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

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!

It’s the time of year when the flowers and blooming, the sun is shining and everyone is sneezing… it’s spring!

Spring is one of ProGrad’s favourite times of year as it gives everyone the chance to clean and brush up on their job hunting skills!

Why not take advantage of this sunny season and start spring cleaning through your resume. ProGrad can help you every step of the way to ensure your resume is sparkling clean and ready to send away!

Here at ProGrad we recommend to start tidying up the following areas:

• Dust off your boring list of subjects studied all the way back in the HSC
• Clean up your Cover Page to not include your life story
• Polish off your relevant experience and jobs (take out your KFC position you had for 2 months when you were 15)
• Sort through your references to ensure they are aware and are going to say something positive about you!

If you have any more questions about how to write a great resume, or if you would like to know how ProGrad can assist you in other areas, please don’t hesitate to email ProGrad at:

info@prograd.com.au,

Alternatively, you can call ProGrad on:

 (02) 8235 8300

Here at ProGrad we see the importance of dressing well for interviews every day. The first impression is the most critical part of the interview, it only takes one instance to make a good first impression, however it takes 21 meetings to undo a bad impression.

With these stats in mind, it’s important to really pre-plan an outfit for an interview.

Here is a friendly ProGrad criteria that will help guide you:

For men:

• If you look in the mirror and think ‘should I get a haircut?’ YOU SHOULD.
• If you are thinking:’should I iron my shirt?’ YOU SHOULD.
• If you are thinking: ‘should I have a shave?’ YOU SHOULD.

For women:

• If you are thinking: ‘is my skirt too short?’ IT IS.
• If you are thinking: ‘should I take my ear brow piercing out?’ YOU SHOULD.
• If you think, am I wearing too much eye makeup? YOU ARE.

If you follow this fool proof ProGrad checklist, you are guaranteed to have an impressive first impression!

If any more questions on first impressions and ProGrad interview tips, please send all questions to: info@prograd.com.au. Alternatively, you can call ProGrad on (02)8235 8300.

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

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

Assessment days are becoming more and more common as a screening tool utilised by a number of employers across a number of indsutries.  It seems these days that many HR departments are implementing assessment days as a key part of an internal screening process.

I will share some insights here about our assessment day, which might help to prepare for other assessment days you encounter along the way.

Self Introduction session

1) Assessment Days are about competencies.  Suddenly, you academic qualifications are no longer important, this is all about you and the competencies you possess.

2) They are designed to bring out the best and the worst in you.  In pushing you outside of your comfort zone, you are likely to shine yet also you might make mistakes and feel nervous due to the pressure.  This is completely natural and something that employers make allowances for.

3) Assessment Days are an interview process and should be treated as such.  Please ensure that a strong level of research and preparation is conducted prior to attending to ensure you maximise your opportunity to be successful.  Speak to the assessment team prior to the session and ask them for some insights.  They want you to be

 

Group Dynamic Exercise

successful and they want you to do well.  It is likely they will tell you what is required!

If you’d like to attend an assessment day with ProGrad, you must firstly apply online and then pass a telephone interview.  Following this, if you are invited to attend a session then you will be briefed about what to expect and how to prepare.  And yes, you do need to prepare for our sessions.

For more information, please visit www.prograd.com.au or contact our team on 02 8235 8300.

Many students and graduates will need to turn to a careers advisor as they start to decide on the types of careers which would be suitable for them following University. 

It is not unusual to feel unsure about which career path is suitable and for many, this daunting experience feels more comfortable with the help of a careers advisor.  Is this is an option available to you, then think about the qualities you are looking to identify in that person.

1) Do you feel comfortable with them?  do they allow you to speak openly and honestly about yourself?

2) Do they have the right knowledge and experience that you can trust?  Have they themselves had an extensive career?  If so, what can you learn from them and their experiences?

3) How well do they listen?  This is not about them and their career, but rather it is about you.  They must show a genuine interest in your aspirations.

4) Do you trust them?  You’re potentially putting your life in their hands, and so choose to work with someone you trust. 

5) What are they bringing to the relationship.  The connection should be a positive one and something that you feel you benefit from in some way.  If not, then the relationship is rendered useless.

Choose carefully and you should benefit from having a careers advisor.  We’re not able to offer this service however most Universities should have people on site to assist in this area.  If not, please do ask around and see whether it adds value to your career search. 

All the best with it!

We placed an outstanding graduate in November 2009 who we would like to make a mention of.  ProGrad are proud of his achievements and have already seen him return to an assessment day in a hiring capacity to pick potential graduates for his team.  This process has happened on numerous occassions before yet typically happens after 1-2 years of employment.

This graduate is being nominated for an award at the ProGrad Young Achiever Event and will fall into the category of “Best Newcomer”.  Here are some of his words which were submitted as part of his nomination to the event:

“I believe when there is a process; there are better chances of being more effective and productive. By keeping a record of average number/length calls and an effective time of the day in different states, I try to build my own theory behind successful sales. This helps in self evaluation and rectification of any shortcomings in the sales process whilst giving the tools to manage the sales in a much more efficient way to fast track the process to closing.”

“We deal with thousands of people every year and change their lives. Call it co-incidence, but my personal ethics match my company’s code of practice perfectly. Acting with responsibility and integrity is hence one of the most important value to me and my company. Listening to my seniors in the company, watching videos, reading articles both on paper and online has not only helped me develop my personal knowledge of our industry, but also helped me understand the industry best practice and ensure I handle every single customer with due responsibility, integrity and honesty.”

We look forward to hearing more of the successes of this Young Achiever and fully support his nomination for the event.

If you’re a placed ProGrad Graduate and would like to be nominated for an award, please speak to Davinia Noble who will be able to explain the submission process.  Our number is 02 8235 8300

ProGrad recently started a ProGrad facebook group as an area which can be utilised by graduates looking for roles using our service.  Within a short period of time, we have already generated over 200 fans and hope that you will join us also.  We are always looking for contributors in the graduate arena, and we’re open to hearing suggestions from job seekers about their requirements.

We need to learn about what it is that you require from a learning perspective.  Is it that you require interview hints and tips, ideas and suggestions about how to find a job?  Or just an arean to connect with other prospective job seekers to exchange ideas.

Whatever it is you need, we would like to hear from you.  Your input is essential for us!

Visit our ProGrad Facebook Group here

ProGrad is a graduate recruitment organisation and we specialise in helping graduates to start their career.  If you would like to learn more about our opportunities, please contact us on 02 8235 8300.

ProGrad have placed over 2,000 graduates across Australia in the last 4 years and in 2010 we are looking forward to acknowledging the top performance of our stand out graduates.

If you have been placed by ProGrad and would like to be nominated for an award, please contact the ProGrad team on 02 8235 8300 or visit our website for the nomination form www.prograd.com.au

Entries must be submitted before the end of Feb 2010 and we’re hoping to hold our first awards ceremony in May – June 2010.

Thank you to all of our graduates for your support over the last few years and we look forward to seeing you very soon to celebrate your success.

Davinia Noble, Sales Director, ProGrad Pty Ltd www.prograd.com.au

It will come as no surprise that the job market is absolutely flooded with applications at the moment.  For any aspiring graduates who are looking for roles, they will be applying for every job available on Seek.  You’re not alone.  Every job seeker is doing the same thing…and guess what?  That great sounding job that sounded exactly what you were looking for?  That very job probably has the same appeal to hundreds of other job seekers.

In the event that you are applying for lots of jobs but not getting any responses, you must take action.  Lazy job seekers will get left behind.  It is the proactive job seekers out there that are creating opportunities and creating interviews for companies to see them.

As an example, we receive over 1,000 applications each week from graduates looking to start their graduate careers.  That is too many for us to physcially get through as a business and therefore we do give priority to the proactive graduates out there.  If a candidate contacts us directly to explore which opportunities we have, we immediately process their application.  Where possible, we will invite that job seeker to an assessment day and aim to place them as soon as possible.

Proactive graduates will always get priority in this office as it is a signal to our team about the way you conduct yourself professionally.  If you’re not a lazy person, don’t act like it.  If you’re an active, driven, enthusiastic person then behave that way in your job hunt.

If you have recently applied for any of our roles and have not yet heard back from the team, please firstly accpet my apologies.  Secondly, my recommendation is to call us directly on 02 8235 8300 and we will aim to process your application immediately.

Our office number is 02 8235 8300.  For more information on ProGrad please visit www.prograd.com.au

ProGrad specialise in assessing recent graduates for sales competencies, selecting the top 4% through our rigorous assessment process and then placing these graduates with our client partners.

Once placed, we also provide each candidate with a structured sales training program to guarantee their success in the role.  For organisations, we offer an outsourced HR department allowing them the ability to run an internal graduate program without the difficulties faced with assessments and training.  For graduates, we offer introductions into the corporate arena to kick start their careers from an entry level. 

Our roles are primarily in the B2B sales departments of many global organisations.  Business to business sales does offer graduates a strong fit into an organisation.  It allows them to work on the front line of the business, carrying high levels of responsibility for driving new business opportunities. 

Working in B2B sales can offer a graduate a number of other things to include:

1) A Strong Earning potential

2) Exposure to high level business conversations

3) Structured training both internally and externally with companies like ProGrad

4) High rewards/ recognition from senior management in the business

5) Access to senior management

Overall, B2B sales does offer an enormous amount of possibilities to recently qualified graduates yet does require the individual to be focused on getting involved in this area.  Whilst occessionally, these roles can lead into marketing – it is essential that this is not relied upon.  Companies will have a larger sales team than marketing, and opportunities will always be greater in the B2B sales division. 

If you’re looking at getting into marketing, this is certainly one method but doesn’t carry any guarantees of moving you into that space.  My recommendation is that you truly look into the marketing roles available and identify which roles you are looking for, and more importantly why.

ProGrad are running weekly assessment days in Sydney and are currently dealing with over 1,000 applications each week from recently qualified graduates looking to kick start their careers.  For more information about applying, please contact the ProGrad team on 02 8235 8300.

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