If you are a bit techy – like a text; use the internet on your phone; addicted to facebook…PUT IT ON YOUR CV! According to research from…ahem…T-Mobile, half of employers value new staff who are able to adopt mobile technology quickly and to work effectively from remote locations (like home) but 84% of graduates do not give any indication of their mobile communication skills on their CV. The research did reveal chaps, that 39% of employers will be hiring fewer graduates over the coming months due to the crunch but 27% admitted they would be more likely to look for graduates with technology skills.

Tags: CV writing advice, making the most of your graduate CV, using IT on your CV

Good golly Miss Molly; what a week it’s been for swinging the axe. In total 15,000 jobs gone this week, making the prediction of 2m unemployed by Christmas not seem such a far fetched idea. 3,000 staff are to go from RBS, mainly in the global banking and markets workforce. But before you grab your noose, remember this is from an overall workforce of 170,000. Virgin Media, Yell, GlaxoSmithKline and JCB have joined the elbow-ers with more than 5,000 job cuts between them. Then there’s BT – 10,000 jobs to go by March next year, despite turning in £75 profit a second. Incidentally, 4,000 of the 10,000 had already gone pre-credit crunch as part of making the business leaner, so there is a little bit of scare-mongering by the press on this one, surprise surprise.  The fact is chaps, companies are still hiring, but competition is more fierce. My advice is get someone else to do the leg work. Our pals at the Graduate Recruitment Bureau are paid by employers to find them the best grads, so it doesn’t cost you a penny to have them assess you and put you forward for roles. A similar story for the financial sector with Benedix who offer advice and advertise posts. Job done.

Tags: Banking and Finance, Graduate career advice, graduate job opportunities, help with finding a student placement or career, telecoms

A survey by Gumtree found rather embarressingly that nearly half of small businesses (SMEs) confessed to hire based on ‘looks’ rather than aptitude or qualifications. The same survey reveals that nine out of 10 SMEs claim they are unable to recruit good candidates despite spending an average of £4,000 to hire each member of new staff. As a result, turnaround of staff in SME’s is high – about a quarter of roles get replaced each year. See, its all very well not using a recruitment company, to cut costs, but then the SME interview may not unearth what the firm needs to know to make a considered hire. What does all this mean to you? SME’s are a viable alternative to big employers. Generally you get thrown in at the deep end, working alongside the management of the company, so you learn quickly and get a good profile. The high turnaround means jobs are always up for grabs. Just make sure you look good! For a real insight, watch this fab Feel Good film…

Tags: Graduate careers at SME's; working for a small business, hiring based on looks

“Think before you drink,” a message I generally ignore, but this time it’s coming from sustainable business consultancy Envirowise. They have calculated that Britain’s workers consume 165million cups of tea a day, but boil enough water to make 330million cups. What a waste! Companies are always looking for little sparks in a job interview, and mentioning this – and an idea to cap it – would go down well, saving that potential employer money and making them look like they care about the planet. Put the kettle on and get thinking!

Tags: Energy saving at work, graduate job interview, job interview talking point, waste at work

Good old GRB hunted down a nice story on CV writing recently, looking at whether paying a professional company to hone your CV was worthwhile. After all a good CV may not get you the job, but it damn well gets you through the door. Many people spend under a minute looking at a CV, often just scanning for something that stands out against all the others. CV consultants will find and exploit skills and experiences that will make you sound like a superhero – follow this advice and be loud and proud. “Kerr Wells, who now runs his own company, Attivo Global Learning, paid Bradley CVs about £650 to write his résumé…Did it work? When Mr Wells had his first CV written in 1998 he was earning £35,000; 10 years later he was on £120,000. “You’ve got to be up to the job too,” he says. But he recalls sending his CV to the chief executive of a European bank and getting back the two-word response: “Let’s talk.” Let’s talk indeed – to our on campus Careers Services!! And they’re free!

Tags: CV writing advice, Graduate CV writing, top tips for a great graduate CV