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The purpose of a CV is to detail your skills and experiences to a potential new employer, however, giving more information about your character and interests can also better your chances of securing an interview if done correctly. So how can you effectively add a little extra to your CV?

Are you sporty? Being part of a sports team shows you work well with other people and have real commitment and dedication.

Is music and theatre your thing? Perhaps you’re a bit of a thespian in your spare time – if so, this kind of interest demonstrates your confidence and creativity, which are both great qualities to a new employer.

Are you a volunteer? Volunteering and fundraising in your spare time for a good cause shows your passion and commitment to both yourself and others.

Are you speaking my language? The dedication you’ve taken to learning a new language will stand out to employers.

It’s clear your extra – curricular activities can make all the difference to your job search – so stand out from the crowd and show off your extra skillsets!

For more information about our current vacancies, or to find out how Fs1 can support your business, contact us on 01908 787 560 or hello@fs1recruitment.com.

Logo design can be tough. And getting a logo design right is very important; a good logo can make all the difference to your brand identity. So how can you get some inspiration for your next logo design?

Cast your net wide. Don’t just think about previously popular logos and why they worked; think about wider art and design and why it appeals to you and others. What are the elements that make it so appealing? How might that inform the design of your logo?

Think about the past and the future. What sort of journey has your organisation or your client been on to get to where they are now? Where are they going in the future? Looking back to the beginnings of an organisation could provide the inspiration you need to design a truly relevant logo.

Start doodling! Play with doodles and pictures to see what cuts through. Don’t overthink it – just let your creativity flow!

What do you think makes a good logo design?

For more information about our current design and creative vacancies, or to find out how Fs1 can support your business, contact us on 01908 787 560 or hello@fs1recruitment.com.

Job searching can be tough sometimes. Often there’s a lot of competition, and sometimes job seekers are unfortunately left confused and frustrated. So what are the biggest job seeking frustrations, and how can you overcome them?

Experience? Job seekers looking for their first job or those looking to change careers can sometimes feel that they need experience, to get experience! Our solution? Consider volunteer work or temporary work to gain some career experience, and apply again!

The competition. Sometimes companies will have hundreds of applicants for a vacancy and job seekers can sometimes feel that the personal touch is taken out of the recruiting process, as well as feeling they don’t stand a chance. Job seekers should consider what makes them unique and how their skills match the job role – You should tailor your CV to a job description as much as possible. By doing so you’re much more likely to get a response.

No feedback? If there are a number of applicants, job seekers may find that feedback is slow or non-existent. There’s no reason, however, why job seekers can’t ask for feedback! If you don’t hear anything following an interview, there could be a logical explanation – contact the hiring manager and ask.

For more information about our current vacancies, or to find out how Fs1 can support your business, contact us on 01908 787 560 or hello@fs1recruitment.com.

The dominance of social media continues to grow year on year. Increasingly we’re seeing more and more smaller businesses engaging on social networks to build relationships with consumers – and here’s why it’s so important to properly invest in paid social media advertising.

Social media is now dominated by advertising. Gone are the days when it was just enough to get your name out there organically – a fully costed social media strategy is vital.

The good news is it’s affordable. Social media advertising suits any budget big or small, making it accessible for everyone. You set your own budget and spend what you can afford.

It’s a targeted approach. Social media advertising allows you to properly target your audience with content that will inspire, rather than the blanket approach of more traditional types of advertising.

It’s getting easier. As more people start to engage with social media advertising, the platforms for placing adverts are becoming more user friendly – what was once a medium only for specialists is becoming more accessible for smaller organisations.

For more information about our latest social media and advertising vacancies, or to find out how FS1 Recruitment can support your business, contact us on 01908 787 560 or hello@fs1recruitment.com.

Interview questions come in all shapes and sizes and are asked for very different reasons. So what questions should you expect in your next interview and how can you answer them effectively?

The classics. These questions are wide ranging, and often simply involve the interviewer wanting to find out more about you.

Career Goal questions. These questions relate your future career plans and how you see yourself developing, as interviewers try to establish if you’re a good fit for their company.

What about your character? Character led questions reveal what you’re capable of achieving and give employers a real indication of your drives.

Are you competent? Competency questions indicate your ability to complete a job well and will often require you to give examples to show what you’re capable of.

The curveball. Questions such as “If you were an animal, which one would you be?”  do still exist. They’re designed to see how you can think on your feet, so make sure you take your opportunity to stand out from the crowd!

For more information about our current vacancies, or to find out how FS1 can support your business, contact us on 01908 787 560 or hello@fs1recruitment.com.

Nostalgia is a great emotion to invoke when you want to connect with your audience. We all have fond childhood memories of different brands and organisations, and thinking about how to capture the best of your glory years is a great way to give your brand a boost today. Here’s how.

Get to your core values. When looking at branding and style, starting with your history and ultimately your values as an organisation goes a long way. Start with what inspired you in the first place.

Revisit the best of the past. Consider what made good design great and recapture those design principles to bring the past back to life.

What sort of era encapsulates your brand identity? It may be you don’t need to go to far back in the past to find the design era that really hits home for your organisation. Make sure whatever you do remains true to you.

But be warned! A re-brand and re-design is always a risk – particularly if you’re working with an iconic and well loved brand and logo. Do your research and make sure your work is in tune with your customers. For more information about our latest marketing and brand vacancies, or to find out how FS1 can support your business, contact us on 01908 787 560 or hello@fs1recruitment.com.

In today’s busy working environment, avoiding burnout is hugely important and must be taken seriously. We have so many more demands upon us in our working world and looking after your health should be your top priority.

First things first; are you approaching burnout? It sometimes can be hard to notice when you’re in a difficult situation and facing burnout. Are you finding work uninteresting, stressful and struggling to sleep? Do you feel negative or critical? Are you making unhealthy lifestyle choices? Chances are you are starting to struggle with burnout.

It’s important you take steps to avoid burnout –

1. Keep you life and work separate. Set aside time specifically for life outside work, make plans to see friends and family and say no to unreasonable wok requests. You’ve got to have a life outside of work.
2. Find a hobby. Get involved in something entirely separate from your work to invest your energy into – You your hobby to re-energise your world!
3. Set your work priorities for each day. The work never “finishes”, so be aware of what you can achieve in just one day and stick to that list alone.

Put yourself first and look after yourself – because ultimately if you hit burnout you’ll let yourself and your colleague down in the long run anyway.

For more information about our latest vacancies, or to find out how FS1 can support your business, contact us on 01908 787 560 or hello@fs1recruitment.com.

The internet all over, everyone loves a good meme. Great content that makes us smile has the potential to be shared hundreds, maybe thousands of times, getting your brand out there at the same time. So how can you make memes a key part of your strategy?

What matters to your audience? Anything too generic just isn’t going to get any cut through. Think about what matters to your audience, what they are into. What TV shows or films are they watching?

What’s happening? Brands creating content based on current events is always going to be a strong draw for your audience. A good meme based on what’s going on in the world, bringing your brand right into the current conversation, will go far.

Is it funny? Memes have got to have a funny side – but they have to remain true to your values too. Think about the sort of impression you want to give your followers about your brand’s identity.

Stick to the format. Memes aren’t necessarily polished and perfect – And that’s what makes them authentic and appealing. Stick to standard meme formats and watch the shares stack up!

For more information about our latest social media and digital marketing vacancies, or to find out how FS1 can support your business, contact us on 01908 787 560 or hello@fs1recruitment.com.

Since Covid-19 remote working has been a firm fixture for many organisations, and many of us now experience hybrid working, spending some of our time in the office with a few days working from home too. But how can you make sure your working space at home boosts your productivity?

Make some space. Whilst in times before we had to make do with the space we had available to us, to be properly productive it’s vital you have a designated space just for working. It should be a space away from your normal home environment to ensure a good work / life balance

Are you comfortable? You should have a well sized desk and chair that will support your back properly. Think about any adjustments you have in the workplace; do you need wrist rests or a stand to adjust the angle of your keyboard? Just because you’re at home doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take your posture at your desk seriously!

Make it pleasant. Lots of fresh air through open windows and the correct lighting in your workspace can do wonders!

For more information about our latest vacancies, or to find out how FS1 can support your business, contact us on 01908 787 560 or hello@fs1recruitment.com.

UX design, short for User Experience design, focuses on creating meaningful and enjoyable experiences for users when they interact with a website or another service or product. As the digital landscape evolves, staying updated with the latest trends is crucial for designers striving to deliver exceptional user experiences. So what makes good UX design stand out?

Make it minimal. Minimalistic design, characterised by its simplicity and focus on essential elements, remains a cornerstone of modern UX. By reducing clutter and unnecessary distractions, simplistic design enhances usability and appeal.

Don’t forget Dark Mode. Dark mode has gained immense popularity due to its visual appeal and practical benefits. By offering a darker colour palette, dark mode reduces eye strain, particularly in low-light environments, and can also help save battery life on OLED screens.

Make it animated! Microinteractions are subtle animations or feedback mechanisms that enhance user engagement and satisfaction. These small design elements, like loading animations or button feedback, contribute significantly to the overall user experience. And it’s fun, too!

What about voice? As voice-activated devices become more prevalent, Voice User Interfaces (VUIs) are transforming the way users interact with technology. VUIs offer hands-free and intuitive interaction, making them ideal for multitasking and accessibility.

Is it personal? Personalisation in UX design involves tailoring experiences to individual users based on their preferences, behaviour, and data. This trend is crucial for creating relevant and engaging user experiences that foster loyalty and satisfaction.

What do you think makes for good UX design? For more information about our latest vacancies, or to find out how FS1 can support your business, contact us on 01908 787 560 or hello@fs1recruitment.com.