company and describe positive contributions you made to the business.
Skills and Keywords
Don’t forget, a recruiter will only spend less than 30 seconds looking through your CV, so it’s crucial that you highlight skills and keywords that are relevant to the job that you are applying for. This demonstrates that you already have the experience required by your potential employers. You must ensure that keywords are easy to spot, so a clear, concise and well laid out CV makes all the difference. This does not mean your CV can’t be authentic. You must not, however, under any circumstances add keywords to your resume that you haven’t any experience in. Recruiters are on to you and if they find out you have lied, it will be an instant no-no.
Gaps
People have a misconstrued idea in employment, that if you have gaps in your CV it will be an instant rejection. This is simply not the case. If you have a gap in your CV, explain why there is. You may have taken some time out to start up your own business that didn’t work out, or taken a few years out to raise children. That’s fine, just explain that. Gaps will never go against you if you can show that you did something productive in that time. Where recruiters become skeptical about gaps in employment, is when a candidate cannot support their reasoning or are coy about their time out of employment. In some instances candidates may be reluctant to discuss time out of employment due to personal reasons, and feel they have to go into great detail – you don’t! Just explain to recruiters why you may feel uncomfortable divulging such information.
Education
The necessity to highlight in detail your education varies depending on the role being recruited for. It is necessary to highlight relevant certificates and diplomas, particularly if they are listed on the job description as essential or desirable. You may feel it beneficial to provide a brief outline of any key learning outcomes that may contribute to enhancing your ability to fulfil to the role. But try to limit the level of detail you go into when describing your qualifications, particularly if they may be irrelevant to the job role. A small overview of your education is all it needs.
If you need any assistance in your job search, then please do not hesitate to call us on 0207 788 6600 and one of our friendly expert consultants will be happy to help.
Mar 7, 2016 | IT
Technology continues to develop and progress at a phenomenal rate and these advances in technology means that skill sets required are continually changing. Now is a great time for opportunity and growth for IT professionals. The rate of growth in technology means that IT skills are in high demand meaning opportunity for a higher salary, job security and job advancement. The evolvement of IoT, Big Data and Cybersecurity continues to dominate the spotlight in the world of technology. So what skills will IT professionals be needing in 2016 in order to keep ahead of the game. Here we have complied a list of the most in-demand skills needed in order to keep up with the ever-evolving tech industry.
Big Data
The growth of demand for talent in big data is set to continue to increase. Talent in the Big Data field is rare but demands are high as businesses are becoming more aware of the importance of data science and are striving to improve their business processes by becoming more data driven. Data Scientists, DBAs and Database Technology Engineers; and Quantitative Analysts and Managers are some of the most sought after talent in technology at the moment. Demand for talent far outpaces the supply of talent in the current market and companies are requiring a high level of quantitative and technical expertise. If you are experienced in the field of big data then you will frequently be sought after and are unlikely to go short for job offers.
Cybersecurity
The expansion of the IoT market and increasing connectivity means an increase in potential hacks. The UK Governments budget pledge of almost £140million to develop applications for IoT and Smart Cities is sure to create great opportunities for businesses to become more efficient in their processes and aid in creating exciting new products to bring to the market; but also poses great threats. 2015 saw some of the most destructive hacks to date and the sheer breath and sophistication of these hacks means that attacks are getting worse at a far more frequent rate. Cybersecurity is therefore becoming a priority to businesses and protecting Intellectual Property, Operational Infrastructure and customer data is becoming more crucial than ever before. It is reported that security skills are in high demand due to short supply and companies are fighting to obtain the best talent to help them to identify weaknesses in their security and improve their security processes.
Cloud Computing
Businesses have rapidly been moving into the cloud for quite some time now. Companies are increasingly requiring experts in cloud adoption and integration. It has been predicted that a large majority of IT budget will be spent on cloud computing investment in 2016. The movement in hybrid cloud deployment will mean that this will be a highly sought after skill of IT professionals who specialise in cloud computing. Yulitza Peraza, analyst in quantitative services at 451 Research said: “Cloud computing is on the upswing and demand for public cloud services remains strong. However, public cloud adoption continues to face hurdles including security concerns, transparency and trust issues, workload readiness and internal non-IT-related organisational issues”. It is clear from this that cloud support will continue to remain required by businesses – now may be the time for IT professionals to get one step ahead of the game by immediately doing all they can to enhance their credentials when working with the cloud.
Coding
Research suggests that the internet has generated 2.6 jobs for each lost to technology related inefficiencies. This indicates that having the skills and experience in coding can help to future-proof your ability to find work in the modern economy. Coding became part of the school curriculum in 2014 –and with good reason. It has been estimated that over the next 10 years there will be 1.4 million jobs in computer sciences and only around 400,000 graduates qualified to do them. Linda Liukas, co-founder of coding workshop programme Rail Girls, believes that coding is “the literacy of the 12st century”. IT recruiters are always looking for candidates with experience in HTML, Java, JavaScript, PHP and Python. If you can include these skills on your resume then you are ticking all the right boxes. All businesses want to ensure that their website looks great and has robust, secure and stable back-end software to support it.
Mobile App Development
There is a constant need for web and app developers due to the rate at which new and improved smart phones and tablets are being released. As a result of this growth, there is a demand for new apps to be developed for both IOS and Android. According to Gartner, by the end of 2017, market demand for mobile app development services will grow at least five times faster than internal IT organisation’s capacity to deliver them. If you have experience with C++ and Java, and the newer programming languages such as Apple Swift and Hybrid App Development, then you will be invaluable to companies wanting to create new and innovative apps.
If you’d like to speak to one of our expert recruitment consultants about hiring IT personnel for your team or would like further advice regarding your skill set, then get in touch with our team here.
Mar 7, 2016 | IT
We recently reported on a study that was undertaken by London’s Chartered Management Institute, that showed the impact that management and leadership has on an individual’s health and well-being. The impact that technology is having on Managers was a prominent theme throughout the results of the study. The study also demonstrated that long working hours are having a significant adverse effect on Managers’ health and well-being; and the implications of poor management strategy became prevalent. Here we recommend ways that you can improve the well-being of your Managers and help them to manage the pressures of the role more effectively.
Empower Staff and Encourage Productivity
The study found that the biggest factor that influences motivation a positive well-being is a manager’s ability to decide how they will get their jobs done and complete tasks and projects, with a staggering 74% of respondents stating that this is the most contributing factor to job satisfaction. Give your staff autonomy – structure job position to allow a degree of autonomy and allow your managers to set their own goals with good reason. Self-chosen goals create intrinsic motivation – the desire to achieve goals for their own sake. It creates a higher level of determination and persistence and will enhance engagement levels. Empower your staff through rewarding and recognition of their achievements and support personal and professional development.
Switch Off
Allow employees to switch off from work emails during non-working hours. Duties should be kept to working hours if you want to maximise the productivity levels of your staff. It is a clear indicator, with 61% of respondents claiming that technology makes it hard for them to switch off, that this is an issue that needs to be reviewed by employers. You may want to review your communication policy to reduce the likelihood of managers resisting to the temptation of accessing emails out of work. 39% believe that out-of-hours remote access to emails should be restricted by their employers – this may be a wise move in a bid to reduce stress, heighten productivity and increase job satisfaction.
Develop Better Line Managers
You need to develop line managers who have a capability to encourage and engage. Providing feedback to managers on what areas they perform well in and what areas could benefit from improvement will greatly enhance a manager’s quality of working life. Ensure that managers seek feedback on how their management styles are perceived by colleagues. Providing development opportunities to help managers to reflect on their own styles will enable them to develop and enhance their own management styles. Creating more opportunities to learn will always greatly benefit employees. Supporting this, 92% of Chartered Managers say that becoming chartered increased their self-awareness.
Improve Change Management
Managers’ assessment of how senior leaders are managing change is at a low point. A high number of managers are saying change initiatives are failing to deliver business benefits. With change becoming commonplace across most organisations, addressing this should be a priority. During a culture change, strong leadership is necessary, along with improved communication and a level of trust between leaders and managers. It is vital to measure and monitor the impact that change within the organisation is having on managers.
Make Well-being a Focus
With Managers’ time being taken over by long working hours and heavy workloads, time to focus on exercise and personal health is compromised. Implementing a wellness plan for all employees may be beneficial in order to contribute towards eliminating negativity and improving Managers’ health and well-being. Emphasise the impact of poor health and well-being to Managers, and the cost implications it can have to the business in order to get 100% buy in to your wellness plan. Improving well-being means tackling any stigmas that may be attached to the discussion of health. These may be issues regarding mental health, physical illness or stress. Providing information and encouraging discussion about these issues give your staff the confidence to seek if and when needed, help for their health.
Ann Francke, Chief Executive CMI commented on the results of the study:
“There is nothing wrong with hard graft, but only if you’re well supported. Accidental managers who lack the professional skills to deal with the causes of burnout are a threat to their health and others health at work. Productivity will also continue to suffer unless employer’s train their managers.”
If you are struggling to manage the health and well-being of your staff and need a HR professional to join your team, then please call us on 0207 788 6600 and one of our expert consultants will be on hand to help you find the right candidate.
Mar 7, 2016 | IT
Internet of Things (IoT) is quickly becoming a phenomenon that is taking over our everyday lives. Mundane objects such as vehicles, household appliances, office appliances and even buildings are now becoming digitally connected, enabling intercommunication and autonomous machine-to-machine data transfer. The growth of IoT is moving at a dangerously fast pace, and it has recently been suggested that the number of active wirelessly connected devices will exceed 40 billion by 2020. Rapid adoption of IoT means that these devices are attractive targets for criminals.
Recent vulnerabilities in IoT devices, continue to highlight the seriousness of enhancing and improving the security of these devices. Earlier this month it was reported that a number of baby monitors were being compromised, enabling hackers to change camera settings, monitor live feeds and provide access to other hackers to monitor live feeds. The security of internet-connected cars was also under scrutiny recently, when it was revealed that a number of malicious activities enabled hackers to take control of entertainment systems and even shut down cars in motion. Malicious actives such as these are now also posing great threats to health. Wearables such as the Apple Watch, and Android Wear are being compromised to enable hackers to use the motion sensors within these devices to steal information and even health data. Some hacks involve medical devices which could have consequences on patients’ health.
It is not the first time that these sorts of issues have arisen. When the US introduced RFID tags to passports, personal data could be accessed from 30ft away, using a device that was easily available on sites such as EBay for as little as £180.
IoT security is now an issue of high importance and concern. Figures from a study undertaken by Strategy Analytics that looked into IoT system security, revealed that 70% of IT departments spend less than 20% of their time securing corporate network and data assets; while 56% agreed that their firms had or may have experienced a successful security breach.
Laura DiDio, SA director of IoT Systems Research and consulting and author of the report stated that “the survey results are a huge wake-up call.” DiDio furthered this, “IoT environments exponentially increase the size of the attack vector since companies have so many more devices, end points and applications to secure.”
What is being done?
Manufacturers and security firms are now trying to secure the world of IoT before it spirals out of control. Leading tech firms such Vodafone and BT have set up the Internet of Things Security Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation, designed to vet internet connected devices to identify vulnerability and offer assistance in security. Ben Azvine, global head of security research and innovation of BT said that the foundation will help IoT tech go mainstream without compromising privacy. Other founding members of the organisation include Imagination Technologies, Royal Holloways University of London, Copper Horse Solutions, Secure Thingz, NMI and PenTest Partners.
John Moor, director of the IoTSF, said the foundation was set up to meet an urgent need. “With so many concerns and a new complexity of security in IoT, it is important that we now start the necessary work in earnest to address known, yet not always addressed, and emerging vulnerabilities,” he said. “The scale and scope of the issues are formidable and as such they require a formidable response. This can only be achieved effectively by working together”.
Additional efforts are being made in order to tackle the issues in IoT security. Platforms such as Google’s Brillo, the Qualcomm’s AllJoyn platform and Apple’s HomeKit have been designed to enable large networks of IoT devices to identify and authenticate each other in order to provide higher security and prevent data breaches.
What’s next for IoT Security?
More still needs to be done to ensure a safe user experience to all who integrate these internet-connected devices into their day-to-day lives.
Gateways that connect IoT devices to company and manufacturer networks need to be secured in addition to just the devices themselves. Repositories where IoT data is stored are also attractive targets to hackers who use big data to make money- the security of these data archives also needs to be considered. Security updates both manual and automatic are still risky, safeguards need to be implemented in order to prevent updating interfaces from becoming security holes themselves.
It is inevitable that IoT is soon to play a far more pivotal role in our day to day lives, and will revolutionise the world of technology. But this major issue needs to be addressed and efforts need to be made by all in technology to ensure a safe user experience by all.
Let us know your thoughts on the topic. Will IoT revolutionise the world in the way in which it is meant to, or will it leave users open to serious risk and compromise of privacy? Tweet us @ITRecruitment or join in the conversation on our Facebook.
If you need help in hiring the next best IT professional to join your team, then call us today on 0207 788 660 and one of our friendly expert consultants will help you with all your recruitment requirements.
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