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By Art MarkmanIf you are a recent college graduate, chances are you have taken several classes that you believe will help prepare you for your first job. Unfortunately, most of what you need to succeed in your work involves skills you never took a class to acquire. And that can complicate the application process.When you look at the qualifications for entry-level jobs, many of the items on the list may be things you have not yet encountered. Even when your new job involves technical skills that were covered in your classes, your future employer will likely use tools you haven’t seen before and rely on processes that go beyond what you studied.However, and this is important, just because you don’t have all of the qualifications doesn’t mean you shouldn’t apply for that job.One story I tell in my book, Bring Your Brain to Work, is that my oldest son, who was right out of college, was given an opportunity to apply for a position at a firm that normally was given to people with a few years of experience. He asked me what to do, and my response was that “If you’re completely qualified for the job you apply for, you aimed too low.” He ultimately got the role — and despite having a lot to learn, he has done well.Organizations expect people who are new to a role (and particularly people who are new to a firm) to grow into the position. They want new hires to ask a lot of questions, to seek out mentoring, and to even make a few mistakes as they get acclimated to a role.That means that you should look for positions that will stretch you, not ones where you can already tick all the boxes.Unfortunately, many people (particularly women) focus on potential jobs for which they are already overly qualified. There are upsides to doing this: they will “hit the ground running,” which often makes an employer happy and can boost the person’s self-confidence. But it’s unlikely the job will lead to much growth and being stagnant in a role can make it hard to transition to the next position. In particular, an upward trajectory in the workplace requires consistent acquisition of the set of skills needed to take on the next position. Learning these skills when you’re in a position for which you are overqualified will require that you learn “off the clock” rather than incorporating learning into the daily performance of your job.One factor that often holds people back from applying for jobs is imposter syndrome, which is the feeling that you’ve risen to a position you haven’t earned or deserve. People who experience this syndrome worry that if others knew how unqualified they were for their position that they would not be able to keep their job.But imposter syndrome is typically a farce. You can’t see other people’s thoughts so you may assume that they have a higher degree of confidence in their abilities than they probably do. Because of that, you don’t recognize how many other people have also had to learn significant new skills on-the-job, and so you shy away from positions for which you feel unqualified.Instead, it’s valuable to treat new positions as a challenge. Research by Carol Dweck and her colleagues develops the concept of a growth mindset, which argues that the best way to maintain an orientation to continue learning is to treat difficult tasks as a lack of skill (which can be acquired) rather than a lack of talent (which cannot). Organizational psychologists theorize that growth mindsets also lead to engagement with work.Practically speaking, it’s useful for almost everyone to treat job ads as though they are a set of guidelines about what a position involves, not a strict list of requirements that any applicant must have. It is important, of course, to have at least some of the skills a job requires up front. But nobody should limit themselves only to positions for which they are already overqualified.<a href="https://hbr.org/2019/05/you-dont-need-to-meet-every-qualification-to-apply-for-a-job">Original source.</a>

You Don’t Need to Meet Every Qualification to Apply for a Job

With LinkedIn becoming the go-to for jobseekers and recruiters alike, is your profile likely to make your CV obsolete? Hays’ Nick Deligiannis explains why this will not be the case.It’s no secret that an up-to-date and engaging LinkedIn profile can help you to get noticed by recruiters, whether you are actively or passively looking for a new role. But does that mean CVs are becoming less important?The short answer is no. Your CV and LinkedIn profile are two separate but complementary entities that serve different purposes both to a recruiter and to yourself during the application process and at different stages. Allow me to clarify.What does the recruiter see first, the CV or the LinkedIn profile?The answer to this question all depends on how you apply for a role. For instance, if the initial job application didn’t require you to submit a CV (eg if using LinkedIn Easy Apply), then your recruiter may search for you on LinkedIn first after receiving your application. Alternatively, your recruiter may find you on LinkedIn because, even though you haven’t actively applied for a job with them, you match their criteria for a role that they are hiring for.On the other hand, if you register with a recruiter or apply for a job using your CV, whether this is through a job board, recruitment website, LinkedIn or directly with the organisation, then your recruiter will view your CV first and is then likely to search for you on LinkedIn.Long story short, both your LinkedIn profile and CV will be carefully reviewed by the recruiter at some stage during the application process and will provide them with different information, which brings me on to my next point.Why a strong CV is central to your job searchAs you can see from the above, your CV is still the main means of applying for roles and should serve the purpose of giving the recruiter a factual and chronological snapshot of your skills and experience to date. What’s more, the recruiter will need to know why you are both interested in and suitable for this job specifically and will need something a little more tailored than your generic LinkedIn profile. Therefore, it is important that you adapt your CV to fit the types of roles you are applying for. You can do this by:<ul><li>Tweaking your personal statement to outline why you want to work for this particular industry and organisation</li><li>Streamlining your skills, education and experience to highlight only the most relevant information</li><li>Identifying the keywords used to describe the desired skills on the job description, such as ‘strong analytical skills’, and ensuring these are incorporated on your CV where possible</li></ul>A strong LinkedIn profile should bring your CV to lifeNow on to your LinkedIn profile. Thanks to the visual, flexible and interactive nature of LinkedIn, you have the opportunity to bring all of your skills and experience to life and tell the recruiter more of a story about who you are and what you are looking for.In addition, a strong LinkedIn profile can increase your chances of being approached by a recruiter first. Recruiters are using advanced data analytics tools to both find and engage with suitable passive and active jobseekers – so an up-to-date profile and frequent online activity can certainly get you noticed by the right people. That is, if you make the best use of this platform. Here are some tips for having a strong and engaging LinkedIn profile:<ul><li>Upload an up-to-date and professional photo</li><li>Add a compelling headline that more accurately reflects your specialism and interests, eg ‘Ambitious IT sales professional with a passion for cloud computing, and three years’ experience in this sector’</li><li>Make sure your skills and experience sections are up to date and supported by visual examples, such as videos, pictures, PDFs and other rich media</li><li>Share content relevant to your specialism or industry</li><li>Post your own professional insights – be it in blog format or via an update</li><li>Like/share/comment on other people’s updates</li><li>Get involved in forum discussions</li><li>Connect with people in your network and ask for endorsements and recommendations – but remember online networking etiquette</li></ul>In conclusion, it isn’t a case of your LinkedIn profile versus your CV. CVs are still the most important weapon in your armoury when it comes to getting a job, but yours should be complemented by a strong, professional and active LinkedIn profile – one that brings all the claims you have on your CV to life and showcases everything you have to offer as a person and as a professional.By Nick Deligiannis <a href="https://www.siliconrepublic.com/advice/linkedin-profile-cv-jobseeker">- Source.</a>

What’s more important – your CV or your LinkedIn profile?

Director & Chief Biscuit Dunker

Sean Breen

By Isabelle Roughol
Senior editor-at-large, LinkedIn | Tech and media hybrid
You should really get more sleep. I know, you&#39;ve heard it before. But there&#39;s something about hearing sleep scientist Matt Walker enumerate on the TED stage all the ways sleep deprivation destroys your health, relationships and productivity that finally convinced me. Here&#39;s one stat I won&#39;t forget in a hurry: on the spring day after daylight savings comes into force — a wonderful controlled experiment when more than a billion people lose an hour of sleep — heart attacks increase by 24%! That&#39;s how much even a small change in sleep impacts health. (Yes, the reverse is also true in the fall: heart attacks decrease when we gain an hour of sleep.)Sleep deprivation impacts cardiovascular health, reproductive health, mental health, your brain, your immune system... and it&#39;ll make you behave really weirdly at work.<h3>Lack of sleep makes you less ambitious.</h3>&quot;Underslept employees, defined as sleeping six hours or less, will select fewer challenging problems,&quot; Walker tells me in a follow-up interview. In the lab, people are given a chance to just do email or deep project work. Those who haven&#39;t slept enough systematically choose the easy option, he says.<h3>Lack of sleep makes you less creative.</h3>In that same experiment, once they are working on meaningful problems, underslept employees come up with fewer creative solutions. &quot;It&#39;s creativity and ingenuity that&#39;s supposed to drive businesses forward!&quot; Walker reminds us.<h3>Lack of sleep makes you unethical.</h3>&quot;The less and less sleep that an employee has, the more deviant and unethical they become,&quot; Walker explains. Those employees become more likely to fudge a factor in a spreadsheet, falsify expense claims, or even claim the work of other people as their own.<h3>Lack of sleep makes you lazy.</h3>In a group, workers who have slept less will lean on others to do the work and ride their coattails. That&#39;s called social loafing, and it doesn&#39;t make for a great team atmosphere.<h3>Lack of sleep makes you bad at learning.</h3>Sorry students, all-nighters are pointless. After an all-nighter, your capacity to retain new information drops by 40%. &quot;You need sleep after learning to hit the save button on these new memories,&quot; Walker says. &quot;But you also need sleep before learning to prepare your brain.&quot;<h3>Lack of sleep makes you less of a leader.</h3>Walker cites a study by Christopher Barnes at the University of Washington: When CEOs have had a bad night&#39;s sleep, their employees rate them as less charismatic! The rating can change significantly from one day to the next and though the workers have no idea of their leader&#39;s sleeping habits, they can tell that something was off.So there&#39;s really little evidence that Jack Ma&#39;s devotion to the 9-9-6 schedule — working 9 am to 9 pm six days a week — makes any business sense. &quot;This notion of time on task is a fallacy,&quot; Walker says. It was already questionable in the industrial age, when tired workers made more mistakes and had more accidents, and it is especially questionable in the information age. Why have people sitting there twice as long working half as well? Or as Walker puts it, &quot;Why would you boil a pot of water at medium heat when you could do it in half the time on high?&quot;What can be harmful on an individual level becomes nonsensical at the national scale. The RAND corporation measured that sleep deprivation costs developed economies up to 3% of GDP, a growth rate many countries would envy. That&#39;s $411 billion of lost productivity due to insufficient sleep in the US, more than $50 billion in the UK or $138 billion in Japan. &quot;If I could solve the sleep-loss crisis within the workplace, I could almost double the budget for education in most of those countries or I could almost halve the healthcare deficit,&quot; Walker says.The bad news is you can&#39;t &quot;catch up&quot; on sleep, and the damage done is done. But you can stop adding to it. These are Walker&#39;s recommendations for a good night&#39;s sleep:<ul><li>Be regular. Go to bed at the same time and get up at the same time every day, even on the weekend.</li><li>Keep a cool room. Your body needs to drop its temperature to fall asleep. Ideal room temperature is 65°F or 18°C.</li><li>Make your bedroom a haven. Don&#39;t work there. Your brain needs to associate it with sleep.</li><li>Avoid sleeping pills, caffeine and alcohol. They keep your sleep superficial.</li></ul>Every species known to science sleeps. There must be a good reason. &quot;If sleep does not serve an absolutely vital function, it&#39;s probably the biggest mistake the evolution process has ever made. You&#39;re not reproducing, you&#39;re not finding food, you&#39;re not caring for your young, and worse still, you&#39;re vulnerable to predation,&quot; Walker notes. &quot;It&#39;s the most idiotic thing — unless it&#39;s non-negotiable.&quot;

These are all the ways lack of sleep makes you terrible at work

Many of the nation&#39;s most popular companies to work for don&#39;t require a college degree, and certain jobs are more likely to be filled with noncollege graduates than others, LinkedIn found.
Top business executives have begun questioning whether college degrees really prepare workers for careers, while some are starting to hire more and more noncollege graduates.
Students assume getting a four-year degree — and taking on the thousands of dollars of student-loan debt that comes along with it — is the only way to get your foot in the door at top companies such as Apple, Google, and Netflix.
But that isn&#39;t always true.
Prominent business leaders such as Siemens USA CEO Barbara Humpton and Apple CEO Tim Cook are already questioning the need for four-year degrees altogether. Cook recently said that about half of Apple&#39;s US employment last year included people who did not have four-year degrees. Cook reasoned that many colleges do not teach the skills business leaders need most in their workforce, such as coding.

Humpton, too, dismissed the idea that a four-year degree guarantees career-readiness: &quot;All too often, job requisitions will say they require a four-year degree, when in fact there&#39;s nothing about the job that truly requires a four-year degree — it merely helped our hiring managers sort of weed through the crowd and get a smaller qualified candidate group,&quot; Humpton recently said at the White House during the first American Workforce Policy Advisory Board meeting.

Now prominent companies such as Google and Apple are hiring employees who have the skills required to get jobs done, with or without a degree. LinkedIn found many of today&#39;s hottest companies to work for do not require that employees have a college degree. After further analysis of the data, LinkedIn identified specific positions more likely to be filled by noncollege graduates, including electronic technicians, mechanical designers, and marketing representatives.

That being said, college degrees seem to pay off. Workers that hold at least a bachelor&#39;s degree earned more than the $932 median weekly earnings for all workers in 2018, according to a recent report from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

But because degrees often require taking on student debt, many Americans cannot afford college degrees. Only 42% of high-school sophomores go on to earn a two-year or four-year degree, according to the US Department of Education. Even among students who graduate from college, a significant number of new graduates are underemployed, meaning they work jobs that don&#39;t require a college degree.

As many expect automation to displace a quarter of the workforce, experts and researchers are already tossing around alternatives to help prepare young employees for work. For instance, Rich Feloni, a Business Insider reporter, wrote about a recent report that suggests apprenticeship programs, which mix school and on-the-job training, could better prepare the workforce of the future.

&quot;Our company, as you know, was founded by a college drop-out,&quot; Cook said at the White House panel. &quot;So we&#39;ve never really thought that a college degree was the thing that you had to have to do well. We&#39;ve always tried to expand our horizons.&quot;<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/top-companies-are-hiring-more-candidates-without-a-4-year-degree-2019-4?r=US&amp;IR=T">Original source. </a>

Apple & Google don't require you to have 4-year degree - becoming the norm

One job interview is nerve-racking enough. Even though it’s great news to be called for a second one, the nerves can kick back in. Congratulations! You’ve been asked back for a second interview. Your first interview obviously went well and, as a result, the company is seriously considering you for the job and you are one step closer to securing it. However, you may feel unsure as to how this interview will differ from the first one, and how best to prepare. I’d like to provide some clarity on this by outlining the differences between the first and second interview, the purpose of the second interview, and what you can do to seal the deal.<h2>Who will you meet in your second interview?</h2>During your first interview, you will probably have met with someone from HR as well as your would-be boss. At the second interview stage, you will most likely be meeting someone more senior within the business, the person who will ultimately have the final say on the hiring decision.Prior to your interview, confirm with your recruiter who will be conducting the second interview. This will allow you to research this person beforehand online, be it on LinkedIn or via the company website. In doing this, you may discover that you have shared interests or backgrounds. You will feel more at ease in the interview room and overall increase the likelihood of building up a rapport with your interviewer.<h2>What will the format of the interview be?</h2>Don’t assume the format of your second interview will be the same as the first. You may be prepared for a one-on-one interview, only to be faced with a panel of stakeholders on the day. Check with your recruiter how many people are interviewing you and how the interview will be formatted.If you find out that you will be interviewed by a panel, then prepare accordingly. If the prospect of selling yourself to a group of stakeholders fills you with dread, then brush up on some tips for communicating confidence and presenting to a number of people. Practise in front of a group of friends or family beforehand so the real thing doesn’t feel as daunting.On the day of the interview, remember to interact with everyone in the room and not just those who are asking you the most questions. When answering these questions, make eye contact with everyone in the room.Remember everyone’s name and address them as such. I know impressing a panel of interviewers can seem daunting but if you can tackle this skill now, it will serve you well as you progress further in your career, not to mention heighten your chances of securing the opportunity in front of you. What is the interviewer trying to assess?The main differences between your first and second interviews lie in the objectives of the interviewer. Think objectively about what the interviewer is trying to find out here, and how you can provide them with what they are looking for. I’ve detailed below the key information the interviewer is most likely looking to attain during the second interview.<h5>Your level of interest in the role and organisation</h5>One thing the interviewer is looking to determine from your second interview is whether you are still as interested in this opportunity having met with the company and learned a bit more about the role. Your level of enthusiasm is directly correlated with how well you would perform if offered the role and how long you stay with the business so if you are still keen, make sure this comes across.Be ready to say what you enjoyed learning about the organisation upon meeting with them in your first interview. Also, use this opportunity to voice any questions that have cropped up in your mind since you last met with the company.<h5>Do you have the skills required?</h5>During your first interview, the interviewer will ask questions about your career highlights, key skills and attributes in order to check that they align with the key requirements for this vacancy. During this second interview, the hiring manager will be looking for more detailed evidence of these competencies, whether it’s through assessments or competency-based questions such as, ‘Describe a time when you showcased your x skills’ or, ‘How would you approach x situation?’Prepare for competency-based interview questions by revisiting the core requirements of the role, plus some examples of times you have showcased these skills. Now think about how you plan to implement these skills if successful in this role. You should also double-check with your recruiter to see if you are required to bring physical examples of your work or prepare any presentations.<h5>Are you the right fit?</h5>A large part of the second interview is to establish whether you’re a good fit for the company in terms of culture and personality. Therefore, you may be given a tour of the office at this stage to be introduced to potential colleagues. You could also be asked questions surrounding your hobbies and interests, how your friends would describe you, and what type of culture you prefer to work in.As you answer these questions, it is important that you remain authentic and honest. After all, the second interview is your chance to critically assess how good a fit this organisation is for you, too.With this in mind, perhaps prepare some of your own questions for the end of the interview, which could help provide insight into what life at this organisation is like and how much you would enjoy working there. These questions may include, ‘How would you describe the team?’ or, ‘What’s your favourite aspect of working at this organisation?’<h5>Addressing and resolving any reservations or doubts</h5>The interviewer may be looking to use the second interview to overcome some of their reservations from the first interview. So, how can you determine what these reservations may be?Try and recall any recurring questions that they asked multiple times but phrased in different ways. This may be reflective of a concern that they were trying to clear up. Was there anything that you struggled to answer? You can also ask the recruiter for feedback surrounding this.What about any skills gaps or areas of the job that you aren’t fully equipped to do? Consider whether you could teach yourself this skill in advance, or commit to learning it in the near future, even if it’s in your own time. You should also outline that you are a fast learner and keen to develop yourself, and give examples of times when you have quickly upskilled yourself in the past.Once you have an inkling of what the interviewer’s doubts may be, you can prepare to counter them in the second interview.<h5>Your availability and salary</h5>Lastly, the second interview can often be the stage during which the interviewer is looking to know your notice period and salary expectations. Have this information ready. If you are unsure of how to negotiate your salary, check out our advice surrounding this topic.<h2>What are the next steps?</h2>At the end of your second interview the interviewer should confirm the next steps but if not, you can politely ask. Remember to thank them for their time and send a follow-up email to either the interviewer or the recruiter to pass on (depending on who you have been in direct contact with during this process) to reiterate that you enjoyed meeting with them and are still interested in the position.In understanding the purpose of the second interview, you can improve your preparation strategy, provide the hiring manager with the information they need to know about you and, ultimately, tell them exactly why they should hire you above everyone else.Image: © nyul/Stock.adobe.com
<a href="https://www.siliconrepublic.com/advice/second-interview-tips-hays">Source</a>

What to expect in a second interview

Building up your experience in one job can benefit your career but it’s a fine line.

Staying in the same company can be very comfortable. You know everyone, you know how everything works, you don’t have many challenges to deal with – but do you ever get the feeling that something is missing? You could be letting opportunities pass you by and damaging your long-term career prospects in the process. It’s important to take control of your career progression.There’s no simple rule that tells you if you’ve been in your job too long, but any job deserving of your time should be fulfilling and provide you with ongoing opportunities to learn and expand your skillset. If you’ve moved through different positions as a result of promotion, having held them all at the same company won’t set you back. But if you’ve been in the same position for 10 years, it could be a different story.If this sounds familiar and if your work no longer inspires you, it could be time to look for something new. Do these eight signs that you’ve been in your job too long sound familiar?<h2>1. You’ve lost your love for the job and the company</h2>Without really thinking about it, you’ve stopped making an effort, and you’re turning in work that you know is not your best. You used to take pride in your work and now you just don’t feel that way about it any more. It has become routine and boring.<h2>2. You could do your job in your sleep</h2>Your working life just isn’t supplying you with any challenges and, although this might have felt great at first, you now realise that you miss them. Nothing in your working day is stimulating your intellect and you feel disappointed by the ease with which you can get away with hardly trying.<h2>3. You feel you don’t fit in, you’re less sociable and your colleagues bore you</h2>If office socialising once used to be fun, it isn’t any more. You can’t be bothered getting to know new people. You keep conversations as short and impersonal as possible, and don’t interact with colleagues once the working day is over.<h2>4. You’re clock-watching and hate Mondays</h2>You arrive promptly at the start of the working day and leave immediately when it ends, keeping careful track of each break in between and making sure they never get cut short. You count the days until holidays, even if they’re only a couple of days long.<h2>5. You feel left out of meetings and projects</h2>Sometimes you feel as if no one at work really notices you’re there. You don’t get asked for your opinions and no one treats you as if you have anything to contribute beyond your day-to-day work. People you feel are less qualified than you often seem to get picked first.<h2>6. You feel you’re being overlooked for promotion</h2>Younger or less talented people always seem to get chosen before you. You don’t feel that you get a fair degree of praise for the work you do and you never seem to be singled out for bonuses. It’s years since you were last Employee of the Month, even though you’re in a small team.<h2>7. You’ve stopped believing in your company</h2>When you first started out, you were passionate about what your company did or how it did it, but you feel this passion is waning. You feel disillusioned and don’t think senior staff care about the company the way you once did. You feel that it has lost its way, is betraying former ideals or is simply mediocre.<h2>8. You envy former colleagues who have resigned</h2>Perhaps you tell yourself you’re not talented or brave enough to do what they did but, even if they haven’t landed on their feet, you feel they’re better off out of the company you still work for. You keep thinking about the new opportunities open to them that you’re missing out on. If any of these signs apply to you, you may now be asking yourself what you should do about it. Re-entering the jobs market after a long time is a daunting prospect. These simple steps can help.<h5>Update your CV</h5>When you’ve been in one job for a long time, you need to explain that you haven’t just been doing one thing. Focus on the skills you’ve developed and the achievements you made in that role. Write about projects you worked on and arrange what you write in an order that shows you’ve made progress.<h5>Prepare for interview</h5>There are three things you will need to tackle as quickly and as firmly as possible. Firstly, you will need to explain in positive terms why you were in one place for so long. You will also need to reassure the interviewer that your skills are up to date. Then, show that you have what it takes to integrate into a new business culture. If you’ve recently developed new hobbies or done volunteer work, that can help to show that you’re still flexible.<h5>Contact a recruiter</h5>You could spend all your working hours looking through job adverts on your own, but a skilled recruiter will be able to look at your CV and instantly match you up with suitable positions. After that, it’s up to you. There are no guarantees, but you could be about to find yourself in a job that really makes you feel alive.Image: © bernardbodo/Stock.adobe.com<a href="https://www.siliconrepublic.com/advice/hays-job-too-long">Source</a>

Have you been in your job too long?

In a recent survey over 51% of Irish workers admitted having ‘a lack of confidence’ when it came to applying for a new job. 42% ‘thought they didn’t have strong enough experience, while 18% ‘stated that they are scared of rejection and failure’.It was found that the majority of Irish workers don’t have the confidence to apply for a new job. The research was conducted by LinkedIn and found that a quarter (24%) of the research participants said that they are currently in a role that they are unhappy with or uninspired by. When asked about the biggest motivational factors for actually applying for a new job, two thirds (68%) of professionals said that a salary increase would tempt them. This was followed by better benefits like flexible working hours and healthcare (41%) and better work life balance (41%). Almost half of workers (45%) also said that they have stayed in a job because they liked their colleagues, despite not enjoying their role. But seriously, we think “life’s too short to be in the wrong job!” Here’s some tips from JobAlert.ie to help you boost your confidence and help you make the change - if you need it.Firstly, we’re our own worst critics, try to ignore your ‘Inner Voice’. According to a recent Forbes magazine article, some of our harshest criticism come from ourselves, via our inner voice. The inner voice can become stronger and more negative if you’ve been stuck in a rut in a bad job situation or are experiencing other problems in your life. Believe me, your inner critic talks too much and is not always your friend. So, you need to clear your mind and start looking at the facts. A good way of clearing your mind is to take up meditation. There’s a lot of great self-help videos free of charge on line that you can listen to (we’ve listed a good link below) or you could take up a bit of exercise, a nice walk or a swim will help to refocus your thoughts. Once you’ve managed to clear your mind you can now start work on updating your CV, have a look at similar job specs for your current and previous roles. You’ll find lots of job specs on line. This exercise will help you to perfectly describe your skills, best qualities and competencies. It will also remind you of projects that you may have worked on, software packages and systems that you have used in the past. Once you have all the information listed it will be easier to do up your CV, then update your Linkedin Profile, be sure that it shows you in a very positive professional light with a nice profile picture.If you’re finding it hard to do the CV on your own, have a chat with family and friends, see if there’s someone who can help you lay it out or seek the services of a professional. If you have everything listed with dates etc., it makes their job far easier. There are some free services for jobseekers and most of these are not only for people who are unemployed. They also help people who want to secure new job opportunities regardless of employment status. Google your local job centres or partnerships.  Keep up to date with industry news and information relating to the type of work you’re trying to secure. Research jobs that are availablet’. It&#39;s an employee market at the moment, I guarantee you that there are lots of employers out there who&#39;ll be glad to have you on board. It may take a while, but keep trying. Don’t lose heart and whatever you do don’t give up.Best of Luck from the JobAlert.ie Team.For more tips and career advice check out more of our blogs/articles here; https://www.jobalert.ie/blog?category=Career%20AdviceMeditation Examplehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzMhLmErz5QRead more on that survey from Linkedin here and get some tips from our JobAlert.ie on how to work on improving your confidence levels; https://irishtechnews.ie/majority-of-irish-workers-dont-have-the-confidence-to-apply-for-a-new-job/

Self-doubt a Major Obstacle when Applying for New Jobs

Director & Ideation Manager

Pamela Doyle

We often equate success with talent. But the reality is, talent and technical skills alone is not enough. We all have seen talented people squander their success by making poor decisions.<h3>Here are 10 behaviors that require zero talent yet have a huge impact on our success:</h3><ol><li>Being on Time - Many people have a habit of being late to meetings, work and appointments. For most people, time is money and they hate for their time to be wasted. Being on time takes zero talent and shows discipline. It gives a good first impression.</li><li>Work Ethic - Cutting corners may seem like the easy way out but it always leads to dead-ends. Doing your work with honesty and dedication will take you to new heights. Take pride in the quality of the work you’re doing.</li><li>Effort - Give your everything when you do something. You shouldn’t regret afterwards that you didn’t make enough effort to make things happen.Always do your best.</li><li>Body Language -Your body language speaks volumes about you. Be aware of your body language and make sure it is saying the message you want to communicate.</li><li>Energy (Motivation) -There can be days in which our energy levels are low, we don’t feel motivated and we don&#39;t want to get out bed. Never go my feelings. Stay focused. Focus on your goals. If you know your &quot;Why&quot; it will be easier to stay motivated.</li><li>Attitude - A positive attitude can go a long way in a workplace. Having a positive attitude is essential to do creative work. Your attitude determines the course of your life. When you’re negative, you act as a roadblock in the path of your success.</li><li>Passion- The enthusiasm you show when you are passionate about something is easily noticeable and can rub off on others. Being passionate about something also gives you the ability to endure in times when things may not be going your way.</li><li>Being Coachable - Be always open to learning. You can never know everything. To increase your chances of success, you need to be a continuous learner.</li><li>Doing Extra - Doing something extra will not cost you much but it will definitely add a lot to your character and make you stand above the crowd. &quot;There are no traffic jams along the extra mile.&quot; - Roger Staubach</li><li>Being Prepared - “Failing to plan is planning to fail”. Always be prepared, formulate a plan before you do something. Being prepared reduces significant amount of possibilities of failure.</li></ol><blockquote>Success is the sum of small efforts - repeated day in and day out. - Robert Collier</blockquote>Which skills are you lacking, and where do you occasionally fall short? Most of the big opportunities that we get in life come as a result of the little choices we make every day. Poor choices can potentially harm your future success. In life, your competition isn&#39;t other people. It&#39;s the negative thoughts you think, the time you waste, the procrastination you allow, the unhealthy food you eat and the personal development you ignore. Look in the mirror. That&#39;s your competition.Soft skills are absolutely invaluable in every organization, and each will boost you towards greater personal and professional success! We can&#39;t control what life throws at us but we can control how we react to it. Start making wise choices. Small steps every day. It will not only help you achieve success but it will also help to sustain it.<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/10-things-require-zero-talent-can-still-lead-success-hyacinth/"> Source</a>

10 Things That Require ZERO Talent But Can Still Lead To SUCCESS.

Motivational quotes should be taken with a pinch of salt – or sometimes not at all.I’m always a little wary of ‘new year, new you’ content that sprouts up in January. When I write New Year’s resolutions aimed at helping people boost their career, I try to avoid anything that sounds like I’m telling people to work harder.I started the new year off with advice on getting into a positive mindset because I think, no matter what your goals for the year are, a good outlook will be of great benefit.I do these things because, every year, the big ‘motivational’ quotes come out from the woodwork.While the intentions of these quotes and the people who post them may be inherently good, I think they can sometimes put additional pressure on people to ‘achieve their best life’ and the underlying message is that if you’re not doing what the pretty font on the motivational poster says, you must be failing.With this in mind, here are a few motivational quotes or pieces of career advice I hate, and why you should take your foot off the pedal and take each of these with a large pinch of salt.<h2>‘If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life’</h2>A version of this quote has been knocking around for years and attributed to various people including Mark Twain, Marc Anthony and Confucius.As someone who really does love what I do, I couldn’t agree with this quote less. I’m well aware that the innocent backbone of this is, ‘Do what you love and work won’t be as difficult’, but the truth is that work is always work. Even dream jobs have their difficult side and anyone who looks at someone else and assumes that doing their dream job means they’re not working really hard is incredibly naive.With this in mind, it’s OK if you go into work every day and it still feels like work. It’s OK to be excited for the weekend or occasionally feel like you don’t want to go in on a Monday. It doesn’t mean you’re not doing what you love and it doesn’t mean you need to go and find a different job.<h2>‘Life’s too short to do things you don’t love doing’</h2>Once again, there are plenty of versions of this – too many to even remotely nail down an accurate original source – but the point is similar to the above quote. Once again, I’m not blind to the nice, motivational intention. After all, you only have one life and you should spend it doing things you love, right?That’s far easier said than done when we live in a world where bills need to be paid, responsibilities need to be met and financial security is important.People should certainly look at that quote and evaluate ways to bring more of what they love into their lives. But, for those who can only do so much of what they love and need to give a certain amount of time to things they don’t, you’re doing well, too.<h2>‘Pursue your dreams and everything will follow’</h2>There are so many versions of ‘follow your dreams, no matter what’ that this was the best way to sum them up. This is the kind of motivational quote I believe is most similar to that of a weekly horoscope. Feel free to take what you need from it in times of self-doubt, but take it with a pinch of salt.Some people have walked into work one day, quit their day job and put all of their energy into making a success out of their dreams – and it has worked out. But, again, due to bills, responsibilities and the need for financial security, most of us don’t do that. And that’s OK.If you need the motivational boost, please enjoy these inspirational words. But remember, if you can’t devote massive amounts of time to your dream today because you have to study or meet friends or make dinner or even simply unwind from a stressful day at work, that’s OK.Motivational quotes are great for those who feel they are a genuine benefit, but sometimes all the motivation you need is to know that you’re doing just fine. It’s important for us all to remember that just because we don’t feel like we’re ‘killing it’ in the eyes of the motivational quotes, it doesn’t mean we’re not successful in our own right.With all that in mind, here are three quotes I find a little more realistic:“Success is the sum of small efforts – repeated day in and day out” – Robert Collier“A positive mindset alone in the absence of hard work will get you nowhere” – Ken Poirot“I cannot do everything, but I can do something. I must not fail to do the something that I can do” – Edward Everett Hale <a href="https://www.siliconrepublic.com/advice/motivational-quotes-career-advice">Source</a>Image: © BillionPhotos.com/Stock.adobe.com

The ‘motivational’ quotes to ignore this year–and what to focus on instead

I know ‘new year, new you’ can be a little clichéd, but the beginning of the year really is a great time to get into a good mindset.While I’m a firm believer in setting goals at any time of the year, I must admit that the new year is one of the strongest times to set yourself up for career success.After all, you’ve more than likely had a nice break over the holiday season and you’ve come back refreshed and ready to organise the year ahead. If you haven’t already made some New Year’s resolutions to improve your career success, check out a few lessons I learned last year and take part in some ready-made goals.Once your goals are set up, it’s time to get into a positive mindset that will help you achieve career success.<h2>Recognise your current mindset</h2>In order to create a positive mindset, you will first need to ask yourself what your voice normally says when you approach tasks. When you’re taking on a challenge, does a little voice inside your head say, ‘Are you sure you can do this?’If you have an occasional negative mindset that plants doubt in your mind about your abilities, the first step to changing that voice of doubt is recognising it.<h2>Start talking back</h2>If the first step is recognising and identifying the voice of doubt, the second step is knowing how to answer back. In order to start nurturing a more positive mindset, you’ll need to directly address the mindset you already have and respond to it. It’s not enough to simply ignore it because while you think you’re not paying it any attention, your subconscious is lapping it up.When your inner voice tries to plant doubt, have an answer for it. Tell yourself why you can do this. Remind yourself why you shouldn’t doubt your own abilities.<h2>Look at what you’ve learned</h2>A negative mindset is usually a dab hand at throwing previous failures to the forefront of your mind to remind you why you can’t do things, but it’s important for you to realise that it’s quite the opposite. As part of answering those negative thoughts about failure, you should recognise the mistakes and failures, and acknowledge what you’ve learned from them and how making the mistakes have benefited you in the long run.Equally, it’s important to reflect on your achievements as well as learn from your mistakes. Before you write down your goals for the year ahead, write down everything you’re proud of doing last year to feed your positive mindset.<h2>Challenge yourself with actions</h2>As the old adage goes, practice makes perfect. Therefore, the best way to exercise your new positive mindset is to challenge yourself. Create goals for yourself throughout the year. There should be a mixture of small, manageable goals and long-term goals that you can spend the entire year chipping away at.Each of these goals and challenges will be a good exercise for you to fight with your former negative mindset and create a more positive one.<h2>Be flexible with your goals</h2>Not everything will go to plan all the time, but don’t let failures, struggles or knock-backs shake your new positive mindset. Remember what we said about making mistakes? There’s a lesson in everything you do, so don’t let them be an excuse to give up.Furthermore, if you’ve created arbitrary deadlines, or you’ve realised halfway through that a particular goal is a little unrealistic, move the goalposts. They’re your goals, after all.<h2>Re-evaluate yourself often</h2>Many people can be guilty of waiting for an annual performance review to evaluate their work. As part of your new positive mindset, it’s important to evaluate your own performance often. However, you should not simply be evaluating your performance based on what your employer’s goals are. You should look at your personal goals for career success.You should also check in with your mindset, your work-life balance and your mental health while you’re at it. Career success is not just about doing well at work.<h2>Be kind to yourself</h2>Self-talk is one of the most important parts of keeping your mindset in a positive space. You started these steps by recognising your own voice and talking back to it in a more positive way. Being kind to yourself is a constant reinforcement of that mindset.Encourage yourself to do more challenging things that will lead to career success. Reward yourself when things go well. Compliment yourself often for your own hard work and career success. <a href="https://www.siliconrepublic.com/advice/positive-mindset-career-success">Source</a>Image: © PointImages/Stock.adobe.com

How to start the year with a positive mindset for career success

How To Get Your Next Salary Raise

Be sure to pick out a smart outfit a few days before an interview and try it on to make sure that you look sharp and well presented. For women, a smart shirt, dress, skirt or trousers are a safe bet for impressing at an interview and for men, a well-kept suit and freshly ironed shirt and tie is the ideal outfit to show that you’re a serious candidate.

If this is your first job interview and funds are low, ask a friend or relative if you can borrow a suit, I’m sure they will oblige. Even if you are applying for a position in a casual work environment, it is always better to look smartly dressed at the interview stage.

Charity Shops also stock a large range of suits and shirts if you are strapped for cash and organisations like Dress for Success, Dublin offer professional clothing and styling advice for women in advance of job interviews. They also have a large range of donated suits, separates and footwear available free of charge for women going to interviews. More information can be found on www.dressforsuccessdublin.org.

Dress For Success

Having an outstanding CV and Cover Letter is vitally important when looking for your dream Job.  Advertisements attract hundreds of candidates, so ensuring that you clearly demonstrate your suitability for the position through a perfectly constructed application is key to reaching the next stage in the recruitment process.  At Dream Career, we fully review and overhaul existing CVs or design brand new ones from scratch if required.  We will also improve your cover letter writing skills.
We coach, prepare and guide candidates through all stages of the recruitment process and when necessary also conduct sector specific 1 to 1 mock interviews. Our Career Coaches have years of experience, having interviewed hundreds of candidates through traditional and competency-based interviews. Don’t wing it, increase your chances of success today with Dream Career.
Get in touch with us today - 
Email:  <a href="mailto:dreamcareer25@gmail.com">dreamcareer25@gmail.com </a>
Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DreamCareerCV/">https://www.facebook.com/DreamCareerCV/</a>

Professional CV Writing & Interview Coaching | Dream Career

Are you trying to find a job but you&#39;ve no prior professional experience? The team at JobAlert.ie have put together some quick tips to help you with your job search.No experience, no problem!The impossible riddle that haunts jobseekers – “I need experience to get a job, but I need a job to get experience”.If you are still in school, searching for a part-time job can feel hopeless when you haven’t got any work experience.Do not fear as we have detailed a blueprint to beef up your CV and guide you to landing a job this summer!Writing a CV without any work experienceHave you recently found yourself saying “I don’t have anything to put down on my CV”? Well, that is all about to change my friend.It’s time to put on your thinking cap for a few minutes.Employers are looking for candidates that possess a particular set of skills to make sure they are competent enough to do the job they are hiring for.So it’s time to prove to the employer that you are up to the task.Make a list of any activities you have successfully completed in the past that highlighted your skill set. It’s very important that you list skills that are relevant to the job you are applying for.Examples include:•	Working on a school project (Teamwork)
•	Giving a presentation (Communication)
•	Knowledge of computers (IT)
•	Babysitting (Responsibility)
•	Captain of school football team (Leadership)
•	Binge watching Netflix for 12 hours straight (Strong Work Ethic) 
All of these activities allow you to build a list of skills for your CV.  Write down 4 – 5 skills with examples for each. To get the ball rolling, download a <a href="https://www.youthcentral.vic.gov.au/jobs-and-careers/applying-for-a-job/what-is-a-resume/sample-resumes/resume-template-vce-no-work-experience">free CV template here</a> for jobseekers who have no experience. If you don’t have a CV yet, use the same format of the above CV template and just replace the information with your own. Now you have a CV ready for employers.Cover letterThe next piece of the puzzle is writing your cover letter. The same principles for writing your CV will apply for your cover letter. Gather relevant skills plus examples from past activities and include them in your cover letter. Download <a href="https://www.youthcentral.vic.gov.au/jobs-and-careers/applying-for-a-job/what-is-a-cover-letter/sample-cover-letters/cover-letter-no-work-experience">Cover Letter templates here</a> which are specifically designed for jobseekers who have no experience. No shortcutsWhen applying online for summer jobs you must always tailor your CV and cover letter for each individual job. This does not mean lie about who you are and what skills you possess. It just means making your application as relevant as possible to the position you are applying for.Using similar language and linking your relevant skills with those listed on the job requirements will give you an advantage and grab the attention of the employer more than if you keep your CV generic.Completing a new cover letter for every job you apply for will also give you an edge and show the employer that you have done your homework. Do some research and learn about the company’s values and history. Then tie in how your own personality traits and skills that you showcased are aligned with the company you are applying for.Use your networkI’m sure you’re familiar with the saying “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know”. Well, when it comes to finding a job for the summer this old school saying holds some weight.Make sure you speak with teachers, family members, sports team coaches, parents of friends – literally anyone you can think of and ask them if they know of any companies hiring. The fact is that you could be just one conversation away from a friend or family member helping you land a summer job.Also – let the world know you want a job! Don’t keep it bottled in. Blast it out across your Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat profiles – even use Facebook stories (It’s about time someone did).  If nobody knows you want a job nothing will ever change. Everyone you come in contact with, just tell them you are looking for a summer job.Get out of your comfort zone – If you don’t ask you don’t getIn the case of finding a summer job just sending applications online will not be enough.  It’s time to get up close and personal with employers. I do understand that the thought of printing out your CV and visiting a shop owner to ask for a job may seem daunting. However the reward far outweighs the awkwardness of asking an employer if they are hiring. Landing a job for the summer will allow you to start earning your own money while gaining valuable work experience that will act as the building blocks for your career in the future.Build a tolerance for rejectionNever take rejection personally. Ever.Everyone you have ever known who is in a job has been rejected at one point or another. It’s part and parcel of the game, so get used to it. The more times you get rejected, the more your confidence will build in the face of it. Rejection will build your character. What won’t build your character is the fear of rejection.It’s this fear of rejection that cripples most people and paralyses them when it comes to taking meaningful action that would improve their lives.  So get comfortable with the uncomfortable and embrace rejection.Ideas on where to find summer jobs:•	Local shops and small businesses in your town (Not just for the summer)
•	Shopping centres
•	Hotels and resorts
•	Tourist’s attractions 
•	Golf and Tennis clubs
•	Parks &amp; recreation areas 
•	Local government summer job programs: Visit your local county council careers website or contact the local enterprise boards in your area
•	Summer camps
•	Fast food restaurants (Visit their careers website first to see if they are hiring)
•	Internship programs: Search online to see if any companies are offering an internship program.
•	Visit the jobs section on our website to find companies hiring in your local area.
Final tip: If you are a teenager please become familiar with your employment rights as well as the Minimum Wage rate in Ireland. Review all the details <a href="https://www.schooldays.ie/articles/teen-summer-jobs">here.</a>Remember that there are move CVs than there are jobs, so keep applying and stack the odds in your favour. The team at JobAlert.ie wishes you every success in your venture to find a job this summer. When the going gets tough just keep on going! Best of luck.Want to keep updated with jobs in your local area? Like us on Facebook and receive updates every day about opportunities in your county. We have a separate Facebook page for every county in Ireland -<a href="https://www.jobalert.ie/find-us-on-facebook/"></a> check out the full list at the bottom of our website <a href="https://www.jobalert.ie">home page.</a>

How to get a job with no experience

Sometimes it can be difficult to recover from an unsuccessful interview, particularly when you felt that it went really well. But there is no need for despair. Try not to dwell too long on the negative result as it will only dent your confidence. It’s more important to dust yourself off and move forward to the next opportunity. Of course, spend a little time reviewing the answers you gave and if you feel you stumbled on some questions write these down and research how you could have responded more appropriately.

Overall, you must not forget the bigger picture. If there was only one job and many candidates, it’s a bit of a lottery – someone had to lose and while rejection is not pleasant, you must not blow it out of proportion. Instead keep your mind focused on other opportunities and continue to present yourself to the best of your ability.

Be selective about what positions you apply for. Don’t be afraid to turn down opportunities pitched to you as perfect by recruitment agencies. If you feel that you do not meet the requirements of the position don’t waste your time instead focus on finding the perfect match for you in a company that you want to work in.
You can always ask for feedback post-interview if you think it will help you going forward. Some companies will give feedback but you might have more chance of getting feedback if a recruitment agency was involved in the process.

If you badly messed up in the interview, for example if your nerves got the better of you, you might want to send an email to the interviewer thanking them for taking the time to see you. You could explain that you did not perform as well as you could have due to nerves and ask them to keep your CV on file should another position become available. It may or may not work but it will at least explain what happened and show a certain amount of enthusiasm.

Unsuccessful Interview: Bouncing Back

Section 1:
Personal Details
Your personal and contact details must include name, address, phone numbers and email. Some people also include their LinkedIn URL on their CV. It is not necessary to include age or marital status.

Section 2:
Personal Profile / Career Objectives
This should be a brief introductory paragraph to highlight your suitability to the position you are applying for and where your previous experience matches the current requirements of the role on offer. Try to avoid common clichés such as team player, dependable, committed etc.

Section 3 &amp; 4: Education &amp; Experience
TIP: If your work history is stronger than your education &amp; professional qualifications list that first.

Education &amp; Professional Qualifications
List the most recent educational achievements first. Include graduation dates and institute names. It is also a good idea to state the level of your qualifications (e.g. Honours or Level 8). Also remember to include professional memberships or other relevant training.

Work History and Achievements
Outline in detail your work history to date, beginning with the most recent. Use a bold font to highlight the company name, the position you held and the dates of your employment. Include start and end dates. Use bullet points to describe responsibilities and achievements. Explain ‘gaps’ in employment for example, travelling, education, career break etc.

5. Achievements
List in bullet point format any additional skills or achievements that are relevant to the position you are applying for. List the most important and relevant achievements first. Examples; computer systems used or technical skills you are proficient in, fluency in other languages, significant work achievements, or soft skills (e.g. organisational skills, communication skills, problem-solving etc.)

6. Hobbies and Interests
Not compulsory but while your CV outlines your qualifications and experience, the hobbies and interests section can reveal a bit more about your personality to the potential employer. This is an area that can set you apart from other candidates and is a great place to outline any voluntary work you do.

7. References
You can say ‘available on request’. If you are listing referees make sure that you have sought their approval.

Jobseekers