By the time we reach employment age, we’ve all notched up an achievement or two of varying degrees. While your fellow candidate might have been the under-18 European Chess Champion at the age of just 12, you can be comfortable in the knowledge that you came third in a field of five at your primary school egg and spoon race. But while the chess achievements of your compatriot are certainly worth mentioning in the ‘personal interests’ section of their CV, the glory of your bronze medal is probably best shared with only your closest family and friends.

So, just what sort of achievement is worth mentioning on a CV or job application? You don’t want to look like a show-off, but equally, it’s important that you mention achievements that prospective employers will view in a positive light. Here are a few examples to help.

What results have you achieved?

Recruiters and hiring managers love to see facts and figures that can be easily verified, which is why achievements based around results are so effective. They can be used to validate the skills and experience you have mentioned on your CV and give prospective employers a better idea of the impact you could make in your new role.

• Educational results: If you have achieved a first-class degree, won awards for your educational achievements or excelled in certain subjects, it’s certainly something you should include on your CV. You should also be prepared to provide the documentation to back it up.

• Managerial results: What impact have you had on the teams you have managed in the past? If you have boosted productivity, then make sure you explain how you achieved it and what impact you had. Remember, figures are essential, so be prepared to verify your claims by providing a relevant reference.

• Business development results: The world of sales is all about results, so this is one area where it should be easy to demonstrate your achievements. For example, you could include statements such as ‘I was the top seller in a team of five in 2018’ or ‘I secured 10 new clients on long-term contracts over a 6-month period’.

What progress have you made in your career?

Another area well worth showing off about is the career progression you’ve made to date. If you have risen through the ranks quickly, it shows hiring managers that other employers have identified the potential and attributes you have that can drive a business forward.

• Project success: What projects have you been in charge of or heavily involved in that have been an unrivalled success? Include the outcome of the project and the feedback you received from senior managers or clients.

• Role improvement: When have you gone above and beyond to learn new skills, take on additional responsibility or expand your knowledge of the business? Taking a proactive approach to your development shows prospective employers that you are a self-starter and want to help the business achieve its goals.

What personal achievements have you accomplished?

Recruiters and hiring managers also want to see evidence that you are a well-rounded individual who is capable of working as part of a team towards a common goal. Including a personal achievement on your CV that you are particularly proud of is a great way to do this.

• Charitable achievements: Having a social and environmental conscience is more important than ever before. If you have worked with local community groups, spent time volunteering or completed a challenge to raise money for a charity, make sure you mention it.

• Personal awards: Rewards you have received for sporting successes or at school or university will also paint more of a complete picture of you as a person. For example, if you were the head boy at school or ran your university’s student union, it’s certainly worth including; however, don’t waste too much time on it.

Find your next bilingual role

At Linguistica Recruitment, we work with candidates to help you secure well-paid, rewarding bilingual roles across the south coast. Browse our current vacancies or upload your CV today.

Do you ever flick through the CVs you’ve received for a vacancy and wonder why some applicants thought they’d be the right fit for the role? You’re not the only one. But while you may bemoan the lack of quality candidates in your industry, there’s a good chance that the reason for the mismatch actually lies much closer to home.

The calibre of the applicants is directly related to the quality of the job description you create. Yes, there will also be other factors at play, such as the location, salary and availability of the skills you require, but the job description is central to selling the role and attracting the type of candidates you really want to hear from.

Not sure how to write a job description that gets the job done? Then read on!

Introduce the company and the position

Think of the opening gambit of your job description as an opportunity to sell the company and the position. In an extremely competitive job market, you have to work hard to attract the top candidates. You should give applicants a clear idea of the company’s culture, size, location, what it does and who it does it for. This is also a good place to include some of the soft skills you’re looking for in a potential candidate as they are often not included in CVs.

Create an accurate list of duties and responsibilities

Many employers are so embroiled in the day-to-day operations of the business that they create a list of duties which is full of jargon and is not an accurate reflection of what the job really involves. In some cases, the list only really speaks to individuals who already have an understanding of the role, which limits the potential talent pool tremendously.

To create a comprehensive and jargon-free list of duties and responsibilities required for the job role, you should go through a typical day and note down the tasks that are performed, including:

• a jargon-free description of the task,
• the skills need to perform the task, and
• the intended result or outcome.

This approach will typically result in an overly comprehensive list of tasks that doesn’t reflect the priorities. To resolve that, you should strip the list down to between five and seven key tasks and essential functions that are most representative of the role.

Be selective about the job requirements

Overdoing the job requirements can be a real application killer. Data from a leading job site shows that descriptions of between 200 and 500 words receive 30 percent more applicants than other postings, so the requirements must be expressed concisely. It’s essential you state the ‘essential’ requirements that candidates must have to be considered for the role. These should be communicated by way of a bulleted list.

Many employers also include ‘desired’ requirements that can be specific and tend to reduce the potential talent pool dramatically. We’d advise that unless it’s a make-or-break requirement, it’s not worth including.

Highlight the salary and the benefits

Some employers choose not to include the salary range on a job description. That is something we strongly advise against. No matter how wonderful you think the opportunity is, the salary is the single most important piece of information on a job description for the vast majority of prospective candidates. Everyone has a salary in mind that they want to achieve to maintain their lifestyle and ensure their financial commitments are met. Candidates will want to ensure that this box is ticked before they spend time applying.

You should also detail all the benefits that the successful candidate will receive. Benefits are extremely competitive these days and candidates will want to make sure you’re an employer that values their work. These benefits do not have to be purely monetary. Flexible working practices, cycle-to-work schemes and even free or subsidised meals are all regarded as valuable benefits these days.

Find talented candidates that speak your language

As a specialist bilingual recruitment agency, we can help you create job descriptions that speak specifically to bilingual workers so you can find the perfect candidate for the role. Call 02392 987 765 or email info@linguistica-recruitment.com to discuss your requirements with our team.

There are many reasons why you might have a ‘gap’ on your CV. Whether you took a sabbatical, had a career break due to personal reasons or simply took longer than you might have liked to find a job, it’s not something you need to try and hide.

What should you do?

1. Be honest

If you have taken a career break, you might try and hide the fact by extending the dates of previous jobs to cover the gaps, or simply decide not to account for the gap and hope it won’t be noticed. As with all things CV related, honesty is always the best policy. Do you really want to go into an interview with something to hide? You don’t have to go into great detail, but we’d always advise you to acknowledge the gap with a brief explanation.

2. Highlight the positives

Don’t assume that a career break will be seen in a negative light by an employer. There’s more to life than work, and sometimes taking a break from employment is the right thing to do. Whatever the reason for the break, make sure you emphasise the positives. For example, you might have taken the time to study or upskill, or seek opportunities in new industries. If this is the case, say so.

Alternatively, if you had a period of involuntary employment, be positive in your language. ‘Time spent searching for new roles in my desired industry’ sounds like a more productive use of your time than merely ‘unemployed’.

3. Prepare to discuss the career break in your interview

If you do make it through to the interview stage, think about how you’ll respond to any questions about the career break. The likelihood is that it will be something the interviewer will pick up on, so make sure you have a brief but honest answer prepared to explain why there was a gap and what you were doing during that time.

If you took a career break to change the direction you were going in, think about how you’ll tell the story of why you left prior employment and what you did during that time to boost your future prospects.

What shouldn’t you do?

1. Use non-specific dates

Rather than using precise dates for the duration of jobs, such as December 2017–February 2018, some applicants use non-specific dates to stretch out the period of employment. While putting 2017–2018 might help to remove some the gaps elsewhere, it’s a trick that recruiters and hiring managers are familiar with and are likely to pick up on.

2. Leave certain roles off your CV

Many of us have had jobs that we’d rather not include on our CV for one reason or another, but we’d always recommend you include a full and honest employment history. Failing to include all your job roles will only create further gaps that need to be explained.

3. Avoid talking about redundancies

If you’ve been made redundant and that has led to an involuntary period of unemployment, make sure you mention the details on your CV. There’s absolutely no reason not to include a redundancy; it will not reflect badly on you.

Personalised assistance from our expert team

At Linguistica Recruitment, we can provide personalised advice to help you find your next bilingual role. Please call 02392 987 765, submit your CV or browse our current vacancies.

Over the last 30 years, technology has made it easier for businesses to expand into new markets and capitalise on opportunities they identify overseas. The result is that the job market has become more globalised and multilingual in nature, with a workforce that is increasingly linguistically and culturally heterogeneous.

Being bilingual is by no means the only condition to be hired for any job, but with more and more jobs requiring experience in international and cross-cultural areas, bilingual workers can have a clear advantage. Aside from language skills, linguistic and cultural fluency often brings key qualities and competencies that are increasingly valued in the international job market.

With that in mind, here are three of the key traits that can give you the edge.

1. Enhanced cognitive abilities

There are a number of cognitive advantages associated with being bilingual. Increased mental flexibility, improved executive function (such as working memory), metalinguistic abilities and an ability and willingness to learn a third language are all clear benefits for international businesses.

There are also proficiencies across demanding skills such as abstract thinking and problem-solving, as well as an ability to select relevant information and multitask. In an increasingly connected world with an overwhelming mass of information, the ability to perform multiple tasks simultaneously while remaining focused is a key advantage in the modern workplace.

2. Adaptability

All languages are constantly activated in the brain of bilingual workers. They must either choose to use the correct language and ‘deactivate’ the second one, or switch between languages to adapt to the situation they are in. That requirement to adapt their language skills by using social cues can lead to improvements in their social, emotional and interpersonal skills.

Bilingual workers must also be constantly aware of the needs of the listener and be able to understand and express changing perspectives. In a world with so many global challenges, the capacity to understand and appreciate other people’s viewpoints is an incredibly valuable skill.

3. Cultural fluency

Bilingual workers have direct access to two or more cultures, which allows them to build a sensitivity towards more people and have a better grasp of the diversity that exists between two countries. The world can be seen in very different ways, and much of that comes from the cultural lens we look through.

In an increasingly globalised environment, that cultural fluency and ability to better understand an individual is a tremendous advantage.

The help you need to access leading bilingual opportunities

Being bilingual enhances your human capital in a global job market and allows you to access a wide range of opportunities. While language skills have always been a requirement in fields such as international trade and diplomacy, nowadays more and more industries are searching for talented bilingual recruits like you.

At Linguistica Recruitment, we work with leading employers across the south coast of England who are on the lookout for bilingual workers who can enhance the skills of their team. Take a look at our current vacancies, submit your CV or call 02392 987 765 to discuss the potential opportunities in your area.

Rethinking your career over the Christmas period is just as familiar to many as over-indulging on the turkey dinner and setting resolutions that are broken before the end of January. While the decorations are still up, CVs across the country are being refreshed so they’re ready to be sent out in the New Year.

A pre-Christmas survey by the recruiter Hays found that a shockingly high 78 percent of people were thinking about making a change in 2019, either to progress their careers or find a completely new role. Of those who are happy in their current role, a third could be convinced to make a change if they were offered more money.

So, if you’re one of the many workers on the lookout for something new, here are five tips to help you make the leap in 2019.

1. Know what you’re looking for

The Christmas period is the perfect time to ask yourself some tough questions. Knowing that you ‘fancy a change’ might be the catalyst for moving forward, but it doesn’t help you take the next step. You should take the time to consider what direction you want to go in and whether the skills you have will get you there. Simply sending out your CV for every possible position will rarely reap rewards. Instead, save yourself time and energy by applying for the top companies that’d be the best fit for your personality, work style and qualifications.

2. Ask for help

If you are having doubts about your chosen career, then a good place to start is to think about what makes you unhappy in your current role. You can then reach out to your line manager to see if there are any opportunities for progression or other roles in the organisation that could be a better fit. If not, it can help to talk through your options with friends, family, coaches, mentors or people you know in new fields that you’re interested in exploring. Connecting with new people and contacting recruiters in the industries you’re interested in could also be an excellent source of information.

3. Start the process as quickly as possible

Now is an excellent time to search for a new role. It’s a job seekers market with 800,000 vacancies currently out there and employers struggling to fill a range of skilled and unskilled positions. There are also many other people looking to make the move now too, so there’ll be even more vacancies to fill. With the application and interview process potentially taking months, and notice periods of two to three months now common, we’d recommend you get the ball rolling as quickly as you can.

4. Be wary of the work computer

You might be tempted to use a work computer to browse new opportunities at your desk, but we would certainly advise you not to. Even if you doubt your company has the time or inclination to monitor your usage, you should always play it safe. That goes for work devices such as computers, tablets and phones that you use at home, as well as work email addresses. You don’t want to burn your bridges. It could be that there are opportunities in your organisation you may not be aware of, and if you do move, you will inevitably need a reference.

5. Don’t give up

Once you’ve decided it’s time to leave, the process of finding a new job can take longer than you might like. There’s also likely to be some rejection, which can be demoralising. The key to maintaining your motivation is to set a realistic time frame for the processes involved, from searching and applying to interviewing and serving your notice. The whole process could easily take six months or more, so don’t get downhearted if your progress is slower than you might have hoped.

Looking for a bilingual role in 2019?

At Linguistica Recruitment, we have a diverse range of well-paid, rewarding bilingual roles across the south coast. Submit your CV today or call 02392 987 765 to take that all-important first step.

A recent poll has revealed some shocking details about the recruitment market and the current rate of employee turnover in the UK. The poll found that an almost unbelievable 98 percent of workers had changed jobs over the last five years. Of those employees, millennials were those most likely to have switched positions, with 21 percent making a change over the last 12 months alone.

Millennials are increasingly choosing to shun the ‘job for life’ mentality of previous generations and are instead placing more importance on job satisfaction and happiness. In fact, more people are leaving their jobs due to unhappiness than ever before.

The UK’s workplace unhappiness epidemic

Although rates of UK employment are up, workplace dissatisfaction is also on the rise. A recent survey by the benefits provider Personal Group found that over half (56 percent) of the 1,274 employees surveyed were unhappy in their current roles.

Those aged between 18 and 29 were revealed to be the unhappiest age group, with 54 percent admitting they were rarely or almost never keen to get to work in the morning.

However, the picture doesn’t really improve among older workers who are likely to be in more senior and better-paid positions. Almost half of those aged 30 to 49 are rarely or almost never happy at work, with efficiency and enthusiasm both experiencing significant drops when compared with 2017.

Why are UK employees so unhappy?

With record-high levels of employment, wages finally on the rise and regulatory protection for employees better than ever before, you’d be mistaken for thinking that UK employees were riding the crest of a workplace happiness wave. However, it seems the opposite is true. While flexible working schemes, bright, colourful offices and unrivalled health and wellbeing benefits are designed to make us happy, it seems they’re having the opposite effect.

One common reason that’s cited for employee unhappiness is simply that modern workers, and particularly millennials, expect too much. Although office jobs may have improved, our expectations have far outstripped them, and perversely, education is not helping. In fact, people with university degrees are unhappier at work than those without them.

Matters are being made worse by the well-intentioned actions of employers who are desperate for employees to be happy at work. They introduce environmental and societal initiatives in an attempt to engage their employees and even allow paid time off to do volunteer work, but still their employees are not happy. In fact, when done badly, research from Sussex University shows that these steps can make workers unhappier and more disenchanted than they were before.

The cost of high levels of employee turnover

Unhappy employees cause huge problems for UK organisations. They are less productive, less engaged and more likely to suffer from absenteeism and presenteeism. But the costs don’t stop there.

One report found that employee turnover can cost anything from 16 percent to 213 percent of the salary of the departing employee. That means it costs a minimum of £4,800 to replace an employee on a salary of £30,000 and get the new hire up to speed. Another report found that it can take up to two years for the new hire to reach the same level of productivity as the former employee, further denting the business’s bottom line.

So what can you do?

Employee turnover is often the result of the wrong hiring decisions being made. With competition for talented workers on the rise, some employers are making hiring decisions on the basis of a telephone conversation alone without interviewing the applicant in person. Predictably, the result can be a poor match in terms of skills and culture.

To lower employee turnover, it’s important to create strong relationships between employees and managers from the off. That process starts during the interview and should be continued through the creation of supportive company cultures and by providing regular feedback so employees know they are valued.

Find the talented bilingual recruits you need

At Linguistica Recruitment, we help employers across the south coast of England recruit the in-demand bilingual workers they need. To find out more about how we can help, or to discuss your requirements, please call 02392 987 765 or email info@linguistica-recruitment.com to contact our team.

Salary negotiations are something very few people enjoy, which is why we put them off for as long as we can and continue to get paid less than we’re worth. In an ideal world, your employer would recognise that your responsibilities and the quality of your work is well beyond your pay grade and approach you with a salary offer to put that right. Sadly, that’s rarely the way employment works.

We’ve previously discussed how to improve your chances of a pay rise, but what happens when you’ve proven your worth and it’s time to start negotiating? Should you accept the first offer, or bargain hard for the salary you deserve?

1. Never accept the first offer

When negotiating a salary, it’s difficult not to be so delighted and surprised at the prospect of a pay rise that you accept the first offer immediately. However, you should really take more time to consider the offer carefully. Asking your employer if you can get back to them in the next day or two with your response will buy you the thinking time you need.

It’s important to consider whether you’ll still be happy with the pay rise six or twelve months down the line, as it could be a long time until there’s another one. You should also use your knowledge and experience of the company and what colleagues might earn to determine whether it’s a fair offer. You can then go back to your employer with your counter offer and justify why you think it’s the right amount.

2. Keep your cards close to your chest

If there’s one thing to remember before discussing a pay rise, it’s to always let your employer make their offer first. The last thing you want is to ask for another £3,000 a year when your employer is prepared to give you £5,000. The key is to wait for your employer to tell you what they think you’re worth. There’s a good chance you might be pleasantly surprised. If your employer asks what your expected pay rise is, tell them, but make sure you don’t sell yourself short.

3. Be professional

Salary negotiations can be a roller coaster of emotions. It’s all too easy to build it up in your head and release all the stress, frustration or excitement in one go. Regardless of how challenging the negotiations may become, make sure you maintain a positive and professional attitude. Your workplace is certainly not obliged to give you a pay rise, and if you let your professionalism slip, they may not be inclined to do so.

4. Don’t forget the additional perks

It’s usually the case that a compromise can be reached between the salary you want and the amount your employer is willing to pay. However, if your employer cannot reach an amount you’re happy with, then maybe you can create a package you are willing to accept through the use of additional perks. Annual leave entitlement, the opportunity to work from home and health benefits can sometimes be even more valuable than your salary.

Get the salary you deserve at Linguistica Recruitment

With bilingualism more in-demand than ever before in the UK, we can help you find a rewarding, well-paid position on the south coast of England where your skills are valued. Browse our vacancies and submit your CV today.

As bilingual recruitment specialists, we know a thing or two about finding the right candidates for hard-to-fill roles. British businesses are in desperate need of foreign language speakers, and that shortage is only likely to become more acute as we wait for a resolution to the ongoing Brexit uncertainty.

Filling bilingual positions, or any hard-to-fill role, with talented candidates can be extremely difficult. While working with specialist recruiters with existing networks and experience in that area will help, there are also a number of things you can do yourself to increase your chances of finding the right person for the job.

What makes certain roles so hard to fill?

There are a number of reasons why your organisation might struggle to recruit for particular roles. That includes the following:

• A shortage of skills is a common reason, with STEM and linguistic positions particularly difficult to hire for.
• Location can be a contributing factor with a shortage of labour in some areas.
• The salary you’re able to offer may make it difficult to compete with larger organisations for in-demand skills.
• Negative publicity in your industry may make it more difficult to hire.

So what can you do to bypass some of these issues and make roles in your organisation easier to fill?

1. Redefine your search criteria

If you’re struggling to find candidates that are an exact match for your requirements, then it might be time to revisit your person specification and think about the areas you can be more flexible on. For example, are 5+ years of experience really essential or would 2+ years do? There may also be specific qualifications you’ve listed that a prospective candidate could do without. This could open up your role to a much larger candidate pool.

2. Consider promoting from within

If you have staff within the organisation that have the skills you need but are perhaps not quite at the level you’d like them to be, then putting a coaching programme in place could help to progress that talent more quickly. The advantage of this approach is that you know the individual is already familiar with your sector and fits well within the company’s culture.

3. Hire interim staff

While the skills you need may be hard to find when searching for a permanent employee, they may be more readily available in the form of short-term or contract workers. The growing freelance and contractor economy means the specialist skills you need may be out there, just not in the form you were initially looking for. Using an interim employee can buy you more time to find a permanent employee and make you less likely to settle for an imperfect candidate.

4. Review your offering

Is your offering really competitive enough to land the skills you need? Taking an objective look at the salary and benefits on offer and comparing them to similar roles in your industry could give you a shock. If you can’t afford to increase the salary you’re offering, other benefits such as flexible working arrangements and an improved work-life balance can make a big difference in today’s market.

Hire the in-demand bilingual talent you need

At Linguistica Recruitment, we are bilingual recruitment specialists with an existing network of talented candidates who are looking for roles across the south coast of England. Find out more about how we can help, and get in touch with our team on 02392 987 765 or email info@linguistica-recruitment.com today.

Recent research by the Open University has found that the current skills shortage is costing UK businesses £6.3 billion a year, with a large proportion of that cost being shouldered by SMEs. The challenge SMEs face is that large employers that pay the highest wages are able to monopolise the best talent, which includes skilled bilingual recruits. But while fierce competition and the lack of talent has driven up the cost of hiring new recruits, particularly in the STEM sector, there is one powerful tool that SMEs have at their disposal that many are not using effectively.

In the right hands, an employer’s social media can be a cost-effective way to find the talent to fill vacant roles. After employee referrals (48 percent) and job boards (46 percent), a recent survey found that social media (40 percent) was third on a list of priorities for HR professionals looking to improve their recruitment strategies in 2018. In this guide, we’re going to explore a few simple ways you can supercharge yours.

1. Get involved in the right conversations

A key part of social media recruitment is to make sure you’re taking part in the conversations that matter. Being active in LinkedIn groups for recent graduates, being visible in industry-specific conversations and using hashtags like #devjobs or #Londonhiring on Twitter can help you cut through the noise and get your openings in front of the right people.

2. Take a soft approach

These days, the saturation of social media means you have to be a little more sophisticated to capture the attention of your intended audience. That means going beyond simply posting your vacant job roles online and expecting to be inundated with applications.

Instead, share posts that promote your business as a great place to work and provide an insight into your company culture. For example, creating employee profiles of individuals in a wide range of roles or sharing posts that detail the environmental or charitable initiatives you are involved in can give your business an identity that candidates can relate to.

3. Appeal to millennials

Millennials are not only today’s largest workforce but they are also the biggest users of social media. That makes it an extremely powerful recruitment tool when used in the right way. However, to appeal to millennials, you have to understand how they approach the job market and what they look for in a prospective job role. Things like environmental issues and job flexibility are more important to millennials than any other demographic, so make sure these are things you showcase whenever you can.

4. Shine a light on your employees

Social media is a great way to shine a light on the people behind the scenes that make the magic happen. Creating ‘employee of the week’ posts or simply taking a few snaps or a candid video at a staff lunch or evening out will give prospective candidates a better idea of who they’ll be working with and the type of projects they could be getting involved in.

Still struggling to find the talent you need?

If you’re still having trouble finding great bilingual candidates for your vacant positions, we can provide the expert assistance you need. Call 02392 987 765 or email info@linguistica-recruitment.com to discuss your requirements today.