The Worst Ever Office Freak Out Ever

Lets hope this is not a sign of things to come!

The Group Interview – Great Idea or just an American Fantasy??

I went for an interview the other week for a role I have always been interested in. It was a group interview, the first group interview I have ever attended so I thought I would share with you my thoughts on…

“There we were, fifteen of us (interviewees), five of them (interviewers), all sat around a big boardroom table. There was  lots of smiling and trying to look like you were the most interested in what they had to say. Trying to tell them with your eyes “hire me!”. Then came the 2 minute presentation of yourself, after the 5th person it began to get boring. 

We were then split into groups of four and asked to come up with some ideas for a new office within the company. Here we saw the more imaginative people emerge!

After that came the debates. One minute to prepare, four minutes to talk. Some excelled while others choked on their own words.

Three and a half hours later and it’s all over!”

This company really places a lot of importance on the staff they hire as all companies should do, but 3 and half hours was a bit extreme.

Still times are tough so they say in the recession and maybe we will start seeing employers putting in a lot more stringent interview criteria in place if they have the time, making sure they select the best out of many applicants.

I got called back for a second interview and this time it was just me and 5 interviewing me. The interview lasted for an hour and for those of you interested I got the job!

Never Offer To Make Coffee!

“In an open plan office there is a ritual where everyone waits hours for the first person to say: “Who wants a coffee?” That person then finds themselves in the kitchen for the rest of the day working as a junior catering manager.“

I was going to motivate you with a blog about best office tips and how to excel in today’s competitive office environment…but came across a much more interesting post instead.

Written with total tongue in cheek, Guy Brownings alternative 20 tips for surviving life in the workplace. He has some gems such as never answer a phone as it’s usually a call from your boss or a customer wanting you to work!

Of course not to be taken seriously but would certainly be tempting to try some of his tips on a fun work day.

Wouldn’t that be great if maybe as a fundraiser you could co-ordinate a fun day in work where anything goes. You would have to sell it to the boss but pick a worthy cause and it could help lift morale for the company – much needed as everyone is under stress due to this little old recession.

20 top tips for surviving life in the workplace

Looking for a Job is a Job in Itself

Visitor rates are increasing by the month to our site www.AdminJobs.ie and the number of job seekers CV applications on the site have noticeably doubled over the past four months!

The competition just got bigger in getting your dream job.

The biggest challenge in your job hunt will be staying motivated. I have come up with 12 tips to help keep you motivated and ensure you are doing everything within your power to get that job.

·        The most important tip is get out of Bed! Treat looking for a job as a full time job in itself. Get up every morning as you would if you were employed.

 

·        Set yourself a daily schedule with goals and targets in your job hunting search.

 

·        Be ready online each morning to research the web for job openings. Set a time and don’t schedule non job hunting activities into that time slot.

 

·        Spend at least 2 hours a day researching the web on job boards such as www.AdminJobs.ie and all the generalist job sites.

 

·        Register with all relevant job board sites and set yourself up with job alerts.

 

·        Event though you will receive job alerts by email each day, you must also go back and search through the jobsites for new roles advertised, for any roles that could be newly advertised out of your job alert settings but would be still relevant for you to apply to.

 

·        Research companies that you would like to work for and send in your CV regardless if they are advertising for a position. Many companies have put new posts on hold since October and you never know, your CV may just land in their inbox at just the right time!

 

·        Lower your criteria. Your dream job may be to work as a Pr assistant in a busy media agency but it may take you a few career steps to get there. Apply for any roles related to the required industry you want to get a foot into.

 

·        Set yourself a goal of getting out 10 Cv applications or more a day. Don’t leave the PC until you have reached your applications target.

 

·        Follow up all your CV applications with a call, asking if they received your CV. It shows you are keen to work for their company.

 

·        Keep a record of where you have applied and for what role. Track if you have chased up the application.

 

·        Think outside the box. Is there something you could volunteer to do whilst you are actively seeking employment that would look good on your CV? Events / Galas anything that shows initiative.

Hope this helps, happy job hunting!