ProGrad Brisbane

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

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!

More and more graduates are leaving University each year and it seems to be getting increasingly competitive for graduates to find suitable employment.  Online jobs portals like SEEK or MyCareer are very popular with graduates when looking for roles, and are viewed as a good advertising method for employers.  It is low cost to post an advertisement online, and employers are aware they will receive a huge amount of applications.  However this is the challenge for you.  Too many applications mean that your resume has less chance of being read.

An average recruiter will spend less than 30 seconds looking at your resume.  This is your window to make an immediate impact and so ensure your resume follows the basic guidelines below

1)      Only include relevant information

2)      The resume should be specific to the role you are applying for

3)      Less than 2 pages in length (most graduates shouldn’t require more than 1 page)

There is a basic structure for you to follow which we will outline here.

Personal Details:

Naturally, this piece is key but limit how much information is provided.  You really only need to include your name, your contact number and an email address (which should be “professional” looking)

Career Objective:

It is essential that you specify a career objective in your resume and it must be relevant to the role you are applying for.  With that in mind, you may need to alter this part of your resume for each application.  This way you can ensure it is well tailored to each role you are applying for.  It should be approximately 4-5 lines in length and must provide a decent snapshot of why you’re applying for the role.

Education:

There is no need to get carried away here.  Simply list your University and degree as your most recent Education.  Feel free to list your school, but only if you feel it carries relevance.  Many employers are not too concerned about which school you went to.

Work Experience:

Think carefully about your work experience.  Employers are looking for loyalty with an employer and they’re looking for the transferrable skills that you have developed in specific positions.  Don’t list the tasks you did in each role, but rather discuss the skills and competencies you developed.  Again, ensure that the language you use, is well aligned to the language used in the advertisement.  Don’t feel you need to list every job you ever had from the age of 15.  Simply choose the most relevant positions that demonstrate your fit for the role.

Achievements:

Employers like “achievers”, particularly at a graduate level.  Awards you may have received can be listed here.  Not necessarily “awards” such as the one you received in Year 10 for good attendance, but rather a Duke of Edinburgh Award, or an Award for Debating etc

Hobbies and Interests:

This is a section to demonstrate that you’re an active person and have interests outside of University/ work.  Sports are well received by employers, along with reading/ socializing/ music interests and technology.  Please avoid discussing travel as an interest as this can sometimes work against you.  Employers may develop a concern that you will leave a role to “travel” at a later date. 

References: 

Simply make these available upon request.  There is no value in adding personal contact details of friends/ family/ colleagues or co-workers on a resume.  If they are needed, an employer will simply request them.

ProGrad is a specialist graduate recruitment company working with over 600 companies across Australia.  For more information about our process, please contact our ProGrad Graduate Management Team 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.

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.

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.

Sadly, as a recent Graduate you have to get used to starting at the bottom and working your way up.  It’s not ideal, and you didn’t go to University to make coffee, we know.  That said – being the new kid in the office will carry an element of that until you put a stop to it. 

The best way to avoid being the coffee go-to is to distinguish yourself.  Set the expectation that whilst you might lack experience, you don’t lack ability.

Firstly, dress to impress.  That old saying “dress for the job you want, not the one you have” is a cliche, but does carry some weight.  Naturally this isn’t going to work for every given environment.  Most creative agencies will laugh you out of the building for arriving in a suit – but in more “corporate” environments it will all start with how you dress.

If you dress like the coffee kid, you might be treated like the coffee kid.

Secondly, take initiative.  Drive your own activity, set your own goals, and exceed expectations.  It is a simple thing, but head to work early, and stay in work late.  Typically, senior management are the first ones in the office, and might be the last to leave.  They will soon notice you if you’re spending a lot of time hanging around.  And don’t use the time to look on Facebook.  Use the extra time for something prodcutive which will add value to the company.  Take it upon yourself to do some competitor analysis, make recommendations for new processes.  Demonstrate how your changes can add value to the business. 

Sometimes this is easier said than done, and will come with practice.  The bottom line is that you need to create your worth within a business and earn it.  It won’t be there from day one.  Think about how you are perceived and aim to ensure that you set a high benchmark.  You’ll find yourself climbing up the corporate ladder in no time.

ProGrad specialises in training graduates in their graduate careers, and have placed thousands of graduates in Australia since 2005.  For more information about our business, please call our ProGrad office on 02 8235 8300.

ProGrad can be found on slideshare where there are a few presentations to view.

This unique website provides the opportunity for companies to upload their presentations to be accessed by viewers at their leisure.  www.slideshare.net has become a popular website for a number of organisations, and can also be used as a great source for research purposes prior to interviews.  For ProGrad presentations click here.

If you’re a job seeker then this is definitely a good place to start researching on companies, markets, products or even competitors.

One of the most powerful tools following an interview with a prospective employer, has to be the email.

It is such a basic principle to follow and yet can add huge amounts of value to the job seeker. Not only is it an opportunity to reinforce your enthusiasm for the role and the organisation – it is also a great opportunity to persuade an employer to see you again.

I’m currently going through the interview process with four recent graduates who are applying for roles within ProGrad.  Despite a good interview with a particular candidate, I left the interview feeling as though I could have seen more.  I still had a hesitation.  Within two hours of leaving the office, the candidate had sent through a very impressive email.  So impressive, that it did change my mind.  It left me doubting my initial impression – which is a very powerful tool to have on your side if you’re attending interviews.

More than anything, I like the courtesy it demonstrates when a follow-up email is sent out after a meeting.  This is the norm in the business arena and why should an interview be considered any differently?

So, there it is – a nice easy piece of advice to follow when attending interviews.  Do the courteous thing, and follow-up.  Be creative in your approach and ensure you are remembered.

ProGrad also own and manage an online jobs portal for recent graduates www.graduatejobs.com.au

This site is aimed at University job seekers and offers employers free advertising to drive more graduate placements.  A number of graduate employers are currently listed, including the RTA graduate program and JP Morgan. 

Ericsson is currently recruiting for their graduate program and applications are open until 31st March.  These roles are predominantly in Engineering and IT, based in Victoria.  If you’d like to apply for these roles, browse the Graduate Jobs website and follow the links to the Ericsson application page.

ProGrad can be found on Twitter at www.twitter.com/progradgraduate

We’re looking to extend our social media presence as a way of listening to our candidates and understanding their needs.  This information will assist us to adapt our business model accordingly to suit our candidates. 

As ProGrad ages, our candidate base is getting younger and it’s essential that we understand the generation that we’re dealing with. 

Only this morning I have received an email explaining that Linkedin.com has over 1 million members in Australia alone.  Linkedin.com is one of my favourite social media tools and certainly one that I strongly recommend all graduate job seekers are using.

ProGrad can be found on linkedin.com here where we have a ProGrad graduates group.  Feel free to join us!

It is becoming more and more common for candidates to encounter behavioural based questions during the interview process, particularly at a graduate level where it can be hard to assess work experience from a resume.

Our recommendation to all graduates is to learn what is expected from these questions and try to prepare answers in advance of the interview.  There are a few key areas which job seekers need to be aware of in order to prepare suitable answers in advance. 

Here are some examples of these questions:

Time Management / Planning & Organising:

• Describe your involvement in a task or project that had to be done within an agreed time frame and be of an excellent standard.
• Tell me about a time when you were in charge of a project which fell behind schedule. What did you do?
• Tell me about a time when you had to prioritize tasks? 

Attention to Detail:

• Give me an example of how do you stay organized?
• Can you provide some examples of a time when you discovered errors in your work?
• How do you know if a project you are working on is going successfully?

Initiative:

• Can you give me an example of a time that you showed initiative and took the lead?
• Tell me about a time when you identified that a policy or procedure needed changing. Explain what you did in order to bring about your suggested changes.

Communication:

• Tell me about a time when you had to convey complex information to someone.
• Tell me about a time when you had to use your presentation skills to influence someone else’s opinion.

Customer-service orientation

• What was the most difficult customer service situation you ever had to deal with?
• How did you handle the situation with the difficult customer?
• Describe a time when the customer was aggressive towards you.  How did you handle it?

Conflict Resolution:

• Give me an example of a time when you had to resolve conflict.
• Tell me about a recent situation in which you had to deal with a very upset customer or co-worker.  

Teamwork

• Describe a situation where others you were working with on a project disagreed with your ideas. What did you do?
• Tell me about a time when you worked with a classmate or colleague who was not doing their share of the work. How did you handle it?
• Describe a situation in which you had to arrive at a compromise or help others to compromise. What was your role? What steps did you take? What was the result?
• Tell me about a time when you had to work on a team that did not get along. What happened? What role did you take? What was the result?

 We’re certainly not suggesting that you rehearse answers for each and every possible question, but do familiarize yourself with the types of questions that are likely to be asked and try to think of how to handle them.

Interviews are about being honest and so always be truthful about your examples.  For graduates, these examples might not be work related but rather related to your experiences at University.  This is not necessarily a bad thing.  It is merely evidence that employers are listening for.

ProGrad are a specialist graduate recruiter and offer practical recommendations to job seekers at a junior level.  If we can help you in any way, please let us know!

When I’m looking to fill senior roles, we naturally look to recruit experienced people who can bring an established skill set, with a proven track record. 

And so we do the same as many companies, and we advertise online, receive lots of resumes, conduct telephone screening and invite people in for interviews.  With experienced people there is an expectation particularly in interviews that they will perform in a more superior manner to graduates.  The good news for graduate job seekers, is that this isn’t always the case.  With experience, comes confidence and sometimes laziness around preparation and performance in interviews. 

The common mistakes that experienced people make are as follows:

1) A lack of preparation which they are quite often honest about.  They might be “experienced professionals” but they miss the basics of preparation and research.  It comes across as lazy.  If this is how they approach an interview, how will they approach the role?

2) A lack of questionning ability.  This is one of the saddest things to see from an experienced person as it is a fundamental part of any interview, regardless of your experience.

3) Talking too much.  Perhaps this one is more prevalent with experienced people as they have so much more to say.  Talking too much is a crucial error for anyone in interviews. 

The bottom line is that no one is perfect in interviews…but there are some fundamental principles to be aware of when you’re meeting someone in this environment.  Regardless of your experience levels, always research the company and be sure to articulate this knowledge.  Such a basic thing to remember, and yet so rarely so we see it in a face to face interview.

If you’re a recent graduate who is new to job hunting and interviews, take some comfort in what is being revealed here.  Experience doesn’t necessarily lead to a great interview, trust me.  Even with a lack of experience, just stick to the basics and you’re likely to outperform even those with 15-20 years in the industry! 

Davinia

Davinia is the Sales Director of ProGrad Pty Ltd, and is responsible for the sales division within the organisation.  ProGrad is a graduate assessment, placement and training company and specialises in the placement of graduates into B2B sales careers across a number of industry sectors.  For more information about our unique model, please call 02 8235 8300 or visit www.prograd.com.au

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.

Setting SMART goals is key for ProGrad graduates

Many training workshops talk about setting SMART goals and we are certainly one of them.  Regardless of whether you’re applying goal setting to a sales career, or simply job hunting – the rules still apply.

So what are SMART goals?

When we’re training our graduates about setting their own professional goals, we recommend they are made:

S: SPECIFIC

M: MEASURABLE

A: ATTAINABLE

R: REALISTIC

T: TIMELY

It’s a simple method and something which is referred to a great deal by managers, coaches and trainers alike.  When applying for jobs, the same rules should apply. 

Job seekers need to set specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely goals.  An example of this, is as follows; “This week, I am going to highlight 8 companies that reflect the values I want to be aligned to.  I am going to send at least 8 applications to these organisations on Monday and follow them all up by the end of the week.  My end goal is to secure at least 2 interviews by Friday.”

This is a good example of SMART goal setting for graduate job seekers and something which we recommend to any candidates we’re working with. 

ProGrad is a graduate recruitment organisation and we specialise in working with recent University graduates to secure them full-time employment following University.  Whilst our core activity is in placing graduates into B2B sales and marketing roles, we do work on a number of other projects also with our key clients.  If you’d like to know more about our organsiation, please email us info@prograd.com.au or contact us directly on 02 8235 8300 and ask to speak to one of the graduate management team.

For many graduates leaving University, applying for jobs is a new experience and fraught with difficulties.  The first place we all look, is online.  Immediately we are drawn to online job boards where we approach the job advertisements with the impatience we use for every website.  Click, click, browse, skim read, attach, click, send.  After a few applications, we play the waiting game. 

Some of those applications may have gone to a recruitment agency, some to organisations directly.  In my mind, there are no right or wrong ways to approach the task of finding employment.  My simple recommendation is to open as many doors as possible.  This ensures that as a job seeker you have more to choose from and can assess your situation more logically.

There is a key for success when you are applying for jobs online. 

1) Firstly, be sure to keep a record of what you’re applying for and the companies you are applying to. 

2) Then, ensure that you take a proactive approach in chasing these applications up!  You never know what may have happened to your email…so be sure to follow it up with a courtesy call.

3) If ever you are called back by a company and they leave you a voicemail, please do the courteous thing and return the call.  Never expect that they will “chase” you on the phone, as they may have hundreds of applications to get through.

4) Finally, like anything in life you need to be the one to drive your own success.  Never expect that things will just drop into your lap just because you have a University degree.  You’re not alone in that.

In this day and age, it is obvious that job seekers will rely on the internet when applying for jobs and this is something that all employers are accutely aware of.  Just because it’s the expectation, it doesn’t stop you from exceeding that expectation and speaking to a human on the telephone.  Nothing can replace that.

All the best with your job hunting, Davinia

Firstly, you’re probably not alone in not getting any interviews and so please don’t worry.  Currently in the job market there are fewer roles and more people competing for them.  With such high competition, it is definitely not easy to get offered an interview.  This is particularly difficult for graduates at the junior level with limited experience.

First and foremost, have someone look over your resume.  Ask someone who is close to you, such as a family member or someone you trust.  What I like about this approach is that they are incredibly honest, almost brutally so and will probably provide you with some strong feedback. 

If you’re applying for jobs, you should be making a note of what you’re applying for and follow up those applications with a courtesy call.  At the very worst, someone might be too busy to take this call.  The best outcome however, is you will get to speak directly to the person who is recruiting the role and you have a great opportunity to impress them with your confident commication skills!

The key here is to be proactive in your job hunt.  Currently, there is this expectation that employers or recruiters will just get back to the job seekers when the time is right.  But that could be weeks!  Don’t rely on waiting for their calls.  You could be waiting for too long.  Cease the moment and get proactive. 

We’re like so many other recruiters and are receiving hundreds of applications each week to sift through.  We simply don’t have enough man-power to get through all applications and therefore rely on the proactivity of candidates.  If you call us directly, you get priority – easy as that.  Employers want proactive people.  Clearly they don’t want to hire lazy reactive people.  And so, in applying for jobs what better way to demonstrate this proactive nature than getting on the phone and making it happen.

Good luck!

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.