Meet the Press

Late yesterday evening, the NSW Premier Nathan Rees was voted out of office and Kristina Keneally voted in. I was listening to some vox pop on the radio this morning, people on the Sydney streets being asked what they think of having four NSW premiers in as many years, as well as commentary over other statistics: seven Education Ministers in six years and a colourful congo line of Police Ministers.

The media does a brilliant job of presenting hype as news itself. Are we NSW citizens all worried now about the infighting and crebility of this state's government? Since you ask...

Kevin Rudd has even told the NSW government to get its act together. Bit embarrassing.

What the media does do well however is ask a lot of questions. Stories are coming in this morning which give us a lot more information on who Kristina Keneally is, who the powerbrokers are and the flaws in the current state political system that are perpetuating this dancing in and out of office. So perhaps it's all a good thing, a learning experience for us and them.

Politics is not the same as running a company but some of the HR principles are the same. There is some uncertainty and tension around who our leaders are now. If you were going for a job interview and you found out that those in senior management were only celebrating one or two birthdays in office at the most, I think you would either get a dodgy feeling in your guts or start asking a lot of questions yourself.

Job interviews are a bit like press conferences. Don't research the company only to rehearse and repeat impressive information during your meeting, make sure that this is a solid team with a good performance record. A group that you want to be a part of. Google the company to see if they appear in the media or internet landscape at all, and ask your interviewers about what you find. If you don't feel good about their answers or something doesn't add up, give it a miss. It will save you weeks and months of being in the wrong job and living with that dodgy feeling in your guts each day.

All the best to Kristina Keneally. Most of us are already working for her (paying our taxes and doing our best for the economy) so we can only hope that things settle down and improve.

The Anatomy of Recruitment

Recruitment is a lot about sales. As with any sales, the salesperson works with what they have in stock - the main business areas that they trade in, or what they can possibly order in and arrange for you. The stock we are talking about are job vacancies.

Although many recruitment agencies would call themselves generalist (that is, not exclusive to one key area such as transport, science or accounting), it's probably not the case in a literal sense - most service a core range such as office administration, accounts and sales, or trades, distribution and manufacturing. It would be very challenging to be everything to everyone.

Some agencies have solved this by developing specialised units, so the agency is broken up into exclusive areas with recruiters who only deal with a certain occupation or industry, and this is how they market themselves as separate entities under the same agency umbrella.

But going back to the recruitment agency's main focuses - generalist or not, please be aware of the types or range of positions they actually do business in. If you visit a Ford dealership and ask about new Mitsubishis, it's unlikely that they will have any in stock or be ready to have one delivered - it's just not their line of work. I'm not saying that enquiries are out of the question, but if you are hoping that a recruiter might find you work as an Engineer when they usually work with customer service positions, you're working with the wrong person.

I received an enquiry this afternoon from a graduate who was looking for advice to start working as a manager. It would be a rare occasion that someone finished their degree and started working as a manager (unless you're in the armed forces or part of a great corporate dynasty), so it was a tough ask. Managers have usually worked their way to the top - that's why they have the smarts to manage. So this person lost their temper and said "come on, you work in the HR industry, you must know everyone."

I appreciate that this individual was frustrated. Especially having management qualifications, the hardest step is just getting experience to be on your way. But it's a serious misjudgement to think that people who work in the HR industry know everyone? There's no one salesperson who sells everything, only people who can show you how to get where you want to be. I gave the person recommendations on how to proceed, but there was no way I could provide a quick fix or an easy answer.

Consider how the person you speak to is going to help you - think about the outcome you would like before you start the relationship. Don't be offended by the feedback from recruiters as flat rejection if you don't get the result you're after - it's just a mismatch. Use their experience, ask questions and take advantage of referrals.

Parched Pastures

Yes - I will admit that I have a farmville account on facebook. The plots on my farm yield an infinite supply of online crops, are tilled and resown - yes, we farmers are fortunate to have such fertile earth in the farmville neighbourhood.

A magnificent friend of mine was not as fortunate recently in the real world however. Being incredibly good at what she does, and connected to everyone else in her industry area across Australia, she is at the top of her game. The end of her contract was drawing near so it was time to look for a new opportunity. Having worked her way up to where she is, the challenge is to secure a new challenge!

On making some enquiries here and there as to what was available, it slowly became apparent that the freshest newest job option just wasn't surfacing. Despite being such an accomplished and talented individual, no-one enjoys feeling like they are not hot property.

After some soul searching and talking it over, we came to a stunning conclusion. The freshest newest job options weren't emerging because the space was exhausted. Through all her hard work and industry partnerships, she had harvested everything she could from her industry and her very specialised occupation. It's not a bad thing at all, in fact it's a great indication that someone in this situation needs to turn a corner and set out to do something crazily different.

So that's exactly what happened. It's very inspiring and fabulous to witness such a transformation, and I can't wait to see what happens in her new job adventure.

Just because you have invested time, study, passion and sweat into a career that has given you everything you've aimed for, the ground under you might not be fertile with options and challenges forever. Some of my clients feel regret and even embarrassment about changing direction when this happens, but I think it takes immense courage. I have only respect and admiration.

Want to talk about changing direction? Get in touch.

From Victim to Visionary

What are you taking with you when you leave your place of employment for the last time? Never mind that gel wrist pad that you have adopted for your next job or that cool light-up pen that you're sure your soon-to-be-ex boss has forgotten about. No, this is not a lecture about stealing quirky stationery.

These are your emotional belongings. The story that you'll find yourself telling to every friend and family member, every interviewer every new colleague, every former colleague...about why and how you left your last job. The story can vary slightly depending on what you want your audience to think of you and how you want them to react.

Are you painting yourself into the picture as the weary, tortured victim who was just misunderstood by the boss but was only trying to do the best? Or perhaps you are the hero who emerged from a terrible company with only mild psychological shock as to their appalling culture and processes? Our culture encourages us to look for someone or something to blame when an agreement or bond breaks down, and it's probably very satisfying in the short term to pick apart the faults of your former employer to try and repair your own self-confidence, reinforce your own principles and cling to some sense of what is right.

In reality, any one of those people mentioned above will be able to sense if you have done the wrong thing or been wronged, or a combination of both. What they will respect is if you can maintain integrity for what you do, what you are passionate about regardless of your employment status or the job dramas you encounter. No victims or heroes, just stick to what you do best.

Imagine that you have just joined an accounting firm as an Assistant Accountant. With all your training and basic experience, you're really looking forward to becoming part of the scenery and building your career. However, your supervisor is under a lot of pressure and doesn't give you the support or mentorship you need. You are very concerned about falling behind in your work so you mention your concerns to other colleagues. They decide that the new team arrival is a bit of a whinger and start to spread gossip about you. HR gets involved and decides it's not working out - time for you to leave.

This is a very hurtful and saddening experience for anyone, and no matter how many times you run it over in your mind, it's hard to see how it could have been handled differently in the moment. The point here however is to hold back from seeing yourself as hard done by, an easy target, laughing stock, or anything else which is actually just going to damage your self-esteem.

Not only will your decision on how wronged you were affect how you see yourself, it will also influence whether the next employer hires you or not - whether you are bitter about your treatment or self-confident for the next adventure. Instead of dwelling on the injustice, how about: You're a great Assistant Accountant and you knew what you needed to do well, but you didn't get it. The rest of the drama within the company itself is not your concern - then or now.

Don't lose sight of what's important to you as a professional, not what happens to you when you stop working with an employer. Those are fleeting moments, temporary hurdles, and others will respect your maturity if you recognise that episode for what it was. Think of the bigger picture - what you deserve and what is ahead of you. Your identity and pride in what you do is long term. Let passion do the talking, not politics.

Let joy be unconfined!

Meet Jeff. He's a good looking chap of around 26 with a car, and a nice suit with matching shirt and tie. Until recently Jeff was employed as an Account Manager for a gym equipment company until they were bought out by one of their competitors and Jeff was made redundant. Although he was professional and composed about the decision at the time, Jeff was really devastated when his job finished up. He really loved visiting his clients regularly, seeing positive results from his sales and getting to know their customer base.

Fortunately for Jeff, he had developed a great reputation in the gym equipment market and had no difficulty scoring interviews with other suppliers in the industry. Jeff knew his stuff, they knew him and he was cool and confident about getting back into work.

Unfortunately this is where Jeff made a big, blustery mistake. He believed that his expertise and experience would show that he was an invaluable candidate to the new potential employer. He expected that his local business and industry acumen would be pounced on and savoured by the people who were once his competitors. He loved the gym equipment industry and was very frustrated with being out of the loop, so he was putting his most professional hand out for the better offer available to him.

This approach was a mistake for several reasons. Jeff is right in knowing his value as an agent in the industry and a great asset for a new company, but his prospective employers are looking for something different that Jeff just wasn't putting out there. Although Jeff knew within himself that he really enjoyed the gym equipment scene and loved his clients, his professional demeanour didn't allow that to come through. His prospective employers are probably better off hiring someone fresh who is new to account management or gym equipment who will have to prove their passion for the industry in order to succeed. So Jeff's achievements are now not looking so hot.

This is an entirely made-up example, but the difficulties Jeff faced are described to me all the time. Regardless of whether you are continuing a career in a field you have prior experience in, or changing to a new area - the most vital ingredient in an interview is passion. Love for your art. Excitement for your trade. Enthusiasm for making a hobby into a job. Energy to get started! The importance of putting life into the impression you make cannot be overestimated here - it is just about the most important ingredient in converting that interview into a job offer.

No, that is not to suggest that we just scrap professionalism like last week's newspaper stack. But many job candidates mistake professionalism for woodenism. Robotism. Politeism. Pleasantism. Starchedism. Courtesyism. Rigidism. The sort of soothing voice at you normally use for children and dogs. Who do you think is already employed with this company - a team of cyborg drones with no personality? Don't try and conform to a mould that you only imagine. Let your love for what you do spread out all over the interview table and get your interviewer excited about having you on board. Please do this. I would like to phase candidate cyborgs out completely if possible.

Next time: Channeling rage into something helpful.

The Passion Assassin

It's a question mark that will probably never quite leave you - from your first thoughts in school about what to do when you "grow up", to your first few jobs and ongoing employer changes, career changes, life changes:

Am I doing what I love?
And if not - how would I make the transition and still earn a living?

For many people, working is separate to what you love doing. This might be for soundly practical reasons: if you are crazy about mountain bike riding, it might be wonderful release to tear off the suit and go bush-bashing on the weekends. Same goes for cooking or graphic design - to make your passion into a career may even end up killing your personal love for it.

But there are opportunities out there to do what you crave, and sometimes it just takes a leap of faith to start your career again in another area that you know will satisfy and inspire you.

Say for example that you've spent several years in financial planning. The money is good, (financial crises aside) your clients are loyal and plentiful and you work for a reputable employer. But....deep down, it doesn't really turn you on in the way that you'd hoped, and you are aware of others in the industry that get a lot more out of it personally than you do. They are in their element, and as much as you would like to be, your daydreams are more often filled with: coffee.

Yes. The hustle of the early mornings, the regulars, the latte art in the lazy afternoon, the steam of the machines, the cake forks and smooth napkins...if only.

Plenty of people spend their lives talking to family and friends about another adventure they never take. They may have run the figures, partners, locations, plans, through their minds a hundred times but can't ever seem to make that leap.

I'm not even suggesting here that we venture as far as going into business for yourself. There are people who have had those dreams before you and set those businesses up already. If you can't secure paid employment in the area you love, try looking for volunteer work. Aspirations are not meant to be kept in a glass box, take them out and use them!

I'm not finished with this. The next entry will be talking about your passion once you decide to experiment with direction, and find yourself in that exquisite interview moment where your life could change for the better...

It's not them, it's you.

Interest rates are going up again. Retail companies are nervous, mortgage holders are apprehensive, but if we're being truthful, it also suggests that the economy is recovering. And the media hype around economic improvement reverberates through the psyches of business owners, employers, international traders and political commentators - meaning that if we are heading into better times, then hiring confidence will grow and company teams will again start to resemble their size pre-hiberation.

So it's time a bit of tough love now.

A few months ago it was our priority during the darkest recession-like months to educate our clients and the job seeker market at large that it was not their fault that they were not able to find work, that they were not alone in being made redundant and that many, many other talented people were facing the same crises. We provide comfort and encouragement when it is needed most, and we will always do this.

However, with the economy starting to claw its way back to a healthy, balanced state, we need to acknowledge that the employment market will be showing a bit of muscle. While this means more job vacancies (great!), it also means that your reasons for unemployment cannot continue to be limited to the "the market" indefinitely.

This is a slow process, of course. But as the current out-of-work demographic starts to be reabsorbed into the workforce, it is critical that a) if you find yourself still out of work weeks and months on, then b) you identify exactly why that is, so that you do not get left behind.

A key factor will be your resume. Our clients are getting the jobs and interviews they want right now because their resumes are super-professional. The resume maketh the interview, so please - please - please get yours seen to by a resume doctor such as ourselves!

A day of Great Change

Helena here had the fortunate pleasure of speaking with a gentleman here this afternoon who is having the day of his life!

His wife was admitted to hospital this morning at 1am for an emergency caesarean (mother and baby are doing great) and he then had a job interview for a major retailer later on this morning. He completed a psych test and met with a company representative to discuss the store manager role for which he had applied, was advised that he was not suitable, but asked to stay on site to speak with another company representative and complete another psych test which he did, but again was advised that he would not be offered that position. Again, he was asked to stick around, complete another psych test and meet with someone else. By now, the man was getting very tired (having had no sleep and the greatest emotional event of his life already that morning) and was becoming a bit frustrated. But to his credit, he did finish the third test and met with the third interviewer. To his astonishment, he was offered the NSW State Manager position! And accepted!

So...this man has a lot to get his head around: a new family and a state in less than 24 hours. Congratulations and our very, very best wishes.

Real ingredients, real results.

The skincare and beauty industry thrives on the promise of active ingredients and noticeable results. Most of us at one time or another put the question to ourselves exactly what DHEA5, Factor17A and hydroxynuclease are, and why we now need 35% more of it.

Shifty words and shady outcomes - we would like to believe what advertising tells us, but we are natural skeptics when it sounds like the answer to all our problems.

So does your resume currently include a broad selection of these? honest, reliable, trustworthy, kind, supportive, a team player, motivated, dedicated, results-driven, enthusiastic, easygoing, confident, committed, ambitious, loyal, willing to learn, approachable, open-minded, dynamic, eager, considerate, pleasant and responsible...

What rubbish. It's no use telling the reader all of these things. These words in a resume mean nothing because they are so common - they will appear in 90% of the other applications the recruiter/hiring manager will read that day.

If you really are ambitious and have great energy and initiative, that will be very evident in the detail you have provided and the achievements you have made both at work and in your own time.

To talk about your personal characteristics in your cover letter and resume, don't rewrite the Thesaurus of Goodness. Pick some that really are you and elaborate on them, use your own language and examples so that you stand out. If you spread happiness and improve team morale, say so. If you are last out of the office because you want to spend time helping others, spell it out.

Talk about your real qualities so that you really can deliver on those skills and produce results. Make the you on paper resemble the you in person. After all, no-one else really is like you.

Missed off the manners

I hope you are not wondering where I have been for the past three weeks. If you are, I presume that you have not attended the Jobs Fairs Workshops and Roadshow across Sydney during September, and either sat in on one of my talks, or had a heart-to-heart with me at my table. For you, I am sorry. It was a great experience and I definitely recommend that you go next year. Met some wonderful people.

Today's entry is inspired by a sales consultant who called me this morning and made a rude hairy mistake. He wanted to know if I'd received the information he sent last week (no) after speaking with his colleague in customer service (who?) and did we want his service or not (no...). When he was sure that I was totally unsure of what he was talking about, he hung up in my ear.

As far as this consultant was concerned, I was the one making life difficult - and he wasn't reluctant in letting me know it. The great advantage of electronic media and the telephone is that they allow the communicator to be rude and vent after the conversation has finished and disconnected, rather than handle the exchange in person.

Be careful who you choose to make your anger known to, especially when it comes to employment and recruitment. As infuriating as some people in the industry can be, you never know who knows who, or when you might incidentally contact that person yourself again the future.

The average employment tenure of a recruitment consultant with any given company is quoted by several sources as being 6-11 months. If this is accurate, you can imagine that the typical six degrees of separation is therefore reduced to about 3 in this industry as consultants move around to different firms. Without a doubt, candidates and clients become known from individual consultants' experience.

So don't always think of your consultant in terms of the one person - think about their network, their closest contacts and clients at their fingertips. Consider the positives that can result from such a web of associations.

And if someone really has treated you appallingly, there are appropriate industry authorities to speak to, plus your family and friends. Be professional even if others can't.

What we can learn from trash.

Apologies for the lag in updating - the past few weeks have been all-consuming, but this weekend fortunately granted me (Sarah) a much needed breather.

So in the midst of enjoying a slow Sunday, found myself watching a couple of episodes of the Bachelor on Arena (the start of Season 7 as I discovered from looking on the website this morning). This tv show has a track record of consistently flakey outcomes, no doubt perpetuated by the type of women who enlist to compete for a husband in the first place, and the completely cheesy, drama-soaked rituals these individuals are subjected to. Nevertheless - the whole concept of this series has several relevant points to the process of recruitment. It is intended, after all, to be about one person recruiting for a wife.

So, what can we learn from the Bachelor?

1. It's about chemistry. Your brief job interview is more about determining compatibility and testing the vibe rather than assessing your skills and experience. Your resume has already done that. If you click with your interviewer, then you can be confident of a second interview.

2. Don't take it personally. If you have 25 amazing candidates and one vacancy, then it is still likely that 24 amazing candidates will be without a job (or husband) by the end of the process. Don't clock it up as a failure, it's just a decision process that has to be made. If you have ever watched the Bachelor, the poor bloke never seems to enjoy making the decision, and be assured that employers rarely do either.

3. Be yourself. The women in this show who come on way too strong and behave like menacing, catty high class escorts generally go down in flames with few friends to support them on the way out. If you can be confident in who you are regardless of the outcome, you will earn great respect from all observers, and you are more likely to earn long term relationships (which could see you return for the next season...err..round).

4. Don't put all your eggs in one basket. It's bizarre as a onlooker to see how these women think that this one man could be the answer to all their hopes and dreams, but when emotions get in the way, it can feel like a make or break situation. If it's not meant to be, it's not meant to be. Try to have a few options on your plate at any given time so you never feel like it's 100% or nil.

5. Make sure you're there for the right reasons. Do you want to ace this job interview to feel valued and recognised for your personal worth, convince your interviewer that you've still got what it takes, or do you really want the job? It's not unusual to get excited and swept up in the attention and momentum of a selection process, only to have it all turn solid and real if you get the job and start working. Keep your wits about you and keep asking yourself, is this what I really want?

Perhaps you'll be watching the Bachelor in a different way from now on. I know I am.

Happy rez-iversary

Resumes are a bit like car insurance. You know you have to have it. The upkeep and filing is a hassle. Maybe years go by without a need to check your details are still correct..yeah, nothing has changed. It's just the same as it ever was.

Then BAM. Suddenly you're walking out of your familiar job for the last time. You've been made redundant or the company's folded - the bottom has fallen out of your income - and you are thinking quickly now about a rescue plan for yourself - how to get back on your feet and working again as soon as possible.

Like insurance, that resume is now the most important item in your life...which file on which hard drive is it on? Do I have a hard copy I can retype? Horror of horrors, will I have to write it from memory?

Unfortunately it's pretty clear to anyone if a resume has been written from memory, especially if the writer has become a bit bored with it as they journey back in time over their employment history. A job in the distant past might be described as say, a management role which involved looking after a team, managing all aspects of the business, controlling a budget and increasing sales. That's really not doing you or the commitment and dedication you gave to that role any justice at all.

So prevention is always better than cure (or damage control). If you are employed right now and quite comfortable in your position, start recording your key responsibilities and achievements.

Come back to it every three months or so, or more often as you need to. Not only will this be a great point of reference for you on a low day as a reminder of your value to the company, it will be a simple matter of copying your excellent selling points into your resume if you do find that you need it again in the future. This is not jinxing your security in your current role, it's a record of your success however you choose to use it.

Hand me my lucky pants.

In talking to a job hunting friend last night, she was full of renewed determination to unearth and score the best hidden role out there - fast! And her plan? "I am definitely going to get a job tomorrow. I just need to get lucky pants."

Fortunately a resume, suit, shoes and interview research were also going to figure in the solution. Nevertheless, the psychological edge that the right underclothing can bring is huge. Superstitious apparel is very common among sportspeople, the right gear is vital for an "extended" night out on the town, there have even been movies made about them.

It could well be a hit for Bonds or Davenport - printing underwear with "Lucky Job Interview Pants" on the front. In this market especially, they could be immensely popular.

Seriously, an extra nudge of confidence - whether it is your favourite underwear (your best bet at feeling like an individual under that corporate getup), new fragrance, maybe even some new ink that will never see daylight - may be just what you need to carry that x-factor and nail the interview. And you were wondering how to start that tell-all autobiography...

It's different when it's your own...

We have always been marvellous filterers, tuning out the information around us that simply isn't interesting or relevant to our thoughts. Our relationship with technology has taken this skill of ours one step further however. A couple of clicks will take us to any corner of the internet we desire, from increasingly portable devices, saturating our senses.

Being spoilt for choice, it's just as easy to get rid of what doesn't appeal. If it's not personalised, it won't capture our attention. A simple highlight all and delete from the inbox will sort that out.

Yet we don't apply the same rules to our own efforts. A job application without due care to personalise it and follow the guidelines of correct address is effectively spam. The writer would be most offended to be told it was junk mail after several hours of keyboard jabbing, but the emotion of securing a job can cloud your perspective. What is important to you won't necessarily matter to someone else.

It's not a domestic chore. It's not homework or detention. Sending your resume out to 300 inboxes and hitting the off switch after another day's exertion is a waste of time. Just because this resume is about you does not make it better than everyone else's - 300 new messages could well equal 300 deletes.

A better strategy is trial and error. Ask recruiters and hiring managers for feedback and tips on who to talk to, where to go next. Don't settle for their politeness - get the hard honest facts. Get others to read through your selection criteria statements. Get serious about what your reader wants, not what will satisfy you for another day in front of the computer. If you're not sure, call and ask questions. You will end up sending out less applications, but every one will get you one step closer to the prize.

Looking for a Specialist...

How good are you at making decisions? Are you ever given the responsibility of choosing a new restaurant to visit on the weekend with family or friends? Their potential satisfaction and enjoyment of the night is riding on your decision, and the more you reconsider and second-guess, the more agonising it can get. Who likes colourful places and who likes quiet? Has your choice of venue received any press lately - good or bad? And what about their signature dishes - what do they do really well that you can count on if you decide to go with them?

Imagine there is one joint which has advertised in Yellow, eatability and their own website as a bit of an all-rounder. They do lunch and dinner really well, and if you choose to eat there, they'll do their very best to give you a first class meal which includes all the main food groups. They are open to anyone who wants to dine there, and they really want to give them great food as well. Really really.

Does anyone else think that this place will be sadly frustrated with the amount of foot traffic? Despite their assurances of gastronomic euphoria, there's just not enough detail there, especially when there are so many other restaurants with important information to digest. There's no doubt that they could be astounding in their talent to provide the ultimate dining experience, but it simply has not been expressed sufficiently to the first time reader.

So, enough of the analogy. This one is about your Career Objective. Writers of the Resume must be aware that the Career Objective is the first item to be looked at when your email attachment is opened, and usually the first to be ignored if it looks like rubbish. The amount of applications we see which have something to this effect is genuinely soul-destroying:

"I would like to find a position which uses my range of skills and experience, and make a important and productive contribution to my employer company in a fulfilling and satisfying way."

It's hard to even write that. It might be an example of crazy vagueness to the extreme, but if you are guilty of making your Objective sound as though you will only be pleased with your job when your boss is pleased, that's a problem.

Researching restaurant options, you will note that no venue is asking for your approval or just begging to be given a chance. This is despite the fact that they can only exist with the continued patronage of people like you. Confidence is the key to attraction - if you get the impression that there are thousands of people keen on that restaurant, then your faith in them will be strong.

You need to write your Career Objective as though the masses are begging for your autograph, then you are establishing yourself as a object of desire. Break it down into three parts: past, present and future. A couple of details on your origins, what you do best now, and what the future holds for you. Your employer doesn't want to feel responsible for your happiness just by opening your resume - you're the best and they would be lucky to have you.

New restaurants and new staff are both very exciting and stressful choices, but they are out there for the rest of us to discover. Isn't it time everyone woke up to a new option for their company?

How much is enough?

Writing your resume can feel like putting together an autobiography minus the fun anecdotes. Names, dates, locations, applications....it can be both stressful and frustrating getting all the details straight.

Once the job history framework has been put into place, it's time to consider how best to display the knowledge and experience which fleshes out the resume and separates you from the rest of the applicants.

Many CVs fall short of the mark however because they are approached from the same angle as someone writing their autobiography. The more you rack your brains for snippets of information, the longer the document grows and the better you feel. It looks important bulked up with text, and it looks like you were in fact incredibly busy in those past jobs. What an interesting collection.

What looks great to the writer doesn't necessarily look good to the reader however. The recruiter or hiring manager doesn't have time to read through a short novella of your life's work. They won't always know what your acronyms mean or the significance of certain clients you brought on, never mind the software you used or the special projects you lead.

Resumes are not designed to list your achievements for your own record. It's a statement selling your value to a prospective employer. If they sense that you are not sure what you're getting at, the interest will not be there.

The key is to expand and explain on the major features: no more acronyms, wins, software or projects as bullet points. If a friend or family member can't understand what you are talking about, no-one else will. Minimise the minor points: no-one needs to know that you rinsed the coffee cups and took the post each evening. Think quality, not quantity.

Make your resume easy to read, and it will be read.

Making a flee-change...

We speak to people every day who are feverishly applying for job opportunities which they are suitably experienced and prepared for.

Geography is no longer the issue. If the right role is out there and they want you, it's time to load the picket fence on the trailer and head out of town.

This phenomenon is causing valuable candidates to rethink their position in the talent pool. The metropolitan centres may have the most job opportunities, but they also have the most candidates. Smaller population centres have less roles, but potentially less competition from the locals. More and more we see it - once a candidate has exhausted the options around them, then a fresh position by the coast, interstate or inland seems like much-needed relief.

The question is, does this ex-city spread mean that the metro hotspots are losing out on expertise in the long-term, or will we see a better distribution of skilled people around the country? The elasticity of the job market is more likely to release and then recapture candidates to the city centres as the need arises.

Still, we celebrate those who have found their calling outside the Sydney region. It is probably doing more for them than just financial health. Morning surf anyone?

More Congratulations

Further congratulations must be given to our most recent Talentwax graduate who is attending a panel interview for her desired role next week. She will no doubt do very well from all of our practice, and keep her nerve in the face of multiple interviews. We will be watching her progress closely.

Congratulations

We are very proud to acknowledge the achievements of one of our TalentWax graduates who has just successfully negotiated a new full time position with an industry employer of choice.

Despite having the options to pick and choose from, she deftly handled the recruitment consultants who were administering the roles, and ensured that she got the opportunity that best suited her needs, with a starting timeframe that left her breathing space for a holiday in between.

We are delighted that she has exercised control and consideration over her next move and didn't compromise on her wishes.

Sensational work.

That's my thing

For recruiters and company hiring managers alike, interviewing a shortlist of candidates for a particular role can be a gruelling experience. Although sufficient appraisals are recorded to identify and rate each candidate, it can still be difficult at times to remember the particulars of each person if the interviews have come in quick succession.

So how do you overcome this problem as a candidate? Some people find names or faces harder to recall than others, so it should be your priority to stand out. This does not mean you should be perusing the supermarket aisles for a different hair colour, or training your iguana to sit in your top pocket. Your physical appearance is not the focus - it should be what makes you distinctive on paper, which you are then able to discuss in person.

Everyone has characteristics which make them unique, and sometimes it's not always a simple process identifying them. At TalentWax, we talk to our clients extensively - to bring up old memories, sidelined memories, past projects, great events, small interests...achievements and pursuits which just need a pair of fresh eyes and ears to make them new and fascinating again.

If you are really strugling to put together a list of unique and distinctive features on yourself, starting something new is a great interview topic and demonstrates initiative. "Good question - how do I meet challenges in a team environment. I have actually just started playing touch football/water polo/clarinet with a local bunch of people, so teamwork is very important and rewarding to me." WELL - you're a different person entirely now, not just a 2-page work history in a suit. It doesn't have to be a group thing, you could be writing a novel, learning photography, studying japanese or making a treehouse.

If you can combine your resume with some positive, unique traits which you can really talk about, you'll definitely stand out in the interview queue and be remembered for more than just your career and abilities. You might be thereafter known as that one who is getting his pilot's licence, that one who runs marathons, that one who knows sign language or that one who caters for children's parties. It's a great way to build confidence and self-esteem if you can plan in advance for how you want to be recalled.

Katherine's Profile

Part-time Consultant and mother of two, Katherine is a cherished friend and source of great wisdom for the TalentWax team and her extended network of contacts.

How did you begin your career in Human Resources?
I saw an job ad in the local paper for a Trainee Recruitment Consultant, working for Integrity Personnel. I was looking to get into a profession where I could help people and thought helping others to find a job would be ideal.

What inspired you to become a TalentWax Consultant?
First impressions really do count. If a resume isn’t up to scratch, has spelling mistakes, or is vague on experience then it makes it very difficult to make that first impression and get an interview. I love to work with people on a personal level, get to know them and help them realise and most importantly communicate their strengths. Coaching people on how best to secure an interview is the first step in helping them secure a job.

What do you believe are the main differences between TalentWax and other career support services?
The one on one style of coaching and communication. Our clients are matched with our consultants on a range of personality traits and interests, strengthening the interaction and trust required in a learning situation.

What do you think are the main challenges facing job hunters at present?
Without a doubt, the level of competition from other potential job hunters. Hiring managers have more choice of available candidates than recent years.

What elements of the job application process do you think are commonly mishandled among candidates?
Sending resumes and cover letters by email, without checking the attached documents relate to the advertised job. Poorly worded emails are also a cause for concern.

What advice would you have for those people who could improve in these areas?
Take extra care and attention before emailing your resume and covering letter. Ensure there are no mistakes and you have addressed the required criteria in your covering letter. If you have a weakness in spelling or grammar, ensure you use Spellcheck, or have someone else read it for you.

When you have been a job candidate, how have you kept your nerves under control?
I allow myself to be nervous, breathe, use pauses to collect my thoughts and even tell the interviewer I am nervous. They are expecting you to be nervous so it’s OK.

What else has worked for you in the past as a candidate?
Researching the company and the position helps me feel prepared and calms my nerves. I always do some mental role-play of potential interview questions and answers, plus think about my work experiences and how I can find examples which present me in the best light.

What is your perception of the recruitment industry at present?
It is very difficult for job seekers due to the competition. It is difficult for both job seekers and recruiters because of the lack of available positions and companies who are currently hiring.

How do you believe candidates should manage relationships with recruiters?
They should regard this relationship in the same way they as they do their resume – first impressions count.

What do you find most rewarding about delivering TalentWax?
Getting to know a candidate on a personal level and helping them focus on their own strengths and achievements.

What would you most like to achieve as a TalentWax consultant?
Each candidate to find their own job with new personal resources under their belt. They then may be able to use these skills in the day to day life both in work and at home.

What does success mean to you?
A sense of achievement of a job well done which leaves a smile on my face.

What do you like doing in your spare time?
Being in sunshine, spending time with family and laughing.

What are you passionate about?
Helping people, communicating, talking and human rights.

What is the best compliment you’ve ever received?
When a TalentWax graduate joins a new employer and approaches us for recruitment services.

What is your greatest personal achievement?
Watching my two children grow into confident little people.

Which famous person would you like to be stuck in a lift with?
Tania Major, the Young Australian of the Year in 2007.

What’s your favourite book?
Too many to recount but Mao’s Last Dancer and A Fortunate Life are up there.

What are you focused on learning more about this year?
Managing my own personal finances!

Helena's Profile

Our fourth profile is from the gorgeous Helena, whose contagious enthusiasm and humour is a main reason for getting up in the morning.

How did you begin your career in Human Resources?
I kinda fell into it. I was working in a call centre where we had a lot of temporary workers and the agency that they were working for were useless, they never called or checked in on them. I thought that I could a better job than they were and applied for a position as a temp consultant. 3 interviews later and the job was mine. (and I was right, I did do a better job!)

What inspired you to become a TalentWax Consultant?
To help people gain the confidence they need to be able to get the job/respect they deserve.

What do you believe are the main differences between TalentWax and other career support services?
TalentWax is a more personal service that is on a one to one basis. TalentWax ensure the candidate is with the most suitable consultant that can help the candidate grow and learn.

What do you think are the main challenges facing job hunters at present?
The lack of roles available and the amount of candidates applying for each role. I believe this causes a job hunter to become de-motivated and gain low self-esteem which then comes across in interviews.

What elements of the job application process do you think are commonly mishandled among candidates?
Sending the same cover letter to every job they apply for and not changing who it is addressed to or the job they applying for – this comes across as careless and desperate.
Not sending a professional looking resume.
Having bad voicemail services or crazy email addresses.

What advice would you have for those people who could improve in these areas?
Think before you do anything. Think about how much the role you are applying for means to you and how you can stand out from the others. Ensure the cover letter is tailored to that job, that your resume is in the same font and size the whole way through. If you need to, then set up a new email account for professional use and remove the ‘funny’ voicemail service.

When you have been a job candidate, how have you kept your nerves under control?
Wine! No, in all honestly I have made sure that I have researched the company and the job thoroughly before the interview and then just been myself. I want that job and I know I can do it, just need to make the client realise this. Pretending to be someone you’re not to impress at an interview will only backfire if you get offered the job, how long can you keep up being someone you’re not?

What else has worked for you in the past as a candidate?
Being friendly and polite. Making sure I’m there on time so I can relax and take in the surroundings. Dress to impress and make good eye contact throughout the interview. Also make a joke – but only if the time is right!

What is your perception of the recruitment industry at present?
Quiet and unstable. However, with that in mind, jobs are still coming in, and candidates are still being placed. It’s all about having a reason to call a client rather than calling to see if they have a job. It’s getting back to basics and building a relationship for future use. I also believe that candidates need to be made aware that just registering with an agency does not equal work.

How do you believe candidates should manage relationships with recruiters?
Keep in contact. Recruiters try their hardest to stay in touch with everyone they meet, but it doesn’t hurt for a candidate to touch base every once in a while.

What do you find most rewarding about delivering TalentWax?
Watching a candidate grow from someone who is lacking confidence and doesn’t know where to start, to someone who in a matter of weeks is walking with their head held high and is confident they will get the job they deserve.

What would you most like to achieve as a TalentWax consultant?
Satisfaction – knowing that I have made a difference to this person’s life and given them the encouragement and guidance they needed to go out there and get the job they want.

What does success mean to you?
Helping people and making them happy, whether that's seeing someone land a full-time job or helping a friend move house. To me success is being able to go to sleep at night and feel relaxed and that I have done everything humanly possible to help others.

What do you like doing in your spare time?
Relaxing with my partner and dogs, oh and renovating my house.

What are you passionate about?
Friends and family.

What is the best compliment you’ve ever received?
I look better naked – I'm guessing my dress sense leaves a lot to be desired!

What is your greatest personal achievement?
Finding the courage to leave everything and everyone I know to move half way around the world and start a new life for myself – scary but so worth it.

Which famous person would you like to be stuck in a lift with?
Stephen Fry – wealth of knowledge in that guy's head.

What’s your favourite book?
The Ice Man

What are you focused on learning more about this year?
How to renovate a house on a budget – a tight budget!

Julie's Profile

The third profile is from our Consultant Julie. She manages to be both practical and utterly mischevious.

How did you begin your career in Human Resources?
I actually came into Integrity for a personal assistant role and met the directors who sold me on the job.
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What inspired you to become a TalentWax Consultant?
I’d like to impart the knowledge that I have from my experiences through recruiting and be able to give candidates the upper hand and edge over other people in the job market.
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What do you believe are the main differences between TalentWax and other career support services?
It’s not a numbers game for us!!We care... and we work really closely, one on one with our candidates to make sure they take away as much knowledge as we can give.

What do you think are the main challenges facing job hunters at present?
The numbers of applicants in the market is at a high and being able to sell themselves ahead of the rest is a skill that needs constant work.
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What elements of the job application process do you think are commonly mishandled among candidates?
Resume preparation and interviewing techniques.
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What advice would you have for those people who could improve in these areas? Resumes are key to securing a phone or face to face interview so making sure that you sell your self in the best possible way is critical to being taken seriously. I’d also mention to be yourself in an interview but be professional with it…
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When you have been a job candidate, how have you kept your nerves under control?
By preparing and researching before my interview. I research not only the job and the company I’m seeing but I also have a think about how I can contribute to that company and draw on past experiences as examples. I also make sure I know where I’m going so have a street directory on hand and I always make sure I’m there 15mins before my interview and am fresh and not panicking from running from the car as I took a wrong turn.
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What else has worked for you in the past as a candidate?
I think candidates need to present themselves to the best of their ability and that involves dressing the part. I think wearing a suit to an interview shows that you mean business and that you take the role very seriously. Dressing inappropriately or too casual sometimes comes across as not really caring either way.
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What is your perception of the recruitment industry at present?
It’s a tough market. There are lots of candidates and people need to stand out from the crowd (in a good way) to be noticed.
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How do you believe candidates should manage relationships with recruiters?
I think by keeping in regular contact by way of phone, email or sms is paramount so to keep you fresh in the agencies' mind.
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What do you find most rewarding about delivering TalentWax?
Seeing the end results that a little bit of insider information and tips can make to candidates chances of securing a successful role.
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What would you most like to achieve as a TalentWax consultant?
To see candidates grow into successful people from the knowledge I’ve been able to share.
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What does success mean to you?
I enjoy achieving goals, even if they are just small personal goals. Success is rewarding in all aspects.
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What do you like doing in your spare time?
I enjoy traveling and experiencing different cultures and cuisines. I like reading and spending time walking my dogs, Oscar and Pumpkin.
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What are you passionate about?
I’m passionate about building great friendships, whether that is with my friends or candidates or clients. I love meeting new people.
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What is the best compliment you’ve ever received?
A simple “Thanks” from candidates or clients is really all I need… then I know I’ve done a good job.
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What is your greatest personal achievement?
Building my own home and keeping my sanity at the same time.
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Which famous person would you like to be stuck in a lift with?
Sean Connery - he’s gorgeous and has a great accent that I could listen to for hours.
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What’s your favourite book?
I love anything written by Wilbur Smith or Bryce Courtney.
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What are you focused on learning more about this year?
I’d really like to take up another hobby, maybe floristry or maybe just how to be a bit handier around the house if things need fixing.
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Connie's Profile

The second profile is for our Director, Connie. She is an inspiration to us all and makes TalentWax a joy to be part of.

How did you begin your career in Human Resources?
I was working as an Accountant and wanted to make a career change. I registered with a recruitment company and 4 weeks later I had moved from Accounting managing a specialist Accounting Recruitment Company in Parramatta for Centacom.
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What inspired you to become a TalentWax Consultant?
I enjoy mentoring people to exceed their personal expectations they have of themselves.
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What do you believe are the main differences between TalentWax and other career support services?
Our Mentors!
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What do you think are the main challenges facing job hunters at present?
Lack of positions vacant.
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What elements of the job application process do you think are commonly mishandled among candidates?
Preparation, Presentation and Persistence!
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What advice would you have for those people who could improve in these areas?
Talk to a TalentWax Mentor…
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When you have been a job candidate, how have you kept your nerves under control?
I would always remember that I was there to interview them as well…. Is this the company I wanted to work for? If that did not work I would imagine them naked and remind myself they are human just like me.

What else has worked for you in the past as a candidate?
Dressing for the occasion.. Clean shoes, nail polish perfect, not too much jewellery… If I looked good, I felt fantastic.. I was confident… It came across at interview. I always got the job but I did not always take it.
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What is your perception of the recruitment industry at present?
Increased focus on technology. “The calm before the storm.” A return to old fashion values.
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How do you believe candidates should manage relationships with recruiters?
When being interviewed by the recruiter, this is the perfect question to ask them – "How should we manage this relationship how do you see it going, what can I expect." I would also send them an email each week with my weekly update and to make sure they don’t forget me.
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What do you find most rewarding about delivering TalentWax?
Watching an individual’s confidence grow. These are life time changes.
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What would you most like to achieve as a TalentWax consultant?
100% success and a network of new friends.
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What does success mean to you?
Having the ability to dream and the resources to try and achieve them.
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What do you like doing in your spare time?
Spending Sunday with family and friends enjoying a home cooked meal and a good bottle of wine. Working in my garden and making beaded jewellery.
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What are you passionate about?
People
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What is the best compliment you’ve ever received?
“After meeting you I know why you called your company Integrity.”
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What is your greatest personal achievement?
Being Tom’s Mum.
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Which famous person would you like to be stuck in a lift with?
Gordon Ramsay
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What’s your favourite book?
Pride & Prejudice
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What are you focused on learning more about this year?
Life after death and the GFC
New beginnings
Me

It's Profile Week

The first consultant to be profiled is Sarah Keen. Sarah is the TalentWax Program Director.

How did you begin your career in Human Resources?
I overheard someone talking about their position in HR on the train one night several years ago, and it sounded like something I’d be interested in, so the next day I started applying.
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What inspired you to become a TalentWax Consultant?
A deep-seated need to provide support and value to the people who need it most, as well as impatience with this global financial climate - I want to see trained, confident candidates with the wow factor in interviews to inspire employers to start hiring again.
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What do you believe are the main differences between TalentWax and other career support services?
We’ve tailored our program to individuals of all ages and professional levels. We know that the generation just starting out in the workforce is struggling to get a foothold in paid employment at the moment, and there are also people who have been in jobs for a decade or more, who just need a refresher course. We look after everyone and walk them through all the steps.
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What do you think are the main challenges facing job hunters at present?
Definitely the volume of interest in a lot of mainstream occupations at the moment – the market is saturated with people looking to get back into administration, reception or customer service work and just not getting the results they’re after. Candidates are also being challenged by the pressures facing the recruitment industry at the moment, so the whole system has bottlenecked.
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What elements of the job application process do you think are commonly mishandled among candidates?
Definitely the resume part – mistakes surface in job applications at all occupational levels and in every sector. It’s a huge gamble on your first impression and could cost you the job.
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What advice would you have for those people who could improve in these areas?
Come and see us at TalentWax! We don’t take over – we let you choose the style, detail and content. We just know what employers and recruiters want to see, and how to make them pay attention to you.
….
When you have been a job candidate, how have you kept your nerves under control?
Passion, enthusiasm, excitement. I think I make my interviewer want to have me around because I channel my nervous energy into adrenalin and determination.
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What else has worked for you in the past as a candidate?
Taking care with job applications – making sure the cover letter and resume are tailored for each role, and maintaining good relationships. You never know when you need to call on someone for a favour.
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What is your perception of the recruitment industry at present?
I think it’s torn in half right now – one part is looking to make some quick coin to stay operational, and the other half is taking stock, examining their processes and relationships and making improvements for the long term.
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How do you believe candidates should manage relationships with recruiters?
Recognise that it’s a business relationship first, and a personal relationship second. If it starts to lose its business value, you need to tweak it and figure out how to stay valuable and relevant to the other party.
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What do you find most rewarding about delivering TalentWax?
Seeing the confidence return, the dots joined and sharing our knowledge and experience as recruiters with our clients.
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What would you most like to achieve as a TalentWax consultant?
Seeing our value shared by word of mouth, and broadening our reputation as a no-stress, down to earth support service for anyone and everyone.
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What does success mean to you?
Meeting your own expectations, not those of someone else. I have the highest respect for people who see the personal value and lesson in every experience, and don’t blame others if they don’t achieve 100% of their goal.
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What do you like doing in your spare time?
I’m a total Nanna – I read constantly, do the gardening, crosswords, knitting, writing, and I also like holiday mini-breaks whenever the bank account will allow it.
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What are you passionate about?
Real transparency and honesty. I find game-playing very draining and frustrating. I think we are boxed in by the facades we feel we need to uphold a lot of the time. I think honesty is generosity.
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What is the best compliment you’ve ever received?
“Thank you”.
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What is your greatest personal achievement?
Making TalentWax a reality.
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Which famous person would you like to be stuck in a lift with?
Barack Obama for the inspiration and intellect. Second choice would be Nigella Lawson - she’d probably have a spare picnic in her bag while we waited to be let out.
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What’s your favourite book?
The Bride Stripped Bare.
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What are you focused on learning more about this year?
The history of London, and some new knitting styles. I know, I need to get out more.
….

The Team

Next week will be an insight into the inner workings of the TalentWax family, profiling one consultant every day. If you like what you read and you are interested in meeting with a member of our team, or you have more questions which are not addressed in the profiles, please email the Program Director Sarah Keen at sarah@integritypersonnel.com.au.

Look forward to hearing from you!

The Complete Package

When applying for a position requiring highly developed competencies and senior experience, you would think that the application should reflect confidence, a broad and well-rounded skill set and advanced industry expertise.

Which it should. But there is a gamble in presenting yourself as having all the boxes ticked, and then more. If job applicants give the impression too strongly that they are self-reliant, self-trained and self-assured, it is more difficult to establish the basic fundamentals of a potential future working relationship.

Why does this person want to work for our company? What are they looking to gain professionally by joining the team? How will they respond to our management style and structure? How long can we foresee this person staying with us - and what are their expectations for career advancement?

These are typical questions with regard to any job applicant, but a good first impression is one that displays some modesty and moderation. Likewise for a first date with a possible new romantic partner - arrogance is a bit of a turn off. It's difficult to find a way into an engaging dialogue you do not feel that both parties are being entirely down-to-earth and open.

There is no disgrace in providing information about your efforts to continuously self-improve, to learn new processes, meet new people and gain further occupational knowhow. Employers like to know what they could provide you, as well as what you can give to them. Otherwise there is no implicit assurance that you will stay on and keep pushing yourself towards greater achievements.

So before presenting yourself next time as the candidate to beat all candidates, leave a couple of boxes unticked for now - they are your goals for when you start the position. And when they ask you in the interview, "what are your key weaknesses", you can proudly claim to have several, but they're a work in progress. Let me tell you all about them...

Start the countdown... to normal.

Congratulations to the winners of last night's OzLotto. It was certainly a tense half hour in thousands and thousands of households last night across Australia, as we all gripped what was certain to be possibly the winning ticket, our imaginations working feverishly overtime on what we could spend our new fortunes on.

But...as normal luck would have it, the draw left us all (bar three people) as non-winners. So easy to get excited, and just as easy to forget. Everything was the same as it was before and after Packed to the Rafters. Apart from that half hour of our lives we lost to watching Packed to the Rafters.

Without our abilities to recover a neutral, functional state of mind, each high and low would be utterly disabling. We'd probably stumble around through life as though we were on a tall ship on rough seas, just using the walls for support. However, the reality is that our own version of normalness does resume in time, and we just get on with the business of being ourselves. You don't hear of many people becoming highly successful venture capitalists or property magnates after winning Lotto - it happens, it's spent or sunk into funds, and then a state of (relative) ordinariness descends again.

The same is true for our work. It's exhilarating to be offered a position you were trying to contain your hopes for, sending up a little murmured prayer to the Job God (is he taking a sabatical at the moment?) now and then for good measure. But even so, once you settle into a new job, tackle new challenges and resume a routine, normalness sets in again. It has to - if we maintained a state of mindless excitement that we were the one picked to do this role, we would probably not be doing it for very long - singing showtunes to your neighbours and colleagues is walking a fine line. So in time we just get on it.

Likewise, the sorry experience of losing your job is crushing. Naturally. It is our duty to our clients who undertake the TalentWax program to identify the physical, social, mental, emotional and spiritual blows that becoming unemployed brings with it, and talk through that experience. Our clients are often relieved to know that they are not alone, and there should be no embarrassment in crying, having a doona day or just wanting to get away from it all for a while. In sharing this process, our duty is also to let that normalness find a way back. It might be a different kind of normalness for a while - sharpening up one's finances and staying busy while looking for work - but the "old self" is still there once the shock and grief passes.

So perhaps for now, our mantra will be: bad things always come to an end. Bring on the normal.

Curiosity filled the cat's address book

Most of us are blessed with an incessant need to know other people's business. Nightly news bulletins and current affairs programs are loaded with human interest reports, reality tv continues to ply us with salacious storylines and deeply personal information on its subjects. Our conversation with colleagues, friends and family tends to be about specific people in the media spotlight rather than events - we use information as a way of connecting with one another and establishing common interests.

Similarly, we talk about ourselves in order to establish close bonds. Besides being a favourite topic for most people (whether the news is good or bad), talking about yourself is an important means of establishing trust and loyalty. Your listener gets the message that you have selected them as an ally, someone who will keep your confidence and treat your sensitive information with respect. Ideally that message is reciprocated, and a mutual bond is formed.

In sourcing new work opportunities, this instinct for human self-disclosure can be used to your advantage. Everyone you come into contact with, either over the phone, online or in person, has valuable information worth storing and recording. There is no need to arm yourself with microphone bugs and freelance for ASIO, this is more about broadening your awareness of the infinite network around you. If you go to a barbecue on the weekend (ideally with outdoor heaters and good coffee - denial is no match for winter!) the questions are there to be asked. How do you know the host, what do you do, what does your partner do, how long has that been happening, how did it come about, how is it going, who is that, can you introduce me. Anyone who has worked as a telemarketer or in a supermarket check out knows that a simple "how are you, how's your night going" is a small blessing and starts a much more interesting conversation.

The key is to write these details down. Who you met and what they said is not only going to be of use to you, it could also benefit someone else. Helping others establishes you as an important contact, and you know they will come back to you in the future. The infinite online network of people is available without even leaving the house. Let your curiosity off the leash and start asking questions!

I am appalling.

Spellcheck was a sound addition to job board and word processing programs, giving us all the chance to complete resumes and advertisements without obvious errors. There are however times when even the computer is lost on how to help us.

A job application cover letter which came across our desks featured the line, I am appalling for the position of .... . Faultless honesty to be sure. No further explanation was necessary - if one intends to write applying and comes up with an alternative like this one, appalling is a choice description.

Likewise, a brush-up on their/there/they're would not hurt for a good many recruitment consultants. A poorly written advertisement is a brand image wrecking ball - the consultant appears to have typed their text after the fire alarm bell has started sounding in their office, the agency should be closely examining their publishing material, and the client should have every right to deny all knowledge of their commercial agreement. Moreover, you'd feel like a bit of a goose applying for a job that doesn't quite make sense.

It is much harder to read a body of work which is peppered with mistakes. Besides losing credibility, the lack of care shows disrespect towards the intended audience. The job application may be shredded or the advertisement overlooked. Our time is important to us.

Professionalism on both sides makes for a great relationship. Ask someone else to double-check your work so that you do not miss out on making those new contacts.

Battler Mentality vs Battle Mentality

When tough times get Australians down and make livelihoods and luxuries more uncertain, we have an iconic stereotype to fall back on, one that makes us feel honest, hardworking and dedicated to our commitments through hardship. The image of the Battler is further pushed by the media, commonly in connection with those who are especially hard done by - an enemy such as the council, neighbours, family members, bank or similar in the background.

The Battler first came about in the eighteenth century as a term of respect for those who conscientiously made the best of their circumstances, despite having little in the way of social privileges and financial reward.

The term has changed somewhat in the time since, so that we now have the pure, traditional meaning of the Battler alongside a media idea of someone who, not having the most fortunate of circumstances, complains about their situation and blames others for blocking their means of gaining the same entitlements that others receive. If there is a population consensus that healthcare is unaffordable or banks are overcharging, the Battler group is likely to be labelled as the ones hardest hit, or the ones with the loudest voice.

This is the pitfall of this Australian icon. We merge the idea of the hardworking, much-deserving individual with one who protests for more, more, more and publicly criticises their opponents. When it suits us, we can all assume the identity of Battlers in the face of a global recession - we are doing our best, but we are thoroughly annoyed at the lack of positive results for our efforts.

Quite concerning then that we believe we are part of the Lucky Country and should not be subjected to extraordinary hardships. The reality is that we should stop seeing ourselves as victims, even if that means we need to temporarily shelve our cultural identity in the process.

This is the time for a Battle mentality. Not necessarily the notion that one individual or one group should win and another lose, but rather that we should be pushing ourselves harder, choosing to leap over adversities and maintaining the determination to drive back the obstacles. We should be arming ourselves with the skills and tools to be better persuaders, better negotiators, better time users. We would all be more motivated if we felt that there was a team of like-minded others who were in pursuit of the same goals and were facing the same challenges. It's not enough to seal the hatches and wait til this economic phase passes - if we make the most of it, we will be better for it when the market recovers. Call the Battler into Battle because we will need them on our side.

Welcome!

If you've just joined us, we are well on our way towards making TalentWax a household name. We currently have several students completing our course and making sensational progress. It's amazing what a difference it makes when the solutions come from your own knowledge and experience rather than a coach or trainer telling you what to do. And that's really the premise of our program, an exchange of knowledge and experience. We don't presume to know what detail, style, contacts and strategy is best suited to you - we know that our students are always going to have the edge in that respect.

And what an edge it is - there's nothing better than knowing your career history is not only unique, it's going to be very valuable to your next employer. The key is in how you deliver that information. Most of us head into job interviews on the belief that the answers will come to us at the right moments and we have a good idea of what the interviewer is after...but it doesn't take much at all to practise the interview process and get it spot on. Better yet - a panel interview, which is many people's idea of panic central. We'll get you comfortable with the panel interview experience so that next time it comes more easily.

We'll be discussing elements of our course program here as well as providing commentary on all facets of the recruitment experience. It's going to be so good.