Areas that experiences a rise include

• Secretarial and Administration +47%
• IT / Telecoms +11%
• Insurance and Banking +11%
• Sales +8%
• Marketing +8%

There was a 11% decrease in retails jobs and an increase of people on the live register……….it’s more competitive for these new jobs!

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For career and outplacement support, contact Mairead Griffin , Career Mentors, 01-2160880 or Email: mairead@careermentors.ie

LinkedIn is the leading social networking site for professionals. There is so much you can do on LinkedIn, and while it is not the only effective tool available to you in your career search, it really deserves some of your time, attention and investment. To make people more accessible you may want to consider investing €50 per month for an upgraded account. This will give you more ways to reach or be reached by the right people on Linkedin

FIVE WAYS TO USE http://www.linkedin.com FOR JOB SEARCHING
1. Profile
Whether you have just created your profile or already have one, make sure to follow the suggested steps to complete your profile up to the 100% level.  Make sure to fill in as much professional, academic and skill-based information – make it similar to your CV! This will optimize your profile in LinkedIn as recruiters do word searches similar to Google

Completing your profile 100% will require getting 3 recommendations. Ask for brief recommendations from as many managers, peers, subordinates etc as possible. Offer to write one for them in return.Update your status weekly to post your availability and career goals

2. Groups
Click on Groups link and search for LinkedIn groups related to your company, or career-related interests and request to join. Remember who you are targeting EG A systems administator maybe targetting recruiters & IT Managers, so join Groups where you can gain access to those individuals. While quantity is not as important as quality, groups with more members allow for more potential contacts ( 2nd degree of seperation )

Check to see what the group discussion and board guidelines are, and if permitted, create a post introducing yourself & your career ojectives.  Network with group members by offering insights and answers to questions in the discussion board and posting questions or discussion topics yourself.

3. People
With an increasing network of connections and fellow group members, search for current employees of your preferred companies and if possible, message them. Be discrete in your introduction and request to connect. Make you introduction a warm one and refer to your mutal contact.

4. Jobs
LinkedIn is a great place to search for job.. It is relatively new to Irish Employers, but it is becoming a tool that more and more employers are using – especially the multinationals. It’s a job board is similar to others. Recommendations really can make a difference, for after you apply, employers and recruiters can instantly refer to your recommendations as complimentary support to your application.

5. Companies
You can search companies by industry category and location and identify companies that you may not have previously considered, especially small-medium sized businesses. By doing advanced searches your job search can become more targetted. LinkedIn shows whether the companies in your search results have posted job opportunities. Visit the companies and their websites and check for their job opportunities or application processes. Eitherway, jobseekers should send in speculative applications to the relevent individuals so your details are available when vacancies do come up.

Use company profiles to identify new people, especially the hiring managers or HR decision makers.  In summary,following these steps will make you more marketable, provides you with access to employers and helps you keep abreast of the latest developments through discussion boards. The more time you invest into it, the more you get out of it

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

CV Service – Interview Skills Training – Career Direction – Job Searching online & offline

Truth, Integrity, Respect

 for the recruitment industry in Ireland. Representing over 100 approx recruitment agencies throughout the country, the NRF seeks to provide it’s members, who have opted for self regulation, with the best possible service in terms of support, communication, advice sharing and problem solving and in doing so to promote professional competence within the industry.

The NRF Code of Conduct ( perm roles )is as follows:

1. GENERAL

Member companies and employees engaged by them shall comply with the Code of Conduct of the Federation and by the rules and regulations outlined below

 2. LICENSING

 It is a condition of Membership that the individual, agency or company is properly licensed to operate as an employment agency within the terms of the Employment Agency Act 1971 and any amendments thereto.

3. APPLICANT HANDLING/CONFIDENTIALITY

 - Applicants must be treated in a courteous and dignified manner at all times. Their right to privacy must be respected including their right to be interviewed in a private area in accordance with health & Safety regulation. Regard must be had to the Employment Equality Acts 1977 and 1998.

 - All applicants must be interviewed by the agency prior to being put forward to the client for interview. c.

- Applicants must be given full details of any job for which the agency intends to recommend them and permission sought from the applicant. An applicant’s permission must be sought and obtained before his or her details are revealed to an employer. The agency should also determine whether or not the applicant has been approached by another agency about the same job.

- Applicants must be kept informed of the progress of their application.

-References must not be sought without an applicant’s consent.

- Members must protect the confidentiality of any information contained on applicants business in the course of a recruitment assignment and use such information only for the purpose of staff selection and recruitment. The agency must have regard to the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998.

 GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE

When a complaint is recorded a copy of it is sent to the Members involved and any other parties involved. A written response is required within 7 days. On receipt of same, the Disciplinary Committee (DC) will investigate the complaint and may at its discretion interview all or any of the parties involved. The DC will make a decision on the complaint/grievance including recommending any action, which is required, based on facts placed before it at that time. A complete record of events will be kept. The Executive Committee (EC) may decide to hear an appeal against a decision of DC. A decision on an appeal will be final. If the appeal is to be heard, the President and two members of the EC nominated by the EC and who are not members of the DC will hear the appeal. The DC or the EC at their discretion may adjudicate on a complaint/grievance or appeal as the case may be based on written submissions or oral representations or a combination of both. Under section 12 of the Articles of Association, a decision may be made whether to suspend or expel the member.

NRF has an important role to play in continuously improving standards within the recruitment industry. Complaints against NRF members whether from applicants, clients or other Members will be investigated at all times. For more information on these standards go to http://www.nrf.ie

Mairead Griffin, Career Coach @ http://www.careermentors.ie 

Email: mairead@careermentors.ie

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PPD Pharmaceutical -250
Warner Chilcott – 200
Milano – 24
Generali – 1000
Alcatel Lucent – 70
Dun & Broadstreet – 100
3 – 90
Havok – 26
HP – 60
Canada Life – 100
Boots – 100
Ebay – 150
IBM -200
HKPB – 200
Linkedin – 200

Zynga
Open-net – 35
Hidden Hearing – 25
Money Village – 200
Datapac – 10
Central Bank – 50
Hertz – 100
D&B – 100
Balbriggan SC – 450
Bell Labs – 70
Emergency Call Centre – 50
Gala – 90
Freud Corporation – 25
Street Wok – 15
Paypal – 100
Omniplex – 100
Promis – 30
Eventserv – 50
Termifloor -15
Permafroct – 30

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

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FÁS/ESRI Occupational Employment Forcast 2015 (March 02, 2010)

Changes are likely in the sectoral and skills mix of employment, While employment in most occupations is expected to recover from the lows reached in 2010, the speed and the extent of recovery is likely to vary by occupation, with some occupations emerging with relatively strong employment growth and others failing to reach pre-recession levels by 2015.

The occupations expected to exceed pre-recession peak levels are concentrated at the higher end of the skill scale. They include professionals and associate professionals (technicians) in the areas of science, engineering, business services and IT. Occupations which, while growing after 2010, are not anticipated to recover to 2008 peak levels, include skilled building workers, production operatives, unskilled manual workers, sales assistants and clerks.

Combined managers/proprietors, professionals and associate professionals are expected to account for 38% of the total employment in 2015 compared to 34% in 2008 (and 31% in 1996). When these groups are combined with clerical workers, the forecasts suggest that, in 2015, 50% of workers will be in ‘white collar’
employment (up from 44% in 1996).

The overall employment level is based on the ESRI’s latest forecasts for recovery, whereby employment in 2015 is projected to be some 80,000 below the peak level reached in 2008. However, given an estimated loss of 330,000 in employment between the 2008 peak and 2010, the projection implies that the economic recovery, which is expected to begin towards the end of this year, will generate 250,000 additional jobs between now and 2015.

Improvements in the educational profile are likely to continue during the forecasting period, with the share of third level graduates increasing in all occupations. By 2015, over 90% of all professionals are expected to hold a third level qualification.

The economic forecasts underlying the projections have been produced in times of great uncertainty and are underpinned by a number of assumptions which concern the speed of the global economic recovery, competitiveness, the restoration of the financial sector, fiscal balance, nominal wage rates and migratory flows. Nevertheless, the authors are confident that the direction of the skills/occupational change projected in the report is likely to materialise.
( http://www.careersportal.ie http://www.ersi.ie http://fas.ie

Mairead Griffin
http://www.careermentors.ie

Transferable Skills are skills that potentially transfer to any career regardless of where they were first learned or developed. An understanding and awareness of these skills will help you to tailor your CV and deliver at interivew, irrespective of what sport you play either competitively or for pleasure.

Common transferable skills from sport include;

- Ability to perform under pressure
- Meeting deadlines / challenges
- Dedication and perseverence
- Self motivation
- Teamwork
- Ability to set and acheive goals
- Problem Solving
- Loyalty
- Interpersonal skills

If you have held the role of captain, the skills you have acquired are critical to a supervisory or leadership role. These include the ability to get people to work as a team, an ability to motivate people  and maximising individual performance as part of a team.. 

Interpersonal Skills – In sport you mix and engage with all sorts of personalities both before, during and after competition

Communication – Critical to work effectively as part of a team

Ability to handle pressure – Have you ever performed in front of large crowds or has a team been heavily reliant on your performance for success

Self motivation / Initiative – Do you consistently commit to your team and go above and beyond expectations through practice and training?

Drive & Determination – As a sportsperson you are driven towards achieving your goal to win

By developing an awareness of these skills you will  understand  how they relate to employer competencies and requirements. This will enable you to sell these skills at application and interview.

Further Links

http://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/pm/articles/2003/01/8286.htm

http://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/pm/articles/2005/08/harnesshobbiestoimproveperformance.htm

http://www.olympic.org/Documents/elite_athletes/TRANSFERABLE_SKILLS.pdf

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

CAREER COACH TO PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES AND THE GAELIC PLAYERS ASSOCIATION

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What is……

- Your ideal job specification.
- What type of people would you like to work with?
- What hours and what location would you like to work?
- How do you want to be managed?
- How much responsibility do you want to have?
- What type of career prospects do you need to have?
- Is it possible to get there? Are there financial or dependent restrictions?
- What is realistic? What is achievable? What is essential and what is a “nice to have”?
- How could I overcome any obstacles?
- How important is job security?
- Do I need an important sounding title?
- Would I prefer to work in a large or small business?
- How much am I worth? What is the absolute lowest base salary will I consider?
- Would I relocate for the right role? If not, what is a feasible commute?
- Am I looking for a job with a social life as well?
- What do I not enjoy doing?
- Is further education worth it?
- Will I consider contract?

Mairead Griffin, Career Coach & Outplacement Specialist, http://www.careermentors.ie 01-2160880

Read more……..

- When can I start?
- What is my notice period and will it impact on me getting a job?
- What benefits are really important to me? What can I go without? Holidays, Pension, Health Insurance, Flexibility etc

If the above aren’t coming to you – then think of yourself in the 3rd person and describe yourself that way

11. Who are their key clients
13. Difference between your role and others at peer level in the department
14. People turnover within the department
15. Upcoming Project work. % of your role that will be project work
16. Career opportunity and career path
17. Team Culture
18. Level of Autonomy
19. Basic salary range & based on your depth of experience what should you expect if successful
20. Benefits – Annual leave, Pension, VHI, Holidays, Flexitime

21. Commute
22. Level of flexibility
23. Who will be doing the interviews? What are their job titles and relevance to the role
24. What are their backgrounds i.e how long are they with the business etc
25. What type of interview will it be?
26. What are the key competencies of the role?
27. What is the style of the interviewers?
28. What should I expect?
29. How long with the interview be?
30. When are they looking for someone to start
31. How long have they been looking for this person?
32. How many have they interviewed?
33. How many more are they interviewing?
34. When will they be making a decision?

What is needed?

What are the benefits?
You are your own boss and you have control over your own decisions
You will gain a broad understanding of business which will stand to you forever
Flexibility

What are the cons?
You need to be working to be earning
Getting time off can be difficult
You will have total responsibility for success or failure

Mairead Griffin, Career Coach, Career Mentors, http://www.careermentors.ie

Why do new businesses fail?
Lack of planning
Cash flow problems
Lack of Skills
Lack of product or service demand
Not enough tenacity

Are you suited to life as an entrepreneur?

Do you have….
Drive
Personality
Networks
Personal Circumstances
Time
Commitment
Finances

Questions to ask yourself
Do others have the same product or service?
Is my product an improvement on what’s there?
What evidence is there that customers will buy my product?

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

Read More………………

What is the nature of my business?
What is my target market – location, size, trends
Who are your customers – what and when do they buy
What price will they buy at?
Who are your competitors? How will you be different ( better quality, lower price?)
Is there a gap in the service / products they provide
What is their pricing strategy?
What is the volume and value of your sales
How much will it cost to develop your product / service
How much will it cost you to make and deliver
How much money do I need to get up and running?
What will this money be spent on and where are you going to get it

If you feel you have what it takes and are motivated for the right reasons,Id strongly suggest completing a “start your own business” course. The courses run by the Enterprise Boards are generally over a 6-10 week period one evening a week. They are heavily subsidised and the quality of the trainers is excellent.

Check out http://www.dlceb.ie for more information

Hope this helps anyone considering going out on their own or even undertaking some ad consulting work whilst searching for a permanent role

Thanks
Mairead
Career Coach & Outplacement Specialist
http://www.careermentors.ie
0876312900

Why do voluntary work?

- It’s an opportunity to help a cause that is close to your heart. Most charities welcome volunteers with open arms. There are over 600 charities in Ireland ( check out http://www.thewheel.ie ) most of whom would welcome the contribution of experienced, motivated individuals.

- Volunteering can develop your transferable skills as the work can be very varied ranging from care work to meals on wheels to fundraising to retail work

- Keeps you active and out there interacting with people. When you are between jobs, it’s important that you develop a routine and interests outside of job searching!!

More……………..

Mairead Griffin, Career Coach, Career Mentors http://www.careermentors.ie

- Even a few hours a week will help any charity!

- Charity work can be a stepping stone to paid employment. A friend of mine has worked as a HR manager for nearly 10 years, she lost her job about 8 months ago and started volunteering . 4 months later she has secured a permanent job and is project managing a large, high profile overseas project. She has changed her career direction and has never been happier!

- If you looking for paid work in the voluntary sector, experience of volunteering is really important.

- Volunteering is fun and rewarding. It will give you a lift between jobs and give you a sense of fulfillment!

Useful Links

http://www.volunteer.ie
http://www.southdublinvolunteer.ie
http://www.getvolunteerjobs.com
http://www.vso.ie