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Monday, March 8, 2010

Two questions that can change your life?

Two questions that can change your life from Daniel Pink on Vimeo.

The Meet Market

Social networking technologies, web mashups, multicore and hybrid processors and cloud computing are amongst the ten most disruptive technologies that will shape the information technology (IT) landscape over the next five years, according to research and advisory firm Gartner, Inc. Disruptive technologies a term first used by Clayton M. Christensen in his book "The Innovators Dilemma", describe innovations that drive industry transformation and market creation. At Worksearch 2.0 we also have a little mashup going on, your talents and skills on paper and your Linkedin Profile.

This week at "The Meet Market"

Dudley O'Donnell - Solicitor



Joe Galligan - Financial Services



Barry Toomey - IT Systems

The Butterfly Circus

Just because it is Monday you can take 20 minutes to watch this masterpiece!

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Dallas - Houston - San Antonio

Herb Kelleher sat with Rollin King in a bar in San Antonio and over cocktails they sketched out the business model and the concept for a low fares airline on the back of a napkin. Introducing us to Southwest Airlines and Ryanair.


Hugh MacLeod started drawing on the back of business cards sitting in bars in New York in 1997, he now sells his prints for upwards of $10,000 he has also written an excellent book "Ignore Everybody"

So what?

Today I had lunch with a friend and to work on their CV, we started with a version dating back to Windows 97, we then moved on to reams of no carbon emissions spared templates and just as lunch arrived we had not made much progress. As we eat Herb, Dan Roam and Hugh came into my mind, so with the raw materials to hand, unused napkin and pen we started to sketch. Working with a napkin provides great constraints, you have to keep it really simple. Ink and napkins are not compatible, it has to be clear, concise, and legible. Working with such raw materials makes it a very natural process, no spell checker no thesaurus just what you want to say and of course there are restraints. You try writing your life story on a napkin.

The end result... a concept for a business card, a one page no nonsense life story and updates for a Linkedin profile all in 30mins.

Ignore Everybody......grab a napkin(blank piece of paper) and start creating

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

100 Useful Social Sites for Worksearch

Every week and every day there is lots of talk about social media and the benefits for Worksearch and Business Development. Thanks to the guys at Associate Degree we have now have a comprehensive of all social media sites.

100 Useful Social Sites for Worksearch

Friday, February 26, 2010

Conformity: Ten Timeless Influencers

Conformity is such a strong influence in society that it's impossible to understand human behaviour without it. Psychological experiments show that people will deny the evidence of their own eyes in order to conform with other people.

The Connector Tribes event last night got me thinking about this blog I read today. One thing we should all be mindful of as we build our tribes and communities is that we do not get to comfortable in our new surroundings. The challenge is to break out and use the tribe/community as a springboard for spontaneity.

Take heed of the 10 Influencers!


Conformity: Ten Timeless Influencers

Monday, February 22, 2010

Stuck.........

Not sure what you want to do now? How do I present my years of experience? Where do I start with my CV? What's the best approach to a cover letter? Just like an artist or writer, worksearchers can hit a block when it comes to producing self marketing materials.

Hear from some creatives and how they overcome creative block, be prepared to

Slice and chop 2 medium onions into small pieces.
Put a medium sized pan on a medium heat with a few glugs of Olive oil.
Add the onions to the pan, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
Chop finely three varieties of fresh chilli (Birds Eye, Scotch Bonnet & Green/Red).
Add the chilli’s to the pan........


Overcoming Creative Block..

Information Gathering

A previous guest at Worksearch, Conor Cunneen based in Chicago shares some insights on information gathering in this ebook

Information Gathering

Connector Tribal Love

Do not forget Tribal Love this Thursday in the Science Gallery. The Worksearch tribe will be introduced on the night.

Social Media Work Search 2.0

Fred from Channelshop delivered an excellent talk on Social Media for Worksearch at last Friday's networking meeting.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Home - Your Country, Your Call

Home - Your Country, Your Call

Social Media and Worksearch

Networking is one of the most important components of job (WORK) searching. Use these top social and professional networking sites to enhance your career and boost your job (WORK) search, and learn how to use social networking sites to job search.

Read More

Mind Maps from Interview Workshop

Worksearch 2.0

10 Crucial Consumer Trends for 2010

Published in January 2010 | First of all: It’s going to be another interesting year. Has the global recession really, officially ended? And if so, will the aftermath cause pains for years to come? Whatever the outcome, we find ourselves spotting more recession-proof opportunities than ever before. Why? Consumers, recession-stricken or not, still value innovations that are pragmatic, or exciting, or those that save them money, or entertain them.... oh well, you get the picture.Time to get busy again!

Read More......

Source: www.trendwatching.com. One of the world's leading trend firms, trendwatching.com sends out its free, monthly Trend Briefings to more than 160,000 subscribers worldwide.

There is no such thing as a FREE lunch - Yes there is!

Enjoy Hatha yoga, Hot yoga, Vinyasa flow yoga, Pilates and Body conditioning classes during your lunch time. Once you have stretched, toned, relaxed - chow down and enjoy our wholesome and delicious lunch time fare. Dishes to tantalise your taste buds include: masaman curry, thai pumpkin stew, potato dhal, spinach and split pea medley ... and many more.

Classes are incredible value for money costing only €12 if you are working or €6 if you are unwaged. To see our class schedule click here our online schedule and select online schedule for drop in classes. All classes marked community classes have an accompanying lunch. Mail info@the-elbowroom.com for more information.

The Elbowroom

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Competency Interviews – Comparing Apples & Oranges




Guest blogger - Liz Barron www.realize.ie

Competency based interviews are becoming more common as part of the recruitment process – recruiters use it as a means to compare how well different candidates will meet the requirements of the role.

So how does an Interviewer compare apples and oranges? Let’s say I’m looking for a piece of fruit to go in a fruit salad, and I want that fruit to be round, sweet, easy to peel, and to complement the flavour of the other fruits.

So first I interview an Orange…

Interviewer: “How would you describe yourself?”

Orange: “I’m fairly round, very sweet, easy to peel, I work well under pressure and I’m best enjoyed on my own”…

Interviewer: “Tell me more about being easy to peel ”

Orange: “Yeah my role involves being in a still life painting – I did find it a bit tough to get my peel off initially – I kept some bits on … I didn’t mind though as long as it was tastefully done..” ’

Interviewer: “Hmm… yes thanks Orange… Next! – the Apple… what are your strengths?”

Apple: “I think my core strength is in being easy to peel – in my last job I had to get my peel off, as quickly and neatly as possible, using a specialist peeler, resulting in my peel all remaining in one complete piece, which the clients were delighted with”.

Get the picture? It’s a metaphor guys – I wouldn’t really interview fruit – that would be silly; if I know them well enough I would just give them the job.

Here are some key things to remember about how competency based interviews work…

■It’s the interviewers job to find the best person for the role, with the least amount of effort – they want YOU to be the right person – if you can demonstrate that you have the necessary experience then you make the choice easy for them.

■Each job you apply for will have a set of associated competencies (combination of knowledge, skill & behaviour) which should be pretty obvious from the job description – if you’re called for interview it will be because you have ticked off most or all of their required competencies or key words from the job ad on your CV.

■Make a list of the competencies and prepare examples in advance of situations where you have demonstrated those competencies

■Tell your stor(ies) using the TAR structure – Task required, Action I took and Result

■If you find it difficult to remember a list of examples, use a mind map to help you remember times when you were doing what you do best.

■Use “I” where relevant instead of “we” e.g. I was a member of a team who… I was tasked with xyz within the team… I delivered … I completed…

■PRACTICE YOUR EXAMPLES OUT LOUD! We are mostly guilty of being too modest about ourselves!

Realize Coaching - for Careers, for Students, for Life .... individual or group coaching and facilitation to realize your goals



Date for your diary - our next Career Clinic in Dublin - Wed 24th March - 6:45 - 9:00 approx - see www.realize.ie for further info or to book online.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

I am looking for work...............


Definition of a “Job”
A regular activity performed in exchange for payment, especially as one's trade, occupation, or profession, a position in which one is employed.

Ask yourself what is regular about today’s labour market, or what is regular about business today. I would say the word is irregular. Therefore why not look for irregular “jobs”. Being employed nowadays is quite the novelty, maybe we could start a movement that looks down on people with a job rather than those who don’t. Think of how the tables would turn in pubs, restaurants and dinner parties when someone is asked “So what do you do?”

Now the definition as provided by the www. of work

Definition of "Work"

....exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity, proceed towards a goal or along a path or through an activity, have an effect or outcome; often the one desired or expected...

Here’s a challenge starting today or even tomorrow if you are not up to it……go and look for work;

Exert yourself
Do something mental
Do something physical
Have a purpose
Find a necessity
Find a path you have never walked down before
Do an activity you have never done before
Set a goal
Make a promise
Have an effect on someone
Have an outcome
Be desired
Be expected

Or

Be Unexpected

The Meet Market

This weeks candidate in the "Meet Market" is Charles Moriarty. If you want an IT professional with project management experience and a sense of humour (Charles booked a table for his missus on Valentines night, unfortunately it all ended in tears as she is not very good at snooker!)Charles is certainly worth meeting up with.



Charles Moriarty

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

The idea catcher

When you are at a career crossroads what you really need is a map to help you decide which road to take, writes Maggie Mallon

Whether you're looking for a career change or trying to improve an existing job, making the right decision can be tricky. At times like these, a Mind Map can be a useful tool to sort out thoughts, define goals and throw up fresh ideas.



Invented by Tony Buzan as a learning and memory tool while he was struggling to take effective notes as a student, a Mind Map is a colourful diagram with a central image representing the problem and curved branches radiating from it, each with a related key word printed above it. Central to the success of the technique is the use of colours, pictures and a non-linear structure to encourage brainstorming — Buzan says, mimicking our brains.

"The human brain finds it much easier to remember images than words and this is why, in a Mind Map, the central key idea is replaced by an image," explains Buzzan. "Your brain does not think in a linear, monotonous way, rather it thinks in multiple directions simultaneously — starting from central trigger points in images or key words.

"I describe this as radiant thinking, where thoughts radiate outwards like the branches of a tree, the veins of a leaf or the blood vessels of the body that emanate from the heart."

It's a far more effective problem-solving and memory aid than written notes, lists weighing up pros and cons and to-do lists, according to Buzan. "Lists and words are only a small part of the brain's thinking tool kit and if you use only this small fraction of your brain, you're going to come up with an incomplete solution."

He cites Leonardo da Vinci, Charles Darwin and Albert Einstein who used similar thinking techniques to the ones used in Mind Maps — 'messy' notes, radial drawings, codes, arrows and images. "The traditional 'norms' within education are that list-making and monochromatic note-taking are good, whereas drawing pictures, doodling and daydreaming are innately wrong," says Buzan, who believes the opposite is true. "Traditional note-taking limits thought, whereas daydreaming and drawing will increase radiant thinking.

"Young children are natural Mind Mappers. They love to draw pictures, experiment with lettering, use emphasis, symbols, colours — not to mention stickers — when they are writing, drawing and communicating."

Phil Chambers has successfully used Mind Mapping since he was at school. Now running, his own training company, Learning Technologies, the 32-year-old says: "I first used them to help me study for my A-levels and later at university. It's a great tool for studying because you can use it to plan essays and to revise."

According to Buzan, the technique can be used for any purpose in life. While studying, the maps can be used for reading, revising, note-taking; at work they are useful for brainstorming, time-management and presentations. At home they can be used for planning, shopping, event and household management and socially they can be used to keep track of important dates, remembering people, planning holidays and social events.

When Phil started working in IT for a major bank, he used the technique to help him progress in his job. "I had to not only learn the bank's way of doing things in terms of IT but also how the banking system works and how the different aspects of financial communications worked. Mapping was really useful for getting a handle on all of that very rapidly."

As a careers tool, the maps can help prepare for a job interview, reach decisions about which career to enter, how to improve promotion prospects, or whether to leave a job or change direction.

"Mind Maps are useful at times when goals or targets are less clear. Everyone experiences times in life when the future is less than certain. At these times they are invaluable for problem-solving," says Buzan, a great advocate of what he calls 'directed daydreaming' to find a way forward. "You daydream the job and map your daydream. A Mind Map is like a captured daydream. It's an idea catcher, like a butterfly net."

Seven steps to creating a Mind Map

# Start in the centre of a blank page turned sideways — this gives the brain freedom to spread out in all directions and express itself more freely and naturally.
# Use an image for your central idea — this is more interesting for your brain.
# Use colours throughout because they are exciting to the brain and add energy to creative thinking.
# Connect your main branches to the central image and connect your second and third-level branches to the first and second levels. Your brain works by association; it likes to link things together. Connecting the branches will help you understand and remember more easily.
# Make your branches curved rather than straight. Straight lines are boring to your brain. Curved lines are more attractive and riveting to the eye.
# Use one key word per line. A single word generates its own array of associations.
# Use images throughout. A picture is worth a thousand words.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Interview with Denis O'Brien - Guest Blogger Noel Broderick

I attended an interview with Denis O’Brien in UCD on the 4th of February, 2010 and here follows some notes I took which may be of interest to work-searchers.

He started reading the business pages of the Irish newspapers & Irish business magazines at 12 years of age. At the age of 15 he started following the career of Tony Ryan in these publications. Ryan co-founded Ryanair and before that formed Guinness Peat Aviation (GPA). After graduating from UCD in 1980 with a B.A. in History & Politics he wrote to Tony Ryan and told him that he had been following his career for a number of years and that he would like to work for him. He added that he could meet him anytime & anywhere. He ended up meeting him off a flight from Italy to Shannon at 6am one wet, cold & windy Monday morning! The “interview” lasted about a minute & he started work more or less straight away! He lived on Ryan’s country estate and did everything & anything, at one stage doing veterinary surgeon duties at the birth of some calves!

One good business habit that he picked up from Tony Ryan was list-making & he extolled the importance of this for efficient work.

O’Brien made his initial fortune from the sale of Esat Digifone to British Telecom but it wasn’t all plain sailing with Esat. The company went within a whisker of going under at one stage and in order to keep the show on the road a loan with an interest rate of a whopping 40% was entered into. O’Brien knew that the return on this investment would be greater than this percentage!

He was asked at one point about his work style and he gave these three tips:
• Have a sense of urgency about your work to make the best use of your time. Instil urgency into company culture.
• Feedback on employee performance is essential. It’s ok to make mistakes once but mistakes shouldn’t be repeated if feedback has been given.
• Avoid tiredness at work. It will lead to bad decisions & irritability with colleagues, clients, etc which is obviously not good for business.

He mentioned at one point that he thinks that there will be massive telecoms opportunities, especially with regard to the internet, in Africa in about 3 years time when technology has moved on a certain amount.

As regards employment creation in Ireland, he sees third & fourth level “education tourism” as being the number one opportunity for the country. He thinks that the Irish Colleges have some existing capacity and also should expand somewhat to cater for the increased numbers of international students that would come if the idea was marketed properly by the Government. Our Unique Selling Propositions in this regard would be the high quality of the education itself and indeed the Irish lifestyle also. He added that he doesn’t think that green technologies or cleantech will be as big in this country as some people are leading us to believe.

Noel Broderick

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

So What?

What a cool question?

How often do we use it? When should we use it?

Interviewer: So, tell me about yourself?

Interviewee: eh, eh, eh, well I am a good communicator?? a good team player...eh eh I have a good personality, I work well with others...

SO WHAT?


Consider this CV profile...

"A highly motivated and skilled individual who is always well presented and a good company advocate. Works well under pressure whilst delivering duties effectively and accurately. Can work in a team setting or alone unsupervised. Willing to join an organisation where he/she can develop new skills building on existing experience."

SO WHAT?


So what about this post! Asking So What? puts you in someone else's shoes, the interviewer, the person you meet at a networking event, the investor you are pitching your idea to. This sort of thinking and questioning allows you into their decision making process. If you want to influence someone the first principal you must understand is that people are motivated for their reasons, not yours. So what?

Johnny Bunko taught us a valuable lesson - Rule Number 3: It's not about YOU!! This isn’t an abstract moral point about selflessness. It is the common sense piece of arithmetic that says you need to exchange that self-actualizing stuff you love to do for the money to buy the stuff and services you need to survive. Therefore you need to find a way to do what you love in a way that makes somebody want to pay you....

SO What?

The reason why Miles Davis was considered the greatest Jazz musician of all time, was not because of the notes he played, but the notes he did not play...

Sunday, January 31, 2010

The Meet Market

There were just 62 labour exchanges when they were first introduced on 1 February, 1910. Then, children left school at 12 and domestic service was the most common occupation. Jobs for a piano regulator and a picture frame gilder were among those advertised in the Shoreditch office in east London on the first day.

On Friday I introduced "The Meet Market" at the Dublin Job, the plan is to create an event which is the reverse of a career fair. Firstly by making it fairer! for the individual. That is they get the chance to showcase their skills and talent. Here for the first time some members of the group have put forward their dream job, I have taken the liberty to include Linkedin profiles if you wish to learn more.

Sean Sweeney - Telecoms Professional




Mel Regan - Chartered Quantity Surveyor




Roland Gropmair - Project Manager

Friday, January 29, 2010

Be Inspired with Dr. Chris Horn IONA

The 2010 Be Inspired series kicks off with Dr. Chris Horn, co-founder of IONA Technologies. If you have registered already, please ignore this mail.

DIT Hothouse in conjunction with Dublin City Enterprise Board (DCEB) present a series of live interviews with successful entrepreneurs who have included; Sarah Newman, Patrick Cooney, Denis O’Brien, Eamonn Fallon, Bill Cullen and Brody Sweeney.

Dr. Chris Horn - IONA Technologies

Dr. Chris Horn is co-founder of IONA Technologies which was once one of the largest top ten software companies by revenue in the world and the 5th largest IPO in the history of Nasdaq in 1997. Chris is currently President of Engineers Ireland and a member of the Innovation Taskforce.

Chair Conall O’ Móráin, Sunday Business Show, TodayFM interviews Hothouse entrepreneurs;

Andy Hirst CEO itabs, a music software company providing quality tab notation for stringed instruments.

Matt Norton, MD of Sentry Wireless, an award-winning provider of mobile security solutions.

Date: Wednesday 10 February 2010

Where: Gleeson Theatre, DIT Kevin Street Map; http://pininthemap.com/pp62e1f7b04c47f0607

Time: 12.45 - 2.00

Places are limited so email hothouse@dit.ie to register.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

The Trinity Alumni Career Network

In response to the Trinity Alumni Careers Support Survey conducted in December 2009, Trinity College Dublin is delighted to announce a new initiative: is a six-week programme of panel discussions, workshops, career advice and networking opportunities open to all Trinity alumni, with a focus on unemployed alumni.

Guest speakers from various industries will share their experience and advice on where the opportunities lie in the current and future job market. Facilitators, with experience in job placement and career advice, will provide group and one-to-one support in workshops on the various steps to seeking new employment.

Where - Innovation Academy, Foster Place, Dublin 2

When - The six-week programme starts 9th February, running from 9 am to 12 noon every Tuesday and Thursday until 18th March.

Register - For full programme details and to register, visit www.tcd.ie/alumni/careers.

Numbers are limited, so sign-up today.

Contacts

Alumni Relations Office: alumni.relations@tcd.ie, +353 1 896 1379

Bridget Noone, Programme Manager: bnoone@tcd.ie, +353 1 677 5655

We understand that this programme may not be directly applicable to you, however if you know of any alumni who would be interested, we would appreciate if you could pass on this message. Thank you.

For those who cannot make the programme we plan to post materials on the different events to www.tcd.ie/alumni in the coming weeks.

The Trinity Alumni Career Network is supported by Alumni Relations, the Careers Advisory Service and Trinity Research & Innovation.

Monday, January 25, 2010

PECHA KUCHA Night is Back

Pecha Kucha Night #4 will take place on Thursday 4th February in the Sugar Club in Dublin. Doors at 7pm. First speaker at 8pm.

The formula:
10 speakers. 20 slides each. 20 seconds per slide. 6 Minutes and 40 seconds and it’s done.
Admission is €5 and all profits will go to 1 worthy cause - Red Cross Haiti Emergency Fund.

The presenters:

Brian Ward - Lecturer in Architecture, DIT
Detail - Graphic Designers / www.detail.ie
Elizabeth Hatz - Architect and Curator ev+a 2010
Fergal Brennan - Animator / www.mynameisfergal.com
Gemma Tipton - Writer on Art and Architecture
Hugh Campbell - Professor of Architecture, UCD
Ivan Twohig - Artist / www.ivantwohig.com
Keith Walsh - Lord of t-shirts / www.turtelhead.ie
New Graphic - Graphic Designers / www.newgraphic.ie
Steve Simpson - Illustrator / www.stevesimpson.com

Irish Architecture Foundation

Unemployment Discussion Groups: Invitation to Participate

This UCD research study, in which you are invited to participate in, is focused on examining the well-being of the unemployed in Irish society.

The study has an over-arching aim of capturing what it is like to be unemployed in Ireland at the beginning of 2010 – of putting a human face on the recession. In listening to your thoughts, perspectives and lived-experiences of joblessness, a snapshot of how a period of being out-of-work can affect your well-being will be acquired. In painting a picture of unemployment, your participation in this research will, it is hoped, shed light on how material, emotional, psychological and physical well-being is being affected during this period of your life.

Participation in this research takes the form of a group discussion (focus group). A focus group should be viewed as a form of guided conversation, where, you, the participant, facilitated by a researcher, have the opportunity to discuss issues which are important and meaningful to you at this time.

If you would like to take part in a forthcoming discussion, or you would like further information, please feel free to get in touch…

Researcher: Michael Egan

Tel: 01 7164646

Mobile: 087 7665993

Email: michael.egan@ucd.ie

Sunday, January 24, 2010

More (Steve) Jobs, Jobs, Jobs, Jobs

Really interesting article from Thomas Friedman author of the "World is flat". He talks about the grass roots movement which brought about Barack Obama's winning campaign and how that movement seems to have lost its voice. Friedman makes a compelling argument towards a renewed focus on Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The ten9eight link is well worth a look.

More (Steve) Jobs, Jobs, Jobs, Jobs

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

End of Year Tax Returns

End-Year Reviews

I think I may have overpaid tax last year - can I claim a refund now or is it too late?

No - it's not too late. However, it is simpler to make a claim during the course of the tax year. By doing so you ensure that any refund due can be made by you employer during the year and avoid the need for further contact with the tax office at the end of the year. You should note, claims for refunds must be made within 4 years of the end of the year to which the claim relates and claims made after this time cannot be repaid.


What must I submit when making a claim?


If you have not made your claim before the end of the tax year you should submit the following to your district office:

* Form P60 (and, if relevant, a Form P60 for your spouse) for the tax year. Form P60 is issued to you by your employer after the end of the tax year.
* Details of your claim for e.g. Medical Expenses, Rent Relief, Service Charges and Trade Union Subscriptions.
* If your claim relates to medical expenses you will also need to complete a Form Med 1.


Do I need to complete a Tax Return - Form 12?

Not normally. However, if a Form 12 is issued to you by the district office you must complete and return it.

How could I end up with an underpayment if I am claiming for an additional tax credit?

An underpayment of tax may arise where:

* The tax credit granted to you for the year were incorrect e.g. a tax credit which was no longer due was carried forward from an earlier year or was over-allowed and you did not advise the district office of the error when you received your certificate of tax credits or
* An error occurred when the tax was deducted by your employer.

More information available at www.revenue.ie

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Career Direction and Development 2010 Programme

Dublin City Public Libraries presents a Programme of Career Direction & Development

www.dublincity.ie

Friday, January 15, 2010

Lemonade

Great meeting today and thanks to Greg Fry for bringing along the lemonade movie. Really inspiring, Thanks Greg

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Haiti Appeal

UNICEF Ireland has launched an emergency appeal for the children of Haiti.

"It is clear that the consequences are severe and many children are among the victims," said Melanie Verwoerd, Executive Director of UNICEF Ireland speaking today about the earthquake in Haiti.

UNICEF is sending essential aid – including safe water, sanitation supplies, food, medical supplies and shelter materials - with the first aid delivery flying in this evening into Haiti. "We will also be focusing on children who have become separated from their families to protect them from harm or exploitation," Ms. Verwoerd said.

Thousands of people are feared dead following the massive earthquake in the Caribbean state.Many more are believed to be buried beneath debris following the quake that measured 7.0 on the Richter Scale, the most powerful to hit Haiti in more than 200 years according to the US Geological Survey.

The epicentre of the earthquake was only 16km from the country's capital of Port-au-Prince and destroyed many buildings, including the headquarters of the UN Stabilisation Mission and the presidential palace.

Constant struggle

The situation of children and women in Haiti was already marked by great vulnerability before the earthquake hit the island. Haiti is one of the poorest countries on earth. It ranks 148th out of 179 countries on the UNDP’s Human Development Index; is struggling to recover from years of violence, insecurity and instability; and has a long history of being struck by one natural disaster after another.

Haiti’s income distribution is highly skewed, with only one in every 50 Haitians holding a steady, wage-earning job. Access to services is highly unequal: the poorer the child is, the less likely he or she is to have access to basic rights. Far too many Haitian children and women are engaged in a struggle for their right to basic necessities like adequate nutrition, clean water, education and protection from violence.

Haiti also has the second-highest population density in the western hemisphere. Four out of every ten children live in homes with mud floors or in severely overcrowded conditions, with more than five people living in each room. With an estimated 46 per cent of the population under the age of 18, the struggle of Haitian children reverberates throughout society and is bound to have serious consequences far into the future.

This latest catastrophe follows a severe hurricane season in 2008 from which the country is still struggling to recover.

With so many people living in such close quarters – and with access to safe water and sanitation severely compromised even in the best of times – vulnerability to life-threatening, waterborne diseases can skyrocket when a natural disaster strikes. So, too, can difficulties in delivering much-needed food, medical supplies and protection services. Children are the ones most likely to suffer the worst consequences.

For more information on the situation in Haiti, please contact the UNICEF Ireland office on 01-878 3000 or email info@unicef.ie

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

10 Questions you should have prepared

Guest post from PJ, thanks for the input....

Here are a list of 10 questions every interviewee should have prepared. You may not get asked word for word but they will come up in some form and a difficult question can be turned to you advantage with just a little preparation.

* Why are you interested in this position?
* What areas of your work do you feel most confident doing?
* What areas of your work do you find most difficult?
* What gives you the greatest satisfaction at work?
* What has been your greatest achievement in your current role?
* What is it about you, or what you do, that has enabled you to succeed in your current role?
* How would you describe yourself?
* What things frustrate you the most? How do you usually cope with them?
* If you were your manager, is there anything you would want to change about you?
* What support would you need to become fully productive in this role?

Now write them down and prepare at least a one sentence response to each.