Tag Archives: Job Search

Interview Tips: Look The Part – Free hair do in Dublin 2.

It may be a cliché but appearance is everything and first impressions count. When you are going for a job interview you need to be turned out from top-to-toe and that includes having your hair looking right too and the simple rule that works every time is “Clean & Neat”.

Times are tough and it is not always possible to get to the hairdresser as often as we would like but the good folks at “Queen” want to help you get that job you are after. If you or a friend have been out of work, for 6 months or more and have a job interview in Dublin City Centre, they are offering to do your hair for free!

If you want to book an appointment then just put in a quick call to Emma on +353 (0) 1 478 9633, for details and to arrange a time. You will also need to bring your letter of proof to confirm the job details and they will look after the rest! (Contact queen.ie for Terms & Conditions). Please address all enquiries to queen.ie and NOT Life Science Recruitment.

Some tips for Interview Hair-Style

  • Wash and dry your hair the day before the interview. By getting that out of the way, you’ll save time the day of the big interview and be able to focus on the task at hand.
  • If your hair is long, consider tying it back in a ponytail. This way, you won’t be tempted to nervously play with it.
  • If you are considering colouring or cutting your hair then get it done a day or two before the interview to allow for anything going wrong – Nothing will know your interview confidence like a really bad-hair-day.
  • Avoid wearing a hat as part of your outfit. If you need a hat to keep yourself warm or dry, remove it before entering the building, and if possible check a mirror to tidy any ruffled traces of hat head.
  • Avoid flashy hair accessories.
  • Keep your hair out of your face at all costs. Long curls falling into your eyes while they may look nice don’t always project a professional image. If you need to get them out of your face, using a simple hair-clip or bobby pin is a suitable solution.

Post by Patrick James Horan

Disclaimer:  Life Science Recruitment and Queen.ie are two separate companies and in no way affiliated.  This post is for information purposes only and not intended as an endorsement of Queen.ie. We accept no responsibility for the actions of Queen.ie in relation to their product or service. 

Tips to Help You Sleep Easy While Job Seeking

One of the most exacting and tiring things any one of us ever has to do is “Job Hunting” which is somewhat ironic considering how many sleepless nights can be caused by job seeking.

Being out of work, in a job you are unhappy with or simply looking for a new career can all take its toll on someone’s health and often, the first casualty is sleep. Job hunting can mean really long days of job searching, networking, interviewing, reading, and preparing. It’s easy to become worn down by frustration and stress and slip into a cycle of sleepless nights, even insomnia, lack of motivation, diminished interview skills and a negative outlook, all of which will manifest itself in job search performance and make it even harder to gain employment.

Staying mentally healthy during your “Job Search” is vital to your success and sleep is vital to good health.

If you are finding it hard to settle at night, here are a few tips that might just help and we will be expanding on these topics in articles over the coming weeks.

Tips to help with sleep:

  • Regular exercise can be a great help, even if it is just a brisk walk in the evening.
  • Eat a healthy diet and avoid caffeine or alcohol close to bed time.
  • Make a schedule. The better you are about getting to bed and rising each morning at the same time, the more your body will work with you instead of against you as you try to a good night’s sleep.
  • Find someone to talk with – Rather than keeping your thoughts and fears in your head, your spouse, partner or good friend might be able to lighten your load. It is also important to share your hopes and ideas, as talking will relieve the pressure enough to possibly let you sleep.
  • Unwind The key here is to relax at least an hour before you plan to hit the hay. Soft music, dim lights, a relaxing book or a warm soothing bath can all help in preparing you for a good night’s sleep. Turn off the television, laptop and all other tech devices, and halt work altogether. You have done enough for the day – you can resume your job search tomorrow.
  • Warm Cup of Milk or my own personal favourite “Ojas Rasayana” (Recipe Below)
  • Memory core dump – Keep a small note pad beside your bed and if you wake up during the night with something worrying you or racing around in your head then write it down in no more than one or two sentences and agree to deal with it tomorrow.
  • Consult your doctor – If you are having problems sleeping, it is a good idea to see your local doctor. They will understand and can give you the reassurance of a check-up.

Recipe: “Ojas Rasayana”.Deep Sleep Smoothie

This is one of my own personal favourites night-time drinks and I have found it to help when I have suffered restless night.

The ingredients are readily available from health stores – It’s a natural recipe from Ayurvedic tradition and makes for a very tasty drink before bed. Try taking it an hour before bed for a night of sweet dreams and deep slumber.

Ojas is the Ayurveda word for deep nourishment, our underlying reserves of energy. Ojas gives patience, contentment, longevity,  stamina, endurance, strength, stability. In the Autumn, when Vata dominates, Ojas is available to us through seasonal foods like root vegetables, grains, ghee, nuts and seeds, dates, raisins and sweet Autumn fruits.

Rasayana is a grand word used in many contexts, including an entire branch of Ayurveda. Generally it means rejuvenative, and more modernly, anti-aging, stress-reducing. “Rasayana is the designation given to special herbs, fruits and spices, or combinations of them, that are particularly renowned for the positive influence they have on overall health, vitality and longevity.”

Recipe courtesy of: Food A Love Story

Disclaimer:  Please note that this post is for information purposes only. I am not a medical doctor, physician or sleep researcher. This information at no point should be used in place of seeking official advice from a qualified medical doctor. The recipe offered here merely reflects the author’s personal experience and is not offered as expert opinion – if you have any doubt about any of the ingredients please consult your GP beforehand.

 

How to Get an Edge in the Job Search

It has become evident in the last 6 months that the search for jobs in science has become much more difficult. There are fewer jobs and more competition – two forces which combine to make the task of even getting an interview a challenge. Here we explore some tactics which may give you an edge in the job search.

The Web 2.0 Recruitment Era

Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Blogs, Technorati, MySpace, Social Media…. the list in endless… but what is all the fuss about and how can it find me a job, i hear you ask…

Web 2.0 is simply the catchy term for the next generation of internet technologies. In the same way mobile phones evolved from Analogue (088) to GSM (087) to GPRS the to 3G and HSPDA; from just making a standard call to making a video call, the internet is in a state of flux. A tidal wave of new rich applications are now available, enhancing the internet for the end-user. This has been made possible by the widespread peretration of broadband to the masses, combined with a reduction in the cost of computer hardware.

So how does it increase my chances of getting a job???

Web 2.0 gives you instant access to information; information and knowledge are essential resources in the job search. Twitter is a good case study to use here; instant updates on twitter, affectionately termed “tweets” in the cybersky, allow you to recieve information immediately. Imagine the scenario: Recruitment company A gets a call from Employer B who requests to see a shortlist of candidates for Job C. The job is tweeted immediately and simultaenously sent to the administration dept. for dissemination to the job boards. 5 suitable candidates reply to the Recruitment Company via Twitter before the job is even advertised. The employer recieves these applicants and is happy with the response and asks to see no more applicants. The job doesnt even go up on the job boards, hence you have lost your chance. Some analyst say that 70% of open positions are not advertised on the major job boards.

Web 2.0 facilitates networking. Facebook and LinkedIn are good case studies in this example. Imagine you became a fan of the Life Science Recruitment page on FaceBook. Consultant A sees that you became a fan and checks out your profile and sees that in your professional info (which you obviously have filled out!!!) you work as a QC Analyst. Ten minutes later Consultant A gets a call from Employer B regarding a new QC Analyst vacancy – guess who is fresh in the consultants mind??? Furthermore, finding a good recruitment consultant on LinkedIn and adding the personal touch by sending a message via this medium, makes you stand out…

Web 2.0 increases your exposure in the online world, increased exposure correlates with increased opportunity. One of the most difficult tasks these days is getting recognised. Why ride a bicycle on the information superhighway when you can drive a tank??? The more you put yourself out there, the greater your chances of finding a job. However, a note of caution, be careful with sensitive information such as addresses and date of birth. Don’t put these on your Web 2.0 profiles. A handy tip to avoid spam is to put your email in this format: myname [at] myisp {dot} com, as oppossed to [email protected] - spam email scrapers don’t recognise the former, and many people are savvy to this format.

Blogs can often give you access to ‘off the cuff’ or insider information – this information can often give you an edge over your competitors, as this blog post will probably do!

The secret is not to be afraid of Web 2.0; people in the past were hesitant of DVD’s, Electric Cars and Online Banking – now they are here to stay, and guess what, so is Web 2.0.

– Eamonn (Email: eor [at] lifescience [dot] ie ) jg7baqve9t