Career Retraining

When considering career retraining, it's important to first define what you DO want and what you DON'T want from the job you're looking to get into.

Be sure that the grass actually is greener before you spend time and effort re-directing your life. We recommend looking at the big picture first to avoid disappointment. For example, just recently many people have retrained for a career as a HIPS assessor for the new government initiative for housing. We now estimate that we have four times the number of assessors than are needed in this country... so not the ideal solution if you're looking for a job as an assessor!

We recommend that before you start you might want to consider some answers to the following questions.

Once retrained, do you want to earn more money?

Do you want this retrained career skill to last you for the rest of your working life?

Once trained, do you want your skill to enable you to get a choice of work?

Do you want a skill that will enable you to choose where you live?

If the answer is yes to three or four of these questions, you've already eliminated the vast majority of the jobs in the UK!

You should be looking for a job in an industry that pays above average, is growing and/or has more jobs available than people to fill them.It needs to be future-proof and not go the way of ship building and coal mining i.e. not in decline. It also needs to be practiced all over the UK/world so you have the choice of where you work.

The biggest industry in the UK to tick all of the above boxes is the computer industry, particularly IT. But don't think its all nerdy people sitting in front of screens all day - there's a lot more to it than that.

The majority of the people in the industry are just like you and me, and they have very interesting and well paid jobs. There's a shortage of skilled people in this sector, just check out any job site and you'll see for yourself.

Career Retraining - Use interactive Video training to learn in your own home.

So if you'd like to explore the possibility of career retraining to join the IT team in the UK, you've come to the right place.

Our team here at LearningLolly have helped thousands of people retrain into many different areas of IT. All of our advisors have experience of the industry and will happily discuss your needs. They'll be able to help you find a role that's exactly right for you, your personality and your abilities.

They can then show you which qualifications you'll need to impress an employer to give you the job you're looking for. To discover how we can help you through your career retraining and beyond, click for an info pack or read on...:

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Frankly Speaking... thoughts for the day!

Interview Advice: Typical Questions... Part 2

Preparing for your interview questions might seem like a double-edged sword - after all it's hard to be natural if you've just memorised your lines. So whilst it's not recommended that you learn stock answers by heart, we do think it's a good idea to get a feel for the type of things you could be asked. That way you can give some thought to your answers, and get your brain in gear quickly on the day.

Some of these are likely to be thrown in:

"Why should we select you?"

Look at the job description, and pick out some of your strengths that match what they're looking for. Even if your work experience has been in a different career, you can talk about things such as attention to detail, reliability, technical skills, customer relationship skills, seeing things through etc. Always think of examples that demonstrate the strengths you're promoting. If you're not used to blowing your own trumpet and worry that you'll sound like an ego-maniac, use the phrase "The guys I work with say that I'm good at..."

If you're struggling with this one, ask your mates or your mum what makes you special (but keep it relevant - best to leave out that you can drink ten large vodkas without throwing up...)

"What's your biggest weakness?"

This can be the scariest question of all, but it doesn't need to be. Resist the temptation to say "I don't have any weaknesses...", or "I'm just too nice..." - this will only have the interviewer reaching for a bucket! We'd also avoid phrases like "I probably work too hard..." unless you really do and can elaborate. Clearly this is also not the best time to blurt out that you're a two-timing liar with commitment issues...

The way to handle this question is to talk about something work-related that wasn't one of your natural strengths, but explain how you've already taken steps to improve it. If you can't think of anything work-related, maybe for example you feared doing a presentation at your sports club or school, but you did it anyway and started to conquer your fear. Nobody's perfect, including your interviewer, who's as interested in how you handle that question as in what you say.

"What are your strengths?"

This is similar to the "Why should we take you on?" question. Go through the job spec so you can give examples of why you're strong in skills that are needed for the role. Pick out three different ones that the interviewer's likely to be looking for. You might choose one that shows you can do the job, one that demonstrates your commitment and one that proves you're a good bloke/girl to have on the team.

"What's your current salary / What salary are you looking for?"

Another tricky one this, but the golden rule is never lie about your current income - they can always find out. That's not to say that you can't big it up by including any perks and bonuses though. If you're career changing and have newly qualified certifications, it's quite reasonable to expect a different salary anyway. If asked what you'd be seeking, mention that it's in the same area as the salary guideline for the job description, but try not to get involved in any detail. It's quite common to fine-tune the exact salary negotiation once you've been offered the job. If the recruiter doesn't bring up the subject, leave it until the second interview - you don't want to come across as only interested in the money.

(Continued...)

You can read the whole article at http://www.learninglolly.com/Advice_Interviews_Questions.html