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Sharp Consultancy Supports Yorkshire Children’s Charity’s annual schools day out at Cannon Hall Farm.

On Wednesday, September 11th, half of our staff from both the Sheffield and Leeds offices volunteered to support Yorkshire Children’s Charity. Each year, this charity provides hundreds of children from schools across Yorkshire with the opportunity to enjoy a fantastic day out at Cannon Hall Farm, and they rely on many volunteers to make this happen.This year, over 600 children who might otherwise not be able to enjoy a day trip like this, partook in what turned out to be a brilliant day. Yorkshire Children’s Charity is very close to our hearts here at Sharp Consultancy as not only is it focused on the county we call home, the charity helps children who for a variety of reasons, are in a position of disadvantage. For many of these children, this was their first visit to a farm and possibly their first experience outside their local area. Apart from a brief deluge for 10 minutes at the start of the day and a light shower at the end the day, the rain mostly stayed away. The team from Sharp Consultancy, along with many other volunteers helped get the packed lunches delivered, drinks poured, biscuits distributed and joined the teachers showing the children around the farm – from reptile houses to the pig pens (much holding of noses and retching noises!), tractor rides to see Llama’s and reindeer, sheep racing, ferret racing, meerkats and mongoose. It was a day like no other.No matter how old you are, if you think back really hard, you can probably just about remember the first time you saw a snake or huge monitor lizard in a zoo; or goggled at the size of a shire horse and the amazement you felt – multiply this by 608 children and you might just have some idea how special the day was. And don’t children ask the best questions. I have never been asked so many questions I didn’t know the answer to – ‘Why do snakes put their heads in that position?’ Why are some leaf cutter ants carrying leaves to their nest and some carrying them away from their nest?’ Why is that cow laying down and that one stood up?’ my answer – ‘it must be tired’ – there response ‘what’s it been doing to get tired?’ Or my favourite ‘What can run faster, a meerkat or a ferret?’. The team here at Sharp Consultancy had an amazing day (I think if enjoyment could be measured, we’d have given the children a run for their money!) It was a humbling and enlightening experience and on occasions, very emotional (my word, you really appreciate just exactly how lucky you are and have been). Most of all though it was a delight to meet 608 amazing young people, dozens of teachers and assistants (you really are heroes, and nothing will make me change my mind on that) and all our fellow volunteers and charity employees Annabel and Abbie – join the teachers in our collective hero worship. A day to remember…forever.

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Could my social media activity have a negative effect on my career prospects?

Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn are part of most people’s everyday life. But as well as being a great way to stay in touch and keep track of what is happening in the world, your social media profile and activity can say a lot to a potential new employer or your current boss.

Employers are very well acquainted with the potential of the web when it comes to recruitment, and as well as being a useful medium to source candidates, it is also a hugely valuable tool when it comes to researching more about possible hires who are of interest.

Your CV and performance during an interview are situations in which hiring managers will know that you are giving the best account possible of yourself. However, looking at someone’s online presence can help shape their idea about a person’s character - seeing what they might be like when their guard is down, so to speak.

Posting flippant comments, making negative remarks about your work or employer or - as in a famously reported case some years ago – bragging about taking a sick day when you are really looking to enjoy a day out will win you no favours with an interviewer.

Other moves which could spell trouble for your career include sharing information about applying for new jobs, celebrating getting a job offer before having spoken to your current employer and moaning about your colleagues or clients. Being seen to support groups or statements which could be seen as offensive, using crude language and even poor grammar and spelling are all things which could easily turn an interviewer’s opinion from ‘we have to see this candidate’ to ‘perhaps they are not the right person for our organisation’.

Think carefully about what you post and tweet, make sure your security and privacy settings are robust, exercise caution when it comes to accepting friend, follower and connection requests and be aware of any posts or photos that others may tag you into.

However, social media shouldn’t be seen as the enemy and you can certainly use it to your advantage in your search for a new job – as well as allowing you to glean a wealth of information about companies you are keen to join, an insightful blog or contributing to interesting discussions on industry networking groups will make potential employers take notice of you online for the right reasons.

Sharp Consultancy specialises in the recruitment of temporary, interim and permanent finance and accountancy professionals. With offices in Leeds and Sheffield our highly experienced team of consultants recruit for positions throughout Yorkshire and beyond. CONTACT US today for expert advice on your next career move.