Choosing The Postgraduate Route

A Higher Degree Increase Potential Earnings.

Today’s Blog follows on from last weeks which highlighted the various paths open to students and graduates by examining the advantages of a postgraduate degree.

Having finished college, the most popular route taken by graduates is into immediate employment but deciding to pursue further education, as well as diversifying, can give a potential employee numerous advantages in today’s job market.

Statistics show that the higher level of qualification a graduate has, the higher their earnings will ultimately be. This in itself may seem justification enough to seriously consider the postgraduate path. But research also shows that a higher degree has the benefit of increasing a candidate’s chances of being called to interview when compared with a bachelor’s degree. As many graduates know, competition in today’s employment market begins with CV appraisal and well before the interview stage.

Adapt and Thrive

The range of additional skills that come with further education can also be advantageous in the areas of self-management, confidence and the ability to diversify in order to find multi-level solutions to business problems and impasses. Prospective employees with the ability to think on their feet and bring a wide range of experience to an organisation are valued highly. Gary Hamel, one of the world’s foremost business thinkers and strategists, summed this up perfectly when he said, “You can’t build an adaptable organisation without adaptable people.”

Extra Third Level Funding

Funding for third level degree courses is expected to rise significantly in this year’s budget which will be announced in October. Some figures suggest an investment of over 100 million Euros, part of which will be allocated towards postgraduate grants. This is in itself good reason to reconsider the postgraduate path. Courses can accommodate varying needs, including both taught and research-based curriculum’s so there is room for manoeuvre depending upon a graduates circumstances. Whether a graduate chooses to progress in such varying sectors such as computing or healthcare the employment statistics tell the same story; the further a candidate progresses in education, the more likely they will be to find employment. Postgraduate job statistics continue to bear this out.

Price of Progress

It seems the economy is thankfully turning a corner with increased activity visible across a number of different sectors such as construction, architectural, food industry & professional services.  This has resulted in a lot more job opportunities, so much so that some job seekers are now receiving multiple job offers during their change in employment. It is very quickly moving from an employer’s market to a candidate’s market and as such choosing the right employer and waiting for the right package is now an option for some.

But getting back to an important question I was asked recently should I accept or decline a job  offer? Well it really depends on the offer and a myriad of considerations from personal to professional.  Although the position you have been offered may not have the initial financial rewards you had hoped for, don’t forget it may still offer you a step in the right direction and sometimes this step in the right direction can propel you forward considerably and is much more important than any short term financial gain.

Look at the offer in detail and factor in questions such as, is the company closer to home? is there paid overtime? are expenses accepted for work related activities? is there career growth potential? does this new position get me closer to where I want to go in my career? does it include educational support, pension or health care?  are there more holidays? flexi time or early finish on a Friday? You see on the surface the base salary offered may be disappointing but take the time to sit down with a calculator and work out the complete offering in detail and you may find it’s not that bad after all.

Bottom line examine all aspects of the offer and before you decline the offer go back to the company with your comments, if it’s still not for you then don’t accept. Remember, sometimes you need to take a side step in order to get to your dreams and this is the price of progress.

Elk Recruitment 'Connecting Success'

How important is a Job Description?

A job description is an extremely important document for both the employee and the employer.  It should be an accompaniment to the contract of employment, a one-page overview that explains to both parties clearly what is expected from an individual working in a given position within an organisation. It often includes areas such as Roles and Responsibilities, desired skill-set/qualifications reporting structure and potential goals.

Job descriptions are such a beneficial necessity when it comes to transparency in organisations despite ludicrous trains of thought that they are restrictive, if they are restrictive then you have created them incorrectly.  We all know that positions within a company are fluid in nature and organically change over time dependent on business needs and employee development. The purpose of the Job description is to detail the foundations of a given role, the basics that must be done to allow this position to operate effectively at a fundamental level. When things get extremely busy in work we occasionally get lost in tasks and find ourselves operating outside of our allocated areas of responsibility or remit, sometimes by request from management sometimes not. Although this situation can be healthy as it promotes personal growth, we always need a reference point to return to, and the job description allows this.

It can be extremely frustrating & stressful for an employee not to understand fully what his/her job is, a job description prevents this. It is also important to point out that companies that don’t use Job descriptions are walking a rocky road, for instance, how can management review an employee on performance if they have not taken the time to explain to them what their job is in the first place? Custom and practice unless well documented can be extremely subjective. 

Clarity and transparency is measurable, it is healthy for both parties to know exactly what is expected, if the company pays x amount then in return a, b, c, & d is expected.

Let’s keep it simple

How to job hunt effectively

How to Job Hunt Effectively.

Job hunting can be a very stressful and difficult time for most of us especially when it’s the result of losing your job rather than choosing to leave.  As hard as it may be, try not to look at your current situation as world ending because it isn’t, instead look on this situation as the universes way of telling you loudly that what you were doing in the past needed changing, so take this time given to you to reflect and plan your next move strategically.

Most people at this point make a critical mistake, they simply dust of the old CV and blitz the market place with it by loading it up on to every job board and submit it to every recruitment company known to man, this is a DISASTER and a fatal mistake.  Take the time to review your CV first and ask yourself if this CV represents me and my skill-set effectively? am I proud of myself when I read this CV? If not redo your CV until its excellent, if you can’t, get help. In addition, get yourself an excellent LinkedIn profile and make sure it reflects your CV.

Identify the job that suits your skill set, if you don’t have the skill then up-skill.  Seek out the companies you would like to work for and research them, check out their website, check out the latest vacancies onjob boards, newspapers and seek out recruitment companies that specialise in your industry.

When the above is complete, connect & network in person, don’t expect the internet to do the work for you, you are one of thousands looking for a job so hunt effectively.  If you would like to send your CV directly to an employer or recruitment company, find out the contact name in that organisation and ring them in person, let them know you are on the lookout or interested in the job advertised and ask them if it is ok for you to send your CV to them directly, in doing this you are building a rapport and putting a voice and a living person behind your CV, vitally important

Look at your job search as a project and remember don’t panic, reflect and plan strategically.

Goal Planning Over The Holiday Season

Goal Planning Over The Holiday Season

It’s the Holiday Season and we all are really looking forward to our few days’ leave and rightly so.  It’s time to rejuvenate the batteries, put your feet up in front of the TV & enjoy a well-earned break with family and friends, a blessing that can sometimes be lost in the hustle and bustle of a busy year.  But when the dust settles and the 27th Dec passes, It can also be an amazing time to take some time out to do some goal planning for a successful 2016. If you have not started your 2016 goal planning by then, well you know the saying “Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail”.  Here is a five step process to help you plan your success.

Step 1. Identification

Find a quiet spot away from the TV, Radio, Kids and any other possible distractions to start your goal planning.  Get yourself a cup of tea, coffee or refreshment of your choosing & a pen and paper and start jotting down all of the career/job related goals you have for 2016.  It could be anything from leaving your current employer, working on your CV, getting that promotion, starting college, earning more money, setting up your business, moving premises etc.  Remember don’t think about this step too much, don’t over analyse, write down whatever goals come into your mind.

Step 2. Sequencing

When the first step is complete, this now becomes the raw material to work with, your job related wish list if you will.  You then need to start organising these goals in a sequence for planning.  The best way to do this is to rate each Goal with a 1, 2, or 3 status, based on its realistic achievability, time it will take to complete and of course the monetary cost of same which ultimately identifies which goals you are going to start with first.

Step 3. Planning

Start with the status 1’s and let’s begin creating the blueprint to achieve each goal. This is the part of the process that you need focus on in detail and Identify each step in sequence that needs to be completed in order to move onto the next step, assign a time frame to complete the step and a cost if applicable for that step.  I have always found MS project or Excel an excellent tool for this.  Also have a plan B, and C plan in place to combat (Murphy’s law), for sure you are going to need it but don’t be swayed from your ultimate goal and don’t procrastinate when times get tough.

Step 4. Execution

“We are all born with a purpose and when you know what this purpose is and you tell yourself that you will not settle for mediocrity, you will then begin to manifest your greatness,”

Les brown

You have now turned your goal planning into a success road map, you have identified each of the steps and you need to go at it with a vigour and assertiveness like never before.  You cannot be stopped, your goals are achievable and it’s important that no matter what, you achieve these goals. Review and update your plan every week and make sure you are on track, every time you encounter an issue a bump in the road, bring it back to the huddle, identify the issue, devise a solution and move on, its up to you.

Step 5. Reflection

As a result of your goal planning, your first goal has now been complete. How did it go? Use this period to reflect on what worked well and what can be improved on.  When you carry out this review, adopt your findings to your next project and you will quickly master the process and become extremely effective and efficient at your goal planning skills.

The Irish Elk & Elk Recruitment

This is probably one of the most frequent questions we get asked when meeting both clients and candidates for the first time, why Elk Recruitment?

From the outset we wanted an Irish association with our business/brand.  We started initially with the names of Irish flowers due to my keen interest in gardening but too be honest to have an Irish Flower  as our name in Irish although beautiful, most names would just be too complicated to pronounce (Clover – Seamair Lochlannach) particularly for our international brethren.

“Broadly speaking, a brand is a set of hooks the mind uses to organise its experience of a commercial offering” Eugene Yiga, knowledge manager, Synovate Laboratories”

We wanted a name and logo synonymous with Irish history & strength, a name that makes you visualise a powerful presence and within a very short period of time it was very obvious that the Irish Elk was a perfect fit for our Brand.  It is extremely important to us that every aspect of our organisation is thought through and each area of it complements and adds to our overall offering and vision of the business, we feel that the Irish Elk represents this vision perfectly.

“The Irish Elk or Giant Deer, was the largest deer that ever lived. It lived in Eurasia, from Ireland to east of Lake Baikal, during the Late Pleistocene and early Holocene. The latest known remains of the species have been carbon dated to about 5,700 BC, or about 7,700 years ago. The Giant Deer is famous for its formidable size (about 2.1 meters or 7 feet tall at the shoulders), and in particular for having the largest antlers of any known cervid (a maximum of 3.65 meters/12 feet from tip to tip and weighing up to 90 pounds)”

taken from http://www.oddee.com/item_88742.aspx

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Unitized Curtain Walling & Supply Chain Management!

Unitized Curtain Walling & Supply Chain Management

Along with an excellent design team with a design for manufacture mind set, one of the other main key ingredients to executing a successful unitised curtain walling project is making sure you have in place and BEFORE you start an excellently controlled well-oiled supply chain. A unitised curtain walling project needs to be visualised and mapped as an assembly line starting at estimation and running right through design, procurement, manufacturing, installation to hand over on site. In order for the project to be successful this assembly line must be managed meticulously with as much precision and planning as an automotive line. With unitised curtain walling you really are “only as good as its weakest link”

Its only Unitised, a statement you perish on!

A unitised curtain walling panel is a completed assembled section of the external envelope which may contain some or all of the following curtain walling parts, Aluminium Profiles, Steel Profiles, Steel inserts, Aluminium Panels, Galvanised Panels, Insulation, EPDM, Glass, Gaskets, Steel brackets, Aluminium Brackets, Fixings and Sealants. To complicate matters even more, all of these parts can come from different suppliers from different countries with different lead times and some components may have multiple steps to go through in order for it to be fit for purpose such as fabrication then powder coating, not to mention that you have a curing time when structurally bonding glass to the unitised frames and they must remain horizontal. The fun part is ensuring that despite all this, all of the required components must end up on the production line at the same time with the drawings, otherwise the unitised panel even without only one screw cannot be completed.

What happens when your supply chain is uncontrolled?

“Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail” it really is that simple. Unlike stick curtain walling, a poorly managed unitised curtain walling supply chain usually shows up first in the factory which can result in some or all of the following issues,

• Production line is running only in some cells, its running slowly or fully stopped
• Incomplete unitised Panels scattered throughout the factory with missing components taking up space
• Double handling unitised panels in the factory, stacking them until correct materials finally arrive
• Overtime goes through the roof trying to pull the project back in
• Panels arriving to site in the wrong sequence that cannot be installed in the right sequence
• Complete confusion, site ends up telling the factory which panels they need first, Quality suffers
• Cash flow on project goes out the window (excuse the pun) due to delays
• Client not happy, staff not happy
• You lose future business

Then why unitised curtain walling

The benefit of unitised to traditional Stick Curtain Wall when you get it right is twofold, the installation costs associated with Unitised are far less than traditional Stick as there is far less installation involved and it gets installed in a far shorter period of time 15 panels – 30 panels per day, the Quality of installation is also far better as most of the installation work is actually carried out in a controlled factory environment before it goes to site.

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Elk Recruitment are connecting success and on the Move!

Elk Recruitment are so excited to announce that we have opened up our UK address in City Road, London. The reason for this, as stated by Clive Dunne of Elk Recruitment is

“To be close to the action currently experienced in the growing fenestration industry there, it is also what our growing Curtain Walling client base require from us as a specialist in our field so that at the drop of a hat an Elk Recruitment representative can be onsite to discuss/resolve staffing issues”

Growth has been consistent in the fenestration industry to date and this has been seen in many geographical locations such as the United Kingdom , the Americas and also a welcomed recent upsurge in the Irish market both in the commercial and residential Façade sectors. This increase in activity across the board does not come without its Ying & Yang which currently present in the form of skilled staff shortages which is now an issue for most organisations especially in the curtain walling arena.

Of these skilled staff shortages Senior Façade Designers, Façade Designers, Draughtsmen and Façade Project Management disciplines seem to be most hit. The other point to note and as a direct result of demand is there has been a noticeable increase in salary scales for these disciplines in the façade industry and there doesn’t seem to be any signs of slowing as demand continues, counter offers also now seem to be unfortunately the norm.

Elk Recruitment are looking forward to growing our presence in Ireland, the UK and the Americas going forward, the response and welcoming of our business to the Façade market has been amazing thus far and long may it continue, However in order for our partnerships to develop effectively we are quickly seeing that it is extremely important that our clients take a serious look at their upcoming projects based on current demand and plan their staffing requirements way in advance to ensure the right resources are available at Kick off.

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Elk Recruitment - The Facade Specialist

Elk Recruitment is a privately owned niche recruitment firm founded in 2015 with offices currently in Ireland and the United Kingdom. Our core competency is the placement of permanent and contract mid to senior level professionals within the Fenestration, Façade, Curtain Walling & Medical Device industry throughout Europe – Asia – North & South America.

“At our core we are fully focused on the delivery of a value adding service, a service that we know is relevant to the façade and manufacturing industry”

Our in-depth knowledge particularly of the façade industry comes from having worked for aluminium/glass & steel façade, manufacturing companies for over 16 years domestically and internationally.  During this time gaining invaluable experience and insight into elements of the business such as Estimation, Design, Engineering, Procurement, Manufacturing and Project Management.  This practical in industry senior experience coupled with a very strong academic background, is what differentiates Elk Recruitment from its competitors in our chosen field.

We are an honest, reputable and knowledgeable company who prides itself on Quality and Service and will endeavour at all times to exceed the needs of our clients whilst also ensuring our candidates aspirations are met with the goal of forging lasting relationships.  We are also a proud member of the National Recruitment Federation and as such execute our recruitment process to the highest of standards and in conjunction with the N.R.F. code of conduct.

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Job Hunting

Job hunting can be a very stressful and difficult time for most of us especially when it’s the result of losing your job rather than choosing to leave.  As hard as it may be, try not to look at your current situation as world ending because it isn’t, instead look on this situation as the universes way of telling you loudly that what you were doing in the past needed changing, so take this time given to you to reflect and plan your next move strategically.

Most people at this point make a critical mistake, they don’t reflect or plan, they simply dust of the old CV and blitz the market place with it by loading it up on to every job site and issue it to every recruitment company known to man, this is a DISASTER and a fatal mistake.  Take the time to review your CV first and ask your self is this a document that represents me effectively? Am I proud of myself when I read this document? If not redo your CV and ensure it’s an excellent document, if you can’t achieve this on your own get help as it’s vitally important .  In addition get yourself an excellent LinkedIn profile and make sure it complements your CV and is up to date.

Identify the job that suits your skill set, if you don’t have the skill then upskill.  Seek out the companies you would like to work for and research them, check out their website, check out the latest vacancies on job boards and seek out recruitment companies that specialise in your industry or companies you would like to work for.

When the above is complete, connect & network in person, don’t expect the internet to do the work for you, you are one of thousands looking for a job so be different.  If you would like to send your CV directly to an employer or recruitment company, find out the contact name in that organisation and ring them in person, let them know you are on the lookout or interested in the job advertised and ask them if it is ok for you to send your CV to them directly, in doing this you are building a rapport and putting a voice and living person behind your CV.

Look at your job search as a project and remember don’t panic, reflect and plan.

Check out our other Blogs at: http://www.elkrecruitment.com/news/

A Guide to CV Excellence Part 1

I think it makes sense at this stage to give you a brief history of who I am and what qualifies me to blog about this topic which I am very passionate about.

I am 40 years of age, married to a beautiful wife and we have three amazing kids, along with a dog, horse, 2 cats a rabbit and 3 fish, there is always noise, dirty football boots, ballet, Xbox, iPad, tears and laughter and that’s what we do to unwind!  My professional career started in business over 16 years ago. During this time I have completed a Master’s Degree, worked as a direct employee at group level, been a management consultant internationally, professional profiler and most recently a business owner of a recruitment firm that operates globally.  I love what I do and really enjoy working with people and sharing the knowledge I have gained to date in the hope it helps somewhat.

Over the past 2 years I have created many CV’s for family and friends and friends of friends and eventually as word got out, I was being asked by professionals across multiple industries such as hair and beauty, Arts, Golfing, Construction, Armed forces, Manufacturing, Senior Management, Electrical etc… to assist them in creating a professional, legible and promoting CV that would get them noticed, and to date the results and feedback from employers and candidates has been excellent.

So why the Blog? During these past 16 years and despite the plethora of free information available, 1000’s of CV’s have passed my desk for junior and senior candidates and most of which are simply terrible! in layout and content. To this day, it still baffles me as to why a candidate would expect to get to an interview when it is quite clear to the reader that they have put little or no effort into the presentation/content of their CV knowing that this document will unfortunately determine whether they get called for that interview or not.

I think the reason for this is twofold,

1. We don’t weight the importance of our CV or take it serious?
2. We don’t understand that layout and content is a game changer?

Your CV is your professional passport, your representative voice pre interview and this document will determine largely your fate.

Over the next couple of articles which I hope you find both useful and interesting, I would like to cover some CV basics with you, such as Layout, Colour, Headings, Tone, Career History, Achievements, Social Media, References and Hobbies and getting to know your CV.

So do your career a favor, blow the dust of your CV and ask yourself,

Does your CV impress or depress a reader?

Does your CV represent your current skillset?

Are you excited and proud of yourself when you read your CV?

As a document does its professionalism represent your professionalism?

Does it match the Job I am applying for?

Would I hire me based on this CV?

Thank you for reading and I hope you will find the coming articles helpful,

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When is it time to change jobs?

I get asked this question a lot, when is it the right time to change jobs, careers or start a business, the answer is not an easy one to determine and in my opinion varies from person to person and is completely up to the individual to conclude although to me there are some very obvious tell-tale signs its time and this question needs some deeper contemplation.   

For sure, we are only on this planet for a short period of time and a large portion of our lives are spent in work or thinking about work so based on this fact alone and at a basic level work should be an enjoyable and productive experience or at the very least it should meet our basic needs and make our lives and the lives of our loved ones comfortable, if not? there is something we need to change and change quick.

At a deeper level, whilst in work we all have motivating factors for being there, whether that’s progress, success, control or money there is always a reason.  Bottom line, if you are in work and your motivating factors are not been met then it’s time to change no matter what. Time waits for no man, so if its fear that prevents you from making the change, understand that death awaits us all whether we like it or not and this for me is the one statement that helps me refocus and gets me through difficult decisions or situations, so find your statement!

“Your fear may be becoming what you know you can be, whilst my fear is not becoming what I know I can be”

I never had it easy and everything I achieved even now is only achieved through grit and determination and do you know what? I would not have it any other way as it makes you strong, “it’s not about how many times you can get hit, it’s about how many times you can get hit and keep getting up”, same applies to your job, if it’s getting you down and not meeting your motivating needs day after day, don’t accept it, change it! Understand that this is life’s way of telling you you need to change something and remember life is short so don’t be afraid of failure, failure is important for our progress.

It’s important to point out that taking the decision to change job, career or start your own business might not be something that can be executed immediately.  It may take time to plan and a change in mind-set may be necessary but taking that decision only takes an instant and trust me, making that decision will change your life forever.  It won’t be easy and it will be hard, but trust your gut, be brave, listen to what your heart is telling you and most importantly you owe it to yourself to be the best person you can be and use your time on this planet to be the best at whatever profession you choose to do and if you don’t feel that right now? then it’s time to do something about it, say yes to your potential.

“Live full, die empty” – Les Brown

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