InterviewIQ

Updates from Interview IQ

Karalyn — Thu, 17 May 2012 07:46:24 +0000

You may well have noticed that Richard (aka Intern Richie) has been active on this blog as a writer instead of me. I’ve asked him to write as he has a down-to-earth style and a no-rubbish approach. He also writes from the heart. His background in recruitment, training and HR means he can bring a lot of depth to his posts.

I have not written a lot lately on this blog as I have been busy working to raise the online profile of two corporate clients. www.enigmahr.com.au – on their blog and www.sorkHC.com.au on their employee attachment assessment tool. Enigma HR specialise in recuiting insurance and accounting staff and provide workforce management solutions. If you are interested in topics around people management take a look at both of these blogs.

Where to from here with Interview IQ?

I still plan on writing, but will bring more content in other forms such as podcasts with people in the industry who can bring real insights. I also plan to bring video content as well. So the content from me will keep coming, but in a slightly different format.

If you would like to help me (and others) out with contributions to this blog, then please check our the guidelines about guest posting. I am happy for people to promote what they do, but this does need to be in the form of information for readers. I don’t generally publish posts from SEO seekers, as the content tends to be repackaged from other sites – and frankly it’s a bit boring.

I am also looking for readers to share their job search success stories, like IQ did here. No one job search is the same, and in this market you need to be creative. So please get in contact with me to discuss.

That’s it for now.

Back to the coal mines.

Karalyn

posted in Just random by Karalyn Leave A Comment
©2012 InterviewIQ. All Rights Reserved.

Beating the Job Search Blues

Richard — Thu, 10 May 2012 12:39:55 +0000

There’s no two ways about it. Finding a new job is stressful.

It’s an emotional roller coaster ride at the best of times. We have to put ourselves “out there” in a way that makes many of us uncomfortable and can seriously undermine our confidence.

We often have a lot of professional and online assistance at hand to help us through the job search. Career coaching, recruitment consultants and online job search sites are all readily available. But what can we do to provide the personal support we need?

It’s hard not to dwell on the less than positive job search experiences. Replaying scenarios of “if only I had done that differently” can extract a heavy toll on our confidence. It’s important when those negative emotions surface to acknowledge them. It’s also important at times to reflect when there is a lesson to be learnt. But it’s just as important not to dwell on them and allow those negative thoughts to overtake us.

A great solution is to keep active. It doesn’t really matter what you do (as long as it’s not counterproductive such as heavy drinking). The important thing is just to keep yourself busy. It’s hard to dwell if you’re occupied doing other things. Go for a walk, read a book out in the sunshine, go see a movie, take a drive or grab a coffee with a friend. Anything. Just don’t sit at home.

When you need to actively work on your job search, set time limits and then take a break. It’s important for example not to work endlessly on reworking your resume. Do what you can in the time you have set. Otherwise it can become another form of dwelling.

If you start to feel that your job search is becoming desperate. Seriously consider taking time out from it to recharge your batteries (if at all possible). If that isn’t possible then talk to someone whose opinion you respect to help you regain your perspective. Just spending time with friends away from the job search can help give you fresh persepctive too. You don’t ever want to take on a new job from a position of desperation.

If you find that your confidence has been seriously shaken and you are experiencing symptoms of depression (eg. disrupted sleep, withdrawing from the world, feelings of worthlessness, raised anxiety levels, lethargy) consider professional help. Talk to your GP. It may help to speak to a psychologist. Remember that seeking help is a sign of strength not weakness.

I’m also a great believer that we get the jobs that we are meant to get. So if you have been unsuccessful in securing a particular job, then maybe that company wasn’t the right one for you. Maybe it wasn’t that you did something wrong. Maybe that last job you went for just isn’t a good match for you. An example would be a company asking me for my password so they can look at my social media profiles. Personally I don’t want to work for a company that thinks that is appropriate candidate selection behaviour.

So for me that is a successful outcome. Now I can focus on a job interview with a company that shares my values.

The most important thing in the job search process is you. Do what you need to do to look after yourself.

posted in Career change by Richard Leave A Comment
©2012 InterviewIQ. All Rights Reserved.

I Got My Dream Job and So Can You – a book review

Richard — Fri, 04 May 2012 10:38:02 +0000

Pete Leibman has written a book that I just had to review for you because he doesn’t just aim to help you into your next job; Pete commits to get you your dream job.

Now be honest….who wouldn’t want that!

And if you’re like me at all and have found yourself settling for second best in the past then maybe it’s time you gave Pete’s book a serious look.

I should say up front that it may be tempting when you start to read this book to think that Pete may not be “talking” to you, as he has clearly set his target audience as university graduates and other generation Y’ers. The book is also fairly USA-centric which is brilliant if you live in North America, but less so for the rest of us. But I would suggest that you’d be wise to see past this minor criticism, as much of what Pete refers to is still highly relevant and relatable to non American “oldies” like me.

And I must say there’s a lot to like about “I Got My Dream Job and So Can You.”

Like many American’s, Pete is infectiously positive and enthusiastic and he has very successfully infused these traits into his writing, making this book an enjoyable read. More importantly though this is a very well structured, thoughtful and informative book which I suspect could inspire many readers.

Firstly Pete has taken on an ambitious task to not only help you into your dream job but also to give you the best chance of having a dream career. Lofty ambitions indeed in which I believe he largely succeeds. This in itself is a powerful example of what can be achieved when we singularly focus our efforts on our primary goal.

I like the way Pete has structured this book. He has divided it into two parts, firstly to get your dream job and then secondly, to manage that into a dream career. There’s a compelling logic to the book’s structure; which starts by asking us to question the career advice we get and to trust our own judgment. Pete gets us to do this so we can gird ourselves against the doubters who will appear when we go public with our lofty ambitions.

Pete then uses a step-by-step, chapter-by-chapter approach to make your dream job a reality. These include giving yourself a serious image makeover, critically analysing what your dream job really means to you, the power of networking and “advice appointments” and how to ace interviews. There’s also invaluable and in-depth advice for technology dinosaurs such as myself on how to really ramp up your online presence to snag that dream job.

Any job search can be a daunting task; and a serious rethink of our career direction confronts us as we question our career choices to date. Pete has managed to structure the book in a way that helps to reassure the reader and progressively build their confidence.

This extends into the chapters covering career management; starting with an examination of the importance of self belief, what “excellence” really means, work performance, the importance of your life outside work and some advice on how (if you wish) you can take an entrepreneurial next step into your own business.

What I also like is how cleverly this book uses a variety of adult learning techniques to engage the reader. These include Q&A sessions with the author, case studies, personal experience and advice and reader focussed questioning and checklists. Pete has packed this book with highly practical information to help the reader to take action now.

This all adds up to a book whose contents can be practically applied here and now to help with what for most of us can be a stressful and challenging time.

Pete challenges us not to settle for second best and for that reason amongst many, it’s well worth a look.

For more information click this link to Pete Leibman’s website.

posted in Career change by Richard Leave A Comment
©2012 InterviewIQ. All Rights Reserved.

Volunteer your way into a New Job!

Richard — Tue, 01 May 2012 07:28:42 +0000

It’s well known that Australia has one of the highest volunteer participation rates in the world. We as a nation are very generous with our time to help the environment and those in need in our communities.

I must admit though that I wasn’t one of those generous souls! But life has a way of opening our eyes to our shortcomings if we let it. A year ago my “stable,” “comfortable” life was turned upside down. I had to leave Sydney and haven’t been able to work full-time since.

What exactly happened that turned my world upside down………? Nothing that hasn’t happened or will at some point happen to most of us.

My six year relationship ended, I was stagnating in a career that I had lost passion for, both my parents were gravely ill (and living in another state) and I was in a rather deep financial hole.

So I made the only decision I could and moved up to look after my parents on the Gold Coast, which for the first 4 months was a full time job. Which might sound rather noble but in fact it was also good timing for me as I desperately needed a career change. But this is not news to any of you who have read my Persistance does pay off! blog.

Let’s get to the meat of this blog on volunteering. I needed to change my career but had no realistic options because of my commitment to my parents. Plus I couldn’t easily solve my financial woes because I couldn’t work. It quickly became a downward spiral of depression and frustration. I had to do something to break the vicious cycle.

Then volunteering came to mind!

It was something that I had meant to do but always had an excuse why I couldn’t. I now had spare time and was in no state mentally to deal with the stresses of an immediate and “full-on” career shift. I know enough about depression to know that it’s important to be doing things that make you feel positive and good about yourself. And volunteering had an immediately positive impact on my mood.

What I also did was to volunteer strategically. By this I mean I chose to volunteer into an industry where I saw good career potential. I had known for a while that I wanted to move away from Corporate Training into an area that for me would be more meaningful, like Community Education. So I applied to become an Adult Literacy Volunteer Tutor at Gold Coast TAFE. I also applied to volunteer at the Migrant Centre at Southport. I have been working for both these organisations for the past year. So upon reflection what have been the benefits…..

1. I have gained invaluable insight into an industry which I knew very little about.

2. I now have first hand working experience that I can call upon at interview with any potential employers.

3. I have been offered private tuition work as a result of my volunteer work.

4. I have also been offered a part-time job contract starting later in the year, as a result of my volunteer work.

5. Several colleagues are now working as my career advocates within the Community Education sector. So I not only have a healthy network of contacts, some of those contacts are networking on my behalf!

6. Volunteering has been flexible around my other commitments, which reduces my stress and anxiety whilst boosting my self confidence.

7. Even though I am not in paid work, I still have a powerful and positive story to tell at interview with potential employers. I didn’t sit back and react to negative circumstances. I took positive action with limited means and I found a way around road blocks. I have been flexible in finding creative solutions to a temporary career “stall” and got the engine purring again. All good messages at interview…… I think.

posted in Back to work tips by Richard Leave A Comment
©2012 InterviewIQ. All Rights Reserved.

Debbie’s gap life – or how she found satisfying and well paid jobs online

Karalyn — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 04:00:42 +0000

I started from the United States on what was to be a gap year of travel and fun that ended up lasting over 6 years. I suppose it is classified as a “gap life” now. My point is that gap lives can be expensive. I needed extra money to be more comfortable and keep traveling.

I took an inventory of all my skills and researched what was marketable via the internet. If you are looking for freelance work online, please know I have been there and I feel for you. I’ll begin by telling you my experiences on various online freelance venues.

Just like Charlie Brown when Lucy pulled the football away, I felt disappointed when I could not get reasonable jobs on Odesk and other similar sites espousing great jobs.

My skill set is social media management, writing content/SEO and transcription among other tasks. These are good skills to work online so I gave it a shot. As the sites generally request, I made stellar and complete profiles, took the various tests to prove my skills and offered a very competitive price for my work.

But that’s where it stopped for me.

I found that the majority of the jobs offered on these sites are of the poverty wage variety with employers who are either broke or happen to enjoy the use of slave labor. Upon further research I found the typical job was given to people in Pakistan for $2.22 per hour. There is no doubt that this is a great deal of money to people in these countries but to the majority of us “It ain’t gonna cut it”.

Over and over in my mind, I kept returning to that Linkedin account that I signed up for but just never got around to using. I followed the same strategy of a good profile highlighting my major skill set. Afterward, I used the search function to browse profiles of others with my skills and snoop on what they were doing. Lo and behold, there was my name at number one for every keyword I used.

Auspicious start so I continue. I learned how to search, expand my network and then offer my services to members and the various groups. Within 1 hour I obtained 5 prospective assignments of which 3 worked out. Those 3 kept me busy for a few weeks.

The next go around, I obtained 3 prospects and one of them worked out and kept me busy daily ever since. In addition, that employer referred me to another client. We are talking about two messages sent out to only a portion of the people in my network and they each took only 20 minutes to compose and send. I kept the messages brief and included what I was offering in the message header. That way there was no mistaking what the email was about.

The power of Linkedin as a networking resource is astounding!

By the way, I no longer send out messages for my services as I am too busy to take new clients. I recommend to anyone able to do their work online to use social media as a resource to find work. Join Linkedin and do the initial work to set your page up properly.

Learn it, live it and LOVE it people. I know I do.

posted in How to get a job by Karalyn Leave A Comment
©2012 InterviewIQ. All Rights Reserved.

Facebook? Twitter? Candidate Checks …….should we……just because we can?

Richard — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 11:46:31 +0000

There’s been a constant stream of discussion in the online and print media recently about the use of social media to assess candidate suitability.

The vast majority of this discussion seems to be saying either “if you’re going to be doing it be careful” or “well it’s so widespread and common within the recruitment space – it must be OK”

For anyone involved in recruitment who has used or is contemplating using social media to uncover “unsuitable” candidates, I have a few questions for you……..

Scenario One: You routinely check shortlisted candidate Facebook pages for what you or your company consider “unsuitable” or “inappropriate” behaviour. In one instance you have 5 candidates and discount a candidate because of the pictures you discover material involving their drinking habits, inappropriate language or behaviour. Three of your candidates however don’t have Facebook pages.

To ensure you are treating all candidates fairly – will you now ring those 3 candidates and ask them about their drinking habits, use of “inappropriate” language and other “anti-social” habits?

Scenario Two: A common reason I hear in defence of the use of social media in candidate selection is “well it’s in the public domain”. You have just finished interviewing a candidate. You look out your window and notice them walking into the pub on the corner. Two hours later you happen to notice them leaving the pub. It could be argued that this is also “in the public domain.”

Do you include the candidate’s behaviour in your selection process? Do you know if he drank any alcohol? Do you know how many drinks he drank? Are you using Facebook simply because you can without the candidate’s knowledge?

My final question for you is.

Just because we can do something………. does that mean that we should?

I do think there are some situations where it’s appropriate to access a person’s social media pages (and take appropriate disciplinary action). For example if an employee is found to have breached their privacy and confidentially contract with their employer.

I also do not include LinkedIn in the above comments. LinkedIn’s primary role is to facilitate networking opportunities for business, career and employment. Any user of LinkedIn should be mindful of this fact and that potential employers will be accessing their LinkedIn profile.

And to all candidates I would go a step further and suggest that there’s only one way to protect yourself if you don’t want potential employers using your social media profiles (eg Facebook and Twitter) to select or deselect you as a job candidate…….

Candidate Tip: Change your privacy settings to exclude all public access!

posted in Find a job on social media by Richard Leave A Comment
©2012 InterviewIQ. All Rights Reserved.

New in Australia from overseas? How to apply some IQ to your job hunt!

Karalyn — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 03:43:16 +0000

This post is brought to you by one InterviewIQ’s regular readers. Here he shares his approach to finding a job in Australia. If you are a skilled migrant you’ll need to be more persistent and creative in your job hunt than the average Joe. Read on for some great tips on what to do from IQ.

Someone told me once that finding a job in Australia takes some time – “up to six months is not unusual” they said. Straight away I wondered why it should take that long. “By analysing it I can take a shortcut” I thought. Sorry, I can’t help but think that way since I am an Engineer. I’ve spent the past 15 years of my life troubleshooting machines. Then I moved on to troubleshoot processes to try and fix them.

So what is it in the job hunt that takes that long?

Surely it is a simple process of finding a vacancy, applying for it, and either getting a yay or a nay? If you do the right numbers you should get a result. In six months, you can definitely receive a minimum of one job alert a day in your inbox and respond to it by an email the same day. That makes it 130 times not counting weekends. So why would it take that long? Is it the recruiters taking a nap for five months and working in the sixth? Or is it that you have to kiss 5 month’s worth of frog-job-vacancies until you land on your prince charming of a job?

Well, my story could give you an insight into the gremlin that holds back your job search, and in the process, drains your bank account and your will to live at the same time.

So I started right, or so I thought.

Having had to wait for six months before finding my last job, I made sure I did all the right things. Before moving to Australia, I read at least five websites on how to write up a CV and cover letter. Then I topped that up by a running the CV past three different people, all native English speakers, at least one who works in my profession. The result was three versions of my CV: one functional to apply for a consultant position that I always wanted; another chronological version to apply for jobs in my same line of work; and a third that is “watered down” to apply for temporary or casual jobs and not be rejected for being overqualified.

I wanted to maximise my opportunities, and have contingency plans should the main one fail. Unfortunately, I had no contingencies for the contingencies failing. Read on.

I phoned my friend in Sydney who’d been in the same position as me a couple of years ago. He confirmed that the so called “hunting journey” would take a few months, even if you’re prepared. “Bizarre! Why can’t he tell me what went wrong and what went right, and this way I’ll shave off a couple of months?!” I wondered. All he did was give me a link to the three major websites.

So to cut a long story short, all attempts to land a job applying from abroad yielded nought. In the words of one good recruitment coordinator: “there are similarly or better qualified candidates doing the same thing you’re doing from at least another couple of dozen countries. So unless your skill is so unique and particular for a job, then you have to put extra effort to stand out; firstly by being in Australia and available for a face to face interview when called.”

I took the hint, and put the job hunt till later

Four days after I arrived. I was on the net firing up applications, customising covering letters, and giving CVs away like marketing flyers. The scatter gun approach missed quite a few times, then it seemed to have hit. I got the very first phone call from a recruiter. But it couldn’t have come at a worse time. I was loading furniture in the car, and expecting another phone call from the electricity company. I was very honest and professional in my answer saying “this was not a good time and since I cannot recall which job he was speaking about as I applied for quite a few, it’s better if he calls me back later.”

Guess what? He never did.

This taught me another two lessons: a) recruiters do not need you, you need them, and b) keep a record of what you’ve done handy will you. Harsh it might sound, this is the name of the game and I dislike it as much as the next person.

That was the first week. Then there was another two weeks of much the same approach, yet with different outcomes. Somehow there was no soul-destroying anonymous and generic rejection emails. It drove me to desperation for a bit until my partner’s family told me January was a bad time to find a job since everyone is away. If that was not enough to drive me suicidal, they followed that by February being the month where everyone deals with January backlog. So I have to man up and tighten the belt until March, and consider all these adverts online to be generated by very intelligent computer programs covering for folk on extended holidays.

I took that time to review what I had done so far. It’s very easy to walk in circles if you don’t stop and gauge your track… it is actually scientifically proven. Following the review, I decided that I should consider new means to my desired ends, and that I should become really ruthless in terms of effort and application.

I filtered out the best five websites on job hunting (judged by Google’s ranking and by my own sceptical nature), and of them I jotted down a list of action points all five unanimously recommended. I rewrote my CVs, again, and took a different slant to writing covering letters. It wasn’t until another week of full-on nine-to-five job hunt ending in same old had passed that I got called for an interview with a recruitment consultant. Hurrah, in moderation though, since the lead came through my partner, and using the old version of my CV. Never mind, it is an interview… and we went out for drinks to celebrate it.

The interview went well, and I was promised to be connected with my dream company to work for. I was almost drooling with excitement. I decided this consultant is it, and that I should sacrifice all other opportunities for the sake of getting any job with them. A week later, being the professional planner I am, I gave the consultant a courtesy follow up call. For some reason I have not understood yet, she went on the defensive and said she’ll get in touch when there is an update. My Babel fish translated that into: “you kind of upset me, and I shall put the minimum effort in your job search.” The translation was validated since a week later she told me “my CV was sent awaiting an answer,” and 3 days after I was told there were no openings. Just like that.

So now a month or more had passed, and I am exactly where I started….but not quite.

I actually got a random phone call from a recruiter inquiring about a minor detail in my CV he found uploaded on one of the major websites. This call made me feel good about myself, although his line of recruitment was out with my planned career path. He asked if I could tweak my CV (for the third time now) to highlight certain areas, and so I did… hopeful maybe something will come out of it.

I also looked up the vacancies he had on the internet, and found a website dedicated for that line of business, so I posted my mark III CV there, and got another phone call from another recruiter almost instantly. Things were going fine, and I was on the up again.

But I won’t throw all my eggs in the one basket again.

Driven by sheer frustration from the generic rejections from faceless recruiters, I gathered all the courage and confidence I had and started phoning them. Yes, I was afraid of rejection. I couldn’t handle well-rehearsed, cocky and crafty answers designed to send me away. I did know what the jobs were about, and I already had my cover letter and my CV tailored waiting to be sent. I just wanted to be noticed, to have a voice behind the name, to have a personal service… and believe me that was a very hard part that went wrong quite a few times.

Never mind, there’s plenty of fish in the sea. And so there was.

I was called for an interview with an agency again, and we went out to drink and celebrate. Unfortunately, nothing came out of it, apart from having to rearrange my CV again; not a thing of the next few either. My record of agencies, names, phones and dates is now a dozen pages long, and my Linked In profile was thriving with invites and hits, but still the personal element is missing. That said, I went to one interview where the guy was so good and personal about his service that I slowed down my search to give him a chance.

He kept in touch, said all the right things, and it felt great and I felt sure again. But the karma of my earlier scatter gun approach started to pay back. I got called for my first interview with an actual employer, who were really interested in my skills that they were on the phone daily scheduling one interview and one test after another. Although I did appreciate their interest and effort, I knew if the personal recruiter had a breakthrough soon, I would be breaking these guys’ professional hearts soon. The world of business is not very different from the world of relationships in that regard.

But the personal recruiter started getting quieter and quieter, my bank balance smaller and my credit card statement longer. I had to do something and not surrender to the way things are… not after all that effort. And that was a light bulb moment that turned things around.

I reviewed all the recruiters I dealt with, and picked the one who was practically honest and on the ball. I had a frank conversation with him that ended up with him pushing an employer to take me on… and it went like a breeze from there, and everyone was happy. It took 11 weeks in total.

In hindsight, if I was to go back 11 weeks, I would’ve done things differently. Would that have shaved off a few weeks? Maybe, but there were other elements like the timing of moving to Australia that should have changed months not weeks ago.

The moral of the story is that every job search is a very personal learning experience that you cannot transfer. What takes most of the time is you learning about yourself and about the world around you: how to approach, who to approach, and how to follow up. The quicker you master the game, the quicker you start earning points.

posted in How to find a job in Australia by Karalyn Leave A Comment
©2012 InterviewIQ. All Rights Reserved.

Life lessons come from the most unexpected sources

Richard — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 00:32:28 +0000

I’m a great believer in fate and it happened again during a recent trip to Sydney. I had been excited at the opportunity of a side-trip down to Canberra for the Renaissance exhibition. Here were paintings of exquisite beauty from the likes of Raphael, Botticelli and Titian right on my doorstep – many of which have never before been seen outside Italy.

However a number of circumstances conspired against me so that I missed out on getting down to Canberra. I’m an optimist at heart though and so I figured this gave me a damn good reason to visit Italy in the future! And then fate stepped in one morning while I was having a lazy start to my day watching Sonia Kruger and David Campbell on morning TV.

There was a story about the American actress Ellen Burstyn visiting Australia to conduct acting master classes. I have always liked her and greatly respected her as an actress and a person. The story ended by advertising an evening with Ellen Burstyn at the Chauvel Cinema where she was to be interviewed by Noni Hazelhurst. In my mind fate had struck again, and the ticket cost was exactly what it would of cost me to go to Canberra!

It was one of the most amazing evenings I have ever experienced and has the potential to be life changing, depending upon the decisions I now make.

Ellen Burstyn was an inspiration! Examples of the quality of her character were her decision to refuse a part which she and the director suspected would win an Oscar, because she didn’t think the role suited her. The declined role won Cloris Leachman an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 1972. She also chose to not attend the Academy Awards in 1975 because it would of meant being absent for a Broadway stage performance. Her ethical compass told her it wasn’t right to disappoint patrons who had paid good money to see her perform, so she could possibly receive an award for a long since completed performance. She won the Oscar for Best Actress for her role in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

My goal is to live my life and to work for and with people with the same moral compass.

She also spoke of the value of acting classes in teaching anyone who commits to them to learn to be in the present and to minimise the negative impact of ego. She gave a powerful example of having to pick up a glass of water on stage. Common thoughts are “my hands are shaking and the audience can see it,” “what if I spill it” or “how should I hold it” which are examples of ego and not being in the moment. When in fact the only thing you actually need to do is……….. pick up the glass of water!

My goal is to take acting classes (a recurring thought over the past 20 years that I have never followed through on).

Ellen finished the evening by selecting a poem to read, When Death Comes by an American poet Mary Oliver. On the face of it this could be seen as a depressing choice however nothing could be further from the truth. The poem spoke of living a life without regret so that death can be experienced with curiosity rather than fear.

My goal is to have lived my life embracing every opportunity.

posted in Back to work tips by Richard Leave A Comment
©2012 InterviewIQ. All Rights Reserved.

Podcast – how to manage your relationships with recruitment consultants

Karalyn — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 12:17:11 +0000

Ok, here’s my very first podcast. Now I know people have been podding since about 2005 or so, but hey – better late than never. Today I would like to present a very good friend of mine, Ms Bronwyn Murphy. Bronnie and I go waaaay back to a time where we sat next to each other at Smalls Recruiting.

Bronwyn gave me an award and a bathing cap with a shark on it – “the sink or swim award” as I stepped into a desk where the previous occupant had left in a rush due to an accident. There were no notes, no nothing. I think I swam, thanks to her encouragement and support.

Bronwyn now runs www.bjmconsulting.com.au, a firm specialising in training, retaining and engaging staff.

Many of Bronwyn’s clients are recruiters and recruitment consultants. She gives us the rundown on what the industry looks like, and how to manage your relationship with consultants.

I’ve hit her up with some hard questions including:

- overcoming roadblocks such as “no local experience”

- how you can tell whether you are in the hands of a professional consultant

- how many consultants should you meet

- what makes them pick up the phone

- how many resumes should you send out

- what are they really looking for in a telephone interview

- should you accept a telephone interview on the spot

- should you tell them if you have been sacked

- how you can annoy your recruitment consultant

So here it is: Interview IQ interview with Bronwyn Murphy. All feedback gratefully accepted.

If you know anyone who would make an interesting interview, please let me know.

Blog Spotter Six

Richard — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 11:19:05 +0000

Its still Kool a bit Kwerky and always Kwestioning . . . . . we’ve found what’s good for you!

Hello and welcome to the Year of the Dragon! I’ve ferociously hunted down what’s frighteningly hot in the Careers, HR and Recruitment blogosphere.

Let’s open the new year with a smart pithy piece from Ask a Manager. I’d suggest Alison Green’s what should a new manager ask to get to know their employees better, is also sage advice for more seasoned managers and any employee. You can follow Alison on twitter @AskAManager.

On a lighter but still informative note Anita Bruzzese informs us What to do When You Make a Fool of Yourself in Front of Colleagues. Sobering advice…….thanks Anita!

OK, it’s short and sweet, but maybe that’s why it’s so good! In a few well chosen words Maureen Anderson reminds us how important it is to be faithful to our most cherished desires. It’s so easy to get distracted in today’s world of technological distractions from what’s really important to you. Thanks for the poke in the ribs Maureen.

How To Show An Employer That You Are Well Rounded may just give you that different perspective needed for your job hunt. It’s so easy to fall into the trap of focusing too much on particular strengths whilst losing sight of the value to employers of a broad skill set. Anna Runyan’s words of advice may just widen your field of vision. You can follow Anna on twitter @classycareer.

This is just pure positivity. Nothing more to say except watch and enjoy! The Future Belongs to the Curious.

Now that I’ve turbo-charged your positivity, let’s take a moment to pause and reflect on how Confidence is a Numbers Game. Even the most successful people can lack confidence and here’s a useful tip to combat that tendency. Now men before you complain that Jodie Glickman’s blog is only aimed at women, I think it relates just as well to anyone who experiences a seed of doubt. You can follow Jodie on twitter @greatonthejob.

Why Can’t Employers See the Forest for the Trees???

Richard — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 08:18:37 +0000

We received the following email recently from a reader the other day and Karalyn has asked me to respond in blog-form, because the writer has raised an important issue that we think could be relevant to other readers.

I’d like to open with an edited version of the email:

“I’ve been 3 years riding the employment roller coaster and I’ve had to deal with rejections once again in 2012 as I have started applying for jobs. I worked for ‘one of the biggest media agencies’ two years ago but lasted only a couple of months, most probably because they had too much expectations but also likely that I do not have the local knowledge as local candidates do. I bought a restaurant, employed over 10 people over one year but had to sell it due to the retail slump. I lost my savings that I brought to Australia and now I am back at square one searching job sites.

What I find hard to understand is that I tried to contribute to the economy in a small way to retain staff that I had hired, more from sympathy but who never the less ended up validating my hiring decisions. Now that I am on the other side of the fence, I see that not many are that risk-friendly.

I just wonder if Bill Gates had decided to move to Australia presently but in the same age bracket he was fifteen years ago, would he have got a job?”

Wow. Some really great questions here! And I can hear some very understandable frustration as well.

First of all can I say I’m very impressed at the courage you have shown in opening a restaurant and in taking a chance on people that you had the good sense to realise were worth giving ago. Opening any small business is a huge risk and challenge but to do it in a country that is relatively new to you is amazing. I’m also very impressed by your perseverance in your job hunting efforts.

I would like to directly answer your concerns but need to firstly say that I hope you can appreciate that it is
very difficult for me to make any meaningful comment about the reasons you feel your role with a media agency did not work out without me having more information. However I will say that I do appreciate how frustrating it must have been.

I want to immediately say that Karalyn and I both agree with you that Australian organisations seem to be rather more “risk-phobic” than their overseas counterparts. They just don’t seem to know what to do with job hunters who don’t exactly fit a pre-determined ideal. Some employers also tend to be locked into a mindset to fill their vacancy with a clone of the previous occupant in the job, forgetting that they didn’t have those skills and experience when they first started.

It’s hard for candidates to break through the “risk-free” attitude of some employers and this is where I think all candidates need to have a good hard look at their recruitment consultant. Because I believe it’s part of their role to break this barrier down for you. A good consultant should take the time to get to know your skills and abilities. Then they should be 100% in your corner fighting to get their employer clients to take a genuine look at you as a potential employee. The best advice I can give you is to expect this from your recruitment consultant. And if they don’t come to the party, find a new consultant who will fight for you!

From Karalyn and my experience in the recruitment industry many employers want iron-clad guarantees that a new employee will work out. So they go with the safe option. When often it is the candidate with less experience or different but translatable experience that has a burning desire to succeed in the job! So listen up employers and take a step back to look at the wider picture. There may just be a shining star standing in the second or third row!

Oh and yes I think you are right that Bill Gates may well have found himself on Centrelink benefit for quite
some time here in Australia!

Stick at it and I’m sure with the help of a good recruitment consultant you will find the right company and job for you!

Employment in Australia …..doom and gloom ….. or time to move?

Richard — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:30:03 +0000

ANZ, Qantas, Westpac, Australian Airlines, Alcoa, Billabong, Toyota, Pacific Brands, Macquarie Bank, Holden. The recent list of companies shedding jobs, under threat, or closing down seems endless and could easily be viewed as symptomatic of the ill health of the Australian economy.

Should we all now be fearful and anxious about the loss of our jobs or is there more to this picture of doom and gloom that the media and some commentators is busily painting?

Most importantly, what action can or should we take to secure our future employment?

Firstly, let’s take a closer look at the nature of these companies that have experienced substantial job loss. There is a long term downward trend within the Manufacturing industry (Toyota, Holden and Pacific brands) that represents a fundamental shift in Australia’s economic structure rather than a declining economy. The reasons for company closure (Australian Airlines, Billabong) are often complex and may have little to do with overall economic health. It has also recently been asserted that the much publicised job cuts amongst Australia’s banking sector is reflective of a drive to maintain profit levels that are unsustainable in today’s market and that the job cuts risk longer term profitability.

But do these job losses truly reflect the state of Australia’s economy? There is no doubt that certain sectors are doing it tough however the release of January employment statistics from the ABS, indicates a fall in Australia’s unemployment rate resulting from significantjobs growth. The recent Smart Company Blog Post includes data from the Employment Minister Bill Shorten that health services, micro businesses (especially online based), the service sector and businesses well placed to tap into consumer spending pattern changes are leading the employment charge. Several examples of large scale hires in construction and IT were quoted and mention made of Wesfarmers plans to boost its workforce in 2012.

Following the GFC, jobs growth has been strong. All states have experienced jobs growth. The highest percentage growth has been in WA, NT and QLD however the largest numbers of new jobs have occurred in NSW, VIC and QLD.

It’s important to remember as well that bad news sells papers and increases TV ratings, so there is a disproportionate amount of the gloom reported rather than the boom. We are well advised to take a wider and longer view as well if we are to secure our employment future.

Where will most jobs growth be over the longer term? Well most new jobs will be in a small number of industries. In fact almost 50% will be in Health Care and Social Assistance, Construction and Professional Scientific and Technical Services (specifically Architectural, Engineering and Technical Services, Legal and Accounting). However all industries (other than Manufacturing) will still experience growth.

It’s vital to appreciate too that the job market and the nature of employment has changed dramatically. Importantly:

- Technological change, labour market flexibility and economic reform have seen far fewer people in long term full-time employment

- Part time and casual employment has become the norm for many

- Alternatively many older workers are now self-employed or are contracting out their services.

So how can you prepare for possible job uncertainty in the future? There are a number of things that can be done.

1. People leaving school now can expect to have at least 9 different careers in their lifetime. It is vital that you also acknowledge and embrace substantial career change as part of your working life.

2. Incorporate flexibility into the structure of your work. You may need to work 2 or 3 part time jobs or look at short term jobs or volunteer work as a way to break into an industry.

3. You may need to be quite entrepreneurial in your approach. Consider getting an ABN and contract yourself out. Karalyn’s interview with a leading entrepreneur provides some useful insights.

4. Research where the jobs are and be prepared to move. There are good job opportunities in Regional Australia with significant job opportunities for skilled workers. The government offers training assistance and provides useful facts and figures about regional job markets.

5. Much growth will be in skilled areas. Look at reskilling yourself with further education. The pace of change both within an industry and in the broader job market means people that constantly update their skills will be the most in demand. There are useful resources available to identify what skilled occupations have shortages.

Finally can I suggest that you read Australian Jobs 2011 as it provides an invaluable resource for those who wish to be well informed about the Australian job markets. Jobs growth for the past 5 years is examined and most importantly it provides a detailed analysis of the future potential of Australia’s 19 industry groupings and regional employment areas. You will also find valuable information regarding training and education.

Job Outlook is also an indispensible tool for facts figures and forecasts of industry and occupation specific jobs growth.