Free National Jobseekers Roadshow Comes to Waterford

With 89% of CV’s including errors, Ireland’s leading recruitment agency Cpl, provides

Top Tips on how to improve your job search

Ann Heraty, CEO, Cpl and Peter Cosgrove, Director, Cpl at the launch of Cpl’s 2012 National Jobseekers Roadshow which will arrive in Waterford on Monday, 30th April.

Cpl, Ireland’s leading recruitment company, is hosting a free jobseekers information event on Monday, 30th April at the Tower Hotel, Waterford.The event, which is in its second year following its success in 2011, is part of a Cpl Nationwide Jobseekers Roadshow, which will provide free, expert information to jobseekers on how to improve their chances of securing employment.

According to Peter Cosgrove, Director, Cpl, although it is a challenging time to be job seeking, up to 60% of Irish companies are recruiting and opportunities still exist for jobseekers, with particular demand for employees in sectors such as Life Sciences; Engineering; Social Media; Finance; Healthcare; IT and Gaming and for those with multilingual skills:

"Jobseekers are seeing a big decrease in jobs advertised, however, there are still opportunities available to candidates. The growth of multinationals in Ireland in particular has seen a huge demand for those with a second language. Meanwhile, the growth in Ireland’s life sciences and technology capability has increased the demand for science, IT and engineering based jobs."

According to Peter, the key to securing a job interview, and ultimately a position, is down to five basic principles, which, although seemingly obvious, are often overlooked:

Top Five Tips for Jobseekers

1. Check your CV for mistakes – then check again!

"Out of 1,000 CV’s analysed by Cpl Recruitment, 89% had formatting, spelling or grammatical errors," says Peter. "Jobseekers need to treat each aspect of the recruitment process with respect and attentiveness. When you think you’ve corrected any errors in your CV – check again. Then get someone else to check for you. Remember it is not what you did that matters it is what you did well."

2. Do your homework

On average, an applicant will send out 30 CV’s before landing a job. This can cause complacency amongst candidates who adapt a ‘one size fits all’ approach to applications. The key is to stay focused and treat each application as if it is the only one you are doing and tailor your application specifically, giving relevant examples of experience.

3. Look outside the box

According to Peter Cosgrove, over 50% of jobs are not advertised. This means that one in two jobs are filled through networking. Use all of your contacts as potential sources of information. Interviewers are always positively biased towards someone who has come recommended to them, so look at your network of friends, colleagues, relations and see how they can help influence your interview positively.

4. Interview Techniques

According to Peter, there are four key points to remember before any interview: "Many interviewers make their decision within minutes of meeting a candidate based on four points; eye contact (or lack of it); how you have presented yourself; your handshake; and whether or not you smile. Smiling in an interview situation shows you are confident and relaxed, as well as personable."

5. Stay Positive

"There are 1.7 million jobs in Ireland and you only need one of them," says Peter. "Keep a positive approach and remember your attitude and personality are your biggest assets. A company can train you or improve your skills, but your attitude is all about you"

Cpl will be offering further advice on topics for job seekers such as how to prepare a CV; interview techniques and presentation skills. Admission is free. To pre-register, please visit http://www.cpl.ie