LinkedIn – Why this is the Key Ingredient for Irish University Students

LinkedIn – Why this is the Key Ingredient for Irish University Students

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LinkedIn is like being on social media and advancing your future career prospects. HomeHak is going to explore why this social network matters as a student. If you are a student, here are some of the reasons why you should be on it.

Getting Job Email Alerts

Firstly, once you have created your professional profile on LinkedIn, you can set email alerts to receive notifications of recommended jobs. Secondly, students and jobseekers will be able to see the notifications on their homepage as soon as they log into their LinkedIn accounts.

Connecting with Professionals

If you have a look at LinkedIn, you’ll be surprised to find out the large number of professionals who choose to connect here. In fact, you can find your friends, co-workers, colleagues, classmates and family members on this platform. Consequently, it’s never a tough job connecting with them all. What’s more, you can even import your email list to find out who among your friends is present on LinkedIn.

LinkedIn in Irish Universities - HomeHak — Photo by LinkedIn Sales Solutions on Unsplash

Conducting Company Research

One of the biggest benefits LinkedIn offers college students and jobseekers is that they can check out the pages of their targeted employers. By visiting company, pages, you can conduct a research on the whereabouts of the company, the hiring process and what people have to say about that organization. This kind of company research on LinkedIn can always keep a stay ahead of your competition and increases your employability.

Getting Recommendations

What’s more, LinkedIn also offers a feature through which you can get other people to recommend you. People with a maximum number of recommendations have a great chance of attracting the employers’ attention. College students too can try to get as many recommendations as possible to increase their employability.

Letting Companies Find You

Today, a large number of organizations look for talented candidates on social networking platforms like LinkedIn. If you have created a good and detailed professional profile, chances are you will attract employer’s attention. And it would really be nice to be invited by companies for your job position you always wanted to occupy.

Connecting with Other Students

Furthermore, college students can also use LinkedIn to network with other students. This type of networking gives a wonderful opportunity to find out how other college graduates found a job or got hired by an employer.

Check this article out to learn more about how to stay organised as a student in an Irish University.

To summarise

It’s about time that college students too created their profiles.It is time to start to use this social media platform for connecting with professionals. To conclude, prepare yourself as early as possible. You can easily stay ahead of your competition when it comes to landing a job of your interest. For more reasons to be on LinkedIn, check out this article.

July 29, 2022November 29, 2022

Stay Organised as a Student in Irish University – The Importance and How To.

How to stay organised as a student in Irish university

Stay Organised as a Student in Irish University – The Importance and How To

There are many reasons as to why you want to stay organised in college. First and foremost, it will drastically reduce your stress levels. And when you’re less stressed, you’ll feel better and perform better on assignments. You’ll also have more time for the things you enjoy doing, and you’ll just be a more pleasant person to be around.

1. Your Calendar

Calendars free up so much space in your head helping you to stay organised. Instead of having to remember appointments, classes, or due dates using post-it notes or scraps of paper in your wallet, you can have everything organized in a convenient, visual format. And if you use a digital calendar, you can automatically get reminders of important events before they sneak up on you.

2. Stay Organised with a To-Do List/Task Manager

You could use a whiteboard or a blank notebook if you want. What matters is that you keep an updated list of the tasks you need to accomplish, as well as, you know, actually doing said tasks. To make your to-do list, you should first create a brain dump of everything that you need to do on a regular basis. Here are some tasks that most college students need to do:

Homework assignments
Cleaning your apartment
Preparing meals
Club or society tasks
Anything you’re learning outside of class

Stay organised in Irish universities — Photo by Cathryn Lavery on Unsplash

3. Your Notes

Taking good notes is key to staying organised, comprehending and retaining any lectures or presentations that your professors give. But taking notes on its own isn’t enough — to get the most value out of your notes, you need to keep them organized. For some people, this could be as simple as having a different notebook for each class and referring back to it when you need to study for an exam.

4. Your Class Materials and Files (Digital and Physical)

We recommend you keep all of your class materials organized either in a physical three-ring binder or in some kind of digital system. To stay organised, you could put all of the material in Evernote along with your notes, or you could have dedicated Google Drive folders for each class (other cloud sync apps like Dropbox and OneDrive work here as well, but Drive offers the best value for students unless you specifically need Microsoft Office).

5. Your Backpack

Your backpack (or briefcase or purse or whatever you use) is key for keeping all of these materials organized and at the ready. Organizing your backpack isn’t hard — the key step is to remember to fill your backpack with the things you need for the day. After all, there’s nothing worse than showing up in class, only to get that sinking feeling in your stomach as you realize that you don’t have the book or paper you need.

To summarise

Use a calendar. Make a to-do list. Organise your notes. Keep track of all class materials. Invest in a comfty bagpack. Getting organized is the easy part. How to stay organized throughout the semester is the hard part. We hope you enjoyed HomeHaks top tips for staying organised throughout your academic career!

For more college hacks, check out our other articles:

July 29, 2022September 21, 2022

Better Notetaking – How to take the best notes in Irish University

Better Notetaking – How to take the best notes in Irish University

Your guide to taking effective notes is here. Your days of looking back at what you scribbled down in class and trying to decipher useful information from them before a test are over. In this HomeHak guide, we’ll talk about how to prepare yourself to take good notes in class, introduce some popular techniques for taking notes, and cover the best ways to get the most out of your notes after class to lead you to better notetaking.

Better notetaking

Structured: The Outline

This is for people who like simplicity. It’s one of the easiest better notetaking ways to take notes, and it comes pretty naturally to most people. When taking your outline notes, start by choosing four or five key points that will be covered in your lecture. Beneath those points write some more in-depth sub-points about each topic as the lecturer covers them.

For Review: The Cornell Method

In this method, you divide your paper into three sections: notes, cues, and summary. Your notes section is for the notes you take during class. You can structure them however you like, but most people like to use the outline method. Write your cues section either during or directly after class. This section can be filled out with main points, people, or potential test questions. Use this section to give yourself cues to help you remember larger ideas. You can write your summary section directly after class, or later when you’re reviewing your notes. Use this section to summarize the entire lecture.

In-Depth: The Mind Map

The mind map is a great way of better notetaking for specific types of subjects. Class subjects like chemistry, history, and philosophy that have interlocking topics or complex, abstract ideas are perfect for this method. Use the mind map to get a handle on how certain topics relate, or to go in-depth with one particular idea.

Mindmap - HomeHak — Photo by Alvaro Reyes on Unsplash

Expanded: mindmap

Jot down topics, draw arrows, make little doodles and diagrams and graphs. Go crazy. Engage with the material. Try to actively learn as you’re writing. Check out this article on how to create a mindmap.

Easy: Writing on Slides

Let’s be honest, this is better notetaking for lazy people…and there’s nothing wrong with that! It’s super effective, and it’s easy. If your lecturer is kind enough to provide you with the slides that they’re using in their lectures, go ahead and download the files and print them out at the computer lab. The slides give you a leg up on the outlining process. The professor already did the work for you! All you have to do is take notes and expand on key concepts already presented in the slides.

Visual: Bullet Journaling

If you’re super into aesthetics, like to doodle, or are a particularly visual learner, this method might be best for you. When you write in your bullet journal, you turn a blank page into a beautiful representation of your thought process. Try using it to combine different aspects of other note-taking styles.

To summarise

We have shown you so many ways to better notetaking such as Structured: The Outline, For Review: The Cornell Method, In-Depth: The Mind Map, Expanded: mindmap, Easy: Writing on Slides and Visual: Bullet Journaling. If you are intersted in more student hacks check out our other articles:

July 29, 2022November 29, 2022

Essential Books Every Irish College Student Needs to Read in University

Essential Books Every Irish College Student Needs to Read

If you enjoy reading then you will love this article on our top Essential Books. This article includes HomeHaks top essential books that you need to get your hands on now. If you’re looking to create a well-rounded, successful college experience, you can’t go wrong with any of these.

Pile of books — Photo by Tom Hermans on Unsplash

Essential Books

The Power of Habit

As it turns out, habits shape much more of our behavior than we realize. The habits we do have largely determine the progress (either good or bad) we make in life. Luckily, the way habits are formed can be understood – which means they can be changed – and The Power of Habit is the best overview of how habits work that we have ever read.

How to Become a Straight-A Student

This book gives you an in-depth, well thought out method for pulling epic grades in all of your classes. The book is based around that fact that there are many college students who get straight A’s, yet don’t study for more than a couple hours a day and still have plenty of other things going on in their lives. It lays out effective strategies for note-taking, quizzing yourself, writing papers, and more. If you want to be like one of the aforementioned students, get this book.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

This is a business and self-help book written by Stephen R. Covey. Covey presents an approach to being effective in attaining goals by aligning oneself to what he calls “true north” principles based on a character ethic that he presents as universal and timeless.

Confessions of a Recruiting Director

Author Brad Karsh demystifies the job-hunting process and shows you how to most effectively scout out and land that crucial first job out of college. He goes through writing resumes and cover letters and even provides a fairly large index full of completed examples of each.

Your Money: The Missing Manual

Learning to effectively manage your money should be priority #1 if you haven’t done it already. You’re most likely in college so you can get a degree and gain access to jobs with greater earning potential; make sure your degree goes as far as it should by learning what to do with the money once you have it. Your Money: The Missing Manual is a fantastic general overview of personal finance, and it’ll show you just how to keep those bills in the bank rather than blowing them on random things.

To summarise

The power of habits shows us how our habits shape much more of our behavior than we realize. How to Become a Straight-A Student teaches us how to get great grades in all our classes. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People gives us the tools to achieve our goals. Confessions of a Recruiting Director helps us to land our first job out of college. Finally, Your Money: The Missing Manual explains how to effectively manage your money. We hope you enjoyed our top recommended essential books!

Check out our other articles on student hacks:

July 29, 2022September 22, 2022

Top Survival Tips Every First-Year Irish University Student Should Know

Top Top Survival Tips Every First-Year Irish University Student Should Know

There are so many things to consider when you are embarking on your first year of third level education. It is an exiting step in your life. On the other hand, it can also be stressful and scary. Keep these HomeHak Top Survival Tips in mind once you start classes, but more importantly don’t forget to have fun along the way!

Remember that every person you meet in college has something to offer you.

You will meet hundreds new people at college – classmates, professors, advisors, recruiters, staff at campus, etc. Naturally, you won’t become friends with everyone, but we recommend networking with as many people as possible, especially when you’re new at the university.

Students chatting — Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash

Be organized and make deadlines your priority.

Get a calendar, whether an online app or good old paper diary, and write down all your deadlines, exams, group meetings and school events. You will have dozens of different assignments during your college years and the sooner you find a routine that fits you, the better. Top Surivial Tips is make it your priority to never hand in an assignment late. Being diligent and dependable is always a plus!

Never. Ever. Plagiarize.

Don’t even come close to plagiarizing. Learning how to write is one of the core skills you will be developing at university. Don’t ruin the learning process with copying and pasting words from a different source. Instead, find enough various resources, learn how to cite sources properly, and develop your own writing routine. You can also make use of one of the many programs and apps that detect plagiarism in your work.

Find a note-taking system that works well for you.

Taking notes with a laptop might be faster and easier than writing notes by hand, but writing down notes with good old pen might help you remember the content of the lecture better than if you typed them. Find out what works best for you in each class so you can make the most out of your notes once revising or studying. Read more about when you should take notes by hand in our previous article.

Top Survival Tips always back up your files.

There is nothing worse than having your laptop broke down in the middle of finishing your unsaved essay or losing a whole file of documents.

Meet with your academic advisor on a regular basis.

Connect with your school’s academic advisor as well as a career center. Both your career advisor and academic advisor might play a valuable role in your college years and in your future decisions. Also, go to most career fairs in the campus or the city you live in, whether you are looking for a job or just want to network with recruiters.

Actively participate in activities organised by your university/faculty.

Whether it is extra-curriculum lecture or a Christmas party organised by the faculty, these events are a great opportunity to get to know your classmates, professors and professionals better, but also to learn interesting things.

Don’t be afraid to drop a class you don’t like.

Feel no obligation to take every single class you register for. If you don’t like them, drop them and spend your time in a more meaningful class for you. At the end of the day, college is about finding out what you want to do.

Take good care of your health.

Taking good care of your body and mind is essential every day of your life, but even more when you get to start a brand new chapter at a university, often miles away from your family and home. You will likely face a frequent temptation to eat unhealthy food, cook low-cost meals and miss out on physical exercise due to lack of time. Nevertheless, it is important to keep a healthy lifestyle, eat enough fruits and veggies, drink enough water, sleep well and exercise often. Especially in the times of global pandemic. Bottom line: Your health is the foundation for everything else, so don’t neglect it.

Get to know your professors.

Another top survival tip is college is as much about networking as it is about taking classes. Plus, most of professors will be very happy to get to know you, share their experience and guide you through your college path

Get involved in student clubs and/or organizations.

Joining a student club and/or organization does not only mean more networking and likely more friends, but also a chance to boost your resume and have a say in how things are run.

To summarise

Remember that every person you meet in college has something to offer you. Be organized and make deadlines your priority. Do not plagerise. Find a note-taking system that works well for you. Always back up your files. Meet with your academic advisor on a regular basis. Actively participate in activities organized by your university/faculty. Don’t be afraid to drop a class you don’t like. Take good care of your health. Get involved in student clubs and/or organizations. We hope you enjoyed our Top Surivial Tips. Check out this article for more tips every first year student should know.

For more student hacks, check out our other articles:

July 29, 2022September 21, 2022

International Students Studying in Irish Universities Top Tips

Top Tips for International Students Studying in Irish Universities

It is a truly enriching experience to study in an Irish University. With highly dedicated and qualified staff, our universities have a prestigious reputation of delivering world class education to the highest standard. According to the Irish Universities Association, there are currently over 32,000 international students studying in Ireland availing of the extensive range of courses available. Read more to find your top tips for international students studying in Ireland.

You might be feeling a bit anxious. Fear not, as HomeHak has put together our top tips for international students coming to Ireland to make you feel more at ease.

Bank account

One of the first things you should do is open a student bank account. Each university usually has a banking partner on campus. This makes it easy for you to open a bank account with appropriate supporting documents. In addition, it takes the stress away of having to choose the right bank and you can get the process done in minutes. Want to know the different student bank accounts in Ireland? Compare and apply online here.

Budgeting for international students

To enable you to enjoy your university experience to the fullest, you need to learn to manage your money correctly. One of the biggest ways to save money in university is through your grocery shop. Furthermore, Lidl and Aldi are the best budget supermarkets to do your food shop in. They can help save you a substantial amount of money on your food bill. Want more tips? Check out this article.

Jar with savings — Photo by Towfiqu Barbhuiya on Unsplash

Manage your time

As you settle into the swing of things, your time in Ireland is going to fly by. Plan Your Next Adventure with Discover Ireland.

Irelands Weather

Ireland is the type of place where you can experience the four seasons in one day. Ensure to pack wisely for cold, warm and wet days. Moreover, summer temperatures usually range from 16-22 celcius with winters rarely dropping below freezing point but still quite cold.

Student Travel Card

A student travel card will get you discounts on your travel throughout Ireland. Also, giving you great savings is the Student Leap Card. The Student Leap Card is the national student travel card. Furthermore, it can help you with savings on mobile plans, travel and shopping. Besides, card holders can get student discounts on fares for Go-Ahead Ireland, Dublin Bus, Luas, Bus Éireann, DART and Irish Rail (Iarnród Éireann).

The Irish People

The Irish are well known around the world for their friendliness and love to converse with strangers. Furthermore, if you ever need something during your time in Ireland don’t be afraid to ask as the Irish will go above and beyond to help you out. The one thing you will be guaranteed from studying in Ireland is a few new Irish friends too! So don’t be shy and get out of your comfort zone and mix with new people.

Here are some links international students might find helpful

To summarise

Ireland prides itself in nurturing international students and helping them to adapt to a new culture. Equally important, each university has a dedicated international office for your needs. Additionally, there is also a diverse range of clubs, societies and support structures to help you settle into university life in Ireland. Finally, there is magnetic energy around the Emerald Isle Universities. As a result, this draws in students from all over the world. No wonder it is ranked in the top 3% of institutions worldwide.

If you are an international student studying in Ireland, check out our article:

International Students in Cork City – Where to Do Your Shopping?

July 29, 2022November 29, 2022

New Club or Society in an Irish Student University – How to Set One Up

Do you feel like there is something missing from campus life? Interested in setting up a new club or society?

Everyone remembers being in first year. We are all stressed trying to get to our next class on the other side of campus. Or, already behind on your assignments. But among the chaos, you carry the same interests and hobbies from secondary school. Did you like dancing, photography, or playing soccer?

But what if there’s no way for you to continue? Will you give them up or find different hobbies? Or would you create an opportunity to enjoy your hobbies again?

Idea for a new club or society

The first thing you need to have is an idea. It must be original and new. In addition, an idea needs to be distinguishable from other Clubs and Societies that are already established. Furthermore remember that new Clubs and Societies will not be considered if they break college policies, promotion of alcohol etc.

People-reading — Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash

Elect

This includes, President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Public Relation Officer, Events Manager etc. Depending, usually there must be at least 4 full time students on the committee. Additionally, the committee posts can only be filled by fully registered, full time students of the college.

Constitution for your new club or society

With every Club and Society comes a constitution. Moreover, this document sets out how the Club or Society should be run. It will act as a set of rules for future committees.

Setup form

Next, you will have to complete the “How To Set Up A Club/Society” application form. You can find these on your university or students union website.

Membership

Members must be added to the application for a Club or Society to become recognised. If a clubs or society is not fully recognised then it is not entitled to collect a membership fee.

To summarise

To conclude, why not start up your own new club or society? Equally important, the process is easy to follow. Dont forget, the student union will be more than happy to help! We hope you have more confidence to start your own after reading this article.

For more articles on student hacks, check out our other articles:

July 29, 2022November 29, 2022

Good Accommodation Tenants – Why They are More Important than you Think

Good Accommodation Tenants – Why They are More Important than you Think

Given you don’t have to spend much time with your tenants, you may think it’s not important who they are. If they pay their rent on time, they’re ok – right? Not quite. Here are some reasons why it’s worth trying to attract high-quality tenants.

Housemates cooking — Photo by Becca Tapert on Unsplash

Good accommodation tenants minimise your maintenance costs

Good tenants will treat your property like it’s their own, so you’re less likely to find unpleasant surprises when they leave. By respecting your investment and keeping it clean and tidy, it will show less wear and tear as the years go on. Quality tenants may not bother you with small maintenance issues such as looking after the garden. This can save you both time and money. And by alerting you as soon as they see a necessary repair, you may avoid a potentially larger issue down the track.

Cash flow

When a tenant pays their rent in full and on time, it saves you both time and stress. You won’t need to chase them for payment, and it will assure you a healthy cash flow. Quality tenants are also likely to see out their full notice period when they decide to move out. This means your property won’t be left empty and you won’t unexpectedly find yourself without an income.

Good Accommodation Tenants = Long-term commitment

Every time a tenant ends their lease it can cost you money. Advertising and open-house inspections add up, and when your property is empty you don’t have rental income coming in. You need to find tenants who are reliable and responsible. When it comes to paying rent, taking care of the property, and simply being courteous to other neighbours, you want tenants who are dependable. Hiring a property manager can help find you reliable tenants — by checking rental history and asking for references, apartment rental agencies can ensure your new tenants will be as dependable as possible.

Keep the peace

Even though you don’t have to live in the neighbourhood, it’s important to be on good terms with those who do. After all, nobody wants to live next door to a loud rock band. Happy neighbours will look out for your property and be less likely to make malicious complaints. A good tenant can help you forge a strong relationship with the community surrounding your property. This investment will continue to reap benefits long after the tenant moves out. A consistent and reliable tenant will look after your property and help you generate the best returns from your valuable investment. When you attract a high-quality tenant, you can rest easy knowing that your investment is in good hands.

To summarise

Good tenants can actually mean the difference between a high and a low-performing investment. In fact, finding a great tenant may be just as important as finding the perfect location for your investment property.

Are you currently looking for new tenants? Then consider requesting tenant CVs.

For more information on the value and benefits of long term tenants, check out this article.