The New Year can bring great opportunities and exciting beginnings, and is a great time to start new resolutions. The Christmas holidays provides us with time to reflect and see what new things we can start working on over the next year. “Learn everything you can, anytime you can, from anyone you can. There will always come a time when you will be grateful you did.” – Sarah Caldwell.  We can learn from what worked for us this year and improve on what can work better. New learning and introducing beneficial changes into our lives can have many positive effects in both our personal lives and work life.

As we anticipate and look forward to clearing the cobwebs of the winter season, most of us will start planning new resolutions in our personal lives, such as losing weight, quitting a habit that doesn’t serve us well or improving our fitness levels, at the start of the year. We can also plan for positive changes that improve our working life. Improving this area can greatly improve our personal and family lives. Suggestions that can help will include doing a couple of tasks on Saturday that will ultimately improve our working week, such as:

1. Plan a weekly menu for each meal including healthy treats. This reduces the amount of trips to the shop and can reduce our weekly spend on groceries, and time spent on trips to the supermarket.
2. Batch cook dinner meals and freeze them. This reduces the need to phone our local takeaway for a fast meal, when we get home after a long day at work. It is also a healthier option and improves the balance of good food in our diet and significantly improves our wellbeing.
3. Fill the car with diesel for the coming week. This saves stopping during the week and picking up extra unnecessary refreshments, also reducing weekly spending costs.
4. Plan our weekly wardrobe for each day of the week. Having key items of clothing can help with planning outfits for the week ahead.
5. Exercise routines have a greater chance of success if we do our workout before returning home from work. If time is of the essence in the evening, morning exercising is another option. Invest in some good quality rain gear, for rainy days. Then there is no excuse to cancel a planned walk/run. For those of us that are a little less motivated, it is a good idea to call on the experience of a personal trainer to help boost our motivational levels. They can plan a workout programme that suits our needs, thus ensuring that it is the right one for us.

Plan some fun and feel good activities for the weekend. Whether it’s doing some retail therapy, meeting friends for brunch or getting out into nature, the benefits can be amazing. These can really boost the good-feeling factor in us and our energy levels to help us step into spring with a bounce in our step.

While the weekend can be a busy time, with catching up on household tasks and meeting with family and friends, it is important to have some down-time. We all need one day in the week where we can recharge our batteries and bring a little rejuvenation and restoration in the way of self-care. This can include having a Sunday morning lie-in, a long soak in the bathtub, a trip to the spa or getting an earlier night’s sleep. Whatever resolutions we plan for the coming year, improving our quality of life is essential for living a happier and more fulfilled life. We can give our best when life is easier and who knows maybe even inspire colleagues at work.

#NewYearResolutions #Planning #Tips

Many of us go through our lives holding a protective layer or bubble that surrounds us. We may have experienced hurt on one or more occasions in the past which caused us to put a barrier of protection up each time. Over time this wall of protection may have gotten so high that we don’t know how to take it down or we may have become so safe living in our own little bubble that we don’t take too many risks or allow too much of the outside into our lives. This can also be true if we worked in a job that brought a lot of hurt and was not the right one for us. However if we are willing to risk and pluck up a little courage, to begin with; who knows where this new journey could take us? 

One day we find ourselves applying for a new job. The thought of not being selected for the position or the dreaded rejection, even before the interview takes place, can instil a sense of another refusal or little success at this interview. Unconsciously, during the interview, our body language may send the wrong signals to the interview panel, who may view the protective layer as a closed type personality or worse a hostile type personality. We may self-sabotage our best chances to succeed on this much needed job.

We don’t have to keep ourselves trapped in this bubble, out of fear of being hurt, rejected or to avoid pain. We can discover that learning from each experience can make us stronger and create an opportunity of new possibilities which could be life changing. In life there are no guarantees of not getting hurt, especially if we let our guard down. However, if we are willing to take a positive risk, dust ourselves down from the last experience and take a chance, then just maybe it will be the right decision to go for that interview with the possible reward of a new job, and who knows maybe even a new beginning in life.

There is an old saying; “you won’t know until you try” and it sure beats not doing anything! We can draw on our inner-resilience, push beyond our comfortable boundaries, step into the unknown, and dare to believe and achieve an incredible new life. Remember the words of Winston Churchill: “Success is not final. Failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts.”

Call us today, on 01 8783335 or email sales@3qrecruitment.ie if you would like to chat with a member of our vibrant team, to explore your options and new opportunities.

#Risk #courage #job #interview

Self-belief is one area that needs constant improvement in our lives. There may be many things or just one moment that can knock our confidence and self-belief. It can leave us with a feeling of low esteem. The act of self-belief is really needed when we are showcasing who we are to other people. One such area includes the process undergoing a career change and attending an interview. We may need to change our work due to a number of reasons. These can include moving country, following redundancy or when the organisation ceases trading. Whatever the reason, it can be a very stressful time leading to heightened anxiety and reduced confidence levels.

One of the major hurdles to securing the much sought job is to successfully overcome the interview. For this undertaking, confidence is paramount at the stages of interviewing for a job. There is an old saying “fake it ‘til you make it” can be a helpful quote to repeat when doubting thoughts and anxious feelings try to hijack our best efforts. Find a quote that works and pin it to the fridge or kitchen door, a place where it can be seen each day. We can retrain our brain, emptying it of negative thinking, to motivate us in the belief that ‘better things’ are just around the corner.

Believing that “everything is possible” can also be a useful quote that we can pin to our fridge, car dashboard and computer to remind us that sometimes life can change in ways that we could never have imagined. Sometimes, all it takes is a little faith, courage and willingness to believe that life can truly be better! #Career #Interview #Work #Believe #EverythingIsPossible

As we come to the end of the summer, it can be a good time to reflect on the year that was. Reflection can flow into both our personal and professional lives. It is good to evaluate and consider our future. We can think and plan ahead. One area in our work life that can always be updated and improved is our curriculum vitae. Gone are the days when employees remain loyal to just one employer, and stayed until their retirement. Switching careers has become normal for most people nowadays.

Reflection can include: how far we have come in our career; are we in the right job and what courses we can sign up for to up-skill and improve our current set of skills. Part of the review process will need to include a revamp of our resume. The design and content should include current skills and experiences together with evidence of recent qualifications. There are many tips that help with updating its content including:

1. Reduce the content of the document down to two pages, ensuring that it is concise and informative, and relevant to an upcoming job application.
2. Create a two sentence introduction that will captivate the potential employer’s attention at first glance. Keywords relevant to upcoming job interviews will jump out and attract interest.
3. Host dates to the left side and content to the right. Ensure that it is consistent throughout.
4. Insert small tables to host key information, such as course module titles.
5. Try not to leave date-gaps. If there was a reason for time lags, it is better to explain the reason for this. For example, some employees may have taken a career break for a couple of years to care for their parents.
6. Use an easy to read font such as Times New Roman or Calibri.
7. Use 12 font for easier reading, 14 font if the content will fit on two pages.
8. Ensure that margin widths are consistent.
9. Finish the document with two references including both their email address and phone number. Ensure that each nominee is aware that they are a reference and available for potential contact with the employer.

It can be refreshing to do a review and revamp on our curriculum vitae as it can provide inspiration to undertake a relevant course or to apply for a promotion. The positive effects can ripple into other areas of our lives. It can prompt addressing personal improvements. One of these can be assessing our wellbeing and creating new ideas for a better way of living. It is important to have a little fun along the way. “Make each day your masterpiece!” – John Wooden.

#Reflection #Review #Revamp #CurriculumVitae #Tips