Many employers will use the New Year as an opportunity to take stock and think about plans for the next 12 months. If this applies to you and those plans extend to recruiting additional staff then don’t forget that Land-Force.com is here to help. Not only can you browse CVs for potential candidates but we also offer a quick, easy and affordable way to advertise your vacancies.

For many people, the ringing of Big Ben at midnight on New Year’s Eve will prompt not only cheering and merriment but also a New Year’s Resolution about looking for a new job, or even perhaps a change of career. If that applies to you and you are thinking about looking for a new role in 2010 then make sure you have an updated version of your CV on land-force.com so that potential employers can find you. Click here for more information.

The weak pound has been blamed for a potential shortage in Christmas trees this year.With prices for imported trees having risen about 30% due to the relative strength of the Danish Kroner and the Euro, many UK wholesalers and garden centres have reduced orders and looked to replace imported trees with UK grown ones.

But whilst UK growers are no doubt enjoying the increase in demand, many are warning that the situation could lead to a shortage of trees, as demand could outstrip supply. Their advice – get your tree early to avoid disappointment!

So is it more environmentally friendly to have a real tree or a fake one? This debate seems to be raging at the moment, so which is the best option if you want to do your bit for the planet?

Our conclusion is that the best option is to buy a real tree, grown in the UK and sold with roots on. With a little luck (and judicious watering over the festive season) it should last and can then be planted in the garden come January to be used in future years – very sustainable! Clearly, if you are really concerned about the environment then you should collect it from where it has been grown on foot or on a bicycle!

Number two in our eco-tree chart is a UK grown cut tree, and for extra green points recycle it after Christmas. But it is at this point that the debate gets tricky – is an imported tree worse than a fake tree? Well, clearly neither is ideal from a carbon point of view. Both have probably originated abroad and required transporting over vast distances, consuming considerable quantities of fossil fuel. And, whilst purchasing a new fake tree almost certainly wins you last place in our eco-chart, what if you’ve already got the fake tree – surely the damage is then done and it’s ongoing environmental impact is minimal.

So, if you want a green Christmas, buy local and replant afterwards or dig out that fake tree from the attic and keep on using it. But hurry if you want a local tree, as they are in short supply…

Working in the wide open spaces has some definite advantages over the traditional lines of work located in an office. The outdoor worker enjoys a sense of freedom and connectivity with the world that would be otherwise sealed off from the office worker. The outdoor worker can break up his or her day with walking, labour or driving a company vehicle, making the day zip by at breakneck speed.

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And if you can incorporate your passion into an outdoor job, you can bring meaning and purpose into your daily grind. Some people have a natural affinity for animals and nature and would be well-suited for conservation, animal care positions or working in the agricultural field.

However, capturing your dream may require some academic posturing to make your job candidacy the best it can be, so be sure to evaluate your skills and professional goals when enrolling in higher education.

In addition to the outdoor jobs in the countryside, the inner city has its own options for working under the sun. Fields such as law enforcement, construction work, gardening, tree trimming, truck driver and commercial maintenance are some of the top desired outdoor jobs to keep you in touch with society while performing meaningful duties.

Although working outdoors can make going to work a pleasure, there are some pitfalls to being exposed to the elements. Persons with sensitive skin will need to use a strong sun block to avoid a build-up of overexposed skin. Once a sunburn takes hold, the remedy is to refrain from anymore sun, which is near impossible when working outdoors full-time. Also, if you don’t like getting dirty, outdoor jobs may not be for you either.

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The person employed outdoors may also be prone to illness during cold and flu season, but this susceptibility may be overcome by making an effort to bolster your immune system. Be sure to take plenty of vitamin C, E and fish oil to keep your system strong and able to fight off infection.

In some cases, the outdoor job may bring on cold and flu symptoms more often in winter, but there are many health benefits also involved. The person at an inside desk job remains sedentary for most of the day and may be prone to weight gain and atrophy in the muscles. Conversely, the active outdoor position provides fresh air, aerobic activity and a chance to develop a muscular physique. Overall. choosing a career that takes you outdoors can be an asset to your health, mental well-being and a great way to make new friends.

Perhaps you have a knack for banking, finance or inside sales, and although these jobs are rewarding financially, they may not be suitable for you as a long-term career. Try your hand at what interests you the most, and remember you can always change your professional pathway at any stage in life. Work a few years indoors and sample the outdoor opportunities when you feel the time is right.

For some people in the workforce the concept of working inside is not only depressing but it is also an unacceptable work environment. The thought of going to work each day, sitting at a nondescript desk in a small office or cubicle and doing the same tasks over and over again is enough to drive them crazy.

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For some, then, the only option is outside work but why?

There are many reasons why people choose outside occupations and, in some cases, only the people doing them understand why they like the work. For example, it is hard for some to comprehend why anyone would want to be a sailor; this is an atmosphere where workers are surrounded by water, 24 hours a day. To a sailor, however, there is no other job that they would rather do. So why do workers choose to bypass inside jobs for the lure of working outside?

Working Outdoors = Open Spaces

Many workers do not enjoy working in a confined space, like a small office or a cubicle and opt for an outside environment. It is the lack of outside stimuli that makes the inside jobs distasteful to them and the thought of working in a small area day after day, week after week is incomprehensible.

Working Outdoors = Variety

Typically, with most inside desk or factory jobs, the tasks are dull and repetitive, and some workers can not survive in that type of atmosphere. They don’t enjoy doing the same job over and over again and, as a result, will pursue work opportunities outdoors.

Working Outdoors = Exciting

Many outside occupations offer exciting, thrilling opportunities that inside jobs can not match. There are a percentage of workers who seek out these types of opportunities and could not envision working in any other kind of surroundings. They are thrill seekers and only those types of jobs will satisfy them.

Working Outdoors = Fresh Air

As silly as it may sound, some workers want to work outside in the fresh air and sunshine. Of course, there are times when it will be cold and wet but that is acceptable for them also.

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Working Outdoors = Freedom

There are lots of outside jobs where is it not possible to have supervision it place to direct workers and for some this is a perfect setting. They don’t like to be told what to do and without a boss at the location they are allowed to work more freely.

All in all, working outdoors opens a wide variety of options and a number of different types of workplaces you can enjoy. It’s not hard to find something to suit you, regardless of your talents and skills.

Do you have a green thumb? Do you find your bliss mucking around in rows of green plants and colourful flowers?

Here are five compellions reasons for choosing to make a career out of working with plants.

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1. Spend Your Life Doing What You Love

Who was it that said, “do what you love, and love what you do?” If the great outdoors is in your blood, there is a good chance that being chained to a cubicle is not. Why not make a living working with living things?  Your career choices are endless. From a job in a home garden centre to running your own landscape company, there is a way to put what you love into what you do.

Some people work at a job they hate and wait until retirement to do what they really love. Working outdoors means that you don’t have to wait until your twilight years to spend your days doing what you love.

2. Stay in Shape

Connecting with nature is not only nourishing for the soul; but it is great for your physical health as well. Gardening is a wonderful way to stay in shape. Thanks to the physical activity involved, you won’t have to carve out time to run to the gym!

3. Nurture Your Gifts

If you love working with flowers and plants, there is a good chance that you have a natural gift for it. What better way to nurture those talents than through daily practice? A novelist becomes a better writer the more she puts words down on paper; and a natural gardener betters his craft the more he digs around in the soil.

4. Fulfill a Lifelong Dream

Is it your dream to someday run your own nursery? Staring out working as a gardener can teach you things through experience that can help you realise that dream. The more work you do in the garden, the more knowledge you acquire by daily exposure to the best methods and newest technologies in horticulture.

5. Use your Talents to Make People Happy

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Finally, working with plants and flowers will help you touch the lives of countless people. Flowers bring people together for weddings and special occasions. Giving flowers sends messages of love and commitment. They simply make people happy.

Finding a way to make a living doing what you love is an unrealised dream for many people. If you love to garden, and you are good at it, find a way to make it into a career.