The employment rate for those aged from 16 to 64 was 70.5 per cent for January-March 2012, up 0.2 on the quarter. There were 29.23 million people in employment aged 16 and over, up 105,000 on the quarter. The quarterly increase in employment was entirely due to more part-time workers.

The unemployment rate was 8.2 per cent of the economically active population for January-March 2012, down 0.2 on the quarter. There were 2.63 million unemployed people, down 45,000 on the quarter.

The inactivity rate for those aged from 16 to 64 was 23.0 per cent for January-March 2012, down 0.1 on the quarter. There were 9.25 million economically inactive people aged from 16 to 64, down 35,000 on the quarter.

For January-March 2012, total pay (including bonuses) rose by 0.6 per cent on a year earlier. This is the lowest growth rate since March-May 2009 and it is down 0.5 on the three months to February 2012. Regular pay (excluding bonuses) rose by 1.6 per cent on a year earlier, unchanged on the three months to February 2012.

The ONS Headlines:
The seasonally adjusted Index of Production fell by 2.6 per cent in March 2012 compared with March 2011
The seasonally adjusted Index of Manufacturing fell by 0.9 per cent in March 2012 compared with March 2011
The seasonally adjusted Index of Production fell by 0.3 per cent between February 2012 and March 2012
The seasonally adjusted Index of Manufacturing rose by 0.9 per cent between February 2012 and March 2012

The source, who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the issue, said the board meeting was expected to address aspects of an internal review, including which board members would participate.

Thompson issued an apology for the fallout from disclosures about his academic credentials in an emailed memo to Yahoo employees on Monday, a copy of which was seen by Reuters.

The memo came hours after Loeb, chief executive of hedge fund Third Point, which holds 5.8 percent of Yahoo’s shares, formally demanded in a letter that the Internet company turn over all records related to Thompson’s hiring.

“I want you to know how deeply I regret how this issue has affected the company and all of you,” Thompson wrote in his first extended memo to employees since the disclosures emerged on May 3. “We have all been working very hard to move the company forward and this has had the opposite effect. For that, I take full responsibility, and I want to apologize to you.”

Thompson added that he would “respect” the board’s plans to conduct a thorough and independent review.

“I am hopeful that this matter will be concluded promptly,” he wrote. “But, in the meantime, we have a lot of work to do.”

Yahoo, whose revenue slid by more than a fifth last year, brought in Thompson, former president of eBay Inc subsidiary PayPal, as chief executive in January, five months after Carol Bartz was fired.

BOARD INVESTIGATION

Third Point, which last week revealed the discrepancies in Thompson’s education record, wants Yahoo to publicly reveal the process by which Thompson was vetted and disclose all minutes of any board meeting in which his candidacy was discussed.

Yahoo’s board has said it is investigating the issue.

“We believe that this internal investigation by this board must not be conducted behind a veil of secrecy and shareholders deserve total transparency,” Loeb said in his latest letter on Yahoo.

Loeb cited Delaware corporation law that allows a shareholder to inspect a company’s books if that person has a proper purpose and meets procedural requirements.

Loeb started out as a trader. He opened shop in 1995 with just $3.3 million in assets under management and operated in space borrowed from David Tepper’s Appaloosa Management, a New Jersey-based hedge fund.

Yahoo’s latest troubles come as it is likely weeks away from selling 15 to 25 percent of Alibaba Group’s shares back to that company after months of negotiations. The deal with Alibaba, parent of China’s largest listed e-commerce company Alibaba.com Ltd, is expected to be designed to avoid the complexities that had hindered earlier talks, a source told Reuters last week.

Loeb has been credited with sparking previous changes on Yahoo’s board, namely the resignations of co-founder Jerry Yang and former chairman Roy Bostock.

Yahoo’s board has come under fire from investors impatient with the company’s persisting inability to effect a turnaround, and indecisiveness over how to handle its investments in Alibaba.

Adam Seessel, director of research at Martin Capital Management, which owns Yahoo shares, said that while he was a fan of Loeb, the move by the hedge fund chief executive to oust Thompson was a “head scratcher”.

“If it were normal times, this would warrant a dismissal,” Seessel said of Thompson’s padded resume. “But he’s so new and the company is in such a sensitive spot.”

“Sometimes in the heat of the battle, you can’t get rid of your commander … and a battle is going on.”

Shares in the company were flat in after hours trade after closing at $15.35 on the Nasdaq.

(Writing by Gerry Shih; Editing by Phil Berlowitz, Steve Orlofsky and Chris Lewis)

The coalition has driven some tough measures forward to try and get the country back on an even footing. A subjective and divisive statement if ever there was one. I see the pain that it is causing but I remember the past just as clearly and the benefit of hindsight is that if we can stick with it, everyone will benefit, eventually. I have concerns that the truly vulnerable might,will, or are, falling between the cracks of welfare policy and I think more work needs to be done on providing a funnel for this demographic to be filtered and aided correctly.

Factoring unemployment statistics. If you play with a figure long enough it can be construed as something it may not be. It still remains the same number but the factoring of the figure will tell you a different story;

Factors:
Welfare Benefits Cut and constrained
Age of Retirement increased
Seasonal Adjustment
Part Time Work increasing
Full Time Work decreasing

Conclusion? There is a definitely a trend occurring but like everything else, interpretation is down to you.
Here are some other trends:

1992 – 2012 Year on year unemployment statistics:

2,000,040 Average number of people unemployed over the period to date (Feb 2012)

970,000 Largest fall in unemployment in a Paliamentry term (Conservative, Major February 93 – May 97)

390,000 Largest fall in unemployment in one year (Conservative, Major, February 94 – May 95)

440,000 Largest increase in one year (Labour, Brown, January 08 – January 09)

1,400,000 Lowest number of unemployed (Labour, Blair, September & October 2004)

410,000 Fastest Rise in unemployment (Labour, Brown, January – July 2009)

1,200.000 Largest negative change in one term (Labour Blair/Brown May 05 – May 10)

But as we all know, figures are subjective and the term, Unemployment, needs to addressed. The coalition intends to give the UK a breakdown of tax spend as part of the vehicle of openness. What I see is further opportunity to explore what has been adjusted a multitude of times. We can but hope.

Click here for career guidance and professional cv writing.

Linkedin: Even though the menu system is untidy, it can be difficult to navigate around, the cost for a full membership is unjustified, it still manages to add 10 member profiles every second (this will eventually slow as this level of uptake is unsustainable).
I can not see how the Linkedin domination of the online profile will be challenged during this period.

Why?
Linkedin offers connectivity, without the inane content of Facebook or twitter. There are alternate options to Linkedin but at this juncture only a radical game changer can challenge this situation and the alternatives do not. Linkedin is invaluable. If you lose someone’s business card and do not wish to ring the company the person works for; go to Linkedin. All of which becomes incidental if the person you wish to locate has not filled in a personal profile.

This gives rise to another question; Do you need to be on Linkedin?

Yes. If you want to advance your career prospects then there is no longer a reason for not using Linkedin and at it’s basic level it’s free. Over the last few years, and in conjunction with the rise in popularity of Linkedin, our recruitment technique has seen the increased use of search facilities provided by Linkedin. In a recent management campaign we found that Linkedin provided us with the majority of our candidate list. Whereas previously we would search companies to try and find the names of individuals, now, with Linkedin we achieve an increased reach and overall, a superior short list.
Anyone can contact you or if you prefer you can set contact parameters that suit your requirements. This can help filter and prevent unwanted contact. I have mentioned previously that everyone should consider using Linkedin in the same manner as you would a business card, this should now be considered the minimum requirement. As the next year passes this will increasingly become the norm. When HeadHunting, Linkedin is the simplest and most efficient way to find prospective candidates and at some stage in your career you may this to be you.

So how does this affect the future of the CV?

Its a question of convergence and the uptake of other supplementary technologies such as Interview Rocket and tablet computing. If you are currently active on Linkedin you will have noticed the changes that have taken place since the floatation in 2011. It is increasingly pushing users for more data, splitting definitions to improve search results and increasing subscription costs for recruiters to access the information filters. You can also upload your traditional CV and this can be stored with your profile. This could be considered a rudimentary progression and to a certain point it is, but I’m betting that some of the really significant changes are just around the corner.

1. CardMunch; Launched for iPhone August 2010, eaten by Linkedin and regurgitated November 2011.
Significance: A utility that will not only backup a business card but searches its database for a person match and integrates the detail into your contact list.

2. Linkedin app: If you are familiar with the app then you will know that it has recently undergone a facelift to make it more touch friendly. This, along with CardMunch, will be seen as the start of significant changes on touch devices.

3. Adoption: The user numbers show that adoption is already significant but the key will be how Linkedin further builds on this success:

4. Recruitment: Your data and its split definitions can be searched and referenced by recruiters, headhunters and employers. This is where the next series of developments will continue the convergence with the traditional CV. Currently, Linkedin is used for search but not used very often for interview notes or candidate reports.

What should occur next, and the developments thus far seem to indicate the right direction, is that an interviewer will be able to tick off against a list of prerequisites and/or note take against a candidate profile on Linkedin then generate a suitability report. If this procedure can be completed via a tablet computer then we start to lose the requirement for a paper CV. Between now and 2015 some of this needs to become a functioning adopted reality and convergence is completely reliant on this.

In summary, to remove the paper cv another suitable system for reference and information exchange has to take its place, or fundamentally change the way we currently operate. As mentioned, there has to be adoption first by subscribers (you) and by paid users (recruiters etc). Adoption needs a foundation in trust, and this acts as a proverbial speed bump to any social media uptake but there is always a tipping point in the public conciousness whereby you begin to feel left behind; as if you are missing out on something.

It is probable that companies such as Monster that have a database of uploaded CVs will be seeing profit erosion within this part of their business. Linkedin is directly responsible for this, why would you bother updating your CV across the multitude of CV banks when you can do it all on Linkedin?

Join Linkedin, update your profile and start using it as an accelerator for success.

There seems to be a social media CV buzz doing the rounds at the moment. The word on the web being; “Is the CV dead?”. The answer is an emphatic no. Emphatic entailing that the majority of companies still bench mark using CVs, still reference a CV during interview and expect an interview to revolve around a CV. Using Social Networking to support the paper copy of the trusty curriculum vitae is now the norm and I will come back to this later.

Not all CV writing businesses are equal

Hilary Osborne wrote this feature in the Guardian which centred around an individual and a CV writing company called Total CVs. The conclusion being that you can write your own CV and that Total CVs provided a poor service. We cannot comment on the quality of the service offered by other CV companies, but we have heard from a number of people that have suffered with poor results.

If this is the case, then what makes us different?

Integrity.

Genuine results and testimonials.

Service levels.

Professionalism.

Expertise.

Knowledge.

Experience

Writing Skills.

Format.

Accuracy.

Effort.

Presentation.

Genuine, current, Recruitment and Head Hunting Experience.

Pricing.

Not an exhaustive list but enough to make you think and question any alleged Professional CV Writer.

The question that needs addressing next is:

Why you would need a Professional CV?

It is an extremely tough market place for job seekers at all levels. Granted, if your CV conveys you as having a modicum of role specific talent, a room filling personality and a decent level of detail then you will probably be OK.

Unfortunately, the majority of people fail to realise that CV detail and presentation can change response rates. Worryingly, some people just regurgitate detail, add to an old CV and send it out to job sites hoping that a recruiter will find it and ring with a job. Fall into this category and you will be very disappointed with results.

When we write your Professional CV we put you through a process that is virtually the same as job interview. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, we need to know everything that is relevant to your career. Secondly, our process helps you to reconnect with your achievements, and when you are invited to a job interview, invariably the interviewer will want to discuss this detail. This is the crucial difference between writing (or rewriting) your CV or asking us to write your Professional CV. We strive to get the detail that you may not even realise is relevant. As recruiters, we know what is needed whereas someone who just writes CVs rarely understands the depth of appropriate detail required.

Once we have explored your talent, achievements and have compiled the Professional CV what happens next is entirely up to you. What we cannot do is go to interview for you. We will, as mentioned, make you consider your career from an interviewer’s perspective and needs but we cannot help you once inside the interview room. We can tell you to take a list of questions about the role you have applied for, and how to close the interviewer down at the end (all interviewers expect to be asked questions at the end). If you do not, you are either missing an opportunity or you potentially have missed the opportunity.

Our CV will get you noticed and will get you to interview, but only you, your personality and performance at formal interview will get you the role.

Social media. If people are increasingly using the Social web to support a CV, then shouldn’t you be able to use a regular CV and do what everyone else is doing? The answer is yes. Social networking, it’s the 21st Century version of curtain twitching. We have said before that this is something you need to be aware of, use to gain personal advantage but also an advantage for the business that employs you. You need a presence. You need a yes answer when someone asks “are you on LinkedIn”. The best analogy for why is to think business cards. Most people have fallen foul, at least once, of not having a business card at a crucial moment, then feeling that withering look of disdain and pity at the naivety from the requester. Not having a LinkedIn profile is starting to have the same gravitas as not having a business card or usually raises an eyebrow or two. There is no reason not to have a profile or for that matter, no excuse. Considering yourself a Luddite is not a reason for self-exclusion either. Remembering that if someone wants to get in touch, Linkedin makes it easier.

Makes poor decisions based on lack of foresight and sector knowledge.
Unable to manage team or understand organisational prejudice

Need I continue?!

Original Article from The Telegraph by Louisa Peacock

Recruiters and employers are all saying the same thing; A CV has to make a positive visual and content statement about the person it represents. In a depressed recruitment market your CV has to be superior to that of your peers. In 2012 this trend will continue and also expand with social marketing playing an ever increasing role in the recruitment process. Social channels such as twitter, linkedin, facebook and google+ are looked at and scoured for information about you and your past but the CV is still, and will continue to be, the most important document for attracting interest from third parties. However, if you show neglect in any of these areas, you may find that you could be letting opportunities pass you by, ignore you completely, or that neglect could even cost you your current job.

Tips for optimising you in 2012

Take care of your social profile:

Watch for the ubiquitous photo tags and hash tags. Ensure that you are on top of your social image on twitter, facebook and google+. If something in your profile makes you recoil in horror, imagine how it looks to everyone else.

If you are currently employed and on Linkedin, make your profile an extension of your business card and not your CV. See this story and our previous article for more details.

Your CV:

Does it portray you in the most favourable light? People are often surprised to find that their CV is not as great as they think it is. There are many factors for this with the main being that most people have not referenced their CV against another. Thankfully, the internet now provides via image search the ability to see other variations of CVs, the content and layout. The downside is that the vast majority are average to poor and do not provide the content needed, but it is still possible, with a careful eye, to roughly gauge how your CV compares. The easiest way is to opt for a free CV review and let us make it easier for you. Just click here to go back to the homepage and fill in the form in the bottom right of your browser.

We always caution about Linkedin and this story is a timely reminder that whilst Linkedin can be a great asset, you should always err on the side of caution when constructing your profile. I gave a warning on this in October and this story provides a very good reason for reading it once more.