Written by Carl Freelove, Marketing Manager, Big fish Recruitment

Happy New Year from Big fish Recruitment and welcome to the first newsletter article of 2008. We hope that the festive break has left you feeling re-energised, primed and ready to start the job hunt afresh, so it’s time to shake off that Christmas hangover and get ready to kick start 2008 with a fantastic new career!

To help get you started and ensure you make the right career choices for 2008, we have put together a fun career horoscope to give you the chance to find out about your work characteristics and personality in the workplace.

ARIES
Arians are born leaders. Naturally competitive they dislike failure and hate to come second. With a determined nature, when an Arian sets their sights on something they let nothing stand in the way of achieving their goals. Beware! Arians are at times thoughtless and may unintentionally step on your toes in the process! Arians enjoy working alone but they also derive great satisfaction from leading a team. They tend to be impulsive in their behaviour and have a passion for starting new projects and love tasks that challenge them, they are easily bored so need constantly changing situations.

TAURUS
The practical Taurean is like the bull...strong and placid but dangerous if roused! Taureans are solid, practical and determined; they prefer to develop projects slowly. They are fixed in their attitudes and don't enjoy change or breaks in routine. Once they start something they tend to stick with it and see it through to completion. Their slowness in getting things done is often mistaken as laziness, but they are simply being thorough and conscientious.

GEMINI
The twins. Gemini's see both sides of life. With quick and clever minds, Gemini's dislike repetition and love to learn new things. They love meeting and talking to new people and are very sociable and adapt quickly to situations. Sometimes they tend to be a bit erratic and forgetful and forget to listen to others. They seek jobs they are continuously challenged with a variety of tasks and enjoy working in one to one situations.

CANCER
With a tough exterior Cancerians are soft inside. Sensitive, naturally caring and concerned for others they look for roles where they can provide comfort and security for others. They are family orientated so their home life is very important to them. They tend to take things personally and when feeling a bit hurt they can be a bit manipulative. They have long memories so beware of crossing them! They perform best when they feel happy and at ease with their environment.

LEO
The powerful Leo is similar to the lion, wants to shine and be centre stage. They are very fixed in their opinions, which they frequently express, but also crave the approval of others. Creative and loyal they enjoy being surrounded by supporters and seek praise for their work. Pride means that the Leo rarely asks for help. They make good managers and try to make the workplace enjoyable for their employees.

VIRGO
Precise, practical and efficient. The methodical Virgo is an organiser who plans right down to the smallest detail. They tend to be worriers and are often critical of their own work. They need to feel that the work they do is useful so jobs that they do are usually well done. They thrive in working in an ordered environment and are often viewed as being workaholics due to their love for their job.

LIBRA
Loving tranquillity and justice, the Libran is persuasive and diplomatic, they bring people together. They prefer working alone and crave a peaceful workplace. They find it difficult to make decisions and to use the word 'no'. The environment that they work in is of as much importance to the Libran as the job they do. They have an eye for detail and beauty and enjoy the finer things in life. Others view them as being just and fair.

SCORPIO
The Passionate Scorpio is serious about their career; they strive hard to be successful in everything they undertake. Somewhat stubborn in nature the Scorpio will often clash with others in order to achieve absolute control. They aren't the most talkative of people and tend to use their words economically but with great impact. They also have a talent for problem solving and are very through in their work. They make excellent managers and leaders.

SAGITTARIUS
Sagittarians are adventurous and outgoing. They enjoying starting projects but often leave it to others to finish them off, and therefore don't tend to suit jobs requiring repetition and routine. They are good communicators and love to inspire others. They are optimistic and open to new ideas and ways of thinking. Sagittarians are very honest which can cause problems, as they tend to make statements without thinking them through first. They are trusting of others and prefer to have a relaxed working environment.

CAPRICORN
Excellent planners, Capricorns are dedicated workers; they enjoy their work and thrive on achieving success. Highly ambitions and disciplined, they enjoy responsibility and have good business sense. They are conservative and hard working and they expect high standards from themselves and those who surround them. Capricorns don't except to achieve things overnight because they are prepared to put in all the necessary groundwork to achieve their goals.

AQUARIUS
The humanitarian Aquarian is a social activist and reformer. Highly inventive, they like to shock people with new ideas and ways of thinking. They love knowing how things work and don't conform to normal working practises. They enjoy group interactions but don't necessarily enjoy working as part of a group. Aquarians need freedom to be creative as believe this brings out the best in people. They are very fair and honest and welcome the opinions of others.

PISCES
Pisceans often feel torn in two directions between their reality and their idealistic goals. Although prone to bouts of insecurity, the Piscean is always a safe pair of hands in the workplace. With a creative streak, they have to be careful not to get too carried away by their own fantasies. They are good listeners and care about the welfare of others. When a Piscean believes in a cause, they are 100 percent committed to it.