Sometimes job seeking can be tough. Actually, it can be tough a lot of the time if we’re being truthful! But whilst you’re understandably anxious to get back into the world of work, make sure you take time to appreciate the festive break this year and enjoy the unique benefits you’ll experience without the pressure of the workplace.

Some things to ponder in the run up to Christmas:

• Christmas ‘allows’ you to take a break: Job seeking is a stressful time and often we feel we can’t rest or slow down for fear of missing an opportunity. All bets are off at Christmas time – no recruiter is going to be calling you and no new jobs will be published, so make sure to fully enjoy the break so you can begin 2012 recharged. Give in to the festive period – it’s a carte blanche to kick back!

• Christmas re-focuses us all: Being unemployed can be an overwhelming experience so what better way to unwind and rediscover what’s really important than by enjoying some time with family and friends? Allow yourself the luxury of enjoying the time you have this year. How many previous Christmases have you spent harried and frantic in December, to flop exhausted on the couch for the few days’ rest before getting back on the corporate treadmill? This year is a gift, enjoy it!

• Read for pure pleasure: Take a break from reading what you ‘should’ read (i.e., a business book, the business section or a business biography) give yourself a true holiday to recharge the mind and get the synapses sparkling again. Fiction is best for some lovely escapism!

• Know that the rest of the country is thinking of their career over Christmas too: Any break allows us to reflect and time away from work forces people to assess how they feel about their current situation, so January is a key time for people to move roles and more opportunities will open up. You’ve had time to consider your options and think about what’s the right next move for you, so you’ll be one step ahead come the New Year.

• Keep networking over the Christmas break: Your parents’ neighbour? Who knows what boards he sits on or who he plays golf with; drop round with some mince pies and have a chat. Friends home for Christmas? Find out about their career and industry (even if they’re based overseas, they may have useful contacts). Without boring people, take advantage of seeing the people you don’t meet up with during the year.

• Reflect on your achievements: It’s been a difficult year, so congratulate yourself on your efforts!

• Understand that by this time next year things will be different: Whether they’re better or different next year, make sure you purposefully enjoy this festive period and all it brings.

I hope you have a restful and enjoyable break this year, leaving you refreshed and energised for your next challenge. Merry Christmas and all the best for 2012!

Daniella Morrison is an experienced digital marketer who drives business results for clients through online channels. She provides a bespoke consultancy service to help small businesses engage purposefully with their online audiences and reach business goals. Reach Daniella at info@digital-communication-solutions.com or check out her blog.

It is a truth universal acknowledged that December is the time of year when all job searching slows down, is it not? That HR personnel and recruiters are too busy enjoying mince pies and mulled wine is the accepted wisdom, however if you’re a seasoned or experienced jobseeker (or just one who knows their industry well), you’ll know that there’s no such thing as ‘downtime’ when you’re on the lookout for your next challenge!

So, whilst other candidates take December off, bemoaning the fact that ‘nothing happens’ during the month, here’s some tips to create opportunities and position yourself ahead of the crowd:

1. Schedule your January. Don’t wait for the New Year to arrange meetings – be first out of the gates and review your contacts, reach out and arrange a meet up in early January before things get too hectic. Catch people when they’re relaxed after the break, less harried and their to-do lists have yet to fill up.
2. Send Christmas cards! Think of everyone who has helped you in your job search to date (i.e., recruiters, contacts, HR specialists) and keep yourself front of mind by including a note thanking them for their work.
3. Review your efforts. What have you learned during your job search? What have you accomplished? What was successful? What needs improvement? What haven’t you done? What do you know has worked for others? Put a plan together to turbo-charge your efforts in January.
4. Learn. If the phone isn’t ringing for you, use the time to learn more about your industry, research companies you’d like to work for, take any online training you can and stay abreast of industry and economic news so you can reference this at your next interview.
5. Keep job searching. Nothing truly stops in December (as with August, when companies will still hire) though the pace may differ. If you’re a strong candidate, they’ll want to meet you. This may mean an informal chat in December, or an interview scheduled for January. Take advantage of the fact that there will be fewer candidates actively engaged and get yourself noticed by those that count.

December may seem like a ‘quiet’ time in your job search but those thinking strategically will use it to their advantage – and that’s you, isn’t it!

Daniella Morrison is an experienced digital marketer who drives business results for clients through online channels. She provides bespoke consultancy services to help small businesses engage purposefully with their online audiences and reach business goals. Reach Daniella at info@digital-communication-solutions.com or check out her blog.

Self-confidence is a key ingredient for success. This means self-confidence is a key ingredient for job search success. Levels of self-confidence can have a direct impact on your job search performance. BUT there’s good news. You can learn to be more self-confident. Levels of confidence grow in response to the level of performance required of it, just like a muscle. Quite simply, use it or lose it. Below are some useful tips and exercises.

Revisit achievements – Most people struggle to recall personal achievements. Conduct a personal brainstorm and create a “top 100 successes list”. Review this list, acknowledge your achievements and give yourself credit for this success.

Just “DO” it – “Nothing builds self-esteem and self-confidence like accomplishment” Thomas Carlyle. Thinking about things can make you feel worse. Take action!! Tackle the big tasks on your to-do list. Ignoring big tasks can sap your energy and make the task seem even bigger. The sense of accomplishment will help boost self-confidence.

Face the fear – “The way to develop self-confidence is to do the thing you fear” William Jennings Bryan. The sky won’t fall down if you get it wrong or fail.

Learn and grow – Personal development can have a positive impact on self-confidence. Develop and practice the skills you need to deliver success in your life.

Healthy body and mind – Go the gym or take a brisk walk. You’ll feel great. Write down 10 things that keep your mind feeling nourished. Make the time to engage in these activities.

Positive people – Surround yourself with people who support and encourage you. Limit contact with people who undermine you. Learn from other confident people. Find out what they do to generate and convey confidence.

Many job seekers fail to get the full benefit of Linkedin during job search. They think their work is complete once they’ve created an impactful Linkedin profile. WRONG!! There’s no point having an impactful Linkedin profile is no one views it.

It is important to take positive actions to drive traffic to your Linkedin profile.

Customise your Linkedin profile URL – www.linkedin.com/in/paulmullan

Get active on Linkedin – Connect, use status updates/mail to talk to your network, showcase your expertise by answering questions and join relevant groups. I will expand on these points during my next video.

Drive traffic to your profile from outside Linkedin – Help people find your Linkedin profile by promoting your Linkedin profile URL. My short video highlights some simple ways to do this. REMEMBER – Increased visibility can help the hidden opportunities find you!!!!!

Interview Tips (part 3). Final video outling key interview preparation tips!!

Interview Preparation (part 2)

Learn simple interview preparation tips that deliver impressive results. This video covers 2 key components for effective interview preparation – “identifying how you meet the job requirements” and “understanding your CV”.

I hope you find the video useful!! Feel free to post any comments below!!

Job Interview Preparation

Job Interview Preparation (part 1) is a short video outling essential job interview preparation tips.

Interview Skills Training Ireland

Many job interviews still fall into the traditional style. They are CV and job specification led. This makes it very important to know your CV inside out. I hear many of you saying that this all sounds a bit obvious. I agree, but I have yet to meet a job seeker who has mastered this point. Below I will help you understand and master 3 CV related interview questions.

Can you talk me through your CV?

Most job seekers struggle with this question. Where do I start? What do I talk about? How long to I talk for? Do I mention all my work experience/training? TIP!! Insert the words “relevant information” into the question. ANSWER “Can you talk me through the relevant information on your CV?” This action immediate cuts out a lot of the irrelevant information. It also helps redirect your focus towards the hiring manager and away from yourself.

Tell me about your current (or last) role?

TIP!! Talk about this role in terms of the job you are applying for. This requires a deep understanding of the job specification. Most job seekers outline the role in terms of how they see it. They give little consideration to the requirements outlined in the advertised job. Focus on relevant experience and achievements. Talk less about, or even ignore, irrelevant tasks and experience.

Why did you leave (or join) a company?

You have to prepare the story about how your career and personal development progressed to date. You must be able to explain the reasons for study choices and career moves (this includes redundancy). TIP!! Spend time perfecting this during preparation. A pause, a stumble or an uncomfortable moment can put a question mark over your application.

Follow me on twitter @paulmullan74
Join Measurability Careers & Jobs Club on Linkedin
Join Measurability on Facebook

I presented “Get Social Networked & Get Hired” @gradireland in RDS (Wed 15th June 2011). Thanks for attending. I hope you found the presentation useful and took away useful information to help your job search. Below I have outlined the key messages and included related videos/articles. Click here for the presentation slides.

Get Social Networked & Get Hired

• Don’t just LOOK for jobs. You must HUNT for jobs. “JOB HUNT JUNGLE” video explains.
• Social Media helps target advertised and hidden jobs. Remember 70% of jobs are not advertised!!
• Linkedin and Twitter are key tools. Don’t forget to leverage the potential power of Facebook. It is important to continue networking in the real world. You can make new connections online and then bring them into the real world.
• LINKEDIN – Create an impactful Linkedin profile. You must catch the eye of potential decision makers. These videos demonstrate how to do this. “How to create an impactful Linkedin profile – Part 1 & Part 2”. Your Linkedin profile becomes your personal website. The challenge is to generate traffic to your profile. This article will help – “How to become the Pied Piper of Linkedin”.
• FACEBOOK – Facebook can be more than fun. It can help your job search “Facebook for job search”.
• TWITTER – Some simple tips. Use your profile as a marketing platform. Tell people what you do, that you are looking for work and insert your Linkedin profile URL as your website. Then follow, share and engage!!

If you enjoyed the presentation I would appreciate if you could post a comment below!!

Stay in touch to get FREE career/job search advice - Follow me on Twitter and join my career groups on Linkedin & Facebook

Get yourself out on the scene

It’s a difficult stat to digest, but around 70% of jobs go unadvertised and are usually filled through networking. Yet most job seekers still fear it. The beauty about networking is that there is no end. You can keep moving forward and be active.

Eat the skinny frogs first and start networking with your warm leads, which are usually former colleagues and friends. The people close to us want to help, but they can’t help if they don’t know we need help. Then move to cold leads – or the fat frogs.

It’s also not enough to simply make contact through networking. You must take positive steps to stay on the radar, because out of sight means very often means out of mind.

Don’t underestimate the power of social networking

Social media can support job search and how we manage our careers. The most popular tools include Linkedin, Twitter and Facebook. These tools make networking more accessible and they make less fearful.

Social media is more than just creating a profile; you must engage. On Linkedin you need to expand your network and communicate with through status updates and direct mail. You must engage in groups to help increase visibility and help expand your network. On Twitter you must follow, engage and retweet. On Facebook you can drop subtle reminders to your friends through your status updates.

Still, be careful not to fall into the trap of keeping all communications online. Strong relationships and trust will be built through real world engagements. Set yourself targets to meet or call people each week.

Realise the value of job boards

The appeal of job boards is obvious; a range of different companies recruiting in one place. Most job seekers react to advertised jobs, which is fine when you find something you’re looking for, but not so effective during a depressed job market when nothing really fits the bill. It’s therefore important to look beyond the job. Which companies are hiring? Will they also have other roles that you can target more proactively? It’s also important to keep up with events in the job market, and most job boards will report on recruitment spree announcements before they actually kick off.

Butter up recruitment agencies

Recruitment agencies are great if you’re a candidate that fits the types of jobs they have on their books, or if they have a role that appeals to you. If there aren’t any suitable positions, your job search can grind to a halt.

Remember though that recruiters can also be the epicentre of the job market. It’s their job to know that when someone moves or a company has any chance of hiring. So even if they don’t have the jobs now, they can be a valuable source of information.

It’s therefore important to keep them on your side. Use the duration of your job search to build relationships with recruiters and take responsibility for managing the communication. Don’t just send out a CV and sit back; keep in regular contact. Be careful not to stalk, though.