Tag Archives: Interview advice

Jackie Brown Medical launches new website!

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Alert!We have just celebrated our 4th Birthday @ Jackie Brown Medical and have given the Business a Birthday present of a fresh and fabulous new website which it deserved!

We now have movement, interraction and life on our site.

We have a Social Media aspect

We have used our job seekers and Clients comments and input in to the content and design.

We have kept the same high standard of Compliance and made it very user friendly.

As the business grows, we learn more and have more to give to you, our readers.

We have features such as our Advice Centre which gives solid advice around interviews, CV layout and Medical Sales which remains one of our Specialist sectors across Medical Recruitment.

We are very excited about it and will watch over the coming months it’s performance with Google and it’s bots!

In 2008 and 2009 we were short listed for ‘Best Online Service’ @ the National Recruitment Federation Awards and we are now aiming for the overall winner.

We couldn’t have done it without you, our readers, so please do keep your comments and feedback coming as it is very important to us to remain on top of our game.

 

Late nights are a ticking time bomb for Health

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Late nights bad for our healthAccording to Irishhealth.com,  people who are often deprived of sleep or have disrupted sleep patterns may be at an increased risk of suffering serious health problems, including heart attacks and stroke, new evidence suggests.

Today’s economy has significant stress, loss of jobs, financial difficulty and this will have an effect on our sleep.

In a new job or in current times, people want to prove themselves and this can lead to working long hours.

Stress and worry for our job searchers can also reduce sleep drastically and leave our job seekers feeling exhausted which can be reflected at interview.

UK researchers looked at studies involving 470,000 people in eight countries, including the UK, Sweden and the US. They found that poor sleep can have serious, long-term health implications.

“If you sleep less than six hours per night and have disturbed sleep, you stand a 48% greater chance of developing or dying from heart disease and a 15% greater chance of developing or dying of a stroke,” explained lead researcher, Prof Francesco Cappuccio, of the University of Warwick.

He said that the current trend for late nights and early mornings ‘is actually a ticking time bomb for our health’ and advised people to ‘act now to reduce the risk of developing these life-threatening conditions’.

“There is an expectation in today’s society to fit more into our lives. The whole work/life balance struggle is causing too many of us to trade in precious sleeping time to ensure we complete all the jobs we believe are expected of us.

“But in doing so, we are significantly increasing the risk of suffering a stroke or developing cardiovascular disease resulting in, for example, heart attacks.”

The study pointed out that chronic short sleep produces hormones and chemicals in the body, which increase the risk of developing heart disease and strokes, as well as other conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes.

However, Prof Cappuccio did warn of the implications of going too far the other way, as sleeping overly long – more than nine hours at a stretch – may also be an indicator of illness, including cardiovascular disease.

“By ensuring you have about seven hours sleep a night, you are protecting your future health and reducing the risk of developing chronic illnesses. The link is clear from our research – get the sleep you need to stay healthy and live longer,” he said.

Details of these findings are published in the European Heart Journal

Less is more!

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Less is more at interview

Less is more at interview

Never a truer statement was made than -

Less is More ……….

Anybody out there who is currently on the jobs market and attending interviews – a word of warning -

Easy on the perfume and aftershave!

There have been a number of comments made by Companies running interviews about the over powering scent left in the room after a number of excitable and nervous interviewees have vacated!

We all know it is important to sound, look and smell fresh and professional, but it is also too easy to over do the smells and this can be very off putting.

We also know many interviewees who would be nervous, smokers or perspiring who try to compensate – be careful, while you definitely want to leave a lasting impression – you do not want to leave a lasting scent!

Remember – Less is More!

The pre interview ‘Mirror Technique’

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Use the 'Mirror Technique' to prepare for your interview

Use the 'Mirror Technique' to prepare for your interview

The pre interview ‘Mirror Technique’ is a very effective way to prepare for an up and coming interview.

We are asked every day for advice and information on how to present yourself at interview.

One of the techniques we highly recommend is to sit in front of a mirror and interview yourself.

Another option is to ask a friend or family member to interview you, but this has disadvantages – you can become self conscious, giddy or the feedback may not be too honest! -

A mirror never lies!

This is a very useful exercise for the following reasons -

  • Do you smile enough
  • How much you fidget
  • How much you use your hands and gesticulate
  • To observe your general body language which is 84% effective, or not in an interview situation
  • Are you casual or professional
  • Do you slouch
  • Do you look to the left or right
  • Are you rigid or relaxed

By playing the role of both interviewer and interviewee, you can observe how you come across to others.

This is concentrating on Body Language and in an interview situation, this is all important

Content of your interview is another matter dealt with seperately, but this ‘Mirror Technique’ focuses primarily on how you come across

In many interview training sessions, videotape is used and played back and this is a similar method to see how you sound, look and come across at an interview.

Unfortunatley, many of us do not have the relevant equipment at home to do this, but we all have access to a mirror!

Remember, when attending an interview, practice the ‘Mirror Technique’ beforehand so you are aware how you come across and have given youself the chance to improve anything you are not happy with BEFORE the actual interview.

Good luck!

Give something back

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Interview and CV preparation skills

Interview and CV preparation skills

It’s always nice to give something back to those who you work with. In the case of recruitment its nice to give something to those that recruiters most depend on to ensure their business’s continue to function;-ie the job seekers.

Many Irish recruitment agencies spend a lot of time taking CV’s but not giving  enough feedback to those who are unsuccessful  in their application but none the less have taken the time to respond to the advertisements that the agency has  run. If they didn’t reply the agencies wouldn’t  have the CV’s they require to support their clients requirements and by extension they would have nothing to offer to sell their recruiting services.

As recruiters work continually involves the professional assessment and presentation of CV’s and daily interviewing of candidates, they are uniquely qualified to present valuable insights and advice to candidates, and to enhance their candidates with the maximum possibility of achieving success in not only winning an interview, but also maximising their competitive potential against opposition at their individual interview.

The NRF has recently taken measures to address this and has set up workshops to educate those who require information on a variety of topics on areas such as CV and interview preparation. Jackie Brown Medical, an NRF award winning recruitment agency in particular, has provided it’s applicants with specialised tips and advice on a wide variety of professional topics to ensure and to enhance their job hunting prospects in today’s challenging employment market for medical professionals seeking work in the medical jobs recruitment market.

Please feel free to visit our website to read our testimonials and to review our advice center topics if you are looking for a winning CV or tips on how to get the best out of agencies and interviews. Its worth your while and our pleasure to help.  After all, its nice to give something back.

Jobseekers Wake up and Smell the coffee

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smell-the-coffee1Jobseekers, wake up and smell the coffee. It is about time YOU took control of your CV.

Here are a few tips:

1. When you apply on-line for a job, take the name of the contact person down and follow up with a call.

2. Do NOT allow  a Recruitment Agency send in your CV to a company without your full knowledge and full consent.

3. Do NOT apply for the same job twice. If you are not sure if it is the same job as it is worded differently in the ad, ring the agency to find out.

4. Be active NOT pro-active. If you see a job you are interested in, but are not sure if you are suitable, phone the agency to find out. Do not waste time applying for jobs that are not suitable for you.

5. Keep in touch with the agency/agencies that you are dealing with on a regular basis. Do not expect them to call you as they are dealing with dozens of jobseekers a day. By phoning the agency, you are showing that you are vigilant and you are also reminding the agency that you are available

By using the above tips, you are TAKING CONTROL OF YOUR CV.

By doing so, you are making sure that you are being represented in the marketplace in the most professional way.

The big interview ‘No No’

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An interview 'No No'

An interview 'No No'

Hi guys,

One of my excellent Candidates was just told yesterday he was unsuccessful in his 2nd interview.

I was very surprised as he ticked all the boxes and had performed very well in his first interview  and the feedback from it had been very positive.

I insisted on getting feedback for him and they told me he talked about his current Employer on three occasions in the interview and each time it was in a negative light.

This left them feeling they could not trust him.

Wow – lesson learnt and a very good point.

For all you job seekers out there, while this is such an Employers market, be very careful to make note of this and to never make such a simple mistake.

Facing the future with ease….

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optimismI was at the NRF (National Recruitment Federation) Annual Conference last Thursday 23d April in Citywest Hotel and I learned a lot of things.

First and foremost, the Conference was all about positivity and the title of their Conference ‘Facing the future with ease’ demonstrated this. There was an air of optimism amongst the delegates and whilst chatting amongst them, I couldn’t help but ask myself ‘what recession?’

Now don’t get me wrong here, the recruitment industry has not been without its casualties, 5,000 to be precise. That seems a lot of people who have lost their jobs in the past year. But as Lucy Gaffney(Chairperson of Communicorps) so rightly said in her lecture on ‘Triump through adversity’, companies have got to become lean and in so doing have got to get rid of people who are not adding to the bottom line.

This is what has happened recently to the Recruitment Industry and those left in the Industry have to work harder and smarter to gain the confidence of their Clients and Candidates. That can only be a good thing as relationship building has been a long forgotten word in this industry. More and more complaints have risen to the fore where candidates now only see recruitment agencies as only in it for the money.

I sincerely hope that the trimming back of the Industry will leave only the best. The best are those who put both their Clients and Candidates first and will always go the extra mile. Don’t get me worng here. The fee is essential to the bottom line and no business can survive without this, but it is not the sole reason in working with a Client or Candidate.

Another lecture that I found fascinating and really enjoyed was the one entitled ‘Taking it personally: Managing our personal response to stressful times’. This was very interesting as Tempy Cummins (Vision 2 Reality) brought us through 9 persoanlity types and how each of these types respond to stress. Each one of us in the room could identify with the response to stress but I found that it was more difficult to identify my personality type. I believed myself to be a mixture of a few. But my reaction to stress was easy to identify. I won’t say it in public but all those who know me, know which way I re-act!

Another lecture I found most interesting was given by Rowan Manahan (Fortify Services). He spoke about the need for the recruitment industry to ‘evolve’. He said that computers are getting more and more intelligent and that by the early teens i.e. 2013, 2014  and 2015, they will take over the Recruitment Industry. This was not said to panic us but to tell us of the importance of innovation and to move with the times. Our industry will be saved by reputation alone and it is up to each one of us working in the industry to keep that intact.

The importance of having a recession strategy was also highlighted at the conference. This meant that each business owner should look at their business and see if the client mix and product offering could be improved or changed to move with the times. This could mean doing a client survey asking what other services outside of recruitment they would like agencies to offer. This could include outplacement services and CV preparation and Interview advice for employees recently made redundant.

Keeping a very positive spirit in the Conference, Frank Collins (NRF President) was delighted to tell us that 13,000 people had come off the live register in January and that out of every 5 people employed one of these had been placed by an agency.

Bill Boorman (Tin Hat Strategy) was also very pleased to tell us that the ‘green shoots’ of recovery were already showing and that he was very confident that a full recovery will start mid 2010.

All in all, it was an excellent Conference and gave back to all of us the positive spirit and hope that we need to meet the forthcoming challenges.