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ESB 2022 Heavy Goods Vehicle Mechanical Paid Apprenticeship Recruitment Campaign is now open for applications. Apply Now For ESB Heavy Goods Vehicle Mechanical Apprenticeship.We offer a 4-year paid programme leading to a QQI Level 6 Heavy Goods Vehicle Mechanic Trade Certification. We have roles available in: <ul><li>Dublin </li><li>Sligo </li><li>Cork </li><li>Limerick </li><li>Portlaoise.</li></ul>Working as a Heavy Goods Vehicle Mechanical Apprentice you will:<ul><li>Work as part of a team </li><li>Earn while you learn</li><li>Combine classroom based learning with on-the-job training</li><li>Gain an internationally recognised QQI Level 6 Heavy Goods Vehicle Mechanic Trade Certification.</li></ul> ABOUT ESB NETWORKSAt ESB Networks, we build and maintain Ireland’s power network, connecting Ireland to
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ESB Heavy Goods Vehicle Mechanical Paid Apprenticeship!

Our Rural Future: New Voucher Scheme for Remote Working Hubs goes live From:  <a href="https://www.gov.ie/en/organisation/department-of-rural-and-community-development/">Department of Rural and Community Development</a>Published: on 28 June 2022Last updated on 28 June 2022💻 At least 10,000 hot desk days to be provided free of charge- Register for your vouchers at ConnectedHubs.ieThe Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, has today announced that the Connected Hubs Voucher Scheme has gone live.At least 10,000 hot desk working days will be provided free of charge over the course of the Scheme, which is aimed at both existing hub users, as well as those accessing hub facilities for the first time.It is intended that the scheme will run over two phases. Phase one will run from now until August 31st with the second phase starting in September and expected to run into early 2023.Initially, the first phase sees three vouchers been credited to the accounts of all registered ConnectedHubs.ie users, with each voucher redeemable for a day’s hot-desk working in participating hubs.Anybody wishing to register for their free vouchers can do so online at <a href="https://www.connectedhubs.ie/">www.connectedhubs.ie</a> or via the ConnectedHubs mobile app.Speaking today, Minister Humphreys said:<blockquote>“I am delighted to announce that the Connected Hubs Voucher Scheme is now live. This scheme gives people an opportunity to try out our many remote working hubs across the country for free. This Voucher Scheme will help more people to realise the benefits of remote working and will provide an opportunity to ‘try before you buy’. Whether you are fitting in some work while on holiday in Ireland or looking to relocate to rural Ireland, Connected Hubs has an option for you.”</blockquote>Minister Humphreys continued:<blockquote>“The census figures released last week show population growth in every county with some of the largest increases happening in rural counties like Longford and Leitrim. This bucks previous trends where we have seen some rural counties experience population decline. The fact is there are now more people living and working in rural Ireland than ever before. Through the implementation of Our Rural Future and the continued drive towards remote working, I want to ensure we continue these positive trends for the benefit of our rural communities. The Connected Hubs Voucher Scheme will allow people to try out their local hub for free and I believe many will see it is a much better option for them than working from the kitchen table or facing a long commute. They may also decide that the hubs in our wonderful regional towns and villages would make the option of relocating, or moving home, a viable one.”</blockquote> Original press release: <a href="https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/736a3-our-rural-future-new-voucher-scheme-for-remote-working-hubs-goes-live/">https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/736a3-our-rural-future-new-voucher-scheme-for-remote-working-hubs-goes-live/</a>

Remote Working Hubs - Voucher Scheme

<a href="http://whitakerinstitute.ie/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Remote-Working-Survey-Report-2022-final-updated.pdf"></a><a href="https://express.adobe.com/page/M1kQr67OVbnjB/images/d51753c8-ae31-4808-a8eb-2abb47772ea2.png?asset_id=eb784022-d6db-4bf3-80ab-eb4b0f0dc3d3&amp;img_etag=%223afc1876186d080cc39efa0341a59f2e%22&amp;size=1024"></a>The third annual National Remote Working Survey shows 95% believe working remotely makes life easierSurvey shows that 30% of respondents will change jobs - even if it means a pay cut - if their remote working preferences are not facilitatedResearchers from the Whitaker Institute at NUI Galway and the Western Development Commission have revealed that almost one third of workers are willing to move to a new job to secure their remote working preferences.The findings are from the third annual National Remote Working Survey, led by Professor Alma McCarthy and Noreen O’Connor at NUI Galway, and Tomás Ó Síocháin and Deirdre Frost at the Western Development Commission.The survey gathered responses from more than 8,400 employees, in late April and early May, on their current experience of remote working.Findings include:- Of those who could work remotely, 52% were currently working hybrid, 40% fully remotely, and only 8% were fully on-site- If their future remote working preferences were not facilitated, 30% of all respondents indicated that they will change job, with 33% indicating they may change jobs even if it meant a pay cut- 37% indicated that they will change job and 27% indicated they are open to the possibility of changing jobs, even if it means less promotion opportunities if their future remote working preferences were not facilitated.- 49% of all respondents clock more hours while remote working, compared to working on-site; 45% work the same hours, and 6% reported that they work fewer hours- 30% of respondents indicated they spent 30 minutes to an hour of the time they saved commuting working; 27% spent up to half an hour; and 14% spent 1 to 1.5 hours- Almost half, 49%, believe remote working has no impact on opportunities for promotion, with 33% not yet knowing the impact. 9% believe there is a positive impact while 9% believe there is a negative impact on promotion opportunities.Minister for Rural and Community Affairs, Heather Humphreys, T.D., said:“The Government’s Rural Development Policy, Our Rural Future, clearly recognises the vital role that remote working can play in achieving balanced regional development. At a time when there are labour market shortages, remote working can help companies attract and retain talent. So much excellent work has been done in the last few years to support remote workers and employers - these survey results will build on that work, providing up-to-date information on remote working experience of employees. I have no doubt that this will help enable us to make the right decisions at this crucial time.”Professor Alma McCarthy, Head of the J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics, NUI Galway, said:“The third annual NUI Galway/Western Development Commission national remote working survey has, once again, gained huge interest with more than 8,400 responses. We added a new module asking if remote working was a key factor in changing employer and career decision making. It is interesting to see that of those who changed employer since the outbreak of Covid-19, nearly half - 47% - indicated that remote working was a key factor in their decision to change employer.”Tomás Ó Síocháin, chief executive of the Western Development Commission, said:&quot;The findings of the latest national survey highlight a further change in the way we view remote working and indicate that Irish workers expect to continue working remotely either all of the time or to find a balance in line with their lifestyle. Leaders will now be challenged to look at ways of supporting their staff and find that balance to avoid retention issues. The ConnectedHubs.ie network now with over 230 hubs onboard across the country can play a key role offering a suitable workplace close to home, a space for offsite meetups and an opportunity for companies to cut down on their carbon footprint.”Further data from the National Remote Working Survey showed -While more than half of respondents (58%) had never worked remotely before the pandemic, 76% either agreed or strongly agreed that working remotely makes their job easier, and 95% either agreed or strongly agreed that working remotely makes their life easier.Some 27% of respondents have changed employer since 2020. Of these, 47% indicated that remote working was a key factor in their decision as their new employer offered better opportunities in this area.The top five activities for which respondents spent the time saved on commuting are -household duties (e.g. cleaning, shopping, DIY); exercise; working on their main job; relaxation; and caring responsibilities.When asked about the future of remote working the survey showed:- 50% of respondents said their organisation has confirmed how they will work in the future, while 22% are in a trial phase.- Of the 50% whose organisations have confirmed their future working patterns, 61% of respondents indicated that they will work hybrid; 30% will work completely remotely; and only 9% will work fully on-site.- Of those who will work hybrid into the future, 36% are expected to be on-site a minimum of two days a week; 24% a minimum of three days; 17% a minimum of one day; and 3% are expected to be on-site a minimum of four days a week; 8% are expected to be on-site several days a month; and 12% indicated “other” expectations of their employer about being on-site.The vast majority of respondents indicated remote working is impacting employee attraction and retention in their organisation. 88% strongly agree and agree with the statement that their organisation needs to offer remote/hybrid working to attract staff and 90% strongly agree and agree with the statement that their organisation needs to offer remote/hybrid working to retain staff.The research team has expedited the analysis of initial summary findings of the third annual national remote working survey and the report can be viewed <a href="http://whitakerinstitute.ie/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Remote-Working-Survey-Report-2022-final-updated.pdf">here</a>.To view both surveys on the Whitaker Institute’s Project page, visit: <a href="https://bit.ly/3mFwgZg">https://bit.ly/3mFwgZg</a>.

National Remote Working Survey 2022

Do you have a question about roles in the Civil Service or the recruitment process?PublicJobs.ie have just refreshed and updated its FAQ section on their website: <a href="https://www.publicjobs.ie/en/information-hub/faq-info"></a><a href="https://www.publicjobs.ie/en/information-hub/faq-info">Click Here for more information!</a>Be sure to check this out to answer any questions you may have and to find out about accessibility options or testing &amp; interview advice. <a href="https://www.publicjobs.ie/en/information-hub/faq-info"></a>

Civil Service Roles - FAQ

NEW YEAR, NEW CAREER - Looking for WORK or NEW HIRES? At JobAlert.ie we specialise in resolving BOTH!JOBSEEKERS – check out our FREE supports, including CV Templates here; <a href="https://www.jobalert.ie/blog?tag=jobseekers&amp;fbclid=IwAR0-8-gE5k7c-ijRWCOO0C2S4kCQ3EOPqzFsIvL7qS6LUeT0BqF1VNGgnf8">https://www.jobalert.ie/blog?tag=jobseekers</a> and jobs opportunities here; <a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jobalert.ie%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR2rSJk7CUFMahbhr8J6y9D67aqzTwi-VES4VzcocQ4XKzlUVTaGGqyzCpQ&amp;h=AT2UUW377PPUxrJ1LP31DzinJMt4oXKW0sVrbLmipiYEntkrhiqjlpm44u6CkTt-drDgZdzQvj8ZiCZKL8edUQzZNtdDoQ6CZ8tn7XgQi7LySSHd2c7g_vF_40TXD-j9d5NWzS4&amp;__tn__=-UK-R&amp;c%5b0%5d=AT1ZwuHkMipX6ypGz_Xi-iL63HgTgg379QGGsjXwhk9Cx_Zn4TgsV6RingeZEoV7xMQ8ZVFJcfAxZVNbjBeQdE1kUSad0PBcwYRirWAqGR5sDko_0sSGyta3OlHRAIC9mUysejrHD0pVWHNSsn2j9vY9CD1dO1yeokH83dM4e_Om7pIWyvxhDv_ZtOVNUUdm5D98eX5xqPW3ad2eL4yW">www.jobalert.ie</a>RECRUITERS – Simply upload the details of your vacancy and we’ll do the rest – click here: <a href="https://www.jobalert.ie/employers?fbclid=IwAR0nz14hjGMWwVXN9a_CumDCFq9F2A6Ymu33w2XUHZEOeeMiHfTbVET7YWU">https://www.jobalert.ie/employers</a>

New Year! New Career!

One of the busiest times for Job Hunting is during the Christmas break, when a lot of people reflect on their careers and achievements or lack of them in the previous year. They may have stayed in their current position up to now, as they waited for the Christmas bonus and with a few days off they&#39;re now looking to New Year resolutions to accomplish personal goals.The majority of us also spend a little too much over the Christmas and thoughts of the credit card bill are enough to set the blues in as soon as those new year bells stop ringing. Some employees will set their eyes on a promotion internally and may research job boards to check salaries. For most though, a complete change of scenery or finding new employment from the get go will be on the cards.Advertise on JobAlert.ie today, we have over 342,750 followers on social media. Jobs Advertised with us are hosted on our website for 30 Days and also shared on specific county pages on Facebook and other social media platforms. We reach both active and passive jobseekers, by the latter we mean candidates that may not necessarily be looking for a change but if they see your Ad in their newsfeed they may apply. We fill jobs quickly and extremely cost effectively, check out our service; <a href="https://www.jobalert.ie/employers">https://www.jobalert.ie/employers</a>

Most Wonderful Time for a Change

As we head back to work after the Christmas Festivities, it can feel like we ate and drank far too much as we squeeze back into the suits and uniforms. But don&#39;t stress, you&#39;re not alone. The majority of us excessed on sugar, alcohol, food and got a little less sleep than usual. These little tips will get you back on track really soon.1. DRINKING LEMON WATERA bit of fresh lemon juice in water first thing in the morning will kick start your digestive system, cleanse the liver and help to alkalise your body.2. DRINKING GREEN JUICEAfter your Lemon water, sip on a glass of green juice. It will provide your body and liver with an abundance of vitamins and minerals necessary for detoxification. You can easily make green juice yourself in a blender or buy prepared cartons at garages, cafes and health stores across the country. Green Juice Recipe in a Blender<ul><li>1 1/2 cups water.</li><li>2 cups kale.</li><li>2 green apples, cored.</li><li>1/2 cup parsley leaves.</li><li>1 medium cucumber, quartered.</li><li>2 celery stalks, roughly chopped.</li><li>1 (1-inch) piece of ginger, peeled.</li></ul>3. MOVE AS MUCH AS YOU CANA gentle walk, run or work out will do the trick. Even taking down the Christmas Decorations will help. Increasing your heart beat and circulation will help to flush out unwanted toxins. Exercising might be the last thing you feel like doing, but you will feel so much better after - I promise!4. CLEANSE THE TONGUESounds a little unusual but scraping the tongue can remove bad bacteria and toxins. This can help with your digestive health and immunity system. If you can&#39;t get your hands on a specific Tongue Cleaner (yes there is such a thing, sold sometimes in Health Stores) just use a toothbrush and give your tongue a good rigorous scrub a couple of times a day. 5. YOGA OR MEDITATIONYoga and meditation is great for cleansing your mind as well as your body! You can do this easily at home, just google a good mediation soundtrack or check youtube. Find a quiet place, where you will not be disturbed and relax - take deep breaths in and out, focusing on the sound of your breathing in and out.6. HOT TOWEL SCRUBTo improve your lymphatic system and increase circulation there&#39;s nothing like a good hot towel scrub or a body brush. Do it before or after you bath or shower. Focus on one part of your body at a time scrubbing in circular motions.7. GO GLUTEN, DIARY, SUGAR, ALCOHOL AND CAFFEINE FREE FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY This might sound a bit extreme, but these foods are inflammatory and load up the liver, resulting in a toxic build up and if you give them up for a month you will feel brand new in just a few weeks. If you can&#39;t do the month try for even a week.Best of luck, hope you don&#39;t have the January blues for too long - If it&#39;s a New Job you need to make you happy, search here; <a href="www.jobalert.ie">www.jobalert.ie</a>

Feeling Like a Christmas Pudding Rolling Back into Work?

I know ‘new year, new you’ can be a little clichéd, but the beginning of the year really is a great time to get into a good mindset.While I’m a firm believer in setting goals at any time of the year, I must admit that the new year is one of the strongest times to set yourself up for career success.After all, you’ve more than likely had a nice break over the holiday season and you’ve come back refreshed and ready to organise the year ahead.If you haven’t already made some New Year’s resolutions to improve your career success, check out a few lessons I learned last year and take part in some ready-made goals.Once your goals are set up, it’s time to get into a positive mindset that will help you achieve career success.<h2> Recognise your current mindset</h2>In order to create a positive mindset, you will first need to ask yourself what your voice normally says when you approach tasks. When you’re taking on a challenge, does a little voice inside your head say, ‘Are you sure you can do this?’If you have an occasional negative mindset that plants doubt in your mind about your abilities, the first step to changing that voice of doubt is recognising it.<h2>Start talking back</h2>If the first step is recognising and identifying the voice of doubt, the second step is knowing how to answer back. In order to start nurturing a more positive mindset, you’ll need to directly address the mindset you already have and respond to it. It’s not enough to simply ignore it because while you think you’re not paying it any attention, your subconscious is lapping it up. When your inner voice tries to plant doubt, have an answer for it. Tell yourself why you can do this. Remind yourself why you shouldn’t doubt your own abilities.<h2>Look at what you’ve learned</h2>A negative mindset is usually a dab hand at throwing previous failures to the forefront of your mind to remind you why you can’t do things, but it’s important for you to realise that it’s quite the opposite.As part of answering those negative thoughts about failure, you should recognise the mistakes and failures, and acknowledge what you’ve learned from them and how making the mistakes have benefited you in the long run. Equally, it’s important to reflect on your achievements as well as learn from your mistakes. Before you write down your goals for the year ahead, write down everything you’re proud of doing last year to feed your positive mindset.<h2>Challenge yourself with actions</h2>As the old adage goes, practice makes perfect. Therefore, the best way to exercise your new positive mindset is to challenge yourself. Create goals for yourself throughout the year. There should be a mixture of small, manageable goals and long-term goals that you can spend the entire year chipping away at.Each of these goals and challenges will be a good exercise for you to fight with your former negative mindset and create a more positive one.<h2>Be flexible with your goals</h2> Not everything will go to plan all the time, but don’t let failures, struggles or knock-backs shake your new positive mindset. Remember what we said about making mistakes? There’s a lesson in everything you do, so don’t let them be an excuse to give up.Furthermore, if you’ve created arbitrary deadlines, or you’ve realised halfway through that a particular goal is a little unrealistic, move the goalposts. They’re your goals, after all.<h2>Re-evaluate yourself often</h2>Many people can be guilty of waiting for an annual performance review to evaluate their work. As part of your new positive mindset, it’s important to evaluate your own performance often. However, you should not simply be evaluating your performance based on what your employer’s goals are. You should look at your personal goals for career success. You should also check in with your mindset, your work-life balance and your mental health while you’re at it. Career success is not just about doing well at work.<h2>Be kind to yourself</h2>Self-talk is one of the most important parts of keeping your mindset in a positive space. You started these steps by recognising your own voice and talking back to it in a more positive way. Being kind to yourself is a constant reinforcement of that mindset.Encourage yourself to do more challenging things that will lead to career success. Reward yourself when things go well. Compliment yourself often for your own hard work and career success.<a href="Source"></a><a href="https://www.siliconrepublic.com/advice/positive-mindset-career-success">Source</a> Image: © PointImages/Stock.adobe.com

How to start the year with a positive mindset for career success

The Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme has been extended until the 31st December 2021 with further supports and a new scheme announced for struggling businesses.The new Business Resumption Support Scheme will provide additional business support for businesses with reduced turnover. Further details will be implemented in September 2021Tax debt warehousing will also be extended. Read the full Press Release below;

Minister Donohoe announces further economic supports for businesses as they re-openFrom Department of FinancePublished on 1 June 2021Following the Government meeting today (Tuesday), the Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe, T.D., has announced the following set of measures to provide support to businesses as they re-open and resume normal trading:• The extension of the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme to 31 December 2021;• The extension and enhancement of the Covid Restrictions Support Scheme to provide additional support to businesses upon re-opening and to give certainty to businesses still directly affected by public health restrictions;• A new additional business support scheme (Business Resumption Support Scheme or BRSS) for businesses with reduced turnover as a result of public health restrictions to be implemented in September 2021;• The extension of the tax debt warehousing scheme to allow the period where liabilities arising can be “warehoused” to be extended to the end of 2021 for all eligible taxpayers, with an interest-free period during 2022, and to include overpayments of EWSS in the scheme;• The Government agreed to the drafting of legislation to provide for these measures.These measures will provide certainty to businesses as public health restrictions are lifted and allow them to plan for the future as they re-open and resume normal trading.Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme:The EWSS continues to represent a substantial and key part of the Government response to the Covid-19 pandemic, supporting businesses, encouraging employment, and helping to maintain the link between employers and employees.As of the week ending 27 May, a total of €3.835 billion has been spent under the scheme of which €3.293 billion relates to direct subsidies and €0.542 billion relates to Employers’ PRSI foregone.For Q3, the Government has decided to broadly maintain the status quo for EWSS, including the enhanced rates of support and the reduced rate of Employers’ PRSI with a modification to widen eligibility.For Q4, the Government has approved the extension of the EWSS, however, it is considered too early yet to prescribe the precise operational parameters of the scheme that should apply for that quarter, and decisions in that regard would be taken closer to the time around the end of August / early September.Covid Restrictions Support Scheme:The Covid Restriction Support Scheme (CRSS) has been an extremely successful intervention by the Government to provide support to businesses whose customers are prevented from accessing their premises because of Public Health restrictions.The CRSS in its current form will be continued to the end of 2021 for the reducing number of businesses that are still directly affected by public health restrictions that may remain in place. The qualification criteria and payment rates will remain unchanged.The Government will also provide for an enhanced restart week payment – a single payment of three double weeks to businesses upon re-opening (subject to a maximum of €30,000). This will provide additional support to the businesses in restocking and making the necessary preparations to welcome their customers back in a safe manner.This enhanced restart payment is intended to incentivise them to exit the scheme and return to trading as early as possible.Business Resumption Support Scheme:As the economy re-opens, a further scheme is being introduced for vulnerable but viable businesses, particularly in sectors that were significantly impacted throughout the pandemic, even during periods when restrictions were eased.Businesses whose turnover is reduced by 75% in the reference period (1 September 2020 to 31 August 2021) compared with 2019 will be eligible. The scheme will not be restricted by location, rate-paying, or physical premises. It is expected that there will be a limited number of such businesses and recognised that it is important that such businesses are supported.Businesses who previously availed of other schemes such as SBASC and the Tourism Business Continuity Scheme for example as well as CRSS will be eligible to apply provided they meet the qualifying criteria.The BRSS will be administered by Revenue and will operate in a similar way to CRSS.Tax Warehousing:The tax debt warehousing scheme has provided approximately €2.3 billion of liquidity to Irish businesses at a time that they need it most. The scheme is now being extended to the end of this year, with no interest during 2022 and interest at a reduced rate of 3% thereafter.Speaking on the overall package of measures, the Minister said“The Government and I have committed on multiple occasions that there will be no “cliff-edge” to supports for business. We are now taking decisive actions to provide businesses with clarity and certainty on their situation as they reopen, as far as it is possible to do so with the uncertain situation in relation to public health.”Official link; <a href="https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/63fc8-minister-donohoe-announces-further-economic-supports-for-businesses-as-they-re-open/">https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/63fc8-minister-donohoe-announces-further-economic-supports-for-businesses-as-they-re-open/</a>

Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme Extended

Employment Wage Subsidy Extended

Have you tapped into the hidden jobs market? Statistics show that the majority of jobs are not advertised. That’s worth repeating. All of the jobs advertised make up only a small proportion of total opportunities out there. A natural next question is, but why are these jobs not advertised? Well often companies already have a bank of potential candidates that have applied without advertisements. Another huge proportion of jobs are filled through employee referrals. This relates back to trust mentioned in an earlier article. Finally companies often directly target employees through LinkedIn or social media. Ok says you, I see your point but I’m not yet convinced to put in all that extra effort. Well then, let me bring out the big boys...There is a fundamental difference of character in this active approach of contacting companies rather than waiting for them to advertise positions. It’s all well and good including key character traits like proactive on your CV. It’s another thing entirely to demonstrate these traits from the get-go in your very first interaction with your potential new company. This sends a clear message to them that you are a proactive individual, ready and willing to take the reigns of your life. You’re not sitting back waiting for life to happen to you but instead going out there and making life happen.More importantly than how you’ll be perceived by employers is how you will change how you feel about yourself. Our self-image is built largely through our actions. If we build a habit of going to the gym regularly we begin to think of ourselves as ‘somebody who goes to the gym or a disciplined/healthy/fit/active person’. This perception has the potential to spread into other areas of our life and can have real impact on how we live in those other situations. By thinking for ourselves about our own values first, and then going out and finding a company or field that fits who we are, we are affirming our own inherent worth as an individual. This is a way for us to take back our power. It can be easy to feel like a small cog in a massive often multinational machine of a company. But the truth is each of us have valuable skills, character traits and strengths to offer. It’s time to reframe the inward dialogue and start seeing how lucky most companies would be to have us as part of their team. With that all in mind, how can we get a piece of that hidden jobs market pie?Put simply we need to let the companies know about us before they even know they need us. First we need to make the companies aware of us and then keep contact well before a job even arises. This might mean identifying the key person in your area of interest within the company. Send them an email telling them why you are interested in the company, how you think you are a good fit and most importantly, what you can contribute. Follow up with a phone call after two weeks to keep cultivating that relationship. This makes sure we’re in their bank of potential candidates when they start the recruitment process as soon as a position becomes available. Secondly, we should definitely make sure we are included in any of our friends&#x27; referrals. To make sure this happens, <a href="https://www.jobalert.ie/article/making-an-ask-an-unconventional-approach-to-your-next-job" target="_blank">we need to make an ask</a>. Lastly, the onus is on us to have our LinkedIn profile tailored to the specific role or industry we want to pursue. It’s important to remember these are only some ways to go about it. I’m sure you have plenty of ideas of your own. I’d be happy to hear of the creative ways you figured out yourself to build a direct relationship with companies. You can find my email above.

The Hidden Jobs Market - An unconventional approach to your next job

Paddy O' Leary

Have you tapped the huge potential in telling as many people as possible that you know personally about your job search? This is especially worthwhile in such a small country like Ireland where if you don’t already know somebody in your desired industry or job, you probably know somebody who knows somebody. This might sound like the headbangers whose claim to fame is that their sister’s fourth cousin’s uncle is the president of Ireland. But hold your cynicism for a second. Any human connection is better than no connection. People like to work with, hire, do business with people they already know including people who the people they know, know! This is about trust. Those who can be even reasonably trusted get more doors opened for them and faster. But this won’t happen by itself. First we need to make an ask. In other words, let people know we&#x27;re on the lookout for opportunities so that they can open them for us. Or they can connect us with their friends who can.People love to help. It’s important we reframe this idea of asking for help. Think of it this way. By asking for help we are giving people the opportunity to help us. When we consider how much meaning, purpose, and how much of a kick we get out of helping others, why not give this same feeling to them by asking for a hand? Of course there’s a difference between making an ask and being a pain in the ass. As long as we show initiative and don’t expect others to do all of the heavy lifting for us, people are always happy to help.In order to make an ask we first need to have a general sense of what we are asking for. We don’t even need to be specific. For example, we don’t need to know that our former colleague has a sister who could get us an interview with a company we’d like to work for. How could we possibly know that information anyway? However we do need to have a strong sense of a general direction from our side. This direction might be knowing what role we’d like to work at, what industry we’d like to start in, the people or company we’d like to work for or even the location we’d like to be employed in. All we need is one general sense of our desire. After that it’s about naturally expressing this desire with as many people as you can. Not in the sense of complaining that we are not there yet. Nobody wants to listen to or help a moaning Michael. Instead with a sense of excitement about the possibility of your desire becoming a reality. That’s all we need to do. We often underestimate the power of speaking our desire. Perhaps no opportunities arise the first few times. But each time we speak our desire, we become clearer and clearer on what it is we want. On top of that, those we talk to can help us see different routes towards our goals we might never have considered. People are inherently helpful. When we affirm their good qualities and put things out there by making an ask, we can be surprised by how opportunities will seem to unfold out of nowhere.

Making an ask - An unconventional approach to your next job

This article is the second of a series of four articles titled ‘An unconventional approach to your next job’ dropping each week for the rest of December. “What do you do?” We’ve all heard and asked this question too many times than we’d like to remember. Some might say it’s a way to get a sense of who somebody is, what they’re about. It helps in continuing the conversation when we meet new people in the hopes that what they do is somehow fundamental to who they are. While our work can be the source of great meaning and purpose in our lives, we are not our job. We are not the amount of hours we clock in, the money we’re paid or even the things we get paid for. We as individuals and our lives are not defined by how we happen to make a living. A job also doesn’t need to provide us with all we want out of life. If we are to wait around until we find the perfect job that ticks all of our boxes, we might sooner end up in a box before we find what we’re looking for. We are not saying that a job isn’t important. Of course it is. But as most of us during this last year are beginning to realize, there is much more to life than what we get paid for. So instead of asking “what do you do?”, we might ask “what do you create?”. If you find yourself or the other person giving you a knee-jerk bullshit response, in some form of “I’m not creative”, it is your responsibility to rid them of this self-limiting belief immediately. Creating or being creative is not limited to the traditional art forms and whether you are a professional at it or not. Creativity is by definition, as wide and varied as you can imagine. Some people might create delicious homemade bread, others create a loving home for their family, others still might create comedy sketches. The point is we don’t all need to become ‘professional’ for us to experience the value in the act of creating. Of course, being paid a living for these passions can be a bonus, but monetary payment doesn’t need to be the standard from which we measure the value of creating itself. It&#x27;s important to remember the great satisfaction we can get out of other areas of our lives independent from our jobs. So if we let go of the idea that our job needs to tick all of the boxes, how else are we to decide which position is right for us? There are no universally correct answers to this question. This requires an honest look at the totality of our own current life which includes our relationships, our hobbies and passions, our health and our job. In this way we can assess which boxes are or can be ticked by different aspects of our lives. This then takes the pressure off on how much a job needs to provide for us to be satisfied. For example, perhaps we’re a football coach in our local town. This will probably provide us with plenty of meaning and social value. If we already get these benefits from a hobby like coaching, we may not need to get it from our job. Instead we can really narrow down on what is currently lacking in our lives and decide upon our next job by considering which one would best provide what we want. While at the same time letting go of the imaginary notion of a perfect job which allows us to get on with the less desirable aspects and focus on the positive ones. You might have got to the end of this article now without the sense of completion inside that usually comes from finding an answer or next course of action. It might be worth repeating, we&#x27;re not giving you any answers because we trust you can do that for yourself.

You are not your job - An unconventional approach to your next job

This article is the first of a series of four articles titled ‘An unconventional approach to your next job’ dropping each week for the rest of December. What if someone was to tell you that you’ve spent enough hours racking your brain over what your life long career should be. What if we were to tell you that life long careers are complete nonsense. A rare case. You’ve better odds of winning the Irish lotto than you do of finding and keeping the same job for your entire life. Unless you get lucky and die on your first job that is. This type of thinking is a couple of generations old. In fact it isn’t even yours, so why think it? This thinking belongs to your Grandparents who grew up in a different world where resources were scarce and manifestation slow. Things happen at a much faster rate these days, companies come and go, people outgrow their jobs, have different careers at different points in their lives or change industries multiple times. So the next logical question is, where does this leave us? Or more importantly, what are the alternatives? One alternative is to think instead in terms of life stages or phases. The benefits of thinking in terms of your next project, life stage or phase is that it breaks things down into nice, easily digestible chunks. Rather than asking yourself the question ‘What do I want to do with my life’, we instead ask something like ‘What would I like to do with the next couple years of my life’ Or ‘How do I envision my dream life going 3 years from now?’ or ‘What project would I like to take on for the next six months?’ Now that’s more digestible than a three in one on a Saturday after a well earned night on the town. Can you already sense how much better these questions feel when asked? Immediately the pressure is off. We’re not talking Mount Everest, we&#x27;re talking about a tough but doable hike up the Sugar Loaf. And who knows, maybe we can get enough Sugar Loaf’s under our belt, and Everest will be within our reach. This all sounds very reasonable, you might say. But what does it actually mean? It’s up to you to decide what that could mean. We’re not here to give you all the answers. Instead our aim is to provide new questions and perspectives you may not have considered yet so that you can breathe some fresh life into your job search. The bottom line is, if you are reading this in between jobs at the moment, then you have a massive opportunity on your hands. An opportunity to reinvent yourself for the next stage of your life in whatever way you like. You may be struggling financially but you are most definitely time rich. This resource that you have in abundance can be used to get clear about how you see your next life phase. Some people like journaling, others like talking to friends to brainstorm about ideas, others again prefer to think in nature. Your preferred tool is irrevelant, your objective is everything. What will I aim at for the next six months, one, three or five years. We all know how easy it is to get stuck in a boring habit of checking any and all jobs, while we slowly lower our standards as the time we’re between jobs lengthens. It’s for this very reason it’s so important to remember the gift of freedom we have to even consider these sort of questions. If you’ve gotten this far and have realized the opportunity that lies ahead of you, there’s only one question left, what are you going to do next?

Forget the question ‘What will I do with my life’

Tesco Ireland have announced that employees will be given a 10% Christmas bonus this year. &quot;Our colleagues continue to rise to the challenge of Covid 19 and we recognise that this will be a very different Christmas. In recognition of our teams on the frontline in our stores and distribution centre we will be awarding a 10% bonus for the duration of the Christmas season.&quot; &quot;I thank them sincerely for their continued hard work, dedication and resilience.&quot;- CEO of Tesco Ireland, Kari Daniels The bonus will be received by employees who have been been working with the company on or before the 1st of September 2020. Staff will be paid between November 29th and December 26th.Tesco Ireland also recently announced they will create 450 permanent jobs and 700 temporary jobs for the Christmas period. Check out all available job vacancies on their careers page <a href="https://roi.tesco-careers.com/search-and-apply/" target="_blank">here.</a>

Christmas bonus for Tesco staff in Ireland

If you&#x27;re working remotely, you may be able to claim tax relief on the additional costs of working from home, including electricity, heat and broadband.<a href="https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/money_and_tax/tax/income_tax_credits_and_reliefs/eworking_and_tax_relief.html" target="_blank">Citizens Information</a> have detailed exactly how to go about claiming a tax relief at the end of the year. Here is everything you need to know;How much can I claim?You may have extra costs when you are working from home including heating, electricity and broadband costs. Your employer can pay you a contribution towards these costs or you can make a claim for tax relief at the end of the year.If your employer pays you an allowance towards these expenses, you can get up to €3.20 per day without paying any tax, PRSI or USC on it. If your employer pays more than €3.20 per day to cover expenses, you pay tax, PRSI and USC as normal on the amount above €3.20. You should note that employers are not legally obliged to make this payment to their employees.If your employer does not pay you an allowance for your expenses, you can make a claim for tax relief at the end of the year. You will get money back from the taxes you paid.Your refund of tax is based on:- How many days you worked from home- The cost of the expenses- Revenue’s agreed rate for calculating the cost of running a home officeRevenue’s rate for the cost of running a home office is 10% of the cost of electricity and heating. This means that you can claim 10% of the total amount of allowable utility bills against your taxes. You can also claim 30% of broadband costs for the tax year 2020. This applies for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic.You can only claim for the days that you work from home. This does not include times you may have brought work home to do outside your normal working hours.If your employer pays you an allowance towards your expenses, the amount paid is deducted from the amount you can claim back from Revenue.ExampleMary works from home for 6 months while her office is closed due to the COVID-19 emergency. During that 6 months her household bills for heating and electricity come to €1000 and her broadband comes to €300. At the end of the year she can claim tax back on expenses of:- €100 for heating and electricity (10% of €1000)- €90 for broadband (30% of €300)- €190 in totalThe amount she gets back depends on her rate of tax. If she pays tax at the higher tax rate of 40% she will get €76 back from her taxes (40% of €190). If she pays tax at the lower rate of 20%, she will receive €38 back (20% of €190).How to applyYou can claim tax relief online using Revenue’s myAccount service. You can also access the <a href="https://www.ros.ie/myaccount-web/home.html" target="_blank">myAccount service</a> on mobile and tablet devices using Revenue’s <a href="https://www.revenue.ie/en/online-services/support/mobile-and-desktop-applications/revapp.aspx" target="_blank">RevApp.</a>To complete an Income Tax return online use the following steps:1. Sign in to <a href="https://www.ros.ie/myaccount-web/sign_in.html?execution=e2s1&amp;lang=en" target="_blank">myAccount</a>2. Click on ‘Review your tax’ link in PAYE Services3. Select the Income Tax return for the relevant tax year4. Select ‘Other PAYE Expenses’ in the ‘Tax Credits and Reliefs’ page and insert the amount of expense at the ‘Amount Claimed’ sectionYou must be able to account for each expense you intend to claim. This means keeping a record of all receipts and bills. You should keep all documentation relating to your claim for 6 years from the end of the tax year to which the claim relates.You may also need a letter from your employer stating that you work from home.More information can also be found <a href="https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/money_and_tax/tax/income_tax_credits_and_reliefs/eworking_and_tax_relief.html" target="_blank">here.</a>Take care and best wishes fromThe JobAlert.ie Team

Employees