Networking is a crucial element of job hunting because many jobs are never advertised. Employers prefer to interview and hire people referred to them by friends, family, or current employees. In a job market where employers have limited budgets to advertise roles, they are more actively using their networks to identify potential recruits.

I came across this article on networking for jobsearching – think it’s well worth a read.

http://www.johnleescareers.com/Documents/Networking.pdf

Mairead Griffin
Career Coach & Outplacement Specialist
http://www.careermentors.ie

Why am I pursuing this course – is it to make myself more employable, I’m interested in the topic, I want to be financially better off? It’s vital that you are clear what you want to get out of further education

Is the course recognised by the affiliated body?

Do myself or my friends know of anyone who has completed this course?

Will I be able to support myself financially while pursuing a course?

Can you pay for the course in installments?

Should I complete a short / night course before investing in a full qualification – one in four students typically drop out of college so it’s important everything is considered

What are the job prospects on completion?

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The approach a jobseekers applies to job searching in a challenging economy are Job Searching In a Recession different. Jobseekers need to adapt their search and think strategically about how they decide on their career direction, structure their CV, Interview and job search.

Below is a youtube video that I feel would add value to jobseekers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kq7-47yz7Y

Mairead Griffin, Career Coach & Outplacement Specialist, http://www.careermentors.ie

The light is beginning to show at the end of the recession tunnel, with job losses slowing in Ireland according to new figures released yesterday.

Data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show that the overall number of people signing on to the Live Register fell in October by 3,000 from the previous month to 422,500, the first recorded decline in over two years.

The rate of unemployment also fell slightly from 12.6 per cent in August and September to 12.5 per cent in October.

According to the Irish Examiner, the Government has now revised downward its prediction for end of year unemployment, which had been expected to reach the half-million mark.

In addition, separate figures from Fás out today show unemployment rose at its slowest rate in two years in the three months from July to September.

Mairead Griffin, Career Coach & Outplacement Specialist, http://www.careermentors.ie

( Careersportal.ie )

From the outset whether you are dealing with an agency or directly with an organisation, salary, benefits and where you pitch yourself can be the difference between getting to interview stage or not. Here are some tips

Where should I pitch myself?

Salary is a critical element of the whole job searching process. Firstly, there is little value in today’s market having high demands on salary as cost saving is key for any organisation. Many companies are managing to employ high qualified staff without battling over salary. Be sensible from the outset. Very few employers will give more than 10% of an increase on a current basic. If you are prepared to move for the same or a lower salary, then make sure your recruitment consultant is clear of this. Otherwise they will eliminate and not call you about certain roles as they search through their databases. Benefits also need to be taken into account and your consultant should always be submitting your salary & benefits to employers. EG Some organisations do not have a bonus system while your current employer may pay a bonus of 20%. This is a 5K difference at a 35k level. If you are looking for a 10% increase, will a new employer offer you a base of €43,500?? That level of an increase maybe difficult to get in todays market, so if salary is a key motivator in your transition, don’t waste your time, or any potential employer’s time.

I feel I am underpaid and as I have had to take a paycut recently, I would like to get back up to market rate.

Quite often employees feel undervalued by their current / previous employers and see a job change or career move as the opportunity to get them back to the level they feel they deserve. Most employers take your current salary and benchamarking into consideration and are unlikely to make decisions based on your current employer’s salary structures

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How can I sell myself on paper??

When drafting a CV it’s important that every sentence starts with a stong, impactful action word. Descriptive verbs at the beginning of a sentence provide additional impact and a stronger impression on potential employers.

Thinking of these action words can be difficult and quite often jobseekers end up with CVs with bullet points that are repetitive and non-impactful

Example
Which looks better?

For my final year in college I surveyed a group of employers to find out their opinions of the job market. This involved interviewing employers both formally and informally. We used a database system and were awarded a 2:1 for the project

OR
Planned and devised a survey of employer’s attitudes to the current jobs market as part of my final year project. Interviewed 40 teachers and assembled, analysed and interpreted data over a period of 2 weeks using a SQL database system. Completed the project 4 weeks ahead of schedule and was awarded a 2:1 Grade

Below are some action words that should help in making your CV more impressive and enticing!!

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“Jobseekers Ireland” is a new, Group here on LinkedIn that has 110 members in 48 hours! It provides a platform for Jobseekers, Business Management, HR, Recruiters & Career Advisors to share experiences and informed advice in areas such as…….

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STAR INTERVIEW TECHNIQUE

Structuring your interview answers using the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) interview technique will give you confidence and clarity when answering your interview questions. Following its form will result in your answers being high quality, comprehensive and detailed with fact. This technique will also help you avoid deviating from the question and keep your answers structured. Always use the first person when answering your questions!! STAR is particularly important to use during competency based interviews.

What is STAR?

SITUATION :A background to the situation you were involved in
TASK : Describe the tasks that were involved in the situation
ACTION : What did you personally actually end up doing and how did you
go about it
RESULT : What was the result of your actions

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