Brief Encounters of the Quick Fire Hiring Kind
One of the latest techniques to hit the job market is the speed interview. Much like speed-dating, they allow employers to screen a large number of candidates quickly. If the interview is successful, candidates are usually offered the option of attending a more traditional full-length interview. Unsurprisingly, speed interviews are becoming increasingly popular with employers who are […]
Turbo-boost your job-searching campaign
Q: My son is 23, he has a good degree, but he has never had a proper job. He has applied for a few things, but I think he is not doing enough really. He just seems to sit around all day playing games and watching television. I have stopped trying to cajole him because […]
Spreading the job-searching net wide
Q: I’m looking for a job for the first time in 15 years, and, to be perfectly honest, I am finding it intimidating. Where do I start? Last time I was looking for a job, it was just a matter of keeping an eye on the papers. Nowadays there are so many different ways. Can […]
The wisdom is in your town – set it free
I believe in the value of what is rather dryly called peer-to-peer learning. A good book to read on the topic is Paolo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed. We have been reared to put our faith in the ‘expert’ model – what is called in America the ‘sage on the stage’ model. From the first […]
If you’ve got what they’re really looking for, apply
Q: I have loads of experience in my area (business management with a speciality in Financial Management) but I don’t have a scrap of paper to prove my worth. I went into a company at 18 years of age and progressed up through the ranks. Now, as the job market shrinks, I notice all these […]
Taking the chance to sharpen those skills
Due to the current turn in economic events, many people have found themselves toying with the idea of returning to education. Whether simply to do a top-up course in their present field of expertise, or to start a fresh on a completely new career path, it is important to note that there are options out […]
‘Thank you’ Letters
I have written recently about sending ‘thank you’ letters after you’ve been unsuccessful in a job interview – and by ‘thank you’, I hasten to add that I mean ‘thank you for allowing me to compete’ rather than ‘thank you for rejecting me’ Some – perhaps even the vast majority – of people believe them […]
Tapping into your personal and professional networks, our weekly column from various newspapers around Ireland
Q: I read a great deal about ‘tapping into your personal and professional networks.’ I know what that means – but I don’t know how to go about it. Can you give me some pointers? I am heavily involved in a number of community and sporting organisations, and I have worked for more or less […]
Attack their perceptions to put yourself in the frame
The reasons why the employer can’t give you the job often remain unarticulated during an interview – and that silence will scarcely do you any good. If there’s an elephant in the room, better that you mention it. There are often reasons why they feel they can’t give you the job: you’re too old, too […]
Dealing with a recent workplace reverse
Q: I started work with a company two months ago. Very early in my time there, I realised the job I was being asked to do wasn’t the job I felt I had been hired for – it didn’t really use my skills (I am a computer programmer) and was very underwhelming in terms of […]