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AUSTRALIAN JOB MARKET IS YOUR RESUME PREVENTING YOU FROM GETTING A NEW JOB?

It seems that when people apply for jobs and don’t receive job interview requests, they are quick to blame anyone or anything. I’ve heard job seekers tell me countless times that they applied for over 100 jobs online without receiving one single interview request. They tell me it’s because of the current state of the economy or because the demand for jobs is far greater than the supply. While both of these reasons are true to an extent, companies are still interviewing and hiring. If you’re someone who has applied to a large number of jobs but you haven’t received a single interview request, it’s probably time to start asking yourself those tough questions.

Are you qualified enough?

Are your job expectations realistic that you can actually get the jobs you are applying for? Too many times people waste their own time applying for jobs that they are not suitable for. I recently worked with a young professional with 2 years of work experience and no managerial experience. In terms of salary he was earning the market value for a person with his skills and experience. For an entire month he applied for different managerial roles – all paying salaries of double what he was currently earning – and he couldn’t understand why he wasn’t able to land an interview. While it is important to aim high, it is equally as important to be realistic about your skills and experience.

If you’re qualified for the job, is your resume letting you down?

You may have fantastic skills, experience and achievements. You may even be the best person for the job. If this is the case, why are you not getting interview requests?

When a hiring manager first picks up your resume, what they see and what they read will be the first impression they have about you. I recently worked with a candidate who just finished law school and was running into a similar problem. He was at the top of his class and as a recent graduate, he was now looking at beginning his career in one of the top law firms. Every job this candidate applied for was right for him. A recent law graduate seeking the best and brightest. The candidate sent his resume out to every law firm in the city and didn’t receive one interview request. Even the smaller firms were not even giving him a chance.

Here’s what I saw when I took a brief look at his resume. The candidate had put his education and university roles on page 3 of the resume and had devoted the first 2 pages of the resume to the part-time jobs he had during high school and university. As such, by the time the hiring manager had read through page one of his high school work experience, the resume was being deleted before the most important part of the resume (his education) was even read. In today’s society, reports suggest that a job candidate has 15-20 seconds to catch the reader’s attention. By putting the most important information on the back page of the resume, the reader’s attention was focused on aspects of the resume that were completely irrelevant for the candidate in getting the job.

JOB INTERVIEWING QUESTIONS YOU CAN ASK IN THE JOB INTERVIEW

As a job candidate what is the best question to ask in an interview? At some point in the interview (typically at the end) the hiring manager will turn to you and ask “Do you have any questions which you would like to ask me?”

There are two main benefits in asking the right questions. Firstly don’t forget the number one rule from chapter one. The interview is a two way process and you need to ensure that this organization is the right fit for you. If you are uncertain about certain aspects of the role or need greater clarification, than this is the time to ask those questions. Don’t be shy or intimidated. Secondly by asking clever questions will not just help you in deciding if this job is right for you but will impress the interviewer and leave a positive image as someone who comprehensive and professional.

What you need to do

• Prioritize your questions based on the interview situation – Is this the first interview or the second interview?

• The best questions you can ask are open ended questions

• Have 3-5 questions prepared (The more the better)

• Only ask questions that you are interested in knowing the answer!

• Only ask questions that are relevant to the job, department, management and organization

Sample 15 Job Interview Questions to ask

• How will my leadership responsibilities and performance be measured?

• Do you provide any sort of professional development or training?

• How do you measure performance and how often is it reviewed?

• Who was in this job before and why did they leave?

• Is this a new position? How long has this position existed?

• Could you explain your organizational structure?

• How many people work in this office/department?

• How much travel is expected?

• What’s the makeup of the team as far as experience?

• With whom will I be working most closely?

• Why do you enjoy working for this company?

• How will my leadership responsibilities and performance be measured?

• Can you describe the company's management style?

• What would be the goals of the department in the coming year?

• What are the traits and skills of people who are the most successful within the organization?

Types of Job Interview Questions NOT to ask

• Salary and benefits

• Questions that are clearly stated on the website

• Generic / Obvious questions

• Questions that the interviewer is unable to answer. Do not try to “outsmart the interviewer” Asking questions that appear to be challenging the interviewer or a question that the interviewer is unlikely to know will only create a negative vibe between you and the interviewer. Remember you are trying to build rapport with the interviewer not challenge the interviewer.

• Questions that are irrelevant to the job or organization

Sample 15 Job Interview Questions NOT to ask

• How many sick days and holiday days do I get?

• Do I still get paid for a sick day?

• If I start next week how long until I will get a pay rise?

• How long is the lunch break?

• What is it that your company does?

• Are the working hours flexible?

• Am I able to have my own office?

• Who are the “coolest” people on my team?

• How many warnings do you get before you are fired?

• Are there many coffee shops close by?

• How financially sound is this company?

• What are your strengths and weaknesses?

• Will I be given an employee handbook?

• What is the company policy on internet use?

• Can I use Facebook?

CAREER MANAGEMENT BEFORE YOU ASK FOR A RAISE

Before you ask for a raise, the most important thing you need to remember is that you need a reason for asking for one. An employer is not just going to hand out extra money to you because they like you – you need to give them a compelling reason to do so.

Basically, you need to give them something that exemplifies your hard work and that shows you are a positive asset to the company. Think of a few ways for doing so – below are just a few examples:

Arriving on time on a consistent basis

No employer likes workers who show up late – ever. If you consistently come to work early or on time, your boss will definitely take notice of this and will appreciate your punctuality. You’ve already given yourself a head start.

Taking on an extra work load

Volunteering to do more than what is expected of you helps to build your reputation within the company. You will be recognized as a leader, as someone willing to help out and as someone who can be counted on. You may also gain some valuable experience within other departments, and extra knowledge never hurts. Employers love this type of employee, and will be more likely to go the extra mile to keep them on board.

Keeping track of your performance

There is nothing better than being able to show concrete examples of how you have benefited the company. Have sales dramatically increased since you came on board? Do you consistently meet or exceed your targets?

Of course, some people argue that taking on an extra work load or working overtime is a negative because you allow the company to take advantage of you. Well, like it or not, this is how the world works. If you want to stay in the same position year after year, do the minimum, but if you want to move up, putting in that extra effort will be required of you. Raises are not free handouts for everyone – they are reserved for the ones who put in the extra effort.

STUDENTS AND GRADS WAYS TO BOOST YOUR RESUME WHILE YOU’RE STILL IN COLLEGE

The job market is tough out there, especially for graduates who are competing against thousands of others for the same jobs. The way you construct your resume and cover letter will definitely give you a leg up on the competition, but there are also other ways to improve the content that you include on your resume.

One problem that graduates are typically faced with is the fact that they have little to no work experience. Employers obviously understand this, so they won’t hold this against you, but they also understand that opportunities to gain real-world experiences are available to students all the time. The students who take advantage of these opportunities are usually the ones who will stand out to hiring managers.

Students have access to a variety of resources. They can apply for a number of internships or volunteer positions, most of which are unpaid, and these types of positions are usually easy to find within your school. Internships are designed to not interfere with your school work; they typically occupy only a few hours a week and they do not impact your ability to study or complete your course work. While working for free may not be at the top of your list, you need to realize that it will give you an advantage over your competition and it’s in your best interest to jump at the opportunity.

Just think about it from a hiring manager’s point of view. He or she is deciding between 2 candidates for a position. Both received excellent marks in school and both have beautifully written resumes and cover letters. One, however, used one of his summers to intern for 12 weeks. Looking at these applications strictly from a qualifications point of view, which one do you think has a slight edge over the other?

Sure there are tons of factors that can influence one candidate’s qualifications over another, but your best chance is to always stay ahead of the competition. Experience is never frowned upon.

RESUME WRITING TOP 5 COVER LETTER MISTAKES

If you’re going to take the extra time to write a cover letter that you include along with your resume, you might as well write it properly! We talked to a few recruiters and found out that they frequently find mistakes so annoying that cause them to immediately discard some applications all together. Here’s a sample of some of the mistakes they mentioned:

Letter addressed to the wrong person or company: It doesn’t annoy hiring managers that you’re probably applying for other jobs, but it does annoy them when you don’t take the time to check that your cover letter is addressed properly. Sending it to the wrong person or company will get your application deleted immediately.

Spelling and/or grammar mistakes: You’re probably tired of being told to check and re-check your work, but it is extremely important! When spelling or grammar errors show up on your cover letter, the person reading it is going to think that you either don’t know how to write properly or that you didn’t bother to check it over. Either way, it’s bad news for you.

It’s too long: Cover letters should be short and to the point. They should provide some basic information about how you are specifically qualified for the job in question. That’s pretty much it. Anything longer than a few paragraphs starts to look more like an essay, and it’s an immediate turn-off.

No contact details: It happens quite frequently – people forget to include their name, let alone a way to contact them. While your details may be on your resume, no one wants to take extra time to fish for information that should have been provided for them right away.

No cover letter: This is the worst mistake of all. You’re competing against dozens of other applicants who have instantly shown that they took more time to apply than you.

At the end of the day, you just want to give yourself the best chance possible to be called for an interview. Think about what a potential employer wants to know most about you, and try to convert this into a cover letter.

Featured question

How do I find work without any local experience?

As a foreign job seeker trying to find work in your new country, the odds are stacked up against you. Not only are you competing against other foreign job seekers, but you’re competing against domestic job seekers who share similar skills and experiences. In good news however there are strategies you can begin to implement to help you in gaining that local experience

Online Networking: With no local experience you need to become an expert in networking and become an expert ASAP. Use online networking websites such as LinkedIn to make contacts with as many people as you can. Talk to people in your industry and find out comparisons (and differences) between the role you performed in your country of origin and the types of roles you are applying for in your new country. This way you can incorporate this into your resume and interview preparation. The more you understand about your new country, the greater chance you can prepare yourself for finding a new job.

Volunteer or Community Service: Volunteering is a great way to get out and help people, meet people and it also looks great on the resume. Although it may not be paid work it still shows a potential employer that you have some level of experience working in your new country.

Think Outside the Square: There are many ways to search for job openings – don’t get stuck with just applying for roles online. My advice is to seek out hiring managers and people in positions to help you. Don’t be intimidated to approach these people directly. Although there may not be a current role open at their organisation, there is a possibility that they may know of other job openings or other areas within their business that is looking to hire. Finding the perfect job takes time and people appreciate pro-activeness.

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Including Key Achievements in Your Resume

If I had a dollar for every resume I saw that did not include “key achievements”, I would be a very wealthy resume writer!

Failing to include key achievements throughout your resume is a recipe for disaster and will cause your resume to be put straight in the deleted folder and never to be seen again.

The job market is competitive, and if you’re going to prove to the hiring manager that you are the best candidate for a job, you need to show off every key achievement and skill that will stand you out against all the other job candidates. Remember the golden rule of resume writing – your resume is a marketing document and, as such, needs to market all the great things that you can bring to a potential job. Providing achievements that are backed up with quantitative evidence will guarantee that you will stand out from the other job seekers.

The best written resumes adequately sell the person’s achievements, skills and personality. Do this correctly and I guarantee that you will find success.

What Types of Achievements should you include in your resume?

Employers want to know the value you are going to add to the business and therefore want to see examples of your past behaviours to indicate your future behaviours. Types of achievements to include are:

• Ways you saved the company money

• Examples of how you reduced costs

• Examples of new ideas or implementations that resulted in positive outcomes

• Special awards or recognitions you received (e.g. voted #1 salesperson for two consecutive years)

• Training, hiring, mentoring, leading, managing staff

• Resolution of problems or issues that led to a positive outcome

• Training courses, seminars, workshops that you successfully completed

Tricks and Tips to turn your resume into a selling tool:

Use strategic keywords throughout your resume to catch the reader’s eye. Strategic keywords will ensure that your resume will be picked up by employers using software programs that help eliminate candidate resumes

Go through the job requirements to find out exactly what the employer is looking for in the right candidate and incorporate these directly into your resume. For example, if the job is looking for someone with leadership skills, make sure you provide examples about the leadership you performed either in your past jobs or through community involvement or extra-curricular activities

Including responsibilities and duties in your resume are important because it shows the reader what you actually do on a day to day basis. However, in order to take your resume to the next level and stand out against the competition (and get the highest possible salary!), you need to focus on value added achievements.

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Five Myths About Job Searching

#1: The smartest person always gets the job

Definitely not true – companies these days are more interested in the complete worker. Having brains is always an advantage, but it's not the only thing that hiring managers are looking for. In today’s economy, an employer wants to know that, if required, you are able to complete a wide range of jobs. Having transferrable skills, a can do attitude and a willingness to learn and be involved in all aspects of the business is key to nailing the job interview.

#2: Direct experience is most important

Transferable skills are key. In certain industries the job specification may require direct experience, but in many circumstances being able to show that you have the skills to succeed is just as important. Do not get discouraged if you feel that you lack the right skills to get a new job. Concentrate on the value added skills that you have and highlight these skills on your resume and in the job interview.

#3: Dating a co-worker will lead to career doom

An urban myth. I have even heard of stories where dating the boss has resulted in career success (not recommended!). Always remember to perform your role to the highest quality and it does not matter who you decide to date! (Note – public displays of affection are a big no no! – this type of behaviour is best saved for non-work hours).

#4: Applying for jobs online is the only way to find a new job

Job searching online is one of many different approaches you should take. Before you even begin to apply for jobs, ensure that you have a professionally written resume. No matter how many jobs you apply for, it doesn't matter if your resume is not selling your skills. With the growth of social networking online, sites such as LinkedIn can be a fantastic way to approach people who you typically could not just pick up the phone and call.

#5: Writing a cover letter is a waste of time

Every time you apply for a job you should accompany your resume with a targeted cover letter. The only exception is when the job specification clearly states not to send a cover letter. Most times a hiring manager will read your cover letter before opening your resume. If your cover letter does not shine, there is a good chance your resume won’t even be opened. You may have the greatest resume written by a professional resume writer, but it means nothing if your cover letter is letting you down.

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