Job Seekers Tips

Discrimination in Ireland

I hate discrimination. Here is something I received from a PeopleMaps user this week. I have included it because I doubt this is an isolated incident and it may help others.

I am very impressed with the free report;in fact it is completely accurate, however I am having such a huge difficulty with my employment in Ireland, that I am in great distress over it..at a new job that I was at I did everything correct...however because a manager took a disliking to myself she had me fired, as she is friends with the other manager...in fact i have had so much racism (I am not Irish), so much verbal abuse and harrassment from this employer that I had to leave today....I cannot find any job where i am left to work on my own ...please help

My suggestions
I am very sorry to hear about your work situation. I recommend that you join a union, which are well organised in Ireland. They will provide you with legal support and advice. What you are experiencing is discrimination and constructive dismissal.

When at your next interview, have your answer prepared in advance. They will ask you about your previous employment. Talk about the job you did and your strengths. They will ask you about why you left. Without going into details you can simply explain that you didn't see eye to eye with your boss. Remember most people that leave their job for another, are doing so because they didn't like their boss. However keep steering the conversation on to your strengths and the good work that your new employer will experience.

Guest Blog - CV Writing Tips

Many people are starting the New Year with hope of finding their dream job. Of course, most job applications begin with the crafting of a CV or resume. Today's guest blog is a short masterclass on how to put together an Impressive CV by guest author Tracey Whitmore:

Top Tips for an Impressive CV:

•    A CV should be a well-written, concise document that is no longer than two pages. Three pages are acceptable for more technical CVs or those with very long careers.
•    A CV should be well-presented and laid out, with lots of white space. As many CVs today are scanned, avoid using complex formatting such shading, colour, tables, boxes and fancy fonts.
•    Keep paragraphs and sentences concise. Paragraphs should be no longer than four lines and sentences no longer than 15 words.
•    Your CV needs to be honest and factual.
•    Sell yourself and be positive throughout.
•    Information must be presented in reverse chronological order (most recent first).
•    No misspellings or grammatical errors.
•    Avoid repetition as it reduces the impact of your CV.

Avoid including unnecessary information such as:

•    Titles and headings such as ‘Curriculum Vitae’ or ‘Resume’ as it should be obvious what the document is.
•    Reason for leaving - this will be covered in the interview.
•    Salary details - this can take you out of contention before you have begun.
•    Photographs - unless it is applicable to the type of work you are involved in e.g. modelling.
•    Do not introduce any negativity or weaknesses - never tell readers what you have not got or what you have not had the opportunity to do yet.
•    Jargon and Acronyms - ensure that your CV appeals to as many people as possible.
•    References - you can state that they are available on request, but it is considered by most to be inappropriate and unprofessional to include. These will be taken up at offer stage
•    Personal Details such as Marital Status, Religion, Nationality, Children etc. - this has no bearing on your ability to do the job.

You only get one chance to make a first impression. Make sure it is an IMPRESSIVE CV!

This information has been provided by Impressive CVs. For more information on CVs, to request a FREE CV Appraisal, or to have your CV professionally prepared, visit: www.impressivecvs.com.

Use psychometrics not astrology

It's a New Year and you are probably thinking about a new job. Today was the first Monday back for many people and there is nothing like it to inspire you to go and find a job that doesn't make a Monday morning sound painful.

New Year is also the time that people turn to the stars and astrology to see what the future has in store for them, however you would perhaps find more practical help in your psychometric report than in your horoscope. I'm not knocking horoscopes, merely reminding you that they key to finding a job you love starts with understanding what job suits your personality.

Is this the year that you finally tell the boss where to stick his job, and set up business for yourself? Your Be Your Own Boss psychometric report will not only tell you how likely you are to succeed but will tell you where you are likely to drop the ball.

If you are looking at jobs then you may also want to have a look at www.jobhuntersdirectory.com where you will find a list of job boards by category.

Wishing you a prosperous New Year from the team at PeopleMaps.com

Make your friends' day..... with Zubka

A brand new way for companies to find great staff, Zubka asks people like you to recommend friends and professional contacts to a huge range of UK and international jobs. If the person you recommend takes the role, Zubka pays you a BIG cash reward.

As the world's most rewarding referral recruitment service, Zubka's rewards are huge - ranging from £1,200 to £12,000, with an average reward of £3,600 - for each and every job! These rewards are in addition to the £100 introduction fee Zubka referrers receive each time someone they introduce makes a successful referral. With over £2 million of rewards currently waiting to be claimed on the site, now is a great time to sign up and see how much you could earn.

Zubka is a great way make your friend's day by referring them to vacancies on Zubka - and earning you some extra cash in the process! If you want your friends to worship you forever and are currently looking for work, get them to sign up and recommend you for roles - but make sure they buy you dinner with their reward!

Click over to www.zubka.com today to explore and sign up.  Easy to use, fast and free, Zubka tells you the minute an interesting job pops up that would suit someone you know, and guides you step-by-step through the process. With jobs currently advertised by FT.com, New Look, Claire's Accessories, L'Oreal, Tesco.com Capgemini, and GlaxoSmithKline, it's a great time to join Zubka's referral recruitment revolution.

Crazy job hunting idea that works

If you are applying for jobs you see advertised then you have already missed a huge opportunity and you are a few months too late.

Put yourself in an employers position for a minute. Imagine you got a phone call from someone saying "Hi I work in your industry and I have been looking around and I have decided that I want to work in your company doing x. When can I come in to chat about this in more detail?" You may think this is crazy but as an employer I am impressed, I am curious and if there is a remote chance I could use you, then I will immediately start thinking about how I make a space for you. It will not work on everyone but it will get you where you want to go faster than your traditional approach of applying for vacancies.

Try it and let me know how you get on.

Psychometrics and working in the UK

If you are looking for a job in the UK then you should consider how you may come across in a psychometric test. Many PeopleMaps users are from overseas and therefore prepare well for interviews. A personality report will help in that preperation as it will tell you how you are coming across and it will also provide you with some of the more difficult questions you will be asked at interview.

Psychometrics and Knowing what you want

Drivers never struggle to find a job. One of the reasons for this is that they know exactly what it is they want to do for a company when they apply for a job. I often advise people to apply to companies about a job, even when there is't one advertised, as over 30% of jobs are never advertised. Unfortunately few people take my advice and think me crazy. One group of people that regularly call up a company on spec looking for a job are drivers. And they are successful at it. It's simple as they know what they want to do and the employers understand what it is they do.

Clarity is critical to your job hunting. Even when you have a variety of skills to offer, you must make a decision and be clear about what you are there to offer. Don't try and hedge your bets. Instead be clear. When you hedge your bets, but suggesting you can do this, or you can do that or you can do the other, what the employers feels is uncertainty and a little desperation. It puts them off. Be clear about what you will do and what you will not do. It exudes confidence and employers like that. It makes their job easier.

B and Q Interview

I didn't know whether to laugh or complain when I heard about the B and Q interview precedure, where a song and dance was requested as part of the interview. This degrading and humiliating experience is not something you need tolerate, so don't. Companies have to be very careful about discrimination and chances are if you are asked to do something you perceive to be humiliating, then the company has just breached some form of discrimination. If you feel strongly enough then make a song and dance about it (pun intended). Ask who they report to and mention your concerns that you feel discriminated against (even if you are not sure on what grounds).

Psychometrics: New Certificate being released

Get your CV noticed. PeopleMaps is including a certificate in your free report that you can include in your CV. There will be an even more detailed certificate in your CVs & Interviews Report. Getting your CV noticed when it is in whith a pile of identical looking CVs is one of the biggest challenges you face. PeopleMaps wants you to get noticed and get interviewed.

Make your report work for you

Was talking to a job seeker this week that includes a secton of his personality report along with his CV when applying for jobs. He has noticed an increase in the number of interviews he gets. As an employer I would applaude his initiative and if nothing else it would give me a chance to get to know more about the candidate that a standard CV would tell me. Make sure you are making your personality report work for you.