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Q I’m worried my job position is not secure. I’ve also heard of various changes to employment law and that these might affect my rights. Can you advise?

There have been considerable changes to employment law provisions, which will have a bearing on future employment rights for many employees. The key changes are as follows:

A new cap on unfair dismissal awards The cap for the unfair dismissal compensatory award was changed on 29 July. It is now set at the lower of the current cap (£74,200) or one year’s gross pay.

Fees for employment tribunal claims If a single claimant wants to raise a claim there will be an issue fee payable. TYPE A claim (ie anything not in category B): £160 TYPE B claim (most claims including unfair dismissal, discrimination and whistle-blowing): £250 The hearing fee payable by a single claimant is: TYPE A claim: £230 TYPE B claim: £950 There will also be some fees payable by an employer, for example £600 for judicial mediation and smaller

HOW TO NAIL THE

•Preparation is key. Worries about not being able to answer

INTERVIEW

the questions are common so make sure you know the job, your CV and your personality traits inside out.

•Research the company in detail. Visit its website to make

sure you are aware of any recent announcements and share price performance, the type of projects it works on, who the clients are and the locations it works in.

•Be ready for competency- based interviewing

techniques – designed to test 58

fees for reviews of judgments and applications for dismissal. If either party wants to appeal a decision, there will be further fees incurred at that stage. There is a remission scheme where applicants can

provide evidence (of hardship) and request to have the fee waived. If a fee is not paid (unless authorised) a claim may not be accepted by the tribunal. It is likely that employees will seek to have reimbursement of fees paid included in any settlement.

Pre-termination negotiations There will be protection for employers (and employees) who wish to enter into discussions with employees about leaving their employment and signing up to a settlement agreement. This is a formal framework which works in a similar way to “without prejudice” discussions. The basis of this is to provide an option to discuss an exit from an employment position. There are some potential issues to be aware of here, such as the fact that these discussions won’t be protected in relation to discrimination claims, or claims over, for example, holiday pay. There is also guidance on how much time employees should be given to consider any offer of settlement, which means that the process may take longer than under the old rules. It would be wise to consider seeking legal advice before entering into discussions with an employer.

See www.adviceguide.org.uk for more details

whether your past performance demonstrates you match the job criteria. Revisit the job description and person specification and ensure that you can comfortably provide an example for each competency. Think of your examples in four stages: describe the situation, task, the actions you took and positive impact this had on the business. Provide evidence of projects worked on and clearly state the key competencies. They need to see the benefit of employing you.

•How you communicate is as

important as what you say. Even if you are nervous, smile and use open body language and eye contact to show your enthusiasm.

MANAGE IN A MINUTE

HOW TO FIND AN EXTRA HOUR EVERY DAY TO ADVANCE YOUR CAREER

YOU START THE WORKDAY with great intentions, but then the first urgent email comes in and by the time your last meeting has run 45 minutes late, you barely have the energy to walk to the bus stop, let alone plot world domination. When are you supposed to find time to think? LAURA VANDERKAM, career blogger and author of What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast, says the answer is simple: get up an hour earlier.

People who make things happen use the morning — the most productive time of the day — to get stuff done. At 6am you’re unlikely to be interrupted by an urgent meeting request or phone call. Plus research shows we’re better able to focus on difficult tasks while the day is young. Get up an hour earlier on work days and you instantly have five hours of extra time each week to bring your best self to the question of your professional development.

Use the time to read the industry publications you never find time to concentrate on. Or maybe you can make lists of people in your organisation or industry you’d like to meet, or come up with ways you can contribute to their activities.

Send emails to people you want to know.

•Lastly, prepare some questions in advance to ask at

the end of the interview that demonstrate that you have done your research are genuinely interested in the organisation and the direction they are looking to take the business. With thanks to Duncan Bullimore, director at Hays Construction

Brainstorm what you want your career to look like in a year or five years. Make a list of projects you’d like to pursue and practice asking your boss to give you a shot. Practice asking for your next salary increase until saying the number no longer makes you flinch.

Still not convinced? This is what Jason Margetts, CIOB Trustee and young construction professional with an already stellar career history, has to say: “Get used to getting up early: it’s a better way to live your life, as you achieve loads before the rest of the nation has got out of bed.”

That’s worth skipping the snooze button for.

> CIOB Career Development