professional development Archives - Everpool Recruitment

Imagine this: you discover an incredible Office and Commercial career opportunity that aligns perfectly with your goals and priorities as an employee. But, as you prepare to apply for the role, you notice a problem: a glaring gap in your CV.

Maybe you spent a year or two “unemployed” while you dealt with personal priorities, or you struggled to find a new role for a while after leaving another job. Whatever the reason for the gap, you know you will most likely have to explain it to your potential employer.

The thought of explaining a gap in your work history can be daunting. You might assume it will paint you negatively or reduce your chances of getting a job offer. However, CV gaps are more common than you think, and they need not be a red flag to employers.

What matters is how you address the gap. Here, we’ll show you how to frame career gaps positively and ensure you take advantage of valuable opportunities.

Understanding CV Gaps

A CV gap is any period in an individual’s career history where they were unemployed. If this is you, you are not alone, as McKinsey found that 62% of all employees will have a gap at some point in their professional history.

Gaps can be caused by career transitions, such as when you decide to leave an old Office and Commercial role and don’t have a new opportunity lined up in advance. You might transition into a period of unemployment while pursuing personal development opportunities, taking ‘time out’ to travel the world or investing in your education.

Sometimes, CV gaps are because of family responsibilities (such as caring for children or relatives), health issues (physical or mental), and changes in priorities. For instance, you might leave a role to focus on a passion project or voluntary work.

There are plenty of instances where gaps in your career may not be something you could have predicted or prevented. Companies can close, lay off team members, and make employees redundant for various reasons, leading to unexpected career gaps.

The Importance of Transparency

Whether the gap in your Office and Commercial CV was caused by something inside your control or not, explaining it to a new employer can be anxiety-evoking. This is demonstrated by up to 53% of candidates in one study saying they’d feel more confident applying for roles if they didn’t have to disclose the reasons behind their career gaps.

Remember that having a gap in your work history doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll have less chance of getting the role you want. LinkedIn found that 79% of managers will happily hire candidates regardless of career gaps.

When you confidently address the reason for the gap with your prospective employer, showing how it benefited you or contributed to your personal development, you’ll seem more proactive and trustworthy to them.

Being clear and transparent about your career gap sets a positive tone for building a relationship with your employer. It shows integrity and self-awareness and allows you to control the narrative surrounding your career history.

Reframing Career Transitions as Opportunities

Many Office and Commercial candidates are concerned that CV gaps would make them seem noncommittal, flaky, or unreliable. However, how a hiring manager or employer perceives a career gap depends on how you frame it.

Even if the reason for your employment gap didn’t directly contribute to your value as a candidate (like a year spent earning an unrelated certification), you could draw attention to how the gap benefited you.

Your unemployment period contributed to your adaptability and resilience, showing you how to adapt to new challenges and periods of potential uncertainty. You might have had a chance to try different interim roles, whether as a traditional employee, contractor, or volunteer, to help you uncover new insights and skills.

Think about how you can draw attention to the gap’s positive results, even if it only helped you progress through a period of self-discovery.

Crafting a Compelling CV

If you’re invited to an interview, you should have a chance to discuss your CV gap in more depth with your potential Office and Commercial employer. However, to improve your chances of getting to that stage, you must structure your CV correctly.

First, think about the format. Instead of using a chronological CV that lists all of your previous experiences in order, drawing more attention to gaps, highlight the experiences most relevant to the role you’re applying for in order of importance.

Begin your CV with a strong summary or profile section that encapsulates your professional identity, spotlighting your unique characteristics and the strengths you’ll bring to the potential employer. Instead of listing previous job titles, focus on tailoring your CV to draw attention to your achievements and accomplishments over the years.

If you notice a gap in your CV is pronounced, add bullet points explaining what you did during those periods. For instance, did you spend time volunteering, doing freelance work, seeking out courses, or travelling to expand your personal growth?

Addressing Gaps in Cover Letters and Interviews

Before you’re invited to an Office and Commercial interview, you can proactively use your cover letter to address a career gap. Don’t go too in-depth with your explanation in the cover letter, but briefly describe why you weren’t employed during this period, then redirect the focus back to the skills and experiences that make you suitable for the role.

When invited to an interview, prepare to provide a more in-depth explanation. Plan what you’re going to draw attention to in advance, focusing on:

What you learned during the period: Did you develop any new specific skills or learn more about the industry, your priorities, and your strengths and weaknesses?
Valuable experiences: What experiences did you have during the gap that contributed to your value as an employee? For instance, did you develop more resilience and grit?
Relevance to the role: Are there any experiences you had during the gap that are particularly relevant to the role? For instance, did travelling help you better understand the priorities of different Office and Commercial customers or clients?

Take note of your tone and body language while responding to interview questions about the gap. Maintain an open posture and make eye contact.

Committing to Continuous Professional Development

All the strategies above will help you frame CV gaps more positively when you’re applying for new roles. However, the best way to make explaining gaps feel less daunting is to proactively invest in constant professional development.

If you’re committed to continually improving your skills and abilities, particularly during unemployment, you’ll have a much easier time making gaps seem optimistic. During career transitions, look for ways to use your time effectively.

Take online courses and explore new certification opportunities. Learn about industry trends and experiment with the latest technology. Invest in networking and visit industry events. Consider freelance work, consulting, or voluntary Office and Commercial opportunities.

In your CV or cover letter, highlight these proactive personal development strategies and explain how they enhance your value as a candidate.

Don’t Fear the CV Gap

Gaps in a CV are becoming increasingly common, particularly as Office and Commercial employees pursue new priorities and explore non-linear paths to progression. Therefore, explaining periods of unemployment in your career history shouldn’t fill you with panic.

Rethink how you look at these gaps and present them to potential employers. Suppose you can frame your career gaps as periods that enabled you to improve your skills or personal growth. In that case, it helped you become a more valuable prospective employee, enhancing your chances of getting the role.

In the competitive Legal space, getting ahead at work and achieving your career goals demands more than an ability to meet your performance expectations. The dynamic and unpredictable world we live in means employers are prioritising candidates who demonstrate adaptability, resilience, and intuition, which means you will need to be proactive to thrive.

Proactivity is valuable, ensuring you can anticipate and overcome challenges as they emerge, consistently demonstrate the right skills to your employers, and stay one step ahead in an evolving industry.

In fact, several research studies show proactive employees have greater job satisfaction, more successful careers, and a reduced risk of burnout.

Understanding Proactivity in the Workplace

Being proactive means taking a self-initiated, future-focused approach to everything you do. It’s not just about ensuring you’re always busy in the workplace or taking regular risks. Proactive employees are reflective and strategic about every action they take.

Proactive people know how to recognise challenges before they emerge, solve problems creatively, and constantly develop their skills to remain productive.

Rather than simply responding to situations as they arise, proactive employees actively look for opportunities to contribute to the workplace and drive progress positively. They’re curious and confident and embrace personal agency in their roles.

The Importance of Proactivity in Your Legal Role

A proactive approach can benefit both your personal and professional life. When Legal employees are proactive, they will be more satisfied with their careers because they constantly search for valuable opportunities. They don’t just wait for promotions and new responsibilities to present themselves; they map and implement their path to success.

Proactive employees are more valuable to employers, too. They can positively impact business results, helping organisations to overcome challenges rapidly, remain agile, and explore new methods for growth.

Embracing a proactive personality can:

Differentiate You From the Competition

Proactive people stand out because they regularly innovate, solve problems independently, and show their value to existing and prospective employers. Fact: Proactive people are likelier to access excellent job offers and promotions than competing candidates.

Enhance Resilience

The Legal space constantly evolves, presenting new challenges and opportunities to employees. As a proactive person, you can pre-empt changing dynamics and prepare for them more effectively. You’ll be better equipped to change and evolve consistently, seize opportunities, and remain agile in your role.

Unlock Leadership Opportunities

Proactivity is a common characteristic of effective leaders. Showing proactivity at work can boost your chances of accessing greater responsibilities. One report from the Journal of Applied Psychology found that proactive people are more likely to be promoted to leadership roles and make more money.

Strategies to Develop Proactivity

While your upbringing can impact how proactive you are as a Legal employee, proactivity is still something you can build yourself. Some of the best ways to nurture your proactive skills include:

Taking Ownership

Embracing personal empowerment is a significant factor in proactivity. You can’t be proactive if you don’t take ownership of your career and work. Rather than waiting for opportunities to present themselves or reacting to things as they happen, actively look for opportunities.

Embrace chances to take ownership of tasks and projects and act as a leader for other members of your Legal team. Take accountability for your actions and the outcomes of projects, and regularly review your strengths and development areas to find growth opportunities.

Predict and Anticipate Needs

Part of being a proactive Legal employee is nurturing a future-focused mindset. You’ll need to develop a habit of anticipating challenges and opportunities, even before they arise.

There are various ways you can do this.

Tuning into industry trends, tracking market changes, and staying updated on developments by following industry leaders can help.

Another way to become more future-focused is to envision your goals and what you want to accomplish and work backwards from there. Identify your company’s and personal goals, and ask yourself what you will want to accomplish or overcome.

Be Solution Focused

Anticipating challenges is useful, AND to be proactive, you also need to take action. Don’t just present problems and opportunities to your manager or team members; propose creative ways of approaching them. Look at issues from multiple angles and collaborate with colleagues to drive positive results effectively. Learn from your previous strategies and grow.

Don’t wait for someone else to step in and offer a solution. Make it a priority to confront challenges and handle problems before they escalate.

Commit to Continuous Learning

Proactive Legal employees are constantly evolving. They know the importance of developing new skills as the market changes, whether technical skills are linked to A.I. and automation or soft skills like emotional intelligence.

Rather than relying on your employer to offer the right training opportunities, look for ways to develop skills yourself. Seek out courses and certifications, find a mentor who can help you hone your abilities, or network with other experts in your industry.

Proactivity: Steps for Success

Developing a proactive personality isn’t enough; you must also constantly demonstrate that attribute to your Legal employers and colleagues. Here are some of the ways you can present a proactive mindset.

1. Make Long-Term Plans

Proactivity is all about looking ahead. With this in mind, think about your future in terms of long-term and short-term targets. Ask yourself where you want to be in your career five or ten years from now. Do you want to be part of another Legal team or lead your own?

If so, which skills will you need to develop, and how will you show your employer that you deserve these opportunities?

Do you need to take on more responsibilities, volunteer for difficult projects or learn new skills?

Organise your plans with SMART goal setting. Break the steps you need to take down into simple targets that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound.

For instance, if your goal is to become a Legal team leader, you may need to start by developing better time management and organisational skills over the next few months.

Keep track of your progress and record your proactive contributions, including successful initiatives, problems resolved, and outcomes.

2. Organise Your Time Effectively

When you take control of your schedule, you can plan activities and ensure you’re spending your time in a way that drives you towards the results you want. Part of being proactive is identifying what you can and can’t control in your life and career.

Determine what you can take ownership of in your Legal career and what you need to prioritise to reach your goals.

3. Communicate and Collaborate Consistently

Good communication is crucial to success in the Legal workplace. Communicating and collaborating regularly with team members will help you to examine your work from different perspectives, solve problems more creatively, and anticipate a wider range of challenges.

Collaborating with team members will also allow you to showcase your proactive nature to your employers by volunteering for cross-functional projects, mentoring other team members, and sharing your skills. Additionally, effective communication will ensure you can keep everyone informed of your initiatives and accomplishments.

Ask for regular meetings or performance reviews so you can show how your proactive approach has made a positive impact on the team. Ask regularly for feedback to become more self-aware and in tune with your strengths and development areas.

4. Be actively Involved in the workplace

Studies from Harvard Business Review show that quiet, reserved employees are often overlooked for promotions and opportunities, regardless of how effective they are in their roles. As a proactive employee, you must find opportunities to show Legal managers and leaders how involved you are in the workplace.

Subscribe to internal newsletters to keep track of upcoming business opportunities and offer assistance in launching new initiatives. In meetings, speak up and deliver contributions; don’t blend into the background.

When challenges and opportunities emerge in your work, be the first to raise your hand and ask to contribute. Even if a challenge is outside your comfort zone, showing a willingness to contribute will help to highlight your proactive nature.

5. Develop a Growth Mindset

Finally, remember that being proactive is often associated with having a growth mindset. Proactive people don’t give up when they face a challenge or something goes wrong. They learn from their mistakes and commit to constant improvement.

Allow the success of other employees to inspire you rather than make you envious. Regularly use self-reflection to assess your weaknesses and look for opportunities to grow. See negative feedback as a chance to improve your work and become a more valuable Legal employee.

Be a Proactive Legal Employee

Developing your proactivity muscle in the Legal workplace ensures you can make a lasting impression on your employer and team members. Embracing a proactive mindset demonstrates your value as an employee, helps you to innovate and adapt faster, and ensures you’ll be first in line for new promotions and opportunities when they arise.

Look at your current work strategy and ask yourself where to apply proactive strategies, whether proposing new ideas in meetings, seeking additional training, or offering to take the lead on a new project.

You might even decide the path to proactivity starts with finding a better role in an environment more suited to your needs. In that case, your journey could begin by contacting a Legal recruitment company like ourselves.

Demand for skilled IT employees is increasing in 2024, and unemployment levels are dropping. However, there’s still significant competition in the market among candidates in this industry. Faced with a complex economic landscape, employers are limited in the opportunities they can offer.

If you want to optimise your chances of getting the ideal role this year, you must demonstrate the skills employers are searching for.

It’s not just technical skills that recruiters prioritise today, but a range of soft skills too, from exceptional communication to resilience.

To ensure you can stay relevant in the current recruitment market, we’re exploring the most important hard and soft skills you should concentrate on as you invest in professional development for 2024 and beyond.

The Value of Hard Skills in 2024

Hard skills, or “technical skills”, are the quantifiable abilities that most recruiters will look at when reviewing your application for a IT role. They’re the competencies you need to accomplish the responsibilities and tasks of a specific job.

Hard skills result from the knowledge, training, and experience you’ve gained throughout your career.

Unfortunately, the hard skill requirements for many roles evolve all the time. Employees need to quickly adapt to new systems, tools, and processes that didn’t exist in the past.

The key to defining which hard skills you need to develop in your IT role is to examine industry trends and job descriptions in your sector.

Look at things like:

Relevant qualifications: Most employers in the IT landscape will look for evidence of your abilities through credentials, including certifications, degrees, demonstration of continuing professional development portfolios, or attending courses.
Proficiency with specific tools: All industries, including the IT sector, rely on specific tools like hardware and software. Ensure you know the resources your chosen business uses daily, such as accounting or design software.
Hard communication skills: Hard communication skills combine soft communication skills with new technologies and business goals. They can include skills in digital communication, copywriting, reading, writing, and speaking in a non-native language.
Transferable hard skills: Some hard skills are becoming relevant in all industries. Project management skills, proficiency with data analysis, and even management or leadership skills can be valuable to various IT roles.

Digital Literacy: The Non-Negotiable Skill Set

Perhaps the most significant hard skills employers require today align with “digital literacy”. As mentioned above, virtually every company in the IT industry is in the midst of a continuous digital transformation process.

Your ability to use and adapt to new technology will make you a valuable resource to your employer, even if you’re not pursuing a tech-related role. In fact, according to Forbes, around 93% of businesses are struggling to fill a “digital skills gap” today.

The specific digital skills you need will vary depending on your role, but they may include:

Data analysis: Understanding and interpreting data is valuable in any role, as it improves your problem-solving capabilities. Using tools like Excel and SQL to manage and visualise data will make you a highly appealing candidate.
Software proficiency: As noted above, most roles require employees to use specific software to accomplish tasks. This could include project management, calendaring, team collaboration apps, or specific design or data processing solutions.
I. proficiency: Artificial Intelligence is here to stay in all industries. Learning how to work with generative A.I. applications and bots or use intelligence to optimise and learn from data or business trends is a must in today’s world.
Cybersecurity: As digital threats continue escalating in the IT landscape, your ability to safely work with tools and data is paramount. Ensure you have a basic knowledge of protecting your online accounts and avoid scam and phishing attacks.
Cloud computing: Cloud computing has transformed how businesses operate, offering access to scalable resources over the internet. A fundamental knowledge of cloud computing best practices will help you to thrive in today’s digital world.

Soft Skills: The Unseen Backbone of Professionalism

Soft skills have always been essential to any role in the IT industry. In today’s digitally transforming world, however, they’re more crucial than ever. Fast Company reports that employers increasingly value “soft skills” over hard skills.

Soft skills refer to character traits and interpersonal skills that characterise a person’s ability to interact effectively with colleagues.

The combination of both soft and hard skills and knowledge results in an employee who has the potential to contribute and perform at a higher level than peers who are less skilled in one or both areas.

Some soft skills, such as collaborating well with colleagues, have always been essential. Others have grown more crucial in recent years.

In 2024, IT employers will be looking for staff members that show skills with:

Creative problem solving: The ability to look at an issue from various perspectives and develop creative resolutions.
Every business faces problems, and your ability to respond effectively will make you a valuable asset.
Adaptability and resilience: As the world continues to evolve at a break-neck speed, resilience and adaptability are becoming more crucial.
You’ll be a better employee if you can manage change effectively and stay strong in the face of stress and challenges.
Commitment to continuous learning: According to the World Economic Forum, 44% of employees’ core skills will change in the next five years. A commitment to lifelong learning and development ensures you can adapt to the changing landscape.
Motivation and self-management: The ability to act independently and maintain high motivation is crucial today.
An ability to manage your own time and stay focused will make you more efficient in your role and inspire the teams around you.
Emotional intelligence: Emotional intelligence, defined as the ability to recognise and respond effectively to your emotions and the feelings of people around you, will help you contribute to a positive company culture.

Communication Skills: Your Career Amplifier

In essential IT soft skills, communicating effectively is perhaps the most valuable thing today’s employers are looking for. Excellent communication has always been necessary to ensure a thriving company culture.

However, in today’s hybrid and remote work world, fantastic communication skills are particularly crucial with changing collaboration strategies and evolving worldwide teams.

Strong communication skills are pivotal to working effectively with others, communicating with customers and clients, and thriving in your role.

Grammarly found that poor communication in the workplace can lead to a range of problems, from increased stress levels for 50% of workers to a 15% drop in productivity.

Assess your communication skills and focus on improving:

Verbal communication skills: The ability to speak clearly, using your knowledge of a situation, and emotional intelligence to your advantage.
Visual communication skills: Your ability to use graphs, charts, and maps when necessary to add context to a statement or guide other team members.
Digital communication skills: Leveraging various communication tools for online calls, messaging, and video conferencing sessions.

Frequently ask for feedback from your peers, managers, and supervisors to help you pinpoint potential gaps in your ability to communicate.

Integrating and Balancing Skill Sets

Success in today’s competitive IT landscape relies on your ability to cultivate and constantly improve a wide selection of hard, soft, and digital competencies. You need a plan for constant personal development and growth to improve your chances of getting the desired role and achieving your career goals.

Committing to constantly expanding your skills based on the trends you see in your industry and your employer’s core objectives will help elevate your professional brand and improve your chances of accessing new opportunities in the IT space.

By embracing a growth mindset and investing in lifelong learning, you’ll always be in a position where you stand out among other experienced candidates in the IT industry.

At Everpool Recruitment, we specialise in empowering IT professionals with personalised guidance to navigate the job market confidently. Our expert team is here to help you secure those fantastic opportunities. Don’t wait—reach out now and take the first step towards your dream career. Contact Us Today!

Call us at 0151 556 2090 or email us here info@everpoolrecruitment.com

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