With Identity Theft becoming widespread and the struggle Law Enforcement agencies have in trying to keep ahead of the criminals we can help prevent this by taking a few simple precautions.

Do you use the same userid and password for multiple accounts, e.g. your online bank account, your Hotmail/Gmail account, your Facebook account, your job board accounts … the list is endless.

Also, do you publish your date of birth on your Facebook account, for the world and thieves to see. So they have your name, your date of birth, the town your are from, the school you went to. For example, some security questions ask what was the name of your first school or your best friend … hey man, just look at my Facebook page, it’s all there.

When creating a strong password, try something like this, if you use a town, say Dublin2010 – you could use Evcmjo#2010 … it is simply the next letter in the alphabet. It doesn’t have to be the next letter, it even doesn’t have to be a city, it could be anything but it makes it harder to crack your password.

These are just a few simple precautions that you can take to prevent you being a victim of Identity Theft.

Here are some simple eye exercises for you to try and you do not need to go to the doctor to pass a fitness test before you can try them, so relax and enjoy.

Exercise your eyes.

What may be possible is to look for some Government contracts because even if they ask for 3 years of financial records, you may not require the financial records if your experience comes up to the mark.

I have seen this as a response to a recent Government Tender in that the tenderer did not have the 3 years of financial accounts and relevant experience would be considered in lieu of this.

Also, it may be possible to pool talent with previous work colleagues and offer a combined pool of resources to a Government tender.

Another interesting blog – No Response after Interview

And another Why no updates after Interviews

We hear it from our jobseekers of the frustration of not getting replies to applications etc. Sometimes we know that jobseekers do apply for vacancies that they are not qualified for and this is something that we have advised not to do as it only frustrates the recruiter who receives hundreds of applications. But, when you are qualified for the position the frustration is understandable, as there are many eRecruitment systems available to recruiters to assist them in professionally managing the processing of job applications, therefore a reply is feasible.

So, jobseekers are there any of you out there, in Ireland or elsewhere, who have used your skills to clarify the responses that you have received for your Applications, say over the last 6 months bearing in mind that you are qualified for the advertised vacancy.

An example of what we are looking for is:

1. Total number
2. Total through Job Boards
3. Total directly through Employers
4. Total through social media
5. Total through business contacts
6. Total Interviews attended at Recruitment agencies
7. Total Interviews attended through Employers
8. Total feedback from Recruitment Agencies, i.e. did they reply to application
9. Total feedback from Employers, i.e. did they reply to application
10. Total feedback from Recruitment Agencies, i.e. did they reply after interview
11. Total feedback from Employers, i.e. did they reply after interview
12. Total phone calls to each Agency/Recruiter not responded to
13. Total responses for all Applications

If there were other factors that you considered on your list, please include them and email your findings to John – jobs@jobs2ireland.ie

Thank you.

The move is designed to ensure that contractors who are de facto employees cannot avoid PAYE by being paid through limited companies they establish. The changes will also apply to certain professionals, such as doctors and pharmacists, who carry out locum work but avoid PAYE due to their status as short-term contractors. Read more details here

As the age for retirement creeps up to over 70, due to many factors, for example, not enough young people in employment to support an aging population, it will be important that as we get older we maintain not just our bodies but our minds as well. The best way for us to achieve this is to remain sharp.

Here is an interesting article that I found and it should be of interest to most of us as we, the lucky ones who make it, will eventually enter our elder years at some point- http://bit.ly/7WbKfW

What difference does it make what rate the contractor was being paid on the last contract. If the contractor has the relevant experience, and most contractors will come with a broader range of experience due to their career diversity, then the contractor should be paid the rate applicable to the contract on offer. The agency will know what the rate is and contractors feel that the agencies want to keep a bigger slice of the pie by playing down rates. Contractors also feel that they may be getting passed over for contract positions if they ask for the going rate so they will put forward lower rates, which allows the agencies to increase its margin on the contract.

Contractors are saying that they want to see transparency in contract rates. This will stop the contractors from having the feeling that they are being ripped off because agency margins are well down due to the current economic crisis. Also, Employers will not be paying over the odds for a contractor because the agency is keeping a bigger margin. With transparency it will be a win/win situation all round for Agent, Employer and contractor.

This comes as a blow to the Government on the run up to the budget together with the Vote Yes for Lisbon, Vote Yes for Jobs campaign. But it will be an even bigger blow to the Anglo staff being let go just before Christmas as they won’t have the luxury of the massive payouts that the Kingpins (the architects of our economic disaster) at Anglo received.

The job losses at Anglo will not be the only ones if the Government does not step in and remove some of their stupid policies of €10 Travel Tax and the high level of VAT and excise duties that is driving people North of the border to do their shopping.

We have the people of Ireland looking for direction, leadership from a rudderless Government that is steering the country further up the creek without the paddle.

The Employers’ group IBEC also says the Government should stand fast on cutting the public finances.