http://www.articletrader.com/ Articles at ArticleTrader en-us http://www.articletrader.com/finance/different-types-of-volume.html http://www.articletrader.com/finance/different-types-of-volume.html Mon, 10 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0600
Within technical analysis, the examination of volume should always be hand in hand with examination of the trend and other technical patterns. Many traders ignore volume at their peril, and strangely enough there are very few volume based indicators compared to the many hundreds of price based signals available on current trading software. Although volume has great relevance to trading signals, price action is though always the ultimate determinant of buying or selling decisions.

On-balance volume

The most popular indicator until very recently, and the one featured on most software, is called ‘On Balance Volume’, which is simply a running total of volume. This simple indicator aims to highlight if volume is flowing into or out of a share. It is constructed as follows: If the share closes higher than the previous close, all of the day's volume is considered up-volume, and it is added to a cumulative total, and vice versa. This cumulative line is then plotted against the share price.

The indicator was developed by Joe Granville and was highly popular in the 1970s and early 1980s. The basic observation is that changes in OBV precede price changes, so a rising OBV line represents ‘smart’ money flowing into a share. Ideally both price and OBV should rise together, and both can be measured in terms of straightforward trend observations, such as higher highs and lows.

Sometimes the share price movement precedes OBV movement, which is known as a "non-confirmation". Non-confirmations can occur at bull market tops (when the share rises either before or with no associated OBV or at bear market bottoms where the reverse happens.

A more precise indicator - weighted volume

For many traders OBV is something of a blunt tool as it takes no account of the price movement on the day, and in a trading range market it can be very volatile and hard to interpret.

There are several indicators available that attempt to refine OBV, but it is possible to take this to another level by a two stage process. First we measure the daily volume and compare it to the average recent volume. We then measure the actual price movement which is incorporated into a composite indicator, to become a weighted volume index.

This has two effects: first, this indicator is far more precise, in as much as it reflects more accurately how much the volume relates to comparative price movements in the share. Second, we can pick out excessive price and/or volume moves each day. Once this is loaded into the software, it is easy to scan the market each day for volume and price anomalies.

Another filter – using candlestick analysis

There is one other filter that traders need to use to refine their entry points, and the reason is that there are times when price has moved sharply away from the previous close and volume has been high, but the intra-day action has been negative. In this case, the actual signal may be the opposite of the above, as this might show that the sharp money is actually fading the move.

Often at market tops, there is a violent price rise through the day, but the price ends up closing towards the low point for the session, even though it is still ahead of the previous close.

Volume indicators would show that action as bullish, but viewing the day’s candlestick would give a warning sign, and this might be viewed as a precursor to a possible top in the stock.

Volume spread analysis

This excellent body of work is a variation on the above and is another useful addition to the trader’s ammunition.

Volume Spread Analysis looks at the interrelationship between three variables on the chart in order to determine the balance of supply and demand as well as the probable near term direction of the market. These variables are the amount of volume on a price bar, the price spread or high/low range of that bar, and the closing price within the day’s range.

It is very difficult to construct an indicator containing all these bits of information, so the idea is to become visually accustomed to the signals as they occur.

VSA looks to pigeon-hole the market into four market phases: accumulation (where the smart money has bought), mark-up, distribution (‘smarts have sold’) and mark-down. The volume indicates the amount of activity going on, and the corresponding price spread shows the price movement on that volume. If there is an imbalance of supply, the market has to fall, and vice versa.

The idea is to pick out where the professional money is heading, because these operators trade with very large size, and they have to sell into up bars when the herd is buying, so that is how they unload their large size onto the public.

Many times, these types of bars are created from news reports that appear very bullish to the general trading public and invite their participation on the long side of the market. When this occurs, it creates the opportunity for professional operators to systematically sell their holdings and short the market, without driving the price down against their own selling.

When this type of pattern occurs, it signifies a transfer of ownership from the professionals to what VSA refers to as “weak holders,” traders that will soon be on the wrong side of the trade. The analogy is the professional operators selling at retail or distributing when earlier they established their positions by buying at wholesale or accumulated.

The best volume signal in the market

There is a final and highly important signal where there is a clear reversal matched by climatic volume on both candlesticks – you need a black candle followed by a white one or vice versa, and both must have a wide range with the close towards the end of the range.

These patterns occur right at the end of a big down move, and whilst there may be some backing and filling, the upward thrust that sometimes follows may be exceptionally strong. This is a counter-trend, but potentially excellent signal for short term traders.

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About the Author:

Mike Estrey is the Head of Research for Blue Index, specialists in Online CFD Trading, Contracts for Difference and Online Forex Trading.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/finance/investing/history-of-gold-with-relation-to-currencies-and-its-outlook.html http://www.articletrader.com/finance/investing/history-of-gold-with-relation-to-currencies-and-its-outlook.html Mon, 10 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0600
On this basis it is worth looking at the background to the value story on gold, and this may shed some light on why its bull market may have significantly further to go for CFD traders in coming years.

The gold standard

The UK, which at the time was the world’s dominant economic powerhouse, adopted a gold standard in the early 19th century. Other currencies then looked to have gold backing, and towards the end of the century, various European countries joined the standard, though some chose for a time use a joint gold and silver standard.

The emerging strength of the US saw it adopt the standard in 1879, by making "greenbacks" that had been issued during the Civil War period convertible into gold, and the gold standard was formalised by legislation in 1900. On the outbreak of World War One, it was accepted by the whole of the developed world. This called for fixed exchange rates, with parities set for participating currencies in terms of gold, and it provided that any paper currency could on demand be exchanged for gold by its central bank

The system worked well having been designed to make each country adjust in terms of external deficits or surpluses in transactions between countries. Any deficit country would then have to surrender gold to cover its deficit, with the result that the volume of its money would be reduced, leading to lower prices, while the influx of that gold into the surplus economy would expand the volume of that country’s money and lead to higher prices.

This meant that there were effective pegs in the foreign exchange market, so that exchange rates would fluctuate only within very narrow limits determined by the costs of shipping and insuring gold.

US and UK comparisons in terms of gold

Up until 1914, the parity between the U.S. dollar and sterling was approximately $4.87, based on a U.S. official gold price of $20.67 per ounce and a U.K. official gold price of £ 4.24 per ounce, and the exchange rate would not fluctuate beyond about three cents above and below the mint parity, which represented the cost of shipping and insuring gold, since otherwise there would be arbitrage potential.

Although there were some gold transfers under the system, it was easier to adjust monetary policy to attract currencies, which might offset the financial impact of any import excess. Higher interest rates would usually have a deflationary effect in the deficit country aswell.

Under this system, participating countries needed to give an absolute priority to external adjustment over domestic objectives, so if there was a conflict between domestic and external objectives, policy tools might not be available to be used for domestic problems of recession, unemployment, or inflation. This reflected the prevailing economic philosophy that economies would tend naturally toward reasonably high levels of employment and reasonable price stability without such government policy actions.

The effect of the First World War

The four great economic powers, the US, UK, Germany, and France saw unchanged currency values up until the war. There were few barriers to gold shipments or capital controls in the major countries, and capital flows appeared to play a stabilising role.

After the outbreak of the First World War, each country needed to raise cash for the war effort, and at this stage they began to issue more and more bonds, some of which still exist today. These were domestically issued at the time and not backed by gold, but the promise to repay came from the central bank and was seen as rock solid. This was the beginning of what is known as fiat monetary policy, and which is widespread today.

The result of this was that as more and more paper was not backed by the common value of gold, floating exchange rates began. The US, which entered the war later than the others, had maintained gold convertibility, and soon the dollar floated against the other currencies, which were no longer convertible into dollars.

Dollar strength and weakness

Once the war ended there were significant economic problems in Europe, and exchange rates began to change rapidly, with many major currencies devaluing against the dollar.

This helped cement the US dominance of world trade, as the dollar had greatly improved its competitive strength over European currencies during the war.

In a reverse of what is happening today, within much of Europe and certainly in the UK there was a widespread desire to return to the stability of the gold standard, and growing concern over the attractiveness of the dollar, which was still convertible into gold, and of dollar-denominated assets. The pound thus went back on the gold standard, but this coincided with the Wall Street Crash and the beginning of the great depression, which highlighted the weaknesses in existing economic policy.

Following a disastrous five years back on the gold standard, the UK abandoned it in 1931, and others followed over the next few years. There were also problems in the US, and in 1933, President Franklin Roosevelt imposed a ban on US citizens buying, selling, or owning gold in order to kickstart the depressed economy. This was the birth of Keynesian policies which shaped much of economic policy in coming decades.

At the same rime, the Federal Reserve continued to sell gold to foreign central banks and government institutions, but the ban prevented hoarders from profiting after Congress devalued the dollar against gold in 1934.

This action raised the official price of gold by more than 65% to $35 per ounce. Only gold coins and certificates considered collectors’ items were exempt from this prohibition, and artistic and industrial users were allowed to deal in gold under a special Treasury license. Once the price rose, there was a mining boom, which saw major growth in gold output.

The 1970s

The licence to print money had been conveniently forgotten, despite the widely remembered problems in Germany’s Weimar republic in the 1920s, and just fifty years later, in 1971, President Nixon ended US dollar convertibility to gold. On the 31st December of that year, gold stood at $43.8 per ounce.

This finally ended the central role of gold in world currency systems and it then began a spectacular bull market as inflation raged and the value of paper currencies fell. Gold enjoyed a nine year bull market, with the price hitting a record of $850 per ounce against a background of an international crisis arising from the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the Islamic Revolution in Iran. If this was rebased to today, the all time high would be equivalent to $2,100 per ounce.

Why gold could go a lot, lot higher

Gold’s current bull market has lasted six years, during which it has risen around 200%. In the 1970s, gold peaked with a 2000% rise in just nine years, so this gives some food for thought.

Admittedly inflation art present is not the problem it was at the beginning of that decade, but don’t bet against major changes in the value of gold against paper currencies in the years to come. For long and short term CFD traders this creates a major opportunity to profit from a potential further major revaluation.

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About the Author:

Mike Estrey is the Head of Research for Blue Index, specialists CFD Brokers, providing seminars on how to trade CFDs and offering a Live Trading Simulator.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/finance/investing/how-margin-works-when-trading-cfds.html http://www.articletrader.com/finance/investing/how-margin-works-when-trading-cfds.html Mon, 10 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0600
What this means is that for a small deposit, a trader can have access to a significant amount of open positions, and this has the effect of magnifying gains and losses in relation to the margin required.

As an example, a trade in one of the UK’s leading blue chip companies might require an initial margin of 5%. This simply means that if you were to open a position to the value of say £10,000, your account would require an initial margin of just £500.

Any gains and losses you consequently make in this example will be magnified by twenty times, which can make for spectacular profits, but also substantial losses.

The effect of margin

Unlike an ordinary share deal, using margin means that you can lose more than you invest. You do, however, have the ability to protect yourself using stop losses and it is recommended that you set these for each trade.

If you were to lose more than your initial margin payment in a single day you would be liable to pay the difference to the CFD broker.

If the loss is more gradual you are required to keep the margin topped up to the minimum required percentage or close some of your positions to reduce the margin requirement.

If you fail to make prompt margin payments, part or all of your position may be closed by the CFD broker and losses could again exceed your initial margin.

Profits on open positions are credited to your account daily and losses are deducted, and this amount is called variation margin.

The costs involved

If you are buying a share, index or other commodity, which is also known as “opening a long position” or “going long”, you are effectively borrowing the money from the bank for the period the trade is open. You therefore pay interest until the position is closed.

If you are selling (“opening a short position” or “going short”) with the intention of buying back later, you consequently receive interest until the position is closed. Please note there is a difference between the percentage interest charged on long positions and the percentage interest received on short positions.

Together with any commissions for opening and closing the trade, there are no other costs for opening a CFD position using margin.

A worked example

In the following example, we show a traditional stockbroking deal with costs and compare it to the equivalent trade using CFDs.

Traditional deal: Opening Trade – buy 5000 HBOS shares

Buying Price - 900p
Gross Cost - 45000.00
Stamp Duty - 225.00
Commission @ 0.5% - 225.00
Net Cost - 45450.00

Closing Trade – ten days later

Selling Price - 920p
Gross Proceeds - 46000.00
Commission @ 0.5% - 230.00
Net Proceeds - 45770.00
Overall Profit and Return on Capital Invested - 320.00 (0.71%)

CFD DEAL

Gross Cost - 45000.00
Commission @ 0.5% and no stamp duty - 225.00
Net Cost - 45225.00
Margin required (5%) - 2261.25

Gross Profit - 46000.00
Commission @ 0.5% - 230.00
Financing Costs (10 days @ 8.5% p.a.) - 105.32
Net Proceeds - 45664.68
Overall Profit and Return on Capital Invested - 439.68 (19.44%)

What happens each evening is that the accrued profits or losses at the end of the day, when the position is ‘marked to market’, are added or subtracted from the initial margin.

After the position is closed, the initial margin is credited back to the client and the profit or loss simply represents the sum of the variable margin for the time it was open.

Profits and losses are magnified using CFDs. By using the benefits of leverage, a small deposit enables big profits to be made – in this example the return on capital was almost 20% in just two weeks.

Of course, if the price had moved the opposite way the loss relative to the deposit would be magnified accordingly, and it is possible for you to lose more than your initial deposit.

The margin required fluctuates in response to movements in the underlying price. At times, you may be required to place further funds on deposit, especially in times when market conditions are exceptionally volatile, as margin rates can be raised by the CFD broker.

How to work out the interest cost on long positions

In this example, a CFD trader buys (“goes long”) 10000 shares of Vodafone at a price of 170.25p. The notional total value of this position is 10000 x 1.7025 = £17025.

One night’s interest would be £17025 x 8.5% (prevailing interest rate plus 3%) divided by 365. This would equate to £3.96 interest debited each night while this position remains open.

A word of warning

Trading in these markets is generally considered to be suitable only for the more experienced investor as it carries a higher degree of risk than straightforward purchases of shares.

You should know how much you potentially can lose and honestly evaluate if you can afford to lose it in view of your financial resources and investment goals.

Changes in exchange rates may also cause your investment to go up or down in value and tax law may be subject to change, and if in any doubt, please seek further advice.

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About the Author:

Mike Estrey is the Head of Research for Blue Index, the Online CFD Trading Specialists. A free 15 day trial of their CFD Research is available, along with CFD Trading Seminars and Workshops.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/finance/investing/the-discipline-to-follow-rules-is-the-mark-of-a-top-trader.html http://www.articletrader.com/finance/investing/the-discipline-to-follow-rules-is-the-mark-of-a-top-trader.html Mon, 10 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0600
What sets many of the world’s great traders apart from the crowd is their ability to have a single-minded approach to making money which at its most basic means being disciplined. These guys have shown it is possible to make money in many different markets including stocks, indices, foreign exchange and commodities. What is more they are able to adapt to different background conditions, and for CFD traders this aspect is crucial.

The search for the frustrating holy grail

Many technical traders are constantly searching for the holy grail of systems, and there are clearly some approaches that work better than others, though very few approaches work all the time in all markets.

What is more important is to have a basic set of rules which cover the emotional aspect of the trading process. One might start with three basic rules of trading: going with the trend, limiting risk by using stops, and careful money management. Not following these simple rules alone condemns many intelligent people to the trading dustbin.

There are of course many times though when things start to go wrong, and during these moments it is human nature to question the underlying methodology or trading system, or tweak the entry/exit points to try and try to ‘fix’ the problem, or even to abandon the existing system and start again.

Many traders become so frightened of losing again that they will then miss out on some of the best trades that occur purely as a result of the law of averages. They may begin to choose the trades that feel good to them, rather than treating every trade as a production line of potential winners.

On that basis, it is useful to look at a simple list of additional rules which will help you sleep at night as a CFD trader and take away some of the emotional damage that can be caused by stressful conditions in the markets.

Rule 1: Don’t make your system too complicated

Modern trading software often has hundreds of built-in technical analysis indicators, plus any combination of custom strategies and expert analyses which can be baffling in their complexity. One technique that you favour might indicate a buy signal, whereas another says sell, and a third indicator might not be conclusive or suggest perhaps adding to positions.

The key is to find a simple methodology that generally works bearing in mind that no one indicator works all the time. Try and keep it simple and stick to a strategy that you feel comfortable with.

Don’t use a trend based approach when a share or index is in a trading range (which for many stocks is the majority of the time. Likewise, it is suicidal to use oscillators in trending markets – not only do they give poor signals, but you may miss the main thrust of a brand new move.

If in doubt, find the strongest stocks in the market by measuring the slope of their performance or how they are faring against the benchmark index. Then simply look to go with the trend, and vice versa when shorting stocks.

Rule 2: Always buy strength and sell weakness

As a shorter term trader you don’t have to act like Warren Buffet with the luxury of being able to wait ten years before value shows itself for your stock. If you are using margin, which is normally the case for CFD trading, you want results.

The point to bear in mind based on going with the trend is that the public continues to buy when prices have fallen, whereas the professional buys because prices have rallied.

This difference may not appear logical, but buying strength works if you are trading. The rule of survival is not to "buy low, sell high", but to "buy high and sell higher". If you are comparing various stocks within a group, buy only the strongest and sell the weakest.

This works on the downside, too – don’t be frightened to sell and sell again until there is a trend change. Regular CFD traders know that stocks that are bid for are almost invariably already strong before any announcement. Those that issue profit warnings are usually already in a downtrend.

Rule 3: Every trade should be the same

You just never know when you might hit the jackpot in this business, but you should take the view that every trade should have the potential to be the biggest trade of the year. It might be, it might not be, but if you are following a disciplined strategy the whole point is to take every signal. Don’t be disheartened if your favourite trade doesn’t do what you hoped – there are plenty more every day to choose from.

Rule 4: Patience is a virtue

This may be the greatest trait of a successful trader. Once you have the set up to enter a trade, allow it time to develop and give it time to create the profits you expected. Taking small profits is the surest way to ultimate loss, as these are never allowed to develop into enormous profits.

The real money in trading is made from the one, two or three big trades that occur every so often. If the thought of losing a profit is toying with you, you might want to take some money off the table and let the rest of the position run using a trend indicator. Alternatively, simply set a realistic target that is much higher than your allowed stop loss. If your trading system is valid, you should make decent long term gains.

Rule 5: Take your losses

Small and quick losses are the best losses, however annoying they may be. It is not the money that is important, but the mental capital that is used up when you are preoccupied by a losing trade that is obscuring other opportunities.

You should expect occasional drawdowns as part of any valid trading system, but you must take them and move on. Many of the best trading systems have around a 40% success rate of winners, but the winners tend to achieve much higher returns than the losing trades.

Rule 6: Forget the urge to ‘get your money back’

If you do have a series of sharp losses, which happens to every trader at some stage, take some time off. Close all your trades and stop trading for several days, or go on holiday. The mind can play games with itself following losses and the urge "to get the money back" is extreme, and should be dismissed.

If you can master these simple rules, you are already far ahead of the majority of traders. By the law of averages, and given that this is essentially a ‘zero sum’ game, you have every opportunity to make steady profits and of course enjoy trading – it’s not supposed to be a stressful business, but humans have a tendency to make it one. You just need discipline.

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About the Author:

Mike Estrey is the Head of Research for Blue Index, the Day Trading specialists in Contracts for Difference. Foreign Exchange Trading also forms part of their extensive services.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/finance/investing/why-gold-should-be-part-of-your-stockmarket-portfolio.html http://www.articletrader.com/finance/investing/why-gold-should-be-part-of-your-stockmarket-portfolio.html Mon, 10 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0600
Our long term stance has been bullish since gold ended its 20 year bear market at the turn of the millennium, and for those CFD traders who are not aware of the big picture, this article updates our rationale for long term investment in gold. It should be noted that since we began daily coverage two years ago, gold is up 80% in dollar terms, and over 50% for sterling based investors. We think there is a lot more to come.

Why the outlook for gold is so bullish

The starting point for the analysis of any commodity is supply and demand, and for gold the simple fact is that supply is declining and demand rising. As it stands, and because of the previous lack of profitability in exploiting new mines, most major sources of supply are declining and the global gold market currently faces an annual supply shortage of about 600 tonnes.

The gold supply

World mine production began to level off in the 1990s as gold traded a wide range but remained significantly lower than previous peaks, and by 2004, production was falling at a rate of 5% p.a. according to the World Gold Council. This as yet has not changed significantly and is a long term factor because it can take almost a decade for a rise in gold prices to generate exploration and eventual exploitation of new mines.

In terms of the existing supply, much of this has come from ongoing central bank offloading of gold, and here many developed countries have now stopped both official and unofficial sales of gold. Previously, and as a result of the need to diversify, central banks carried out regular gold sales, but in some cases (see below) the reverse is happening as finance ministers see the need to protect against the inflationary consequence of fiat monetary policies that are rampant across major western economies.

Another aspect of supply that is changing is forward selling from gold producers, where output prices were traditionally locked in to protect against potential future falls in gold. This was a normal part of commodity hedging, and to some extent it might have helped keep the price down, but given the ongoing bull market, mining companies now run the risk of losing potential future profits if they hedge into rising prices. It is estimated that global gold producers have reduced forward sales by over 40%, which would result in a drop in supply of almost 1000 tonnes.

Demand for gold

A big change in demand has come from central banks in China, Japan, India and Russia as a result of the need to diversify their vast US dollar reserves to some extent. The Russian central bank has hinted more than once that it plans to double its gold reserves, and the subject has regularly been mentioned by the Chinese central bank. All this is mainly as a result of the high proportion of trade-related US dollars flowing into their coffers, which has made them proportionately more reliant on the value of those dollars held.

As an example of potential demand, Japan and China have the eighth and tenth largest gold holdings in the world, but their current gold holdings are equivalent to just 1% of respective reserves. An increase of 50% in their gold reserves for just these two central banks would be the equivalent of buying over 600 tonnes, which is around a quarter of world annual mine production. Russia and India’s gold as a percentage of total reserves is slightly higher but stands at just 4%, so there is scope for additional demand here.

Asset allocation and investment in gold

Back in the 1970s commodity investment was an essential part of asset allocation for diversified portfolios, but despite the long term bear market ending just after the turn of the millennium, many investors continue to shun gold stocks. The two biggest gold stocks in the world are Barrick Gold Corporation, now valued at $36bn, and Newmont Mining, worth £21bn, and the total value of the top ten gold stocks is less than $150bn. If you compare this with the current value of Exxon Mobil at $505bn and it can be seen how insignificant gold stock valuations remain given the continued potential of this sector.

The total market for physical gold is also small, and stands at around $3.5 trillion, but the total value of the US stock and bond markets alone is close to $40 trillion. For asset allocation purposes, a 1% move into gold and gold stocks would equate to the purchase of eight times the annual production of gold worldwide.

M3, inflation and the gold price

With M3 money supply growing rapidly in most of the developed economies, the only outcome other than drastically higher interest rates, which looks unlikely, is a devaluation of currencies as has been the case throughout the last century. Should the dollar continue to move to lower ground as measured by the dollar index, which looks likely, further diversification into gold and other asset classes as a protection against the falling value of dollar reserves is likely to accelerate.

In 1980, the gold price peaked at $850 in times of raging inflation and 27 years later it is still below that peak level. For it to get back to those levels, which might be seen as extreme at the time, it would now need to be closer to $2000. In real terms though it looks dirt cheap, and long term investors should view $1000 as a realistic target in the next couple of years, which is 25% higher than the price right now.

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About the Author:

Mike Estrey is the Head of Research for Blue Index, specialists in Online CFD Trading, Contracts for Difference and Online Forex Trading.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/business/career/expectations-of-technical-recruitment-professionals-toward-applicants.html http://www.articletrader.com/business/career/expectations-of-technical-recruitment-professionals-toward-applicants.html Mon, 12 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0600
Recruitment firms look first and foremost at the curriculum vitae to narrow their list of applicants. Many firms utilise CV review software that searches for relevant keywords to eliminate under-qualified candidates. Technical recruitment professionals also look for clarity and grammar when reviewing application materials. You need to look through your CV and application thoroughly and place job-specific keywords where they make sense to grab the attention of a firm.

You also need to consider your presentation of past jobs when you approach a technical recruitment company for assistance. Your CV is a reflection of your collected experiences and needs to be succinct while laying out a summary of your career. Technical recruiters will not only look at how your skills match with a potential employer but your presentation skills when making their final decision.

Once you get the opportunity to speak with a technical recruiter, you need to get in the mind set that you are entering your first day of work. The interview process is not passive and you should prepare a series of questions about the firm and the potential employer to show your interest in a technical position. You should dress in professional attire, maintain good posture and make eye contact throughout the interview to show your readiness to work in a technical field.

The biggest expectation of applicants from a technical recruitment firm is a high level of interest in their technical field. Engineers, computer programmers and other technical professionals cannot simply rely on initial job training for all of their knowledge. Your desire to gain a good placement needs to be matched by research, conversations with colleagues and other efforts to turn yourself into the consummate professional. As long as you take all of the aforementioned steps when working with a technical recruiter, you should be able to land a job worthy of your skills.

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Astute Technical are a Technical Recruitment company, specialising in technical recruitment, providing electrical engineering jobs and project manager jobs throughout the UK and Europe.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/business/career/finding-construction-jobs-off-the-beaten-path.html http://www.articletrader.com/business/career/finding-construction-jobs-off-the-beaten-path.html Mon, 12 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0600
The green construction field offers abundant opportunities for electrical engineers, project managers and construction workers. Green construction requires the use of sustainable and environmentally-friendly methods to build residential and commercial structures. Carpenters, machine operators and other construction workers can spend hours on the job building a home for a young family while protecting the Earth from harm. These construction jobs are on the rise and professionals with a social conscience should investigate green construction work.

In a similar vein to green construction, there are a number of architectural firms and contractors work in the micro-home industry. This niche industry within the architectural field uses a miniaturised version of a regular house as well as local suppliers to decrease the ecological footprints left by excessive building and transportation. Construction workers and project managers interested in micro-home work need to be flexible on job sites though this field has grown rapidly in recent years in Western Europe.

Construction workers looking for unique building opportunities can work with custom home builders instead of large international firms. Custom home builders stray away from formulaic construction to provide interior and exterior designs desired by discerning home owners. These positions are ideal for carpenters and masons that want to stretch their creativity and work with an eclectic group of home owners. The main issue in working with a custom home builder is the volume of work which varies from season to season. This option is best for young construction professionals looking for jobs to bolster their CV.

The limited publication of job opportunities like those mentioned above make persistence a necessity for construction professionals. Unique construction jobs are difficult to come by but a worker that uses a diverse range of resources to land his dream job. An oft-overlooked resource for construction workers is past employers and colleagues that are familiar with specialised areas of construction in the region.

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Astute Technical are a Technical Recruitment company, specialising in construction jobs, providing electrical engineering jobs and project manager jobs throughout the UK and Europe.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/business/career/increasing-performance-in-engineering-jobs.html http://www.articletrader.com/business/career/increasing-performance-in-engineering-jobs.html Mon, 12 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0600
These challenges make it difficult for new entrants into engineering jobs to get comfortable in their position. Success in engineering jobs requires diligence on the part of a professional including continuing education efforts and work towards a full understanding of his particular speciality. A number of methods can be used by an engineering professional to increase his performance and stay ahead of the competition.

A sure-fire way for professional in engineering jobs to increase their skill level is to continue their education. Graduate programmes in engineering specialities can be found at most major universities. The key to using graduate education to improve standing in the workplace is to request compensation from your employer for these courses. A good argument regarding increased skills and efficiency in the workplace can help secure needed funds.

Classroom learning is not the only way to become a better engineer. Engineers should seek out advice from your project managers and fellow engineers on a daily basis regarding specific job tasks. This approach to daily work demonstrates interest in the engineering field, helps you build social networks within the workplace and establishes interest in project manager jobs as they arise.

Organisation in the workspace is critical to peak performance in engineering jobs. The final product of an initial set of sketches or a series of project proposals depend entirely on the ability of an engineer to find resources at their work station. A good way to keep everything in its place is to create a diagram of your work station with a list of everything in a particular place. This map helps you get organized during slow periods so you can get work done quickly.

The best way to stay ahead of engineering peers is to familiarise yourself with changes in the industry. Engineering jobs can isolate talented professionals from the larger industry due to a large amount of work. Engineers should look at engineering jobs sites, industry publications and other resources to stay conversant in the engineering field.

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Astute Technical are a Technical Recruitment company, specialising in engineering jobs, providing electrical engineering jobs and project manager jobs throughout the UK and Europe.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/business/career/selecting-a-speciality-amongst-environmental-jobs.html http://www.articletrader.com/business/career/selecting-a-speciality-amongst-environmental-jobs.html Mon, 12 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0600
A simple review of job descriptions is a good first step in selecting environmental jobs that fit your career goals. Your ideal environmental position would feature hands-on work with flora and fauna affected by industrial pollution. This description is narrow enough to eliminate a good number of jobs simply by looking the job responsibilities laid out by the recruiting company. There are environmental jobs at zoos and forestry services as well as industrial companies looking for environmental experts but these jobs do not fulfill your overarching goals.

After you have cleared out a majority of environmental job listings, you can focus on growth areas within the environmental industry. You should look for keywords within a company’s job listings that relate to new trends in environmental jobs such as the use of ethanol or electricity to run automobiles. These keywords will help you identify environmental jobs that will be sustainable throughout your career.

A review of the number of people hired into a speciality can help you determine if the field is too crowded. You can use national labour statistics as well as information put out by industrial publications to find saturated professional areas. While a growing number of professionals shows a robust speciality within the industry, you also want to find a section of environmental jobs that is still undiscovered by most professionals.

The final step in determining the right type of environmental job is a review of your CV. You should compare the job responsibilities in an environmental job to job responsibilities you have had in past positions. You may be surprised to find a trend toward a speciality like green building within past jobs that will help you make your final decision. The best way to sort through the mess of details laid out above is to create a matrix of responsibilities, salaries and other job details to help you find your ideal environmental job.

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Astute Technical are a Technical Recruitment company, specialising in environmental jobs, providing electrical engineering jobs and project manager jobs throughout the UK and Europe.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/business/career/understanding-the-market-for-renewable-energy-jobs.html http://www.articletrader.com/business/career/understanding-the-market-for-renewable-energy-jobs.html Mon, 12 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0600
The greatest area of commercial growth in renewable energy jobs is in the hybrid car industry. Automakers throughout the world are searching for engineers, project managers and scientists that are capable of turning gas guzzling cars into Earth-friendly vehicles. The process of creating a single hybrid vehicle is daunting considering the century of progress made toward perfecting the combustible engine. You can find renewable energy jobs with any automaker in the world at this point as companies try to out-invent each other to find the best hybrid vehicle.

Solar power has turned from a viable primary option to a reliable secondary option among renewable energy experts. The number of solar panels that would need to be laid out throughout the UK and Europe to make installation feasible would blot out the sun. Solar energy is considered an important part of new home building, however, as strategically placed panels over a carport are a good source of passive energy. You can apply your architectural knowledge to determine the best way to use solar energy in the construction of new buildings.

There has been a debate among renewable energy experts as to the sustainability and environmental impact of ethanol and nuclear power. Ethanol is a by-product of corn and other agricultural products that has been found as an alternative to unleaded fuel. The problem that many scientists have with ethanol is the vast amount of production required to make corn into a fuel additive. Your expertise in engineering and project management can help solve these issues once and for all.

Nuclear energy has been controversial among renewable energy activists for years due to several incidents involving the release of waste into populated areas. Aging nuclear plants need to be updated and waste management issues need to be resolved before nuclear power can be feasible as an alternative fuel source. You can bring fresh ideas and a knowledge of electrical engineering to this industry to fulfill your desire to help make renewable energy a reality.

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Astute Technical are a Technical Recruitment company, specialising in renewable energy jobs, providing electrical engineering jobs and project manager jobs throughout the UK and Europe.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]>