ProGrad Brisbane » – ProGrad – Graduates that sell themselves

A mid-week joke from ProGrad to lighten up your day!

ProGrad — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 01:33:10 +0000

An Accountant, an Admin Clerk, and their Manager are walking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp.

They rub it and a Genie comes out.

The Genie says, “I’ll give each of you just one wish.”
“Me first! Me first!” says the Admin Clerk.

“I want to be in Hawaii, driving a speedboat, without a care in the world” Poof! She’s gone.

“Me next! Me next!” says the Accountant. “I want to be in Bali, relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of cocktails and the love of my life.” Poof! He’s gone.

“OK, you’re up,” the Genie says to the Manager.

The Manager says, “I want those two back in the office in an hour.”

Moral of the story: Always let your boss have the first say!

The Economy is Changing Hourly

ProGrad — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 03:53:23 +0000

According to ‘The Telegraph’- Article by Jeremy Warner (DEC 2011)

ProGrad is trying to put out the warning for all graduates that there may be some tough economic times ahead. (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news)

Now is the time to brace yourself and get clued up about the types of industries and roles available. Our recommendation is to research the industries which will come out on top during the uncertain times ahead. Try looking at publications such BRW (Business Review Weekly), The Australian, SMH, Marketing Mag, CRN, ARN, Adnews and B&T to name a few.

To give you a helping hand, ProGrad have done some of the work for you. We have researched the top performing Industries that will help you make an educated decision on the best suited career path after University.

Information Technology	The technology space has always been one of the most robust industries available. Almost all organisations rely on the technology space to keep their businesses in operation. There is always a huge demand therefore within the technology arena. Apple Mac announced their most successful year for growth in 2010 stating: *“We are blown away to report over $20 billion in revenue and over $4 billion in after-tax earnings’ – Steve Jobs 2010.* The 2011 Financial Report is set to beat this revenue figure. Recent statistics released by Seek.com stated that over 22% of the highest earning positions across Australia were within the technology space. The only other industry to come close to this statistic was the mining area. It is highly lucrative, and offers a highly progressive career opportunity for a graduate.
Advertising/ Arts/ Media	Unfortunately this industry is suffering. According to the Channel V 2010 Financial Report, they have laid off 30% of their staff in the past 12 months. This figure is forecasted to increase in the future. If this is the starting path you want to take, we would recommend re-considering for the time being and get in a more stable position.
FMCG- Fast Moving Consumer Goods	The Fast Moving Consumer Goods Industry has always been steady in nature according to a Bloomberg Report (2011). The world’s largest food manufacture reported some of their highest earnings through the 2008 GFC and that trend is set to continue.
Banking and Financial Services	The Financial Services Industry is the fourth largest sector in Australia’s economy, generating 8.1 percent or $81 billion of real gross value added to the economy (IBSA 2011 Report). This is a great industry to be involved with, however there are warning signs: Changing Government regulations and risky investment deals have made new employees susceptible to loss of jobs and redundancy to accommodate for the loss in the overseas markets. The: Australian.com.au, warns that uncertain economic times have made the major 4 banks of Australia go into a cost-cutting mode and have laid off approximately 10% of staff across the board.
Insurance and Superannuation	There is always a high demand for these roles. However choosing the right company can be the tricky part in finding your dream job within this industry. According to Industry Super Network, Avoid under-performing Super Funds, such as banks and some smaller organisations. However most of these Industries need a strong focus on Government regulations and law enforcements.
Human Resource Management	The first thing to know about this Industry is the difference between HR and recruitment. Human Resources (HR) is the function within a company that deals with personnel issues (yahoo.com.au2011). A role as a “Recruitment Consultant” requires natural sales flair to be successful. This is a thriving area to be in as it covers a broader area.
Healthcare + Medical	There are a lot of different elements to this industry. The two main sectors are: Scientific Drug Development and then the Commercial Sales aspect. When dealing with the commercial business side, there is a lot of money to be made selling medicines where the commercial trading of medicines make up 60% of the entire Industry (PWC 2011). There will always be a high demand for this industry; however the most assessable avenue to take is the Corporate Sales sector.
Marketing Communications	Due to high costs of running a marketing campaign, many companies are cutting down on the operation costs of the department (staff numbers included). Many entry level marketing roles include data entry and administrational duties. On top of this, many Physical marketing avenues (such as promotions) have nearly almost gone online; MarketingMag Australia states: ‘The inevitable has occurred – internet use has eclipsed TV use in Australia. 93% of Australians access the internet at least weekly, compared to 90% who watch TV.’ (MarketingMag.com 2011)Due to this, Many marketing roles require someone who has a keen flair and knowledge of technology and Internet services.
Construction	This industry has actually slowed according to a ACIF Industry Report for 2011 for Residential and Non Residential buildings. However in Government and Mining sectors it has increased significantly to keep up with high demand of infrastructure and resources for the Australian and Overseas Markets. Engineering Construction is forecast to peak at close to $120 billion in 2013/14, reflecting the expected commencement of a number of large resource sector projects (ACIF.com 2011).

Get Your Head In The Game!

ProGrad — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 23:31:08 +0000

With January kicking off to a rapid start, 2012 is looking to be a very busy year!

This brings GOOD news and BAD news

The good news is that there are many organisations that have great Graduate positions available through ProGrad.

The bad news is however that it is an extremely competitive time of year for graduates as many students graduated at the end of the previous year and are actively looking for full time corporate positions.

As I said before, the news is good and bad!

At ProGrad we understand the frustrations of looking for a job. This competitive time of year can bring an abundance of rejections and many broken spirits. However it’s important to remember that thousands are in the same boat as you and every ‘NO’ received can only bring you closer to the perfect ‘YES’ position. If a job is worth fighting for, then of course it’s going to be competitive!

To help you ‘Get your head in the game’ ProGrad has the following game plan to help you win:

- Create a perfect Resume that’s tailored to every position applied for

- Get a professional Voicemail

- Invest in a suit

- Ensure your looking well groomed

- Research the company

These are some of the strategies to ensure you score the perfect position!

ProGrad specialises in Corporate Business Development Graduate roles. With many years of experience and reputable corporate clients behind us, the opportunities we can offer are huge. If you would like to be a part of the ProGrad network to see how we can offer you a foot in the door, then contact ProGrad at: info@prograd.com.au or call: (02) 8235 8300.

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM PROGRAD!

ProGrad — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 04:06:38 +0000

We are feeling festive here at ProGrad! The office is nicely decorated and everyone is cheerful! We have had such a fantastic year and are very much looking forward to having a successful 2012!

With so many success stories from 2011, we can only keep striving to help and place more graduates year by year.

If you would like to become a part of ProGrad’s network and want to hear about all the opportunities we can offer you, then please contact ProGrad on (02) 8235 8300 or email ProGrad at: info@prograd.com.au

The most overused BUZZWORDS on professional websites

ProGrad — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 04:59:40 +0000

LinkedIn has released the most overused Buzz words for 2011. The words that made the list are:

Creative’
Effective’
Communication skills’
Strategic planning’

These Buzzwords have come from professional profiles all over the world! The study mainly focused on Countries such as: France, Spain, Ireland, Singapore, USA and Australia.

At ProGrad we have come up with some alternative words you can use for your LinkedIn Profile. These include:

Tech Savvy!
Young and willing!
Open to anything!
Ready and rearing to go!

ProGrad would love to see these phrases make the next linked in Buzz Word list! For more suggestions and inspiration of buzz words please feel free to contact ProGrad directly on (02) 8235 8300. Or Email ProGrad at info@prograd.com.au

Finding the right job is like finding a good book

ProGrad — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 05:57:26 +0000

Have you ever felt defeated by the job hunting process?

Have you ever questioned if you will ever get the right job?

Do you spend an endless amount of time on seek?

ProGrad can help you! Let ProGrad be your librarian who guides you to the right book.

ProGrad can help take the stress out of trying to find the right job for you by:

Showing you the full contents of what is expected by each role
Can guide you to the right page number that has the most relevant information for your interview
Can provide an index of understanding that explains all the questions you may have about a company or a role

If you would like to find out more on how ProGrad can assist you on providing employment opportunities, please give us a call on:

(02) 82358300

Alternatively, you can email Prograd on:

info@prograd.com.au

Prograd can help you write your next chapter in your career that is always guaranteed to have a happy ending!

Ghastly Ghosts and Ghouls at ProGrad!

ProGrad — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 02:09:13 +0000

ProGrad celebrated Halloween in style this year as we all got our best costumes on to celebrate!
Everyone in the office enjoyed some horror movie trivia, followed by some seriously competitive apple bobbing!

To see more photos of the Halloween dress up day at ProGrad, please go to our ProGrad Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/ProGrad/126475642525

If you would like to discuss any ProGrad opportunities, please do not hesitate to contact ProGrad on (02)8235 8300 or email us at: http://info@prograd.com

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE PROGRAD GRADUATE MANAGEMENT TEAM!

ProGrad — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 02:04:42 +0000

A big thumbs up to the Graduate Management Team here at ProGrad, who put in an enormous amount of effort to pull off a very successful week!

With such a hard working and dedicated team, it’s no wonder they did so well!

Another big thank you to the wonderful ProGrad boss who appreciates all the hard efforts and takes them out for breakfast to say thank you!

If you would like to find out more about the ProGrad team environment, please give ProGrad a call on (02) 8235 8300. Alternatively, you can email ProGrad at info@prograd.com.au

GO THE PROGRAD GRADUATE MANAGEMENT TEAM!

Spring Clean Your Resume The ProGrad Way!

ProGrad — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 02:57:23 +0000

It’s the time of year when the flowers and blooming, the sun is shining and everyone is sneezing… it’s spring!

Spring is one of ProGrad’s favourite times of year as it gives everyone the chance to clean and brush up on their job hunting skills!

Why not take advantage of this sunny season and start spring cleaning through your resume. ProGrad can help you every step of the way to ensure your resume is sparkling clean and ready to send away!

Here at ProGrad we recommend to start tidying up the following areas:

Dust off your boring list of subjects studied all the way back in the HSC
Clean up your Cover Page to not include your life story
Polish off your relevant experience and jobs (take out your KFC position you had for 2 months when you were 15)
Sort through your references to ensure they are aware and are going to say something positive about you!

If you have any more questions about how to write a great resume, or if you would like to know how ProGrad can assist you in other areas, please don’t hesitate to email ProGrad at:

info@prograd.com.au,

Alternatively, you can call ProGrad on:

(02) 8235 8300

Dress to impress the ProGrad way

ProGrad — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 06:21:59 +0000

Here at ProGrad we see the importance of dressing well for interviews every day. The first impression is the most critical part of the interview, it only takes one instance to make a good first impression, however it takes 21 meetings to undo a bad impression.

With these stats in mind, it’s important to really pre-plan an outfit for an interview.

Here is a friendly ProGrad criteria that will help guide you:

For men:

If you look in the mirror and think ‘should I get a haircut?’ YOU SHOULD.
If you are thinking:’should I iron my shirt?’ YOU SHOULD.
If you are thinking: ‘should I have a shave?’ YOU SHOULD.

For women:

If you are thinking: ‘is my skirt too short?’ IT IS.
If you are thinking: ‘should I take my ear brow piercing out?’ YOU SHOULD.
If you think, am I wearing too much eye makeup? YOU ARE.

If you follow this fool proof ProGrad checklist, you are guaranteed to have an impressive first impression!

If any more questions on first impressions and ProGrad interview tips, please send all questions to: info@prograd.com.au. Alternatively, you can call ProGrad on (02)8235 8300.