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Demonstrating a commitment to personal development is important in any sector – but for software development, it is vital. With the modern marketplace defined by innovation and change, being able to demonstrate a commitment to continuous learning and improvement is essential for those that are new to the sector and long-time professionals alike.

So, here are some simple ways to build your knowledge and demonstrate it to future employers or bolster your recruitment power.

Building your portfolio

One of the greatest assets to a professional developer is a strong, diverse portfolio that shows a commitment to tackling contemporary, industry-specific problems. Knowing which projects to add to your portfolio is down to you, but they should always be relevant to the role you currently possess and want to acquire in future. Do not be afraid to show where you ‘fell down’ on a project or made mistakes, as demonstrating the ability to learn from previous errors is a valuable skill.

While this work can be presented through a range of online repositories, your efforts should find a home on a straightforward personal website. Being able to show your approach to problem-solving can also be attractive to employers and linking your portfolio contents to social media posts or blog articles is a great way to publicise your skillset.

Taking advantage of online resources and tutorials

The rise of the internet and open-source development has made it easier than ever to build your skills in a way that works for you. For those starting out, free sites like https://www.codecademy.com and https://www.khanacademy.org/computing/computer-programming are helpful for refreshing your fundamentals or building awareness of development sectors adjacent to your own.

If you are confident in your base knowledge, sites like https://www.coursera.org https://www.udemy.com carry specialised training delivered by industry professionals. This includes end-to-end training in everything from full stack development, HTML and CSS, to Agile and Scrum practice – helping you round out your CV and add another string to your bow.

For those looking to develop their skill set in a formally recognised way, obtaining accreditations such as a https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/learning/mta-certification.aspx can help shape your career path and increase your earning potential. Or, if you are fully qualified and want to specifically expand your knowledge, sites like https://www.lynda.com/ have over 1000 distinct software development courses that can be taken at your own pace, with most culminating in a practical project that can be added to your portfolio.

Seeking out and delivering critique

No matter your chosen profession, it is impossible to improve your skills without putting your work in front of others and receiving critical feedback. If you plan to present exemplar work to potential employers always ensure that it has been posted to sites like https://github.com/ first or peer-reviewed with specific notes. Additional advice can also be sought from social sites like https://www.reddit.com which has many pages dedicated to code critique, CV review, and interview practice.

Additionally, demonstrating an ability to deliver helpful critique to others is a highly valuable skill. Opening accounts on these sites and delivering succinct, salient notes to others can be attractive to employers and act as a teaching aid to help you firmly understand a topic or issue.

Displaying your capacity for delivery

A major pitfall facing developers new to the sector is a lack of experience working as part of a team and incorporating client and testing notes to your projects. Being able to quantify these ‘soft skills’ can be difficult for some professionals, either because of the nature of their role or a lack of opportunities to hone their collaborative practice.

A quick and effective way to build these skills is by undertaking a game or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_jam with other attendees. These cram the full development cycle of a project – from initial concept to final delivery – into a timeframe of a few days. While these can be stressful, jams are often a fantastic opportunity to access a huge amount of learning in a very restricted period. Once complete, your team’s project can then be brought into your portfolio and the individuals you worked with added to your list of professional contacts.

When you are ready to leverage this experience, we at Time Recruitment recruit extensively for https://time-recruitment.com/jobs-by-industry/software development positions and have comprehensive experience in working alongside professionals to help find the role that’s right for you.

To learn more, you can contact a member of our recruitment team and let us know the sector you’re keen to progress in. Or, if you have any questions or queries about the services we offer, please do not hesitate to contact us at https://time-recruitment.com/contact-us/  and let us know exactly what you need.

Recruitment for engineering jobs is done with meticulous care these days, mostly because of the large number of engineers out there and the limited number of niche positions available. If you are in the market for a new job, particularly in the fields of industrial, electrical or mechanical engineering, you’ve come to the right place. Time Recruitment specialises in recruiting for engineering roles. But before you get started with the application process, you will need to learn a few tricks of the trade and improve your skills to ensure that you stand out as a better candidate when compared to the multitude of other applicants.

Luckily, there are both soft and hard skills that you can learn to improve your chances of landing your dream engineering career. Below are just a few skills to consider and try to implement in your job-hunting efforts.

1. Seek out courses and seminars to help you learn and develop the soft skills that are demanded of engineers in the workplace

These include clear and concise communication, creativity, ability to adapt, teamwork and collaboration, and leadership. Many free courses are available online and via free and paid-for reading apps downloadable from your smartphone. Make a note of all the self-study courses you have completed on your CV too. This shows initiative and dedication.

2. Bite the bullet and get some free experience

Being highly educated in theory is not quite the same as having practical experience. While you are studying, or while you are job hunting, find out if there are any engineering companies that will allow you to attend jobs and projects purely to gain experience and lend a helping hand. The more practical experience you have to show on your CV, the more valuable prospective employers will find you.

3. Choose your educational institution carefully

Learning hard skills for an engineering career is essential and as such, you need a good, solid foundation. Make sure that you investigate the various colleges to ensure that the engineering program is strong and respected in the industry. Hard industrial engineering and management skills often required by recruitment companies include mathematics (algebra, trigonometry, calculus), computer sciences (chemistry and physics), time management, mechanics, technical competency and the ability to work with a variety of leading engineering software programs.

4. Fine tune your resume

Whether you are looking for industrial, mechanical, or electrical engineering careers, it must be obvious from the very start of your resume. Make sure that any potential employer knows precisely what you have to bring to the table. Don’t clutter your resume with irrelevant information. The fact that you worked as a barman 20 years ago might not be useful to an engineering recruitment company.

It’s your soft skills that make you outshine the rest

While technical skills and qualifications are vitally important in engineering fields, recruitment experts know that it is an individual’s soft skills that make them shine. If you have the qualifications needed for a job, that will get you into the interview room, but what will land you the job is the following 5 top in-demand skills of engineers, which you should hone prior to employment and try show off in an interview.

1. Technical skills and a technical mindset

Recruiters want to know that you have the education, credentials, and the experience that the job demands. Make sure that you mention this from the start. Recruiters also want to see and know that you are interested in attending further technical training if required.

2. Good communication

Engineering roles are extremely information-heavy. As an engineer, you must be able to effectively handle multiple forms of communication including written and verbal, online and in-person, technical and non-technical forms.

3. Interpersonal skills

Engineering jobs require you to work well with others in the workplace. You must be able to show that you have a positive attitude and can interact with people in a friendly yet professional manner.

4. Problem-solving and critical thinking

In the engineering field, things can change and problems can crop up at any time. You must be able to show a recruitment company that you can identify, assess and analyse complicated problems effectively and make decisions quickly and confidently.

5. Enthusiasm and commitment

Engineering recruiters want to see that you want the job and you are motivated to make a success of your career in the field. With jobs in the industry in such high demand, it only stands to reason that someone who really wants it and will be dedicated to the business should get it.

Apply for the engineering career of your dreams with Time Recruitment

Looking for a career in the fields of industrial, electrical, or mechanical engineering? Time Recruitment specialises in engineering recruitment. Apply for the right position for you on our website or get in touch with our team today. https://time-recruitment.com/industrial-engineering/

If you’re thinking about a career within the insurance sector, our useful guide may help you decide on the type of role you would like and whether this job would be suitable for you. The insurance sector is absolutely vital for individuals and businesses, as it helps minimise the financial risks associated with most activities.

What is insurance?

Firstly, let’s look at a definition of insurance. You can consider insurances as a type of risk management. They offer individuals a number of protections, alongside protection for business organisations, too. The financial protection offered by insurance can help ensure that consumers and businesses don’t lose everything in the event of calamities, such as fire, car crashes, burglary, etc.

The entire insurance sector is based on the successful calculation of the risks involved for clients and the likelihood of needing to pay out on claims. Once these risks have been assessed, it’s possible to put a price on how much the cover should cost.

So, what do insurers do?

Consumers and business organisations are often legally obliged to take out insurances, such as motor insurance, building insurance for property owners and employers’ liability insurance for any company that takes on workers. Other insurances are voluntary. The one thing all insurances have in common is that they can reduce the financial risks that could occur in the event of claims. For example, an electrician working on a job in a private house would likely have tradesman insurance. This would provide cover for the electrician if the homeowner fell and broke a leg or did more serious damage due to cables being in the way. If this were to happen, it is possible the homeowner would put in an injury claim for damages against the electrician.

In the above example, an insurance company would assess the likelihood of the tradesman’s client suffering from an injury as a result of loose cabling in properties and other likely problems. The insurance premium charged would be a reflection of the potential risks.

There are more than 300,000 workers in the UK insurance sector and a variety of roles are available. The insurance sector is split into two sectors, these are general insurance and life cover. Life insurance cover relates to injury or early death and is often associated with savings and pensions. General insurances offer the protections needed for personal injuries, liabilities and properties.

Working in the insurance sector

The insurance sector is fairly buoyant but has had its ups and downs. Lloyds of London is a renowned global insurer and has been trading since 1686. One of the major attractions of the insurance sector is that it will always be in demand, as people will continually look for ways to minimise risks. It is a dynamic sector of industry and provides good career prospects and salaries. Regular employment reviews make it possible to move up to higher levels for employees that join in entry-level positions. It’s also possible to train while you earn in this sector, so having a degree is not always beneficial.

Top skills needed to work in the insurance sector

Working with insurance often means dealing with customers, and so this makes customer service skills and good communication skills essential for most people working in the sector. It’s already been noted that maths skills will be essential for some insurance roles, including actuary jobs which will require statistical and computer modelling input. Analytical skills are also important to many insurance jobs, such as risk assessors or client facing roles in which the right policies need to be sourced for individual clients.

Some of the careers you will find within insurance include:

Actuaries or analysts

Analysts are the financial experts that calculate the possibilities of events happening and the associated risks. They need to be extremely methodical and possess good research and maths skills.

Insurance sales team

The sales teams employed by insurers are responsible for signing up new customers. This is often carried out by online customer service teams nowadays.

Claims inspectors

Insurance claims inspector roles involve determining whether clients are making legitimate claims. There are many ways people will attempt to claim cash on insurances. For example, holidaymakers very often try to claim cash back on holiday insurances following hotel breaks, and it’s up to inspectors to find out whether these claims are genuine.

Insurance brokers

An insurance broker can act for a number of insurers and advises consumers and businesses about the most appropriate insurance for their needs.

Some of the other jobs within the insurance sector include insurance account manager, risk surveyor, and underwriter.

Getting a job in the insurance sector

Finding the job you want in the insurance sector will depend greatly on your qualifications. If you’re a graduate, you may find it easy to get onto one of the highly regarded graduate schemes offered by the big insurers. School leavers may be able to enter the profession in an apprentice role, which will offer plenty of opportunities to acquire NVQs and industry-specific qualifications.

The level of experience needed for insurance roles varies between different jobs. You will be expected to have excellent computer skills, however, and if you can evidence experience using different types of claims or underwriting software this will be very useful for most job roles. A high level of communication skills will also be needed for most jobs. Many of these skills will be tested during the interview process, so it’s important to prepare well before any job interview.

Time Recruitment are specialist recruiters within the insurance sector, we’re more than happy to talk to candidates and discuss the roles we have available (insert link https://time-recruitment.com/jobs-by-industry/industries-insurance/). If you’re a candidate looking for a role within the insurance sector or an employer wanting to discuss recruitment to ongoing vacancies, get in touch to learn more.

Healthcare is one of the UK’s largest industries covering a wide range of job roles from nurses and doctors to medical assistants and administration support. Like with any job, you need to have a specific set of skills in order to carry out the role, and the healthcare profession is no exception. However, there are a few general skills that can really impact your career prospects.

If you want to learn more, why not read our handy infographic below to see if you have what it takes to work in the healthcare industry.

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Today is World Mental Health Day and this year the focus is on wellbeing in the workplace. Since figures have shown that 1 in 4 people suffer every year in the UK, we’ve decided to take a look at the importance of wellbeing at work and the relevant steps you should take if you are managing someone with a mental health condition.

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Every job comes with a specific set of skills that the candidate needs to have in order to be deemed qualified, and the construction industry is no exception. While construction is largely physical, there are a few other key skills that interviewers look for to ensure that you are well-rounded in your field.

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Engineering is an exciting sector and while we don’t doubt that your qualifications will set you in good stead to get the interview, there are a few skills expected of engineers you may not have considered.

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Cover letters have become a staple part of job applications so it’s important to get it right. After all, a great cover letter could be the reason you get invited to an interview. To help you get on the right foot, we’ve put together this infographic that will make writing a cover letter easy. So if you don’t know where to start, let us help you out!

Not all of us are born knowing what we want to do, but we often have an idea of what we want to achieve. Some people like the idea of earning a lot of money, others want long holidays – but many people want to help others.

This is what the third sector is all about.

If you are motivated by the idea of achieving social goals, there are all sorts of third sector jobs that might be perfect for you! Here we will focus on some of the highlights that accompany these roles.  

What is the third sector?

The third sector – otherwise known as the voluntary sector – is a term used to describe organisations that don’t fit into the public or private sector.

It is ‘value-driven’, focusing on public welfare and the environment rather than making a profit.

Some third sector organisations include:

• Charities
• Social Enterprises
• Voluntary and Community Organisations
• Private Research Institutes

Benefits of working in the third sector

Working in the third sector can be extremely rewarding, a huge benefit in itself. But let’s break it down and discuss exactly why a non-profit job could be perfect for you.

1. A sense of fulfilment

One of the main benefits of working in the third sector is the satisfaction you get from helping others. A lot of employers might pay their staff a generous wage, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that they go home at night and feel fulfilled by the work they have done.

Working for a charity for example can help people feel like they are making a positive impact on the world. It is by no means an easy job; you must be passionate, dedicated and have a genuine interest in what you do in order to reap the rewards.

2. Transferable skills

Employers in the third sector are often looking for people who can multitask so it’s no surprise that they love a generalist. Non-profit organisations offer employees the chance to learn new skills as well as developing the ones they already have. This can be ideal for people looking for charity work or a role that requires you to work on a range of projects.

3. Invaluable experience

This mostly applies to graduates but unpaid internships and work experience in the third sector can offer an array of advantages. You may not necessarily earn a wage from an internship but the rewards you do receive will be far more worthwhile in the long term.

The kind of skills you gain from work experience in the third sector can have a huge impact on life outside the working environment. Attributes like compassion, understanding and commitment are all brilliant qualities you can use in both your professional and personal life.

4. Build good relationships

Third sector roles enable you to form trustworthy relationships within the organisation you work for. This is really useful for raising awareness and creating partnerships with other organisations, as well as resulting in effective collaborations.  

The advantages of charity jobs and voluntary work

We’ve covered some benefits that come with working in the third sector but one of the most popular areas is charity work. Here we will take a look at some of the reasons why working for a charity is so gratifying.

• Charity sector jobs look impressive on CVs because they show employers that you have worked or volunteered in a job role that requires you to do good for other people.
• Charity work is also great for people wanting to change their career path as employers can see from your CV that you are being productive with your time and gaining additional skills at the same time.
• Instead of being employed for money, voluntary work gives you the chance to spend your time working towards doing something for social good.
• Working for a charity gives you the opportunity to meet amazing people. From the people you work with to the people you are helping, working for a charity is very much like being in a community.
• There’s a great balance between challenge and fun. The size of the charity will usually determine how much responsibility you have but unlike working for a profit-driven company, you are motivated by the care and well-being of others.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

At Time Recruitment we understand that finding the right job in the right sector is crucial. That’s why we take the time to understand the individual requirements of each candidate we work with so we can find a role that will suit you specifically.

No matter which sector or industry you are hoping to develop your career in, the team at Time Recruitment are here to do the hard work for you. All you need to do is get in touch!
Speak to one our advisors and make the first steps to a career that’s made for you.