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
Friday, February 26, 2010
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..
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
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.
Connector Tribal Love
View more presentations from Dublin, Ireland.
Social Media Work Search 2.0
Fred from Channelshop delivered an excellent talk on Social Media for Worksearch at last Friday's networking meeting.
Social Media Work Search 2.0
View more presentations from Channelship Web Agency.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Social Media and Worksearch
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.
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
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
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.
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
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
Bookmark this page and do one a day for the next 120 days
What will you look like? and How will you feel on the 4th June 2010
120 ways to boost your brain power!
120 ways to boost your brain power!
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...
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...
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