These Workshops include –

· Leadership Development

· Team Development

· Applied Coaching Skills

· Applied Facilitation Skills

· Advanced Interpersonal Communications

and

· Understanding and Implementing Innovation

Further information is available from

Mike Kelliher (mike@transitionireland.ie) and

Peter O’Connell (peter@transitionireland.ie)

TRANSITIONireland

1^st July 2011

1. Be clear about what you are selling – your skills, your abilities and what value you can add to any prospective employer;

2. Have an easy to read and understand brochure (CV)

3. Make sure your CV shows your track record of achievements – what you have done demonstrates what you are capable of;

4. Be persistent in your job searching – don’t give up when you get turned down: learn from each experience, and use this to build on for the next opportunity;

5. Set realistic goals and expectations – it will take time to be successful in your job search: have a plan and stick to it;

6. Take ownership – remember that you have to follow up on everything in your job search: sending out CVs and waiting for someone to call you back is not effective. You are now the “driver”, and you have to follow up everything.

Selling is tough, and many of us don’t like it, but one thing is certain – it does deliver results.

Peter O’Connell

29^th June 2011

As you sit down to write your CV you will ponder what your PURPOSE is.

After nearly 12 years in the Career Consulting business, I have now come to see that above all else, your CV is your BROCHURE. Its primary task is to get a meeting, to influence the reader to say ‘I will meet this person’. A number of implications flow from this view.

1. When you are in the job market, you are in the SELLING business and your product is yourself.

2. Your starting point then, is to develop your understanding of what it is you have to sell. This needs to be documented and takes several hours. Only when you have done that should you start drafting your CV.

3. The crucial insight in understanding what you have to sell, is to see that you are selling your ACHIEVEMNETS. It is your track record of RESULTS …..HOW YOU MADE A DIFFERENCE…. How you SOLVED PROBLEMS. This is crucial! A future employer wants a PROBLEM SOLVER, AN ACHIEVER, A RESULT GETTER and the most compelling argument that you can make that you are this kind of person, is to provide the EVIDENCE that you have done this in the past. The content of your CV needs to reflect this.

In addition, a CV needs to

1. be attractive and easy on the eye – all of the tools available for creating good copy need to be used including layout, font sizes, paragraphs, bullets etc.

2. easy to read – simple, direct language with short sentences.

3. have the right balance between providing too much and too little information. For most CV’s, two pages is sufficient.

4. a Summary – a statement of your proposition in 5/6 lines

FINALLY……

When your CV is finished…… ask yourself the Crucial Question……

Would I want to meet this person?

7th April 2011

1. 87% of Candidates who have worked with us on an Individual Programme have successfully moved on in their Career Choice within 6 Months of completing their Programme with us

2. 51% of previously unemployed Candidates who have worked with us on a Group Programme have successfully moved on in their Career Choice within 3 Months of completing their Programme with us.

Whilst the Marketplace is undoubtedly very challenging for Candidates looking for work, a structured and focussed Outplacement Support Programme can successfully support Candidates in identifying new opportunities, selling their expertise and ultimately obtaining employment.

Knowing how to effectively search for jobs is one of the key skills that our Outplacement Programme provides for candidates, and based upon eleven years working with both Clients and Candidates, we have a proven approach that delivers positive results.

Please contact Peter O’Connell on 01-466-01-01 or e-mail peter@transitionireland.ie. Additional information on other services that we provide can be found at www.transitionireland.ie.

Peter O’Connell

TRANSITIONireland

March 2011

Peter

It will be a major task for the new generation of Political Leaders to inspire us, to earn our trust again, to gain our commitment to realities outside our narrow self interest and to fill us with optimism for the future.

It seems to me that many Business Leaders face the same challenge in our organisations. We have re-structured, implemented pay-cuts, outsourced activities and transferred business processes outside the country. We need to pay attention to inspiring our people, gaining their trust again, tapping into their potential, winning their enthusiasm and commitment.

True Business Leaders will see this as a Key Agenda item. Does this feature on your Agenda?

Have you considered ways to re-energise your Team……?

Leadership Development

Reviewing how you are communicating with your Staff

Staff Engagement Initiatives

Middle Management Development

TRANSITIONireland - 10 February 2011

However, I see a thaw coming. Economies across the Globe have started to grow again. The international Companies in Ireland are beginning to experience an upturn. There is a re-emergence of active recruitment. Graduate programmes are beginning again.

So what will our Company’s reputation be when it returns to the recruitment market following a period of restructuring? How will our Companies be viewed by potential recruits? What will be the condition of our Employer Brand? What will the ‘stories’ be in the market about how we handled our Staff during the downturn?

Our Marketing Colleagues spend lots of money creating positive warm feelings around our Products and Brand names. Many HR Directors also put considerable effort into creating Brand image around our Companies. They participate in programmes like ‘Best Companies to Work For’. They take care that their Recruitment and other Programmes promote a positive ‘Employer Brand’ and are targeted to impact existing Staff as well as potential future recruits.

So do we need to do anything special now, after the downturn, about our Employer Brand? It seems to me that we do. Remember that while your organisation may have done a good job in handling Staff issues during the hard times, many did not and there are people out there that have after effects of bad experiences.

Effort spent re-visiting the experience that potential recruits have in dealing with our organisations would be a good investment. Issues like … how do we acknowledge applications? What documentation do we send out? Are our interviewers (both line managers and HR Staffers) properly trained? Is feedback handled well? Are you in control of what your Recruitment Agency is saying? How long is your selection process taking?

So as our Companies re-enter the recruitment market, it will be worth paying attention to concerns of potential recruits arising from their experiences and those of their friends during the downturn.

Jim Waters

6 December 2010

As an Outplacement Provider, we are at the coal face of the Employment market. Our Candidates target a wide spectrum of Companies, Sectors, Functions, and Job levels and we work closely with them to achieve success. We think we have a good handle on what is going on.

You will not be surprised when I say that there has been a dramatic reduction in the number of jobs out there. However, we are pleasantly surprised each week at the number of our Candidates who achieve success. What are the keys to this success? Essential ingredients are……

• Tackling the ‘hidden job market’ - the jobs that are filled by Contacts and Cold Calling. Research shows 60%-70% of jobs are filled this way – hard to believe, but it is true!

• Remembering the CV is not a Job Description. Duties and Responsibilities have no place on a CV. A CV is a selling document and you are selling what you have ACHIEVED and what you have DONE. This needs to be the primary thrust of the CV.

• Performing well at interview is about PREPARATION, PREPARATION, PREPARATION. A minimum of two days preparation for each job is required.

• Searching for a Job is a Project and is like any other project. Good Job Search has structure and a Plan with timelines and goals and a tracking tool. Searching for a Job is a job in itself.

• Finally, being out of work is a difficult time in a person’s life. We advise Candidates to seek the emotional support of family and friends, take exercise, eat properly, keep the day structured by keeping normal hours, continue the leisure activities and treats that you enjoy. You need them more than ever when you are out of work.

Job Seekers who attend to these guidelines considerably increase their chances that they will the successful one to land the jobs (although fewer) that are out there.

Jim Waters

20 August  2010

The other day, I was in conversation with a seasoned H.R. Director, and the topic came up about handling Redundancies. Naturally we swopped stories – stories about redundancies that were well handled and redundancies that were not well handled. I am working with one Company at the moment where the redundancies have been well handled and the commitment of the exiting Staff is quite extraordinary – they are pulling out all the stops to ensure that the handover of their work to another Division (located outside the country) is done properly. My colleague is dealing with a Company at the other end of the spectrum, where an unbelievably bad job was done. The grief, distress and pain of the people affected is huge. This has been seen by the Staff left behind and productivity is now affected.

My H.R. Director friend said ‘Any time I had a difference of opinion with a Line Manager on handling an exit I always asked ‘If one of your children came home and told you they had been handled in this way, Would you be happy?….. If your answer is Yes, then we go ahead. If your answer is No, then we need to re-think how we are doing this.’

In the current environment where there is significant pressure on all our businesses and we have to implement redundancies, my friend the H.R. Director is worth remembering.

Jim Waters

5 May 2010

Our new site reflects the changes that have taken place in the business environment over he last number of years, and also outlines the new services that we offer, and the new people on our team. These new skills will allow us to continue in our position as one of the leading Outplacement and Career Transition specialists in Ireland.

TRANSITIONireland is also the Irish Partner of the ARBORA Global Partners Network, a global Network of Leading Outplacement, Career Transition and Leadership Development Companies. This allows TRANSITIONireland to bring International Best Practice to the Irish Market.

We have also added a “blog” feature which already contains some articles from our ARBORA Partners internationally.