This year has flown by and my contract at Solutions is drawing to a close so I will be moving up to the big smoke next week to start my exciting new job. That doesn’t mean that I am getting out of the Great South Run in October, and I will still be blogging on the Team Training blog to let you know how much or how little I am doing. We are taking part in the run to raise money for the remarkable charity Naomi House www.naomihouse.org.uk so if you would like to support us in our challenge just go to www.justgiving.com/amandanagler1.

As we've been discussing the importance of keeping the mind healthy, a collegue emailed over a very relevant article she recieved from jobsite today. The article was based around the amount of mistakes found in canddiates CVs. It stated that only 6% of CVs have no spelling, grammatical or content mistakes, this is an extraordinary figure based on that a well thought out CV can open the door into a business. Remember, a healthy mind will have longer concentration but will also be able to spot errors as it is more alert and aware.

It is so important to make sure your CV is mistake free, so if you've spent hours perfecting it why not get a friend to proof read it or have a break before checking it? To test your details skills why not have a go at the memory puzzle in our blog below.

For the full article from jobsite just click here.

How many times have you read something and then had to go back to it because you've missed out a vital piece of information? As we are looking at exercising the mind this month we've included a memory puzzle to see how well you take in information and what you retain.This is especially important when reading job descriptions, making sure you have read every part of it and that all your skills match what they are looking for. Also when you have been writing your CV for 3 hours and then have to proof read it, it is so easy to miss mistakes!

Have a go at this puzzle to see how much detail you look at!

http://www.clarity-media.co.uk/memory-test.php

Landing the right job is about persuading a prospective employer to trade their money and benefits for your skills and labour - in other words it's a simple business transaction like any other. So how do you get employers to choose you rather than a competitor?

As a marketing, PR and Design recruitment agency we should know that it’s all about Marketing! Marketing yourself to create a demand for your product! You.

We’ve put together a few basic tips to make sure you are marketing yourself in the right way!

* Understanding your target market is one of the first steps in any good marketing strategy. There's quite a bit you'll want to know: What do they really want?

* Find out what's important to them and how do they judge it? i.e. they may value industry experience and so look for a relevant track record. The more you know about who your target market are the better positioned you are to meet their needs and land that job.

* What's unique about you? Chances are quite a few of your competitors (other applicants) will have similar backgrounds, similar education, job history etc. You need to find ways to make your application, CV or interview stand out but still be able to keep it professional.

* Creating your marketing message is about taking what you have and packaging it effectively for your target audience - in this case your prospective employer.
Use what you know from your research into your target market and target employers to tailor your message to directly address their needs and wants

* Deliver the message professionally - Get the basics right and ensure that your message will be taken seriously. Typos might seem a simple, easily forgiven, mistake but they impact on the employer's impression of you as a whole.

* Delivering the message is about finding effective ways to communicate your message to your target market.

As an established agency in the South we have build strong relationships with enviable agencies and fantastic brands, so we are a great communication tool for your product!

We’re talking about work/life balance this month and it’s obvious that the world of work has changed – in the 24-hour, 7-day society, customers expect service at times that suit them, which isn’t between 9 and 5! More and more people have to juggle responsibilities at home and in the workplace.

Findings from CIPR show that three out of four people say they are working very hard; many say they are working as hard as they can and could not imagine being able to work any harder. These factors help explain the increased interest being shown in the issue of work-life balance as many people find that work demands get in the way of their non-work commitments.

Most people can relate to the situation of having an ever increasing workload expected to be delived in shorter timeframes and that many people are taking their work home with them every night. Due to technological advances it is now possible to work 24hrs a day, it’s just sleep that gets in the way.

So how are companies combating the battle of the work/life balance? We’d love you’re comments on how you embrase the work/life balance issue, if at all!