Copyright (c) 2012 Alison Withers
Mixed messages about the UK's economic and job situations make it difficult to gauge one's chances in the job market at the moment.
On the same day that the UK was pronounced officially back in recession, the latest survey of employer confidence from the REC (Recruitment and Employment Confederation) reported that employer confidence was at its highest level since March 2009!
The REC reported that 72 percent of the employers surveyed had said they planned to increase the number of permanent employees over the next 3 months and 69 percent expected to increase permanent hires over the course of the next 12 months.
Scepticism was also expressed about the reliability of the ONS (Office of National Statistics) figures that showed growth in the economy reducing for the second successive quarter.
None of this makes life any easier for people looking for work. While there are those who regard pressure and stress as a positive and motivating force the uncertainty illustrated by these two contrasting reports is not likely to help the confidence levels.
Possibly the most sensible advice is for candidates to try to ignore all the negative news stories and do whatever they can to stay calm and confident while being open to considering all options.
While the ideal may be to secure full time, permanent work it is worth exploring other opportunities.
During the first phase of the post-2008 economic crisis companies were criticised for offering internships either unpaid or with only travel and meal expenses. However, there are paid internships available, particularly in admin in London, some of them paying a basic salary. An internship is a useful option to consider for a new graduate without a substantial career history and it can happen that an internship can lead to paid employment.
Another possibility that should not be discounted is the option of working for a smaller company. It is ioften the case that this will provide a wider variety of tasks and the chance to build a greater number of skills than might be possible in a larger and more segmented organisation.
Recruitment agencies may have positions for PAs or EAs as maternity cover, on a fixed contract, part time or temporary and these are useful for ensuring some continuity of employment between permanent positions so that there are no gaps on the candidate's CV.
Some candidates have tried using Twitter and linked in job searches and maintaining a spreadsheet of all the contacts they have collected so that they can find relevant people efficiently and easily for follow-ups.
The important point is for the candidate to feel positive and under control when searching for a position.
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When there is conflicting news about the state of the economy, the jobs market and employer confidence in the media job seekers need to remain positive and proactive. By Ali Withers. http://www.rmsrecruitment.com
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