The dreaded CV writing experience!

Sometimes writing a CV is the hardest part of looking for a job; creating a document that reflects you and your abilities in all their glory is a very hard task to get right. A lot of people can feel foxed at the first hurdle of job seeking and although designing your CV can be quite a daunting task, it is an essential tool that will help you progress in your career.

You need to see your CV as your ‘pre-interview interview’, the only thing is that you’re not present and you only have 30 seconds to impress an employer! It is imperative that you engage your potential employer with a document that shows you in the best possible light without dragging on.
Below is a list of tips to assist you in structuring the best possible Curriculum Vitae:

1. Master the basics
A lot of people are too busy thinking about the content of their CV that they forget the basics such as personal information, work history, experience and relevant skills. Don’t forget, they are also going to want to know about your interests, achievements and hobbies.

2. Keep it up to date
Your potential employer isn’t going to be impressed if you have just sent a CV that hasn’t been updated since 1999, so make sure that all your details are up to date. Don’t just send an old version that you haven’t read in years.

3. Show off your skills
The point of a CV is to grab attention by showcasing your skills, so if you’re a creative person present your CV like a piece of your work. Also don’t be afraid of choosing a different kind of media to present your CV.

4. Be personal
Don’t forget that the company is going to want to know a bit about you, so don’t forget to add some personality to your personal statement. You can also direct them to your LinkedIn account for a further look into your work life.
5. Be truthful
As a recruiter, we know that if someone has lied on their CV it isn’t going to end well. Some of our clients now request that the candidates undergo a range of checks such as employment reference, character reference and qualification checks, and these are designed to ensure that the candidate they’re hiring has the credentials, qualifications and employment history they say they have. So you are going to look a bit silly if you are not telling the truth!

6. Presentation is vital
It is very important that your CV doesn’t only sound good but it also looks good, take a little bit of time to make sure that its eye catching.

7. Say what they want to hear
If an employer has a checklist of criteria that needs to be met for a role and you have those skills, make sure that you mention in plain English (no jargon) that you do have all of those skills.

8. Do not leave gaps
A recruiter sees gaps in CVs as inconsistencies so if your CV has gaps make sure you explain them. Even if you didn’t go backpacking for three years it’s better to mention it then leave it as a big gap.

9. Customise it for the role
If you are applying for a range of roles it will be beneficial for you to re-jig your CV to highlight key experiences that would be relevant for that particular application.

10. Check your references
It’s always important to choose your references wisely; make sure that they are relevant for the job and that the person is still willing to provide a reference. Once you have chosen them, inform them that they might be contacted for courtesy and it will probably help improve your reference.

11. Leave them wanting more…
Remember that a CV is a sales tool, it’s not designed to drag on… You want them to contact you after reading it so leave them wanting more. Your CV should never be more than two sides of A4.
For some final thoughts to consider, we have asked our experts in the office to highlight some of their pet hates when viewing CVs:

Steph’s dislike – Profile pictures
Profile pictures are something that you have to be 100 precent on. They’re usually not necessary in a CV. A prospective employer might not want to see them so save the profile pictures for Facebook.

Kelly’s dislike – Bad layouts
A CV is the first insight into the candidate and first impressions count. A messy CV indicates a disorganised person who doesn’t want to make a good impression.

Kelsie’s dislike – Random images
Ensure you keep the content of your CV relevant to the vacancy you are applying for. Random pictures of irrelevant things are a no no… They are only distracting for the recruiter.

Blue Octopus first Yorkshire recruiter to win at the Onrec awards!

Yorkshire based online recruiter Blue Octopus have done it again! They have managed to win the ‘The Creative Offline Marketing Award 2013’ by a recruitment supplier.

The awards ceremony was held at the contemporary Grange St. Paul’s Hotel in London’s West End on 21st March. It began at 7.00pm with a Champagne reception and the representatives of Blue Octopus were in the company of some multinational brands such as EE, McDonald’s, Sainsbury’s and The Guardian.

Blue Octopus is the first recruiter from Yorkshire to win an award at the Onrec awards. It is excellent to see them standing out at the Onrec awards, especially when you consider the size of some of the other companies that were finalists.

Blue Octopus was also very proud to have represented two of their clients, Bensons for Beds and Manheim, who were both shortlisted for ‘The Best Corporate use of Online Recruitment 2013’ award.

Liam Coleman (Joint Managing Director of Blue Octopus) said the following about the company being shortlisted; ‘I am really proud of our team here at Blue Octopus, everyone here lives and breathes the values of the company’.

Blue Octopus has won ‘The Creative Offline Marketing Award’ for the innovative approach that they have for their marketing and this has been down to our new Marketing Manager, Daniel Briggs. He headed up the ‘Pop the kettle on – let’s talk recruitment’ campaign and it has been a great success, creating brand awareness and reflecting the approach of the Yorkshire based companies culture – friendly, professional and approachable.

Chris Coleman (Joint Managing Director of Blue Octopus) said;

‘We couldn’t have asked for better news following our success in December at the Jobsite RecruitRank awards. I am very proud of the team, we have done exceptionally well to gain so many awards for every year that we have been going and I have big plans for the future of Blue Octopus’.

‘The Creative Offline Marketing Award’ will be a great addition to the ever growing trophy cabinet here at Blue Octopus. This award and these nominations are a clear indicator that you don’t need to hire a multinational, faceless recruitment company to do the job; the team at Blue Octopus is brimming with confidence and are now more than ever determined to help get England back to work.

HR Budgets; Where to spend it?

It is clear that the double dip recession has made the UK tighten its purse strings, companies are equally reviewing budgets and looking at all expenditure and areas for potential cost savings. HR along with all areas of a business remain in the spotlight, budgets are under scrutiny whilst expectations on service levels continue to grow.

An area which traditionally has accounted for a large % of most HR budgets would be recruitment, although the need to attract high calibre candidates remains this must be achieved in a robust and compliant manner without a high price tag.

Therefore HR departments are now looking at new innovative ways of saving money and time in this key area. Instead of spending thousands on recruitment with tradition methods such as agencies and newspapers, a lot of companies are making the switch to online recruitment companies like Blue Octopus. The company will still receive a focused quality service, providing a cost effective solution that will allow them to focus on other priority areas of the HR agenda.

Cutting the costs on your recruitment budget doesn’t mean that you have to start settling for a lesser service, quite the opposite. The recruitment model such as the one Blue Octopus offer can realise not only cost savings, but time savings for an increasingly busy HR function.

Guest blog provided by HeyBridge Associates

Blue Octopus receives a letter from parliament!


Following the great success that Blue Octopus has had over the years, they are now very proud to have received a letter from the House of Commons regarding these achievements.

Greg Mulholland, the MP for Leeds North West, has sent the letter to Blue Octopus because of the outstanding service that they provide. This service has secured them a range of awards every year since Blue Octopus was set up back in January 2010.

Amongst the achievements highlighted in the letter of congratulations was the ‘Highly Commended Recruitment Company’ award which Blue Octopus won at the Jobsite Awards in December 2012. This award was down to high appraisals given to Jobsite from candidates that had used Blue Octopus and it proved that they had clear confidence in the customer service that they had been provided with.

The other achievements mentioned included Blue Octopus being shortlisted for two Onrec Awards ‘The Best Online Candidate Experience Award’ for the exceptional service and candidate experience that they’ve provided throughout 2012 and for the ‘The Creative Offline Marketing Award’, which is all down to the innovative approach that they have for their marketing.

Greg Mulholland (local MP for Leeds) wrote: ‘It’s great to see a local company achieve such a prestigious honour. I would also like to congratulate you on becoming a finalist in two different categories at the Onrec Awards 2013. It appears that your company is going from strength to strength and I wish you all the best in your future endeavours’.

Liam Coleman (Joint Managing Director) said the following about the letter:

Blue Octopus is extremely proud to have received this letter, it proves to us that the company is getting the recognition it deserves and that all the staff hard work is proving successful. We will defiantly be framing the letter to put up in our office. We have high hopes for the Onrec awards on the 21st of March and would love to bring home another award to add to our ever growing trophy cabinet’.

To find out more about Blue Octopus please see our website www.blueoctopus.co.uk

Love your job! The best office romance.

As we all know, work isn’t somewhere that people generally enjoy going to but it shouldn’t be somewhere that we completely hate being at. Your work is a huge part of life so if you don’t enjoy going there, then you’re not going to be happy in any other aspect of your life. Did you know that about a third of your life is spent working!

If you’re stuck in a rut then maybe you need to change your approach to your work life. These tips might help you improve this:

-          Try not to stress!

Worrying about a situation isn’t going to make it any easier, even if you are under a lot of pressure it’s best to try and keep a cool head. You will also be a lot more constructive with your time if you’re not thinking about other things. If you’re feeling bogged down with work, make a list of priorities so that you don’t miss anything important.

-          Help your colleagues

Even if it takes a bit of your time up, it will always give you a good feeling when you help out a colleague in need. This will help you build healthy work relationships which will help make your work environment more enjoyable.

-          Take a break

Taking regular breaks at work is very important for your physical and mental health and it also helps to keep your mind focused on your work. It is almost impossible to concentrate for extended periods of time and attempting to do this will result in you wearing yourself out. Get some fresh air and go out for lunch breaks with some of your colleagues, if you know the people that you work with then you are more likely to enjoy their company.

-          Stay active

Staying active can also help you enjoy your work life more, even if this is just getting off the bus a few stops before your stop and walking the rest of the way. It is proven that exercise releases endorphins which are your body’s natural feel good chemicals. This naturally boosts your mood and makes you feel more positive on a day to day basis.

-          Focus on your achievements

It is very easy to be hard on yourself in a work environment; this will dramatically affect your motivation. But if you focus on all of your achievements, whatever they may be, you will soon be able to revive your passion for your work.

Or maybe you’re not happy in your chosen career path? One thing to remember is ‘The grass often looks greener on the other side’ when often it isn’t… If you are thinking of changing your career path you might want to consider the following:

Changing your career

-          Why do you want to change?

-          What are your interests?

-          What are your values?

-          What kind of work would you like to do?

-          What are your skills and capabilities?

-          Are you prepared to start from the bottom again?

-          Will you need finances?

-          Will you regret it if you don’t?

You must find what you love about work and use that as a key to your work life’s happiness. As Confucius said, “Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.” If you enjoy being creative, then a role in accounting probably isn’t going to satisfy you. If you really aren’t enjoying your job you need to figure out why before you do anything drastic. Changing your career path is a big step, be sure that you aren’t just unhappy with the company that you are currently working for.

Social networks: are you damaging your career opportunities?

Since the boom of social networking in the early 2000’s we have been driven to consistently updating the world with our goings on, whether that’s where we’re going, what we’re doing or what we’re eating for dinner (because everyone needs to know that you are eating a really lovely pizza!).
Although social networks are a great way to keep up to date with friends, people seem to forget that they’re also public sites… Without the correct privacy settings anyone can view what you’re writing, in this case that you are ‘loving this pizza #Tasty’.
The Recruitment Society and The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) say that most employers now search for their job candidates online.

Because of this, you have to be so careful with what you’re writing on your social networks, especially if you are job seeking. Blue Octopus advise all candidates to research a company before going for an interview, so what’s stopping the company from researching the interviewee? It works both ways.
Your potential employer probably won’t be impressed by pictures of you out on the town or your posts about ‘hating work today!’
Social networks now give recruiters an insider’s view of what the candidate is really like and if they don’t like what they see then it stands to reason that it will affect your chances of getting the job.

Daniel Briggs (Marketing Manager at Blue Octopus) had the following to say on social networks and personal profiles; “Candidates need to view their online social networks like a social CV for recruiters, they need to have personality but also be professional. I personally use Twitter and LinkedIn as my ‘professional’ networks and Facebook as my social venting place. I always make sure that my Facebook privacy settings are set so just my friends can see my pointless updates on a weekend”.

You also have to be aware of social networks when working for a company. There has been a number of incidents where employees have taken sick days and then posted comments and images of what they were really doing, for example ‘I’m loving having the day to do what I want!’ What do you think your boss will make of this? #Fired!
To help you avoid these social network nightmares and present yourself in the best possible light, we have put together a list of tips to consider;
• If you do not have a social network presence you might be at a disadvantage to other interviewees.
• Always check your privacy settings and limit your audience.
• Never insult your current or previous employers online, it might come back around and bite you.
• Do not post inappropriate photos/posts. Think to yourself before you post, ‘would my Grandma like to see this?’
• Monitor friends’ posts; make sure they aren’t portraying you in a bad light.

Surviving your interview; the questions you didn’t expect.

For a lot of people, January is the month to look for a new job – everyone wants to start the New Year with a boom and for many that means finally landing their dream job. (If you are still struggling to get an interview, please see our blog post ‘My New Year’s resolution – get a new job!’ for help and tips on where to look.)

So you’ve been keeping an eye out for jobs, you’ve sent off lots of relevant applications and made numerous calls to various companies, and finally you have an interview. Go you! Now comes the hardest bit. Interviews are nerve-racking there’s no doubting that, but the more prepared you are the easier it’s going to be…

You need to think of an interview like a sales pitch, but instead of selling a product you have to sell yourself! Like any product you want to look the part. You have your CV and portfolio all up to date, you’ve bought a new shirt, ironed your trousers and you even have matching socks ready to go! But the one thing that you haven’t done is think about the questions that you are going to be asked.

Interviewers can ask all kinds of questions to try and catch you off guard, but don’t worry. Below we have listed over 25 questions that could help you survive your interview – they are the interview questions you didn’t expect:

  • How would your friends describe you?
  • What was the biggest challenge you ever faced?
  • You`re in an elevator with your potential future boss – sell yourself in 10 seconds!
  • What was the reason for leaving your previous employer?
  • Describe yourself in one word.
  • What career goals have you set yourself?
  • Why should I hire you?
  • What would you bring to our company?
  • Describe a situation where you successfully convinced others of your ideas.
  • Which areas of the world would you like to explore and why?
  • Have you ever considered starting your own business?
  • What motivates you?
  • Could you have done better in your previous job?
  • What would you like to improve professionally about yourself?
  • Tell me a joke.
  • What would you do with 1 million Ping-Pong balls?
  • Tell me 20 uses for a paper clip.
  • Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
  • If you were an animal what would you be and why?
  • Tell me about your greatest achievement.
  • What is the most random thing you have ever done?
  • What are your weaknesses?
  • Why do you want to work for this company?
  • What do you know about us?
  • Tell me how you have handled a difficult situation at work.
  • What is your greatest fear?
  • How would you overcome it?

Although some of these seem a bit off topic, it’s worth analysing them and thinking of answers in case you are put on the spot. Once you have done this, you should feel a lot more confident when asked one of these unexpected questions.

If you have ever encountered any of these questions let us know how you handled it, please comment below.

Good luck interviewees!

Yorkshire recruiter Blue Octopus shortlisted in two Onrec awards!

Blue Octopus is delighted to be announced as a finalist in two different categories of the Onrec Awards 2013. The Onrec Awards acknowledge the best online recruitment companies based on nominations for the various categories.

Blue Octopus has been shortlisted for ‘The Best Online Candidate Experience Award’ for the exceptional service and candidate experience that they’ve provided throughout 2012. The fantastic online experience is down to the user-friendly website, but the real key to their success is communication with candidates throughout the duration of a campaign. Once the user has processed an application, the Blue Octopus team work hard to provide individual, outstanding candidate communication and it is this that has helped to place thousands of people throughout 2012.

Blue Octopus has also been shortlisted for ‘The Creative Offline Marketing Award’ which is all down to the innovative approach that they have for their marketing. The recent ‘Pop the kettle on – let’s talk recruitment’ campaign has been a great success for the company and truly reflects the approach of the Yorkshire based companies culture; friendly, professional and approachable.

The Yorkshire based recruiter is also delighted to be representing two of their clients, Bensons for Beds and Manheim, who are both finalists in ‘The Best Corporate use of Online Recruitment 2013’ award.

The ceremony will be held at Grange St. Paul’s Hotel in London’s West End, on the 21st March 2013.

The finalists will be assessed by a range of judges and they’ll choose the winner of each category. The judges are:

  • Ruth Owen, CEO of Whizz-kids
  • Steve Playford, Managing Director, Financial Times Career Management
  • Laura Stoker, Executive Director of global Training
  • The Onrec Editorial Team

The news of Blue Octopus’s nomination follows their success at the Recruit Rank Awards in December 2012, where they won ‘Highly Commended Recruitment Company’ award.

On the recent topic of the awards, one of the Blue Octopus directors Chris Coleman had the following to say:

“We are delighted that Blue Octopus has been shortlisted for ‘The Best Online Candidate Experience Award’ and ‘The Creative Offline Marketing Award’ at this year’s Onrec Awards. Everyone has worked extremely hard to be finalists and it’s a fantastic achievement. Liam and I are very proud of our team and appreciate all of the hard work and dedication they’re putting into providing the very best service for our clients and candidates, so let’s hope they are awarded yet again for their great work. We’re also very proud that our clients, Bensons for Beds and Manheim have been shortlisted for the category ‘The Best Corporate use of Online Recruitment 2013’ this year so we’d like to wish them good luck for the 21st March 2013 too.”

The awards and these nominations reflect the huge progress that this local online recruitment company is continuing to make. Blue Octopus hopes to scoop both of these awards and add them to their ever growing trophy cabinet.

My New Year’s resolution – get a new job!

Every year millions of people make resolutions that are broken in a matter of days, the most common one is to ‘Get Fit’ and this is also the one that tends to be broken first.  But if yours is to get a new job, then you should defiantly stick to it. You spend most of your life in a work environment so its importance that you enjoy what you do for a job.

There could be a number of reasons for your job not being right for you:

  • You could be feeling that you aren’t getting anywhere
  • Or your career might not be on the path you thought it would
  • Maybe you feel the company isn’t right for you
  • Or, it could just be the classic ‘My boss is not very nice!’

If you are making this year the one that you plan to get a new job, don’t be one of the thousands that give up at the first hurdle. It’s true, job seeking is a full time operation and it can be disheartening at times. But here are some tips on how to streamline your job seeking and they may help you increase the performance of your efforts.

1. Only apply to jobs that you feel are right for you

Don’t waste your time applying for jobs that you know you don’t stand a chance of getting. Focus your time on the vacancies that are right for you in terms of location, wage, level and/or position.

2. Sign up for job alerts

Spend less time browsing the web and let us do the work for you; we can send relevant job alerts right to your inbox. To sign up for these you can register for job alerts with Blue Octopus via this link: www.blueoctopus.co.uk/candidates/sec/SignIn.aspx

3. Stay active and keep positive

If you keep yourself active and fit, then you will feel better about yourself when the day comes that you have an interview. Staring at the same old jobs sites everyday can put a real dampener on your spirits. Take a break and do some exercise you’ll feel loads better!

4. Be social

The social network revelation has boomed over the past few years and jobs are now advertised on these every day. In some cases, it can be better finding a job on Twitter or LinkedIn than on a job board as the vacancy is usually advertised in real-time, which means that you would get it before the job boards. Even Facebook are implementing plans to launch their job board in the very near future. If a friend is advertising a job it is likely you will stand a better chance of getting it, as they could recommend you for it. If you are currently job seeking you can follow Blue Octopus on any of our social networks for up to date vacancies. Facebook Facebook Jobs LinkedIn Twitter

5. Follow up

If you have filled in a job application or sent your CV to a company and you haven’t had a response for a few weeks then follow it up. They won’t think that you’re nagging them; it shows that you are keen on the job and might increase your chances of an interview.

6. Ask for feedback

Job seeking can be very frustrating, but the only way that you are going to be able to improve your CV or interview performance is by receiving feedback. If you feel that you were suitable for a job but weren’t successful then ask for feedback and see how you can improve.

Good luck job seekers!

Winners again at the Jobsite awards!

Yorkshire based online recruitment company Blue Octopus has managed to scoop the ‘Highly Commended Recruitment Company’ award at the prestigious Jobsite Awards 2012.

Blue Octopus has always managed to receive recognition for their excellent service at the Jobsite awards; in the very early stages of the company in 2010, Blue Octopus won the ‘Most Improved Recruiter’ – (low volume). The following year, Blue Octopus moved categories to high volume and after being nominated again for the awards, they won ‘Best Candidate Communication’ and ‘Best recruiter’…

As there were only two awards and the format of the awards had changed, Blue Octopus was at a significant disadvantage, but they were extremely happy to be in the UK’s top ten recruiters in the country.

Kelly Laurenson (Operations Manager at Blue Octopus) said;

“It was a great honour to represent Blue Octopus’ client delivery team last night at the jobsite Recruit Rank awards. To be with the Top 10 Recruitment Companies within the UK is a great achievement in itself, but to walk away with ‘Highly Commended Recruitment Company’ award was incredible. This is a fantastic testament to the team we have and recognition for our exceptional award winning candidate feedback.”


Blue Octopus has done exceptionally well to gain the ‘Highly Commended Recruitment Company’ award. This was down to high appraisals given to Jobsite from candidates that had used Blue Octopus and it proved that they had clear confidence in the customer service that they had been provided with.

Liam Coleman (Joint Managing Director) said;

I am one very proud Co-Founder of what is an exceptional business, made up of the UK’s finest in the industry! The hard work is paying off year on year – thanks to you all.


As you can see, Blue Octopus is one of the industry’s forerunners in candidate service; they have a dedicated team that work hard to go above and beyond the call of duty for their candidates.