Audio Visual Jobs Market

An optimist is the human personification of Spring*

2010-04-01T08:11:00.000-07:00

"The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another. The difference between them is sometimes as great as a month." ** I think we can all relate to this one (especially those of you in Scotland and Northern Ireland where winter has returned with a vengeance) but ever the optimist I know that Spring is on it's way. Driving home watching the new born lambs skipping in the fields and the daffodils nodding in the breeze - makes your heart lift and puts a smile on my face anyway.

But I really know that Spring has sprung when jobs are coming in for the Events market. This is a part of the AV market that has probably suffered more than most in the last 12-18 months but some of our client companies are telling us that they have close to full order books and need more people - so long may it last.

Video Conferencing and telepresence is definitely continuing on an upswing and we are seeing jobs for both engineers and salespeople in this market.

Have a lovely Easter break and let's hope Spring sunshine will be with us all.

Pat

* Susan J Bisonette

** Henry Van Dyke

Social Networking

2010-03-18T03:28:00.000-07:00

I attended a conference on this today and learned lots of great tips. We use social networking a lot in our business but I know we can improve this so much. For example – how many people know that we use Facebook, Linked In and Twitter as well as this blog? How should we be using it? Be interested to hear from you on how we can improve this and what you would like to see from us. Let us know.

I tend to use the blog to tell people what we are doing and give hints and tips on writing a CV and interview tips etc., for candidates and will be doing the same for clients too.

We use Facebook to promote specific jobs available but I know we can definitely improve the way we do it.

Linked in is used for getting specific jobs out there and promote our brand and we get a lot of potential clients and candidates linking to us and of course becoming clients or candidates.

Not been very good with Tweeting – could do better! Usually used to promote a specific job but not done often enough and same with blog – not updated regularly enough.

By the way the the presenter was Shaa Wasmund of www.smarta.com – well worth a look – she knows her stuff.

Meeting our clients and Candidates at the Education Show

2010-03-18T03:26:00.000-07:00

Following David and Michelle’s successful visit to ISE in Amsterdam last week (Integrated Systems Europe – the premier exhibition for AV in Europe), Michelle will be closer to home this week when she attends the Education Show in Birmingham to meet up with new and existing clients and candidates.

If we haven’t already got your CV then send it to us now if you are in the AV jobs market.

If you have a job opportunity to fill then talk to us in confidence and we can find the best candidates for you whether temporary or permanent.

New jobs can be found on our web sites and include -

* Sales Manager in Herts
* Project Manager in London
* Corporate Sales in the City

Jobs will be updated on a daily basis so please check us out regularly.

Flood of opportunities from ISE

2010-03-18T03:22:00.000-07:00

David and Michelle visited ISE in Amsterdam last week (Integrated Systems Europe – the premier exhibition for AV in Europe) and their sore feet were rewarded with a lot of new job opportunities.

If we haven’t already got your CV then send it to us now if you are in the AV jobs market.

If you have a job opportunity to fill then talk to us in confidence and we can find the best candidates for you whether temporary or permanent.

New jobs can be found on our web sites and include -

* Two year contract for Product Manager in Libya
* Business Development Manager for Managed Services into corporates
* Systems Architect – Video Conferencing – London

Jobs will be updated on a daily basis so please check us out regularly.

A happy and fruitful 2010 to everyone

2010-01-14T02:22:00.000-08:00

Now that the festivities are well and truly over, we are all waiting for the snow to disappear and we can get back to "normal" - whatever that is!

Much as I like to wear my positive hat it is a struggle for both clients and candidates when the weather is so unpredictable. We have lots of jobs out there and thankfully we have been able to re-arrange interviews when either client or candidate was hampered by the dreaded white stuff.

Roll on Spring!!

Well in the midst of all this Narnia weather we have acquired the well established Audio Visual recruiter AV Jobs and so our team goes from strength to strength. Michelle Bulbring brings a wealth of AV experience and means that between all of us we have over 40 years of experience within the sector.

The BETT show is taking place this week at Olympia and David and Michelle met up with a lot of clients and candidates who had made it through the snow. So look out for more opportunities over the coming weeks.

Also, we are updating all of our websites over the coming weeks to offer you even better services in the future - let us know what you think.

Cheers

Pat
www.avjobs.co.uk
www.lavajobs.co.uk
www.elementaryresources.co.uk

Silly Season or Season of Opportunity??

2009-11-30T06:51:00.000-08:00

Should I use the C word or not? With only 3 weeks to go (until C c c Christmas!!) Ok I've used it - are you thinking of winding down your job search because no-one will be looking until January?

Well, please don't. January is one of the busiest times for recruiters and companies have already started to look for people for New Year starts (indeed those companies who are really on the ball and understand the recruitment process have been looking since October).

Use the month to have another look at your CV - see my earlier blog on Writing a Professional CV.

Make sure you're organised - job hunting is almost a full time job - if you're out of work and looking then it really is full time. If you're looking to change jobs then you have to organise yourself even more so.

Keep a spreadsheet of the jobs you have applied for including the date and the company or agency. If you haven't heard anything back within ten days then chase it up (we promise to get back to all candidates within 5 working days) - we know how frustrating it is not to hear anything - even a "No thanks" is better than no communication at all.

Read job ads carefully and make sure you apply only for those where your skills and experience really do match those required in the Ad. Far too often we receive CVs because the candidate lives in the area or is in that industry but does not have the specific skills for the job our client is looking for. You will just end up either receiving a rejection or nothing at all, neither of which will help your confidence.

As with any marketing - and you are marketing the most important product of all - yourself! - you need to make sure you are targeting the right companies and not just applying for anything and everything. i.e. look at specialist jobs boards for your industry and use specialist recruitment agencies who will understand the market place and can target the right companies for you.

If you are in work and looking for a move - make sure you book some holidays (odd days here and there) so that when you are offered an interview you will be able to make it. Whilst some Directors and managers will see you out of working hours most of them have family commitments too and would much prefer you to see them when they are in the office and can commit to several interviews on the same day.

Keep in touch with the agency - whilst we hope we are good communicators we can't remember everyone, every time - so check out our websites regularly, sign up for our weekly email of the latest jobs and let us know if you are interested in a job that we are advertising - just in case you've slipped under our radar even for a moment!!

Then around the 24th December enjoy a break over the holidays, switch off until the New Year and then Make it Happen!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from all at Elementary Resources and www.lavajobs.co.uk

October - Seasons of Mists & mellow fruitfulness

2009-11-02T04:08:00.000-08:00

Well what a month October was. Lots of job opportunities and plenty of placements - it really does look like people are moving around again and there is more confidence out there. Long may it continue.

AV Awards were on the 9th - great networking opportunities and great to see so many clients and candidates - well at least before midnight. After that most people were talking broken biscuits!! :-)

My last blogs talked about Writing a Professional CV, so I thought I would now give some interview tips. Hopefully you won't need all of these but you may not have thought of some. Let me know your thoughts and if you have any other interview tips for job seekers please let me know.

In the current economic climate there are more candidates than jobs so you are obviously in a more competitive situation than ever before in the jobs market. This makes it even more important to ensure you are at the top of your game for every interview you attend.

We can’t guarantee that you will end up with your dream job by following this guide but we are pretty confident that if your skills and experience tick the right boxes you should get through to more 2nd interviews and those elusive job offers.

Getting an interview in the first place means ensuring your CV is up to scratch.

Ok – you have an interview date – how can you ensure you are going to beat the competition and get past the first post?

Preparation

• Do your research – Check out the Company’s website(s), do a Google search for
any other information you can find on the company, call and ask for brochures but
make your research relevant to your level and expertise e.g. if you were going for a
Field Engineer’s position you don’t need a copy of the Company Accounts (but worth
seeing that the company is viable and secure).
• Ask who will be interviewing you and research them too -use Google again,
check if they are on any social networks such as Facebook or Linked In and are they
in any industry magazines or industry websites?
• Ensure that you understand the role you are being interviewed for -and that you
can do it or that you even want it! Ask for a Job Specification and/or a Person
Specification. Talk the job through with your recruiter or with the Company’s HR or
Hiring Manager before agreeing to an interview.
• Check out the location -Ensure you will be there on time on the day (and that
means 10-15 minutes beforehand) – don’t get there too early and don’t be late under
any circumstances! Check routes and if necessary travel the route at the same time
of day before your interview date in case of any traffic black spots. Check public
transport times if necessary. If for any reason on the day of the interview you know
you are running late or have got lost then ensure that you let the company or your
recruiter know immediately -so make sure you have their numbers with you.
• Appearance-This may seem obvious but always ensure that you dress appropriately
for the role you are being interviewed for. Check the dress code for the company
before you attend the interview. Be nice to be near! Don’t overdo the perfume or
aftershave but do pay attention to your grooming – clean hair, teeth, fingernails and other aspects of your personal hygiene. Don’t forget to check out your clothes– being neat and tidy with polished shoes will add plus marks whereas being too casual with scuffed shoes and fraying hems will put you right at the bottom of the list.
• It is not so much the colour of your suit or the pattern on your tie that matters. It is the respect you show to the interviewer by indicating, indirectly, that the interview is an important occasion to you and that you value the interviewer's time so much that you have put serious consideration into your appearance.

The interview

What is an interview? Well that’s like asking “how long is a piece of string?” Interviews and interviewers will vary enormously and not every interviewer is a skilled one so you must be prepared for a wide range of questions and questioning techniques.

The interview is an opportunity for you to convince the person hiring that you are just what they are looking for. A skilled interviewer will ask you lots of open questions – Who, Why,What, When, Where, How -and your answers give you the opportunity of showing examples of your skills and abilities and how these benefited your previous employers.

You have 20 seconds or less to impress upon an employer whether or not they should
consider hiring you. From the moment you walk into their office to the moment you sit down in a chair, thousands of neurons will be firing in the interviewer's brain asking one of two things:
"Is this person friend or foe?" It's an inescapable reflex, necessary to our survival as a species, to gauge immediately whether the stranger before us is going to help us or hurt us.

First Impressions

Whether it is right or wrong to judge a person the moment we meet them, it is a biological fact and necessity that we do so. As long as we know that's a fact, we need to ensure that we use it to our advantage.

If you want the interviewer's initial response to be "this is a friend" rather than the opposite, you should follow a few simple instructions.

• Wear a smile, no matter how you feel. A smile conveys confidence, high self esteem, competence, warmth, empathy and enthusiasm. Plus, believe it or not, medical
testing of brain activity has shown that when people smile, they actually perform
better at what they are doing because they are using more of both the left and right
sides of the brain!
• Have a firm handshake, using the whole hand. A handshake that is too loose
unconsciously communicates to the interviewer that you are not fully committed. On
the other hand, a bone-crushing handshake sends a message that you may be overly
competitive and even aggressive. Neither of these messages is attractive to an
interviewer. A handshake that is firm with one, two, or three "pumps" of the elbow is an appropriate business greeting, signalling to the employer, "Let's get down to
business."
• Address the interviewer as Ms. or Mr. until you're invited to call him or her by a first name. Again, this greeting is part of being respectful of the interviewer's time and authority.
• Introduce yourself by your first and last names and say that you are happy to be
there. Less than 50% of interviewers are trained to do the job of interviewing, they
very often feel more nervous about interviewing you than you feel about the interview!
By introducing yourself and expressing that you're glad to be there, you have taken
the first step to putting the interviewer at ease, so that you can both enjoy a relaxed meeting.
• Do not sit down until the interviewer suggests that you do. If he or she doesn't, ask politely if you may sit down. As soon as you sit down in a chair in the interviewer's office, you become part of his or her territory. It is therefore wise to wait until you are invited to sit or you have asked permission to do so.
• Take along a copy of your CV, many interviewers can be disorganised and not have
your CV with them – make it easy for them.
• Ask the interviewer if they mind if you take notes, make sure you write down anything you might use to ask a question later in the interview.
• Do not, at any time during the interview, put anything on the interviewer's desk. Keep briefcases, note pads, diaries or handbags by your side or on your lap. The
employer's desk is even more sacred and private territory than the surrounding office.
Invading the interviewer’s personal space is a big No, No! Keep hands, elbows, and
any other items from the top of the desk. If, however, you have been invited to sit at a conference table or a round table that is not a desk, you should feel free to take notes on the tabletop as the meeting goes on as these spaces are shared territory.
• Make your behaviour in the waiting room impeccably professional and polite.
Interviewers often ask their receptionists what they thought about you. Many
managers, directors, and executives rely on their assistants as a second pair of eyes, so you'll want them to give their bosses a good report.
• Remember that linguists and psychologists have said that 93 to 97% of
communication is nonverbal so watch your body language. You can read up on this
by using Google (check out Business Balls - they have lots of good info) but key points are:
o Smile
o Keep eye contact
o Use positive and open body language
o Don’t cross your arms and
o Don’t rub your nose!

The Questions

As said previously, not everyone is a good interviewer – you must ensure though that you are a good interviewee.

o Listen carefully to each question and don’t interrupt.
o What is the question behind the question? In other words, why are they asking a
particular question? For example – “What did you most enjoy about your last job?”
doesn’t mean they are interested in hearing about the great coffee machine or the
generous holiday allowance but rather how you used your skills to achieve the best
outcomes for your employer.
o “What were the worst aspects of the jobs?” – again they don’t want to hear that Fred in payroll was always on your back for expenses but things that you were able to improve for example.
o You will be asked some difficult questions – you need to keep your composure and
think about your answer – use the technique of repeating the question back to the
interviewer to buy yourself some thinking time but don’t take too long!
o Give real examples when answering questions – this shows that you have been there
and done it and reduces the risk factor for your new employer.
o Ask questions-you have done your research so make sure you write down some
questions before you attend the interview and even if all of these were answered
during the interview process before you asked them - ask one again, acknowledge that
they have answered this but ask them to expand on it.
o Don’t ask questions about holiday allowance or pension schemes – these are basics
that you should already know from the job specification and if asked sound as if you
are either only interested in the holidays or can’t think of a real question to ask! Either way these questions won’t score you any points.
o And finally! You can conclude with the “Last Chance” question – “Is there anything
that you are unsure about or would you like me to expand upon any of my previous
answers?” This question may just save the day if there is anything niggling in the
back of their minds.
o Ask about the decision making process even if you know already, will they be making a decision from first interview or will there be second or even third interviews and will you be invited back? How long does the interview process take? When can I expect to hear from you?
o If you are in a sales interview then make sure you close! After all that’s why they are looking to hire you – examples of closing questions “Based on this interview do you believe I am the right person for this role?” or “When can I expect a second interview?”
o Make sure they know you are interested in the role and you can use this as a closing question too (you don’t have to be in sales to do this!) – always thank the interviewer for their time and say something like “Thank you for seeing me today, I have been very impressed with everything I have heard and would love to join Fred Bloggs & Co., what will be the next stage?”
I hope this guide will be useful to you in getting that next job – if you feel you can add any pointers to this then please let us know.

©Elementary Resources Ltd

If you would like me to send you this as a PDF please send me your email address - pat@elementaryresources.co.uk

Writing a Professional CV

2009-10-02T05:23:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update on this one - another DON'T!

Don't use lots of jargon which people outside of your industry (and recruiters) won't understand. Again it's a barrier you don't need to put up. Ask a friend from outside of your industry to read your CV and ask if they understand it.

DO - let me have feedback and if you have any other CV writing tips I'm sure people would love to hear them - I know I would.

Cheers

Pat

Writing a professional CV

2009-09-30T03:30:00.000-07:00

Writing a professional CV

I'm sure you can imagine that as a professional recruiter, and indeed employer, I have seen my fair share of CVs over the years. It still never ceases to amaze me how badly written some of these CVs are - even from very senior people.

Here are a couple of examples from real candidates' CVs for people who really won't make it past the first hurdle. Hopefully after smiling at these you'll take even more care with your CV and I hope the rest of the information below will help.

"I am very smart open and approachable. I very honest and always pat attention to details."

"I work in the Post Office severing customers"

"I consider my-self to be an outgoing, fun and happy sales driven indevidual. I have a great attention to detail and think of my-self as hard working and well organised. "

Your CV is your selling tool - your brand if you like. It MUST sell you to a prospective agency or employer so that you can get the opportunity to sell yourself in front of them. Never underestimate the power of a good CV or, indeed, the chances you are missing if you write a poor CV.

Do’s and Dont's

DO

Make it clear and concise:
Most people will initially scan your CV rather than read it word for word, so make it easy to read with relevant points highlighted – and keep it short – few people will read a 3 or 4 page CV, they haven’t got time. One or two pages of A4 is ideal.

Sell yourself- this may seem obvious but unfortunately even some of the best salespeople forget that this what their CV should do and whether you are an engineer, a salesman or an accountant your CV needs to sell your services to ensure you get that all important interview.

Benefits, benefits, benefits! Why should someone employ you? What have you achieved in your career to date? How have you added to your company’s profits/objectives? Give examples of your achievements, how you have helped others to achieve, pertinent highlights from your last position. Show how your career has progressed and why you are looking for a new challenge.

Always check your spelling and grammar - if you know you’re not the world’s greatest speller don’t rely on your PC to spell check, get someone who is good to proof read it. A poorly written CV, no matter how good the content may be, will usually go on to the reject pile.

Do your homework - always ensure that you make your covering letter relevant to the job you are applying for. So many people, who really should know better, write a standard letter and ship it out with their CV to all and sundry – reject pile I’m afraid.

Write your CV on your computer - seems obvious but still people send in handwritten CVs – unless your handwriting really is copperplate and therefore legible to all – use your computer – something we can all read.

Use decent quality paper if you are posting your CV (most CVs are emailed but you may be asked to post one) for both your letter and CV – we still get CVs sent in with a letter on a torn out piece of paper from a notebook scribbled in biro. How professional does that make you look?

Account for any gaps in your CV

Ensure that you get your dates right and if there are any gaps make sure you account for these (don’t make us assume!)

Check your CV on your computer before emailing it – make sure it looks good on screen which is where most CVs will be viewed.

Don’t

Lie

You will be found out.

Use text speak - It’s unprofessional - fine when texting your friends a no no on a CV.

DO - Check out our websites - www.elementaryresources.co.uk and www.lavajobs.co.uk

Audio Visual Jobs Market Upturn?

2009-09-23T03:55:00.000-07:00

Along with many other industries the Audio Visual marketplace has seen a lot of upheaval in the last year or so with restructuring, redundancies and recruitment freezes due to the downturn in the economy.

However, in such a dynamic marketplace I would expect the turnaround to happen faster than in many other industries. Certainly we are seeing more recruiting currently, with new jobs particularly in business development and sales account management.

These Audio Visual jobs are based throughout the UK from Scotland to Brighton and most points between so hopefully those "green shoots of recovery" are really starting to happen.

It's all about confidence really isn't it and forward thinking companies tend to increase their sales force during uncertain times so that they are ready for the upturn when it comes. I think that many who didn't are now looking to get some new blood in to start making a real difference to their profits in the long and medium term.

What do you think?

Pat Deeley
Elementary Resources & www.lavajobs.co.uk