Having listened online to the live question and answer debate with Nick Clegg, the Deputy PM in Bristol, he raised one very interesting point about communication and how we express ourselves. He confirmed that he believes live television debates are here to stay and that they actually engage a huge amount of people to watch and listen.

Nick Clegg spoke about an interview he watched whilst on a train, which involved Bill Clinton, George Bush Snr and Ross Perot. Having lost the sound briefly, he still felt engaged by looking at the individuals in terms of their body language and direct eye contact with the camera. Clegg commented that it may not always be what we are saying, but actually how we communicate it and the body language we portray, that is just as important.

Common factors which contribute to making a weak first impression at an interview are timidity, a limp handshake and no eye contact i.e. your body language. First impressions are vital and I believe it is critically important to give a confident and memorable first impression at your interview in order to increase your chances of succeeding. My top tips are:

1. Ensure you give a firm handshake

2. Maintain plenty of eye contact

3. Answer the question you are asked

4. Avoid jargon

5. Finally don’t digress!

Body language, communication, Deputy PM, eye contact, firm handshake, Interview technique, Nick Clegg, West Country

Whilst the Prime Minister is taking his annual summer holiday, Nick Clegg the deputy PM will be heading to Bristol this weekend in order to meet local people, an event hosted by Heart FM. The event is to be held at a secret location, with 300 people in attendance.

Clegg last came to Bristol when the three party leaders of the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrats came head to head for the second televised election debate. At the time, we did not know that we were heading towards a coalition government and two of the three leaders would unite to run the country.

Whilst the event is still very much a secret, the Deputy PM is likely to receive a range of questions from the 300 strong audience.

With out doubt a variety of topics will be discussed and debated, including the budget and economy. Post budget, Clegg now speaks strongly and passionately that this is very much a “Coalition” and not a Conservative budget. Some may say that it may create a “double dip” in terms of the recession; they say they had no choice to take action in this way.

We have seen a turn in the Bristol and the South-West market in terms of a renewed confidence in hiring and the number of clients opening their doors to us. That said, we have not seen the uplift as quickly as we would have liked and we are still preparing ourselves to see how the rest of 2010 evolves. It will be interesting to see if anyone poses questions to Clegg in terms of any trends within employment and hiring.

His visit brings excitement to the Bristol community as we see the return of the UK Government to the West Country.

Bristol, Double dip recession, Employment, Hiring, Nick Clegg, South West market, UK Government, West Country

After holding our breath for 2009, we are finally seeing the market starting to move in the West Country.  With the challenging first two weeks of snow, snow and more snow, where many were fighting to actually make it into work, the second two weeks of January have seen a significant increase in the volume of accountancy and finance job vacancies across the board. More candidates are now starting to look for opportunities and the overall feel is that we are finally starting to see recovery.

We are nearly through the first month of the first quarter; activity in all areas is gaining momentum with more and more companies opening their doors to us. We are cautiously looking forward to consistent, increased momentum and the “feel good factor” remaining for the rest of 2010.

accountancy and finance jobs, Janruary 2010, snow, West Country