ProGrad Brisbane

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

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.

Assessment Day – Hints and Tips for success!

What is the Assessment Day?

ProGrad assessment days are by invitation only and competition is high between graduates wishing to secure their place on the day. At ProGrad, we assess your competencies to help you find a suitable graduate position that can offer you the support and development you will need to be a success. You will be at our assessment day for approximately 6 hours, during which time we will be evaluating your skills and attitude.

The assessment day also offers you the opportunity to gain access to our top graduate recruiters, careers advice and tips for successful interviews. We also provide you with feedback on your performance.

Becoming a ProGrad candidate will give you a head start over other graduates in the market place. We only represent candidates that have been selected at our assessment days, who have demonstrated a real focus to launch their graduate career with a leading company.

In attending the ProGrad assessment day, you will:

• Experience a graduate selection process

• Have access to top graduate employers

• Gain information regarding careers from our graduate recruitment team

• Feedback regarding your performance

If you’re successful through the process

• You will be represented by ProGrad for interviews with our Client partners

• Gain unlimited access to your graduate recruiter who will provide you with

assistance,training and feedback during the interview process

• You will be eligible to take part in certain personal development programs

• You will stand out from other less prepared graduates in the job hunting market

What to expect at the assessment day

• 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

The exercises are designed to enable us to assess you against a competency based framework.

We are not concerned with whether you got the answers right, we’re more interested in how you deal with the challenges in front of you. We want to understand your drive, your motivation, how you respond to pressure and how you deal with people around you.

We also invite some of our Client partners to the assessment day who are looking for ProGrad candidates to start in their teams. This is often where many of our graduates are “scouted” by graduate employers.

What to wear at a ProGrad assessment day?

This is a formal interview process, and so you will be asked to attend our Assessment Day in “formal business dress”.

Remember: First impressions count.

General rules for “formal business dress”:

For men: wear a dark suit, with a plain shirt and tie

For women: try to keep your suit as conservative as possible. Dress for business, not for fashion.

Shoes must be polished and plain black or dark brown.

What are we looking for?

We will be measuring you against a competency based framework at the assessment day. We are looking for:

• Confidence

• Verbal Communication skills

• Drive/ Dynamism

• Ability to Influence and Persuade

• Structure and Logic

How to prepare for the assessment day:

“Fail to prepare and you prepare to fail!”

You must prepare a 3 minute presentation prior to the assessment day, titled “Why should we select you for a career in business to business sales?”

We are not only testing your presentation skills – we are testing your ability to prepare. Do not underestimate the importance of preparing for this!

General Guidelines for your presentation:

i. Keep to the 3 minute time-frame (you will be timed on the day).

ii. Answer the question posed in the title

iii. If you require notes, ensure they are tidy

iv. You are welcome to use visual aids or props to enhance your presentation

v. Practice makes perfect!

What is business-to-business sales?

Business to business sales, is the transaction from one business to another. Business to business sales involves building and maintaining high level business relationships with key decision makers. Your role may be a combination of dealing with existing Client relationships and forging new business contacts. High-level business to business sales can involve a number of activities to include:

• Managing key Client relationships

• Generating new business opportunities in new and existing accounts

• Booking business meetings

• Attending business meetings, generating requirements

• Assisting with pitches, marketing campaigns, exhibitions etc

• Assisting with proposals/ tender responses

• Forging strategic relationships with key decision makers

• Dealing with Clients both on the telephone and face to face

Why start my career in business to business sales?

There are 4 key things that all graduates want from their career:

• Training

• Autonomy

• Progression into Management

• A good salary

A business to business sales career is the only career where your hard work will be instantly rewarded with quick progress, increased earning ability and unrivalled training. ProGrad graduates are put into the most important part of any organisation, the business to business sales team. They are immediately part of the success and growth of the company and this forms a key part in their importance to the business.

Salary expectations are progressive with most candidates earning $40-60k in year one and moving that to the $50-90k mark in year two.

It has been reported that over 70% of Chief Executive Officers began their careers in business to business sales. The two most important facets of any organisation, are the strengths of its financial departments, and its ability to generate revenue through the business to business sales teams.

Graduates entering into either of these divisions, are exposed rapidly into the business world, and are able to add tangible value to a company’s growth and development. It is due to this, that Graduates statistically speaking, enter senior management quicker than their peers – because they understand the mechanics of the organisation.

What kind of company could I work in?

ProGrad has become the partner of choice for not only the best graduates in the country but also the best companies. We work across a variety of sectors to include:

• Information Technology

• Telecommunication

• Media

• Publishing

• Advertising

• Finance

• Industrial

• Events

All of our roles are in the business to business sales teams of our Client partners.  For more information about ProGrad and our positions, please contact one of the ProGrad Graduate Management Team on 02 8235 8300.  Alternatively, you can view our website for more informaton.

ProGrad is a graduate recruitment specialist focusing on assessing, placing and training graduates across a variety of industries.  Our roles are primarily in the business to business sales and marketing teams of some of Australia’s largest organisations. 

Due to the success of this model, we have designed and developed a number of options for other offerings to assist our Clients.  We have recognised that Managing Graduates is often an area which companies require assistance with, and we have therefore put together a course which is available to our Client partners.  The one day workshop is aimed at managers of our graduates, and offers practical, outcome focused sessions to ensure delegates attending are skilled at managing levels of expectation, providing structure, setting goals and KPIs and managing a motivated environment.

OBJECTIVES

By the end of the course participants will be able to:

• Manage graduate expectations around the content of the role, KPIs and role progression

• Align graduate expectations from both parties

• Set clearly defined goals and objectives with your graduate

• Promote high activity levels in a successful, rewarding way

• Provide structure to the graduate, both short term and long term

• Offer a work environment which promotes and supports high activity levels

CONTENT

• Graduate Expectation

Managing expectations around progression levels, incentives, rewards and offering clarity around

your expectation as the manager

• Structure and Time

Providing Structure to your junior employee

Setting the balance for access and time

• Managing Consequences

Dealing with issues internally such as timekeeping, attitude levels, activity

“What’s wrong here” syndrome

• Managing Expectations

Aligning expectations from both parties and ensuring consistent levels of communication

How is this done, and how best to communicate this from day 1 of employment?

• Moving from Altitude to Activity

Setting clear roles and expectations

SMART KPI’s (Structured, measurable, attainable, realistic targets)

Breaking it down into activity levels

Conversion ratios

Setting KPI’ s new business development quarterly, monthly, weekly, daily

• Environment

Managing the environment at work

The value and limitation of Rewards and Incentives

Managing levels of motivation

Weekly Planner

Daily call sheets

Daily goal setting

Tracking KPI’s

For more information about this training course, or any other courses offered by ProGrad, please contact our ProGrad Training Team on 02 8235 8300.

Whilst the norm is to ask Behavioural Based interview questions, some organisations will interview in a different way.  When dealing with University Graduates where experience is limited, interviewers will often ask a series of personal questions in an interview to establish the core values of an individual. 

Here are some examples of what to expect in this area:

Tell me about yourself, from aged 11…

What are the decisions you have made from aged 11 to where you are now?

What was the hardest decision you ever had to make?

What are your defining moments?  Good/ Bad?

What are your core values?

What is your family like? 

What are the relationships within your family like?

What was the hardest thing you have ever had to do? 

What was your biggest failure?

What was your biggest regret?

What are you scared of?

What do you want from life?

This style of questionning is designed to really get to know the individual you are hiring, yet not everyone likes to be so public!  Most interviewers will establish the initial boundaries prior to asking such questions, just to ensure you are comfortable with them.

This style of questionning is becoming increasingly popular with our candidates who are being hired based on their potential, as opposed to their experience level. 

ProGrad organise hundreds of interviews each week for graduate job seekers, who are looking to start their career in the business to business sales teams of our client partners.  For more information about ProGrad, please contact our office on 02 8235 8300.

ProGrad are currently recruiting for an unsual role, requiring a recent graduate with design skills to join one of our client partners.  We have worked successfully with this organisation for the last few years in Australia and they have recently created a new role for one of our candidates looking for an entry level role where they will have an impact on day to day design work. 

Whilst the ProGrad model is typically aimed at placing graduates into business to business sales and marketing roles, we do occassionally work on other opportunties that perhaps don’t fit into this space.

If you have skills working with Photoshop and Illustrator, along with a natural creative flair please contact ProGrad directly on 02 8235 8300 and ask to speak to Jarrod.  Alternatively, you can email Jarrod directly on jarrod@prograd.com.au and send over your details!

ProGrad is Australia’s only dedicated graduate recruitment company working with over 600 companies across a variety of industries.  More information can be found on our website www.prograd.com.au