Play Your Way to Getting that New Job

The video games industry is huge and is still expanding as new technology is developed and games become more accessible to a wider audience. Video games have been shown to have plenty of uses other than simply for entertainment; some of them are used as a form of therapy, they can relieve stress, some games stimulate cognitive processes to help maintain brain activity and now games are also being used as a form of interviewing.  

Although this is a fun way to conduct an interview, the theory behind this is to simulate real life situations which could be faced by the candidate in the job, their decisions and behaviour whilst playing the game are monitored and the data is used to assess the suitability of the candidate. The advantage of using a video game over a traditional face-to-face meeting is that concious or subconscious bias can be revealed via the decisions which are made, something which is difficult to gauge during a simple conversation. 

In addition, the enjoyment of playing a game may help a candidate to relax and allow them to show more of their own personality and skills, this is something which is sometimes hidden under nerves, which inevitably will affect the confidence of a candidate.

However, a video game interview should not completely replace a meeting in terms of interview tools as it is still important for employers to use natural judgement skills in order to assess a candidate's suitability for a role.

How do you feel about video games being used as a aid for interviewers? Is it something which you would like use whilst being interviewed? 

Visit the link for more info and to find out which games are being used:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2013/12/01/246999632/playing-the-game-to-get-the-job#!

Posting Certain Information on Social Networking Sites Could be Affecting Your Chances of Getting Hired

In the UK, we have become more accepting of a variety of backgrounds and cultures. Our society has become fairer and an effort is made to ensure everyone is treated equally, factors such as someone's religion, gender, ethnicity or sexuality are not used to judge. This applies especially in business, where it is against the law to discriminate against someone by, for example, rejecting a job application due to an applicant's age, disability, ethnicity etc (Equality Act 2010).

In the information age, personal details are so freely available on social networking sites such as Facebook and almost anyone can access this information, including recruiters and potential employers. This means it is more difficult to keep information by which we do not wish to be judged private without leaving it out of a profile completely. 

Could employers be forming judgements on potential employees, before they are even hired, based on information posted on social networking sites, such as their religion?

A recent study looking at employers from the US using social media as a form of resourcing, found that discrimination may occur when the social networks are being used as a resource tool. It goes on to suggest that discrimination is more prevalent on the basis of religion than on the basis of sexual orientation. While many employers say they believe in total equality in the work place (and no doubt they do) there could be some subconscious form of decision making which kicks in when we look at a person's profile, perhaps without us even realising.  

Here is the article if you would like more detailed information about the study:
http://mashable.com/2013/11/25/religion-and-job-search/

LinkedIn Live Debate: Why We No Longer Need HR Dept.

An article has been causing some controversy on LinkedIn this week with debates being sparked up between the community. The article in question, titled "Why We No Longer Need HR Departments", was written by Bernard Marr and has people from all sorts of professions commenting with their own views on this issue. We've even been discussing this article in our own office!

If you have some time tonight and would like to contribute to the debate yourself, have a look at the live stream on the same page where you can get involved via your webcam or by asking questions on-screen.

http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20131118060732-64875646-why-we-no-longer-need-hr-departments?trk=tod-home-art-list-small_2

How is Social Media Affecting Recruitment?

In this day and age, most of us use, or at least have been in contact with, some form of social media. Whether its using twitter to follow your favourite celebrity, or keeping up-to-date with your friends on facebook, social media is everywhere. We can't even watch TV now without an obligatory  twitter hash-tag being splashed over our screens during a program or advert break. 

With so many of us now relying on social media to stay in contact with people we know (and even advertise products and services to people we don't), its hard to believe to that as recently as 10 years ago social media barely existed at all. One thing we can safely say is that its probably here to stay. 

The influence social media is having on businesses and marketing is very clear and businesses which aren't utilising this sort of technology may risk getting left behind. From a recruitment point of view, social media is proving an invaluable tool to connect with both clients and candidates and allows "networking" on a much vaster scale. 

However social media is not just useful for recruiters, job seekers can take advantage of the public platform. In particular, LinkedIn (a social networking site much like facebook but with a more professional approach) is being used more frequently as a resourcing tool. This allows potential candidates to be located and contacted more quickly and easily than ever. 

Nevertheless, it is important that we don't forget the personal approach or we may risk conducting all business via email without meeting or speaking directly with a single person, essentially becoming islands in the workplace. 

http://mashable.com/2013/11/20/social-changing-business/

A Special Guest in the TIME Office

We'd like to thank Kelly for taking time out of her day to join us in the office yesterday. The purpose of her visit was to gain an insight into the sort of work we do at TIME; from the ins and outs of daily office life, to the services we provide. 

We really enjoyed having her here and having the opportunity to share our aspirations for the company going forward.

Employment is at an All-Time High

But is this coming at a cost? 

It is clear to see that the state of economy in Britain is improving and unemployment is falling dramatically with more work becoming available. However, it has been reported that a record number of people in employment in the UK are working part-time because they cannot find permanent positions.

Although the decrease in unemployment is positive news it has been met with some criticism stating that these figures show "degraded working condition, reduced rights and an attack on secure, stable work" (http://metro.co.uk/2013/11/13/part-time-britain-millions-more-working-but-theyre-earning-less-4186199/)

We can all see that the economy is not likely to reach a balance over night, could the increase in employment alone be a step in the right direction? At TIME we love to see people placed and happy in permanent positions, its all about what's right for you at the time.

We'd love to hear your views on this subject.

The Problem with Bad Grammar

Grammar is a relatively simple thing to grasp, let's face it, we all learn basic grammar at school and use it constantly in our daily lives. However, when writing CV's, avoiding grammatical errors can be crucial in securing yourself an interview. Good grammar is rarely praised but lots of grammatical errors give a bad impression to employers.

Things to watch out for include putting capital letters in the correct place, the use of apostrophes and using the correct version of certain determiners such as your and you're.

Reed have put together this handy guide listing the most common mistakes and how to avoid them when writing your CV: http://www.reed.co.uk/career-advice/blog/2013/april/common-grammar-mistakes-to-avoid-on-your-cv

If this is not detailed enough I would recommend a book called Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss. Its an easy read written in a comical style but it acts as a great reference guide if you're ever feeling a bit lost with grammar, particularly punctuation.

Should Interns be Paid Minimum Wage by Law?

This very interesting article was in this morning's paper and highlights a growing problem among many employers who are looking for ways to 'legally' obtain cheap labour. Many interns tend to be younger people, particularly those leaving college and university who are looking for a way to reach the first step in their chosen career ladder. Unfortunately, youth and a lack of experience can make it easier for companies to take advantage of interns and this is wrong. The article is included below so please have a read and tell us what you think.

Suffering from Pre-Interview Nerves?

Interviews can be scary, even for the most experienced among us. However, by making sure you're fully prepared BEFORE the interview you are likely to feel far more at ease and confident than if you hope to 'wing it' on the day.

Have a look at the following guide on how to prepare, both before and on the day of your interview to help you banish those jitters!

http://www.reed.co.uk/career-advice/blog/2012/september/how-to-prepare-for-an-interview

Tilbury Port Goes Live Today

In keeping with the nautical theme from yesterday, the port at Tilbury (London Gateway), owned by DP World, went live and is due to accept its first vessel today. According to BBC News, the port is predicted to create around 27,000 jobs in the south east of England.

This is a stark contrast to the somewhat more sombre news of yesterday, hopefully the port will provide good opportunities for the improvement of employment and economy in the UK.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-24844756

Possibly Over 1000 Jobs to Be Lost Due to BAE Systems Cuts

BAE Systems is expected to make a statement today regarding the potential loss of over 1000 jobs from 3 of its UK shipyards. This is thought to have been caused by the completion of two new aircraft carriers and the increase in costs relating to these projects. More information will become available once the statement is released http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-24827221.

Although the UK economy has shown signs of recovery, job loss on this sort of scale shows us that we may have a long way to go until we see a significant improvement. It also highlights the delicate state of employment in many different sectors.

UK Science, Technology and Engineering Shortage

Reports publish recently have found that there is a severe shortage of science, technology and engineering experts in the UK which is likely to be caused by a lack of graduates in these subjects. To get some perspective on the scale of the deficit; the UK produces around 23,000 engineering graduates a year, however China produces 20 times this amount. 

For the UK to avoid "slipping down the international innovation league tables" the number of graduates may need to be increased by up to 50%. Could further support for graduates, such as post graduate training and more apprenticeships, be the answer to this shortage? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-19760351

Widening the Coverage of Our HR Department

The HR Division at TIME CSL is now offering its recruitment services to companies and applicants across London and the Home Counties, including Essex, Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire. For further details, please call our HR team on 01245 325879.

Extreme Weather Does not Phase the TIME Team

Gale force winds have battered many parts of the South half of England this morning and it appears the East and South East have been hit particularly hard. 

Here at the TIME offices we have had a few problems with the lack of train services and disruptions on the road but, being the determined people we are, we have finally managed to make it in! However the full scale of the damage caused is pretty shocking: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-24700852

How have you been affected by the extreme weather this morning?

Some Changes For Our HR Recruiting

Anna Denham has taken over the running of HR recruitment at TIME. Anna has over 20 years of experience working in London, dealing with a variety of major corporations and we are delighted  to have her leading our HR recruting.

If you would like to find out more about getting a job in HR or are looking to fill HR positions, email Anna at anna@timecsl.com or give us a call on 01245 325879.

A New Member of the Team

A warm welcome to the newest member of the TIME team; Rachael Nind. Rachael is a graduate from Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, from which she recently obtained a BSc Hons degree in Zoology.

She has joined us this week and will be working as part of the recruitment team as a recruitment consultant. We are very happy that she is with us and we hope we can help her develop a successful career in recruiting.