British people are notoriously poor at speaking another foreign language and for those who struggled to learn a smattering of French, German or Spanish at school, it may seem a rather useless subject when it appears that most of the world seems to speak English more than competently.
However, many employers do view more favourably candidates who can speak a second language than those who do not. This is true even when speaking a specific or a second language is not part of the job specification. Learning a new language enables a person to have a broader understanding of another race or culture which means a candidate is likely to be more flexible or is more open to looking at things from a different perspective. In today’s world where the internet can connect us to others thousands of miles away in seconds, the ability to have a knowledge and understanding of others can only be an advantage.
The ability to speak more than one language definitely gives candidates a competitive edge over others. With the rise in immigration in the UK over the past 10 to 15 years, there are many children growing up speaking English in school and another language at home, giving them an advantage over children from families where only English is spoken. For those who are determined to succeed, they may want to try learning a less common foreign language. British companies are opening markets in Russia, Brazil, China and parts of the Middle East and competent speakers of Russian, Portuguese, Chinese and Arabic may find themselves in demand.

You may have spent hours perfecting your CV, sweated your way through the job interview and had a nervous wait to find out if you were successful or not, but finally, the day dawns where you are due to start your first ever job since leaving school.

It goes without saying that you need to be punctual, not just for the first day, but every day. It doesn’t mean arriving at 8.58am for a 9am start! Make sure you arrive at least 10 minutes before you are officially due to start work, giving you a chance to freshen up, maybe make a cup of tea and, at least say a friendly hello to new work colleagues. If you rely on public transport to get yourself to work, it is not good enough to say that your bus or train arrives late most days. If this is the case, catch an earlier service.

Make sure you dress appropriately for whatever job you take on. Asking about appropriate dress is a good question for candidates to ask at interview. If you didn’t think to ask this question, then err on the side of caution. If you have a job which is likely to insist on smart dress, then make sure you dress conservatively. The trick is to see what other people are wearing and follow suit. Certain companies may request that visible tattoos are covered for work so you may need to wear long sleeves and a shirt or blouse with a collar.

There will be a lot to learn when you first start a new job and you won’t be expected to know it all by the end of your first day. Pay attention to what you are told and,if you need to, check to assure yourself that you understand the task in hand and then do it properly. Be respectful to work colleagues and customers and you are well advised to avoid getting caught up in office gossip or talking about your boss behind his or her back.

Make sure you are punctual when you return after tea breaks or lunch and, although you may only be paid until 5pm, it won’t look good if you are seen with your coat on ready to leave on the dot. Spend a few minutes tidying your desk, or organising your task in hand so you know where to start the next day and saying goodbye to the people you have been working with.

Finally, unless you really are genuinely so ill that you cannot go to work, it does not look good if you take days off for a sniffle or a mild headache. It may sound harsh but you have joined the world of work now and you will need to “man up” for minor ailments, especially during your first 3 to 6 months of working, when your employers are still finding out about you.

“Internship” may be a relatively new word for middle aged parents but for their student children it has been part of their vocabulary for a while now.

An internship is work experience for a student at either under-graduate or post-graduate level.  The idea is that it allows students the opportunity to gain experience in a working environment, sometimes whilst studying alonside of their degree or sometimes after they have graduated.  Employers may offer internships which last just for a week or two, or for one day a week over a short period of time or they could last as long as six months or a year.  Sometimes a student may be paid while working on an internship, though quite often internships are unpaid, though some employers may give reasonable travel and other work related expenses.

Internships are often available in advertising, sales, marketing, human resources, creative design, management and engineering. Working on an internship should enable a student to develop a number of soft skills which will be applicable to any job, including good communication and presentaion skills and effective problem solving.  An internship gives students a taster of the world of work and gives insight into what a particular job may involve.

Before starting an internship, it is important that a student establishes terms and conditions, especially whether the post is paid or unpaid.

When you hear back from a prospective employer and you’ve been offered an interview, it’s normal to start thinking about the questions you will have to answer. The only problem is, you can’t predict the questions that will come your way, and there will always be an element of surprise. Researching the company is something recruitment agencies will always tell you to do, but again the interviewer may not care how much you know about their business, after all, there will be time for you to learn if you do get the job.

So what should you prepare for? The easiest thing to prepare for is how you present yourself and how you allow your personality to shine though. You should show you’re hungry for the role, and not just desperate to get a job. You shouldn’t have to lie to get a job, but you should know how to talk in a way that shows you care about developing in their setup, and helping their company piush forward. When you’re asked a question, think about how you can answer in a way that sells you and your skills. Prepare for this by picking out previous experiences that are relevant to this role. Use them as fuel, to give your answers more substance.