Last year there were 139,324 solicitors with Practicing Certificates (PC), which was an increase of 2.5% on the previous year and is generally in keeping with the rate of growth over the last decade. Of that figure, just over 50% of PC holders were women (they lead by about 366). During the same time, 62% of new admissions were women. It’s is predicted that by 2022, there will be 10,000 more female practicing solicitors than male.

Whilst these figures are good news for females in the industry, unfortunately they still only make up a meagre 33% of partners at firms. Add that to the fact that the average age of a female lawyer is 40 and males is 45, there are still more women than men dropping out of their legal career and not making it to a partner level.

It’s also been revealed that women are more predominant in certain areas of law such as in companies and in-house work of which women made up 25% and males only 18.5%. In the private practice and commercial fields, men were still the larger quantity.

This disparity is also reflected in the gender pay gap in which women are still earning, on average, 24% less pay than their male counterparts.

So, whilst we’ve come a long way from women not being allowed to practice law, there is still clearly some way to go to ensure both genders are treated fairly and given the same opportunities in their career as each other.

If you’re a female in the legal profession and want to know more about the Manchester legal landscape or looking for some advice on your next career move, please give us a call and talk to one of our recruiters today.

The post All the Legal Ladies appeared first on Ambipro.

As an employer, you have a responsibility to ensure both the physical and mental wellbeing of your staff. All too often, employees are scared to tell their manager about a mental health problem and so the problem can escalate further and further. A recent survey has shown that 1 in 5 people felt they couldn’t tell their boss about being overly stressed at work and less than half of people diagnosed with a mental health problem had told their manager.

So how do you create a welcoming atmosphere for people to come forward? Organisations need to send a clear signal to staff that their mental health matters and being open about it will lead to support, not discrimination. A simple way to communicate this is to explain that mental health will be treated in the same way as physical health.

How to spot a member experiencing a mental health problem

Mental health issues can manifest themselves in many ways but here are a few key things to look for:
• changes in people’s behaviour or mood or how they interact with colleagues
• changes in their work output, motivation levels and focus
• struggling to make decisions, get organised and find solutions to problems
• appearing tired, anxious or withdrawn and losing interest in activities and tasks they
previously enjoyed
• changes in eating habits, appetite and increased smoking and drinking.

How to support someone with a mental health problem

• Be positive – focus on what employees can do, rather than what they can’t.
• Work together and involve people in finding solutions as much as possible.
• Remember people are often the expert when it comes to identifying the support or adjustment they need and how to manage their triggers for poor mental health.

The post Mental Health in the Workplace appeared first on Ambipro.

Our professional working lives last about 45 years. Let’s say you worked a 40 hour week, 48 weeks of the year, that’s a total of 86,400 hours of work time! With all those hours worked it’s understandable if you let a few bad habits slip out whilst spending time in the office.

Whilst many habits fly under the radar, there are a few that can annoy your co-workers. In some cases, this can lead to a breakdown in office harmony and lead to disagreements with your co-workers.

Here we’ll take a look at some habits that can have a negative effect on the workplace.

Tardiness

Consistently arriving late for work can be seen as disrespectful both to your co-workers and your bosses. If everyone else can make the effort to arrive on time, why can’t you? Punctuality is critical to a successful career and building strong relationships with your peers. This also applies to office meetings, keeping people waiting can be construed as inconsiderate, rude, or arrogant.

Gossiping

We go to work to get stuff done and not everyone appreciates a co-worker who spends most of the day engaging in idle chit chat and office gossip. That’s not to say that everyone expects to work in silence, obviously a little chatter is healthy for a positive work environment but if your co-workers appear more interested in looking at their monitor than listening to your story, maybe it’s time to stop chatting and start working.

Smelly Food

We’ve all been there, sat at our desks beavering away when the harrowing smell of someone else’s dinner comes wafting over to insult your nostrils. Obviously a person got to eat but cooking or heating strong smelling foods like fish or dishes heavy on Garlic aren’t going to be making you any friends in a hurry.

Personal Hygiene

As with smelly food, the last thing a co-worker wants to smell when at their desk is your body odour. This also applies to those that over compensate, sure your girlfriend might like that aftershave but your colleagues might not be that enamoured being choked to death by your sexy scent. Always try to go to work clean and fresh and don’t got OTT on the perfume.

Bad Habits

When you’re in the privacy of your own home you can pretty much do what you like, burp, fart, sneeze without covering your mouth and pick your nose to your hearts content. However when your in the workplace, your colleagues aren’t really dying to see them, hear them or smell them.

Space Invader

Each persons desk and surrounding area is their personal space and unfortunately some people are oblivious to the fact they are encroaching on it. Approaching peoples desks and borrowing without asking as well as standing too close (even to the point of being inappropriate) can cause upset. When approaching another co-workers desk always s aim to be considerate and respect their personal space.

Negativity

Nobody wants to work with a pessimist colleague. They sap the life and joy out of a team and answer everything in a negative fashion. Negativity can also stifle creativity if every idea is being put down which could end up leaving you as an office pariah. If people know your negative, they will start to avoid you at work.

Swearing

It’s extremely unprofessional to be cussing at work all day long. It shows that you not ready for progression and demonstrates to others that you aren’t able to calmly and thoughtfully deal with a situation. If witnessed by a customer or client, it can also reflect very poorly on your employers which could land you in some very hot water.

The post Don’t be the Office Ignoramus appeared first on Ambipro.

Permanent placements continued to grow, however April saw the slowest rise of this year. Anecdotal evidence suggests that growth of placements was underpinned by a further substantial rise in demand for staff and greater job vacancies. After a 13-month low, temp billings have seen a sharp rise but the pace of expansion remained softer than those seen through most of 2017.

With the continued demand for staff, the Report on Jobs Vacancy Index rose from 61.1 in March to signal the strongest upturn in demand for 3 months. Both Temp and Perm roles saw sharp increases, predominantly in the private sector however the public sector also saw continued rates of growth.

Overall, this amounted to a rise of 5.7% in job vacancies in the 3 months to March. Whilst a positive sign, this was down from a 7.1% rise seen in the previous period and shows the slowest growth since mid-2017.

Executive/professional positions, including legal services saw steady growth in it’s need for permanent staff, up to 4th (60.9) from 9th (59.2) the previous year. Temp contracts also saw growth that pushed it up to 7th (56.2) compared to last year’s entry at 10th (54.7).

The increase in positions has not been helped by the decrease in staff availability. The availability of candidates to fill permanent roles continued to decline markedly during April with the sttepest decline occurring in the South of England. Data also indicated that temp availability dropped for the 58th month in a row.

Permanent staff skills that have been reported to be in short supply include Legal, Litigation and Solicitors. Legal also appears in the list of skills shortages in the temp sector as well meaning there will be increased opportunities for legal professionals deciding to enter the job market.

All these factors combined have meant that there has been a rise in average starting salaries for candidates placed into permanent roles. Anecdotal evidence suggests this is a result of candidate shortages and a robust demand for staff. Temporary roles have seen an even steeper increase in pay due to the scarcity of suitably skilled staff.

As a candidate, now is a good time to be considering your next move. Demand for skills are up, as are starting wages and vacancy numbers. Here at Ambipro we are happy to discuss the legal landscape and help you consider the next steps in your career. A quick call to Ambipro is all it takes to get the ball rolling and there has not been a time as good as this to start making that change so it’s best to seize the moment and take that next step.

The post Vacancies Are on the Up appeared first on Ambipro.

Whilst it is not illegal to ask about either of these things during an interview, it is illegal to refuse employment to somebody on these grounds. According to the Equality & Human Rights Commission (EHRC) 6 in 10 bosses think women should tell a potential employer if she is pregnant. The survey also revealed that 44% believed women should work for an organisation for at least a year before getting pregnant and 46% felt it appropriate to ask if they have young children.

Likewise, recent reports have revealed that some women remove their wedding rings at interviews to avoid these types of questions cropping up. Whilst evidence of wedding ring-based discrimination appears scant, the fear from women is very real, especially when it is so closely linked to maternal issues in which discrimination is well documented.

Whereas the law protects discrimination based on whether a person is pregnant, breastfeeding or has recently given birth, there is nothing in place to protect against a person’s marital status. Likewise, it’s not illegal for an employer to ask about family plans however, it is illegal to use that as a sole justification for not hiring someone.

Many arguments put forward to justify this kind of discrimination include the amount of time off that will be required by the employee (wedding planning, hen party, wedding & honeymoon or in the case of family matters maternity leave, childcare & work-life balance), their commitment to the job and their career and, in the case of a certain high profile recruiter who’s comments have courted controversy, it makes them ‘high maintenance’.

The sad reality for employers is most people, at some point in their lives, are going to either get married or start to begin raising a family. Many executives and employers do have families and are married so the whole argument does have a slight reek of hypocrisy about it.

Excuses aside, there are many benefits these types of people can bring to the table.

• Raising a family or planning a wedding isn’t easy and it takes extreme amounts of patience, time management and multi-tasking ability to pull off. Time is precious, so mothers and brides will know that productivity is important in the time frames available.

• As a result of motherhood, many women’s emotional skills have grown and developed which is fantastic news if she is leading a team. Her ability to nurture talent and manage teams with compassions means a happy workforce, and we all know a happy workforce is a productive workforce.

• The trials and tribulations of motherhood build inner strength, a strength to carry on no matter what. If they can apply that to motherhood, just imagine what they could do applying it to their career.

So in a nutshell, there are no real reasons not to hire women based on their marital or family status, but there certainly are plenty of reasons to do so.

The post Pregnancy and Marriage Should Never Be an Issue When Recruiting appeared first on Ambipro.

As a general rule of thumb, we would recommend always sending a cover letter to accompany your CV. If a boss doesn’t read it, what have you lost? If a boss doesn’t look at your CV because you haven’t done a cover letter, then you have lost.

A cover letter can act as a call to action for employers to actually give your CV the time of day. Many job vacancies receive numerous applications which can make employers look for quick ways to asses your application rather than painstakingly reading each one line by line. The cover letter does this by explaining to the employer your strengths, why you are suited to the job and what you can bring to the table. If those few paragraphs pop out enough, it will encourage them to take a look at your CV, earning you that coveted interview.

Here are a few tips to help you craft that all important covering letter.

It’s Not a Condensed Version of Your Resume

Your cover letter should not just be a rehash of your CV, an employer will get to that later. Draw attention to the fact you are capable of doing the job by highlighting specific skills and experience that make you an ideal candidate. Explain what those skills can offer the company and what benefits they will bring. Highlight skills and qualities that are not mentioned on your CV and fill in any blanks that may exist. It’s also beneficial to express your interest in the company itself, mention any upcoming projects you feel you could add value to, explain how you would like to be part of the team that helps the company grow.

Write For the Job You’re Applying For

Generic cover letters stand out like a sore thumb. Many people will simply write a batch cover letter that is sent along with CV’s for jobs. The problem with these types of letters is that they seldom highlight your key skills that are specific to the job in question. A cover letter should be crafted each time you make an application and be tailored to the company you are writing to. This way you can highlight why you are the best suited to the position. Don’t forget to back up any claims with facts and figures if possible.

Use Keywords

A number of employers will use AI and filtering software to scan applications for keywords. This makes using keywords from the job advert critically important. When writing your cover letter, be sure to include key phrases and words that described the skills/qualities required by the company. This way, any filtering software will match your cover letter and resume to the preferred requirements’ of the company.

Keep It Professional and Make Sure You Proof Read it Too

A cover letter not only needs to contain relevant information but needs to look the part too. It isn’t a quick note your sending to a friend so make sure you write it the same way you would write any professional letter at work. Use simple, clean fonts like Ariel or Calibri, stick to a standard font size (10 or 12 point) and try not to write more than three or four paragraphs.

Once you are happy with your content and layout comes the proof read. No one gets an interview from a sloppily written letter riddled with spelling and grammatical errors. It shows a lack of organisation and will reflect badly on you. Don’t rely solely on a spell checker either, whilst manager and manger are both words, they don’t have the same meaning. No employer is going to take you seriously if your claiming to be a water trough. Once you have written your cover letter, take a break. After hours of pouring over your letter, it can become difficult to spot errors due to fatigue, both mentally and visually. Come back after resting a re-read your letter, get a friend to read it too if you can, it never hurts to have an extra set of eyes.

So remember, keep it short and concise and highlight the best you have to offer, what you can offer them and what you believe you can achieve together. If it looks good and reads good, you’re already half way through that interview door.

The post Covering Your Bases With a Cover Letter appeared first on Ambipro.

In fact, it is quite the opposite.

Numerous studies have shown that lack of sleep has a detrimental effect on our bodies which in turn impairs our ability to function and think properly. Sleep is essential to a person’s health and wellbeing, yet it appears that most people do not get enough of it.

But but…. Thatcher only had 4 hours

We’ve all heard the stories, people like Thatcher, Nikola Tesla & Thomas Edison only requiring 4-5 hours of sleep per night. Whilst these people do exist, they only represent 1-3% of the population classed as the ‘sleepless elite’ who are able to get by happily on just a few hours of sleep.

The reality for most of us is quite different. Experts suggest a good night’s sleep of around 8hrs is required for people to be bright eyed and bushy tailed at work. Sadly, whilst most people acknowledge they need about 7 ½ hours, many workers are only achieving an average of 6 ½ hours.

So how does a lack of sleep effect my work?

Decision-Making – Without sleep you are less likely to think outside of the box or have that eureka moment. Creativity levels also drop and critical thinking is impaired making you more likely to make bad decisions.

Reactions – This can be a big problem both on your way to work as well as whilst you are in work. The risk during commuting could mean taking longer to notice a red light or braking vehicle and in turn, it takes longer to stop due to a decreased reaction time. Likewise, if you work in an environment that requires 100% percent of your attention, slow reaction times could lead to significant accidents or injuries.

Memory – Less sleep means less memory, people will struggle to remember and recall information that is important to the business.

Attention Span – A lack of sleep also affects your ability to focus and concentrate on the task at hand. You’ll find your mind drifting at certain points during the day.

Stress & Irritability – Less sleep increases stress which in turn can make you more irritable. The knock-on effects lead to less energy for socialising and poor motivation.

Your Health – With research demonstrating a relationship between chronic sleep loss and health conditions including cardiovascular disease, obesity and type 2 diabetes, the association between health and sleep is very important.

What can I do to Improve my Sleep?

Caffeine – Caffeine can affect sleep 8-10 hours after you have had it so it’s important to make sure you stop drinking these types of drinks early in the evening. Also note that other items such as chocolate and pain relief also contain caffeine.

Smoking – As with caffeine, nicotine can affect your ability to sleep so try to avoid smoking before you go to bed or if you wake up in the night.

Alcohol – It probably seems like a good idea, after all, a little tipple helps you relax. Unfortunately, alcohol, like nicotine and caffeine, disrupt your bodies sleeping pattern.

Noise, Light & Temperature – Our bodies natural clock is designed to react to light to help us wake up. This is known as our circadian rhythm but what happens during summer when it’s lighter? Blackout blinds would help to reduce light in the bedroom and closing doors and windows will help reduce noise. Ensuring that your bedroom isn’t too hot or cold also helps.

Exercise – People who exercise regularly sleep better at night and feel less sleepy during the day. Regular exercise also improves the symptoms of insomnia and sleep apnoea and increases the amount of time you spend in the deep, restorative stages of sleep.

Relaxation – Worrying about what has happened that day or what needs to be done tomorrow can make it difficult to sleep. Try clearing your head before bed and writing down any pressing thoughts so they can be dealt with the following day. Deep breathing exercises, meditation and other relaxation techniques will help wind your body down ready for sleep.

Consistency Get a regular sleep pattern, this way your circadian rhythm becomes regulated. Choose a bed time when you normally feel tired, so that you don’t toss and turn. If you’re getting enough sleep, you should wake up naturally without an alarm. If you need an alarm clock, you may need an earlier bedtime.

And finally, how can I stay alert at work?

Bright Light – We don’t mean blinding yourself with a lamp here. Indoor light is ok but natural light has a stronger alerting effect on your body. Take a walk outside before you sit down at your desk and make sure all the blinds are open to make the office a naturally light as possible.

Nap Time – If you can squeeze a nap in during your break, do it. A power nap can restore alertness.

Caffeine – Probably best for the morning times as caffeine can affect your body for hours after it is drunk so don’t overdo it.

Regular Movement – Sitting still can increase tiredness so make sure you break away for your desk every few hours for a small walk or activity.

Drink Water – A hydrated person is more alert than a dehydrated one.

Music – Stick on some energising music like rock or pop to help increase your energy levels.

The post Sleeping Your Way to Success appeared first on Ambipro.

So How Does that Work?

It’s actually quite a simple process. Students can convert any undergraduate degree into a legal one by studying a one-year law conversion course. The two most commonly used conversions are the graduate diploma in law (GDL) and the common professional examination (CPE). These courses can be quite intense as they bring non-law students up to speed with law graduates within the space of a year. This requires some self-discipline and a lot of hard work so make sure that a career in law is want you really want to do.

There are 7 foundation topics that are compulsory to the conversion degree; Contract Law, Tort Law, Criminal Law, Public Law, Land Law, Law of Equity & Trusts and Law of the European Union.

Once you have completed the course, you will be eligible for entry onto the legal practice course (LPC) or Bar professional training course or (BPTC).

All this may change however with the introduction of the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) in 2020 but in this instance, we’ll have to wait and see.

But Will Law Firms Ignore Me Because it’s “Not a Proper Law Degree?”

The answer is a resounding no on all fronts. Many law firms agree that much of a lawyers’ knowledge of the subject comes from the actual work involved and time invested into the profession.

Many firms see a background in subjects other than law as a potential bonus in the industry. For example, someone with a History degree will have impeccable research skills which are transferrable to law. A Math degree would help a solicitor looking to work in the tax and financial law sectors just as a Language degree would help an international law firm that deals in many countries.

Any Extra tips?

Aside from your degree, whatever it may be in, it is important to show that you really want to work in this industry. Whereas a law degree student can show their desire to be a lawyer through their choice of studies, a non-law graduate will need to put that little extra in to show employers that this is the job for them.

The best way to generally get this is through work experience or a placement with a firm, visiting open days, talks and presentations are all invaluable ways to show people you are very interested in a legal career. You can also network to open up further opportunities to improve and develop your interest in law.

In summary, getting into law either directly or indirectly is a competitive business, if this is really what you want to do you need to go for it, work hard and take all the opportunities that come your way. If you’re not a law graduate, think about how your degree can be applied to law and make that stand out.

The post You Don’t Need a Law Degree to Become a Lawyer appeared first on Ambipro.

Fast forward 25 years and we barely understand how we survived without it prior to it’s inception and subsequent launch. There isn’t much that you can’t do on it nowadays. The explosion of internet services has been phenomenal and continues to grow to this day.

One very large and key sector of the internet that has taken centre stage over the last 15 years or so is social media. Whilst the big 3, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn dominate our webwaves, other social media sites have come and gone too. Whilst many of the older generation limit what they post on social media, younger generations have been more than willing to post and share every aspect of their personal lives.

Too much Info?

One possible drawback of this oversharing culture that has evolved is that employers are now starting to use those very accounts to assess your worthiness for a job role. Whilst you and your mates might enjoy sharing your drinking pics each weekend and see it as a mark of your social status and popularity, employers can see it as a sign of irresponsibility and excess.

Recent studies have shown that a large proportion of employers now use social media to screen candidates, with some going as far as to not offer an interview or position to someone based on what they have seen on their social media accounts.

Equally concerning is that less than a third of young social media users have posted content they have worried may affect their future prospects. This means that the rest are posting content with no real thought about its effects on their futures.

Most people who use LinkedIn keep their accounts neat and tidy because they know that this channel is specifically for employers. They have curated their accounts to show the best of their abilities and use it as an addition to their CV when applying for jobs. The problem is, employers are still more likely to screen your Facebook account than your LinkedIn account (65% to 63% respectively). This shows that employers are not only interested in your work fit, but also your social fit into the company.

Is this fair?

Yes and No. It is understandable that employers want to know everything they can about a candidate before making a hiring decision, but some argue that the act could be illegal if it was the only deciding factor in not employing someone.

Luckily, new laws and regulations coming into effect could see people have the ability to have certain social media posts deleted from the internet. GDPR legislation will also give people the right to remove all their personal data from some companies records.

The new regulations will also state that employers should require ‘legal grounds’ before snooping on a candidates’ private life.

Any positive notes?

Of course, we’re not saying social media is bad. In fact, it can also be just as useful in getting a job sometimes. A well-managed and curated social media account can showcase your personality, creativity, communication skills and sociability.

Many youngsters have benefitted from utilising social media to get interviews. Being as they have grown up with social media, they will be a lot better at working the system than the older generation will.

A good example of this would be Matthew Epstein who created a YouTube video in the hunt for his dream job. The video went viral and led to interview offers from the likes of Google and Apple.

Overall, social media can be both a bonus and a bane in your job search depending on how you use it. Some good advice would be to give your account an overhaul, remove any undesirable pictures, statuses or comments and check your privacy settings. If you’re savvy with your accounts, you could just save yourself from not getting that dream job you wanted.

The post Tweeting Your Career Away appeared first on Ambipro.

Don’t Be Afraid to Say No

Many people are afraid to turn down additional work from their bosses. If you’re the type of person who always say yes, the likelihood is you will continue to accrue additional workloads as people become aware that you will never say no. Unless you are very, very good at time management and are able to complete your work at lightning speed an ever-growing workload is going to lead to less downtime after work, more time working afterhours either in the office or at home and ultimately, a deterioration of your mental health.

The answer? Just say no. When being asked to do an additional task or project, take the time to think about your decision. You don’t have to answer immediately, advise them that you will have to check your workload first or that you will get back to them later. You don’t always need a reason to say no.

Speak Up

If you are becoming aware that your workload is becoming untenable, speak up. An indication of someone with good time/work management is someone who recognises when they’re workload is too high and impossible to complete within work time.

Stop the Emails

Our 24/7 connectivity lifestyles have made it easy for bosses to email you at all hours of the day about work matters. Last year France touted the idea of banning work emails after 6pm. Whilst this wasn’t the case, don’t be afraid to turn off your emails once you have left work. Alternatively, make it clear that emails will be responded to within a specific timeframe like 24hrs. As long as you always respond within your given timeframe, it allows you the opportunity to not only take the time to read it properly, but also to decide whether to say no.

Increase Your Productivity

It’s no secret that the UK has some of the lowest productivity levels in Europe and some of the highest working hours. This is a clear indication that there is something wrong with the way we manage our work. Whilst many bosses will simply say ‘work more hours’ to get it done, the reality is that a clever bit of planning and time management can boost your productivity, decreasing the amount of work that could spill over into ‘me time’.

Family Time

Make time for family or the smaller things in life. Learn to appreciate and enjoy them without thinking about work. Your only contracted to work Monday to Friday? Then make sure your taking your weekends for yourself and not taking on extra work that means your going to miss your child’s football game/concert/play. Also think about the effect your work life might take on your family too. Yes, your working hard to make sure he can have some of the finer things in life but are you starving them of the real wealth in life? Love & Happiness?

When it comes to a work life balance, everyone is different. We all have different thresholds, different outlooks in life and different family situations so it’s a matter of finding what works best for you. Don’t concern yourself with the could have, would have and should haves. This is a decision only you can make so make sure you do it with yourself in mind, not what other think you should do.

The post A Few Tips for a Better Work-Life Balance appeared first on Ambipro.