Career Zoo Seminar on tips on finding a job in 2011

1. Peter Cosgrove
Peter.cosgrove@cpl.ie
January 2011
Tips on how to get a job in 2011

2. Introduction
 Your CV – where it all starts
 Recruitment Agencies
 Networking
 Interviewing
 Your Personal brand
 Tips to get ahead of the Competition

3. Me!
Who am I?

4. There are only 4 ways to find a job
Direct applications to companies
Advertisements – online / offline
Recruitment Consultants / Headhunters
Using Your Network

5. Your Cv = Your advert
 You have 30 seconds to make an impression

6. Our approach to
transition
Your CV

7. CV – initial thoughts
 “I did not have time to write you a short letter so I wrote you a
long one”
 Most cvs are a First Draft
 If a recruiter does not understand your cv or does not like the
layout – its your fault
92%
92% of cvs still coming into
Cpl have errors either in
formatting, typos, or
grammar
errors

8. CV Format
CONTACT DETAILS
PROFILE
CAREER & ACHIEVEMENTS
EDUCATION & TRAINING
OTHER SKILLS & INTEREST
CAREER OBJECTIVE
REFERENCES
X
Don’t put a career objective
On your cv as it can be
limiting to your job search

9. VISUAL
SIZE MATTERS
< 1000 WORDS
FONT
WHITE SPACE
If you have less than 5
years experience you
should be able to have a
800 word cv, if you are
senior you should still be
able to make it under 1000
words

10. Content
Biographical
Key Words
Complexity
What does a recruiter want to see
Begin with the end in mind
Can someone out side your industry
understand your cv
Remember with key words to
include sectors that have
worked in such as
“telecoms”, “Financial
Services”, “Manufacturing”
as most people give company
names but not the sector

11. Evidence & Credibility
● Managed a team of 6 people
● Organised budgets and targets for the group
● Recruited and interviewed staff
● Motivated and built morale
● Responsive to customer queries and issues

12. Evidence & Credibility
● Managed a team of 6 people
~they hated my guts
● Organised budgets and targets for the group
~ never got one number correct
● Recruited and interviewed staff
the main reason people did not join
● Motivated and built morale
- told awful jokes that no one liked
● Responsive to customer queries and issues
Sent all calls to voicemail
What’s the difference between what you did and
the guy who got fired?
Employers want to know
what you did well not what
you did – you need to stand
out

13. Why even after reading you may
have spelling ‘msiteaks’
Arocdnicg to rsceearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it
deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are,
the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer
are in the rghit pcale. The rset can be a toatl mses and
you can sitll raed it wouthit pobelrm. Tihs is buseace
the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef,
but the wrod as a wlohe.

14. Language
Organized / Color
Your vs You’re
Led vs Lead
Accept vs except
Some employers will be
pedantic regarding ways to
spell – a small point but
you never know who is
reviewing your cv

15. Cv review – for recruitment agencies
 Easy to understand
 As strong a sales document as possible
 Key words embedded in cv
 Have an online cv
 Word format
 Tailoring the cv…it depends
Tailoring your cv can be
dangerous – you need to be
very organised and
remember what cv went to
want company

16. How do get the most out of a Recruitment Agencies

17. Objectives of a recruitment agency
 Win business from prospective clients either exclusively or as one of a
number of suppliers
 Source and interview relevant candidates
 Manage the interview process and advise client
 Manage offer and contract process with the client
 Reject the other candidates
 Act as a career counselor
X
They will put you in a box
as they are working with
100’s of candidates. If you
do not know what you want
or you want a career
change – going to a
recruiter is not your next
step, you need to work this
out first

18. What recruiters/ employers may
discriminate on
• Unclear visa status
• Same job for 20 years
• Out of work for 12 months plus
• Cv sent into the company multiple times
• “chip” on the shoulder
Anything that is ambiguous
needs to be reviewed, so if
its not cleat that you can
work in Ireland – highlight
that you can.
If you have worked the
same job for 20 years you
need to break it up into
chunks as it cannot be the
exact same job for 20 years.
If you are out of work > 12
months – demonstrate you
are studying, working for
free/- keeping active.

19. What recruiters like to see/ hear
• I am interviewing elsewhere
• I have seen three of your competitors this week all who
have been positive about opportunities for me in the
marketplace
• I am currently using my free time to learn/ develop ....
• Preparation – a pre-interview
• Positivity – its catching!

20. Value of an agency
 Access to clients/ jobs
 Access to post- interview feedback from clients
 Feedback on you and your cv
 Market knowledge and information
 Someone working for you!

21. Please note……
 An agency only makes money when they put the right candidate
in front of a client
 If this is not you….why not? There is always a reason
why you did not get the job
or get put forward to the
interview – an agency
wants to put the best
people forward, you need
to work out why you did not
fit this criteria as opposed
to getting annoyed with the
agent

22. How Companies Search and how
candidates look…
1. From Within
2. Using Proof
3. Close Colleagues
4. Trusted Agencies
5. Adverts
6. Cvs on file

23. Networking

24. Demonstrating that you really want the job
Employers like candidates
who understand the
problems the company is
having and can discuss
solutions to these problems
– it shows you understand
the company and have
done your research

25. The interview

26. Preparation is 90% of the interview
Prepare
Research

27. First impression

28. STAR
S ituation T ask A ction R esult

29. Your Personal brand

30. Studies of communication
Body language:
Tone of Voice:
What you say:
55%:
38%
7%

31. Belief
There is 1.8 million people
in the workforce – you need
1 job, believe in yourself
and keep positive, it is
really obvious to a potential
employer when you do not

32. Summary
 Build a world class cv
 Know the 4 ways to find a job
 Get online
 Understand how you come across at interview and ask for
feedback
 Prepare for interview
 Work on your personal brand

33. CONTACT DETAILS:
Peter Cosgrove
Director, Cpl
Peter.cosgrove@cpl.ie
Questions & Thank You