Increase in Birmingham job applications

In light of last Friday’s Brexit shock many are now unsure of what the future holds for Britain but one is for sure business in Birmingham is booming. Last month Birmingham businesses saw a 19.5% increase in job applications according to CV Library’s job market data from May 2015 to May 2016. According to the data last year also saw a 7.1% increase in jobs available across Birmingham.

CV Library reported that growth was seen across many sectors across the second city. The top 10 industries to see an increase in applications in May 2016 are;

1. Hospitality – 100.8% growth
2. Legal – 91.5% growth
3. Catering – 77.1% growth
4. Electronics – 73.2% growth
5. Property Services – 67.2% growth
6. Distribution – 57.5% growth
7. Automotive – 42.1% growth
8. IT – 34.4% growth
9. Administration – 33.4% growth
10. Marketing – 27.3% growth

In recent years Birmingham has seen an influx of new arrivals in the city and many more are announcing their intentions to make a move.

In May the BBC announced that its BBC Three would relocating to the city by 2018. The team will be located in the Mailbox where BBC Birmingham is currently based.  The BBC has currently increased its investment to £125 million a year in Birmingham, with around 700 employees within the city currently.

HSBC will be bringing 1000 more jobs to the city upon completion of its new 9.2 acre UK headquarters at 2 Arena Central in 2019. The Midlands is currently the UK’s fourth biggest financial services hub behind the South East and North West but HSBC’s move will bring the Midlands closer to ranking third.

Upcoming developments such as HS2 and expansions at Birmingham Airport will no doubt add to the economic growth within the region, with the West Midlands Combined Authority setting a target for 500,000 new jobs within the West Midlands within the next 15 years.

5 Alternative CV's

Last week graduate Sumukh Mehta hit the headlines for his stand out CV which landed him an internship with GQ magazine without even having to go to an interview. In recent years alternative style CV’s have become increasingly popular with applicants across the globe determined to make themselves stand out in the job market.  With everything from YouTube videos, board games and milk cartons being used by candidates to gain that competitive edge we’ve compiled our five favourite alternative CV’s below.

Robby Leonardi

Web designer Robby Leonardi designed this Super Mario style video game in order to get himself and his work out there to potential employers. As the ‘player’ of the game you are taken through Robby’s experiences, skills and examples of his work. You can play the full game yourself here.

Sumukh Mehta

Sumukh Mehta created a 20 page replica GQ magazine complete with stories about his life, work experience and education. The CV took 3 weeks to make with Sumukh carrying out all the graphic design, photography and content writing. The CV was sent to GQ offices in London, New York and Mumbai and Sumkh was subsequently offered an internship at British GQ without even having to go through an interview.

María Ortiz

Marketer María Ortiz created using her CV using online presentation programme Prezi. María wanted to create something visual which would keep potential employers reading and wanting to know more.

Her goal was to create a CV that “captured the reader’s attention and curiosity, tell her story and who she is and where she’s come from. María’s CV includes comments from friends and ex colleagues to help give a glimpse into her personality as well as her professional experience.

Miguel Rato

Miguel Rato came up with the idea to produce a “creative lunch box” in order to make himself stand out from the crowd and secure his dream role at Wieden & Kennedy. Since creating his milk box CV Miguel has worked with some big industry names such as Google.

Melissa Washin 

Graphic Designer Melissa Washin wanted to put across her passion for sewing to potential employers and as a result created these fabric CV’s.

Melissa printed her information onto iron on paper which she then transferred onto white fabric and then sewed into patterned fabrics. The effort paid off with Melissa being offered the very first job she applied for out of college!

What do you think of these alternative style CV’s, are they just a flash in the pan or a great way to ensure you stand out from other candidates in the market?

If you’re looking for some more traditional CV tips then why not check out our top tips for CV writing here.

Graduate Advice

Leaving university is both an exciting and nerve wracking time, after three years of studying it’s finally time to enter the real world and put that degree you’ve gained to good use. We’ve compiled some top tips to help you get your life after university off to a good start.

Your CV

Writing your CV straight out of University may seem like a daunting task but a great CV can make the difference between whether you get that interview or not.

Your graduate CV should contain the following;

• Personal statement

Ensure this is tailored to each individual application as the reader will most likely be able to tell it is a generic statement.

• Education

Within this section your degree will be the main focus as it will be the area in which you will have gained the most relevant experience within your chosen field.

It’s not necessary to list all the modules you took whilst at University but if you feel they are relevant to the job role then be sure to include it.

• Previous employment

Although you may feel that your previous employment may not be relevant to your application but don’t be dismayed, as a recent graduate potential employers will know that you will have limited industry experience.

Don’t forget to include any internships, work experience or voluntary work you may have undertaken, these are a great way of showing any relevant skills you have developed.

• Hobbies and interests

This isn’t a vital section to include but it’s nice to let a little bit of your personality shine through to your potential employers.

You can read our full article on Graduate CV’s here.

Internships

Internships are a great way to gain real industry experience after leaving University. As well as helping to get your foot in the door of the industry, internships also benefit your personal development and enables you to improve on key skills such as time management and team work. You may also find that internships can potentially lead to job offers.

You can read our full guide to Internships here.

Graduate Schemes

Graduate schemes are notoriously popular amongst University leavers, with the chances of gaining a place within a large organisation statistically being 1-in-10. Most graduate schemes take applications from January – September for the following September with an average starting salary of £25,000.

The career opportunities for those accepted onto graduate schemes can be huge, as all of your training will be done on the job your chances of progression within the company are vastly increased.

Networking

Networking is a great way to engage with other professionals within your industry and will help you grow both personally and professionally. By regularly attending networking events you will find that your personal profile within your industry will start to increase.  Networking not only allows you to find out the latest industry news and developments and engage with other professionals but you may also find that it presents potential work opportunities.

You may come across individuals or business that are hiring or looking to collaborate and you can use the opportunity to talk about your experience and the skills you have gained whilst at University. Even if this isn’t the case you can utilise the time with experienced people within your industry and get advice on how you can get your career off to the best start.

You can read our full article on the benefits of networking here.

Recruitment agencies/ Job boards

Whether online or in the local paper, job boards and local advertisements are a tried and tested way of finding jobs.

ESA Group have a variety of Graduate roles available throughout the West and East Midlands region. Our dedicated team of consultants deal are specialists within their fields and can help you find your ideal job with Marketing, Technology, HR and Procurement and Supply Chain. To find out more click here.

Top Interview Tips

Whether you’re fresh out of your studies or have been in your profession for years, interviews can be a nerve wrecking prospect. We’ve compiled some top tips below to ensure that you get the most out of your interview and that you stand in the best steed to get the job.

Prepare

Most recruiters or hiring managers will inform you beforehand the type of interview you will be attending – use this information to help you prepare.

Research commonly asked interview questions and practice your answers, this way you are fully prepared and won’t find yourself stuck on what to say.

Here a few points to consider;

• Experience and successes within your profession
• What sort of budgets have you managed previously.
• How would you approach this role and from your research what potential do you think this could have?
• Go through the spec and consider your experiences against the main points they have outlined. The main areas of your experience that they will be keen to focus on is your campaign delivery experience.
• ROI and commercials – it is good that you can know your numbers and impact of your work, and return from your campaigns. This will show to them you are commercially driven and focused on making a difference.

Do your research

Researching the organization you are interviewing with is vital. There is nothing worse than a candidate who gets asked a question and clearly hasn’t done their research. This doesn’t bode well for you to get the role, after all if turn up to the interview unprepared how will you act if you got the job? A prepared candidate shows a hiring manager shows a lot about a person’s enthusiasm for the role and ability to prepare and can make all the difference.

The best place to research the company is its website, as it will have all the background information required and also any other news and future plans they may have as a business. Information like this can help set you apart from other candidates. It may also be worth taking a look at the websites of their direct competitors to give some good talking points during the interview.

If you know the names of the people taking the interview why not make use of LinkedIn and take a look at their profiles. You may find you have similar backgrounds and experiences that you can draw upon in your interview.

Ask questions

At the end of every interview you will inevitably be asked if you have any questions. Answering no may give off the impression you are disinterested so make sure you have a few questions already prepared to ask your interviewer.

Appearance

It goes without saying that a smart and professional appearance is vital for any interview. It only takes 7 seconds to make a first impression, so make sure you make it count! It is also a good idea to lay out your interview clothes the night before so that your pre interview run up goes smoothly.

If you’re on the lookout for a new role take a look at our vacancies page here where we have a range of exciting opportunities with the Marketing, IT, HR and Procurement and Supply Chain industries.

Still Time to Update Your CV

Getting your CV just right can be the difference between making it through to the interview stage of a recruitment process and not hearing anything further. But do you find that all too often you see what looks like the ideal job with only a short space time to get your application together? Our first instinctive thought when we decide we need a new job is to start looking at what’s out there, and we don’t really think about reviewing or updating our CV until we see something we want to apply for. Ideally, unless you really are confident you have a job for life with your current employer, you should periodically review and update your CV. Good times to do this could be when you have achieved new goals, had a promotion at work or gained new qualifications. Not only will this mean that you have a good CV ready when you have a last-minute chance to apply for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but for the longer term picture it is an easy way to keep an up-to-date record of your career and professional and personal development. Periodically updating your CV means that you won’t forget any important information when you come to need it years down the line. If you need a prompt to get working on your CV, then a date for your diary is the 23rd of May, 2014. This is when the Jobs Fair will be coming to Coventry, showcasing the opportunities that local businesses and organisations have available. The recruitment fair will be held at the Belgrade Theatre and will be publicising vacancies from across a broad range of sectors and industries for a variety of job types. Even if you are not actively job hunting, it can be a good idea to keep an eye on what opportunities are out there. If you are looking for promotions and pay rises where you currently work, it can be a good way of assessing what the market rates are for the type of work you do. If you don’t get the promotion or pay rise, you will at least know what is available should you decide you need to apply for something new instead. It is a good idea to have your CV ready to pass to recruiting employers if you are interested in the vacancies they have available. However, if you still feel you need to work on getting your CV just right, then it is still worth coming along to the event to take advantage of the CV advice sessions. If you know what type of work you want to do, but not necessarily which companies you want to work for, it might be a good idea to speak to recruitment agencies which specialise in particular areas of work. So if you are interested in working in sales or business development, then speak to sales recruitment agencies in Coventry. Recruitment agents will often also have a presence at jobs fairs alongside hiring companies, so check out the exhibitors list for the Jobs Fair to see which sales recruitment agencies in Coventry will be attending.

Lights, Camera, Interview

So you have your CV ready, your interview suit pressed and have tidied your hair, but have you checked out how you look and come across on camera? No, this isn’t usually something we think about before heading off for an important job interview, but it might be time to start thinking that way. We carry out so much of our work and our everyday lives using technology of one form or another that we shouldn’t be surprised to find it facing us in the interview room. With the increasingly sophisticated forms of connectivity now available to businesses, the potential to generate a global market seems to be open to any type of business of any size. This will inevitably bring the necessity of developing a global business presence to support it. So even if you are applying for a job based in your home town, you may find that key decision makers in your appointment operate from a distant office location. Being faced with a camera automatically changes the dynamics of an interview, especially if you have a combination of a face-to-face interviewer alongside a video link-up to another interviewer. Simple things which we know are important but which we take for granted, such as establishing good eye contact, can become very complicated if you are not used to them. If possible, you should get some practice in using Skype and other video link-up systems to see how you come across. Getting used to how to look at a camera rather than at the other person’s face on the screen can be tricky, as the cameras are not always aligned to your line of natural sight with a screen. If you hate having your photograph taken, then appearing on a video can be even worse. For some people the presence of a video camera can make them extremely nervous and they can end up like a rabbit caught in headlights. The only thing that is going to help you settle your nerves is to get some practice at using and being seen on video. When you are job seeking with the help of sales recruitment agencies in Warwickshire, ask them if they can give you a mock interview using their video-conferencing facilities. If you really cannot face applying for jobs in this way, then ask the sales recruitment agencies in Warwickshire what the recruitment process is for different jobs before you apply for them.