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!

We all know we love talking about ourselves. But, unlike when telling your mum about your day, when talking business, you can expect limitations put on your answers. Words like: short, precious, facts, in 5 words or less, often come into play.

Giving a prompt, to the point answer does NOT mean explaining that exact feeling you had after winning the most improved award in year 10, or how you smashed your record for how many cheese burgers you ate at McDonalds last week…

The short and sweet rule should be applied to the following:

• Resumes
• Cover Letters
• Most importantly, INTERVIEWS.

What is the short and sweet rule?

Good question!

The short and sweet rule is your ability to be able to sum up all the main achievements an employer would look for, and give key details in a short amount of time. An employer should get all the facts in the whole 5 seconds they spend reading your resume and still think your sweet for saving their time not discussing every minute detail of your life.

So remember, if you want to be sweet and avoid the bad aftertaste of vomit- then state the specifics and be short about it!

A ProGrad we know what makes a successful interview and we can help with any preparation needs to help you nail the interview. For ProGrad assistance to help with graduate applications, contact ProGrad’s Graduate Management Team on 02 8235 8300 or email us 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 have recently welcomed a new team member into the Sydney office. Waffaete is a recent university graduate that has come through the ProGrad assessment day.

Waffaete was a memorable candidate on the day as she deomstrated her maturity, professionalism, drive to succeed and strong communication skills.

Waffaete has joined the ProGrad team as a Business Development Manager. She now works within the sales departments helping to generate new business leads and assist other recent university graduates in finding a secure full time position.

The team at ProGrad would like to welcome Waffaete, and wish her all the best in her new role!

If you are a recent graduate, or an organisation looking to recruit a graduate, call ProGrad directly on 02 8235 8300 or visit ProGrads website at www.prograd.com.au

ProGrad recently held a Module 4 training course in Melbourne, focusing on Key Account Management. The graduates that were invited to attend had previously completed modules 1-3 of ProGrad training and were coming up to finsihing their first year of full time employment.

” This module was excellent. Kingsley is a good trainer with high number of intersting and relevant examples. The content was relevant and helped me understand the requirements of the role.” Jessica, ProGrad graduate

” This was a very good course, I learnt alot and thoroughly enjoyed both days. Kingsley delivery was as good as expected.” Joe, proGrad graduate.

” I enjoyed this module because it was very in-depth and a good sized group. Kingsley was great, he tailored the discussionsand asked great questions. Thanks for another great module ProGrad!” Tess, Prograd graduate.

If you are a recent graduate looking for some further training. Please call ProGrad directly on 02 8235 8300 or visit ProGrads website at www.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

ProGrad is a graduate assessment, placement and training centre. Each week ProGrad will run assessment days in Sydney and Melbourne in order to select the top 4% of graduates to place into fast growing international organisations.

Unfortunately at each ProGrad assessment day, we have to turn away some great candidates, each for a completely different reason.  If you have been unsuccessful at a ProGrad assessment day, we urge you to call us for some detailed feedback.

Whether you have attended a Sydney or Melbourne assessment day, please call the ProGrad Sydney office on 02 8235 8300 to speak to someone in the graduate management team. Alternatively, if you are a recent university graduate looking to start full time work, please call ProGrad for more information on our services, or visit ProGrads website at www.prograd.com.au

ProGrad specializes in placing recent university graduates into business to busines sales departments of fast growing international organisations. ProGrad recognizes many recent graduates do not have any corporate experience and therefore provide them with 4 modules of sales training within their first year of employment to ensure their success.  

ProGrad’s fourth module of training is titled Key Account Management. The two day course is aimed at teach graduates about maximizing account penetration by analyzing your position and planning an effective strategy.

The topics covered in the course include:

·         Identifying the role of the Key Account Manager

·         Targeting and planning for success

·         Pipeline management and account development

·         Developing strategies

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

·         outline the role and accountabilities of the key account manager

·         develop a strategic approach to managing your most important accounts

·         identify the key activities and added value that successful account managers must bring to a customer

For more information on ProGrads  future training courses please call the ProGrad office directly on 02 8235 8300 or visit ProGrads website at www.prograd.com.au for future training dates.

There are a number of steps you need to make through in order to be classified as a ProGrad successful. Firstly there are a few basics:

-         A recent university or TAFE graduate

-         Looking for full time work with an immediate start date

-         Have strong verbal communication skills

-         Have an interest in business development or business to business sales.

The next step is to pass a telephone interview and then an assessment day. At the end of the day, ProGrad is looking for graduates who are confident, have great communication skills are well presented and who are driven and hungry to succeed.

If you are a recent university graduate who is looking to start your career, please apply online at the ProGrad website www.prograd.com.au or call out office directly to speak to one of the graduate managers 02 8235 8300.

Sophie