Archive for the ‘Personal development’ Category

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The Importance of Screening Job Applicants!!

February 26, 2024

An email I just received has left me staggered and it has prompted this blog post.

We are recruiting at Fuzion at the moment and our normal process is we list the role on the website and then we run an advert through the jobs advertising function on LinkedIn.

Despite a very careful job description and a request to attach a cover letter (a simple test of how interested the person is) you then are faced with a deluge of applicants, 95% of which are totally and utterly irrelevant.

Of course you will then also get a deluge of recruiters contacting you promising “perfect fit” candidates.

The screening of these applicants and emails takes quite a while and it is always made easier if applicants follow the instructions and write an intelligent cover letter.

Once I narrow down the applicants to a “possible” list I then test each candidate with an email asking them a few simple questions. Invariably these will include a general question such as “what interests you most about the role with Fuzion” and then something specific about them, maybe about some aspect of their CV that I need some clarification about.

I do this to get some extra information but also to test the person including their ability to communicate and to see if they are intelligent, to see if they are nice and how much they really want the role.

Sometimes I never even receive a reply , which shows that many people are just pressing buttons on LinkedIn and weren’t very serious about their application in the first place.

Depending on the responses I then decide who I should do a first “light” online screening interview and after that a deeper interview with other members of the team.

We don’t always get it right but for the most part the process has served us well and we have a really great team.

So, back to today and that email…

I received a response to one of my emails from an applicant who had a very interesting CV –

Based on my past experience, organisations or recruiters generally go through these questions on a 30 minute screening call. Is there a specific reason Fuzion does it on an email? 

I am available between 14:00 hrs and 16:00 hrs tomorrow and on Tuesday if you’d like to chat through the questions and proceed with my application.

Wow I thought, so I replied:

Hi X,

This is the most time efficient screening process for us.

Many thanks,

Greg

And while writing this blog I received a reply from this eager job hunting applicant:

Thanks for clarifying. However, this isn’t a time efficient process for me. Thanks for considering my application but I’d like to withdraw. 

All the best. 

Thanks,

Hmmm, I think there is a small touch of an attitude with this woman and she has done me and Fuzion a huge favour by showing me clearly who she really was.

My response:

Hi X,

You have just shown me how good my screening process is by demonstrating how much you were interested in the role.

Greg

Maybe we are approaching “full employment” and this attitude is probably a unfortunate by-product of this environment whereby some applicants think they are god’s gift to the employer world – they are not!

This is one of these another of those “you’ll never believe me when I tell you what happened today!” stories!

Greg

Greg Canty is a partner at Fuzion a Brand Communications agency with offices in Dublin and Cork, Ireland

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Posted in Management, Motivation, Personal development, Recruitment | 2 Comments »

When a big pay packet costs you too much

January 15, 2024

I’m doing a lot of job interviewing lately.

In Fuzion we are recruiting for a number of roles, and with candidates that are of interest I must ask them about their salary expectations/requirements. It’s a tricky question, but a very basic one.

“How much salary do you require to consider this role?“

It’s a very practical question and like the rest of us, the person needs to be paid appropriately, fairly and have enough to live on and hopefully some left over for the nicer things in life.

While we have to approach “pay” in this way there is an even more fundamental question that goes beyond the amount of money that you need to take up a role.

How much will this job cost you and is the pay sufficient for this cost?

How can a job cost you (and I’m not talking about travel expenses) you are probably asking.

Life is too short and every precious hour that you spend on this earth should be a positive experience, something that you can enjoy, that gives you fulfilment, comradery, that allows your passion to flow, that provides you with something valuable that you can’t get in other aspects of your life. This includes your work as much as other aspects of your life.

A long time ago I remember a boss of mine near the end of his career sharing with me that he hated his job and wished that he was doing something totally different. This guy was very comfortable and could easily have jumped ship so I asked him why he wouldn’t. He carefully explained to me what he described as “a fur lined mouse trap” -basically the package and perks were too good to leave so he was prepared to stay “trapped” as he called it.

Wow, what a huge price he paid for that time.

To take a job that is not right for you even if the package is great, is a hefty price to pay. While they might be paying you a lot, you end up paying the biggest price of all by not doing what YOU want with your precious time – you won’t get it back.

You need to #WinHappy

If you are interested we are a great place to work as long as you like doing what we do!!

Greg

Greg is a partner at Fuzion a Brand Communications agency with offices in Dublin and Cork, Ireland

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Posted in Motivation, Personal development, Positivity | 2 Comments »

A life of Mondays…..

October 16, 2023

If on your last day on this earth an angel appeared and offered you more time but the offer came with a big catch.

Each of those years was to be made up on Mondays and nothing else, Monday after Monday after Monday.

Would you take it?

Have a great Monday !!

Greg 

Greg is a partner at Fuzion a Brand Communications agency with offices in Dublin and Cork, Ireland

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Posted in Motivation, Personal development | Leave a Comment »

When ‘East Meets West’ and the many twists and turns of life..

September 24, 2023

When we were in the process of buying our little West Cork retreat I found myself driving through the beautiful town of Schull in search of a gift for a friend that we were about to visit.

The display of beautifully lit mosaic lamps in the window caught my attention and within minutes I had the perfect gift (one of those lamps) being wrapped while I chatted to the sales assistant. The shop, ‘East Meets West‘ had an eclectic range of beautiful stock, everything from rugs, lamps, clothing, jewellery, furniture children’s toys and much more, all sourced directly from small manufacturers in India.

On another visit to the store a few months later I met the owner, Amanda Connell originally from Norfolk in England, and in no time at all I started to hear abut her colourful story, which was just as fascinating as her very special shop.

Life is full of personal and career choices and there are times when the ones we make aren’t the most obvious and some might say, a little bit crazy!

Amanda agreed to sit down with me at her gorgeous new home near Schull and share her story for the Win Happy podcast – I hope you enjoy getting to know Amanda as much as I did.

Greg

The Win Happy podcast is available on all podcast Apps and on Spotify.

This show has been produced by Fuzion Communications, a Marketing, PR, Graphic Design and Digital Marketing Agency in Ireland with offices in Dublin and Cork.

Podcast Production by Greg Canty

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Posted in Inspiration, Personal development, Podcast | Leave a Comment »

No I didn’t

May 17, 2023

No I didn’t bump into my neighbour and great friend Brian as I was popping down to the local store to grab some lunch.

No I didn’t ask him if he wanted to join me and Dee for lunch.

No I didn’t ask him what he fancied for lunch and no he didn’t suggest that he fancied a nice baguette because he had spotted some guy cycling and he had a baguette.

No I didn’t get a fresh rustic baguette in the store, a selection of salads, marinated chicken breasts and some pastries.

No I didn’t come home, set a table in the garden for lunch in the sunshine.

No I didn’t text Brian to say lunch was ready and no he didn’t come over.

No I didn’t ask Brian and Dee if they wanted some white wine to go with this delicious lunch in the sunshine and while they said no first, no they didn’t change their minds….

No we didn’t have a great chat in the sunshine, we didn’t polish the bottle of wine and we didn’t have coffee and delicious pastries after.

No we didn’t have fun and no we didn’t spend too much time chatting to stop us from being back at our desks for work at 2pm.

No, I didn’t tell you the truth…

Sometimes you just have the embrace the moment because it just might not come again!

Greg 

Greg is a partner at Fuzion Communications, a full service Marketing and PR agency with offices in Dublin and Cork, Ireland

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Posted in Friendship, Motivation, Personal development | Leave a Comment »

Is there anything else we should be worried about?

April 17, 2023

I was listening to a really popular Irish podcast and the podcast host had one of the countries foremost economists on the show.

As you would expect the economist was fielding various questions and giving his expert opinion on the Irish economy, fuel prices, the war in Ukraine, the ongoing stresses caused by Brexit and how these issues could affect various business sectors in the country.

It was an excellent review and for the listener they would definitely have come away with valuable insights.

Just as the show was about to wrap up, the podcast host asked the economist a simple question: “Is there anything else out there that we should be worried about?”

While it could be viewed as a great question and one designed to make sure that all bases were covered, I found myself getting angry with what I was hearing.

Let’s not look for “more” things to worry about – there is always something if you look hard enough.

Instead, look for the opposite ….how about asking about the great opportunities out there ?

Greg 

Greg is a partner at Fuzion Communications, a full service Marketing and PR agency with offices in Dublin and Cork, Ireland

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Posted in Change Management, Management, Personal development, Positivity | Leave a Comment »

New Baby. Mum. Dad. Parent. Career …

November 28, 2022

Hazel, my granddaughter was one year old recently- where did that year fly to?!

I’ve carefully watched Brendan and Ayla looking after this little treasure and it definitely seems to be quite a different scenario for parents today compared to when I was a young dad.

With the nature of their work (and some COVID thrown into the bargain) both Brendan and Ayla have been able to spend equal time with Hazel, enjoying every little change in her, and why not ?!

If you ignore their particular set of circumstances and imagine life as a “normal” working couple, things would have been quite different.

Ayla would have taken her 26 weeks paid maternity leave and then had to make a decision to extend that by another 16 weeks and then possibly another few weeks. All in all she could spend a year at home with Hazel unless she decided to stop working for a while.

Watching Ayla, I can only imagine how hard it would be for any mother to return to work after spending all of that exclusive time with their baby.

As for Brendan, he would have been able to take his two weeks leave at the beginning and that would be that – his daddy time would be when he gets home from work and weekends.

I can see how he has treasured the last year with Hazel and how amazing is that, but in truth he was one of the very lucky dads.

If you bring “work” into the equation in that normal situation, there would have been huge career disruption for Ayla, and not so much for Brendan.

On one side of the coin there is precious time with the new baby, but with that comes career disruption and on the other side there is little baby bonding time and no career disruption.

What’s the alternative, is there a better way, or is this the only practical solution to bringing our precious children into this world of ours?

Watching Brendan and Ayla with Hazel I think it’s only fair that society creates an equal opportunity for both to be parents and for both to share that precious first year.

Except for the obvious “biological” leave at the beginning, there should be an equal / sharing of the leave, allowing both to enjoy parenting and maintain their careers at the same time

While this might seem like a radical idea to us in Ireland, it is the norm in the Scandinavian countries, and you can understand why.

So, for all the Brendan and Ayla’s out there, maybe some day it could be like that for new parents in Ireland!

Greg

Greg is a partner at Fuzion Communications, a full service Marketing and PR agency with offices in Dublin and Cork, Ireland

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Posted in Caring, Family, Parenting, Personal development | Leave a Comment »

The ones you go further for..

July 21, 2022

You know the different types…

The one you do everything for, they want extra and they appreciate nothing.

The one who trusts you to do what you promised, you do even more and they appreciate everything.

A meeting cancels and I have an hour free that I wasn’t expecting….

Which client do I want to give that extra time to??

This stuff is easy, we hopefully learn how to get the best from people as we go, it’s not rocket science!

Trust the professionals to do what they promised, be nice and say thanks

#WinHappy

Greg

Greg is a partner at Fuzion Communications, a full service Marketing and PR agency with offices in Dublin and Cork, Ireland

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Posted in Caring, Customer Care, Motivation, Personal development, Positivity | 2 Comments »

A very simple gesture of a handshake to diffuse a hostile situation

June 20, 2022

I was standing at the ATM on the South Mall in Cork and suddenly from behind me I heard a booming voice “Excuse me, excuse me”.

When I turned around it was a guy on a bike shouting at people to get out out of his way as he sped through.

One of the pedestrians quite rightly had an issue with this speeding cyclist who should have kept his racing for the road and suddenly the two of them were arguing.

The cyclist was way out of order so I jumped to the pedestrians defence.

“He’s right, what are you doing racing on the footpath?” I said.

Suddenly he’s in my face, a tall guy, one of these triathlon types, dressed in black from head to toe.

“What’s your problem, tell me, tell me-I was being polite, I said excuse me”

I responded “You were roaring, and besides, you shouldn’t have been cycling on the footpath”

He came closer to me and repeated what he already said. I repeated what I said and he repeated what he said, getting closer again. This was only going to escalate.

I looked at him and told him it was a waste of time talking to him if he couldn’t get the point about cycling on the footpath and I turned to walk away.

He came after me and once again he was repeating what he had already said “What’s your problem, I was being polite”

This was pointless …I looked at this tall guy, all fired up and from nowhere I found myself offering my hand to shake his. This could go either way, but it was one way of breaking the cycle (pardon the pun!)

He looked puzzled for a second and then met me in a handshake. I said “hey man, calm down, it’s a Friday”

He smiled and said “you are right, that’s what I call great conflict resolution! “

He then hugged me and said he probably shouldn’t have been on the footpath and we both wished each other a good weekend and parted ways.

My spontaneous gesture surprised even me, and I was amazed at how quickly it diffused something that could have easily turned ugly.

It turns out a handshake is hard to resist as we are programmed to treat it like a gesture of kindness or friendship – try it !!

Greg

Greg is a partner at Fuzion Communications, a full service Marketing and PR agency with offices in Dublin and Cork, Ireland

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Posted in Bullying, Caring, Communications, Cycling, Personal development | Leave a Comment »

Tom Cruise and Tom Jones teaching us older boys valuable lessons..

June 13, 2022

I don’t think it’s the very best time to be an older man in this world due to a whole number of reasons and circumstances and quite frankly some quite awful examples of male personalities that we all know only too well.

At a panel discussion recently that I was chairing for a client, we tried to take on a number of issues about bias including Gender, Race and LGBTQ and how these issues may affect the workplace dynamic and career progression. At this session I heard for the first time the expression “male, pale and stale” which was used by one of the participants when referring to men of my age group and older (over fifties effectively).

It struck me that while we were talking about biases, here was quite a blatant one and I realised that this is how many would view me, my generation and older. They have us written off!!

When we give an opinion, when we apply for a job, when we present an idea or go after an opportunity are we written off by many because quiet frankly we are viewed as being “male, pale and stale”?

I was talking to a male colleague who recently applied for a board position and from the credentials that were required, you could not get a better fit. Knowing him I would 100% want him sitting around the board room table providing guidance and wisdom and with a huge moral compass.

He wasn’t even considered because of, you guessed it ..a gender quota and an organisation trying to be politically correct and balance the male/female ratio.

While I understand some of the rationale for this policy, I can also understand how my colleague felt in this scenario where merit is discarded – he is talented, qualified and experienced but sadly the wrong gender, the wrong age, the wrong colour and instead of getting frustrated, maybe accepting his lot and throwing in the towel, putting on the slippers and instead deciding to coast to retirement?

All of this can start to make us older boys, feel irrelevant, past it and possibly done and dusted and suddenly our whole mindset shifts to a poor place.

I went to see Top Gun: Maverick last week and I saw 61 year old Tom Cruise in the all action movie. He looked great, he apparently flew those fighter jets himself, drove the fast motorbikes and got the girl!

And just this weekend I went to see 82 year old, great grandfather, Tom Jones (not my choice !!) entertain a packed house at The Marquee in Cork, full of energy and passion. He was brilliant and totally different to what I was expecting.

In a funny way both of the Tom’s shifted my thinking and reminded me that we still have so much to give and so much of this is down to our attitude.

I can’t do anything about my colour or my gender, but I’m definitely not that stale guy that you think I might be. Most importantly I must make sure that I don’t think it!

Age is a mindset..

Greg

Greg Canty is a Principal of Fuzion Communications, a full service Marketing and PR agency with offices in Dublin and Cork, Ireland.

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Posted in Entertainment, Motivation, Personal development | 3 Comments »

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