On Thursday October 25th Peter Cosgrove spoke at the Central Library in Dublin to a packed room of jobseekers.
Despite the difficult economic conditions at present, Peter advised attendees to focus on the positives: “There are over 1.7 million people in employment and you only need 1 job, so try to remain optimistic” he said. He also highlighted the absolute essentials in looking for a job:
Have a world class CV:This is what will get you the interview, try to keep it to about 800 words and think of the person reading it. Ensure it talks about what you did well, not just about what you did. To find out more about developing a strong CV, check out the following articles: CV Checklist: Peter Cosgrove’s Guide to Improving your CV and 5 Common CV Mistakes.
Understand the power of networking: With over 50% of jobs never getting advertised you need to know who to talk with. To learn more about networking and how to incorporate it into your job search, check out of of the following articles: How to use networking to find a job and Using Linkedin to find a job.
Don’t be worried about the interview, be prepared: You know most of the questions, “Talk me through your CV”, “What are your strengths and weakness?”, “Why do you want to work here?”, “What do you know about us?”, “Do you have any questions for us?” Practice them and do not presume you will have a perfect answer without preparation. For more information on interview preparation be sure to read the following articles: 5 questions to ask in a job interviews and Top tips for interview sucess!
Finally, stay positive: Remember the importance of creating a good first impression and being someone they can see working there. No one wants to hire someone who is negative.
Peter used the phrase: ‘finding a job is not difficult, it’s very hard work’. Use your free time to find work. Commitment, dedication and persistence will ultimately aid you in finding your ideal job. Remember if you work harder than others to find employment – you will be more successful. As a famous golfer used to say “The harder I work, the luckier I get“.
Peter’s slides are here:
http://www.slideshare.net/pcosgrov/how-to-find-a-job-in-2012-central-library-oct-2012
