The importance of that is reflected in the fact that for the first time, reproductive health issues are included this year in the agenda of the annual GBCHealth Conference.

“Much change is needed for any meaningful progress going forward. The new vision of the NYDA is to be a credible and capable development agency for South Africa’s youth.

]]> http://globalcareersnews.com/making-the-move/2422/developing-countries-to-get-bigger-share-of-investments/feed/ 0 http://globalcareersnews.com/making-the-move/2417/mali-a-humanitarian-snapshot-of-refugees-health-and-education/ http://globalcareersnews.com/making-the-move/2417/mali-a-humanitarian-snapshot-of-refugees-health-and-education/#comments Wed, 22 May 2013 12:41:16 +0000 rjones http://globalcareersnews.com/?p=2417 Conflict in Mali has resulted in at least 300,700 internally displaced people, and about 174,000 refugees in Burkina Faso, Niger and Mauritania.

The influx of refugees into neighbouring countries is affecting access to basic services and, in an area of food insecurity, putting more pressure on resources for host communities. This graphic from OCHA provides a snapshot of the situation in early May…

Arrive prepared
Most invitations to interview will come with a clear set of instructions about the process to be undertaken. This might be to do with key timings, potential tasks or required documents. If you think there is a lack of information or if you have unanswered questions, a polite phone call prior to interview will work on two levels. It will show potential employees that you show initiative and should also remove any niggling nerves that could potentially threaten your prospective employment.

On the day itself, it is better to arrive a little too early than even a second late. Being fully prepared means that nothing should have been overlooked or forgotten but allowing for slack in arrival time at least allows for the chance to retrieve any forgotten items if truly necessary. And any time left can be put to good use as an opportunity to go over possible questions and review prepared answers.

Avoid distractions
It may be hard to believe, but stories of candidates texting, social networking and even answering their phone during interviews are disturbingly common. It goes without saying that prioritising your social life over your job prospects is to be avoided. Being absolutely focused at all stages of the interview day is a must – be it a tour of the office, an informal lunch with fellow interviewees or a structured conversation with management. Professionalism is vital.

Indeed, even when an interviewer is seemingly friendly and open in their questioning it is not to be read as an opportunity to invite them to the pub. As intimidating as it can feel, you must be prepared to feel scrutinised at all times. Far from causing a sense of intense panic, staying on guard and avoiding distractions will simply result in optimum performance.

Appearance matters
First things first, appearance is not a reference to age, shape or size. It is to do with presentation. You might be absolutely perfect for the job, you might be fully prepared, truly enthusiastic and raring to go, but if you turn up wearing something more appropriate for a big night out than a professional meeting, your chances could be greatly reduced. Even the most open-minded of managers might naturally be distracted by outlandish clothes, less than savoury body odour or wildly coiffed hair.

Furthermore, a candidate who is too casual in their approach can be off-putting. Chewing gum, slouching when sitting or fidgeting throughout questioning must be avoided. They may indeed be signs of nerves but can easily come across as a lack of want and care. Therefore, adopting formal behaviours and a traditionally professional look for the interview day can allow the interviewer to focus solely on your skills and suitability for the vacancy. So, although restraining personal style can be difficult, it can be a small sacrifice to make for the sake of landing a career-defining job.

Be honest
Interviewers have genuinely heard it all. Moreover, they are adept when it comes to spotting genuine candidates from disingenuous chancers. It is vital to be truthful about your capabilities during the interview process. Of course, promoting your best attributes is to be applauded but the fine line between embellishments and lies must be navigated with care.

The prevalence of the Internet means that preparing for a formal interview is easier than ever. Mapping your own skills and capabilities onto the requirements of the organisation you are applying to should lead to two positive outcomes. Firstly, the interview should be less stressful as a result of careful planning. Secondly, the chances of being blind-sided into the temptation to lie should be eradicated completely.

Listen as well as talk
There is a misconception with formal interview situations that in order to be successful the candidate should talk – a lot. Of course, answers full of detail are required, but there is something of a gulf between an in-depth response and a rambling reply. Being prepared is a must, but does not mean that every last aspect of practised responses must be squeezed into the interview.

Quality not quantity rules so making sure answers are succinct and direct will achieve better results than those that are lengthy and irrelevant. As such, be aware of verbal tics; a moment’s silence is better than, ‘um,’ and whilst you may indeed be giving a basic outline of a complex concept, prefacing the answer with ‘basically…’ can come across as condescending.  The most successful interviews are two-way affairs. If you can, creating a professional and respectful dialogue with the interviewee can produce positive results.

Remember, as much as the interview is about you, it is just as much about the company or organisation you are hoping to join. Listening carefully to what is said and what is asked will allow the most sensitive, reflective and suitable of candidates to show why passing on the opportunity to employ them would be a mistake.

This may all seem like common sense but in stressful interview situations, common sense can often head straight out of the window. However, following the advice above can reduce the chances of rejection and, more importantly, it can genuinely increase potential for recruitment.

Here are some of the most common errors made with application forms and CVs…

Failure to provide all necessary information
Whether you have failed to supply your CV, equal opportunities form or other attachments, or you have not supplied requisite information within the application form, failure to provide all necessary information will reflect poorly on you and immediately suggest that you lack essential organisation and attention to detail. Spend time check-listing what you need to attach and verifying you have completed every field before hitting the send button.
With many application processes now moving to the web, it is more difficult to submit an application without providing the relevant file uploads or completing mandatory fields, but don’t rely on the system to ensure that you are following process.   Consider the attachment of your CV as a mandatory field – if your CV is not attached, you don’t want the job.  This seems obvious, but people that should know better do make this mistake.

Poor formatting
A frequent problem for recruiters is receiving PDF versions of CVs in incompatible fonts. This is very common when working across different operating systems and versions of word processing packages. Avoid the problem by sticking to a standard font, size and colour – such as black, Arial 10 – and do not use scripts or serif fonts. Try sending it to yourself and determine the results. Be careful with tables and images. Ideally, you will keep your CV in a basic Word format.

Bad choice file names
Show that your CV, cover letter and/or application form has been specifically targeted by saving it with the job reference or company name. Never call it something along the lines of ‘generic CV’ or you could rapidly find it being diverted to the dustbin of every recruiter you contact.

Poor grammar and spelling
An old favourite, particularly in jobs that specifically request excellent communication skills and attention to detail, is poor writing. Many strong candidates have been overlooked for silly errors in their CVs or covering letters. Read it twice and ask several trusted people to do a similar copy edit. Never rely on the Word spellcheck to do the job for you. Always inspect every sentence carefully and read it aloud for flow. Return to it and check again with fresh eyes.

Overly long CVs
The standard required CV length is just two pages. Many recruiters will discount CVs that exceed this amount, as it suggests an inability to identify relevant information and communicate it succinctly. Research into the industry you are applying for and the sorts of best practice CVs that are effective within it. For example, in a corporate role you may find that a few high-level bullet points about your achievements within former posts are more relevant than the title of your degree dissertation or Saturday job.

Be ruthless with information and target everything that you present on the page to the job you are applying for. If the information is irrelevant to that job, strip it out. Refer to the job specification and ensure that you are using the same keywords as in the job spec and answer every requirement stated within the role, even if it is to a small degree. Give evidence of your enthusiasm for learning and development and ability to do so. Continually ask yourself, ‘will this provide the recruiter with the evidence that they are looking for?’
Some candidates include a cover letter as the front page pf their CV – these should remain as two separate documents.  If a recruiter opens a CV and gets a cover letter they are unlikely to investigate as to whether page two is where the CV starts.

Generic applications
Never, ever, submit a generic application to a range of jobs. Recruiters can instantly spot a standard CV a mile off and it shows that you are not really interested in the role. You can guarantee that other candidates will have taken the time to personalise their CV and target it to the role in question. This said, in the context of a Careers Fair, it’s only possible to have one CV uploaded, and recruiters do recognise that, this just means that you should be applying for the jobs that fit well with your experience.

Submitting the application after the due date
This is a basic error that shows you aren’t organised. Unless you have a very good reason, or have discussed the possibility of a later application with the recruiter, it does not bode well for you securing an interview if your application is late. Be organised and get your application in as early as possible. If the recruiter is inundated by applications on the closing date, you may find that an early application is more closely reviewed, putting you ahead in the interview pile.

Failing to explain gaps in employment
This basic error suggests that there is something to be concerned about. Always provide a reason for not being in work for a period of time, even if that reason was associated with personal reasons such as  travel.
Don’t worry about being made redundant or unemployed, particularly in this day and age – but if you did experience a period of being out of work for reasons beyond your control, show what you were doing during this time to make yourself employable. For example, you might have returned to college for a qualification or taken an online course, you might have been involved in voluntary work, or you may have taken up another project that shows your suitability for the job. Even a house renovation can be an interesting topic of conversation in an interview and demonstrate your ability to manage a heavy workload, budget management, project management and self-reliance.

Applying for jobs well below your experience level
Again, this will ring alarm bells in the recruiter’s brain, as it suggests you are simply looking for a stop-gap role while you seek out a more suitable job. If you are looking for a job that is clearly below your career level, make sure you explain why very clearly in your application letter, but focusing on how you would benefit the employer and what you would bring to the job that another candidate might not.

At the recent Global Careers Fair, we spoke to a number of different companies and employers. Each of them mentioned at least one of the mistakes above and commented that they receive so many applications, even the tiniest error can mean the difference between the interview pile and the dreaded bin. Be careful, double and triple-check your CV and application before sending and make sure you do your very best to get that job. As soon as you make those crimes and sins a thing of the past, an offer letter is a great deal more likely to land in your inbox. Good luck!

Firstly, what does Pratham do?

Pratham was set up in 1994 and has been working as a tripartite partnership between the government, the corporate sector and citizens to try to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the government school system in India.

This approach is often called social recruiting which is the use of social media for recruiting using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and similar online sites.