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Careers & workplace advice from Hays

The concept of virtual or remote teams is not a new phenomenon. However, advances in technology, globalisation, organisational structures and ways of working have meant that this approach has grown significantly over the last few years.

Working within virtual teams and managing from afar requires a different approach to managing people who are in the same room as you.

It means new communication methodologies and techniques to get the best out of each other, whilst improving organisational and personal performance.

Not having employees working in front of you can at times create obstacles to communication, collaboration, relationship building and knowledge sharing within your team. Therefore the idea of having both a unified and remote workforce can seem contradictory. However I believe that having a team of employees that are both remote and joined up can be possible, you simply need to make sure you are following the below steps. Continue reading Is it possible to unite a remote workforce? →

Are you thinking about leaving your permanent role and starting a career in IT contracting? If so, this can be an incredibly exciting prospect, which will no doubt benefit your long-term career. You won’t be stuck doing the same thing day in, day out, and you’ll have variety in your job roles, where you work and the people you meet.

But, how do you know if you’ve really got what it takes to forge a successful career in IT contracting? Will you be able to cope with the uncertainty, take on the challenge and thrive in this new career path? Asking yourself the below six questions will help you decide whether life as an IT contractor is for you.

1. Am I good at being my own boss?

Being your own boss sounds great, doesn’t it? Especially if you’re currently in a job you don’t like or you’re working for someone who is a poor manager. It’s easy to get lost in fantasising about being able to take days off whenever you like and do what you want, when you want, while money auto-magically pops into your bank account.

But when you actually take the plunge and reality sets in, you’ll find that there’s a whole lot to organise, from marketing yourself to paying yourself. The freedom and autonomy IT contracting brings can also be difficult for some to adapt to. So, ask yourself honestly, do you have the determination, focus and perseverance required to succeed as an IT contractor?

I do want to reiterate that there are massive advantages to IT contracting. One of these is that you will have the flexibility you need to ensure you have a fulfilling work-life balance. By choosing IT contracting as a career path, you will find that control over your own time is very much placed back into your own hands, which can be hugely fulfilling, both personally and professionally.

2. How organised and disciplined am I?

It’s important to understand that contracting can be very much like running your own business. You’ll have regular (and monotonous) admin tasks to do, that you probably won’t have ever had to deal with in your permanent job, from preparing your accounts to paying your own tax. You might want to form your own limited company, or register as self-employed – either way, there’ll be paperwork that you have to manage and deadlines for tax returns.

As an IT contractor, it will also be your responsibility to ensure you have a consistent pipeline of work and are always thinking one step ahead. It’s important to be diligent here – towards the end of each contract it’s a good idea to update your CV and LinkedIn profile when the skills and experienced gained are still fresh in your mind, and file all your receipts and expenses to keep your accounts up to date.

So, before you dive into a life of IT contracting, be confident that you have the organisational skills and discipline needed to ensure all of your affairs are in order.

3. How adaptable am I?

As an IT contractor, each and every project, sometimes each and every day, will be different and you will constantly get pushed outside your comfort zone.  This can be hugely motivating, not to mention great for your CV. However, you must be confident in your ability to adapt to change well.

You will also need to be able to handle with operating  different systems and tools as you move from project to project, from company to company. While you’ll probably be great at picking up new software and IT systems, you’ll also need to be adaptable enough to deal with the different admin systems and processes of each company you work at.

4. How do I feel about not being a consistent member of a team?

While this can be a hard concept for some, especially if you’ve come from a long-term permanent role with a tight-knit team, the benefit of contracting is that you will avoid office politics and gossip.   In addition – if you find you don’t get on with someone, or you find the contract manager difficult to deal with, you just have to remember that this is temporary and soon enough you’ll never have to deal with them again- if you don’t want to.

On the other hand, along your way, you will also meet and forge great relationships with other IT contractors. These contacts may well turn out to be useful sources in the future, particularly in terms of recommendations for new projects and securing work.

5. Will I be committed to being proactive in finding new projects?

Part and parcel of successful IT contracting is maintaining your network, building relationships and keeping in touch. You’ll need to be proactive in searching for your next project; marketing yourself and your brand, networking, following up and managing all of that while working at your current role. It’s also important that you maintain regular and open communication with your Hays recruitment consultant, as well as being great at building rapport with past and current clients, in case opportunities arise in the future.

6. How good am I at selling myself?

In between each IT contract, you will need to attend interviews to secure your next project. One of the benefits of IT contracting is that over time, you will start to build a rich and varied CV. However, it’s still important that you have the skills and ability to succeed in an interview, and feel comfortable and confident in an interview situation. After all, you will need to ensure you can sell yourself and highlight why you are better than the other IT contractors out there.

I hope you’ve found this list of questions useful. I would of course, also recommend talking candidly to any of your IT contracting friends about their experiences – this will enable you to build a full and realistic picture of exactly what it’s like to do this as a career. Ask them to be honest and tell you if they would recommend you explore this career path.

There are also some excellent and extremely active IT contracting online forums which can be a great source of information and advice, and whose members will no doubt be more than happy to answer any of your questions.

Finally, you may also find some of our other Viewpoint blogs useful:

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The time has come for you to hire for a new position within your department, and you are keen to attract the best talent possible. You have a clear image of the ideal recruit – from their industry experience and expertise; to their personality, professional conduct and cultural fit.

Whilst you can use these ideals as deciding factors during the interview stage, how can you make sure you get right calibre of candidates through the door in the first place? It all boils down to your job advert.

The job advert is the first and maybe last impression job seekers will have of your vacancy. This is the point where they will decide to either start working on their application, or close the tab and move onto the next one.

Unfortunately, many hiring managers fall at the first hurdle.  Although they may have the assistance of HR or a recruiting expert to help draft the job advert, only the hiring manager has the inside knowledge on what type of candidate is needed for the team, plus the selling points they can mention to position the company as an employer of choice.

So, where are hiring managers going wrong when writing a job advert and what can you learn from their mistakes?


Mistake #1: The job title is misleading

Think about the function and seniority of the role, and use these for your job title, for example Junior Brand Executive. The suitable applicants will be searching for these key words, and this is the only way to ensure that your advert comes up in their search. This simple trick will drive more relevant visitors to your advert.

Yes, this sounds obvious – however some organisations will advertise elusive or misleading job titles like “Brand Architect”. Whilst this organisation is looking for somebody junior to help manage the brands within their organisation, they might attract someone too senior who is used to directing a brand strategy, or even some architects typing in this keyword. Another example could include somebody advertising the role of “Account Manager”.  Again, whilst this organisation is actually looking for a Junior Sales Executive, this listing will come up in the Accountant’s or Manager’s job search.

There are some companies that take it one step further and come up with wackiest title possible with the hope of catching the candidate’s attention. Once again, job titles which aren’t not clear on function and seniority, i.e. – “Social Media Superstar” or “Website Wizard”, will cause the advert to rank beneath and therefore gain less traction than ads for a “Junior Social Media Executive” or “Senior Web Analyst”.

In all of these examples, the recruiter runs the risk of driving irrelevant traffic and possibly even applications to their advert, meanwhile the relevant job seekers are viewing the ones which use simpler, clearer language.

In short, if you want your job advert to appear in the early search results of your desired applicant- keep the title simple, keyword rich and reflective of function and seniority.


Mistake #2 – Your company doesn’t sound compelling

When describing your organisation, it is easy to just include the core aspects like location, company history, services and products and so on.

Although this information is essential, you also need to think about the factors which make you the employer of choice. Any talented, well suited job seeker will quite likely have a number of options in front of them. Why should they come and work for your company?

Remember to include the below, in order to give your organisation a competitive edge.

  • Industry standing: Are you leaders in your field? Do industry bodies come to you for expert advice? Are there any PR highlights or accolades that set you apart?
  • Direction of the company: What’s next for your organisation? Do you have any strategic objectives? Are you growing financially and geographically?
  • Benefits: Are there any great benefits that come with working for you? Do you offer employee shares schemes? Corporate discounts? Private healthcare? Pension schemes?

This sort of information can be a deciding factor for jobseekers choosing between you and your competitors. Don’t lose out because you have undersold your company.


Mistake #3: The job specification sounds uninspiring

A brilliant organisation will certainly help attract the right type of job seeker; however, the role itself is what they will truly seal the deal.

A savvy jobseeker will want to be able to picture their day to day life at your company and answer the most simple but important question of all -“will this move make me happy and fulfilled?”

You can answer this question by including the below information.

  • A typical working day: Whilst you can outline the core roles and responsibilities – bring the job specification to life by describing a typical working in day in the role. Which processes and workflows will the employee follow? What is the line of reporting?  If possible, talk to the current person doing this job and ask what they think are the best or most vital aspects to include.
  • Their team: Who will they be working with and how would you describe the culture of your team? Are they friendly, sociable, supportive, fast paced? This is particularly important – describing the workplace culture will help you to attract applicants who would integrate and collaborate well with your team.
  • Their purpose: How does their role fit into the wider objectives of your business? It is important that the job seeker is able to understand what the purpose of this role is on a larger scale. This can really spark their enthusiasm for the opportunity to make a difference somewhere.
  • Progression opportunities: Any high calibre job seeker will also be considering how this role will enhance their career. What are the training opportunities here? Will you help them to manage their progression and objectives?   Is there the possibility to travel or work overseas? In today’s global job market, many employees say they would want to work abroad at some point during their career, so this could be make or break for some jobseekers.

Happiness and fulfilment is essential for both the job seeker and you, as the hiring manager. If the job seeker accepts a role where they feel unhappy and stagnant in their career, this will affect both their performance, wider team morale, plus their loyalty to the company. Therefore, by including the above, you are deterring this type of job seeker and attracting the right ones.

In conclusion there are some common errors that hiring managers make when writing a job advert, from creating a misleading job title, to omitting important information about the benefits, company and the role.  By following the above advice, you will not only avoid these mistakes, you can also ensure that you only attract high calibre-well suited job seekers to your advert and hopefully, the interview room.

I hope you found this blog useful.  Here is some related content which you may enjoy:

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“LION” “10K+” “Thanks to my 1,000 followers” People are very proud of their online networking credentials nowadays, and understandably so. Connections added at the literal click of a button can add value to your work life – whether they are contacts on LinkedIn or those you follow on Twitter.

Yet only a few years ago when people discussed networking it meant something very different. Have we unwittingly witnessed the death of face-to-face networking?

I would argue not. Personal communication is still tremendously useful and when actively or passively looking for new opportunities face-to-face networking could be just what you need. Meeting people is a great way to generate trust, build your reputation, open doors and generally increase your chances of securing a new role.

By getting out there and talking to people (for example by attending a networking event that you would usually shy away from) a new opportunity that hasn’t been advertised online yet might just come up in conversation. In addition, networking with a potentially useful contact gives you a chance to build a rapport with them, which will increase the likelihood that they will remember you for the right reasons. They will learn more about your experience, strengths and professional conduct. This isn’t something you can get from sending someone a cold message on LinkedIn.

There is a real skill to face-to-face networking, especially whilst looking for a job and it’s all too easy to overlook important factors. So, here are a few networking tricks you can try if you are looking for a new opportunity.

Target your search

Before you even start networking, consider your approach. You need to think long and hard about the kind of role you want, and how you go about locating it. For instance, if you start networking knowing only that you want to leave your current company, you will waste your time talking to just about anyone who will listen on the off chance that they could help you. Not only is it an inefficient use of your time, the person on the receiving end will feel overwhelmed by your vague demands and won’t know where to start helping, even if they wanted to.

Instead, consider your requirements in terms of role, industry, company size, progression opportunities and company culture. Once you have this clear in your mind, you will be better guided on where to look and who to talk to.

Who do you already know?

Now you have a better idea of what you want, cross-reference this with your informal network  i.e. – friends, family, friends of family, family of friends etc. Do you know anyone in your desired industry who you can take to lunch to pick their brains? Is there someone who has a really good job and you want to follow in their footsteps? Spend some time with these people and get to know a bit more about them.

The benefit of informal face-to-face networking is that this is a more relaxed environment where you can be subtle, less rushed and all during your own time. Therefore, when speaking to these acquaintances, don’t immediately bombard them with questions about how they might be able to assist your job search. Socialise as you usually would in this situation; ask about their lives, see how the conversation flows and if it doesn’t come up then subtly steer the conversation towards career.

When you do start talking about your job search, don’t be too direct or demanding. For example, instead of saying “You work in finance, do you know of any roles?” position it as “do you have any advice for someone looking to get into the finance sector?”

Some say “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know” whilst others believe you can only get a job based on merit alone.  I believe it’s a combination of the two; in the sense that having someone who can make introductions or give you inside advice will always act as a catalyst for getting you to the interview stage to show off your merit.

Finding the right events

Whilst informal networking is easier to fit in to your schedule, professional networking may be necessary for finding new opportunities. Put some of your personal time aside, dust off your smartest blazer and get out there.

Don’t just look for networking events, look out for conferences, exhibitions and recruitment fairs related to your desired industry and profession. Learning opportunities are useful in themselves, they will attract the contact type you are looking for and will provide natural areas for discussion.

If you find networking difficult then repeatedly attending events organised by the same company can be useful – it gives you the opportunity to meet the same people frequently and develop a better relationship.

Where possible try and access the list of attendees and use current contacts to introduce you to people you want to meet. Use breaks in the sessions wisely.

During the event

My own natural personality is not especially extrovert and I used to find networking difficult – that first step of introducing yourself to someone you don’t know can be a real challenge. It really helped me to remember that networking is actually the reason the other people are also at the event, and they are actually very grateful to the person who does the “heavy lifting” of initiating the conversation.

When it comes to what to say there are various possibilities such as commenting on the event or shared experience such as the weather. Never underestimate the power of small talk and the places it can take you. As the author Debra Fine once said – “small talk is the biggest thing we do!”

My preferred approach is being honest and open, example-“hello, do you mind if I introduce myself? I don’t think we’ve met before” or “excuse me, I don’t know anyone here, could I join you?”

As long as your words are accompanied by a big smile, outstretched hand and good eye contact then you will always be welcomed. Once you start chatting it’s important to be professional but friendly. The way to strike the right balance is by relaxing, keeping the discussion two-way, seeing how the conversation flows and identifying any opportunities where you can discreetly “self-promote” yourself.

If the conversation reaches a point where you think this person may be able to help you find a new opportunity, then as I mentioned before, be subtle and ask for advice. For example, instead of asking outright if they can find you a job, say “given your experience in X industry, can you offer any guidance for somebody looking to build an X career in that sector”.

Remember that building a network doesn’t just happen at events. Recruitment consultancies will often have a rich network of clients and colleagues so if you take the time to register with an agency such as Hays, you can reach out to multiple people from just one meeting.  By having a face-to-face meeting, the recruiter can get a feel for how you present yourself, what type of places would suit your personality, and connect you with an invaluable host of contacts.

Don’t be a hit and run networker

People aren’t interested in giving you a transactional benefit but they may be interested in developing a mutually beneficial relationship. It’s critical to show interest in the people around you rather than simply try to get information or help in the short term.

Whatever context you are networking in – make sure you turn up prepared and with business cards. When receiving someone else’s business card or contact details, make notes afterwards regarding what you spoke about and remember to connect with them on LinkedIn. Keep in contact with them. Send them a follow up message – you never know what will crop up in the future – so make sure you stay connected and fresh in their minds.

Win-Win

Networking in person is a two-way street, it’s important that you try your best to add value to your contacts as well as benefitting from them. You might have contacts or a viewpoint that can be really useful to the people you are speaking to, you might be able to return any favours. Information travels through networks via pollination, picked up by busy bees and passed on in exchange for other nuggets.

To be honest I used to say that networking wasn’t very useful, that counting on a group of contacts to help you in your career isn’t a fair way to get ahead. After some coaching I realised that I was making excuses, I was avoiding networking because it made me uncomfortable. So I started, I got into good habits, I found the right way for me to develop a professional network.  I then understood that it isn’t about gaining unfair advantages, it’s about developing trust. It’s about learning.  It’s also about having fun – once you begin professional networking in person it can be a real source of enjoyment.

Online networking is a fantastic tool for your professional development and both active and passive job searches. However lasting relationships are still based on face-to-face contact with human beings and it’s really important to decide how you are going to develop real-life network of professional relationships.

About to start your job search? Reading our job searching tips will help ensure it’s a success

 

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The days when a salary-boosting counter offer would successfully retain a resigning staff member are over. Staff retention relates to much more than salary alone. 

People leave jobs for a range of reasons, including dissatisfaction with their current role. A counter offer to a resignation will rarely address why you want to leave in the long term. 

If you receive a counter offer from your employer, it’s important to compare short-term gains vs long-term job satisfaction. In this blog, our experts offer advice about how to respond to a negotiation during your resignation. 

What is a counter offer? 

Firstly, it’s important to recognise when you’re in a position to reject or accept a counter offer. A counter offer when resigning is a negotiation from your employer in an attempt to retain you as an employee.

Your employer may present a revised offer, to adjust your salary, job title, or benefits package. This is an attempt to persuade you to stay with the company, instead of handing in your resignation. 

How to respond to a counter offer from your employer 

Consider why you want to leave your current role 

Common reasons for changing jobs include:  

  • Looking for a new challenge
  • Seeking career progression
  • Wanting to work with newer technology
  • Hoping to contribute more and feel valuable   

Before accepting or rejecting a counter offer, think of the reasons why you want a new role to begin with. Remember: your reasons for leaving should be strong enough to make you search for a new job. You’ll have to apply, interview, and accept a new position. These are not the actions of someone satisfied in their current role.

Of course, it’s flattering when your boss makes a counter job offer upon hearing of your decision to resign. However try to look at the situation objectively. Recruiting and onboarding a replacement can be time consuming. If there’s even a small chance of avoiding the interviewing, onboarding and training process, your boss will take it

Why would a pay rise, new job title or additional benefits be anything other than a tactic to convince you to stay? Ask yourself whether the counter offer really addresses your reasons for leaving. 

Think about what happens if you choose to accept a counter offer and stay 

Risks of the same issues resurfacing 

The majority of people who accept a counter offer find themselves handing in their notice again within a year. For many employees, the original motivations for looking elsewhere remain an issue. 

The potential long-term repercussions of accepting a counter offer can be significant.  

Risks of low engagement or distrust amongst your team 

If you stay in a role after a counter offer, you may feel like your career is in limbo. Engagement and motivation are likely to be low. Added to this is the broken trust that now exists with your boss, which can be difficult to deal with. Distrust could limit future opportunities within the organisation, since employers are potentially less willing to give you more responsibility, fearing you may want to leave the business again.  

Not only are you worrying about how your boss perceives you, but your colleagues, too. They may view your loyalty and commitment differently, leading to distrust and fractured relationships.  

Risks of work-life imbalance 

The emotional toll of new relationships with your team can be a heavy burden. You may even find yourself putting in extra time and effort. Ultimately, there’s a risk of compromising your work-life balance for little reward in winning back the trust of the organisation.  

Are there any benefits to accepting counter offers? 

If your existing employer issues a counter offer, take time to think it through. These offers are unlikely to work out in the long term. However, there can be some advantages depending on your situation and goals:  

Consistency and familiarity

Changing jobs can mean a lot of upheaval. If you’d rather not start again at another company, staying where you are could be best. It can be challenging to pull yourself out of your comfort zone.  

For some people, it can cause stress and anxiety to continue your job search. For those individuals, negative feelings may outweigh the benefits of moving on to another opportunity.  

A salary increase for the same workload

The chance to keep your current position with a higher salary may be enough to convince you to stay with your current company. If you receive a pay rise, you might find your role more rewarding, and it can be a confidence boost.

Career progression

If you consider leaving, your employers may give you a promotion or help you advance in your career. Some employers may genuinely recognise your value and offer you career growth opportunities to make you reconsider your resignation. Counter offers could include more training or leadership opportunities.  

But remember, as appealing as some benefits may sound, it is important to remain cautious about how genuine the employer is.  

While every situation is unique, I would urge you to consider your original motivations for leaving. Always question if the counter offer is worth staying for. 

10 questions to ask yourself to help you decide if you should accept a counter offer 

You can use this handy checklist to assess whether staying with your current employer is the right decision: 

  1. Have you listed the reasons why you wanted to leave your role, and does the counter offer fully address these reasons?
  2. Do you believe your employer values you, or is the counter offer a reactive measure?
  3. Did your employer consistently appreciate you in your role before you decided to resign?
  4. Does staying align with your career goals and aspirations?
  5. Are you motivated by the new opportunities within your current organisation, or are you staying for convenience?
  6. Can you rebuild trust with your manager and colleagues after resigning?
  7. Does the financial incentive outweigh the reasons you initially wanted to leave?
  8. Is the external job market offering better long-term opportunities than your current role?
  9. Are you genuinely excited about staying, or do you feel apprehensive about your decision?
  10. Is this decision driven by fear of change or a desire for growth? 
Just received a job offer? Our tips and advice will help you navigate the next steps

Transparency during a job search has always been somewhat of a grey area for candidates. In my experience, I have seen applicants who want an opportunity so much; they do all they can to further their chances, even if this means lying. Unfortunately for them, recruiters are savvy to this, developing more advanced searching strategies by the day.

No matter how small or seemingly insignificant the lie, once the candidate is exposed, their application is immediately written off on the basis that “if they can lie about this, what else could they be lying about?”

The first step to getting the level of transparency right, is understanding the difference between not informing and misinforming. Whilst it is essential that you don’t misinform the recruiter during your job search, in other words lie, you can leave out certain information.

The second step, is knowing what to leave out – like that paper round that you had when you were 14, and what to mention – like that year long career gap where you went travelling and did some volunteer work.

Hopefully my advice will help you to clarify what counts as a lie, what counts as an omission, what you should/shouldn’t omit and overall, how transparent you should be during your job search.

Download your free CV guide from Hays

Career history

With employers becoming increasingly cautious about whom they hire, recruitment agencies make it their duty to check everything in the person’s career.

Recruiters will look into your previous and current employers, the roles you had with them, the length of tenure in each job, whom you were reporting to and your responsibilities. They have even more investigative scope now that candidates have a strong online presence. Therefore expect to get your name Google searched, CV cross referenced with LinkedIn and your references tracked down.

Sometimes, recruiters don’t need to look very far to spot a lie. I remember a candidate who applied for two jobs and therefore sent me two different CVs. However, the employment dates and job titles were so inconsistent that they actually looked like they were from two separate people. Needless to say, I couldn’t tell fact from fiction and their application went straight in the bin.

Whilst you shouldn’t misinform the recruiter about your career history, you can leave out certain roles if necessary. I would recommend doing this for reasons such as; the role was several years ago, it was for three months or less, your CV is too long and ultimately, it doesn’t add any value to your application.

However I wouldn’t miss out a role that you had for six months or longer, otherwise you are doing yourself a disservice as the recruiter may think you weren’t doing anything. Even if you just list the company, job title and employment dates, this will stress that you were working during this time period, without taking up too much space on your resume.

If you have been out of work for more than six months, I would advise you communicate this reason to the recruiter, preferably via your CV, alternatively over the phone or in person. It’s ok to have a career break, but make sure you highlight how you kept yourself busy, whether you volunteered, undertook training courses or went travelling.

In short, most recruiters have some savvy searching techniques when it comes to digging into your career history; therefore never misinform, and be transparent about any job roles or gaps of six months or more.

Skills and qualifications

Never list something you cannot prove. If you cannot readily talk about the skills and qualifications on your CV, leave them out.

A classic example for me could include a couple of candidates stating in their CV that they speak fluent French or German, without expecting me to speak these languages too. Whilst this skill wasn’t critical to the role in question, the lie or “over assessment” of their fluency made me suspicious of their entire application.

If a skill or qualification is essential for the role, it is even more likely to be investigated in detail. If you feel tempted to lie about possessing these skills; remember this fact and think about how embarrassing it will be once you are exposed, whether it’s by the recruiter or worse – once you’re hired.

Rather than misinforming, take measures to acquire the skills or qualifications needed to be truly equipped for the vacancy. By being honest with yourself and the recruiter, you may even open yourself up to some brilliant opportunities at companies looking to train candidates up.

The moral of the story- be transparent about your abilities, or you could ruin your chances of getting and keeping a role.

Sensitive information

You should be under no obligation to provide information about your marital status, number of children, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, full address and gender. These factors shouldn’t have any bearing on your application. I appreciate that remuneration is a delicate subject, and you do not have to provide salary information on your CV either. However, you should be prepared to talk to an agency about this without misinforming them.

Some candidates may feel tempted to exaggerate their current package to avoid setting the bar too low for their earning potential in a new job. This is a very common misconception, firstly, because most recruiters understand that it’s common place to expect a higher salary in order to incentivise moving jobs – after all, you’re taking a leap of faith and making a big change.

Secondly, if you outline any extra expenses and cost of living in that location, recruiters will take this into consideration and understand that the opportunity has to be financially feasible for you. They will also know the industry standard for this job title, and how much your desired vacancy is looking to pay. You never know, you may be getting vastly underpaid in your current role and suddenly this massive salary increase doesn’t seem so unrealistic anymore.

Either way, you need expert advice on the situation, and you will only get this by being transparent with the recruiter about remuneration.

In summary, knowing the difference between misinforming and omitting information should provide you with a gauge of how transparent you should be during your job search. Misinforming involves telling outright lies about employment dates, job titles, key skills, and current salary. This is short sighted because more often than not, you will be exposed and will hinder your chances of success. Omitting information however is acceptable when leaving out irrelevant and sensitive information which clogs up your CV and has no bearing on your application.

About to start your job search? Reading our job searching tips will help ensure it’s a success