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

You got to stand back and think to do well when times are hard and there’s some predictable business that struggle. Dry cleaners for example all go out of business, and so do restaurants. What’s interesting this time round is that with people working round the clock to keep their business afloat, the ordering of takeaways to the workplace has increased 236% in the last six months! As staff fear getting the elbow a survey of over 1000 employees showed 42% have worked late in the past month on more than five occasions. Pizza is the most popular takeaway choice, with 83% of sales attributed to it. “I may be stressed, but at least I’m fat!” Nice one Britain.

Tags: Flexible working, Graduate job interview talking point, working late

60% of bosses who read “reading” or “cooking” on a graduate job interview application think that the candidate lacks imagination. However 82% eyes light up when they see an interest in extreme sports, such as rock climbing or mountain biking, as this demonstrates energy and ambition (as well as no friends.) No surprise to find the research was carried out by indoor sports centres SNO!zone. But it was good to note that 70% of bosses like to see the mastery of a foreign language listed (even if it isn’t pertinent to the job role). The personal interests section of a CV is, for me, the most important part; allowing me to play amateur psychologist and telling me whether I like you, whether you’ll fit in…Skinny dipping; bear baiting; and millinery now you ask. 

Tags: CV writing advice for graduates and students, Personal interests on a graduate CV, The Best CV

Companies that encourage diversity in the workplace can reap big benefits including tackling skills shortages; boosting morale; better productivity; an understanding of a wider customer base; and better retention of staff. Diversity is about employing staff on ability and potential; ignoring age, sex, race, religion; sexual orientation (mine’s North East) or disability. This is not positive discrimination or equal opportunities employment; it’s about the right person for the job, even if that means the firm adapting to their needs, such as flexible working for a single parent. All this is the no-brainer findings of a report from the CBI and TUC union called Talent not Tokenism (didn’t he write Lord of the Rings?). This is hot topic #1 on the business agenda, so get reading and get talking about it if you want to impress.

Tags: CV writing, Diversity, gender, Interviews, Job applications, preparing for work, race

Here’s one to throw into the job interview: The boss of Sainsbury’s Justin King claims he’s fighting off recession for his customers with 10% more promotions than this time last year. But he might want to cut the price of cotton buds and give his ears a clean: The Evening Standard asked him about his overseas operations: “Tell us about Korea.” King replied, “My career is just fine thanks.” (Tesco have just expanded into South Korea. That’s how you deal with the press!)

Tags: Conversation, Interview, Retail, Sainsbury's, Supermarkets, Talking point