ProGrad Brisbane

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!

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.  

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.

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

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

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!

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

So you have finished your degree, maybe travelled a little, are well and truly sick of your part time job and decided you are finally ready to bite the bullet and get into full time work. But what job is that?

If you are a recent graduate looking to get into the business sector, it can be daunting knowing where to start, especially if your studies haven’t necessarily directed you into a one stop job.

One angle you may want to consider is a role in sales. 

No not tele-marketing, and don’t worry I’m not talking about standing on the street corner trying to get people to sign up to the latest scam.

I mean genuine corporate sales, working within a well established company on a competitive salary, getting that all important foot in the door and gaining the valuable experience that can take you from new comer, to old pro.

Sales provides graduates a unique opportunity to learn about a business from the inside out. Working in correspondence with all other parts of a business, the sales department gives you the best exposure and often a great head start into avenues usually closed to entry level positions.

It might not be an option you had ever considered before but for graduates who are ambitious, eager to work and wanting to get some hands on experience in a role that will help them progress in their career, Sales may be the yellow brick road for you.

ProGrad specialize in placing recent university graduates into business to business sales roles. For more information or to apply for any of our roles, contact the ProGrad Graduate Management team on 02 8235 8300 or alternatively email us at info@prograd.com.au

Since opening our current office on Clarence Street in 2005, ProGrad is pleased to announce the location of our new office! As of Friday the 29^th of October 2010, ProGrad will be located on Level 12, 10 Barrack Street, Sydney NSW 2000.

As the ProGrad team continues to grow in both sales and operations, the move was definitely prompted by unprecedented growth. Our client demand is also continually increasing with more and more roles and opportunities opening up for undergraduates.

ProGrad’s new Barrack Street office was selected for a variety of reasons, including its many amenities. Boasting a brand new assessment centre which was custom made for our assessment days, the building also has an extensive open plan office for our friendly team.

The central location is also of real importance for overall efficiency. Just two minutes walking distance from the current office, ProGrad’s choice to remain in the area limits the impact the relocation could have on our graduates, clients and employees.

Moving to the new office reflects ProGrad’s commitment to our highly successful operation and practices, which will continue to develop in the future.

“This is a really exciting time for ProGrad,” said Davinia Noble, General Manager of ProGrad. 

“The move to a larger, more modern office supports our plans for future growth, and will be a great location for our expanding team to service our graduates and clients even more effectively.”

For more information about our new location please contact the ProGrad team now on 02 8235 8300 or email ellen.giebels@prograd.com.au. All contact details and web addresses will remain the same for ProGrad after the move.

Like all Prograd candidates I did my time (it sounds like prison doesn’t it?) at New Zealand’s Auckland University of Technology where I majored in accounting. Due to the practical nature of our degree I was required to obtain a job related to my field and I commenced working as a Tax Investigator for the New Zealand Tax Department. After 2 years the travel bug bit and I began working as a Youth Counselor aboard cruise liners around the world. What was planned as a six week contract, turned into a five year stint allowing me to visit 59 spectacular countries. After calling in every possible port and realizing it was time to enter the ‘grown up’ world, my friends and I decided to move to Australia.

I started to job hunt online through seek.com.au and applied for several positions, one of which was through ProGrad. The ProGrad staff were quick to contact me and arrange my attendance at the upcoming assessment afternoon. I was fairly skeptical about what to expect after hearing horror stories from friends who had done similar things. I was very close to canceling last minute and am so grateful I didn’t.

The assessment day was full of similar people, nervous about not knowing anyone, being judged, and about the three minute presentation looming. After several group exercises the ice melted and we found our place in the groups allocated. The sigh of relief could be heard through the door as all those who ‘passed’ were told they were accepted onto ProGrads candidate list. The following morning I was contacted by ProGrad and put forward for an interview with Kimberly Clark. My consultant ensured that I was organised by suggesting I research the company online and prepare examples to be used.

Within a week I had completed two interviews, personality testing and had received an employment offer. The same day I received two equally great employment offers which left me with a large decision to make. I discussed all the options with my consultant who added any impartial insight she felt could help me make the most informed decision to benefit me.

After preparing the list of pros and cons, I decided to follow my instincts and accepted the role as a Territory Manager for Kimberly Clark. Kimberly Clark produces Australian made FMCG paper products found in the everyday home. Its common consumer brands include Kleenex, Viva, Kotex and Huggies. My role as a Territory Manager is to ensure compliance of promotions, check that pricing and ticketing is correct and look for opportunities to upsell and create displays of our products. The atmosphere and the people at Kimberly Clark are incredible. I have found such an inspiring role model and see a fabulous long term career with the company.

Six weeks after commencing employment, I spent five days completing Module One of the ProGrad course. I can not speak more highly of this course and the facilitator who ran the program. It covered a vast array of topics in an open forum which allowed all of us to feel comfortable to express our opinions and questions. I found it beneficial having started work and being able to relate the information to experiences I had encountered in the workplace thus far. In a recent sales meeting, our National Manager touched on some of the topics ProGrad had covered and I was able to relate the theory learnt to workplace practices. My experience with both ProGrad and Kimberly Clark has been nothing but rewarding and I am looking forward to attending Module Two and increasing my skill set. 

My recommendations for future candidates would be: *attend the assessment day and get involved as much as possible. *Be honest to your consultant about what you are looking for in a role and a company. *Take all the opportunities presented and use them as experience to improve your interview skills. *Take quality time to prepare for each interview.

Good Luck!