Tuesday 16 June 2015

10 Surprising things I learned at the Gradireland Summer Fair

I really enjoyed the Gradireland Fair in the RDS on the 10th June. First-rate exhibitors, interesting talks and a very useful CV clinic made for a great day where I learned a lot of new ideas.  Here are some notable ones....

1.  Appendix your CV

You have excellent exam results, won a bucket of prestige awards and are generally awesome.  You want to put all your accomplishments on your CV to impress potential employers but you don't have room on your 2 page CV.  Solution: Add an appendix at the back of your CV which lists exam results and other accomplishments which you don't have room for in your CV.  Thanks for the tip gradireland CV clinic.


2. 70% of Jobs are not advertised.
Up to 70% of jobs are filled internally, through friends of existing employees, by the employees of direct competitors and  through the recommendation of a trusted recruiter.

3. the quarter-life crisis happens to almost everyone.
Having a melt -down?  Don't know where you are going in your career?  Confused?  Don't worry your not alone.  The quater life crisis is the new normal.


4. Wear a watch to interviews
Wearing a watch to an interview shows that you care about time keeping and makes a good impression.



5. If you are a woman wear blue or yellow to an Interview but avoid Red.
Blue is a calming colour and yellow radiates positivity.  Both of these colours are great for interviews.  Avoid wearing red as this can be aggressive.

6. Networking is essential and is neither sleazy nor needy!
If you think networking is only for the smarmy and the pathetic then you need to think again! Approximately 70% of jobs are not advertised so you need to know people in order to get a foot in the door.  Learn to make the most of Linkedin and real life.  Go to networking events that genuinely interest you, be polite to people and dress nicely.


7. Job hunting and networking are a lot like dating
First impressions count- It only takes 4 seconds for someone to decide if they like you or not.  You should try to look your best for both.  Politeness, likeability and being interesting count for a lot.



8. Your personal brand is the only constant factor in your career.
They say that the average person changes career approximately 4 times over the course of his/her career and there is no such thing a permanent job.  The only thing you can count on is your personal brand.  Take care of it- be careful what you post on facebook, twitter and linkedin, but do post.  It is important to have a strong social media presence.  Just make sure that it is a positive presence.

9. Try working in a start-up or SME to get an overall exposure to business and experience working in lots of different areas.
Looking to get into HR and want to get experience working in lots of different areas?  Don't overlook start-ups and SME's.  A lot of bigger firms stratify their departments so you may only get exposure to one area- recruitment, comps and benefits, training etc... Smaller firms tend to have smaller HR departments and you may get a better feel for what you like and what you are good at.


10.  Practice your handshake
A good firm handshake is invaluable as you move through your career.


Thanks to the Gradireland fair for the event http://gradireland.com/

The tips I have listed come from:

 Dublin based stylist  Laura Jordan http://stylesavvy.ie/

Presentation and Career expert Rowan Manahan  http://www.rowanmanahan.com/

Career Consultant Sinead English http://www.sineadenglishassociates.ie/

Quarter Life Crisis Coach Paula Coogan http://myquarterlifecoach.com/






Sunday 7 June 2015

Social media and the workplace

So you've been publicly shamed

In his new book 'So you've been publicly shamed' Jon Ronson meets a number of individuals who have had their lives ruined by a misjudged comment or joke on twitter or facebook. Among the victims of 'trial by twitter' is Lindsey Stone a woman who posted an ill judged photograph of herself on holiday and due to violent outpourings from social media followers loses her job and is unable to leave her house for a year. We meet Justine Sacco who made an offensive 'joke' on twitter and as a result received death threats and lost her job after a kangaroo court of twitter followers called for her to be fired.  While it could be argued that  Justine and Lindsey contributed to their own downfall by publishing comments/photographs  that were likely to offend large numbers of people, it is difficult not to feel sorry for Hank who lost his job after a private joke he made to a friend was posted on twitter without his knowledge.

Ronson has produced a fascinating book which raises a lot of questions about the role of  social media in the work-place. For one thing, it is interesting to note that Hank, Justine and Lindsey are all American.  While it could be argued that Justine's behaviour constituted gross misconduct and potentially brought her workplace into disrepute, it is difficult to see how Hank's mildly off colour private joke or Lindsey's photograph constituted gross misconduct.  In the UK and Ireland, employees are protected by the unfair dismissals act.  In order for a dismissal to be deemed fair the courts like to see that the employee has undergone a fair procedure and that the dismissal is proportionate to the misconduct.

What can Irish employers do if an employee transgresses on social media?
What can employers do if an employee behaves in an inappropriate way on social media such as bullying or harassing colleagues or speaking in an inappropriate way about the company?

  • Ensure that they have a social media policy in place.  The policy should be robust and updated regularly as new technologies and sites come to the fore. 
  • Employer's should note that they may be vicariously responsible for the behaviour of their employee even if it is after office hours and the employee is away from the office.
  • The policy should cover use of social media during workplace, acceptable behaviour on social media sites and the disciplinary procedures if an employee misbehaves online. 
  • If the organisation uses social media for business include the business objectives of social media and the intellectual property rights of the organisation.  
  •  For advice on how to create a social media policy go to http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=3381
  • The policy should be communicated to all staff and employees should be trained on the social media policy.
  • The policy should be  communicated to new recruits during induction training.
What can employees do to protect themselves on social media?

In Jobvite's social media recruitment survey 2014 over 90% of recruiters admitted to vetting the candidates social media profile before hiring the candidate.  Interestingly 55% of employers changed their mind about hiring a candidate based on their social media profile.  Of those 55%, 61% decided not to hire the candidate and 39% decided to hire the candidate. Therefore it is very important for job seekers to be mindful of the impression they are creating online.
  • Check your privacy settings and avoid posting about illegal drugs, alcohol or guns as recruiters tend to see these posts in a negative light.
  • Avoid using bad language and check your spelling and grammar.
  • Think before you tweet.  Be respectful of colleagues, clients, your current workplace and your past employer.
  • Using social media can be a great way to get the attention of a potential employer.  Over 90% of recruiters use social media as a recruitment tool.  Potential candidates need to pay attention to their social media profile.
  • Remember that social media is not private.  Posts can be shared without your knowledge.
Click here to look at the 2014 social media recruitment survey https://www.jobvite.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Jobvite_SocialRecruiting_Survey2014.pdf


 Title: 'So you've been publicly shamed'

Author: Jon Ronson
Pages: 304
Pub Date: 09/03/2015
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 9781447229797
Price: 22.55