WorkSearch 2.0 soundtrack for 2010

Merry Christmas and Best Wishes for 2010

Tom Peters

If you read today's business section in the Independent you will have come across an abridged version of Tom Peter's "Recession 46". Here is the full list of "Forty Six Secrets and Clever Strategies for dealing with the recession 2008 - xxxx" Read, print, carry around with you, read and read again!!!

Creative Action

New website for worksearchers www.creativeaction.ie

New Talent Tank site now up and running

Talent Tank have launched their new site. Talent providers can post their details and profiles and you can also check out who is looking for talent.

Visit Talenttank.ie

Benjamin Zander on Music and Passion

Rule Number 6

Two prime ministers are sitting in a room discussing affairs of state. Suddenly a man bursts in, apoplectic with fury, shouting and stamping and banging his fist on the desk. The resident prime minister admonishes him: "Peter" he says, "kindly remember Rule Number 6", whereupon Peter is instantly restored to complete calm, apologises and withdraws. The politicians return to their conversation, only to be interrupted yet again twenty minutes later by an hysterical woman gesticulating wildly, her hair flying. Again the intruder is greeted with the words: "Marie, please remember Rule Number 6." Complete calm descends once more, and she too withdraws with a bow and an apology. When the scene is repeated for a third time, the visiting prime minister addresses his colleague: "My Dear friend, I've seen many things in my life, but never anything as remarkable as this. Would you be willing to share with me the secret of Rule of Number 6?" "Very simple," replies the resident prime minister. "Rule Number 6 is 'Don't take yourself so g-damn seriously.'" "Ah", says his visitor, "that is a fine rule." After a moment of pondering, he inquires, "And what, may I ask, are the other rules?"
"There aren't any"

Business Camp Dublin

Location is the O’Reilly Building on the Trinity College Dublin campus. Starting time is 10 am and talks will end at 5pm.

Evert will be putting more details online over the next few days but in the meantine you can register here to attend.


REMEMBER! The event is about sharing information, knowledge & experience in the first place. It is *not* a venue for people or companies who just want to sell themselves or their products/services. Business Camp is about supporting new businesses and creating a better ecosystem for innovation and entrepreneurship!

Dublin City Enterprise Board - Link Network

DCEB is committed to helping start-up companies like yours which are seeking to establish, survive, thrive and grow in the highly competitive Dublin City area. LINK! will focus on the unique strategic, operational and developmental challenges which start-ups may encounter on this exciting - but sometimes scary! - journey.You will have access to expert advice, customised training and structured networking. Support and encouragement will be appropriately pitched and timed.

LINK will also offer you a safe and discrete environment where less-experienced owner/managers can confront their business challenges.

At a typical LINK! meeting you will have plenty of time to network with the other members and guests. At most meetings there will be an interactive mini-workshop with an invited guest.

LINK Meetings take place on the last Tuesday of the month, except August. Some LINK! events are open to guests who may attend one meeting free-of-charge to assess whether LINK! is the right network for them. Members and guests are required to pre-register for each event with Miriam Ahern, the network manager, link@dceb.ie

The annual fee to join LINK! is €120 from now till the end of 2010.

If you have any queries or require any further information please contact:
Miriam Ahern, LINK Network Manager
Mobile: 086 234 2789
Email: link@dceb.ie

Venue: Clarion Hotel, IFSC, Dublin 1

Bill Gates....In the real world

Love him or hate him, he sure hits the nail on the head with this!
Bill Gates recently gave a speech at a high school, about 11 things they did not and will not learn in school.
He talks about how feel-good, politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world.

Rule 1 : Life is not fair - get used to it!

Rule 2 : The world won't care about your self- esteem.
The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3 : You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school.
You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4 : If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss

Rule 5 : Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it ‘opportunity’.

Rule 6 : If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault , so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7 : Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now.
They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing your own room.

Rule 8 : Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll allow you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer.
This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9 : Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that in your own time.

Rule 10 : Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11 : Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.


If you can read this, thank a teacher!

Not once....but twice!!!!

Hellfire Toastmasters

Hellfire Toastmasters is a public speaking club in Dublin. We are part of Toastmasters International, a non-profit organisation with more than 200,000 members in 80 countries.

We meet every Tuesday at 19:45 at the D4 Hotel in Ballsbridge (directions).

Visitors are always welcome! Contact us to find out more or just show up to a meeting.

Hellfire Toastmasters

Learning that is free!

I read recently on Chris Morgan's blog "Learn 2 Develop"
about an article in the Sunday Times discussing the learning resources available through download, video and audio. Chris went one step further and added some links, commentary and suggested programmes. Well worth checking out! Learning that is free.... and there is no catch

Connector Launches Event

Connector is looking for 10 new businesses to step forward and tell us their story at a great new Connector Event on the 26th November 2009. We are also accepting newish businesses who have a new web site, web or mobile app or video to show off. Maybe you have a new fashion design ? Maybe a new killer home made chocolate bar ? You tell us what you been up to and we will help you spread the word !

Does this sound like you or a friend of yours ? If so please register your interest or submit a nomination in the comments below or email events [@] connector.ie - The final list of presenters will be unveiled on the 19th November. Good luck !

Digital Times

Digital Times is an independent print magazine and online resource for those with an interest in the digital economy. We seek to educate budgets holders on the benefits of, and return on investment afforded by, online marketing and advertising.

Digital Times is the only dedicated Irish digital media and marketing title. Our focus is on providing objective reportage, case studies and profiles of Irish companies benefiting from online marketing. We also report on international best practice in the digital arena.

We are distributed to marketers, budget holders, media owners, agencies, publishers and digital media decision makers. Digital Times is the perfect vehicle to advertise your digital service.

Do you have a professional interest in the digital economy, digital marketing and digital media? Get a subscription, pick up the phone (01) 443 4041 or drop us a line with a question to hello@digitaltimes.ie

Greenhouse Business Camp

Greenhouse Business Camp Dublin
Sat, Dec 05
O’Reilly Building, Baile Átha Cliath, IE
Business Camp is an opportunity for entrepreneurs, innovators,
investors, state development bodies to come together, share
experiences, and possibly create new value out of the day. It’ll be a
chance to meet up with people who’ve been there, done that and bought
the t-shirt.

There is a start-up pitch competition with a prize.


Greenhouse Business Camp Website

Lessons come in all shapes, sizes and bottles!

"The problem with "everyone" is that in order to reach everyone or teach everyone or sell to everyone, you need to so water down what you've got you end up with almost nothing."

This is the opening line from a recent blog post by Seth Godin. Here is the link to the full extract Seth's Blog

As a small exercise, I would like you to read the article and watch the amazing video and let me know using the comments section your thoughts on the lessons we can get from Seth and John on how we can apply their insight into our worksearch? I will comment next week.

Network - 10 Commandments

Thanks Noel (Broderick) for providing this post.

Your Network:

Companies aren’t advertising some jobs because of the huge demand for work and the consequent large quantities of “irrelevant” CVs that companies would receive.

Therefore, “who you know” is very important.

You need to contact the “gatekeepers” of these jobs – i.e. HR Managers/staff, Department Managers, Directors, etc and your network can provide this opportunity, either directly or by one or two degrees of separation.

Also, your network is an instant reference for you – so not only can it provide you with information that you wouldn’t otherwise receive, it can also recommend you.

This makes networking all the more vital for work searching in the current economic climate.

The 10 Commandments of where to find your network (in no particular order):

1. Your business card collection
2. Your mobile phone book
3. Your email contact list
4. Your LinkedIn connections, if you’ve a profile. Facebook friends also?
5. Companies that offered you jobs in the past that you didn’t take, if any
6. Officers, Committee members & staff in your professional Institutions, Associations, etc. if you have any
7. Lecturers, teachers & admin staff at the school(s)/college(s) you attended, if any
8. Former colleagues & classmates

When starting out on the networking journey

9. Plan who you want to meet e.g. by attending events with networking potential, especially those organised by your professional Institutions, Associations, etc. if you have any
10. Plan what you are going to say

Start swimming, learn a new language, ballroom dance next week

Worksearch guide to Linkedin

Social networking be it LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and so on has been considered a force to be reckoned with in Business Development, Marketing, Sales and of course Worksearch. In one sense it all depends on how you enter the arena, you may hear a lot of talk about Facebook and Twitter and feel I must get in on the act. A random person you meet sends you an invite to join, hence a little weariness. Or you decide to jump on the band wagon and use these tools to your advantage, fully committed from the outset.

Using social networking sites allows you to leverage all the other activities you are using in worksearch, sites such as Linkedin allow you search contacts in companies and industry sectors. It also allows people find out a little bit about you. It is now considered the norm, before an interview or meeting that either person will use search techniques to find out a little more about the person they are meeting.

Here are my top tips for using LinkedIn in Worksearch

So what is Linkedin -according to their website

"LinkedIn is an interconnected network of experienced professionals from around the world, representing 170 industries and 200 countries. You can find, be introduced to, and collaborate with qualified professionals that you need to work with to accomplish your goals."

* LinkedIn has over 48 million members in over 200 countries and territories around the world.
* A new member joins LinkedIn approximately every second, and about half of our members are outside the U.S.
* Executives from all Fortune 500 companies are LinkedIn members.

1) Build your profile - take your time and complete to 100%, think of this as your online CV. Use a good quality professional photo. If you are in worksearch, state this as your current position, who you are, what you do, how well you do it. Use your story telling skills in the summary, not bullet points.
2) Use the status update often - let people know what you are doing and who you would like to talk to, this can save a lot of shoe leather and shaking hands at networking events
3) Build quality contacts - the search function can help you locate people you shared schools, clubs, universities and companies with. I found someone who was a couple of years ahead and we have connected and helped each other out. Remember your search can be confined to "Ireland" only.
4) Do something to warrant a recommendation, don't just ask randomly of your contacts
5) Be a Groupie - online networking groups relevant to your industry or if you are looking into new sectors provide insight into who is credible, what are the key talking points and may allow you to share your expertise
6) Keywords - make sure your profile contains the key search words for your type of work
7) It's not about you - invite, connect, follow up, stay in touch, introduce, answer questions, give, give, give

On a personal note, I have set about building a profile online, blogging, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to start with, one word of caution. Just like a shark, you need to keep moving, content (air in the sharks case) is key to keeping things alive.

Promises, Promises

I have always wondered about goal setting. In my time I have met some very successful people, I remember one person telling me every year they sat down thought about the things they wanted to achieve and what they wanted to happen in both their personal and professional life. There is certainly the argument in favour of setting and writing down personal goals and achievements.

I read recently that a goal such as wanting to climb to the top of a mountain just to get to the top, misses out on the entire journey. The light shining through the forest, the smell of the mountain river and so on. The goal however which focuses on the journey, the here and now, the details on the way up belongs more to the individual. There is a phrase which springs to mind be here now, be someplace else later.

There are always things we want to achieve and I guess sometimes they can get caught up in the journey and may or may not happen. Or we bulldoze through and get what we want. Today I learned something, I have been approaching goal setting in wrong way. Instead of writing specific goals which always get caught up in the here and now. I need to write little promises. A promise is a commitment, something very personal and belongs more to me. Also hard to break!!

Daniel Pink on Motivation

Interview Preparation

My message to worksearchers is think like a designer. A designer works with amongst others three things;

Restraint, Naturalness and Simplicity

Restraint - in the interview situation you have approximately 45 minutes in which to get yourself into second round or onto the team. You might think you are there to answer questions, however you are also there to pitch yourself. You have a short period of time in order to that. Know what they are looking for, find the answers from your experience, knowledge and skills then give them what they are looking for and nothing less.

Naturalness - today employers are looking for high achievers, they are also looking for "fit". Think of it as being on a first date, build rapport, be yourself, ask questions, demonstrate your professionalism and commitment.

Simplicity - as mentioned the interviewer is looking for someone who can deliver results and fit into the organisation. Simple is not easy. Our ego determines more is better than less, big is better than small. Why do we fail to keep things simple? Lack of focus! "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication" Leonardo da Vinci....it's simple focus and give them what they are looking for.

One last thing, do not spend the 15/20 minutes before the interview in your car or on a bench reading your notes. Spend it getting plenty of oxygen, your brain and body need oxygen to function and deliver results.

10 - 20 - 30 Presentation Rule

On politics and life

An article in last Saturday's Irish Times by Ciaran Hancock provided details of the Farmleigh "Think Tank". Having read through several paragraphs it was the second last paragraph which gave most clarity.

In response to why Mr Michael O'Leary of Ryanair turned down an invitation he said "I wouldn't participate in a three day photo-shoot, listening to the great and the good of the Irish diaspora, a lot of whom, like Bob Geldof, don't employ anybody in Ireland, don't pay any tax in Ireland! I'd happily go along for four hours on a Tuesday in Government Buildings, with no press, no photo-calls, and come up with a list of decisions, and then lets implement them. The problem with this Government is that it's always one forum, one high level commission and one photo-shoot away from making a decision" Just like worksearch, take responsbility, think differently and take action................

On a lighter note Rosita Boland on why she has no desire to take photographs (having traveled to over 50 countries with no photos). "I prefer simply to observe, to live undistracted and purely in the moment and let memory later filter back when it will and surprise me".

Living in the moment allows our creative powers to see all the potential opportunities available to us.

Be here now, be someplace else later

Entrepreneurs can change the world

References available upon request

The one key requirement of any new hire, contractor, or service provider in today's market is the ability to deliver results. If we break it down, a good CV demonstrating achievements and results will get you an interview. A well prepared for and well executed interview will go along way to securing work. However most employers will now follow up on the references you provide. As Henry Ford put it "you cant build reputation on what you're going to do". Reference checking is a crucial part of recruiting a great team according to Guy Kawasaki is his book "The Art of the Start.The goal of referencing is not to disqualify a candidate, but to look for consistency in how the candidate represented themselves. Employers are also looking for clues about whether the candidate can be effective in the organisation.

So here are two considerations;

1) Spend time considering the references you provide, ensuring they reflect the most recent period in your career and will add real insight into who you are, what you do and how well you do it.

2) Someone who you put forward as a reference is also a useful resource when it comes to preparing your CV, cover letters, interview preparation and maybe even the process of working out your next steps. So here is a novel idea, how about calling a previous employer, colleague and conduct a reference check. I am sure they will embrace the idea and give you some honest, useful feedback. Typical reference check questions below;

-What are your general impressions of me?
-How would you rank me against others in similar positions?
-What contributions did I make to the organisation?
-How do others in the organisation view me?
-What are my specific skills? What am I best/worst at?
-What are my communication and management styles?
-In what areas do I need to improve?
-How would you comment on my work ethic?
-Would you work/hire me again?

The Junto

We might be compelled to think that our network on Friday mornings is something new and different. In the context of what is currently available and accessible in Dublin then yes it is. However some recent research has pointed me towards Benjamin Franklin, who in 1727 convened the first meeting of a dozen friends and associates who would meet every week for the next thirty years. "I had form'd most of me ingenious acquaintance into a club of mutual improvement", which he called the JUNTO. In the days before formal education, learning came not from teachers or textbooks but from one's social network. . The Junto was part mutual aid society, part social fraternity, part academy, it's motivation was self - improvement, the wish to do good that would also bring them advantages or even profit.

Juntos are not the only precursor to what we do each week. Napoleon Hill in his odd but long lived book Think and Grow Rich, Hill advocated what he callewd the Master Mind - a collection of people aspiring to help each other think and grow rich. Richard Boles in What colour is your parachute advocated the Job Club as a means of support and inspiration for Worksearchers.

The social network or club is not a new thing, however what we can learn is that the collective will and mind can achieve great things. People have used networks and clubs for a long time to support their goals and interests. One word of warning though, ask your self are you a Radiator or a Drain!

National College of Ireland Career Bootcamp

National College of Ireland present a week long series of *free events,
seminars and workshops to give you practical help in the current
employment market and real skills and insights to cope with the new rules
of job search.

For further information download our information brochure or visit http://www.ncirl.ie

Alain de Botton: A kinder, gentler philosophy of success

Johnny Bunko - The Last Career Guide you'll ever need

Meet Johnny Bunko. He's probably a lot like you. Well maybe not so if you are currently in worksearch! Johnny is stuck in a dead end job, he's begun to suspect that what he thought he knew is just plain wrong. We pick up the story written in the Japanese comic format known as manga, when he meets Diana his soon to be personal career advisor. She brings Johnny on a journey through six essential lessons for thriving in the world of work. These lessons can also be followed by anyone in the world of worksearch. It might help not ending up in a dead end job.

So here are the lessons


1) There is no plan!
NO PLAN I hear you cry, well according to Diana we can't sit there at 21, 31 or 41 and map it all out, she talks about doing things for fundamental reasons, not instrumental!!
2) Think strengths, not weaknesses
I am not very good at writing, spelling or grammar, however I can come up some good ideas and source good material - I use that to my advantage in writing this blog (every now and then)
3) It's not about you!
It's about your client, potential employer, your customer, use your strengths, you're there to serve not to self actualise. According to Diana most successful people improve their lives by improving others' lives.
4) Persistence trumps talent
Think compound interest - it builds on itself overtime
5) Make excellent mistakes



6) Leave an IMPRINT

Dan Pink's excellent book which looks like an average novel, maybe 3/4 hours reading, you will have this cobbled up in 30 minutes and six valuable lessons to boot!

http://short.ie/see/r9c3b5

Using negative thinking to gain positive action!!

DREAM: WORK WITH GOOD PAY

Negatives:

1. Skills: Shortages or Over skilled
2. Fear of Rejection – Disillusion
3. Our Efforts may not be fruitful
4. Limited Thinking
5. Dropping Salaries in the Market
6. Jobs not openly advertised
7. Financial pressure to take the wrong job
8. No Jobs

ACTION

Negative: 1. Skills:Shortages or Over Skilled

Action: Under skilled

• Up skill for 1 to 2 years to be ready for a good job in the recovery
• Make sure courses pursued are appropriate to the industry
• Make ourselves more marketable by having extra qualifications
• Gain Work Experience with courses (to get foot in the door)

Over Skilled

• Widen Category
• Tailor CV to suit job
• Use skills to create a new, potential work

Negative:2. Fear of Rejection – Disillusion

Action:

• Use all of the above
• Keep up Activities
• Put together a daily Job Plan (Business Development Plan) to make our job seeking our own personal ‘business’
• Read widely
• Ensure rejections make us more determined to get that work
• Count our blessings
• Create a positive list
• Create new Questions

Negative:3. Our efforts may not be fruitful

Action:

• Change our attitude: questions: manner
• Change how we do things – change the venues where we seek work, the type of work we seek, the market, etc
• Post on the Blog
• Contribute to the Blog
• Ask ‘Why’ at interviews, where we are not successful and learn from the responses

Negative:4. Limited Thinking

Action:

• Talk to Others
• Network
• Create a Plan/Vision
• Set Goals and test weekly where we are achieving on these goals
• Brainstorm
• Avoid negative influences
• Create a new language to develop our new thinking

Negative:5. Dropping Salaries in the market

Action:

• Accept this reality
• Acknowledge that costs are dropping also
• Work out a budget
• Find new providers for our bill paying
• Think Long Term Prospects
• Look at government grants:
• Enterprise Ireland
• Enterprise Boards
• Negotiate renumeration according to excellent performance (be creative)

Negative:6. Jobs not openly advertised/not real

Action:

• Eliminate wrong searches
• Target (only) the business we require
• Join Linked-in or other social media groups
• Create a Real Plan to Target Real Jobs

Negative:7. Financial Pressure to take the wrong job

Action:

• Control financial outgoings
• Change Lifestyle – do simple stuff with no or low cost
• Be Creative with finances
• Barter with other professions for needs
• Use all facilities – source and resource

Negative:8. No Jobs

Action:

NO NEED

The Group feels that if all the actions cited above are carried through, then the most difficult negative to overcome – NO JOBS – will not exist.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Well done everyone and I hope you will use these ideas and many more.

Best of luck

Valerie

Footnote:

These are the notes of a facilitation with Valerie Pierce, Director of Clear & Critical Thinking Ltd, using her training technique to change negative thinking into positive action.

To contact Valerie, please visit her website www.clearcriticalthinking.com

Obama on the West! Lessons from the East

"My shortcomings caused mistrust from the public and I apologize from my heart for this"

Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso made this comment on a live TV broadcast having dissolved the lower house of the Japanese Parliament.

A country facing an uphill recessionary battle, stymied policy implementation, internal party fighting and a public lacking confidence in their leaders.

Recognising that the Japanese people have a role to play in the country's future, parliament was dissolved with elections to be held on August 30th, with the hopes of ushering in a new era of energetic fresh thinking and a mandate to make change happen.

http://short.ie/ixxkp6

Are you watching Leinster House (sorry you are on holidays)

Image courtesy of Andres Ojeda

Clear and Critical Thinking

Valerie Pierce, described by the Irish Times as a `modern philosopher in the market place`, began her career as a training consultant in 1990 whilst carrying out postgraduate research in Bristol University. At that time she devised the first Clear and Critical Thinking Courses for Managers in both the public sector and private industry. Clear Thinking based courses are different from other `Skills Development` and `Personal Training` Courses. They do not attempt to motivate behavior. Better work practices are brought about through better thinking.

Aim

The aim of a Clear Thinking course is to strengthen thinking techniques and so improve work productivity. Whether developing projects, writing reports, training personnel, leading presentations, all output is only as good as the thinking applied to it. A greater awareness and ability to `think critically` and `persuade with confidence` will improve any of the above tasks, as well as developing the skills in the discussion of problem solving decision making.

The courses are "practical" always tackling real issues that affect organisations. They are "thought provoking" - candidates enjoy the intellectual stimulation that Clear & Critical Thinking provides, and finally they are "results driven" providing a positive outcome for those who invest energy, time and money.

Worksearch 2.0 - Creative Brief

A Creative Brief is a strategic document used by designers to understand a clients objectives in the design of a brand, logo or advertising campaign. One of the key things we discuss each week and regulary on this blog is how important promoting brand you, getting pubicilty for your skills and talents, generating good PR amongst your network, personal selling and creating resonance are the key activities in a successful worksearch programme.

Here I have set out a template for a Worksearch 2.0 creative brief, a document when completed designed to promote publicity, public relations, personal selling and create resonance!

Background

What is the background to the organisation, what are they trying to achieve, why will they want my skills and services.

Target audience

What do they already think about this challenge, problem? Is there anything that should be avoided? Who do I need to be dealing with?

Objectives

What is to be accomplished? How will this be measured and success understood?

Single message

What is the one thing to tell the audience? What is the single thing they should remember about me and what I have to offer? How will they believe what I say?

Mandatory elements

What are the mandatory elements I need to include, what are the negotiable and non negotiable constraints to my solution?

Deliverables

What is to be used to give the audience the message? What is the best way or place to reach this audience?

Timeline

How soon do they need to move on this? When is it expected to be done? How many rounds (revisions) will this project undergo? If they do not act now what are the consequences?

Budget

How much do they need to spend to get the problem solved? Is there any budget needed to ensure success of the project?

Approvals

Who needs to give the "okay"?

Image: Pitor Bizior http://www.bizor.com

Worksearch 2.0 - Imagination & Creativity

Worksearch 2.0 begins with seeking out opportunities the process continues by generating ideas.

So how to generate new ways of thinking?

A 9 or 10 km walk should do the trick..... alone and every day

Brenda Ueland describes the type of walking to be undertaken " when I walk in a carefree way, without straining to get to my destination, then I am living in the present. And it is only then that the creative power flourishes" She goes on to describe that "it is hard to be carefree when you have anxieties. But the more you have, the more necessary it is to feel carefree for a time, so that you will get new ideas on how to deal with your anxieties"

"If you would continue to be alone for a long time, amblingly swinging your legs fro many miles and living in the present, then you will be rewarded: thoughts, good ideas, plots for novels, longings, decisions, revelations will come to you" and she can absolutely prove it in her book If you want to write.

Worksearch 2.0 - Opportunisitic Thinking

Opportunity is defined as a favourable or advantageous circumstance or combination of circumstances. As expected, the definition is subjective. What is "favorable"? What is "advantageous"? Optimists see most situations as favorable or advantageous where pessimists rarely see themselves in favorable or advantageous situations. So who do you think will have more opportunity, the optimist or the pessimist?

Fortune and Success are found in opportunity

So how to become an opportunistic thinker!

Be flexible and stay open minded - do not rule anything out

Stay motivated - watch Randy Pauch over and over (see earlier post)

Are you willing to take risks? According to Ken Robinson if you are not willing to be wrong you will never create anything original

Balance - now your decision making skills come in to play, learn to work out which opportunities require and deserve the most of your attention - try Pareto for this 80/20

Think Creatively - use your imagination......... for this you need idle time

Pecha Kucha

Do you want to put your communication and presentation skills to the test? Do you want to see creativity in action?

Go along to Pecha Kucha in the Sugar Club, Thursday 16th July for more details click on the link below.

http://www.pecha-kucha.org/cities/dublin

Analysing and copying success of others!

Richard Farleigh of Dragons Den fame in the UK was guest speaker at this weeks Future Focus conference in Dublin. He presented some rules he lives by in his business life. One rule which struck me was "analysing and copying the success of others is a waste of time". Interesting! My take is we can be inspired by other's success the key is to take action for ourselves. If you are inspired by a story of success, model don't copy, apply the tactics, techniques, behaviour in your life and to your world.

Richard St. John - 8 Secrets to Success

Randy Pausch - Achieving your childhood dreams

The challenge for all of us - Did you Know?????

New Initiative from Irish Times Training

Irish Times Training …..

Staying Connected….

Benefits

The Staying Connected initiative is designed for individuals seeking employment, returning to work or simply looking to keep actively networking. Individuals are offered hot desk facilities and opportunities to network with their peers while a guest lecture series component is specifically designed to give participants the most up to date information on the latest thinking through to emerging trends.

The initiative is aimed at managers and executives with business experience who wish to stay connected….

Highly practical, the initiative offers the following benefits:

Guest Lectures:

Invitation to 30min lecture from Guest Speakers – Monthly

(Recruitment, Business leaders, developing trends, new directions etc)

Incubation centre for future leaders

Access to hot desk facilities (Monday and Tuesday)

Access to meeting Rooms (diary managed)

Networking sessions

Newspaper

1 complimentary place on a 2 day course (subject to availability) for example

 Presentation Skills

 Project Management

 Finance for the non Financial Manager

 Negotiation Skills

 Business Writing Skills

Criteria:

Individuals must be:

Actively seeking employment

Executive/Manager Level

Prepared to share, support and contribute to the group

Fee:

€30 per month

For more information:

Call Irish Times Training on 01-4727101

SHEIFGAB the World

Conor Cunneen an Irish man working with the transition community in Chicago will be in Dublin to present his workshop SHEIFGAB on Friday 26th June.

The Dublin Job Club would like to send him home with a clear message that those currently unpaid are not taking it lightly and fighting back.

Join us in the Digital Exchange to hear what Conor has to say.

SHEIFGAB the World: 8 Building Blocks to Successful Transition really does help those in job search.

“Mr. Conor, during my transition I have heard many speakers and have found yours (@ St. Thomas) the most practical and down to earth.”

“Conor is an extremely entertaining and motivating speaker. He has encapsulated the 8 building blocks of transition, which many have written volumes, into one acronym that is applicable to all endeavors and facets of our lives.”

“"Conor spoke at my Marketing and Sales Professionals Networking Group (MSG) Meeting. 'SHEIFGAB the World' is a truly inspiring presentation that left us feeling confident about the job search. He is witty, insightful and has great compassion for those in transition.”

To learn more about Conor visit www.irishmanspeaks.com

Please RSVP

Confidence Workshop

Details of a workshop Maria Lynch, long time supporter of the DJC will run in June, you can contact Maria directly maria@motivatedjoyfulliving.ie or visit her website www.motivatedjoyfulliving.ie. 

My next Confidence workshop is happening Sunday 21st June in Walmer Holistic Centre , Raheny. €85p/p 10:30-4:30pm

 

It is aimed at women of all ages that want to improve their assertiveness levels and feel confident to stand up for

themselves. In this practical workshop participants will learn how to make an impact when communicating with others, how to manage conflict and how to set healthy boundaries and protect their energy during challenging situations.

 

In their own words:

‘I found Maria herself, her style, interaction , teaching everything excellent. Best self improvement initiative I've ever done. I will use everything.’ Theresa, Operations Manager.

 

‘Maria is one of the best facilitators. Her passion and enthusiasm is such a joy to be around. Her gentle manner put us all at ease. I found her just superb and can’t believe the day is already over!’ Sara, Training Consultant.

 

Think 2 Act - June 30th 2009

On 30 June 2009, The National College of Ireland will sponsor and host the Think2Act conference for people who have recently been made redundant or are considering taking new steps in their career.

This energetic space is the brain-child of Celine Mullins, Act 4 Business and Eibhlin Johnston, ThinkCoaching. The main theme of the day is CHANGE. 

Visit the website http://think2act.org/ for more details

Summer Networking Event

Wednesday, June 10th.  6.30 – 9.00pm.  O’Callaghan Mont-Clare Hotel

 For members* of the Enterprise Network for Women, the LINK! Start-up Business Network, the Dublin Jobs Club and members of the Dublin PLATO Network.

 

Effective Social Media Networking for Entrepreneurs

Presented by:  Fred Caballero and Facundo Villaverian of Channelship Web Agency (www.channelship.ie)

  

At last!  Twitter and LinkedIn explained to you in plain English.  Learn how to exploit these social media effectively and find out how they can greatly enhance your traditional networking efforts.  Get lots of easy and actionable advice and tips that you can put into practice immediately.

 

There will be plenty of opportunities to meet new people at this event, including some structured networking and a wine/finger-food reception.

 

If you do not already have a Twitter and/or LinkedIn account, you might find it helpful to set these up now and experiment with them a little before the event.  Don’t forget, once network members have a Linkedin account, they may join the DCEB members-only group at: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=1811235

This event is free-of-charge to network members.  For hospitality and housekeeping purposes, please register with me in advance downesad@gmail.com 

Project Co-ordinator Required

David Jones is launching a new project to collect real life stories from unemployed people across the country.

He is planning to compile these into a book which will be published later in the year.

A Project Co-Ordinator is required to manage this project, secure some funding, organise the setting up of a web site (the domain name doleQ.ie has been registered), organise PR, administer the responses from unemployed people, and oversee the compilation and publishing of the book.

This is an opportunity for someone who is currently unemployed, who wants to improve their CV and demonstrate their abilty to manage an exciting and varied project. It is a self funding position; remuneration in the form of a commission from the book sales will be paid.

Show off your talents, build a name for yourself, take part in an exciting and beneficial project.

Contact The Job Seekers Union or David Jones for further details

41 Ways to be a lifestyle design Bad - Ass

Ok, I know I do a lot of cheating on this blog by posting links to other's material. However I do feel my job is to provide access to information, save you time and give some quality insight. Anyway I was cleaning out my bag today and I came across a list I printed out from a blog a couple of months back and I just had to share it!!!

This weeks goal - read the list everyday

41 Ways to be a lifestyle design bad ass!

What do you see?

opportunityisnowhere

Social Media and Personal Branding

I came across two podcasts with slides, excellent content on creating an online presence to find your next career move and something discussed previously on this blog personal branding. 

I hope you find them useful

    

Click here for "socialising online could get you a job" www.short.ie/thuah6  

 

Click here for "Ten Steps to Personal Branding" www.short.ie/iz9vy9 

Talent Tank

Here is a novel approach to getting your next career move!

http://www.talenttank.ie/

re - Energising your job search or career move - Part 2 Networking

In the second part of this series of posts on re-energising your job search or career move, I want to look at the area networking. For some people the words networking can bring about an incredible compulsion to pull the duvet up and stay at home. This is not for a second in anyway irrational our fear of people or social situations (sociophobia) ranks second behind arachnophobia (fear of spiders), amazingly our fear of death ranks tenth!!! 

So why is networking such an important part of a new and energised approach to job search or changing careers? Research from career development company Harmonics has shown that an incredible 84% of positions are recruited through networks or speculative approaches, this is what they consider to be the proactive approach to job hunting. On the other hand the reactive approach includes the Internet, advertising and recruiters. One of the key learning's in our network has been the power of sharing contacts and leads with one and another, it has helped in interview preparation, job search, generating business ideas and even getting a venue for our meetings. 

I would like to share with you five things to help with getting started or improving your ability to meet new and valuable contacts - more importantly being proactive about your career move or job search. 

So when considering who you want to meet or who could best help you five things to keep in mind. 

1) Be courageous - as Mary Oliver asked in her poem "tell me what it is you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" or as Delboy puts it "he who dares, wins" ( you have to flick your wrists as you say that one) If you need some courage to get started come along and join us on a Friday

2) Be Natural - you have to be yourself, there are few things in this world others will reciprocate without hesitation..... a smile is one of them

3) Be authentic - Seth Godin has a point of view on this one!!! http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/02/authenticity.html   

4) Be interested..... not trying to be interesting...............

5) LISTEN....... in order to LISTEN you must be SILENT

I have also included an excellent article from Miriam Ahearn, the network manager for Dublin City Enterprise Board's Link Network http://www.dceb.ie/networking/link!

BE PROACTIVE

re - Energising your career move or job search (Part 1)

This is the first of a series of four posts looking at ways to re - Energise your career move or job search. Today's environment creates a challenge to all job seekers, it is now an employers market, turn around times are incredibly slow and the competition for positions is fierce. Getting into the game requires new levels of thinking and a creative approach. In today's post I want to look at the area of self marketing. Self marketing is essentially getting your name out there and getting noticed, first things first you have get to work on the "self" piece and this boils down to confidence. Here are three things I believe you can do to help build your self confidence;

1) Self talk- do you notice how you talk to yourself from one end the day to next? (for the sceptics if you just said no! hmmm something to think about). Do you listen to what you are saying? In order to create the right frame of mind your self talk must be positive, "I have a lot to offer", "this is a great opportunity for me", you need to actively work hard to remove the negative words in your current vocabulary and create a positive story.

Tip: try taking some time each day and writing down your thoughts and then reflecting on them, this will give you a picture or your current story. 

There is an old saying "the quality of ones thinking determines the quality of ones life" 

2) Personal Brand - it is all about image, who you are and the statement you make to the world. It is very easy to slip into casual mode if you are not working and that's fine, however if you do have to go somewhere, say into town, dress for the occasion, wear something nice who knows who you may meet! I would also add if you do have some redundancy money, invest in a new suit (ladies and gents), shirts, blouse, shoes and accessories. They must look and feel expensive and be of the highest quality, this will not alone make you feel good, it will also make a statement about who you are. Now is a good time to invest, there are sales on everywhere and I might add it is not about spending riduculous money, it is however about quality! For the guys go see Gerry Magee in the Baumler shop on Dawson street and tell him I sent you. 

3) Breathing - yes breathing! that old process where we get some oxygen into the lungs. Believe it or not breathing is quite an under rated process, you may not think it is not all that important when it comes to building self confidence, however get it right and see how your performance may improve. Have you ever wondered why you sometimes get sweaty palms or butterflies in your stomach? ever wondered why that tingle appears in the back of your throat just as you are about to speak? Well, when we are faced with stressful situations are levels of adrenaline increase are internal functions begin to speed up, what is required during these stressful times is.... yes you guessed it OXYGEN!!! and lots of it. So how do you make sure you are getting enough oxygen? Follow this simple exercise http://cas.umkc.edu/casww/brethexr.htm

Now the marketing piece, in advance of discussing networking, job search and interviews there are a couple of things you need to do to get the marketing piece right. This will require some quality relfection time, a pen/pencil and some blank pages. You will need to create a number of lists; Your skills, your values, your achievements, your competencies, your value added proposition, your strengths, your weaknesses, your beliefs, your plans, your goals, your mission in life, your purpose, what you have to offer the world or an employer. Ask a lot of questions and right down everything that comes into your head.

When you have this completed, put it aside and go out and do something exciting, when you come back add to it. When you have a final version you can then begin to create your marketing material. 

Your CV - 1000 words, two pages, lots of white space, simple, clear and concise. Always asking yourself "so what"

Your 2 minute networking speech - who you are, what you do, who you would like to talk too, what you have to offer

Your 30 sec elevator speech - who you are, what you do, how big an asset you are to someones business

Your linked in profile - similar to CV

Remember in today's environment opportunities are presenting themselves in the most unlikely ways, you must be prepared for all eventualities, meeting someone in a coffee shop, in a pub or on the street. Think of it like this, if you meet someone on Grafton Street you have not seen in a few years, guaranteed the question "so what are you up to?" will come up. Instead of saying "I was made redundant last month" what about "Up until a couple of weeks ago I was working in a really exciting area of IT, what I am doing now is looking for opportunities in cloud computing, it's the next big think, what about you? You never know their Dad's, sister in law's, brother could own a company and is looking for someone.......

Next time Networking - if you are not on linked in go there now http://www.linkedin.com/in/aarondownes30

If the weather is good!!!

If you have time on your hands and you are interested in some golf. 3 mobile are offering free tickets

http://www.3irishopen.ie/blog/2009/05/01/register/ 

The leap of faith

I have written in the past about the opportunities losing your job can present, for me it was the realisation that starting a business for myself was what I always wanted to do. I have to say the feeling of empowerment and the level of responsibility can be exhilarating. I just have to keep it up. Reading blogs and getting out to meet really interesting people is certainly one way of keeping up the momentum. Here is an excerpt from Guy Kawasaki's blog "How to change the world" blog.guykawasaki.com 

How to Quit Your Job and Start a Company

Over at the American Express Open Forum I just posted thisinterviewwith Pamela Slim of Escape from Cubicle Nation. In this interview she explains how to quit your job and start a company to change the world. It’s a must-read for anyone thinking of taking the leap.

Read more: "How to Change the World: How to Quit Your Job and Start a Company" -http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2009/05/how-to-quit-your-job-and-start-a-company.html#ixzz0FIfURsF4&A

A Day of change - A life of happiness

A Day of Change - A Life of Happiness on LinkedIn Events and thought you might be interested in going! http://events.linkedin.com/Day-Change-Life-Happiness/pub/63771

A Day of Change - A Life of Happiness

Sat, May 16 D4 Ballsbridge Court Hotel (formally Berkley Court), Dublin 4, 

Keywords: positive thing, goals, belief systems, excelling in challenging times, values, self improvement, happiness, success, motivation, money

 

A Day of Change A Life of Happines Date: May 16th 2009 Time: 10am – 5pm Price - €150 (All bookings confirmed by May 8th will be charged at a discounted rate of just €99) About the course: May 16th will be a day that will enable you to free yourself of any unwanted obstacles in your life a... http://events.linkedin.com/Day-Change-Life-Happiness/pub/63771

Workwise - Free Conference 28th & 29th May 2009

Workwise is a free conference that has been organised by the training company Evolve in association with the National College of Ireland (NCI). It is designed to help people who have recently been made redundant or lost their jobs to re-enter the workforce. The conference will take place in the NCI on Thursday and Friday 28^th and 29^th May.

 

Topics

Day 1

Stress Management - Handling the stress of unemployment. Tips on keeping mentally and physically strong in your changed circumstances

Career Detection – What is your perfect role? This workshop is designed to help participants identify their transferable skills and help them get jobs. You will be shown how to find a career and job that suits you.

Personality Profiler - Psychometrics will help us understand ourselves better and assist us in communicating effectively while seeking employment

 

Day 2

Interview-wise - How to succeed at Job Interviews? Top tips on applying for jobs, writing letters and CV’s and preparing for interviews. This workshop will also focus on participants developing excellent interview techniques.

What Employers Want? – This session gives participants an opportunity to ask top recruiters what they look for when recruiting. Top interview mistakes that people should avoid.

Opportunity in Disguise – Motivational speaker who will outline how with mental strength and a strong resolve you maybe able to turn your current challenging circumstances into an opportunity for a new start

 

Speakers:

Brian McIvor

The conference will be led by top author and trainer Brian McIvor. Brian was a staff member of the International Career and Life Change Workshop run by the legendary Dick Bolles, author of the best selling career planning book What Colour is your Parachute? He will help participants identify new career directions and identify their transferable skills in a session entitled Career Detection: How to find your New Career. He will also run the seminar Interview-wise: How to succeed at Job Interviews.

 

John Ryan

John Ryan, one of Ireland’s top trainers in the area of personal impact, will be MC for the conference. He will also show participants how to communicate with more success and get their message across. John is also a county councillor in Wicklow and has experience first hand of the pain experienced by constituents who have lost their jobs and don’t know where to turn.  

 

Ray McKiernan

Ray McKiernan, a stress specialist, will help to equip participants with techniques to handle the stresses that will affect someone who has suddenly lost their job. The People Group, one of Ireland’s premier recruitment companies, will tell participants what employers will be looking for from candidates and how some candidates make themselves more employable.

 

Brody Sweeney

Brody Sweeney, owner of O’Brien’s Sandwich Bars, will talk about his personal experience highlighting that you may have to take a different direction in you life to succeed.

 

Dr. Paul Mooney

The National College of Ireland are providing their facilities for the conference free of charge for the two days. Dr. Paul Mooney, President of NCI says unemployment is the single biggest issue facing the Irish Economy and has hugely negative consequences particularly at a personal level for the people affected.

 

The Sales Institute of Ireland have also come on board to support this initiative and Director John McCormack says he is happy to assist people defining their own personal value proposition and key differentiators so they can rejoin the workforce as soon as possible.

 

The event is open to people who have lost their jobs in the last 12 months.  If you know anyone that has recently become unemployed, please pass this email on.  Organisers are expecting high demand for places. They will select 300 people by lottery from those that register to take part at www.evolve.ie before Friday 15^th May 2009.

 

For More Information contact John Ryan, Evolve, on 087 2585738

To book a place click on the link www.evolve.ie

Adversity Protocol (Robin Sharma LWT)

I spent today with Robin Sharma http://www.robinsharma.com/ (along with 200 others). Robin if you do not know is a leadership expert, he travels the world teaching people how to lead without title. Today was a truly inspiring day and thank you to all the really great people that I met.

I wanted to share with you a tool Robin presented today. I feel this can have tool an immense impact on anyone facing the challenge of redundancy and unemployment. Robin calls it the "Adversity Protocol". In introducing the concept today, Robin talked about the challenges we all face and he made what I believe to be a truly profound remark "but for problems you would not get to own more of your resources"!!!!

The adversity protocol is a tool to reframe your problems and challenges into opportunities, this process of reframing is built on having a set of really good questions. I have discussed really good questions in previous posts and how much of an impact they can have on how we approach problems and challenges.

The adversity protocol questions go something like this;
1) Has anyone died here?
2) What's the opportunity here?
3) How could this be worse?
4) What am I grateful for?
5) How can I make this fun?

Depending on the circumstances they might seem like challenging questions. Is it not a good thing to challenge our thinking in difficult times?

One last point from Robin during this exercise which has stayed with me was his comment "gratitude cannot live in the same room as worry"!!!!!

Maybe try question 4 and see where you go from there.

Back in business

I have had a short absence, my new laptop arrived today! Back in business!!!

May Day

Today is May 1st, also known as Labour day or the International day of Workers. However, I thought it would be a nice idea to list some lesser known facts about May 1st, which is a feast day in many cultures around the world for reasons that have nothing to do with work! So, if you are unfortunately out of work, don't let the whole Labour Day fuss get you down. Depending on what you want to believe, there are plenty of other reasons to celebrate today.

In Ireland, the first of May is also the pagan feast of Bealtaine, celebrating the arrival of summer (those pagan guys must be laughing now, considering we ruined everything with global warming). In the UK, you may participate in such activities as Morris Dancing, crowning a May Queen or celebrations involving a May Pole. In France, loved ones traditionally exchanged lily of the valley flowers on this day, a tradition dating back to 1561. German males from the Rhineland deliver trees wrapped in streamers to the house of a girl they are interested in. In Hawaii, May Day is celebrated as Lei Day, a celebration of island life.

So go on attach some bells to your socks and enjoy a good dance around the sitting room!!!

What do you want?

Boss:"We need to talk.... it's not good news...... I am sorry to say this, BUT (the infamous BUT) it's not you it's the economy, we will do everything we can to make it easy..........."

Employee: - "??????????"

A conversation similar to the above can trigger what is known as the Kubler Ross personal model of change; firstly we can experience denial, then anger, followed by bargaining and depression, eventually a form of acceptance. It is fair to say some people experience all elements for longer periods than others, whilst it is possible to move quickly through to acceptance and then move on, however varying all the time depending on the individual.

When presented with such personal change, hearing the news that our job is gone, we are no longer required, and we are being paid to the end of the month, we start to ask a lot of questions, such as;

Why me? (Johnny Logan syndrome)
What am I going to do now? ("silly Mc Donalds ads")
How do I tell my family and friends? ("they do'nt talk to me anyway")
How can I survive without a salary? ("silly Mc Donalds ads")

We can spend a lot of time engineering very creative answers to the above questions and potentially keeping ourselves in the lower end of the Kubler Ross change model.However, what about if we were to add some new questions?

What do I want to do now? - "not sure"
What are my goals? - "maybe get out of bed early every morning"
What would EXCITE me? - "get revenge on the boss"
How? - "Hmm that's a good question"

The neurological response to something like "hmm that's a good question" is believe it or not thinking.....Instead of revenge, what about if we thought about all those things that excite us and how we may be able to apply our skills and knowledge to that end.

To help with the "What would excite me?" question here are a couple of suggestions;

Dublin City Enterprise Board are running a coffee morning for those considering starting a new business - check out http://www.dceb.ie/news/do-you-know-someone-made-recently-unemployed-and-thinking-of-starting-a-business

I met Brian from the Digital Hub today, he mentioned they are working with Enterprise Ireland to provide support and office space for ITC/Digital Media start up's in the Digital Hub, keep an eye on their website for details (I will post information as and when I receive it) http://www.thedigitalhub.com/

Coming up with ideas can be difficult, we sometimes need to learn how to play all over again. There is an event taking place in http://d-lightstudios.com/ on Tuesday 6th of May at 6.30pm, it is called Playgroup - A Creative Get Together. I think this is a really unique idea and well worth a visit.DCEB have some more details http://www.dceb.ie/news/playgroup-~-creative-get-together

I am no exercise guru, however I do believe getting out in the fresh air can have such an impact on our state of mind and overall performance. I have mentioned this group before, I will personally check it out tomorrow and report back http://everydayisasaturday.info/

Some of you may have heard of Robin Sharma, he has written amongst other books, "The monk who sold his Ferrari" and "The Greatness Guide". He will be in Dublin next week, Thursday 7th May, check out http://www.celticguru.com/ . A tad pricey if you are on a budget, however he certainly is inspirational (personal opinion having followed successnation.com and read The Greatness Guide).


Just remember -

"Minds are like parachutes – they only function when they open."
– Lord Tomas Dewas