Make it real, make it about you

Pic source www.pixabay.com The application form asks you to outline the characteristics of an effective school principal – your answer should go way further than just a generic list of attributes, writes Sean Browne, Career Coach, Sli Nua Careers, Ballinrobe. The answer should incorporate two key elements: The characteristics needed to be an effective principal […]
Give them broad reasons to take you on

Pic source www.pixabay.com In interviews, be aware of what you are saying – and the potentially negative impact of focusing too much on one area, writes Liam Horan, Career Coach, Sli Nua Careers, Ballinrobe. For example, if you’re looking for a place in a UK college studying physiotherapy, and you’re mad into your sports, presenting […]
Our new Erasmus Entrepreneurship programme participant starts

This week, we welcome Goran Dunaj, Croatia, to our Ballinrobe office where he will spend the next few months as a participant on the Erasmus Young Entrepreneurship programme. Goran will follow in the footsteps of previous participants Isabel Alvarez Seron (Spain), Vasjan Broka (Albania), Paula Ballester Murat (Spain) and Sinisa Bjedov (Croatia). Hopefully he will […]
Getting jobs – what the future holds
Q: Where is it all going? Will humans have any say at all in the future, or will machines do the hiring? Can anyone make sense of the emerging trends? (CD, email). A: How jobs will be filled in the future is a question that concentrates the minds of those in the recruitment industry. Candidates, […]
AUDIO: London teaching experience can be relevant at home

Pic source www.pixabay.com You qualified as a teacher in Ireland, and took a job in London to build up experience and see a bit of the world. You may have worked in a disadvantaged area with serious economic and social issues. Now, you want to transition back to a job in a rural Ireland. Though […]
Should I include my hobbies on my CV?

Pic source www.pixabay.com Q: I am doing my CV and my sister has my head cracked about putting in my hobbies. “I’m a bookkeeper,” I keep telling her, “they don’t care that I do a bit of acting and play football for the club. It’s not Tom Cruise or Harry Kane they’re hiring.” But, she […]
Straying off the critical path can be fatal
Q: “I sat on the other side of the table last week for the first time – I was an interviewer. We interviewed seven candidates. Two did really well and clearly had their preparation done. They ended up being the clear 1-2. Two really didn’t have the experience we needed and you could see this […]
The value of genuine entrepreneurial spirit

By Sinisa Bjedov, Erasmus Entrepreneurship Programme participant, 2018 “Entrepreneur in the true sense of the word”. This is one of the sentences I remembered from my tasks here in Sli Nua Careers to extract phrases from many CVs. I did this because it helps our coaches write better CVs for clients. A CV is very […]
You will go far without the PowerPoint crutch
Q: I’m going for a job next week where they have asked me to make a 15-minute presentation on my plans for the position – but they have specifically said it must be done without the use of technology. I’m not a huge PowerPoint person, but I’d like the crutch of something on the wall. […]
Let your career triumphs be your qualifications
Q: I’m going for a job in my own company – and, between you and me, I should get it. I’ve got the best experience and the best record in the company. But I’m a bit shy on the ‘piece of paper’ front. I’ve got a degree but a few of my rivals have got […]