Q1. How can I make sure my CV stands out when applying for jobs?

The Purpose of your CV
Your CV is Your Sales Tool. Keep it simple, keep it clean, keep it punchy, don't use jargon and don't give a potential employer any reason to make negative assumptions about you or to not take you seriously.

The Style of your CV
A typical advert placed by a recruitment consultancy will receive 30-60 responses, a typical advert placed directly by a company will received 60-100 responses. The greater the salary–the more responses will be received. Large responses need to somehow be filtered. Make sure that your CV is short, sharp and full of relevant facts rather than flowery descriptions so that it is not thrown on the unwanted pile. The most common layout of information on a CV (and therefore the easiest for a recruiter to glean information) is as follows:

The format of Your CV
  • Name, contact and status information
  • Personal Profile, Career Objective or CV statement, e.g. “I.T.Director”
  • List of Skills
  • Education/Qualifications
  • Professional Qualifications/Membership of Professional Organisations
  • Career History/Work Experience (in reverse chronological
    order)
  • Training Courses, Other Skills and supplementary information
  • Interests
  • References
  • Summary

Name, contact and status information
Name and contact information at the top in the order of Name, Address, Day Contact (work), Night contact (home) and Date of Birth (if you choose to detail this). This is the order that most recruitment software 'auto reads' details – making it easier for a recruitment consultancy to import your details onto their database software.
Driving Status and eligibility to work in the UK

Personal Profile or CV Statement
The truth about the ‘Personal Profile’ paragraph is quite often nobody reads them! If you do choose to write a profile, make it short and use everyday words

Core Skills
This is particularly relevant for roles where specific skill-sets are required such as within IT programming or engineering
Be careful with career objectives e.g. “Blue Chip Business Developer seeks career role within a dynamic growing organisation” could mean that you are dismissed from the ideal Account Management opportunity for you.

Academic Background/Education
Detail your highest level of education first. Do not detail the scores of your academic qualifications if they are bad (unless the job description specifically requires this information on your application).
If you are a recent graduate detail your core subjects and dissertation title.
Unless you are a recent graduate do not waste valuable CV space going into great depths to detail your O-Levels/SSC/A-Levels/HSSC, etc.

Career History/Work Experience
Detail your career in a reverse chronological order – current/last job first and go backward. Spend the greatest proportion of your CV on your most recent career (5-10 years).
Be succinct – do not waffle or pontificate! Remember this is your sales tool – use it to sell yourself – think careful about the words that you use.
Be factual and try to use bullet pointed statements. The average recruiter will skim read CVs looking for applicable points and experience. Use facts throughout – if you saved your last company a fortune by introducing new innovative systems tell them. If you we’re the no #2 salesperson out of 35 let them know However, always be truthful, as many employers will expect to see evidence of these achievements at interview stage.
Do not use jargon or abbreviations. Even abbreviations such as KPI’s and TQM, whilst widely used in business are not understood by everyone.

Interests
Many books on CV writing will tell you not to bother with Interests/Hobbies. However your interests are commonly used by interviewers to try and find out about you, the ‘real person’.
The common advice is one intellectual interest, one team sport, one other sport and an art/creative interest. Only detail genuine interests so if probed you can easily expand on the subject.

References
If you do not wish to detail your references don’t even waste valuable CV space on ‘References: Available upon Request’

Q2. How can I prepare for going to an interview to increase my chances of success?

Interviews are not ‘rocket science’ They are a tool for the interviewer to obtain information about yourself so that they can make a balanced business judgment as to whether you are right for the role. Taking note of the following 10 interview tips will help you feel confident and prepared for any interview, allowing your personality and skills to come through.

Be Prepared
First Impressions Count
Be Friendly
Make Notes
Smile
Listen
Build Rapport
Take you Time
Close the interview
Enjoy Yourself!

Be prepared - research beforehand

You are expected to know details about the company, your role, their products/services and their marketplace/competition. Why do you want the job? Why are you looking to leave your existing employer? Why do you want to work for the company? What benefits can you bring to the role/company? - these are all questions that you will more than likely be asked. On the way to the interview imagine yourself in the role and what your main tasks will be, this will give you ideas that will help you ‘think on your feet’ when you are thrown that tough question.

Research has shown that people make an initial judgment of an individual in a very short time frame – as little as two minutes. Leave the Homer Simpson tie and orange socks in your wardrobe! It’s a cliché but interviewers will not be making an assumption of you if you keep your appearance mainstream - dark suits, white blouse/shirts, etc. Pay attention to detail, clean fingernails, polished shoes etc.

Be friendly and polite to everyone you meet

PA’s to work colleagues are often asked their opinions on candidates - your five minute ‘passing of the day’ with the receptionist could be the rapport building test that clinches the role.

Take a notepad into every interview and take notes

It will help you to gather information and make you look professional. Take the notepad in a smart case/document wallet – there is nothing worse than a candidate attending an interview with a dog-eared battered pad. It sounds simple but hold your case in your left hand so that you have your ‘shaking’ hand free.

When you meet the interviewer smile

Introduce yourself clearly. Ensure your handshake is confident but not too firm. Be positive about the company – compliment the offices, how friendly the receptionist is, how easy to find the offices were, how good the tea is – but don’t go overboard! Maintain solid, but natural eye contact.

Listen!

Do not monopolise the conversation and always ensure that the interviewer is listening to you. Be succinct in your answers and don’t waffle. Don’t tell anecdotes unless they are highly relevant to the question and are backing up your case. First interviews tend to be about personality, character and whether you’d fit into the team dynamics – ensure that you get your personality across but remember that an interview is a business meeting. The best interviews are two way - where the balance of conversation is equal. Don’t wait until the formal ‘Any questions?’ stage, ask questions throughout.

Build Rapport

Mirror the style of the interviewer. Talk at the same pace in the same tone. If you breathe at the same pace as the interviewer you will find yourself communicating at a similar pace. If the interviewer is formal, be formal, if they are more relaxed change your stance accordingly. Be natural, don’t try to be someone that you are not. Use natural body language, over-emphasised body language is very easy to spot and comes across as trite.

Take your time

If you are unsure of the question, ask for clarification. Take a few seconds out to compose your succinct answer to the question (people often feel that other people hate silence. However, 3-4 seconds goes unnoticed and could give you the thinking time to construct that killer-answer!)

Close the interview

If you are interested in the role - tell them. Ask how the interviewer feels about your suitability to the role. Ask what the next stage of the process will be. Show you are keen.

Enjoy yourself

The more research you do, the more confident you will be. The more confident you are, the more your personality will come across and the better you will perform at interviews. Take time to consider your strengths, your qualities, your career highlights, and your personal achievements, use these as the answers to those tough interview questions. Above all be enthusiastic and sell yourself throughout.

Q3. What are the top tips you'd advice for keeping a positive attitude during a tough job search?
 

•	Start applying at least 4 months before you are due to finish your course if you are still studying in the UK.
•	Have realistic expectations about how long the job search might take.
•	Make full use of the support facilities provided by Employment Overseas Ltd and your University Careers Service.
•	Maintain a healthy lifestyle (eating, exercise), and a positive attitude (maintain associations with those employed as well as those searching).

Q1. How can I qualify to be allowed to work in the UK?

If you are coming to the end of your studies in the UK or have finished your studies, you may wonder how you can go about gaining the required permission to enable you to work in the UK.

Here is a brief note that explains some of the schemes that are likely to be of particular relevance to students once they have completed their studies in the UK. The schemes change frequently. The information given here describes the schemes as they were in September 2004. Each section contains information about where to go for up-to-date information. Remember that these Notes do not provide a list of all schemes that are available. If you would like to work in the UK and do not see information of relevance to you, please check the Home Office website, Working in the UK.

If after reading these notes and you are still unsure if you qualify for any of the schemes, please contact the Employment Overseas Ltd office in London for Free Advice.

If you are thinking about making an application under any of these schemes, and you want advice about the application, make an appointment with an Employment Overseas Ltd, British Employment and Immigration Consultant for free advice or you may get in touch with an immigration specialist who may charge for their services.

Remember if you are currently in the UK and want to stay under one of these schemes, you must make your application before your current permission to be here as a student runs out.

Worker Registration Scheme

If you are a national of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, or Slovenia working in the UK, you are subject to the Worker Registration Scheme. You will need to register if you plan to work for more than one month for an employer in the UK.

Once you have been working legally in the UK for twelve months without a break you will have full rights of free movement. You can then apply for a residence permit confirming your status. For more information see the Home Office website, Working in the UK.

Science and Engineering Graduate Scheme (SEGS)

The scheme will be launched at the beginning of November 2004. Upon graduating from UK educational institutions in an approved subject, you will be able to remain in the United Kingdom and work for 1 year after completing your studies. Graduates need to have successfully completed, with second class honors (2.2) or higher, a recognized science or engineering degree course, Masters course or PhD at a UK institution of Higher or Further Education. Applicants also need to intend to work during the period of leave granted under the scheme; be able to maintain and accommodate yourself and any dependants without recourse to public funds; and you intend to leave the UK at the end of your stay (unless granted leave as a work permit holder, highly skilled migrant, business person or innovator). To find out if you are qualified Work Permits (UK) has created a list of eligible Science and Engineering courses. Approved courses will be identified by their Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Code or JACS Code. Your course tutor should be in a position to give you this information. The list of approved courses is on the Home Office’s Work Permits (UK) website. For more information see the Home Office website, Working in the UK.

Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP)

A minority of students are eligible to apply to stay on in the UK under this scheme. It is designed to allow individuals with exceptional skills and experience to come to or remain in the UK to seek and take work without having a prior offer of employment, or to take up self-employment opportunities. It is a points-based scheme, with separate points schemes for those aged under 28 and those aged 28 and over. The areas in which points are awarded are: educational qualifications; work experience; past earnings; demonstrable achievement in your chosen field; your partner’s achievements. People with particular skills or in particular professions can also attract further points. You can apply to stay in the UK as a highly skilled migrant even if you entered the UK in a different category (for example as a student), though not if you have permission to be in the UK as a visitor. For more information about the scheme visit the Work Permits (UK) website. If you want to know if you qualify, follow the link to our HSMP Points calculator.

Training and Work Experience Scheme (TWES) Permits

An employer can apply for a TWES permit, to enable them to offer training or work experience to someone who would not otherwise be allowed to work in the UK. TWES permits are issued on the clear understanding that you intend to leave the UK at the end of the agreed period to use your new skills and experience. You will not normally be allowed to transfer to work permit employment at the end of your training or work experience. You will also be required to spend a certain amount of time outside the UK when your TWES permit finishes, before being issued with any further work permits (12 months, if your TWES permit was for up to 12 months; 24 months, if your TWES permit was for more than 12 months).

A TWES permit for work-based training for a professional or specialist qualification is normally issued for the average time expected to complete the training, up to a period of five years. A TWES permit for a period of work experience will usually be for up to 12 months. Extensions can be granted in exceptional circumstances, up to an overall maximum of 24 months’ work experience. You need to meet a number of different criteria, examples are; you must be additional to your employer’s normal staffing requirements and you must not be filling a job that would otherwise be filled by a ‘resident worker’; you must have an adequate command of the English language to enable you to benefit from the training or work experience; the training or work experience should be for a minimum of 30 hours per week, excluding any time for associated study; the work experience should be at managerial level, or at least NVQ/SVQ level 3 or equivalent, or the training should lead to a recognized professional or specialist qualification that requires an entry level qualification of at least that level; you should already have an academic or vocational qualification at least at NVQ/SVQ level 3 or equivalent or previous relevant experience to enable you to benefit from the work experience program.

Note that if you currently have permission to be in the UK as a student, you will not need to leave the UK whilst the employer applies for a TWES permit. For more information about the scheme visit the Work Permits (UK) website.

Work Permits

An employer can apply for a work permit to enable them to offer a job to someone who would not otherwise be allowed to work in the UK.

It is relatively straightforward for an employer to obtain a work permit if the job is categorised as a 'Shortage of Occupation'.

The list of ‘shortage occupations’ changes frequently. For an up-to-date and detailed list, see the Home Office’s Working in the UK website

If your occupation is one that is not on the ‘shortage occupation’ list then your prospective employer will need to advertise for the position to test the ‘resident labor’ market which would include the UK and the EEA.

Working Holidaymakers

You cannot apply to stay on under this category if you are currently here under another category. You will need to leave the UK and apply for entry clearance as a working holidaymaker, before returning. You will probably need to go to your home country to do this. Entry clearance is compulsory for all working holidaymakers, whatever their nationality. You may be eligible if you are a Commonwealth citizen aged 17 to 30 inclusive and you can meet the other requirements. These include: being unmarried, or married a person who also meets the requirements and you intend to take a working holiday together; having the means to pay for your return journey; intending to take employment as an integral part of a working holiday; intending to leave the UK at the end of your working holiday. You can stay in the UK as a working holidaymaker for up to two years. For further details of the working holidaymaker scheme, see the Home Office’s Working in the UK website.

Japan: Youth Exchange Scheme

This scheme allows Japanese nationals to come to the UK for a working holiday for up to 12 months. You should intend to work as part of your holiday, but not full time. You have to enter the UK with entry clearance in this capacity. In other words, if you are currently in the UK in some other capacity (for example, as a student or visitor), you will need to leave the UK and return to your home country in order to apply to return under the scheme. You may be eligible if you are a Japanese national aged 18 to 25 (there is discretion to increase this age limit to 30 if you can show good reason for not applying earlier, for example, you were in full time studies or looking after a sick relative) and you can meet the other requirements. These include: being single, or married to a person who also meets the requirements and you intend to take a working holiday together; having the means to pay for your return journey; intending to take employment as part of your holiday; intending to leave the UK at the end of your working holiday. For more information about the Japan: Youth Exchange Scheme, see the Home Office website, Working in the UK.
 

Innovators Scheme

This scheme enables some entrepreneurs to apply to stay on in the UK to establish businesses without needing to invest large sums of their own money. The scheme is aimed mainly at entrepreneurs in the areas of science and technology, including e-commerce. To qualify to apply under the scheme, you must meet four requirements:
• your proposed business must create jobs
• you must have shares in your company
• you must be able to live in the UK without help from public funds
• you must be able to finance your business for the first six months. If you meet these basic criteria, it is worth looking at the requirements of the scheme in further detail. You can apply to stay in the UK as an innovator even if you entered the UK in a different category (for example as a student), though not if you have permission to be in the UK as a visitor. For more information about the scheme visit the Work Permits (UK) website.
 

Student Union Sabbatical Officer

You can apply to remain in the UK if you have been elected to a full-time salaried post as a sabbatical officer at an education establishment where you are registered as a student. You must be able to support yourself without needing welfare benefits and without undertaking work other than your sabbatical post. You should be given permission to be in the UK for 12 months which can be extended up to a two year maximum. At the end of this time, you must intend to take up a further course of study which you have deferred to take up the post, or you must intend to leave the UK. For further details of the working holidaymaker scheme, see the Home Office’s Working in the UK website.

Ideally you should start your job hunt at least 2-3 months before you finish your course (hand in your dissertation). Companies often take 1-2 months in short listing candidates and conducting the entire interview process so it is better to start early. Register with Employment Overseas Ltd as soon as you can.

The job market in the global is very competitive and hence besides a degree many companies look for work experience. However some companies do have vacancies at entry or graduate trainee level and it is important to take advantage of such positions. Remember to be realistic with your job search. If you don’t have any work experience you are unlikely to get a management level position.

In addition to making use of the services offered by Employment Overseas Ltd you can approach companies yourself by contacting the Human Resource department or by visiting their website and applying online. Many international companies have graduate training positions available from early September so it is important to visit their websites regularly. You can also register with other recruitment companies, both in the UK, in Ireland and throughout Europe.

If you are on a UK Student visa you cannot work outside the UK (you can work up to 20 hours per week in the UK). However you can apply for jobs in Europe but remember as each country has its own Immigration rules it is up to you to research this and find out if you are eligible for a working visa or permit. You will also need to know the local language in most European countries before you can work there.

There are many opportunities available in the Republic of Ireland. For information on working visas and work permits in Ireland click here.Visit www.irishjobs.com for the latest job vacancies in all sectors.

As a graduate in the UK you may be eligible for one of a number of schemes and visas to allow you to stay and work in the UK. Click here – to Immigration & visa information to find out more.
 

Contact the Employment Overseas Ltd, London office by email or call on +44 (0) 207 262 2888. We can make an appointment for you to meet one of our Employment and Immigration Consultants who can answer any questions you may have.

A UK degree can often enhance your position while applying for jobs in India. Besides a good degree, employers often welcome the international exposure you will have gained from living and studying in the UK. It is always an added advantage to have job experience and the final decision will be based on performance at the various levels of the job interview with them.

In addition to making use of the services offered by Employment Overseas Ltd you can approach companies yourself by contacting the Human Resource department or by visiting their website and applying online. Some companies also outsource their job vacancies to placement agencies. Today there are innumerable placement agencies in India. Hence you can take help from them but you need to constantly keep track of your placement progress with them. The daily newspapers also advertise job vacancies in their dailies on a weekly basis. Thus you can apply directly. There are job websites ( www.jobsahead.com , www.naukri.com) wherein you can apply online to the various companies advertising their vacancies.

If you are interested in looking for job prospects in India, you should let Employment Overseas Ltd. know around 4 months before you are due to finish your course in UK.

You can e-mail the Employment Support Officer at
Support@EmploymentOverseasLtd.com or call 00 91 11 41653071.
 

Today the Indian job market has become very competitive and hence besides a degree many Indian companies look for work experience. However some companies do have vacancies at entry or trainee level and it is important to take advantage of the positions and promote the international exposure you have gained while studying in the UK.

Today in the job market a good degree and work experience play an important mark to secure employment in any market in the world or in the Indian market. The stronger your academic background and the more work experience you have the better your employment prospects are likely to be.

Benefits to employees vary from company to company in India. But it remains a challenge for each company to provide an enabling and positive environment that will motivate their employers.

Holidays
Most registered companies observe 10 National and other Festival Holidays per year. Four National Holidays are observed every year: Republic Day, Independence Day, May Day and Gandhi Jayanthi. You would normally be entitled to six other Festival Holidays from an Optional List.

Leave
On completing one year’s continuous service with the company, every employee will be eligible for normally 25 working days of leave. The leave will be proportionate to the number of days actually worked during the calendar year. Days of authorized leave only will be considered as actual working days. This leave will be credited to the employee’s account at the end of each month and may be availed as Practitioner Time Off, Sick Leave or Personal/Casual Leave. You may or may not carry forward a portion of your leave for a period of one year only. Leave encashment will be as per company policy and norms.

Gratuity
On completing 5 years of continuous service, every employee will be eligible for the receipt of Gratuity, a social security measure. This amount, equivalent to half month’s basic pay for every completed year of service, will be paid to the practitioner at the time to his/her separation from the Firm, be it by resignation, termination or retirement. The Firm will not be liable to pay Gratuity to any employee who causes damage to the Firm through willful negligence, omission, destruction of Firm property, misconduct (leaving the services of the Firm without proper notice).

Accident Insurance
Every employee will be covered under a scheme, which accords his/her family substantial financial protection in case of an accident of the practitioner. The scheme provides the practitioner a round -the-clock insurance cover across the globe. The premium for this benefit is completely borne by the Firm. The plan provides for compensation in the case of loss of limbs, hearing or sight, permanent and temporary incapacitation, and death due to an accident. The amount of compensation varies based on the extent of incapacitation.

Medical Insurance
Additionally, the companies also provide for Medical Insurance The premium for providing medical insurance coverage for the practitioner and his/her dependents will be entirely borne by the Firm.

Accommodation Facilities
Most companies pay their employees House Rent allowance. (HRA)

Provident & Pension Fund
All full-time employees of the company will be eligible for a social security benefit titled Provident Fund (PF).
Employee Deposit Linked Insurance (EDLI)
All employers covered under the PF scheme will by default be covered under this benefit.

Company Organized Transportation
Some employees are provided to & fro company transportation from major pickup points across the city to their office. Employees working on odd hour shifts are provided transportation facility from a pickup point closer to their residence to their office. The cost for this facility is completely borne by the Company

Compensation Package
Each company aims at paying attractive and competitive salaries to their employees. Employee’s compensation & benefits is reviewed and revised once a year and any adjustments is based on a thorough review not only of market conditions, but also of their performance and annual contribution to the Company.