INTRODUCTION TO EMPLOYMENT FOR PROFESSIONALS

1. FUTUREPOINT™

2. FUTUREPOINT™
FUTUREPOINT are a synthesis of management and education
professionals. It is headed up by Paul Walsh and located at the
Kilmacthomas Business Campus in County Waterford. Paul has
worked in the Irish public transport and the multi national
industrial sector. He has also expanded his career portfolio into
the education and training sector. He has successfully managed
complex multi million Euro operations, delivering business
process improvement, employee development, change
mangement, and managing diverse multi level employee
relations. He has developed adult education courses for third
level colleges such as UCC, WIT, and delivered training to such
professional bodies as members of the Irish Law Society. He has
also worked in second level education delivering career
guidance teaching. He holds a BA Degree from University
College Cork, a Diploma in Business Studies from Waterford
Institute of Technology, a Diploma in Management from the
Irish Management Institute, and a Masters Degree in Law from
The University of Wales.
FUTUREPOINT is a new leading enterprise delivering smart
strategies primarily to the graduate and also the broader
community in career development & management.

3. FUTUREPOINT™
Tips For Mobile
Employment
Seekers
“Smart Strategies”

4. FUTUREPOINT™
Section 1 The
Futurepoint Career
Edge Programme
Motivation & Goals

5. FUTUREPOINT™
Job Searching Takes Time
If you spend half
your time on your job
search, it will probably
take you twice as long
to find a job.

6. FUTUREPOINT™
It Is A Full Time Job
When you don’t
have a job, make
job searching your
full-time job.
Wear the T-Shirt
in your head.

7. FUTUREPOINT™
Zero Hour Contract
In fact, looking for
work is a lot more
work than working a
full time regular job.
There is no overtime!

8. FUTUREPOINT™
Looking for Yes
In job searching, you
need to hear a lot of
“no’s” in order to get to
“yes.”
People often say “no”
four times before they
say “Yes”

9. FUTUREPOINT™
The Roller Coaster
Job search is like a roller
coaster. Plan for the up
and down days.
Better yet, bring another
job seeker along for the
ride, who is seeking a
different role than you.
Avoid Conflict!

10. FUTUREPOINT™
Surf's Up
Surfing job boards for
hours makes you feel
busy, but the return on
your time investment
is questionable. Set up
job alerts to save time.

11. FUTUREPOINT™
Keep a Journal.....Seriously!
Writing a journal during
a job search can be a great
way to relieve stress and
track your progress. It is a
reflective tool and at
Futurepoint we promote
reflection a lot!

12. FUTUREPOINT™
Blog It!
You could Blog your
Journal. It is an
interersting topic to
bring to interview as
long as you do not blog
anything you may
regret at a later stage.

13. FUTUREPOINT™
Find A Boss
Find an accountability partner
during a job search to keep
you motivated and moving
forward. This is your job
search boss. Use a
professional service if you
can. Yes, this is shameless self
promotion by us.

14. FUTUREPOINT™
Thank You
After you land a new
job, thank everyone
who supported you in
your search and give
them your updated
contact information.

15. FUTUREPOINT™
Getting Advice
Frequently during a job
search the “people who know
you best” help you the least,
and the “people who barely
know you” help you the most.
People who are invested in
you, do not like to either hurt
you or take risks with the
relationship.

16. FUTUREPOINT™
Job Loss
Job loss can be as stressful
as anything in life. But job
searching , unlike the
other things is a
temporary situation.
Believe it.
Stressed is desserts spelled
in reverse.

17. FUTUREPOINT™
Section 2
Managing
your CV

18. FUTUREPOINT™
CVs
Frequently, your CV is your first
chance to make an impression on a
recruiter or hiring manager. And
you never get a second chance to
make a first impression. So the
importance of the CV cannot be
underestimated. This section offers
tips that will help you craft a top-
notch CV that gets noticed by HR
and interested by hiring managers.

19. FUTUREPOINT™
Your Email is your Brand
Include a professional
email address; even your
email is part of your
brand.
(fancypants@partytown.ie is
not suitable for most jobs ).

20. FUTUREPOINT™
Voicemail
Include a phone number
that is attached to a
professional voicemail
message. A “wrong”
voicemail will encourage
recruiters & employers to
just hang up. Better still,
answer the phone!

21. FUTUREPOINT™
Key CVAdvice
A CV often describes what
you want and employers
don’t care what you want.
They care about problems
you can solve for them.
Period.

22. FUTUREPOINT™
CV Values
If placing a profile at the top of
your CV, prove your value as a
proposition to a hiring authority
instead of an objective.
Stating you are “dependable”
and “honest” is taken for
granted.
Committed to lifelong learning
is a sustainable personal value.

23. FUTUREPOINT™
Subjective Nonsense
Refrain from using
subjective words like
loyal or trustworthy to
explain your candidacy;
you are a job seeker, not
man’s best friend.

24. FUTUREPOINT™
Action!
Omit phrases such as
“responsible for” or
“duties included” from
your CV; opt for
stronger language such
as “managed”
or “oversaw.”
Be animated!

25. FUTUREPOINT™
Viewpoints
Your CV profile is the
“Satelite” view of what you
can do.
Your experience section is
the “microscope” proof of
this based on past action &
success.

26. FUTUREPOINT™
Keyword Search
List core competencies,
keywords or buzzwords
for your job function or
industry on the resume
to please recruiters and
CV parsing software.
You can even include a section on
keyword search. Make it easy for
the recruiter to find you.

27. FUTUREPOINT™
Get the Dates Correct!
Include months and years on
your CV for any positions you
were at for less than two
years.
Omitting the months in short-
tenured positions is some
what deceptive and
noticeable.

28. FUTUREPOINT™
So many Jobs, So little Time!
If you were let go from
several positions with
short contracts due to a
downsizing, explain
that briefly on the CV.
Transparency
is always better
than obscurity.

29. FUTUREPOINT™
Career Breaks!
If you left the workforce to take
care of a child or aging parent,
explain that employment right on
the CV.
Don’t make the reader guess.
It is natural that in the course of
your life , you may be away from
work, but you are never really
away from your career.

30. FUTUREPOINT™
Sell the Solution!
Minimise descriptions of
job tasks and maximise
descriptions of
accomplishments.
Sell it, don’t tell it.

31. FUTUREPOINT™
Show me the Money!
Quantify your
Accomplishments.
Show numbers, Euros, and
percentages to prove
impact in a job.
Use metrics, wherever
possible!

32. FUTUREPOINT™
Pastimes to leave out!
List hobbies and
volunteer experience
when relevant to your
job target. Leave
your passion for
Philately
off the CV.

33. FUTUREPOINT™
Graduation Dates
If you are a recent enough
graduate then include graduation
dates.
Omitting them raises suspicion and
calls more attention to the very
thing you are trying to hide.
If you took time out in college, say
it and briefly explain.
Turn it into an advantage, that you
completed the course!

34. FUTUREPOINT™
No References?
Think clearly about “references
available upon request.” With
Linked In, references
are available whether you want
them to be or not.

35. FUTUREPOINT™
The CV with Bling!
Use charts and graphs on
your CV to demonstrate
impact. A picture is worth a
thousand words, and there is
a slow acceptance of the
infographic CV forming.
Check them out on Pinterest.

36. FUTUREPOINT™
CV Personal Information
Omit references to
age, marital status, or
religion. Employers
cannot request it.
Bigotry is a thing of the past,
but bigots are not!

37. FUTUREPOINT™
Text Only CV
Create a text-only version of
your resume to preserve the
formatting when uploading
into a company text box.
Office documents will quickly
turn into total gibberish when
placed in a text box.
Remember, have several
versions of your CV at hand.

38. FUTUREPOINT™
Make every word Count
Treat every word
on your CV
like gold leaf.
Every square centimetre is at
a premium, so make
every word count.

39. FUTUREPOINT™
Section 3
Post Interview

40. FUTUREPOINT™
Who is the Hiring Manager?
Half of hiring managers
read cover letters; the
other half do not; but
you never know which
half you are dealing
with, so always send
one.
Remember, the hiring
manager may not be the
HR manager.

41. FUTUREPOINT™
Count your skills
Use the cover letter to
match your skills to
the job spec. If the job
requires eight skills
and you only have two,
don’t apply.
You are wasting your time and
other peoples as well.

42. FUTUREPOINT™
“Thank You” is Priceless
A thank you letter is so simple, yet it can be
quite powerful. Unfortunately, many job
seekers fail to send one and possibly damage
their candidacy because they don’t. The thank
you letter is much more than a gesture of
gratitude for the interview.
It is a way to remind the hiring manager of
your interest in their open position and keep
you top of mind. This section focuses on thank
you letter strategy.
Apart from helping your candidacy, it is also
plain good old fashioned business etiquette.

43. FUTUREPOINT™
Customise it!
Send a thank you mail within
twenty-four hours of the interview
whenever possible.
Yes, many hiring managers still
expect a thank you.
Always send a customised thank
you mail.
Address the interviewers by person,
and send individual mails.

44. FUTUREPOINT™
The Little Things
A letter is another chance to
show your value as a
proposition and connect with
the hiring manager.
The little things add up to
seperate you from the other
candidates.
Create your Advantage.

45. FUTUREPOINT™
Salvage the Day
A letter is a great way to do
some “damage control” to
salvage a less than
satisfactory interview.
It will not undue a disaster,
but it can help to create a re-
evaluation of you.

46. FUTUREPOINT™
Check you speelling!
The grammar and spelling in
the thank you letter needs to
be as perfect as in the CV.
Have it proof read by someone
else.
Do not just rely on spell
checker.

47. FUTUREPOINT™
Section 4
The Reference
Strategy

48. FUTUREPOINT™
The Reference
The only thing better than
being able to prove your ability
to do a job, is having an
advocate who validates the fact
that you are great at what you
do. Strong validated references
can help tip the scales in your
favor when you are competing
for an open position.

49. FUTUREPOINT™
Prove it!
Proving your ability is more important
than a good reference.
In the New Age Economy, “ Prove it
Contracts” are becoming popular.
Essentially, you are hired to conduct a
proving contract, before other
sequential contracts are offered.
The use of referees will possibly
diminish over time. Evidence now
suggests that “proving contracts” are
more popular and reliable.

50. FUTUREPOINT™
Gather Everyone
Source at least five
people to be references
for you: bosses,
colleagues, customers,
vendors, or anyone who
can vouch for
your candidacy.

51. FUTUREPOINT™
Talk to Referees
After the interview
process is underway,
call references to
explain the job you
are applying for and send them
an up to date CV.
Point out your main selling
points to them, that you feel will
be referenced.

52. FUTUREPOINT™
Section 5
The Recruitment
Agency

53. FUTUREPOINT™
Recruitment Agency Dilemma
The role of a recruiter may be one
of the most misunderstood aspects
of job search.
This can often lead to frustration
for both the job seeker and the
recruiter. This section contains tips
to help you better manage your
relationships with recruiters
during a job search.

54. FUTUREPOINT™
The Recruitment Obligation
Recruiters don’t work for you,
their loyalty is to the company
asking them to fill the job.
Their task is to fill the role as
quickly as possible. They have
no contract with you to help you
achieve employment.
We are not a recruitment
agency so you know we work in
your best interest at all times.

55. FUTUREPOINT™
Recruitment Fees
Recruiters can only expose you
to the jobs from the companies
who are willing to pay a
recruiter to fill them.
Research suggests the hidden
jobs market is higher than 60%
of vacancies.

56. FUTUREPOINT™
Helping Recruiters
Most recruiters will quietly tell you
that you are more likely to get your
next job through a contact than
through them.
If you are not the right fit for a
recruiter’s open position, try to
help them find someone who is
and you will be remembered
favourably. Especially if you know
niche job fillers.

57. FUTUREPOINT™
Section 6
Real World
Networking

58. FUTUREPOINT™
The Network Question
Networking is the exchange of
information and the cultivation of
productive and authentic
relationships. Many avoid it
altogether throughout their careers
and find themselves in a bind
when they are in a job search and
aren’t connected to anyone who
can help. It is also time consuming.
Do not panic if this is You!

59. FUTUREPOINT™
Asking for Information
Networking is about asking
for information, not asking
for favours.
What you achieve will always
be based on your merits.

60. FUTUREPOINT™
On their terms
When requesting a
networking meeting,
arrange everything on
the other person’s terms;
time and location must
be convenient for them.

61. FUTUREPOINT™
Be Different!
Network with people who are
different than you: older,
younger, different ethnicities,
different geographies, different
industries, etc.
Remember we all come together
so that we can be seperate.

62. FUTUREPOINT™
Network Now!
You can’t build a network
overnight; try to build your
network before you need it.
Try to bury that “ now they tell
me feeling”

63. FUTUREPOINT™
Leads to Seeds
Have a few meaningful
conversations during
networking events instead
of trying to meet everyone
to collect hundreds of
business cards.
Look for seeds, not a
harvest.

64. FUTUREPOINT™
Crowd Shy
If you are shy, arrive at
networking events early,
when the setting is more
intimate and the crowds
aren’t as overwhelming.
Go Early- Not Late.

65. FUTUREPOINT™
Ask Questions
Ask people a lot of
questions about
themselves. People
think you are a great
conversationalist when
you let them do most
of the talking.
Think of them as
question parties!

66. FUTUREPOINT™
Section 6
Virtual World
Networking

67. FUTUREPOINT™
Social Internet Networking
Online networking has revolutionised
the way people build and maintain
relationships and search for jobs. .
That is the power of online
networking.
Worked to your advantage it is a value
added activity. Again, it is time
consuming and needs to focus on your
aims going forward.
Welcome to the global village of 50.

68. FUTUREPOINT™
Before you start!
Put your name in
quotes into a search
engine and see what
comes back. Do you
exist online and is
your online presence
distinctive!

69. FUTUREPOINT™
Network Branding
Drop the “I’m looking for
work” status updates
when chatting in online
communities. They make
you sound desperate and
don’t show your value.
Be professional at all
times.
This is branding.

70. FUTUREPOINT™
Working it!
Online networking
does not have a
“build it and they will
come” mentality;
work your online
network daily.
Go for it!

71. FUTUREPOINT™
Employers checking network sites
Hiring managers conduct online
searches on candidates before the
interview and may reject
candidates based on what they do
or do not find.
Ignore research to the contrary.

72. FUTUREPOINT™
It matters to someone!
People who don’t
think online
networking is
relevant to their job
search will become
irrelevant to the
hiring managers
who think it is.

73. FUTUREPOINT™
Headshots!
Add a professional
headshot to your
online profiles. When
the photo is missing,
people wonder why?

74. FUTUREPOINT™
Proper Invitation
When inviting someone
to your online network,
be authentic and write
a personal message.
Nothing screams “lazy”
like a canned invitation.

75. FUTUREPOINT™
Reconnecting
Reconnecting with
someone you haven’t
spoken to in years by
calling them is
awkward.
Reconnecting through
social media platforms
is not.

76. FUTUREPOINT™
Section 7
The Interview

77. FUTUREPOINT™
The Interview
Many think that some people are natural
interviewees and that those with outgoing
personalities will surely do better in an
interview.
But with practice everyone can learn how
to interview effectively.
Nerves are natural and to be expected.
If you are not nervous, you are
misinformed, over confident, or do not
want the job.

78. FUTUREPOINT™
The Interview Start
Your interview starts
the moment you walk
into the place of interview.
Anyone you meet may
be connected with the
hiring manager or the
hiring team.

79. FUTUREPOINT™
Elevator Pitch
Your “elevator pitch” is a quick
overview of who you are and the
value you can bring to an
organization.
Have it ready. It is also good to
have as an ice breaker.
Practice it on friends and on your
voice mail.

80. FUTUREPOINT™
Stay Positive
When asked why you
are in job search, say
something positive
about the current or
past employer first,
then explain your
reason for looking.

81. FUTUREPOINT™
Downsized
If you were let go because of
redundancy, explain the business
reason why you were let go. Don’t
personalise the situation—it wasn’t
about you.
Also, nobody can make you
redundant!
The job is no more, you are not.
Fact.

82. FUTUREPOINT™
Decision Maker
If interviewing with several people
at the same time, give everyone
equal attention; you never know
who the real decision maker is.

83. FUTUREPOINT™
Communicate Success
Answer interview
questions by
communicating strong
stories of success.
Prove, what makes you
unique rather than
explaining what you did.

84. FUTUREPOINT™
Follow up
Be sure to ask what
the next steps in the
interview process are
so you can prepare
an appropriate
follow-up strategy.

85. FUTUREPOINT™
Mistakes
When asked questions
about mistakes
you have made, be
authentic, explain what
you learned from the
experience, and don’t
get defensive.

86. FUTUREPOINT™
Weaknesses
If asked about your weaknesses,
don’t spin weaknesses into
strengths. Call them quirks!
It’s not credible, and who wants
to hire someone they don’t trust?
Remember, If you know your
weakness, you are in a position to
do something about it.
Distraction – Take lots of breaks.

87. FUTUREPOINT™
Be Specific
People think they should talk
in general terms about career
successes, but you build trust
with interviewers by talking
about specifics.
Tell Stories. People love
hearing stories. Keep them
short. Anecdotes Work.

88. FUTUREPOINT™
No Time Machine Questions
If recruiters ask you to “go
through your background,”
focus on your core message of
value you give, not the five
positions you had in the last
century.
You have to use judgement and
this displays your ability to
determine relevancy to the
question. Preparation builds
confidence to edit as you go.

89. FUTUREPOINT™
Rapport
Interviewees are a risk
to hiring managers
because they don’t
know you.
Concentrate on
building rapport with
the interviewer to gain
their trust and
confidence in you.

90. FUTUREPOINT™
Listen to the Hiring Manager Questions
A good interviewee is also a
good listener. The questions
asked provide clues to what
the hiring manager needs and
expects.
These are little clues that you
need to use your emotional
intelligence skills to answer.

91. FUTUREPOINT™
The Silver Medallist
If you are the second
choice candidate for a
job, stay in contact with
the company; many
follow their “silver
medalists” and recruit
them later on.

92. FUTUREPOINT™
Wear it well
Be memorable for
what you say during
an interview, not for
what you wear.
Over dressed is better than
under dressed.

93. FUTUREPOINT™
Section 8
Dealing with
the Offer

94. FUTUREPOINT™
Salary – Take the Long View
Ask for what you want in terms of
what is reasonable and fair; never
give ultimatums.
Always consider the economic
climate, and consider the whole
package, not just the financial
benefits.
This is a career path decision.

95. FUTUREPOINT™
The Offer – Think it Over.
Don’t feel compelled to take
an offer on the spot.
It is reasonable to ask for a
couple of days to make your
decision.
Do not accept a salary offer
without a job offer first.

96. FUTUREPOINT™
Negotiating – Talk Last
When negotiating,
don’t be the first one
to name a salary; if
you request less than
they were planning
to offer, they won’t
offer you more.

97. FUTUREPOINT™
Different Role, Different Salary
Past salary is irrelevant to
future salary; it only relates to
what someone was willing to
pay you at another time for a
different job.
Actors, work for various
salaries at different times
depending on the role!

98. FUTUREPOINT™
Value = Earnings
Most hiring managers do not make
their best offer first. The
negotiation process begins the
moment you submit your resume
and continues until the offer is
finalised.
Value = Earning power.
Always will.
Even in Recession.

99. FUTUREPOINT™