Access to Work Help in the workplace

Access to Work Help in the workplace by Michael Cheary Looking for a role that suits your needs? If you have a disability or a physical or mental health condition, it can sometimes be difficult for you to do your job â€" let alone find something new. However, help is always available to improve your job search or workplace conditions.Access to Work is a publicly funded employment support programme to practically and financially support people with a disability or health condition. The programme applies to all workers, including trainees, apprentices, contract workers and business partners.Here’s a quick guide on making reasonable adjustments in the workplace â€" and what Access to Work could do to help your career:Talk to your employer about reasonable adjustments First thing’s first, if you have a disability or health condition that you require help with in the workplace, talk to your employer about any changes that would help you.Known as ‘reasonable adjustments’, your employer must make certain change s to ensure you’re not at a disadvantage when doing your job.These adjustments also apply to interviews if the assessment isn’t suitable for your needs.Reasonable adjustments Include:Adjusting the recruitment process so a candidate can attend an interview and be considered for a job. For example, the employer should ensure mobility aid users can interview on the ground floor if there is no lift. Or, for those who have trouble using a pen to complete a written test, an employer should offer a computerMaking physical changes to the workplace to help employees, such as installing a ramp for a wheelchair user or an audio-visual fire alarm for those who are hearing impairedGiving employees the option to do tasks another way if this helps their health condition â€" e.g. allowing someone with a social anxiety disorder to have their own desk instead of hot-deskingChanging equipment to fit an employee’s need â€" e.g. providing a special keyboard for those with arthritisSupporting emplo yees who become disabled to make a gradual return to work, including flexible hours or part-time workingThe Equality Act: What you need to knowGet extra help from Access to WorkIf your employer is unable to make the necessary changes to help your situation, you can then apply for help from Access to Work.This support may include a grant that doesn’t have to be paid back, to cover the costs of practical assistance in the workplace. This grant will not affect your other benefits.An Access to Work grant can pay for:Special equipment, adaptations or support worker services to help you do things like go to meetings or answer the phoneHelp travelling to and from work if you can’t use public transport, or if you need to adapt your vehicleAccess to Work will work with your employer to advise them on how best to support you in the workplace.You or your employer will then be able to buy the items or services you need and Access to Work will pay the money back, up to the amount of the gran t awarded.To be eligible for assistance, you have to currently be in a paid job or about to start one. You can also apply if you are about to return to work or be interviewed for a job.Once approved, the grant amount depends on your circumstances and the support you’re offered will be based on your needs.Mental health supportOne in six workers is dealing with a mental health problem such as anxiety, depression or stress, which can stop you performing at your best.Access to Work also provides confidential support and advice from a trained healthcare professional from the Mental Health Support Service.Specialist advisors provide a support plan with helpful coping strategies and practical advice to assist you in your working role. You don’t need to have a diagnosed condition to use the service.Once you’re ready to go ahead with asking for reasonable adjustments in your workplace, apply for Access to Work online or call 0800 121 7479.How to talk about mental health at workStill se arching for the right role? View all available jobs nowFind a job What Where Search JobsSign up for more Career AdviceSign up for moreCareer Advice Please enter a valid email addressmessage hereBy clicking Submit you agree to the terms and conditions applicable to our service and acknowledge that your personal data will be used in accordance with our privacy policy and you will receive emails and communications about jobs and career related topics. Employee rights What job suits me?

4 Simple Questions to Ask Before You Buy New Footwear

4 Simple Questions to Ask Before You Buy New Footwear The decision is already made to purchase new shoes or boots. Now the focus is on finding footwear that meets your needs. You can simplify the process by asking yourself four basic questions. The answers will point you in the direction of a reputable brand and be able to find the style and type that you need. Which Brands Have Features That Help With My Foot Issues? Not all brands have designs capable of helping with different types of foot issues. Maybe your arches are not that strong, or perhaps you have some other issue that requires excellent cushioning or a little extra room in the toe box. It pays to identify brands that do have the features you need to enjoy the maximum amount of comfort. You’ll find that brands that offer orthotic friendly selections will work well and ensure those new shoes are kind to your feet. Do I Need Shoes For a Special Occasion? Perhaps you need another pair of shoes because some special event or occasion is coming up soon. What is that occasion? If it calls for certain types of dress, you can bet that the shoes need to match. The occasion may be an important job interview. Perhaps it’s a first date. You may be preparing to participate in your first run to raise money for a charity. Whatever the nature of the event, it pays to choose a brand that has designs for all types of occasions. Brands like Clarks shoes are perfect for these and quite a few other events. Which Brands are Made to Last? You already know that many of the brands found in discount stores will only last for so long. That may be fine if you don’t mind spending money on something that will need replacing in a matter of months. When you prefer to invest in footwear that holds up well for a long time, Clarks is an obvious choice. The combination of quality, style, and comfort will ensure you get plenty of use in exchange for making the purchase. Which Brands are in My Price Range? Not everyone can purchase footwear without checking the price first. While you may need to keep the cost within a certain amount, that doesn’t mean you have to settle for lower quality shoes or boots. Choosing the proper brand means you have access to affordable prices and quality. Now is the time to check out the different styles and colours. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at the range of options and how easy it is to find exactly what you want. Once you try a pair of a quality brand, you will never wonder where to go for quality footwear again.

Dont know what you want to do Top tips to get past it University of Manchester Careers Blog

Dont know what you want to do Top tips to get past it University of Manchester Careers Blog Written by Callum McAvan, Student Communications and Marketing Assistant at the Careers Service Stop me if you think that you’ve heard this one before. For the first eighteen years of my life I was on a pretty set track. When I was in primary school, I knew I’d be going to a pretty decent high school, when I got to high school I worked hard to get to sixth form and then after that I knew exactly which University I wanted to go to and knew what I needed to do to get there. But, when I hit third year, I found myself thinking “What now?”, because the comfort of knowing there was a defined next step was gone. So, whether you’re in third year now or you’re reading this earlier in your university journey, here are some top tips to figure out what it is you want to do: Identify what you’re good at When you’re faced with a wall of job adverts and career options, the easiest thing to do (speaking from experience) is to be paralysed by choice, and back out before you’ve even started. However, that’s not going to be the best tactic for finding a job, so here’s an alternative method: Instead of looking for a job according to a sector, or a job title, make a list of what your strengths are and what you enjoy doing. Sure, knowing you love to play football doesn’t sound useful but it might tell you that you enjoy working in a team, so look for roles that depend on good communication skills and an ability to work closely with others. Whether you write in your spare time, you’ve learned a bit of code or you make bracelets and sell them on Etsy; the things you enjoy can be full of useful transferrable skills! They’re the perfect starting point for your search. Meet a Careers Consultant “If I haven’t got a clue what I want to do, then how will a Careers Consultant have any idea?” That was my thought throughout the majority of third year. Don’t be like me, because actually the “I don’t have a clue” kind of conversations are when Careers Consultants come into their own. It’s not true that you need an inkling of what you want to do, because they’re there to help you along the way to realise what kind of role suits you best. So book yourself an appointment and ask away, there’s no stupid questions! Guidance appointments are free, and if you ask me, very worthwhile. Consider alternative routes Many people think that you need to get onto a graduate scheme, or get a steady graduate job to be a “success” after university (whatever that means), but life isn’t that simple, and there are some really fun alternative routes you should consider. The first is Postgraduate study, which is great if you feel at home writing an essay. A Master’s can offer the chance to learn new skills and specialise. If that sounds like a good option to you, come visit the Postgraduate Study Fair on 19th November at Manchester Academy. You’ll be able to scout out your options, learn about funding and scholarships as well as grab yourself a bag full of freebies. Alternatively, why not adventure a bit? That could mean a gap year but it could also mean working abroad. There are plenty of opportunities including teaching abroad, which can enhance your CV and also offer you a great experience and memories to last a lifetime. Come to an insight event The Careers Service organises hundreds of events throughout each academic year, ranging from single company presentations, to huge open evenings and even a session especially for students who don’t have any idea what they want to do after finishing their degree. You can find out about our latest events by following us on Facebook and Twitter, as well as looking at the calendar on CareersLink. Most importantly, remember not to get too stressed. No matter what route you take after your graduation, you’ll be just fine! Your first job isn’t your last job and you’re not locked into a career. You’ve got this. All

How to Find a Great Mentor - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

How to Find a Great Mentor - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Having a great mentor is very important if you want to advance in your career. It doesn’t matter if you work for a large corporation, a small business or if you are an entrepreneur, everybody has to have at least one mentor that they can get help for their business challenges. However, finding a good mentor is not an easy task. You have to put the time and effort to find the right one whom you will feel confident with. Before you start looking for a mentor, first you have to understand the role of a mentor. A good mentor is someone who has been through similar professional experiences in the past that you have been going through and who can lead you to the right direction using his/her experience. Also, a good mentor is not supposed to do things for you. Conversely, s/he is supposed to ask you the right questions so you can understand the current situation and make your decisions yourself. Let’s look at the steps that will help you finding a great mentor: 1.  Check if you have a mentoring program at work. Many of the large businesses and some mid-sized ones have formal mentoring programs for their employees. If you work for one of these businesses which have a formal mentoring program, you can ask your HR department to assign a mentor for you. You can also look around at work and identify a mentor for yourself. If you already have a specific person in mind, ask him/her in a proper way to be your mentor. 2.  Look outside your workplace. Your mentor doesn’t need to work in the same company with you. You can also find mentors from your relatives, friends and neighbors. Another alternative is finding a mentor from activities that you are involved in such as professional organizations or community groups. If you are still a student or a new graduate, you can ask your professor to be your mentor as well. 3.  Try LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a good way to identify the leaders in your field. Especially if you are planning to switch companies or change your career, you can use LinkedIn to find influential people who can help you. After identifying a few people that you want as mentors, find ways to meet them in person so you can establish a formal relationship. Find out if they are attending any industry events so you can meet them yourself or ask around to see if you have any common connections that can introduce you with your desired mentor.

Hiring a Resume Writing Service - Tips For Hiring a Resume Writing Service

Hiring a Resume Writing Service - Tips For Hiring a Resume Writing ServiceIf you're a business owner and are looking for someone to write your resume, hiring a resume writing service may be the perfect answer. When it comes to a resume, creating your own can be time consuming and quite frustrating.Professional resume writers can take the hard work out of it and save you plenty of time. They are also very likely to provide you with some exceptional employment.When hiring a professional resume writing service, a lot of the time you can expect some pretty specific things to be done. For example, they may send you your material straight away, so that you can go back and edit it after you have received it. This is not always the case if you were to do it yourself.Another thing that is done is that the company will help you make your resume look better. They will take care of the keywords and formatting on your resume. Most businesses will employ professional resume writers to make sure th at your resume stands out from the rest.You can also expect that they will get you some personal recommendations from people who have used their services before. Because they will usually have some excellent recommendations, they will know where to look in order to find a few good candidates for you to choose from.By including these suggestions on your resume, you will be able to attract a lot more new clients. These services may also be willing to create other types of materials as well, such as cover letters and even interview requests.In order to hire a qualified resume writing service, you need to find a place that specializes in various kinds of resumes. You can also find that they have numerous testimonials that can prove their credentials and their great success.Most business owners love the fact that hiring a resume writing service is so easy, especially when it comes to saving time. They are the professionals to turn to for help.

How To Make Sure Recruiters Can Find You On LinkedIn

How To Make Sure Recruiters Can Find You On LinkedIn How To Make Sure Recruiters Can Find You On LinkedIn LinkedIn Profiles Good recruiters don’t just place employment ads and wait. They go out and find candidates. Why? First, recruiters know that most of the people who respond to ads are not remotely qualified. They don’t want to waste their time. Second, recruiters know that passive candidates and those casually looking are not regularly reading job ads. Yes, they might be open to a great opportunity, but they’re not actively looking. Third, recruiters know that the chances are slim that someone who works for their employer’s competitor will respond to an ad. These people need to be found and enticed. While there are many ways to find candidates, most recruiters turn to LinkedIn. Many spend hours setting up LinkedIn searches and combing through the results. I certainly did when I was a recruiter. Even if you’re not actively looking, you need to have a LinkedIn profile that will help recruiters find you. Today LinkedIn is like a Google for people. Business with poor websites don’t get found. Neither to people with lousy LinkedIn profiles. Here are a few ways to increase your chances of being found. #1 Create A Headline Have a Headline that’s actually a headline. Don’t waste valuable space with a job title only or worse Looking for Opportunities which is the worst headline for job seekers. Pepper your headline with key skills. Include a tag line that tells recruiters what you have to offer. #2 Jazz Up The Summary The Summary section is not the place for a boring biography. Your summary should give readers some insight into who you are and why you do what you do, not just what you do. Also, LinkedIn profiles should be written in the first person. That said, starting every sentence with I is boring. Try to talk about other people and things besides you. #3 Build Out Job Descriptions Make sure your job descriptions highlight your accomplishments. Provide some information about what you do, but also demonstrate your value. To make your profile more personal add a few lines about what you are/were most proud of or enjoyed the most about each position. #4 Share Volunteer Work In most cases volunteer work doesn’t belong on your resume. But it can really add value to your LinkedIn profile. Go beyond listing your volunteer activities and talk about what you do and why you give time to this cause. #5 Upload Some Photos It’s surprising how many people still don’t have a profile picture on their LinkedIn profile. Some people leave them off because they think it opens them up to discrimination. However, a profile with no picture is often passed by. Put one up today. Today, you need a background photo as well. LinkedIn’s generic blue background makes you look generic too. #6 Include Contact Information Finally, make it easy for recruiters and/or employers to contact you by including your contact information in your Summary section. If you’re unemployed or your employer knows your looking include a pitch for what you’re looking for with your email address. If you’re passively looking or conducting a confidential job search include a line like “always interested in connecting with colleagues and clients” along with your email address. #7 Make It About You Many of the LinkedIn profiles I see focus on the person’s employer. The Summary Section talks about the employer and their services. Often the job descriptions focus on the business too. Recruiters scouring LinkedIn don’t want to read your company’s bio, they want to learn about you. Demonstrate your value with accomplishments. Tell them why you do what you do. Share your career philosophy and the things that made you proud. Let them get to know you.

Job Searches are Like Boulder-Hopping

Job Searches are Like Boulder-Hopping Job Searches are Like Boulder-Hopping Job searches can be a lot like boulder-hopping. Case in point: Last week, my husband and I took off on a backpacking adventure along California’s Lost Coast. It was a great trip, and we covered 26.8 miles that encompassed some breathtaking scenery in rugged territory literally dozens of miles from the nearest house. We were totally unplugged and off the proverbial grid. Some parts of the trail pushed out onto the beach, which is not as easy to navigate as you would think. The seaside ranged from easy-to-walk-on sand to deep sand, then to deep gravel, and finally, big rocks at all kinds of angles. But while I was being present in the moments I was experiencing in such amazing views, my mind kept wandering and comparing the path I was walking to that of a job seeker trying to find work. And came up with some remarkable comparisons. Challenging terrain. Just like this trail, you’ll have some easy stretches in job searches, and then there will be times where you don’t know what is around the next corner. Will it be smooth sailing on packed firm sand, or will there be a deep stream crossing filled with fear of falling in over my head? We never really know until we make our way around that bend to find out. You simply can’t let fear hold you back. Sometimes, you get hit by a rogue wave. At a number of points on the Lost Coast, there are areas that are inaccessible at high tide. And by inaccessible, I mean that the waves are crashing right up against steep rock cliffs â€" at least 20 feet above the sand. Not exactly a place you want to end up at the wrong time. Timing is everything, and even if you carefully watch the tide tables or the waxing/waning of job opportunities at a target company, it may look like the coast is clear to start job searches. But don’t rule out the random rogue wave (even if the coast is clear) that can sweep in and take an opening away from you.   Realize that these rogue waves have nothing to do with you and everything to do with happenstance and other factors you can’t know about let alone control. The only thing you can do is keep your eyes out to try and spot them before they come in, and don’t get trapped. Always have another way out. At some point, you are going to have to jump during job searches. Any time we make a move from Point A to Point B, we have to make a decision to jump based on the best information that we had at the time. We weigh the risks and rewards of making that leap. But uncertainty sometimes can be your biggest obstacle; hesitating can carry huge costs because sometimes, the opportunity will pass you by.   Making that leap of faith based on informed decision-making is the best that anyone can do. There is no guarantee for a good landing spot. In a job search, we are never really guaranteed that our decisions work out the way that we hoped them to… and that includes taking that dream job only to find out it is ruled by a nightmarish boss. Or it wasn’t exactly as advertised and end up being like a slippery rock where you can’t seem to grab a purchase? Where we land, like jumping from boulder-to-boulder on a rugged beach, is a calculated risk unto itself. Will you have a good foothold? Will you be able to keep your balance after you land? Will the place you land stay steady and not rock suddenly to one side? There is no answer to these questions. Sometimes, you just have to go for it and hope for the best. And you know what? The employer is doing the same thing with you… they are hoping for the best that you work out as well. So the secret of navigating this tough track Keep firm.   Know when to hesitate and re-evaluate, yet at the same time, don’t be so afraid of taking that leap that you end up holding yourself back from the next stop on your career journey. And as for my experience on this backpacking trip: I have really bad knees and ankles (multiple injuries), so as goofy as I looked, I put on knee braces and plowed ahead cautiously albeit purposefully. I kept going because I didn’t want my fears to keep me from my intended destination which was practically heavenly with the amazing wildflowers and views. And neither should you during job searches.