ProGrad Brisbane

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.  

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!

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

ProGrad Assessment Team:

The ProGrad Assessment Day Team will consist of 5-10 people depending on the day.  The team is a combination of our Graduate Managers, our Business Developers and our Facilitators. 

During the Assessment Day, each candidate will have a series of score sheets.  These score sheets are for assessment purposes which are scored against a competency based framework.  During the session, it is not about your academic qualifications.  We are looking to highlight key competencies which are listed below:

1)      Confidence

2)      Verbal Communication Skills

3)      Drive and Dynamism

4)      Ability to Influence and Persuade

5)      Structure and Logic

Following the ProGrad Assessment Day, each candidate is welcome to contact ProGrad for feedback about their performance.  We are happy to share all feedback with you as it may assist with further interviews being attended.

Our ProGrad Graduate Management Team can be contacted 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 do allow candidates to attend an assessment session more than once.  That said, we do have a waiting period of 12 weeks prior to re-attendance. 

If you have attended an assessment centre with ProGrad already and would like to attend another session, please contact our Graduate Management Team.  Our internal team can discuss your feedback and options moving forward.  Our core activity is placing graduates into Business to Business Sales roles across a variety of industries (such as technology, media, FMCG, finance and events).  From time to time we do work on other opportunities such as Consulting, Admin, HR, and finance.  If ever we find another role that might be more suited to you, we will definitely be in touch.

ProGrad run a number of other graduate related websites which are worth looking into for other opportunities, and even more interview recommendations:

www.graduatejobs.com.au 

www.progradsydney.com.au

www.progradmelbourne.com.au

www.progradbrisbane.com.au

www.progradsalesrecruitment.com.au

www.progradgraduate.com.au

We can also be found on various other websites including Twitter, Linkedin, Flickr and Facebook.

For any questions you have about ProGrad, please contact the ProGrad team on 02 8235 8300.

Whether or not you’re successful at the ProGrad assessment day, we do aim that the experience is a positive one and relevant information is provided to job seekers which can assist for future interviews.  We acknowledge that time is being spent at our offices conducting a long interview process, and therefore we dedicate over an hour to a presentation on “The Importance of First Impressions”.

This presentation covers a number of topics, around resume writing, cover letters, the application process for jobs, preparing for interviews and even how to approach different interview styles.  Whilst it may not all be relevant to every job seeker, we do aim to provide an insight which will add value to the job hunting process.

Here is an email we received this morning, from a candidate who was present at the ProGrad assessment day yesterday:

Hi Davinia,

Just wanted to say thanks for giving me the opportunity today. The presentation given today about resume writing was invaluable!! It would be great if you could send me the presentation as I remember hearing you say we could request them. Also, feedback would be great too! I Which number can I ring?

Thanks once again for the experience, it was very helpful in many ways,

yours sincerely,

Carmen

Prograd is Australia’s leading graduate placement organisation and we’re expanding each month which in turn is providing more and more graduate opportunities to our candidates.  If you would like to know more about attending a ProGrad assessment day, either in Sydney or Melbourne, please call us on 02 8235 8300.

Today was a difficult day.  I had to explain to a candidate why they were not getting job offers from employers.  The reason this was difficult is that I didn’t want to say anything that would cause offence, or later upset.  The reason it had to be done however, was that it is hard to improve if this feedback isn’t given to job seekers.

To give you a bit of a background, I have a fantastic candidate who we will call John.  John has all of the raw aptitude to truly be successful in any organisation. He is confident, a great communicator, well presented, he is driven and comes across as motivated to do well.  The only issue is that despite seeing 8 companies for interview, John simply isn’t being offered any jobs.  The jobs he really wants, aren’t inviting him back to a second stage interview.  The jobs he isn’t keen on, still aren’t inviting him back for another interview.

And so this begs the question “why?”

The feedback from the employers had been that John comes across as too confident, too cocky and not keen enough on the roles available.  I know from my dealings with John that he is incredibly keen on the positions, yet this doesn’t seem to be coming across.  So where is he going wrong?

Well, firstly John isn’t preparing in the same manner as the other candidates.  We spend a lot of time briefing candidates to prepare for roles in a certain way and yet he isn’t taking in the same level of preparation to interviews as other candidates.  He is definitely researching the company prior to an interview, but is not able to articulate enough of this knowledge when quizzed in the interview. 

As someone who interviews candidates myself (both senior and junior) it is frustrating and sometimes offensive when meeting a candidate that has not researched the business.  This screams out that this person doesn’t care about the interview.  If they don’t care about the interview, perhaps they don’t care about the company, the role, the interviewer, the management…the time spent investing in the interview itself.  Overall, it can come across as disrespectful.  It’s funny, isn’t it?  How something so small can have such large repercussions?

And yet, the confidence is there in all of us.  We all assume we will be able to “wing it” in an interview and impress the interviewer with our natural charm.  In fact, on many occassions, this probably is enough.  Unless you’re up against an individual that has gone the extra mile to demonstrate their research and understanding of the business they’re being interviewed for.  Then…well, you’re quite literally screwed.

You see, as a potential employer you want to hire the dilligent, hard worker with a genuine passion for your business. In fact, you would probably hire that dilligent, hard worker over the better qualified, more experienced candidate that appeared badly prepared and disinterested.  It seems so obvious what employers are looking for, so how can you ensure that you’re preparing effectively before an interview.

Always make sure that you understand WHAT the company does.  And ensure you can explain it in your own words.  How do they add value, and who do they do this for?  Ensure you can familiarise yourself with their competitors and have a rough understanding of what makes each company different.  Why do clients choose to engage with them and who are some examples you can refer to?  This type of research should be documented and prepared in a structured manner which can be referred to during the interview.  Many of our candidates put together business documents to demonstrate their understanding of the business and the marketplace in which they operate.  When employers see a well presented document, it immediately sends out the right message.

More than anything, its essential to get feedback and learn why interviews might not be going well.  John was keen to hear feedback and took everything on board.  He was in fact pleased to hear what had been happening and even provided feedback to us (as recruiters) which would further help him in interviews. 

Next step from here is to keep proividing John with interviews that are in line with his career objectives and providing some coaching around preparing for interviews and conducting them face to face.  I feel pretty sure that John will find a good role very soon which fits his needs and desires. 

Once he is in there, I have every confidence that he will be a phenomenal success!

Davinia Noble

ProGrad is a graduate recruitment company working on behalf of some of Australia’s leading organisations to assess, place and train graduates into B2B sales and marketing roles.  For more information, please call our ProGrad office on 02 8235 8300.

I have seen some pretty interesting things written about ProGrad over the years.  Some posts have been valuable feedback to hear and whilst no organisation will take pleasure in reading negative comments – we can all benefit from hearing what your customer base has to say.

That said – there are many incorrect statements made about ProGrad and the infamous assessment day.  One blogger stated that ProGrad “claim to be friends with NASA”, which I think we all know is ridiculous. Anyway, that to one side there are a few myths that definitely do need to be put to rest.

1) Firstly, ProGrad do provide water and toilet breaks.  Sounds bizarre to even have to make the point but hey, there it is.

2) Men don’t have to wear red ties to make it through the assessment day, clearly the colour of your tie is irrelevant.  Mind you, a tie is considered appropriate business wear and so we do recommend you wear one.

3) ProGrad is a scam. Not entirely sure where this one originated but ProGrad are simply a business.  We place graduates and charge a fee to our clients for doing so.  We make money in order to operate, it’s pretty simple.  Our roles are primarily in the business to business sales teams of organisations (this is made clear on all of our marketing collateral) and we offer sales training to placed graduates to support them.  Again, this is at the cost of the company, not the graduate.

4) ProGrad salaries are all $35k.  Our salaries range from $35k to $50k depending on the role and organisation.  Naturally, some industries such as advertising and media are likely to offer less money on the base salary, whilst companies in technology and financial services will typically offer $40k – $50k.  The salary packages are also likely to be dependent on the experience and skill set of the graduate. 

I hope this clears up a few of the latest myths about the ProGrad assessment day.  Ultimately, our assessment day is an interview process and like any interview process – not everyone makes it through.  We pride ourselves on only working with strong graduates who see a business career with a leading corporation.  We have partnerships with leading brands such as Microsoft, Nestle, Simplot, Experian, and Dell.  We are proud to have placed over 2,000 graduates in the last 5 years in Australia and are experiencing excellent growth.

If in doubt about the ProGrad assessment process, please feel free to contact the office and speak to any of the graduate management team on 02 8235 8300 who will be pleased to help answer your questions.

You can read more abour ProGrad and view our testimonials here www.prograd.com.au

ProGrad are putting together some research to find out exactly which industries are most appealing to recent graduates.

We’d really appreciate any of your feedback in this area.  We’re currently working in the following areas, but would like to know where to focus our energies:

1) IT and Telecommunications

2) Media, Publishing and Advertising

3) Finance

4) Events and Entertainment

5) FMCG

6) Pharmaceutical and Medical

We have a proactive team that actively hunt for opportunities in areas which are in demand by our graduates.  Our team have the ability to target these organisations with the goal of building a business relationship, to ultimately introduce graduates to them.

Some of our most successful case studies have been from the technology space and this is primarily because of the opportunities that exist within fast growing technology companies.  That said, we need to know from graduates where we should target.

If you have any suggestions, then please let us know.

ProGrad is a graduate recruitment organisation that specialises in assessing, placing and training graduates into organisations within the field of B2B sales and marketing.  For more information, please contact us on 02 8235 8300.

It is incredibly frustrating when you spend time and energy in preparing and attending an interview or an assessment session, only to wait for a response.  And wait.  And wait some more.  And eventually, when you don’t hear anything, you are forced to make the assumption that you just didnt make the cut.

And yet you don’t know why.

This is common for many people attending interviews and it is incredibly frustrating.  We need to remember that there are always several people going for an interview and for one reason or another, it is not the interviewer’s top priority to call you and give you an answer or even feedback.  So, it is up to the job seeker. 

If you are attending interviews and not hearing back, pick up the phone, make contact and reach out.  Simply by asking about the next steps, you will be able to understand whether you have made the short list.  If you haven’t, then ask for some feedback.  It is essential that you start to identify what is going wrong, particularly if it is happening more and more frequently when you’re attending interviews.

Attending interviews is daunting, even for the most experienced people.  That feeling of sitting in front of someone who is judging you can put even the calmest people off track.  

Always make sure you enter every interview feeling very well prepared and don’t be afraid to take control and follow up after any interview.  You can easily be the one to lead the conversation and ask for feedback. 

So, in short – don’t be afraid.  The worst that will happen is someone will tell you some harsh truths.  Which, let’s face it, you probably needed to hear anyway.

ProGrad are keen to hear your feedback, particularly around what you think makes a good graduate program.  We are regularly meeting with graduate employers who are interested to hear from graduates directly, what makes a good graduate program.

Do employers need to have a structured plan in place, or are graduates better suited to an entrepreneurial approach where they can dictate their own success. Are graduates in need of a rotational program or is a more clearly defined graduate role the best route forward. 

Clearly all of this will depend on the individual but we would still like to hear from you (first hand) what you would be looking for in a graduate program.  If you have had experience of being on a graduate program, please let us know exactly what worked for you, and what you would have liked to change if possible.

ProGrad are currently working with three global FMCG companies and we’re assisting them to structure graduate programs based on our recommendations.  We have administered surveys at our recent assessment days which has identified a few clear trends in this space.  If you have any feedback you would like to share with ProGrad, we would like to hear from you.

Our Graduate Management team can be reached on 02 8235 8300 or via email info@prograd.com.au

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

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!

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 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

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!