Career Services from Measurability

I am a career doctor with The Sunday Tribune – Here is a recent Q&A.I am planning to go into 3rd level education to help my career prospects. I have been told that without a 3rd level qualification you have less chance of getting a decent job?A 3rd level qualification is a prerequisite for many jobs advertised in the national papers or on the internet job boards. There is a perception that a 3rd level qualification is the key to career success but I have a somewhat different view on this.Through my experience in recruitment and career coaching I have seen many individuals with excellent qualifications who struggle with their career, often working in jobs below their potential. Equally, I have seen many individuals with little or no qualifications who scale the heights of different careers with relative ease. These observations would indicate that a qualification does not equate to career success but also that a lack of qualifications does not equate to career failure.A 3rd level qualification will open more doors for you and it will increase your chances of securing job interviews as outlined it can often be a prerequisite for selection to interview. A qualification will help you market yourself better while job hunting as many hiring managers put a weight on qualifications. Having said all this you still have to impress at interview and impress on the job when you have secured it.

For more information about Measurability and Career Coaching.

Most jobseekers fear them but I say embrace them. Ok competency interviews are more difficult BUT they mean that the client has put some though into the recruitment process. This means that you will not be assessed on you interview ability or what school you went to. Instead you will be assessed against the key behaviours and competencies for the role. This will reduce the chance of a wrong hire for the client BUT more importantly a wrong job for you.

What is a competency based interview?

These interviews are based on the theory that past behaviour is the best indicator of future behaviour. It uses probing questions such as “tell me about a time when you failed to achieve a specific goal” or give me a specific example of a time when you managed a number of projects simultaneously”. You need to prepare for competency interviews by recalling specific examples. You can also expect the interviewer to probe for more details on the situation you describe. If you have work experience great but if you do not use project, college of hobbies to provide examples.

How to prepare for competency based interviews?

You can ask for the competencies you will be assessed against. If these are not available try to work out what competencies will be assessed or hunt out similar job descriptions. Then use the STAR technique to prepare.

Situation or Task – Describe the situation, be specific and avoid generalization. Give the interviewer enough information so they understand.

Action – Describe the action taken and ensure you focus on “you” and not the team.

Result – What was the outcome or what happened? What did you achieve? What where the learning opportunities?

For more information about interviews or interview coaching visit our site.

I work with a wide variety of clients across a number of sectors offering psychometric testing services. I was not surprised at the comments of a new client earlier this week – “testing really added value to our recruiting”.

For employers who have not used testing – PSYCHOMETRIC TESTS DO WORK.

CASE STUDY

This above client had a very basic recruitment process. They did not have a HR department and they relied on a two interview process and a few references. Two bad hires in the space of 3 months changed all of this. Both interviewers liked the two bad hires at interview and all references had checked out. As I explained this is the problem with traditional techniques – they do not work!!

They turned to us to explore the benefits of testing. They trialed the tools themselves (discounted rate). They liked what they saw and introduced testing to the next recruitment project. They used the OPQ32 personality questionnaire for candidates progressing to second round interview. Anyway they hired one of the applicants and this guy seems to be working out well.

What did they learn?

- Testing adds value to existing recruitment process.
- It does not cost an arm and a leg.
- It is easy to introduce with no extra work for the employer
- Information is supplied in a user friendly format.

If you want information about psychometric tests and sample reports visit out site.

I have just done a Google search for “FREE CV TEMPLATE” and “FREE CV ADVICE” and sure enough Google is full of relevant search results.

Two questions you must ask yourself.

1. Why are these sites offering FREE stuff?

When I have been offered free stuff in the past there has always been an alternative motive. Normally to attract me to a site or to sell me some other product or service. Most of the sites who offer this free advice do not specialise in the area but probably have a related service. For example many recruitment agencies offer FREE CV templates and FREE CV advice. They are interested in jobseekers they can place in a new job. They are not really interested in helping anyone with their CV if they cannot make a placement or earn a fee.

2. How good is the FREE stuff?

I offer CV services so it is in my interest to say that the advice isn’t very good BUT I am being honest when I say that these FREE CV TEMPLATES and FREE CV ADVICE will not make you stand out in the crowd. An average CV will get average results. A FREE TEMPLATE will help you layout your CV but what about the content, selling yourself and making an impact. You will not be able to get this information on a free information site.

CV writing and design services may not be as expensive as you think. Contact us now to get a quote. We offer a comprehensive CV writing and design service to jobseekers in Ireland. CV design and redesign services for all levels of jobseekers from Graduate throught to executive. We will design a CV that will make impact and increase your percentage interview rates. The more interviews you get the better chance you have of landing that dream job.

Jobseekers lying on their CV in increasing with increased competition in the job market. Surveys have indicated that most hiring managers expect CV’s to contain lies of some form BUT this does not mean that they will accept lies if the uncover them. The answer is that they will not. Think again if you intend to falsify information on your CV as employers expect lies and they know where to look for them.

Education & Training – It is accepted that many jobseekers falsify education, training courses, grades and qualifications. It is generally accepted that employers will not check up on this information but you cannot be sure.

Gaps in the CV – This is now easier to get away with because jobseeker now make many more career changes during their career but it can be uncovered during reference checking.

Bumped up salary & benefits – Most jobseekers want to improve salary during a job move and will bump up their salary, commission and bonuses in a bid to get a greater increase. Salary lies are difficult to detect as most potential employers never speak to current employers for obvious reasons.

Enhance job duties – Basically this is the receptionist running the company scenario. A trained interviewer will normally pick this up at interview.

Jobseekers who lie on their CV rarely consider the consequences of these lies. They can get caught out and miss out on a great role, get caught out after they commence employment and get fired or land a job well above their ability and struggle badly. Generally speaking lies do not pay!!

For help to develop you CV contact us. We will help you design a CV that will make an impact without the need to tell lies. We help jobseekers sell themselves with our expert knowledge of CV’s and the recruitment and selection process in Ireland. Read what other jobseekers said about our CV service.

Corporate Outplacement Services can prove to be a great benefit to you and your employees. Redundancy is a difficult period and this support can help you navigate successfully. From experience many employers will focus in on price BUT there are other important areas to consider. There are other factors to consider such as the outplacement team, accessibility to consultants and resources, previous project experience and industry knowledge and flexibility of the outplacement provider. More information on this has been outlined below.

Choosing your Outplacement Consultants.

The Outplacement Team – The people who will be doing the day to day hands on work with you and your staff. This is essential as Outplacement is a people service.

Accessibility – Accessibility of consultants and resource for your employees. Your staff need access to consultants and resources throughout the program.

Project Experience – Previous related project work.

Related Experience – Outplacement is career coaching and support packed in a different box. Related experience includes Recruitment Agency, Life Coaching, HR, Career Coaching, Training & Development, and Business Coaching.

Market Knowledge – Knowledge of the Irish market and your industry sector will improve the success of the outplacement program.

Flexibility – Some providers have material and resources with a one hat fits all approach. In reality no two projects are the same. Ideally you will have a program tailored for your requirements.

Price – Everyone has a budget and employers will want to get the best value for this budget. Remember best price is not always best quality. Most outplacement firms will provide options for your budget.

If you are an employer you have more questions about outplacement services or outplacement programs contact us now. Measurability offer outplacement services in Ireland and we can help you and your staff navigate redundancy successfully.

Outplacement and Redundancy services have many benefits for employers and employees. There is quite a bit of flexibility and options available to employers considering offering support to their staff. We work to the employer’s needs and their budget developing a bespoke solution to meet their situation.

1-1 Outplacement Programs

Individual programs are very popular with clients. They are normally offered for senior management and executive where the numbers would be smaller. This is not set in stone and some employers with high numbers affected by redundancy will often offer 1-1 programs over group programs.

What is a 1-1 Outplacement Program?

Outplacement programs offer a tailored solution for the individual. Sessions are completed in 1-1 format addressing needs specific to the individual. Therefore the individual dictates the content.

Typical areas covered include:
• Evaluating current career situation to help individuals understand themselves and provide career clarity. This will support individuals with career direction with the use of career assessment tools.
• CV writing and advice to help individuals market themselves more effectively and improve job application to interview ratio.
• Recruitment Strategies, job search skills and managing the job hunting process. This will prepare individuals for the job market and enable them to maximise performance.
• Interview coaching skills to make an impact at interview.
• Other topics include encouragement & support, self esteem, confidence and work life balance

1-1 Outplacement is a popular choice with employers however there are other options that can be explored. If you require information about outplacement please feel free to contact us now. Measurability offer outplacement solutions to employers in Ireland. We offer a flexible approach that will satisfy your requirements while working within your budget.

What type of online testing and assessment is available in  Ireland?

There are now a wide variety of tests and assessment available online to help employers hire the right staff. The available assessment tools include

Online Ability / Aptitude Tests – The most popular online ability tests are numerical and verbal tests. Initially these we developed for graduate recruitment as this is where there was the biggest demand for the service. Nowadays there are online tests for Management, Professionals, Graduates and clerical roles. These tests provide valuable information on current ability and future potential of applicants

Online Personality Questionnaires – Personality questionnaires are available from many providers. It is important to choose wisely though. We use SHL as they have a great reputation in the market place. They have a number of personality questionnaires and available recruitment reports but the most common is the OPQ32. See a sample recruitment report from the OPQ32.

Online motivation questionnaire – This is a great psychometric assessment tool for staff development and to improve the performance of teams and individuals. See a sample report from the motivation questionnaire.

What are the benefits of online testing and assessment?

There are many benefits of psychometric testing. Ultimately it helps employers hire the best candidate for the job. On the flip side introducing testing to your recruitment process is fair and objective which benefits the jobseeker. There is also the cost saving associated with hiring the right person. This article will provide other reasons to use psychometric testing.

Measurability offer assessment solutions to organisations in Ireland. We offer a wide range of assessment tools including those outlined above. We offer cost effective solutions that will enable you to access assessment tools without the investment in training and technology. To find out more about our services check out our website and if you have any questions please feel free to contact us.

If you are blessed with impatience like me the most frustrating thing about job hunting is waiting for feedback and decisions from Job Interviews. Waiting for a call from a recruitment agency or a company where you have submitted a CV for a job. I would say it is even worse waiting for feedback from an job interview though as you are at the final hurdle.

So how do you manage this to ensure prompt feedback without annoying the potential employer?

1. It is essential to ask the employer when they hope to have a decision. You can do this at the end of the interview. Ensure that the employer has the correct contact details for you.
2. Some will advice you to send a thank you letter. I have never personally done this myself but it cannot do any harm. It will keep you in the employers mind and could help sing a recruitment decision.
3. If you don’t hear within the agreed timeframe – call the employer unless it was clearly stated not to do so. To facilitate this make sure that you have his or her contact details. If you are not provided with a business card at the interview you can request it.
4. Chasing feedback from an interview when managed correctly shows that you are keen and take initiative. But ensure that you do not overstep the line as this can paint a picture of annoyance and desperation.
5. Recruitment processes do not always run to smooth timeframes so stay patient. An employer may provide you with a decision date BUT when this passes it does not always spell bad news. To counter this keep yourself busy applying and interviewing for other positions.

When you do finally get a job offer it is a nice touch to let appropriate parties know this. This can be recruitment agencies or other employers where you are in consideration. This is a nice touch and will ensure you leave a good impression with people as you do not know when you will be back on the job market.

Need help with your CV or interview coaching contact Meaurability.

It is difficult to predict what questions will arise at interviews. There are however a few gems that keep coming up over and over again. I posted previously about the “Salary Question” and in this post I will examine how to handle two additional interview questions that may come up at your next interview.Interview Coaching – Question – Why should we employ you?
This can be taken as a guaranteed question at any interview. Here you have the employer asking you how you meet the job requirements. Some jobseekers take this as the opportunity to babble on about everything positive they have ever achieved. Be careful!! You must take a focused approach. You will have identified the key points the employer is seeking and now is your opportunity to tell them how you meet the requirements. Back up any points with evidence. So tell them what you did but also the results and achievements.Interview Coaching – Question – Why do you want to work for our company?
This question is the employers establishing if you have researched and planned your job hunt and if you have researched their organisation. Another way to ask this question is “How do the company and the role meet your needs?” This question is important as it helps the interviewer find out if you have a scattergun approach to job hunting or a planned approach. You will need to research the company and analyse the role and pick out key points that relate to your career goals.Preparing for interviews can be a daunting thought. By working with an Interview Coach you can access unlimited professional support, experience and advice. This could make the difference between success and failure. Contact us for more information about our service and costs.