Medical Card Online

Medical Card Genius!

Medical Card Genius!

Medical Card Online!

It seems the HSE have finally come into the technological world and start to use it to everyone’s advantage.

With delays on everything HSE, between being inundated with applications from the unemployment line to disputes and strikes across the board, it seems everyone is waiting for something from the HSE.

BUT, after much criticism received on the delays and waiting times for medical cards, the HSE have announced their launch of their GP visit or Medical Card online application service.

You can now go online and check if you qualify and if so, you can also go through the motions with their online application service!

Paddy Burke, Head of the HSE’s Primary Care Reimbursement Service (PCRS) says, “The service will be of interest to thousands of people who simply wish to verify eligibility”.

He went on to comment on “90% of applicants who automatically qualify for a medical card based on their income will be able to use the website for their cards”.

With a combination of relief from applicants and also the HSE employees workload, this may well be one of the best steps the HSE has taken in recent times.

Jobs on the Increase

Light at the End of the Recessionary Tunnel!

Light at the End of the Recessionary Tunnel!

It seems that jobs are on the increase and that there really is a map in place for new jobs coming up in the next 2-3 years in Ireland.

There have been various reports on the news about Ireland coming out of this recession in the next 3 years and slow as I am to admit it, it does seem like the investments keep coming!

From semiconductor producers investing in their Irish plants to US call center giants  creating 400 jobs in the gaming industry, to a Galway company winning a space agency contract, one cannot argue with the facts in plain sight - jobs are on the increase!

Plus don’t forget all this talk of Nano-Technology – however, that may be just a little longer than 3 years!

So whether you gained all your experience in the semi-conductor world or you have worked in a call centre all your life, things really do like they are turning for the better.

Slowly but surely we will get there!

Track your CV

Check!

Check!

Are you applying for jobs on the internet? Make sure you track your CV and know exactly where you send it. It is good CV management to know who you have applied to so you do not duplicate your applications.

Take a look at our advice section on ”A Guide to Using Recruitment Agencies”.

The best advice we can give you is to start a checklist on each and every company and agency you send your CV to. Recruitment Agencies should always tell you where they would like to send your CV and leave the decision with you. From here you can goto your checklist and see if you have already submitted your details to that same company.

We have a special excel spreadsheet you can download to make sure you don’t forget who you send you CV to.

If you are using multiple agencies or applying to multiple positions around the country then this document is a must!

Nail that Interview

Nail it!

Nail it!

When coming to the end of your interview, it is vital that you come out of there knowing exactly where you stand. Nail that interview!

  • See it as closing a sale
  • What happens now?
  • Where do I stand?
  • Will there be a second interview?
  • Will you call me or do I call you?
  • When will I hear feedback?

“Close the sale” to put it in Salesman terms!

There is nothing worse than walking out of an interview, getting into your car and thinking “what now?”. Instead of being unsure as to whether you impressed your interviewer, or whether you gave them all the information they needed to hear, simply ask them at the end of the interview.

Believe it or not, it is seen as assertive!

Nail that Interview!

No CV?

Start from Scratch

Start from Scratch

No CV? Why not try downloading our CV layout and start there?

http://www.jackiebrownmedical.ie/advice/cvlayout.php?url=cvlayout

In this day and age it is the most essential tool for the working person! No CV is a no-no. Your CV should have a permanent place on your desk top where it can scream at you to update!

With sites like Linkedin and connections being made through social networks, it really is essential that you have a CV drawn up.

If you have no CV don’t worry, sort it with our layout!

The Right Job


The Application

The Application

Applying for the right job is paramount in this day and age. It is an employer’s market right now so your application success depends on a variety of moves.

A few tips to point you in the right direction!

The Application

  • Make sure you quote the job reference yes, but more importantly the Job Title!
  • Read the Job Spec. It is imperative you are qualified to do the job – whether educationally or years experience. Some people require both! Most importantly, if you can’t do the job don’t apply for it! It really won’t be the right job for you.
  • The questions. Answer the questions given at the end of the job before you click send. It saves a lot of time so be nice to the kind people receiving your application?

The Cover Sheet/ Email:

  • Let the person receiving your mail know why you are applying. They really do read it, so give a small synopsis of yourself right and your working experience.

The CV

  • If you are happy with it, attach it!

The Send Button

  • Does exactly what it says on the tin!

Economic Meltdown

Working together for the future

Working together for the future

Economic Meltdown appears to have been averted in the 2010 Budget but this is small consolation for those of us in the private and public sector who now are bearing the brunt of the severest budget in living memory. The worldwide economic community appear to be full of praise but the reality is we, the Irish Nation will have to live with reduced incomes, strikes and reduced living standards for at least the next three years

The only positive aspect of all this is, that good or bad news what ever your perspective we at least now have direction and from here action can be taken. From an oft heard maxim, fear causes paralysis, action cures fear.

Perhaps at this point we may see a move towards job creation as the economic fire fighting that has so long been a feature of the governments performance in the past two years  may soon move into positive decisive action that will encourage investment and bring us back to some semblance of order and perhaps to a new economy that leaves behind the pursuit of property as an end in itself and back towards an econmy that relies on Irish knowledge, skills and talents that brought prosperity in the recent past.

But  perhaps this time we will remember what and who brought us today to the situation we find ourselves in as a nation and  perhaps next time round we will be weary of sweet promises of today that bring a bitter tomorrow from those we previously regarded as the pillars of our nation

The importance of ‘Time out’

TAKING  TIME  OUT

TAKING TIME OUT

It’s Friday and the weekend is near – a psychological avantage for those in the Corporate sector – but do remember, no matter how fast your fast lane is, do not underestimate the important of ‘Time out’.

Time out is something we do little of these days as the economic decline increases the pessimism and negativity all around us.

Everyone is worried about the up and coming budget and still reeling from the effects of the last one.

Common questions – how do I meet my deadlines, pay the bills, feed the kids – is my job safe?

We all suffer from bad Time Management and as we can’t find the ‘time’ to do things, how do we find the ‘time’ to have ‘time out’?

Allocate it – it is more important then anything else.

We all need to quickly learn to get out of the fast lane and slow down – even if it is 5 minutes a day.

This is a reality check on today’s society and can become all consuming, if we do not take the important step of having some ‘Time out’, we could get very swallowed up by all the doom and gloom.

It is a well known cliché, if you do not look after yourself, you will be no good for anyone else you look after.

Be it a walk with the dog, a trip in the car, a latté with friends or a good auld chin wag, it has to be done as stress is a killer and builds up tension slowly and dangerously.

Don’t let stress get to you – get to it first -

TAKE  TIME  OUT!