ProGrad Brisbane

ProGrad recently engaged with a global FMCG firm to assist in the delivery of their internal graduate program.  With a robust internal HR team, they simply required an organisation that could assist in the delivery of a sales based assessment centre from which they could select their graduates.

With over 40 graduates attending from across Australia, the assessment day was competitive yet had an element of fun.  Luckily, being one of the leading FMCG companies in the world, they weren’t short of great food and drink on offer.  It was great for the graduates to touch and feel the products and brands first hand.

After the long 7 hour session, graduates left the assessment and awaited feedback along with advice about next steps.  Over the forthcoming weeks, ProGrad conducted reference checks and made final job offers to the lucky 8 graduates selected for their program.

The graduate program officially started this week on Monday and I was lucky enough to be included in part of the induction on Day One.  As I had arrived, some of the graduates had just received keys to their new company cars, needless to say – excitement was in the air.

ProGrad are starting to deliver more and more bespoke offerings to our clients, depending on their needs and it is a thoroughly rewarding part of our job to be involved in such projects.  

Davinia Noble, Sales Director, ProGrad Pty Ltd

When companies are looking to grow, they have a couple of options.  On one side, they can go to market and recruit an experienced person with industry experience.  They may find someone who can theoretically hit the ground running, and may fit the profile of what an organisation is looking for.  The alternative is that an organisation can recruit a recently qualified University graduate.  Essentially, that is someone with very little commercial experience, in some cases they have none at all.  So why would companies recruit University graduates?

Well, over the years we have conducted a lot of research to identify exactly why companies would recruit graduates.  There are a few key reasons about why that is:

1) A graduate has no bad habits or preconceptions

2) This means they’re mouldable to the culture of an organisation

3) Graduates are technically savvy, making it easy for them to pick up the internal technology utilised

4) Graduates are quite flexible, making it easy to relocate them for particular opportunities

5) Graduates are also intelligent having studied at a serious level for several years.

These factors make a recent graduate a very attractive recruit for organisations.  With these factors in mind, graduates have a few benefits they can bring to a business.  But, this is just the start.  Graduates also need to add some value to a company, and need to think about how they can contribute.  Organisations are thinking about the bottom line and assessing the value-add of each employee.  If you’re a graduate job seeker, ensure you’re not approaching organisations simply to become an overhead.

It’s not all plain sailing working with University graduates, particularly for organisations that have never done it before.  We work with a number of graduate employers and for many, it is their first time recruiting a person at a junior level.  It can be easy for any experienced business professional to forget exactly what it was like in their first role. 

Graduates are hungry, ambitious and demanding and it is common for them to want to take on added responsibility.  This can be hugely beneficial for a business who can embrace that concept, yet it can be intimidating for a business which is not equipped.

The drive and enthusiasm of graduates in a business is great, yet causes issues amongst existing team members who have stronger business and product knowledge.  When graduates aim to challenge these people in the business, it can to friction and upset within the organisation.

The bottom line is that all graduates need to be aware of the wonderful things they offer an organisation – yet should also be respectful that their lack of experience means they need to start from the bottom and work their way up, exactly how everyone else did in the company.  A degree is simply the start and provides you with an entry-level role.  The rest still needs to be learned and it must be appreciated that a degree is not necessarily a fast track to the top.  That piece will still need to be earned by the employee.

Always appreciate the difficulties that organisations experience when inducting graduates, and be respectful that for many they are having to change their structure for the graduate intake.  Not all organisations are experts in graduate recruitment, not can you expect them to be.   Communicate openly with your mangement and those around you, and demonstrate some humility in any role you undertake.

ProGrad has placed over 2,000 graduates in the last 4 years and has had many experiences in placing graduates across a multitude of roles.  For more information, please contact us on 02 8235 8300.

For years we have been quite literally telling graduates how they should dress for interviews, there are certain basic principles to adhere to.  Wear a suit to an interview (of course), ensure it is well cut, clean and teamed with a clean shirt and tie.  Polish your shoes, cut your hair, shave any facial hair and look clean-cut and well polished.  For the ladies, wear a suit, iron a shirt, tie your hair back and ensure you are free from distractions. In short, the ladies should “dress for business, not for fashion”.

And yet, time and time again – despite this message we see candidates will still march to the beat of their own drum and wear what they feel comfortable in.  Which in essence, makes me think the advice we have given needs a new approach.

So I have been thinking about how in interviews, you are selling yourself.  It is as though you are a product, or a brand if you like.  You are representing this brand in a face to face environment.  How you dress that brand demonstates how that brand would be positioned.  If you are a “premium brand”, dress yourself in a premium manner.  If your brand is casual and laid back, then your dress is likely to be the same.

Once you’re clear about the brand you’re representing, it is easy to establish what to wear for an interview.  Typically, the safe option is to wear a business suit.  The Managing Director doesn’t wear a suit?  Well, he doesn’t have to.  He has probably done his “hard yards” and has proven himself enough to run a business.  The approach of visiting this individual without wearing a suit could be read as disrespectful…so be careful. 

To play it safe I would strongly recommend that all graduate job seekers should wear a suit.  You’ll quickly be told if it is too formal for their office environment.  If that is the case, then at least you have the opportunity to turn it around for the second stage interview.

ProGrad regularly provide advice to job seekers at the graduate level and try to assist where possible with organsing interviews.  On a weekly basis, we also provide a training session for graduates highlighting the importance of first impressions and how to be successful in graduate interviews.  For more information, please contact ProGrad on 02 8235 8300.

Assessment days are becoming more and more common as a screening tool utilised by a number of employers across a number of indsutries.  It seems these days that many HR departments are implementing assessment days as a key part of an internal screening process.

I will share some insights here about our assessment day, which might help to prepare for other assessment days you encounter along the way.

Self Introduction session

1) Assessment Days are about competencies.  Suddenly, you academic qualifications are no longer important, this is all about you and the competencies you possess.

2) They are designed to bring out the best and the worst in you.  In pushing you outside of your comfort zone, you are likely to shine yet also you might make mistakes and feel nervous due to the pressure.  This is completely natural and something that employers make allowances for.

3) Assessment Days are an interview process and should be treated as such.  Please ensure that a strong level of research and preparation is conducted prior to attending to ensure you maximise your opportunity to be successful.  Speak to the assessment team prior to the session and ask them for some insights.  They want you to be

 

Group Dynamic Exercise

successful and they want you to do well.  It is likely they will tell you what is required!

If you’d like to attend an assessment day with ProGrad, you must firstly apply online and then pass a telephone interview.  Following this, if you are invited to attend a session then you will be briefed about what to expect and how to prepare.  And yes, you do need to prepare for our sessions.

For more information, please visit www.prograd.com.au or contact our team on 02 8235 8300.

Our client is looking for an energetic graduate who is motivated by a bonus package, backed with a detailed training and development program to ensure your success.

This technology organisation is a recognized market leader and is used by many leading architectural and construction companies both locally and internationally.

Key responsibilities of the role include:

- Acquiring a detailed knowledge of the Company.
- Possessing the ability to professionally demonstrate these offerings at all levels.
- Working with the sales team to promote and develop new business opportunities.
- Maintaining client satisfaction, ensuring growth within our current installed base.
- Consulting with clients on new projects and the subsequent set-up of these within the company.
- Customer training on all facets.
- Attend and participate in sales meetings, technical seminars and trade shows.
- Occasional local and international travel may be required.

The successful candidate will:

 -Be highly motivated, well organised, disciplined and self managed.
-Be an excellent communicator and strong listener, possessing outstanding relationship building skills.

The successful candidate is assured of a strong career path in our fast growing international business team.

In order to be considered for this opportunity (or any of Prograd’s roles) you must apply immediately. Once your application has been received you will be contacted by a member of the Prograd team to discuss your application further. If you are successful you will be invited to attend an assessment day.

To apply for this role, please click here

A key part of our offering is training.  Initially, it was simply training provided to graduates once they had been placed with our clients.  These days, we offer training to graduates who are looking for employment that need help with the application process. 

As someone that offers the training myself, I am keen to understand what makes a good trainer.  What is the best training style to ensure that an audience is engaged? 

I have seen some great trainers over the years, and my favourite style has always been a thought provoking, challenging style where the trainer gently coaxes the audience to think outside the square.  This works in a formal training environment which might take place over 1-2 days, but what about training around interview techniques and job hunting?

During our assessment days, we offer a “training session” which is titled, The Importance of First Impressions.  This training session lasts approximately 1.5 hours and covers the basics of:

1) How to write your resume

2) Covering Letters

3) Preparing for face to face interviews

4) Interview techniques to use

5) how to follow up from an interview

This session does not cost the graduates anything to view and is aimed to give something back to those graduates investing their time in attending.  It is the least we can do!

Whilst the feedback is generally good in this area, we could always do better.  So if you can recommend any ways to increase the engagement of our audience when training, we’re ready to listen!

ProGrad can be found on Twitter!  Although like many businesses, we’re not entirely sure what we’re supposed to do with it!  I’m guessing we will learn this skill over time and so please bear with us.  uor core activity is placing graduates; clearly not social media!

We welcome a new starter on board, Nicola who will join our operations department and assist with our online marketing strategy.  With the popularity of online media at an all time high, we have realised the need to have a dedicated resource internally to assist the team with our online presence.  Welcome Nicola!

Our Twitter page is www.twitter.com/progradgraduate and we are keen to utilise the page to alert job seekers about interesting articles which are available online.  The intention is that we can become a place for graduates to share their experiences in job hunting and where possible, we can make recommendations to assist them.  Job hunting is tough at the best of times, and if we’re able to make that process any easier then great.

We’re a specialist graduate recruitment company working with graduates looking to start their graduate career in B2B sales.  Naturally, this doesn’t suit the profile of every graduate job seeker out there, and so feel free to get involved even if the ProGrad model is not one of interest.  Thanks!

ProGrad currently have a few openings available for Trainers to join the ProGrad service delivery team.

Each month as our placements increase, so does the demand for our training. ProGrad are an organisation that also offers full training to existing sales teams making the role incredibly challenging. 

We’re looking to grow our in-house capability and are currently looking for candidates interested in either continuing or starting a role in training.  Ideally, the candidate would have relevant experience in either developing or driving a sales team and have had some exposure to training in the past.  This role will involve delivering some in-house training for the ProGrad graduate modules, yet will also have the opportunity to work on bespoke/ tailor made training programs for our clients.

Package will be negotiated with the individual applicants and the start date is immediate.  For more information, please email kingsley@prograd.com.au or davinia@prograd.com.au

If you would like more information about ProGrad and our tailored offering, please see us online www.prograd.com.au

Many students and graduates will need to turn to a careers advisor as they start to decide on the types of careers which would be suitable for them following University. 

It is not unusual to feel unsure about which career path is suitable and for many, this daunting experience feels more comfortable with the help of a careers advisor.  Is this is an option available to you, then think about the qualities you are looking to identify in that person.

1) Do you feel comfortable with them?  do they allow you to speak openly and honestly about yourself?

2) Do they have the right knowledge and experience that you can trust?  Have they themselves had an extensive career?  If so, what can you learn from them and their experiences?

3) How well do they listen?  This is not about them and their career, but rather it is about you.  They must show a genuine interest in your aspirations.

4) Do you trust them?  You’re potentially putting your life in their hands, and so choose to work with someone you trust. 

5) What are they bringing to the relationship.  The connection should be a positive one and something that you feel you benefit from in some way.  If not, then the relationship is rendered useless.

Choose carefully and you should benefit from having a careers advisor.  We’re not able to offer this service however most Universities should have people on site to assist in this area.  If not, please do ask around and see whether it adds value to your career search. 

All the best with it!

Telephone interviews are a large part of screening processes across Australia.  Organisations see this as a quick qualification tool to identify very quickly whether or not a candidate has strong communciation skills and has the ability to work well in their environment.

There are a few basic principles to keep in mind when thinking about telephone interviews, and here I have tried to list a few pointers to help you out.

1) Remember, every phone call from a prospective employer is a telephone interview.  They are listening for the way you respond under pressure and whether you have a professional phone manner.

2) Voicemail is a good idea when job seeking.  Switch your phone to voicemail to ensure that you’re not speaking to a prospective employer at a time which is inconvenient.  Don’t create a bad impression on the telephone simply because you’re distracted at the time they call.

3) When speaking to a prospective employer, try to do so in a quiet place where distractions are limited.  Aim to have a pen and paper in front of you to take notes if needs be.  Prior to starting that conversation, you should know who you are speaking to, and be able to articulate the role you have applied for.

4) The tone and pitch of your voice says a lot about the individual also. Whilst employers are naturally looking for up-beat, enthusiastic and vibrant people – they are not necessarily looking for giggly, or immature sounding people.  If in doubt about how your voice sounds to others, please record it and simply ask your friends and family.  They are more likely to give you some very honest feedback.

Outside of those basic tips, be yourself.  That is the key for any interview, whether it is on the telephone or face to face.  In pretending to be someone that you’re not, everyone will be disappointed with the outcome.  Be true to yourself and ensure that you answer any telephone interview questions honestly and truthfully.

For more information about Interview tips and hints, ProGrad have a number of other websites such as www.progradsydney.com.au and www.progradmelbourne.com.au

ProGrad have another offering in the graduate market with a website specialising on assisting graduates to meet employers using this online graduate jobs portal. 

www.graduatejobs.com.au is a relatively new site which is experiencing a lot of interest from graduate employers looking to grow their teams in Australia.  This site is currently free for employers to post advertisements which means that we should start to see more and more graduate opportunities listed. 

If you would like to be kept up to date with graduate vacancies, please log onto the site as a graduate job seeker at www.graduatejobs.com.au

ProGrad is a graduate recruitment company and own this jobs portal.  For more information about each offering, please contact our Head Office in Sydney on 02 8235 8300.

ProGrad asked for the Young Achiever submissions to demonstrate certain examples of their successes in different business.  As ProGrad start to review some of these submissions, I thought it was worthwhile sharing some of the content with you. 

Over the last 4 years, we have placed over 2,000 graduates into their corporate career and we hope to acknowledge the enormous success of these graduates overforthcoming weeks and months.  At the ProGrad event, we will celebrate their success with an awards ceremony.  Watch this space!

One of our recent submissions, comes from a graduate placed in a large publishing company in Melbourne.  Without revealing too many sensitive pieces of information about the candidate and the organisation, I wanted to share some of the submission which I found particularly impressive:

“In having three quite different publications to sell, time management has been a key to pursuing the most appropriate and profitable prospects. I have had to continually analyse which publications are providing the most profitable results for the time I am able to put into them.

Within each publication I have also had to establish which clients require more of my time relative to their profitability. Often, the smaller clients take up the most time so exploring ways to reduce the time spent on these clients and funneling that time into more profitable areas is important.

Having a limited knowledge of sales and advertising at the start of my role I have now developed an extensive array of skills and knowledge in the industry. Much of this has come through personal experience, in dealing with clients both over the phone and in meetings. Colleagues have also assisted my development in mentoring me on industry “best practice.”

Maintaining integrity is extremely important to me personally and is proving to be extremely advantageous in my professional life. Without holding the trust and respect of your clients, dealing with them would be very difficult. People are far more likely to want to deal with someone they know they can trust than someone they can’t.”

We look forward to receiving many more nominations from our graduates over the next couple of weeks.  We are holding the deadline open until the end of Feb 2010.  If you would like to enter please click here

ProGrad run weekly assssment days in Sydney to ensure a steady stream of graduate talent can be matched with our pool of graduate employers.  We aim to make these matches all year round, regardless of the graduate seasons.  This is because ProGrad are the primary conduit between graduates and getting a job in corporations.  There is no other graduate recruitment company has the same scope as we do, working on the level of opportunities that we are.

The assessment process is rigorous and only the top performers will make it through.  From over 500 applications received each week, we only invite the top 40 to attend an assessment day.  From that day, there is no set number of candidates that will make it through.  On average 30-40% of graduates that attend the session will make it through the assessment day.

After the assessment day, ProGrad starts to make introductions with our client partners for interviews.  We aim to align you to the roles you have specified you’re looking at, during your one to one interview at the ProGrad assessment day.

On average, graduates will attend 2-3 interviews to ensure they are able to find the right cultural fit for their career goals and aspirations.  Once a graduate is offered a role, they then consider whether it is the right opportunity for them.  We would recommend speaking to your family and friends about the position and ensure that it is with total confidence that you accept a role.  If for any reason it doesn’t feel 100% – it is probably not the role for you.

Once job offers have been made and accepted, ProGrad will then see you for training during your first year of employment.  Most employers have a very comprehensive training program internally, however the ProGrad training ensures that you have the basic business skill sets which will ensure a quick progression within an organisation.

If graduates are not successful at the end of the ProGrad assessment day then we urge them to contact us for feedback.  During the ProGrad assessment day, we will have made an assessment based on our competency based assessment framework and provide recommendations for future interviews or assessment days.  Typically, if a candidate doesn’t make it through the day, it could simply mean that they are not right for our roles.  We understand that every candidate has a different desire and drive for certain roles and we’re aslo fully aware that not everyone wants a career in B2B sales.

If you’ve attended an assessment day and didn’t make it through the process, please do not get disheartened.  We are simply one mechanism of many to help find a role.  Take the positives from the experience and aim to increase your skill set by taking on board feedback.

ProGrad can be contacted on 02 8235 8300.  Alternatively, more information about our graduate assessment model can be found on our website www.prograd.com.au

Our next assessment day in Sydney is taking place on Thursday 11th Feb 2010 at our offices in the CBD.

We have already invited our top 40 graduates to this assessment day and therefore all places are currently filled.  If you would like to attend an assessment day, please firstly apply on line at www.prograd.com.au and submit your resume.  In order to receive priority from our Graduate Management Team, please then call us on 02 8235 8300 and they will process your application.

Our assessment days run on a weekly basis at our offices in Sydney and therefore we will be able to place your name on a waiting list if necessary.

The assessment day is a 5 hour competency based assessment framework and assesses for five key competencies:

1) Confidence

2) Verbal Communication Skills

3) Drive and dynamism

4) Ability to influence and persuade

5) Structure and Logic

We have placed over 2,000 graduates in the last 4 years in Australia and our primary goal is matching graduates with prospective employers.

To find out more about the ProGrad model and how we can help graduate job seekers, please contact our graduate management team on 02 8235 8300.

Only yesterday, I was on the telephone to a candidate that recently attended the ProGrad assessment day.  Sadly, she didn’t make it through the day, and was feeling rather deflated at the prospect on continuing a difficult job hunt.

One of the reasons this candidate did not make it through the assessment day, was due to a lack of preparation on the day.  Despite knowing what to expect, and being advised accordingly – this candidate didn’t prepare and therefore struggled to compete with the other delegates present.

Outside of that, when I was running through some assessment day feedback, I asked the question “How are you getting on with other interviews?”

She explained that the process was hard, she had some decent experience yet was finding it hard to even get in front of employers for the face to face interview.  A few minutes spent looking at the resume was all that was required.  Very quickly, I noticed a few gleaming errors.  I will share these errors here as they might help demonstrate some of the common mistakes made from graduates when applying for jobs.

1) The Career Objective

This part of the resume (in this case) was poorly structured and didn’t explain what the actual career objective was.  The overall feel was generic and flaky and it lacked relevance for the jobs which the job seeker was applying for.

2) The Work Experience

In this case, the work experience was strong, and great roles had been held and maintained for long periods of time.  Under each employment section, came a long list of the duties completed in the position.  Which was fine, but there was absolutely no mention of the SKILLS gained in these roles.  Those skills would have been transferable to other organisations and other roles, however the duties may not.  SKILLS are essential to identify in the work experience.  It is not about “data entry”, or “cashier work”.  It is about the competencies developed in the role.  Competencies such as confidence, communication skills, drive and determination, negotiation skills, structure and logic.  These are far more relevant to mention.

Length

The resume was over 3 pages long, with a poor use of space.  Information was long, waffly and unlikley to be read.  It was too easy to skim over the resume in a matter of seconds, let alone minutes.

Format

The resume was badly formatted.  In short, there were spelling errors, grammatical errors and a mixture of different bullet points used in no particular fashion. It was screaming “poor attention to detail”.

And this was the document utilised as the first impression sent out to an organisation.  With some basic formatting and a bit of care and attention, it wouldn’t take long to turn this document around.

I have provided some basic guidance to the job seeker and fingers crossed, it starts to have an impact!

We placed an outstanding graduate in November 2009 who we would like to make a mention of.  ProGrad are proud of his achievements and have already seen him return to an assessment day in a hiring capacity to pick potential graduates for his team.  This process has happened on numerous occassions before yet typically happens after 1-2 years of employment.

This graduate is being nominated for an award at the ProGrad Young Achiever Event and will fall into the category of “Best Newcomer”.  Here are some of his words which were submitted as part of his nomination to the event:

“I believe when there is a process; there are better chances of being more effective and productive. By keeping a record of average number/length calls and an effective time of the day in different states, I try to build my own theory behind successful sales. This helps in self evaluation and rectification of any shortcomings in the sales process whilst giving the tools to manage the sales in a much more efficient way to fast track the process to closing.”

“We deal with thousands of people every year and change their lives. Call it co-incidence, but my personal ethics match my company’s code of practice perfectly. Acting with responsibility and integrity is hence one of the most important value to me and my company. Listening to my seniors in the company, watching videos, reading articles both on paper and online has not only helped me develop my personal knowledge of our industry, but also helped me understand the industry best practice and ensure I handle every single customer with due responsibility, integrity and honesty.”

We look forward to hearing more of the successes of this Young Achiever and fully support his nomination for the event.

If you’re a placed ProGrad Graduate and would like to be nominated for an award, please speak to Davinia Noble who will be able to explain the submission process.  Our number is 02 8235 8300

ProGrad recently started a ProGrad facebook group as an area which can be utilised by graduates looking for roles using our service.  Within a short period of time, we have already generated over 200 fans and hope that you will join us also.  We are always looking for contributors in the graduate arena, and we’re open to hearing suggestions from job seekers about their requirements.

We need to learn about what it is that you require from a learning perspective.  Is it that you require interview hints and tips, ideas and suggestions about how to find a job?  Or just an arean to connect with other prospective job seekers to exchange ideas.

Whatever it is you need, we would like to hear from you.  Your input is essential for us!

Visit our ProGrad Facebook Group here

ProGrad is a graduate recruitment organisation and we specialise in helping graduates to start their career.  If you would like to learn more about our opportunities, please contact us on 02 8235 8300.

ProGrad can only work with candidates who are Citizens of Australia or who have permanent residency.

Unofrtunately we cannot work with you if you have any working restrictions and require an Employer to sponsor you.

This is really because our roles are typically very entry level and can prove to be difficult for companies to offer sponsorship for.  If you are looking for sponsorship, please speak to a specialist organisation in this area.

All the best with your job hunt!

• Psychometric testing
• Self introductions
• Group dynamic exercises
• Feedback sessions
• Business Case Study
• Feedback sessions
• Group Presentation
• One to one interviews
• Verbal and numerical reasoning tests
• Individual presentations

Every placement includes four programmes designed to give candidates the basic skills right the way up to more advanced account Management. For more information about the ProGrad concept, please contact us on 02 8235 8300.  Or visit our website on www.prograd.com.au