May 31, 2011
Filed under: Business Advice — Alan @ 8:02 am
A list has been compiled showing the top 10 blunders that people make on their CV’s. Intapeople, the specialist recruitment consultants have released the list to make people aware of what they should, and shouldn’t put on their CV’s. Included in the list is a candidate who said that his favourite sporting activity was ‘getting a sun tan’.
Another clanger was dropped by the woman who thought her CV would stand out by being typed in capital letters. Intapeople have done a lot of research into this subject and the results are damning. Many interviews now are based on what is written on a CV, and out of 600 that were submitted by jobseekers, 29% were found to contain serious spelling and/or grammatical errors.
The top ten CV hiccups are as follows:
1.) Under his ‘Key Attributes’, one jobseeker thought that it would be wise to put ‘BMW owner’ and ‘steely blue eyes’.
2.) One candidate chose to use an expanded picture of his face as the background for every page of his CV.
3.) One individual submitted a CV spanning 20 pages. If that wasn’t worrying enough, 19 of the 20 pages included his top 10 favourite singles, albums, films and television shows for every decade since 1950.
4.) One candidate observed: ‘Attention to detail is one of my key strengths’.
5.) One person described his favourite sport as ‘sun tanning’.
6.) In a bold red font, one unfortunate finance manager put the words ‘Went Bankrupt’ next to her previous three employers.
7.) One particularly loud candidate decided to submit her entire CV in capital letters.
8.) One overly passionate individual said that he had ‘an extremely disgusting fetish’ for print, packaging, and creative design.
9.) In applying for an IT vacancy, one individual opened his CV with ‘I have a strong interest in Aerobics which I take part in every evening’. He went on to explain that his dream was to open up his very own aerobics studio.
10.) Beneath the ‘Core Skills’ section of her CV, one individual wrote: ‘I am great with animals as I have three cats of my own and a hamster.’
May 29, 2011
Filed under: Business Awards — Alan @ 3:48 pm
Presented by HSBC the European Business Awards announced that Weir & Carmichael Ltd will represent the UK in the programme for the prestigious 2011 awards. Stiff competition was beaten off by Weir & Carmichael in their selection to be one of 25 representatives of different countries. They will now compete to win the coveted Ruban d’Honneur in the competitions next round.
Based in Bootle, Liverpool Weir & Carmichael are an SME. They are a recycling and flexible packaging solutions supplier and since 1955 have been supplying manufacturing industries in the UK. For Britwrap Reusable Transit Packaging, one of their products they have been selected as a representative for the UKTI Innovation Award.
Designed for protecting products in transit, Britwrap is a protective cover that is sustainable and dramatically cuts waste, packaging costs, damages returns and promotes manual handling correctly.
Commercial Director Martin Ellioth stated that they were thrilled to be selected as a representative of the UK and have been in operation more than 55 years and it is an honour to receive recognition as one of the leaders in our field and more importantly our country. November 22, 2011 the final category winners will be announced in Barcelona.
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May 26, 2011
Filed under: Small Business News — Alan @ 6:24 am
The skyrocketing increase in energy prices is forcing small business owners in Northern Ireland to look outside the province for fuel sourcing with close to 66% purchasing fuel from other than Northern Ireland. As fuel prices increase dramatically in March the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) polled its members.
Their research found that over 34% buy fuel at least once a month outside the province while the same percentage say they have never purchased fuel outside of Northern Ireland. FSB’s Roger Pollen said many owners were forced by the increasing fuel costs to seek many different measures to lower their fuel bills.
The incredibly high fuel prices for both diesel and petrol are also impacting the consumer’s confidence said Pollen. They also affect the profitability thus there is no surprise that many are leaving Northern Ireland to purchase cheaper fuel.
Members of the FSB have lowered their fuel usage with 52% reducing the amount of travel, 14% changing their vehicles out for ones that are more fuel efficient and 23% are adopting more fuel efficient techniques in driving. A fuel duty stabilizer is being requested. That would ensure automatic freezes on fuel-duty increases and in case of VAT increases would lower the duty accordingly.
May 25, 2011
Filed under: Small business — Alan @ 6:11 am
A husband and wife team on North Tyneside have recognised the need for ad hoc workspace for budding entrepreneurs. Helen and Mark Reed, who founded the Newcastle Business Village in Benton, Newcastle in 2009 have just opened the latest development on the village. The Newcastle Business Hub offers flexible office and meeting space for those who don’t have premises of their own.
Helen Reed spoke about the hub, saying that it offered invaluable assistance to those looking to start up a business or run a home based business. They had discovered just how many professionals in North Tyneside were trying to go it alone, and tailored the new business hub to make life easier for them. The hub was officially opened by the mayor of North Tyneside Linda Arkley, who said this kind of centre was vital for fledgling businesses.
She said that there would be times that those who operated from home full-time would benefit from the chance to socialise and meet fellow professional. It also offers the use of traditional office space should they need it. Mayor Arkley went on to at that there was an increasing number of small businesses across Tyneside who were at the stage where they didn’t need permanent office space but would benefit from access to it should they need it.
A former director of the Mills Group, John Porret, is running his ‘Unique Magazines’ subscriptions business from the village and has nothing but praise for it. He started with 4 people in one office 18 months ago, now to the growth in his business, the village has supported the expansion and he has doubled his staff, workshop, office and warehousing space.
May 24, 2011
Filed under: Business Advice — admin @ 10:34 pm
An Advertising Feature
There’s some very old advice given to job candidates, encouraging them to dress the part even when they’ve not a penny left. The same goes for seat-of-the-pants entrepreneurs, working from the spare bedroom but turning up to meet new clients looking reliable, in a not-too-new but expensive suit. Even creative types have to look the part – would you feel comfortable hiring a designer apparently too disorganised to wash her clothes? The same wisdom applies to your premises – the only problem is, many bosses baulk at what they perceive as an unnecessary expense & fail to extend their office refurbishment beyond some squashy leather sofas & a fruit-bowl in the foyer.
A smart foyer & meeting room certainly reassure clients that you’re doing well; that they’re in good hands & their money is well invested. But what about your employees? Management Today magazine conducted a survey across thousands of UK workers. They found that 97% of employees see a direct correlation between the quality of their working environment & how well they’re valued by their employer.
Yet, staggeringly, only 37% of them concluded that their own workplace was appropriately designed. We’re not talking a hankering for flowers & teddy-bears here & there. It’s a question of being too embarrassed to bring clients & colleagues back to the office; of wasting 30 minutes finding what you need to get on with your job; of the temperature being so out of whack that everyone’s either too hot or too cold, & constantly distracted by their discomfort (& that of their more vocal colleagues). Then there’s time lost to RSI, back pain, eye strain, dust-induced respiratory problems, & simple but oh-so-vicious stress.
Research undertaken by Warwick Business School discovered that people work 12% harder than neutral when happy, & 12% less than neutral when unhappy, even when they were paid exactly the same fee. Carry on neglecting your workers & not only will their productivity falter – they’ll start to gossip. Low morale spreads as infectiously as laughter, & HR costs incurred by perpetual new hires & new training over a couple of years can easily outpace what you spend on decent office chairs to keep your existing workforce (& their lumbar regions) happy. Persistent miserliness can also spread the impression that the company is struggling. Your best workers will jump ship, & so might your clients if the rumour reaches them.
Unfortunately, many employers refuse to squint beyond the immediate expense of sorting out their workers’ environment. A well-organised office can save up to £1000 annually per employee, in time spent preparing for work every year. Workspace assessments can identify under-utilized office space & shrink the amount of room needed by the business, cutting rental & facilities management costs. Energy efficiency – sealing drafts, installing efficient climate control, energy-saving fixtures & fittings – can slice zeros off your overheads in the long term.
A refit doesn’t need to be expensive. There’s no need to throw out what does work. Existing furniture & materials can be reused, recycled or even sold to offset the cost of new ones – or given to charity, which will at least be tax-deductible – & the sum you’ll save in the long run is provably greater than what you’ll fritter away while you’re waiting until you feel generous enough.
May 21, 2011
Filed under: Small Business News — Alan @ 12:07 pm
A prominent organisation that specialises in small businesses has spoken out about a new equity fund intended for medium sized businesses. They have said that the equity, worth £2.5b is only for those businesses with a turnover of between £10-£100m will not bring anything into the small business sector which is desperate need of extra funding, and is a crucial part of the recovery of the economy in the UK.
Senior policy advisor for the forum for Private Businesses, Alex Jackman, has said that the fund was aiming to bridge the gap in the funding of ‘high growth’ companies. These were identified in 2009 in the Rowlands Review, and while this was a long overdue and welcome step forward, it was overshadowing the real problem.
This was the lack of affordable loans that banks are making available to established small businesses as well as those trying to start up. As these weren’t eligible to get anything from the fund there was a real danger that small businesses were being left out in the cold and this is turn would be disastrous for the UK economy. The Forum wants better access to affordable finance as part of its campaign to get Britain trading.
May 20, 2011
Filed under: Small Business News — Alan @ 11:10 am
For failing to recognize, in proposed legislation to improve economies, the importance of small businesses, the Government is coming under considerable heat. The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) are the ones criticizing the government saying that the Localism Bill’s current version is a missed opportunity.
The Bill is a part of the Big Society campaign of the government and today reaches its report stage. The campaign is pushing to give more power back to communities. But John Walker, FSB chairman said that the goals of the Bill are clear, but many issues must be addressed while it is still in debate and before it becomes law.
The FSB is calling on the MP’s to make amendments to the Bill to ensure the bill reflects all the needs that local businesses have. It is a disappointment that the Bill does not recognize the role small businesses play in the community and how important they are locally. These small local businesses will be the key in strengthening the economy to recover from the recession.
One key issue was the proposed neighbourhood planning forums that currently do not have sufficient spaces for the business owners at the table. MPs are being lobbied by FSB to make amends to the Bill allowing business owners to be a part of the forums to help protect economic growth in the area.
They also want recognition of the larger role the Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) can play like making sure there is cooperation on key strategic issues like planning and transport. They also want to amend the Community Right to Buy clauses that appear in the current version of the Bill.
May 19, 2011
Filed under: Business Finance — admin @ 2:46 pm
Credit has been around for decades and although the means of gaining credit has changed over the years the idea behind it hasn’t. If you see an item that you don’t have the ready cash for, you can buy it on credit and pay for it later in agreed instalments. Interest is charged for allowing you to buy now and pay later. Capital One have produced a video that will guide you through all the different kinds of credit available.
A bank overdraft is very simple kind of credit. You bank determines a pre-set amount that you can spend up to once you have no money left in your account. This is then paid back in pre-arranged instalments or one lump sum. Charges are applicable for this kind of credit and the fees will be displayed in your bank.
Published for Capital One
May 17, 2011
Filed under: Business Finance — Alan @ 8:47 pm
For many small business owners (SME) it is tempting to think that a cash injection is the answer to their cash-flow worries, but there are many much deeper reasons that go right to the core of the business. The SME’s need to be focused on reporting the monthly key financial information much the same as the larger corporations do.
This discipline helps to build stronger financial confidence moving forward and will help to maintain cash flow in focus and provide the managers and owners the vital information about the overall health of the company before there are cash flow problems.
One reason for the regular reporting is the confidence it inspires at the board and stockholder levels. Small businesses can operate in the same way and funding providers or business angels will be more apt to talk business with a business that takes a sensible approach to financial information reporting.
The process needs to be automatic and not onerous. Keep invoices updated for both suppliers and customers, value stock, check debtor days, compare actual sales against forecast budget. These and other things must be done buy are pretty straightforward once a monthly routine has been established.
May 13, 2011
Filed under: Business Advice,Business Tools,IT — admin @ 10:11 am
We recently published an article and broadcast outlining what IT industry leaders are saying can be achieved through the use of Cloud Computing – http://blwy.co.uk/uk-smbs-reach-for-the-clouds/
Here is a comment from Dominic Jones, Managing Director of Barton Technology.
Sir, Every time I speak to another IT support consultant, they tell me about the benefits of cloud computing. However, they rarely outline the drawbacks. And I do understand the advantages of the cloud; in fact I’m the first to champion its benefits for the right kind of company.
I would argue that small businesses and SMEs should think twice about the value they will get from having their information infrastructure, software and services hosted on the internet, rather than on their personal computers or network.
Business owners should ensure that they have the right IT infrastructure and broadband services in place to meet their information demands. Cost is clearly an issue, as is security. But the biggest problem is Internet access. If you don’t have sufficiently robust broadband, equipped with adequate bandwidth, it can limit your flexibility and even your creativity. Cloud computing can also restrict the software you can use on individual machines – and we can all agree that lack of flexibility is not an option for small businesses and SMEs for whom agility is often the key selling point.
Cloud computing can be revelatory for the right business, but failure to plan might make it difficult to find the silver lining in this particular cloud.
Best regards,
Dominic Jones
Managing director
Barton Technology
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