For Trading Timers
Q: What is the most important part of the Personal Statement?
A: We have found that a paragraph or two about you, your life skills, your wishes and aspirations, is the most important and powerful part of your profile. The more open and forthcoming you are the better. It really helps us find you the perfect skills-job match.
Q: Do I have to select 5 job types?
A: The Preferred Jobs section provides an opportunity for you to widen your options and make yourself eligible for all the job types that you may wish to consider. Consider both the skills you have used in previous jobs or activities as well as those skills you know you have, but haven’t yet had the opportunity to demonstrate.
Q: Why does it take up to 2 days to activate my profile?
A: In order for Trading Times to continue to offer the best possible service to both candidates and employers, we read through every newly registered profile to make sure it’s both complete and reads as well as it could. Where relevant and appropriate we advise the candidate on how best to improve or complete their profile before activating the account thereby enabling them to be matched with suitable employers.
Q: I’m not receiving employer alerts from Trading Times.
A: When you have signed up with Trading Times you will receive a welcome email from us (sent from our email address). Sometimes your spam filter setting may place this email in your junk mail. If this happens, please add our email address to your list of contacts to avoid this happening in the future - otherwise you might not receive the notifications from us when we find you new job matches!
Q: What is my Personal Statement? Can’t I just upload my CV?
A: Your Trading Times ‘Personal Statement’ is your opportunity to explain the type of person you are: your skills; your experience; your personality – all the attributes that would make you a great asset for any employer! Your personal profile is also the way Trading Times’ intelligent system matches you with the most suitable jobs near where you live. You can include any elements of your CV in your Personal Statement, though we’ve found that the best and most effective Personal Statements have less of the CV-type business speak and more of the human interest elements and descriptions.
Q: How often should I check the website for jobs or job-matches?
A: You don’t need to do this at all. We will send you an email every time an employer expresses an interest in your profile – alerting you to a new job opportunity that’s just been added to your Dashboard. You can open the job, read the description and respond to the employer with a ‘Yes, I’m interested’ or a ‘Thanks, but no’.
For Employers:
Q: What does it cost to use Trading Times?
A: For employers, registering with Trading Times, searching for candidates, viewing anonymised candidate profiles, asking candidates whether they’re interested in the job, and saving candidate searches – are all entirely free. Employers only pay £25 per candidate for the names and contact details of the candidates they like (and who have liked their job in return). Following payment of the Trading Times connection fee, it is up to the employers to interview, select and hire their preferred Trading Timer(s). Trading Times charges no further fees at any stage in this process.
Trading Times is entirely free for all candidates (Trading Timers).
Q: Can employers post full-time jobs as well as part-time jobs?
A: Trading Times is a flexible part-time or ad hoc jobs matching service. Trading Times jobs vary widely, generally from 1 hour per week to 3 days per week or as/when needed. We generally do not match candidates to full-time jobs, unless they are very flexible in nature and offer candidates a high degree of choice on when and where they do the work.
Q: Why doesn’t Trading Times do CVs?
A: We at Trading Times believe that open, honest and earnest descriptive prose – written by candidates about themselves, their lives, their passions, their motivations, their families and communities – is so much more compelling and reflective of their capabilities, than the typical jargon-filled, generic, business-speak CV. Read some profiles today and you’ll begin to see things our way.
Q: Why are few Trading Timers interested in my jobs?
A: Details, details, details! Please be as detailed and specific as possible in your job description – particularly about the number of hours you need someone to work, how flexible you need them to be, and how much you’re willing to pay (even if it’s in a band or range). The more information Trading Timers receive about the job, the more informed their decision will be. Doubt tends to result in a negative response.
Q: Are Trading Timers (candidates) employed or self-employed?
A: This can be quite a tricky question to answer and can have consequences if not understood or dealt with appropriately from the outset. Have a look at the excellent guidance notes provided by GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/employment-status/overview.
Q: Do I need a formal contract in place for a Trading Timer?
A: In many instances, the people you hire from Trading Times will be freelancers or self-employed contractors. Have a look at this excellent freelance contract template download from the Council for Dance Education and Training (http://bit.ly/1g6wYbW) – together with guidance notes.
For all users
Q: Who is Trading Times for?
A: Trading Times is a skills-job matching service – for purposes of flexible paid work. Trading Times is intended for every employer, whether a big business, small business or even a householder, who is looking for skilled, experienced people for part-time flexible or ad hoc roles. On the candidate side, Trading Times is for the millions of people who have lots of skills and experience, are typically approaching or in early retirement, and who are not ready or willing to give up work. All registered Trading Timers must be over 50 years old.
Q: Do you send out my name, email or phone number?
A: Never without your consent! We protect the confidentiality of all our users, and so only introduce matched employers and Trading Timers once both parties have given their consent. Consent from a Trading Timer is a ‘Yes’ response to a job description sent from an interested employer. Consent from an employer is payment of the £25 connection fee. Both consents must be obtained before contact details are shared between a Trading Timer and an employer.
Q: How do I reset my password?
A: To reset your password: