What (not ) to wear for a job interview ....

 I was prepping a candidate for an interview last week when he said “I’ve got a really stupid question”

“what should you wear ?”  I guessed

“yes” he answered

Except, it’s not a stupid question, ever…

It is rare a company wants you to turn up completely suited and booted to an interview. In fact , some start ups or disruptors would baulk at a candidate in as much as a shirt and blazer, especially if they have a team of  techies wearing hoodies and headphones.

So don’t be afraid to ask your recruiter what to wear. We will be able to guide you but if you do forget to ask, a shirt will cover all bases.

Which reminds me of a time a colleague prepped a candidate for a job where the hiring manager was quite old school and the candidate was told to wear a shirt.

When my colleague  turned up to meet the candidate an hour before the interview for a coffee he was mortified to find him wearing a dirty t-shirt with an unironed unbuttoned lumberjack shirt thrown over the top. Not to mention the accompanying dirty nails …

Whilst our clients general advice is to  “just look smart”, in reality  “smart”  means different things to different people.

Additionally, online interviews appear to have blurred the lines somewhat for candidates who seem to embrace the comfort of their own home a little too much  with one turning up to a  Teams in a darkened room with his hoodie on and the hood up, another turning up in a boob tube and yet another who showed up braless in an off the shoulder top.

This week alone, we had a candidate turn up to an interview with the camera switched off ( yes he had an invite with the Teams link ). When the interviewer asked him to switch the camera on he said he didn’t really want to because he was in his dressing gown …

We have even heard about one candidate rocking up in a cowboy hat.

The key to dressing for an interview is to err on the side of sartorial caution and scrub up well.

But not so clean that you have just stepped out the shower…

What fashion faux pas have you heard of in an interview or office environment?

#whatnottowear #interview #interviewtips #paymentjobs #fintechjobs

Contactless limit set to rise to £45

The contactless payment limit of £30 in the UK is to be raised in an effort to reduce the need for physical contact with Payment devices as well as to reduce the need for handling cash.

Banking Industry group UK Finance said that from April 1st, the new £45 limit would be applied at many stores though it would take longer to roll out across the retail network as a whole.

The decision to raise the limit was taken following consultation between the retail sector and the finance and payments industry and follows similar increases in several other European countries over the past week.

In the past few days, governments and the payments industry in Greece, Ireland, Malta, Poland and Turkey have worked together to raise the contactless payments limit

The changes were already under consideration by the industry, but the process has been expedited as part of the industry’s response to the Covid-19 outbreak to support consumers who choose to pay using contactless at this time.

From 1 April 2020, consumers will begin to see an increasing number of retailers accepting contactless card payments up to the new £45 limit. Given the pace at which this change is being rolled out, the new limits will take some time to be introduced across all retailers, including some of those facing additional pressure due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

For consumers spending more than £45 there are many ways to choose to pay, for example through Chip & PIN, cash and alternatives such as mobile payments which do not have an upper limit when authenticated through biometric technologies.

Stephen Jones, CEO of UK Finance, said:

“The payments industry has been working closely with retailers to be able to increase the contactless payment limit to help customers with their shopping at this critical time for the country.

“This will give more people the choice to opt for the speed and convenience of purchasing goods using their contactless card, helping to cut queues at the checkout.

“The industry continues to work closely with the government and regulators to support customers impacted by Covid-19 and ensure that they can pay in a way that suits them.”

Latest figures from UK Finance reveal that £80.5 million was spent on contactless payments in 2019, up 16% on the previous year. We will undoubtedly see a bigger uplift in figures for the coming year.

For the latest payment and fintech jobs, go to www.cardandpaymentjobs.com

Contactless transactions set to rise amidst Coronavirus spread ?

We’ve all been told to wash our hands whilst singing “Happy Birthday” (twice) or if you’re Boris, “God Save the Queen” but now The World Health Organisation is advising consumers to avoid handling bank notes and switch to contactless payments instead to prevent spreading coronavirus.

The advice follows China and Korea’s isolation and  disinfection of used bank notes, which are known carriers of viruses and bacteria.

A 2017 study of used bank notes in New York found 397 distinct bacterial species crawling across the bills.

A World Health Organisation spokesperson told The Telegraph: 'We know that money changes hands frequently and can pick up all sorts of bacteria and viruses.

'We would advise people to wash their hands after handling banknotes, and avoid touching their face.

'When possible it would also be advisable to use contactless payments to reduce the risk of transmission.'

For the latest jobs in the card, payment and fintech space, go to www.cardandpaymentjobs.com

Credorax won two Awards in 2015! Here is how it made them feel.

Movers and Shakers - December 2015

Movers and Shakers for December 2015

·         Bruce Wallace joins Silicon Valley Bank as Chief Digital Officer

·         Michael Dreyer becomes Chief Operations Officer at Silicon Valley Bank

·         MX, a fintech company has appointed Eric Fearday EVP, Worldwide Sales & Partnerships

·         Anthemis Edge is expanding its US presence and is opening a New York office on January 1^st,  Tom Ryan has been appointed Head of North American Operations

·         Regions Bank hires FBI veteran John Boles International & Cyber Investigations

·         Cachet Financial Solutions appoints Walt Granville , SVP Mobile Innovations

·         Saxo Payments is joined by Paul Townsend as non-Executive Director

·         Thomas Egner joins the Euro Banking Association as Secretary General

·         Chris Perretta joins State Street Bank as Global Head of Enterprise, Data and Technology

·         Antoine Shagoury is appointed CIO of the London Stock Exchange

·         Merton Smith joins Proxama as VP Sales & Business Development

·         Lombard Risk appoints Alastair Brown Chief Executive

·         Geoswift, leading provider of cross-border payment solutions appoints Robert Miskin as MD of EMEA

·         Adyen opens a new Sydney office

Hottest Jobs

·         EMV Engineer, ICC Solutions

·         Ecommerce / Digital Architect – London

·         Business Programme Manager/Operations Manager – Contract, London

·         Delivery Architect, flexible UK location with lots of travel

·         Senior Smartcard Engineer – Hampshire – Contract role  

FFor more opportunities in the payment industry, go to www.cardandpaymentjobs.com

Forthcoming Events

ICE

Excel

February 2nd-4th 2016

London

RBTE

Olympia

9th-10th March 2016,

London

Money 2020 Europe

April 5th - 7th 2016

Copenhagen, Denmark

Message from Cartes following Friday's terrorist attacks

We inform you that CARTES SECURE CONNEXIONS will open as planned from the 17th to the 19th of November, at Paris Nord Villepinte Exhibition Center 
(Hall 3 and 4). 

Increased security measures have been put in place and will be maintained through out the event in order to ensure the highest security standards to our exhibitors and visitors. 

For any further information, please do not hesitate to contact our hotline
+33 (0)1 76 77 11 11. 

We look forward to welcoming you on Tuesday 17th November at 9:30 am. 

CARTES SECURE CONNEXIONS Team

Will you be going to Cartes ?For the latest payment jobs go to www.cardandpayentjobs.com

Barclaycard and TopShop launch contactless payment fashion range

Leading card provider Barclaycard and UK high street retailer, TopShop have worked together to develop a range of wearable accessories incorporating Barclaycard’s  bPay contactless technology.

The TOPSHOP x bPay collection includes wristbands, smartphone cases, stickers and key chains. All have been created to discreetly hold the small bPay contactless chip. The chip links to a secure digital wallet, enabling customers to shop with a tap at 300,000 locations across the UK. 

Users can add funds to their digital wallet on-the-go using a mobile app, online through the bPay web portal, or via an automatic top-up which adds funds when their balance falls below a pre-set level.

The partnership launches Barclays bPay technology decisively into mainstream high street shopping.

Tami Hargreaves, commercial director of  digital consumer payments at Barclaycard stated: “The collaboration shows how the worlds of fashion and technology can combine to create a stylish and easy new way for people to pay using contactless”

This is not,  however, the first fashionable collaboration for Bpay as earlier this year Scottish knitwear brand Lyle & Scott introduced a £150 'contactless jacket' that comes complete with a buttoned-down pouch for Barclays' BPay wristbands.
For jobs in the payment industry, go to www.cardandpaymentjobs.com