The event commenced with a motivation and success presentation by James Sweetman. I have been aware of James but never met or heard him speak before. James outlined some excellent motivational strategies for jobseekers in difficult job market conditions. He encouraged individuals to cast off the shackles and move out of their comfort zones into uncharted waters. James touched on a number of key strategies I feel strongly about – Jack Canfields E+R=O and the importance of shutting out the bad news and negative people. James delivered the presentation with humour and laced with excellent motivational stories.

James was followed by Brendan Murphy of Osborne Recruitment. First thing that struck me about Brendan was his honesty. Brendan delivered an open and frank assessment to the job market followed by some of the key elements for marketing yourself during job applications and interviews. Even with the limited exposure to Brendan & Osborne I get the impression that working with his recruitment company would be a positive experience from an employer or a jobseeker perspective. Osborne Recruitment is a successful recruitment consultancy recruiting across a number of industry sectors.

Last but certainly not least Krishna De spoke about the use of online technology and social networking to market yourself, enhance networking and make yourself recession bullet proof. This was the session of personal interest for me and it did not disappoint – very informative and again well executed. I had a great interest in this section from a business development point of view BUT to enhance my knowledge to support my private career coaching and corporate outplacement clients. Krishna De is a leading personal branding consultant and social media marketing expert.

Overall I though the night was very worthwhile and plenty of new ideas but also reinforcement of existing ideas and strategies. As pointed out it is very easy to slip back into old habits and comfort zones.

Well done guys and gals!!

There have been over 4,500 applicants for 50 supervisor jobs in the first Ikea superstore to open in the Republic in July. Great company to work for OR only company with jobs?

IKEA will hold the final stages of its recruitment drive this weekend at the Ballymun Civic Center between 10am and 5pm. The company has 280 additional jobs to full and hope to meet suitable part-time and full-time staff this weekend. The 280 jobs will be on top of 120 management and general roles already filled.

A total of 500 direct staff will be employed at the store which is significant in these times. The breakdown is 10 senior management, 55 managers and 50 supervisors although nearly all workers will be titled co-workers within company culture and their “humble” management structure.

Almost all the new hires will be from Ireland as the company here and has emphasised hiring locally through its initiatives with the Ballymun Partnership.

There will be certainly big interest in the recruitment drive BUT also the opening in July. The Dublin outlet will be 31,500 sq ft representing one of Ikea’s flagship stores and it will include a restaurant and a creche.

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Training & Qualifications is important in any job market. It can open doors to potential employment and it can enhance your value to existing employers. Education & Training has been revolutionised over the last decade with many flexible options available potential students.

As my main focus is careers I regularly review many CV’s and often see the words “good IT skills” or “Excellent MS Office Skills”. Most jobseekers state it but in reality this is often not the case. How about if you could prove this with a recognised MS Office qualification?

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Dublin also received good news when Microsol announced that is will be investing in R&D at its operation in Dublin. There was no mention of a figure but these are the high end announcements we want. Microsol is based in D2 and they supply state of the art control technology. Interestingly they are also owned by Crompton Greaves.

Another announcement which was not so good was the news released from Xerox. They will slash 3,000 jobs globally which could have a direct impact on jobs in Ireland.

Careers and Jobs a site dedicated to jobseekers and employers in Ireland. Job News, career coaching advice and much more.

I was interested to read that Ballina, Tralee and Dundalk were three of the worst unemployment blackspots as I have been doing some work in all three locations over the summer. All seems to be sunny in Leixlip and Malahide though as unemployment is at 4%.

Let’s try and end this article with a positive note – Cook Ireland has announce that it will be creating 200 new jobs in Limerick over the newxt 5 years. This is part of a EUR25M investment. Lets hope for a few more of these announcements over the remainder of the week.

Careers & Jobs with all the latest jobs news in Ireland and excellent career, cv and interview advice. Careers & Jobs for career information in Antrim, Armagh, Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Derry, Donegal, Down, Dublin, Fermanagh, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Limerick, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo, Tipperary, Tyrone, Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford, Wicklow

Unum will be hosting walk-in open days in Dublin – 9th May and Carlow -10th. If you are interested in finding out more information visit the website.

Recruitment Agencies to find Irish Jobs

I guess there are 400 – 500 agencies in Ireland to help you with your search. I would use a targeted approach to identify the suitable agencies for your needs. Agencies in Ireland fall into 2 categories generalist and specialist. I am often asked “how many agencies should you register with?” There is no right or wrong answer. It is more important to register with relevant agencies and then manage your relationship. These posts may help – managing recruitment agencies and a list of agencies in Ireland.

Job Boards to find Irish Jobs

Job Boards are a great resource. I think is accepted that online is the way forward for job advertising globally moving away from traditional printed media. I guess that is why most media own these job boards. One such site is EmployIreland but there are others.

Networking to find Irish Jobs

Jobseekers do not network enough in Ireland to help progress their career or find Irish Jobs. When you consider that over 50% of jobs are never advertised it makes it essential to use this strategy to access the hidden jobs pool. If you don’t like formal occasions why not start with your own immediate network of friends, family and work colleagues past and present.

Speculate your way to finding Irish Jobs.

This approach is all about getting your hands dirty and sending CV’s off on spec. Jobseekers do not like it because it is inevitable that you will get a lot more dead-ends and rejections. And lets face it we do not like rejection. The secret to speculative applications is to start off quite specific like a target defined location or industry. This post will help you with speculative CV’s.

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CV Format & CV Layout TIPS

You must avoid using the first person pronoun – Start sentences with action verbs or power verbs instead of first person pronoun. Examples of power verbs include; managed, developed, created and organised.

Keep your sentences short - CV’s need short, crisp statements and don’t get carried away. Remember that statements do not have to be complete sentences.

Use plain English – Don’t believe the urban myth that bigger words create a bigger impression. I saw a cover letter the other day with the word “sterling” and not used in the currency context.

Use bullet points – Bullet points make it easier for the reader. Paragraphs can be daunting. There are pro’s and con’s for both but my research with clients concludes that bullet points come out on top.

General to Specific – Organise you information that it flows from general to specific points.

This CV advice was provided by Measurability. Measurability writes CV’s for jobseekers at all levels of the organisation and across industry sector. Measurability write CV’s for clients nationwide Donegal, Cavan, Monaghan, Dublin, Meath, Louth, Kildare, Wexford, Wicklow, Carlow, Laois, Offaly, Westmeath, Cork, Limerick, Tipperary, Clare, Waterford, Galway, Sligo, Roscommon, Mayo, Leitrim, Kilkenny, Longford (and the other county I cannot seem to get – ha ha)

This is a great strategy for retail jobseekers. Many will go directly to jobboards or recruitment agencies BUT you can actually check out the retail centre websites directly.