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

They say the best salesman is the one who can sell you something without you even realizing you’ve heard the pitch. If this really is true (which seems unlikely), then the world’s best sales people may be celebrities.

Aside from their endorsements (Katie Perry and Justin Bieber are currently pitching ProActive to us while Tiger Woods shows off Nikes latest get up), there are the movies, television and music they produce. And on top of this we see the continually growing world of celebrity branding and merchandise. Everything from fragrance and fashion to cookware and credit cards, you can pretty well establish a life furnished entirely by celebrities.

Perhaps for some celebs this sales drive comes from their roots, many having a background in sales.

Some well known celebrities who dabbled in the world of sales before heading to the Hollywood Hills include Johnny Depp (who was a pen salesman), Ellen DeGeneres (sold vacuums) and even the lovely Jennifer Anniston did her time as a telemarketer (yuck, we definitely don’t endorse that) before hitting the big time.

Now this is not to say that a career in sales will lead to on screen fame (though there are definitely abounding opportunities for progression into other areas) but are there links between these two seemingly separate worlds?

Common factors:

·         Self confidence- while many celebrities (and salespeople) may come across as arrogant, having the confidence to get up and speak with authority is something that encourages people to listen.

·         Strong communication skills- being able to explain yourself persuasively and to a range of people is key to getting them to believe your message.

·         Motivation to succeed- in fame, much like sales, you are only as good as your last success. Being driven to achieve again each time is key to ensuring you stay on top.

·         Empathy- this last one may seem strange but an actor like a salesman needs be able to understand someone else’s situation. In acting it’s crucial to being able to convey that emotion on stage, in sales so that you can help find a solution and meet their needs.

If a graduate career in sales is something you have been considering, or want more information about, contact ProGrad’s Graduate Management team on 02 8235 8300 or alternatively email us at info@prograd.com.au

Ted Mosby is an all round nice guy. He has a good group of friends and he has definite direction in his life. In fact we all know where Ted’s story leads; the two kids on the lounge show us how it ends up. What we don’t know is how he gets there?

In fact it’s this element of uncertainty that means Ted Mosby (Architect), has a lot in common with many university graduates right here in Australia. For both lovers of ‘How I Met Your Mother’ and many recent graduates, the question is not the destination but how on earth you get there.

Knowing where you want to be in 5 or even 10 years time is a great inspiration to start your career, having something to work towards is often the motivation for many workers, both graduates and those more experienced. The questions often arise when figuring out how to take the first steps. There aren’t many 22 year old CEO’s of multinational companies. (Despite what you saw in The Social Network)

For Ted it involves many dates and a few failed relationships before he finds “the one”. For job seekers, you may need a similar approach, putting yourself out on the market attending numerous interviews and gaining experience before the right opportunity comes along.

A job interview really can be like a first date and it’s as much about having the right fit for the relationship as it is fitting the criteria on paper. This unfortunately means you don’t always get what you want the first time and there may be a few failed attempts along the way. But as in life, you learn from your mistakes and can change your approach for next time.

For graduates trying to get their dream job, you usually have to work your way up from the bottom. It sounds unappealing; understandably you wouldn’t flirt with someone who you knew you didn’t want to end up with? But this is where dating and job seeking part ways, getting your foot in the door of a company and learning about them, yourself and the industry is the best way to join the fast track to success. (After all, we knew Ted and Robyn weren’t made for each other but it was good while it lasted).

Launching your career in the right industry can be a helpful way to approach the task. If you want to end up as a Marketing Director, Project Manager, Senior Account Manager or President, then kicking off in something entry level like business to business sales, that has room for growth in the relevant company may be the first step!

To find out more about graduate roles and the potential for career growth visit ProGrad’s website www.prograd.com.au or contact ProGrad’s graduate management team at info@prograd.com.au

ProGrad is Australia’s largest graduate assessment, placement and training organisation.  We work with fast growing international companies across a variety of sectors such as FMCG, Media, Telecommunications and Information Technology. Successful ProGrad graduates are placed into graduate programs working in diverse roles within the business to business sales and marketing departments.

These varied roles enable graduates to gain a view of the entire organisation and industry they work in. Here at ProGrad we speak to many graduates that leave university with an ambition and motivation to work in an organisation which can lead to fast growth and progression into management.

70% of CEOs from Fortune 100 companies globally have started their career in business to business sales. B2B sales is a fast paced and dynamic place to start your career and give you exposure to every aspect of the business early in your career, which evidently will lead to progression into management.

ProGrad currently has a number of great B2B graduate opportunities, with positions as Territory Manager, Sales Representatives, Account Managers, Sales Executives, Marketing Coordinators and Administration style roles. For more information on ProGrad’s services, or to find out more about what business to business sales entails, please call the ProGrad Sydney office on 02 8235 8300 or visit ProGrad website on www.prograd.com.au