Unemployment figures in the West Cork town of Macroom have risen by a dramatic 140-180 per cent in the last eighteen months. This fact spurred West Cork Development Partnership into holding a series of motivational workshops for job seekers and would-be entrepreneurs, inviting internationally-renowned motivational speaker Kevin Kelly to address the workshop in Macroom and advise participants on how best to secure employment during a recession.

Ninety per cent of people who do interviews don’t do them very well because they can’t prove beyond a reasonable doubt they that really want the job. To build your case you have to take a modern approach: Realise that we live in a time where everyone googles everyone else. When potential employers put your name into a web search make sure they find information which will sell you as the exact type of person they are looking for, as opposed to being directed to your facebook page to find pictures of you a little worse for wear. It’s all about building your personal brand through using current technologies – this includes blogs and professional social net-working sites such as LinkedIn. It won’t cost you a penny and having a strong and positive on-line presence will make you memorable and set you apart from other interviewees, he said.

All interviewers are looking for the same thing, someone who is similar to themselves – were attracted to people who were like, it’s just human nature, Kevin explains. Do your own research about those interviewing you. Ask the human resource person for a list of the names of those who be on the interview panel and then Google them, look up their Facebook pages and LinkedIn profiles to find out their interests, their passions, their professional backgrounds and use this information to see what common ground you might share.

The opening question Kevin posed at his workshop was:

How long do you think it takes an interviewer to form an opinion of you?

No one was surprised that the answer was in fact seconds, yet few were sure what they could do within that tight time-frame to endear themselves to their interviewers.

He explained that even on an unconscious level people will observe and form opinions based on your demeanour, mannerisms and body language.Your thinking is manifested through your body language, people get a print-out within seconds and instantly form an opinion on you he said.In order to change your body language you have to change your thinking. The seminar looked at various approaches on how best to put forward a positive self-image that would make one attractive to potential employers.

One of the first things an interviewer wants to establish is why do you want this job, Kevin said, Master this answer and you instantly be in the top ten per cent of candidates because the majority of people really struggle with this one. All too often candidates answer in generic terms with over-used phrases such as i m a good fit and could add value. Instead, Kevin recommends personalising your answer with examples or stories. If you say youre passionate about this industry, then show them proof – either by citing recent research in your area of work or directing them to your blog where you written on the subject. Talk about specific instances when you found your work particularly fulfilling. Similarly, when asked, tell me a little about yourself? have your answer prepared and speak fluently with self-belief, energy and enthusiasm.

Fear is the number one blocker to career advancement, it’s important to understand the source of that fear. I’ve found the best way to overcome it is to face it head on, he said. By identifying and disempowering this fear factor you will jump-start your potential in all aspects of your life.

He also demonstrated how you could achieve your goals more successfully if you visualise them first, adding that he himself had the goal of being a number one best-selling author. He wrote down his goal, including a deadline, and placed this piece of paper over his desk to ensure he was constantly focused on his objective and visualising the outcome. A year later his book was published and it went on to become a Sunday Times bestseller. Since this visualisation method worked for Kevin he duplicated it other areas of his life and became a firm believer in the power of visualisation.

To know how to succeed we simply have to look at our past instances of success, break down what we did to achieve this, then use this as a blueprint for future victories, he said, asking everyone to think of a time when they achieved success and to also to identify what obstacles currently stand in their way. Then reminding people that “the greatest obstacles in our path to achieving success are ones we’ve placed there ourselves.

At the end of the workshop the participants were asked to write down their goals. Some had been recently made redundant, others were hoping to re-enter the workforce as their children were starting school and some were recent graduates.

Catherine Dineen is a nurse who was made redundant and hopes to use this time to re-train in the area of pastor care. As the carer of her son with autism she is no stranger to the importance of being able to access the correct services.

Sometimes it’s difficult to know where to turn for help, to be aware of what facilities and support exist and how best to access what youre entitled to, she said. In Dublin there are voluntary organisations whose job it is to link you up with the correct services and support, however in rural Ireland it’s more difficult to find support, there’s still an attitude that you should be able to cope yourself.

In the area I live in there have been a lot of suicides and people don’t know where to turn for support, she said. I would like to set up a rurally based organisation which can identify needs and provide the appropriate help when people face a sudden and major shift in their life,” she added. Doing this course has given me further motivation to take action. I plan to talk to my local LEADER company, West Cork Development Partnership, to see how we can possibly work together on this. I don’t see being made redundant as the end, it’s simply a new beginning, this workshop has shown me that.
(National Rural Network)