Blogs & Articles | Company Jobs Direct

Name-Blind Recruitment

As soon as I read the definition of name-blind recruitment, or blind recruitment as I'll call it from here on out, I knew I'd be a bit of a skeptic. Nonetheless, this form of recruitment is gaining momentum, so it's worthy of discussion. Blind recruitment is the practice of removing information that personally identifies you from your job application. Things that are often removed from a blind application include your name, gender, age, and education. Immediately I'm wondering why on earth education would be removed from an application, considering the fact that you need B.Sc's, B.A's, PhD's, A.B.C's and the…

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February 1, 2018

Applying for a Job

How To Create A Good Computer-Readable Resume

I've previously written about what information should appear in a Resume, and how to divide information between a Resume and a cover letter (here if you didn't read it yet). The points in my previous writing were concerned with general Resume writing. This post, however, focuses specifically on how to write a good Resume for online applications. The title above, 'How To Create a Good Computer-Readable Resume', is illuminating. Many job-seekers aren't aware of the fact that the actual layout of their Resume can impact their chances of getting the job they're applying for. This is because many companies use…

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December 1, 2017

Interview Tips

What Is Your Greatest Strength?

This month's blog continues the series of most popular interview questions. So far I've addressed 'What Are Your Weaknesses?', 'Tell Me About Yourself', and 'Why Do You Want This Job?'. Now I'm going to address the 'What is Your Greatest Strength?' question. When you prepare for an interview and want to think of a smart way to answer this, remember the following: The strength you highlight must be relevant to the position you're being interviewed for A lot of interviewees make the mistake of being familiar and transparent when they formulate their answer. For example, you may think of yourself…

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November 1, 2017

Interview Tips

Why Do You Want This Job?

Moving on from Brexit, this month's post returns to the series I started back in May. So far, I've covered two popular questions asked in interviews: 'What are your Weaknesses?' and 'Tell Me About Yourself.' I suggest you go and read those too, particularly if you're preparing for an interview. Now that you' ve come to terms with those two unpalatable questions, here is an even more unpalatable one: Why do you want this job? This is going to be asked at pretty much every interview, because for some reason, employers want to know that you know about their company.…

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October 1, 2017

Interview Tips

Tell Me About Yourself

Before I begin, I just want to take a moment to congratulate England for voting to leave the E.U. My faith in humanity is temporarily restored. Back to the blog: Following on from last month's 'What are Your Weaknesses' post, this discusses another popular interview question and how to answer it. Personally, I hate being told how to do things, and yet here I am telling you how to do things. Anyway, once you've got over your annoyance at being bossed around and given canned answers, it's time to consider the reality that interview questions in general can be…

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June 1, 2017

Interview Tips

What Are Your Weaknesses?

This month will be the first in a series of posts dedicated to interview techniques. There are some questions that pop up in almost any interview. 'What are your Weaknesses?' is one of them. It's a ridiculous question, but for some reason interviewers love to ask it. Before I give you the platinum answer let me just vent a little about why this question makes my skin crawl: It's a trick question. This is what it's really asking: Are you humble? Are you TOO humble? Do you lack confidence? Are you an arrogant bozo? It's like some kind of Freudian dream…

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May 1, 2017

Applying for a Job

Top 3 Reasons You’re Not Getting The Job

1. You’re over/under-qualified. This is the number one factor that determines whether you get to interview stage or not. It’s no surprise that if you’re under-qualified you don’t have a chance. If the job listing asks for five years experience in an office and you have three, don’t bother applying. It’s tempting to say ‘but I have three years experience, surely this is enough’. Granted, asking for this much experience for a relatively low-skilled office job is a bit much. I see ads like this all the time where the requirements are truly out of reach for the average job-seeker. I find it…

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February 28, 2017

Careers Advice

Starting Your Own Online Business

Hi folks! Well, this month’s blog is fashionably late as I was busy getting married to a wonderful man. Hence, January’s blog post is actually being posted on the first day of February! Our wedding was on the 24th of January and I have been in slumber-honeymoon mode ever since. Back to normality now, however. Posts will be on the 25th of each month as it was before Christmas, so you can expect the February installment on the 25th. It is actually part of the process of getting married that inspired this particular blog. I made my own wedding bouquet and…

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January 1, 2017

Careers Advice

What Is The Most Fulfilling Job?

Sometimes it’s essential to step back from the pressures of having to find work and consider the possibility that you might actually get to do a job you love. Sources all vary, but there are a number of jobs that continuously crop up on the lists of most satisfying jobs. It is interesting to note also that a lot of these jobs aren’t anywhere near the top pay bracket. Forbes has articles about the best jobs which are well-paid but I’m more interested in finding out the job which promises the most fulfilment even on an average pay scale. And here it…

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December 1, 2016

Careers Advice

The Changing Face Of Employment

Post-recession employment has changed drastically. Entry level positions have higher expectations, starting salaries can be very low, and the general requirements posted in standard job advertisements have become much more thorough and complicated. If we think of job candidates in terms of supply and demand, the recession created an upheaval in the balance. Pre-recession, candidate supply was roughly equal to candidate demand. Post-recession, however, candidate supply far outweighs candidate demand. As a result, employers became spoiled for choice. Pre-recession, you could expect between ten to twenty applicants for one position; lower for a specialised role. Post-recession, it isn’t uncommon to have over fifty…

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November 1, 2016