The UK Consultants Job Market

The UK Consultants Job Market A lot of debate has been given to the topic of consulting recently; many have been wondering what effect Brexit will impose on the industry, whereas, businesses attempting to cope with digitalisation has seen others predict an increase in demand for consultant positions. With this in mind, job meta-search engine Joblift has analysed the UK’s consulting job market and discovered that despite the numerous challenges facing consultant roles, there has been an average monthly increase in the number of consultant job vacancies of around 4%, in the last 12 months. Furthermore, Joblift has observed that there has been a move away from the traditional requirements needed to obtain a consulting role, in terms of soft skills and qualifications. Over 30,000 business consulting roles have been advertised in the last 12 months, with this job market experiencing an average monthly increase of 4%. This increase is double the rate that the UK job market as a whole has increased; the UK job market as a whole, which has seen an average monthly growth of 2% in the same time frame. This highlights that there is definite confidence in the industry even though the rising threat of Brexit lurks. Also, when looking at the most common soft skills requested in consulting job advertisements, communication skills are the most popular, appearing in around 25% of all postings. Following this, came motivation with 3,783 mentions, and the third most popular soft skill for consultants was confidence with 3,631 mentions. These skills highlight the move towards more human qualities in the face of automation and AI, whilst also overtaking the more traditional consulting skills, including; being analytical (2,987 mentions), problem solving (1,616 mentions), and attention to detail (1,315 mentions). This analysis highlights how it appears employers of consultants are sourcing candidates who can offer more than what an automated piece of equipment could and who can provide a more personal and human approach. Also, the academic requirements needed to get a consultant position are changing as well. Now, only 16% of the consultant jobs posted in the last 12 months ask specifically for a university degree in Finance, Business, Economics, or Engineering. Qualifications in these subjects have previously been vital when acquiring a consulting role. In addition, only 24% of the vacancies posted stated the need for a university degree at all which is a huge shift from the academic history of consulting in business. However, it is also important to consider that this lack of need for university degrees may be due to the seniority and need for experience in some vacancies â€" therefore, some postings may be assuming candidates already have these qualifications without specifically stating it in the advertisement. Interesting results can also be found when studying the salary range in consultant positions in the last year. Of the 19,163 positions which specified a salary in their job advertisements, 10,036 postings offered a salary of £50,000 or more, per year â€" that’s 52% of all vacancies. In terms of the most popular locations for consultant positions, London houses the greatest number of vacancies, with 34% of all positions being located here. In second place comes Manchester where 4% of all roles are located, and Birmingham ranks in third position, also housing around 4% of all vacancies. Country-wise, it may not be surprising that England dominates as the location of 85% of all postings, with 28,697 jobs having been advertised here in the last 12 months. In second place comes Scotland with 1,424 consultant roles, whilst Wales and Northern Ireland trail behind with 358 positions having been advertised in Wales in the last 12 months, and only 226 advertisements in Northern Ireland. Infographic courtesy of  Joblift.

How to Master the STAR Method Use RATS Stories

How to Master the STAR Method Use RATS Stories Coaches and advisors in career transition today will tell you to develop your “STAR” stories to have the best results in interviewing. Well, I am here to tell you the key to mastering this method is to use “RATS” stories instead.STARStoryWhat is a “STAR” story? This acronym stands for:Situation Task Action ResultsIt is a straightforward way to remember the important points you should be talking about in a job interview. It’s also a way to answer the behavioral interview questions.However, when you use this format,you delay mentioning the thing companies care about most until the very last talking point: Results!RATS StoryCompanies want to hear the results first!Results Action Task SituationYou are telling the end of the story, first.Why Companies Want to Hear the Results FirstHow do you make your stories leave a greater, stronger impression?How do you leave your mark in a job interview? Turn your story around and start with the Results, first. This will keep the hiring manager or recruiter interested in your story.As a result, they will end up learning more about you, which will lead to a more conversational job interview. Most importantly, the job interview will feel less like an interrogation.Great Job Interview and Resume AdviceI advise my clients to write out their favorite STAR story, first. Next, I ask them to edit the STAR story so that the most important Results and Actions are mentioned in the beginning. For best results throughout the job search process, start using results and actions in the resume, first. This way, your resume will get the decision maker's attention, which sets you up for using the RATSmethod when it comes time to job interview.Example From a Real ResumeThe snippet below is from a professionaljob seekers resume using the STAR method: Lead conversion of 45 teams from xxxxxxx and xxxxxx allowing the entire Shopping Solutions department to utilize a single departmental tool which offered more modern software configuration management capabilities. Now, let’s take this resume from good to great with the RATS method: Led improved management capabilities through a conversion to a modernize software configuration utilizing one tool from start to finish for all sales processes within the Shopping Solution Department. This bullet point leads off with the Result and Action, so the listener of your story now wants to know, “How did you do it?!”In addition, it sounds more interesting than a story leading off by mentioning the characters in the story, first. Avoid the Fluff and Embrace the RATSAs mentioned above, use your “RATS” stories in your resume. Make sure all bullet points are important.Do not fill them with fluff. Most people today have had enough outstanding experience and success that there is no need to add fluff to a resume. Also, do not lie on your resume or job application, not even through online job application forms. It is a quick ticket to being tossed out of consideration, or worse , fired after a background check.Recommendations for Your Rats StoriesIt is recommended that you develop at least 10 RATSstories using keywords, tasks or other requirements listed on the job description. If it is important enough for the company to list it on the job description, you can bet someone will ask a question about it. They will want to know how you have done the task before, achieved success, and will motivate yourself to accomplish specific goals the company has set. If you can make a case for why items on your resume prove you fit the job description, you are driving home what you have done and will soon be able to achieve for the new company.You can also use phrases in an interview, “As noted on my resume…” to show them you are prepared, plus you have provided a resume tailored to this job description. You will be able to connect the dots for them, and what you told them in the first place, now becomes more powerful. In other words, it gives continuity to your st ory overall.Practice Makes Perfect forJob InterviewsFinally, I suggest you practice all RATSstories out loud in front of a mirror prior to an interview. It is a best practice to take no more than 90-120 seconds to answer any question.Most interviewers will zone out and stop listening after about two minutes. Your “RATS” story is even more powerful when the interviewer is still paying attention. Getting the results out quicker, instead of waiting until the last second of the story, avoids the issue of boring an interviewer out of listening.Time to put the STAR method in reverse! Get your RATS stories on your resume and practice them for your next job interview!Good Luck!

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese Marcus Buckingham The 2 Questions Every Leader Needs to Ask

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese Marcus Buckingham The 2 Questions Every Leader Needs to Ask It seems a little odd when Marcus Buckingham states emphatically that leadership is going away. Its quite a statement from a man who is billed as a leadership expert when being interviewed by Oprah or being quoted in numerous national publications. If leadership goes away, wont Buckingham be out of a job? Buckingham stands solidly behind his contention. I think well see the word leadership retired quite soon. Its like the word beauty that is used in womens magazines. Its just an ideal, he says. Theres no leadership. There are leaders. So please stop writing books and articles on what it takes to have the qualities of leadership. Theres no such thing. It just makes everyone a bit ridiculous. Buckingham, who co-wrote the best-selling Now, Discover Your Strengths in 2001, says that the leaders and organizations that embrace a strengths-based workplace are the ones that will be successful and will be the key to employee engagement and learning. But while no one will dispute that team leaders are key to all of this, the bizarre irony is that the tools weve built for learning and engagement arent for the team leader at all, he says. Ourperformance management systemsand our employee engagement systems are built for HR and the organization. Fortunately, Buckingham says, employers are starting to realize that team leaders need tools geared to what they do every day and technology will soon be delivering the necessary help. The team leader has been burdened by a whole bunch of stuff that inhibits them from doing the very few things they should be doing, Buckingham says. In fact, Buckingham says a team leaders most important task boils down to only two key questions a week that he or she should ask every team member: 1.What are your priorities for the week? 2. What (read more here) Photo credit: Wobi.com

4 Ways to Assemble a Better Web Development Team for Your Business

4 Ways to Assemble a Better Web Development Team for Your Business You can hear it from just about all the rock-star web developers in the world: it takes a strong, cohesive and coherent team working as a unit to get the best results. So, what does it take to gather and establish a great team of web developers who will create great products and work well across different departments in your organization? For a start, the secret to creating and maintaining a great team is flexibility, transparency and good vibes. This means finding the best fit on your next hiring round to keep your team motivated and fresh. Here are a few ideas that will have your web development team coding at its best for perfect web business products. Empower Engineers The engineering team finds itself at odds with the marketing, business development and management teams in any project â€" mostly because engineers are treated like order takers and not collaborators. To get the best from your engineering department, make sure they are heard and have input in what they are set to be working on. You could, for example have development and management teams meet quarterly for planning as well as to iron out work issues. The process should be employee driven, with teams responsible for setting up their own priorities and presenting them to the company’s management. Each team in your business should be allowed to share its successes and lessons learnt over the last quarter. Doing this will help every team prioritize projects and plans, as well as allow the management team to question them and ensure that every group has a plan for success and moving in line with your organization’s goals. Empowering your web development team also ensures you will retain your top developer talent. True empowerment, at the end of the day, means that all teams work in an environment where everyone can make a difference and learn a few new things. Break Down Barriers If projects within your organization are not tackling problems they should be solving, you might have a matter of walls that require breaking down. You can tackle this issue by targeting two specific areas; technology and inner relationships. When it comes to technology, you may adopt an API-first culture. This essentially means encouraging your development teams to build APIs that make it easier for other teams to create integrations and take advantage of each other’s project. When it comes to creating better relationships among co-workers, consider investing more in creating and building relationships across your company. This may include running hackathon days where members from different organizations work together in a workshop environment. This will help in fostering connections that can be used in facilitating collaboration. Mix it Up Another way to foster cohesion and break down barriers among different teams in your organization is by allowing tech colleagues to interact with other members they may not typically work with during their everyday duties. For example, you can have your ecommerce team meet the mobile team. If you have teams spread around the country or the world, use virtual meeting software to have them talking and helping each other out when required. Get Everyone Out of the Office How can you always ensure that development team members work well together? How can you keep this team feeling motivated, comfortable around each other and reduce burn out among them? Well, one way of doing this is by getting the team away â€" far away â€" from your office. Even when the team is out of the office, they can still get work done, but the period they spend away from the office can be a huge team building opportunity. It can also be a chance to get the design team, project management, business and development teams on the same page.

Growth in the Healthcare Industry Providing Nurses More Options

Growth in the Healthcare Industry Providing Nurses More Options The new year has dawned and you are looking ahead to the future. What does your career in healthcare hold? What room is there for advancement or change? Let’s take a look at nursing and career options.As early as 2012, a nurse shortage was predicted. About 1 million new nurse positions will be open by 2020. There are currently more than 3 million registered nurses employed nationwide, and while the number is growing, it won’t be enough to meet future needs. The Baby Boomer generation is aging and retiring, and 700,000 nurses are expected to retire by 2024.evalAccording to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nurses in 2012 made about $65,400 on average. All of this means there will be a great demand for nurses in the next few years.This is not limited to registered nurses.There will be almost 600,000 nursing assistant openings, and more than 360,000 combined openings for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses by 2020. But what of advanced nursing careers for those already i n the industry?1. The Autonomous NurseevalThe nurse practitioner is the first upgrade, an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse position, with a median salary of just over $100,000. This means not only a higher salary, but more responsibility. While state regulations vary, running and analyzing diagnostic tests, performing physical examinations, providing disease prevention information, and prescribing medication are some of the duties that a nurse practitioner may be asked to perform.Because of the wide array of duties assigned to nurse practitioners, they often have more autonomy than a typical registered nurse while still usually part of a healthcare team. In 22 states With growth projected at 31 percent by 2022, becoming a CNM Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists 5. Be the bossThe last option benefits from hands-on experience with patients, but removes you from actual patient interaction. Directly responsible for setting policies in hospitals, healthcare administrators also over see health systems, pharmaceutical companies, nursing homes, and more in both the public and private sectors.They work everywhere from private practices to the federal government, shaping policies. They manage facilities, services, and programs while overseeing staff and developing budgets. They are in charge of handling relations with other organizations.It is by no means an easy job, as healthcare administrators are regularly faced with ethical dilemmas, from balancing a budget while factoring in quality of care, to mitigating legal risks for their organization and more.The job hinges on professionalism and leadership skills. Hands-on experience, such as being an RN, is highly advantageous for setting policies. While a large responsibility, the position can have a positive impact on both staff and patients.Requirements for the job depend on position in the hierarchy. While advancement opportunities may be limited, lower management positions only require a Bachelor’s in Healthcar e Administration or closely related field. For higher levels of management, a Master’s degree or doctorate may be required, as well as experience in the healthcare field. Experience in an administration position will also prove useful.Administrators have a median salary of $94,500 and a growth rate of 17 percent through 2024, opening up a promising route for those looking to affect patients in a different way.evalWhether your goal is to become an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse and work with patients, or a manager in administration affecting policy, growth is coming to the healthcare industry. The Baby Boomer generation is creating an unprecedented number of senior citizens in the United States; nurses and healthcare professionals and and will continue to be in high demand.

Finesse the automated phone screen in your job search - Hire Imaging

Finesse the automated phone screen in your job search - Hire Imaging The gatekeeper that stands between you and next-step connections or information gathering in your job search can be a frustrating brick wall. My last post addressed some strategies in maneuvering emails. The second common front-line gatekeeper that you will deal with in your job search is the automated telephone screen. TURN PHONE HURDLES INTO PHONE ADVANTAGES.   Automated phone screens can be a job seeker’s friend, because they lighten the stress of having to voice justification of your calling to a live receptionist. What are good strategies and the right mindset then, in using phone systems to assist rather than hinder your efforts? Try and get a personal extension number.   Always openly ask your leads and connections for it. Collect business cards  whenever appropriate and look for the extension. Sometimes you might be able to get it by first finding the company’s phone directory/tree and playing with corresponding phone numbers for person’s last name etc. So, however you get the extension, aim to call folks directly. Remember, they will know you are calling with the aid of today’s incoming call LED alerts and similar notifications. Your call will show up on their iPhone, iPad, home/work computer screen, and as a transcribed message scurried along to your email. Many call systems block all callers who conceal their phone number, so that’s not really a good idea. Why does it matter that they know who you are? It means don’t call them over and over within a short time period. I had a client who bragged to me recently that she had phoned a c-level executive over and over and overâ€"redial in overload. Don’t do that. Be discerning about the person you are calling, that relationship and the situation. Two truths here. All calls are not created equal; and business etiquette is not necessarily the same as social etiquette. I think you can call someone once in the morning and once again that same day later in the afternoon. Leave one message early. If they don’t call you back, it is appropriate to call that second time reaffirming who you are and how you can be reached. Don’t go through the whole message again. Use good judgment. If this is a high-level CEO for a company youd like to work fora CEO who does not know you then dont commit overkill. On the other hand, if the person youre trying to reach is your sons piano teachers nephewwho has an email address you can use, go for it! In other words, two calls a day for as many days as it takes! I mentioned social and business etiquette differences. If Mary breaks up with Johnnie and he calls her over and over for a second chance, that’s stalking. If Peter knows there’s a great fit at the widget company and has found an inside person who really help him get a foot in the door, his diligence in following up to make repeated calls to this contact is not stalking; it’s characterized as a serious job seeker interested in the widget company. Time and again, I have heard from human resources and other hiring authorities that one of the main reasons folks don’t get the job, is their perceived lack of interest. Here’s the deal. If you’re pleasant and sincere, leaving daily polite messages, the people you call learn three important things about you. You’re a pleasant person! You’re polite! You’re persistent! These are all positive attributes in an employee, colleague or acquaintance. Don’t ask them to call you back. Why? Someone who does not know you may be inclined to be uncomfortable calling you back. And if you ask them in the message to do so, you may add guilt to their discomfort. In your voice mail, cover these points quickly: “Hello. This is Paige Brown. I’m sorry to have missed you.   I was referred to you by our mutual acquaintance, Tina Walton. My number is 555-555-5555, but you don’t have to call me back. I’ll call again.”   Then call back up to two times a day for as long as it takes. What I’m telling you may sound dangerously close to harassment. I don’t think it is. And I’ll tell you why in my next post! Picking up that phone  repeatedly to get through to contacts,  can transform a barrier into a window of opportunity.  Photo:  Dave Catchpole

Writing a Private Equity Resume

Writing a Private Equity ResumeWriting a private equity resume is not an easy task. There are many choices that you will have to make, and the easiest option might not be the best one for you. For instance, you can choose to hire a private career coach or hiring a professional resume writer. There are some pros and cons to both of these options, so it is best to take your time and decide which option is best for you.Hiring a professional career counselor is not a bad idea if you need to trim down your application to only the most important information. You can hire a career counselor that has experience in this area. They will usually charge you by the hour, but you may get the job done faster. This option is good if you do not feel comfortable asking for help. The benefit is you can get your application completed in less time and still get it done.Writing a private equity resume will require more time and effort. Therefore, you need to do your research and find the best way to go ab out it. Consider your strengths and weaknesses, and you will be able to narrow down what you want in a private equity job. You should also consider what your friends and colleagues say when they are looking for work.If you are someone who thrives in high-pressure situations, then you may want to look into a job where you are in a position to be in a high-pressure situation on a daily basis. This may be a great option for you, because you will have a manager or supervisor who is more apt to accept you for the amount of stress you bring. This would be a good option for those with the following traits: impulsive, outgoing, and extroverted.List all of your skills that you feel you are good at. Then, list the skills that you think you can bring to the table. List out all of the things that you have done and completed that are not for your specific skills. Make sure that you leave room for improvement.Then you need to list out your requirements for the job. In the job description, list ou t the skills you will need to perform the job. Next, list down the things that you do not need to perform the job. Think about what would be a better fit for you. List all of your strengths and weaknesses in the job description and listing down your strengths and weaknesses in the resume.One of the hardest parts of writing a private equity resume is coming up with a personal statement. Personal statements are difficult to write, but if you study and practice, you can come up with a good one. However, there are some things you should keep in mind when writing a personal statement. First, it needs to be brief things are hard to write.Lastly, you want to be fair to yourself and ask yourself what would I love to have happen in my life at this point in time? Then write about that.