Tag: Barry Whelan

CEO of Excel Recruitment, Barry Whelan delighted to launch Feeding’s Ireland Future 2017 with Minister for Social Protection, Leo Varadkar

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

CEO of Excel Recruitment Barry Whelan was delighted to take part in the launch of Feeding’s Ireland Future 2017 along with Minister for Social Protection, Leo Varadkar yesterday. The launch took place in the idyllic Farmleigh in Dublin’s Phoenix Park and was attended by participating companies, all committed to helping young job seekers.

Excel Recruitment are delighted to be partaking in this worthy initiative for another year. The initiative is facilitated by the ECR and takes place from March 20th-31st. The ‘Skills for Work Week’ places young unemployed people aged 18-24 in skill centres across the country, equipping them with CV workshops, interview preparation, HR resources and first-hand experience on the retail industry in Ireland.

Excel Recruitment are delighted to welcome 20 prospective jobseekers to our offices in the Skills to Work Week. During the participant’s time with us, we will show them the daily ins and outs of placing candidates in the best grocery retailers throughout Ireland. They will receive expert advice on how to approach their job hunt, best in digital practices, how to present their CV and top tips on how to succeed in a wide range of interview styles. Each participant will also come away with a CV overseen and overhauled by one of our team of retail recruitment professionals.

Some of the largest names throughout Ireland are taking place in Feeding Ireland’s Future 2017, now in its fourth year. This year, Youthreach, the training and work experience programme run by the Department of Education and Skills, will provide skills sessions to early school leavers in 13 centres throughout the country.

Follow along with all or plans on our Facebook, Twitter, using the hashtag #FIF2017.

Barry Whelan Excel Recruitment

Part 2: Interview Questions designed to trip you up! By CEO Barry Whelan

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

Part 2: Interview Questions designed to trip you up! By CEO Barry Whelan

Following on from Part 1 of Interview Questions designed to trip you up, CEO of Excel Recruitment takes you through more tricky questions and how best to answer them…

The best interviewers develop their ability to ask the fewest number of questions that give the most amount of information. Strong recruiters manage to get the interviewees to do all the work. The best interviewers also have the ability to gain the truth from a candidate. This can be done in two ways, ask the same question multiple ways watching out for conflicting or different answers or by asking seemingly simple questions that get the interviewee to reveal information they may have been trying to conceal

In other words: questions designed to trip you up

Can you name three of your strengths and weaknesses?

Why do they ask this? The interviewer is looking for red flags and deal breakers, such as inability to work well with colleagues and/or an inability to work under pressure.

Each job has its own unique requirements, so your answers should really show your applicable strengths, whilst each of your weaknesses should have a silver lining that indicates that negative attributes have diminished because of positive actions taken.

How does this question trip you up? You can sabotage yourself revealing either. Exposing your weaknesses can hurt you if not ultimately turned into positives while the strengths you list may not align with the skill set or work style required for the job.

What response you should give? The Interviewer wants to know that your strengths will be a direct asset to the new position and none of your weaknesses would hurt your ability to perform.

Can you tell me about yourself?

Why do they ask this? They ask to determine how you see yourself in relation to the position. The interviewer is listening for a level of confidence in how well you portray yourself through the information that is communicated. Additionally, the interviewer is listening for strong behavioural competencies which help determine a right fit with the job. If this opening answer is weak, it can be a disaster, ending an interview prematurely.

How does this question trip you up? It can tempt you to talk about your personal life, which you shouldn’t. Most interviewees are not versed in seeing this as a trick question, so they may answer by speaking from a personal perspective: ‘I have three kids, I’m married, etc.'”. Believe it or not, even the most seasoned candidate falls for this question especially when prompted by the interviewer to elaborate.

What response should you give? A focused, razor-sharp answer conveying your value to the organization and department. The employer wants to hear about your achievements broken down into two or three succinct bullet points that will set the tone of the interview. Stay sharp and convey your top strengths when answering this question.

Give the interviewer answers that highlight analytical skills, problem-solving ability, sizing up talent or leadership ability to turnaround business performance, among other things.

You need to convey behavioural traits in your response. It sets the tone for the interviewer to ask more targeted questions.

Why do you want to work here?

Why do they ask this? Interviewers ask this because they want to know what drives you the most, how well you’ve researched them, and how much you want the job.

How does this question trip you up? Clearly you want to work for the company for several reasons, you wouldn’t be attending an interview if you didn’t! However, how you list these reasons reveals a lot about what is important to you.

You may be thinking to yourself, “I’m not getting paid what I’m worth,” or, “I have a terrible boss,” or, “All things being equal, this commute is incredibly short” — none of which endears you to the interviewer.

You’re also being tested on your level of interest for the job.

What response are they looking for? The interviewer wants to see that you’ve taken the time to research the company and understand the industry.

They also want to know that you actually want this job (and not just any job); that you have a can-do attitude; that you are high energy; that you can make a significant contribution; that you understand their mission and goals; and that you want to be part of that mission.

Why do you want to leave your current job?

Why do they ask this? Your future boss is looking for patterns or anything negative, especially if your positions are many and short-term. They may try to determine if you currently have or had issues working with others leading to termination, if you get bored quickly in a job, or other red flags.

How does this question trip you up? No one likes talking about a job they dislike and why. If not answered diplomatically, your answer could raise further questions and doubts, or sink your chances entirely.

What response are they looking for? They are hoping that you’re seeking a more challenging position that is a better fit for your current skill set. Remember, your future boss doesn’t mind hearing that you’re particularly excited about the growth opportunity at their company.

Interview questions designed to trip you up! By CEO Barry Whelan

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

In the first of our new series, CEO of Excel Recruitment Barry Whelan takes you through some tricky interview questions designed to really test you and more importantly, how to ace them.

In the below examples, the interviewer ask seemingly simple questions that get the interviewee to reveal information they may have been trying to conceal; questions that break through the traditional interview noise and clutter, and get to the raw information.

How would you describe yourself in one word?

Why do they ask this? The question is likely being asked to find out your personality type, how confident you are in yourself and how you would ‘Fit’ the organisation recruiting.

How does this question trip you up? This question can be a challenge, particularly early on in the interview, because you don’t know what personality type the company is looking for and whilst there is no point pretending to be something you are not, there are also many ways (and Personality Types) to get the job done. People are multifaceted, so putting a short label on oneself can seem nearly impossible.

What response should you give? Always stick with the conservative route. For instance if you’re reliable and dedicated, but your friends praise your clever humour, go with the former.

If you’re applying for an accounting job, the one word descriptor should not be “creative,” and if it’s an art director position, you don’t want it to be, “punctual,” for example.

In general, most employers today are seeking team players that are level headed under pressure, positive, honest, reliable, and dedicated, however, it would be a mistake just to rattle off adjectives that you think will be well received when in fact this is an opportunity to describe how your best attributes are a great match for the job as you see it.

How does this position compare to others you are applying for?

Why do they ask this? They’re basically asking ‘What other jobs are you applying for?’ The recruiting manager is just trying to find out how active you are in the job market. Once you open up, they want to see how you speak about other companies or positions you’re interested in and how honest you are.

How does this question trip you up? If you tell them that theirs is the only job that you have applied for that will send up a red flag. Very few job applicants only apply to the one single job — so they may assume you’re being dishonest. However, if you openly speak about other positions you’re pursuing, and you speak favourably about them, the hiring manager may worry that you’ll end up taking another job elsewhere, and they won’t want to waste their time.

What response should you give? Leave things open, express your desire to find the right role. Perhaps tell them that there are several companies with whom I am interviewing, however, I’ve not yet decided the best fit for me. This response is positive and protects you from having to bad mouth or talk up competitors.

What kind of manager and colleagues have you had the most and least success with, and why?

Why do they ask this? Interviewers are trying to ascertain if you generally have conflicts with people or personality types. They also want to know how you work best.

How does this question trip you up? You can run the risk of appearing difficult if you admit to unsuccessful interactions with others. You may also inadvertently describe some of the attributes of your prospective Manager.

What response should you give? Firstly, concentrate on giving more good than bad news. It’s always best to start out with the positive and downplay the negatives. You don’t want to be evasive, but this is not the time to outline all your personality shortcomings either. Here you have an opportunity to speak generally about traits that you admire in others, yet appear flexible enough to work with a variety of personality types.

For an example try, ‘I think I work well with most people and a variety of personalities’.

What would you do if you won €6 Million tomorrow?

Why do they ask this? They want to know whether you’d still work if you didn’t need the money. Your response to this question tells the employer about your motivation and work ethic. They may also want to know what you’d spend the money on, or whether you’d invest it. This tells them how responsible you are with your money, and how mature you are as a person.

How does this question trip you up? Questions that are out of left field can ambush you, causing you to lose composure. They have nothing to do with the job at hand, and you may wonder if there is any significance to them. If you don’t pause and gather your thoughts before you respond to a question like this, you might lose your cool or come back with a clanger.

What response should you give? They want to hear that you would continue working because you’re passionate about what you do and they also want to know you would make smart financial decisions. If you’d do something irresponsible with your own money, they’ll worry you’ll be careless with theirs.

Underrated Work Skills That Progress Your Career

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

Have a CV that shines on paper but somehow feel you are still not reaching your career goals? It could be worth taking a look at some of the following less obvious and often underrated work skills to see how you measure up. A team worker with a strong work ethic and good communication skills. These top the list on every job specification we see when it comes to core skills. These core skills required by employers, whilst topping the list, are really only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the range of work skills that are invaluable in today’s workplace.Research by the Mayo Clinic in the US identified lower-rated work skills that resulted in more promotions and career success.

Here are some examples:

  1. Be positive

Positivity is a real plus. Displaying positivity when working in a pressurised environment or on a difficult assignment is going to be appreciated. Someone who has a positive attitude and engages with other team members and customers in a positive way. This will lead to work success.

If you’re not always as positive as you think you should be, there are ways to improve this. The Mayo Clinic listed habits that can help build this key skill. They include:

  • Check yourself for negativity often
  • Be open to humour
  • Live a healthy lifestyle
  • Keep the company of positive people
  • Practise positive self-talk
  1. Influence

The ability to influence is the ability to motivate people to do whatever you need them to do without forcing them to do it. This is an invaluable skill that will lead to promotion. The best team leaders will be able to motivate their teams organically. True influencers are looked up to, not feared. To develop this skill, you need to lead by example and inspire the team by being the first into action no matter what the challenge is.

  1. Concise communication

We all know that many employers highly regard great communication skills, but your ability to communicate concisely and effectively is the real differentiator here. People who can make a point in as few words as possible or as little paper are time-efficient, and they can explain anything quickly. To develop this skill, practise trimming the ‘fat’ off your communication. This includes unnecessary details, adverbs and adjectives that dress up a sentence but don’t add any real value. The remaining message should include all of the important details to be conveyed in as few words as possible. This is particularly invaluable when communicating with senior management, who simply don’t have the time to wade through information.

  1. Inward networking

When we talk about networking we think in terms of growing a base of contacts within an industry. For instance, if you need to move job, you’ll have contacts in other companies. But getting to know the people within your current organisation, professionally and socially, can really pay off. Go out of your way to make friends and build a network within your organisation. Having a network of co-workers routing for you will not go unnoticed.

  1. A high ‘emotional quotient’

Being especially adept at reading and understanding others’ emotions is a highly valued, but vastly underrated, job skill. We all know the millennial workforce loves leaders with a high EQ, which leads those who possess it to be promoted into managerial positions. That’s because managers with a high EQ will know how to get the most out of their staff in any industry. Improve this key skill by learning to objectively identify your own emotions and how they affect your behaviour. You can then apply this knowledge to identify co-workers’ emotions, how to empathise with them and work with them towards agreeable outcomes. This leads to a better working environment and a more productive one.

  1. Mindfulness

You may or may not know what mindfulness is already and wonder how this could relate to the workplace. You may think yoga or mindfulness meditation can be used as a way to deal with workplace stress, but as a work skill? Think again. Mindfulness is simply the practice of engaging fully in the moment. Being in the present fully. Studies show that this is a vital job skill that can improve your productivity and decision-making. You can practice mindfulness simply by engaging fully in the moment or the task at hand.