Working Wise

Tesse Akpeki has years of experience in governance, having started in the field when it was still developing. She was delighted to then be headhunted to run the governance development programme of a City law firm and has since gone freelance as a consultant. But everything changed for her in 2020 when her elder brother Tony was killed by a speeding hit and run driver as he delivered Covid tests to care homes in Dover. Tesse was extremely close to him.

Natasha Paling used to work in financial services, but after taking a career break to look after her children she transitioned to teaching and hasn’t looked back. She has just been named Teacher of the Year in a national competition in recognition of her work to support her pupils, school and community. When Natasha’s children, now aged 20 and 17, were young she volunteered at their school, Balfour Primary School in Brighton, and went on to become a teaching assistant.

A report out this week from Teach First focused on making the profession more flexible in order to attract younger people. It recommended, for instance, secondments to other sectors. But it’s not just young people who might want greater flexibility in their workplace, whatever that might mean for them, and opportunities to take time out and try other options. As we live – and work – longer, we will all be moving around more and so we need to be open to trying new things.

Imagine it’s Friday evening. You’re about to watch a new Netflix drama, trying to unwind after a long week. Suddenly, your phone pings with a work email marked “urgent.” Your heart sinks; your stress levels rise. Even if you choose not to respond immediately, the damage is done. Work has again encroached on your personal life. The intrusion of work into home life, helped along by smartphones and other technologies, might seem like a triumph of efficiency.

What’s the biggest challenge facing people looking for a job? For CV expert Emma Alkirwi, founder of the CV Guru, it is that they are not getting interviews. They think their CV is going into a dark hole and they want to know how to make themselves stand out. Alkirwi was speaking at workingmums.co.uk Careers Week, which covered everything from how to set out your CV to whether and how much to use AI to apply for jobs.

The UK needs wholesale reform in employment support to reverse ‘a participation crisis’ which has seen a significant decline in its workforce, with 800,000 fewer individuals in work or seeking employment since the onset of the Covid pandemic, according to a new report.

Better health is the most important medicine the UK economy needs for the faster growth that the new government has identified as one of its five key missions, according to a new report. The IPPR’s cross-party Commission on Health and Prosperity, a three-year inquiry, has published its final report which presents a comprehensive plan for a modern 21st century health creation system.

When searching for a new job, taking the time to research a potential employer is an important step in the process. Whether you’re making a career change, seeking a specific role, or have your sights on a particular employer, you need to understand not only whether you are a good fit for the company, but also what it will be like to work there. They have to be the right fit for your needs too! If it’s been a while since you were last job hunting, you might not know where to start.

Looking for a job is not a walk in the park, unless you are very lucky. It can be harder if you are older, at least that is definitely the perception of many older people. Partly that might be because changing jobs has changed. If you’ve been in a job for a while it can be scary looking in a whole new jobseeking environment, with interviews done online, Applicant Tracking Systems and keywords all featuring in today’s world.

Next week is Careers Week on our sister site workingmums.co.uk and there is lots of advice that is useful for jobseekers of all ages as well as opportunities to virtually meet employers looking to hire.