ProGrad Brisbane

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

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

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.

ProGrad are experts in the field of graduate recruitment in Australia. Since 2005, ProGrad has been responsible for the assessment of thousands of University graduates, and we have become known as the most trusted advisors in this space. Wherever possible, we like to make reccommendations to graduate job seekers which will assit them in their hunt for a graduate career opportunity. So, what are some of the challenges that graduates face when job hunting?

In the ideal world of job hunting and applying, you will get a few calls from a few unknown numbers which could be potential interview offers. So when you know you have applied for jobs and your phone rings, what should you do?

You should answer it!

Better yet, answer your phone, excuse yourself for a moment and then find a quiet place where you can have a good, clear conversation. There is nothing worse than trying to understand a person through a breaking up phone line. The first impressions of you could be negative and information could be lost such as crucial interview times and locations.

To maximise your phone interview experience, make an Excel Schedule of jobs applied for, the date you applied for them, and the contact you were given through the application. This will help you not be caught off guard and not have to ask- ‘excuse me where are you from again?’

So remember, break up with your dodgy mobile service and not your career!

ProGrad are specialist in the field of graduate recruitment in Australia. With 100′s of applications on a weekly basis, we aim to help as many graduate as we can to navigate the path of finding their ideal opportunity. If you would like to be considered by ProGrad for any of our ProGrad opportunities, then please give someone in the ProGrad office a call on 02 82358300. Alternatively you can email ProGrad, by contacting us at: info@prograd.com.au.

It’s Friday, Friday Gotta get down on Friday. Everybody’s lookin’ forward to the weekend, weekend.

It’s annoyingly catchy, and embarrassingly lame. But at least Rebecca Black got one thing right, on a Friday afternoon everyone is looking forward to the weekend- especially around the office.

With the worries of the week mostly behind you, most workers settle down into cruise mode by lunch time Friday and productivity levels begin to get a little more lax. All the odd jobs you needed to get done (those that don’t require 100% brain function) get priority and the big meetings, reports and projects are put off until Monday, because after all- tomorrow is Saturday and Sunday comes after.. wards and we all know there’s no working on the weekends!

Rebecca with her school girl worries isn’t the first person to appreciate this exciting time of the week-employees world wide have cherished the end of the working week, and so we are forced to agree with her blatantly obvious statements- most of us don’t want the weekend to end!

To enjoy Rebecca’s witty insights on the end of the week see her inspiring video:

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

Everyone is looking forward to the Christmas holidays, where the only thing we have to work on is our tan. This is particularly true for recent graduates, where university holidays were once frequent and seemingly never-ending. A couple of weeks of freedom, wining, dining, and fun in the sun are something we work towards all year. But how do you deal with the reality of going back to work after the holidays?

For many, the thought of heading back to work after the Christmas holidays is somewhat reminiscent of a hangover. Something inevitable and not to be warmly welcomed upon it’s arrival. One Facebook user even started up a group entitled “Going back to work after christmas sucks!” which certainly sums up a lot of workers attitudes towards the end of the festive season.

It is that time of year where we put away all of our Christmas presents, fold up the board shorts and start ironing those corporate shirts once again. With the New Year comes new opportunities, and there are some simple steps you can take to avoid the back to office blues and settle back into working.

A big reason many people feel down when they get back into work is the fact they finished work in a hurry towards the end of the year, and have to spend a huge amount of time working out what they had left off on and figuring out what they should be doing.  Use the first few weeks back at work as a genuine opportunity to get organised and set yourself up for a successful year! Think about your own personal development for 2011.

Holidays are an essential tool to help recover, refresh and recharge. Grab your diary and start planning ahead. Lock in your next break and this will give you something to look forward to on the harder days. Also try and lock in two or three mini-breaks throughout the year, as you have a much greater likelihood of this happening if you physically enter it in your diary.

Don’t make major life decisions in the first couple of weeks back from the summer break, accept that your brain might still be on holidays for the first few weeks and go easy on yourself.  Make a pact to keep looking after yourself now you are back to work; don’t go from one extreme to another. Make yourself accountable and walk or swim with a work colleague a couple of mornings a week, eat healthy foods that help you think and concentrate throughout the day, get plenty of sleep.

Most importantly, build some fun into your life; just because you’re back in the office doesn’t mean the fun police have to hit you hard for the rest of the year! A positive attitude goes a long way. Try your best not to dread the upcoming year; think of the possibilities the year holds! And remember, it could be worse. Charlie Sheen got arrested last Christmas and still went to work the next day.

Merry Christmas all, if you have any questions regarding this article or if you would like to apply for one of our roles, please give us a call on 02 8235 8300 or email ellen.giebels@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

Luke studied Business Commerce at Monash University and worked as a tennis coach and factory worker whilst he was at university. Luke has described his experince at the ProGrad assessment day as ” nerve racking and challenging but a huge sense of accomplishment when successful. Either way a fantastic learning experience!”

Luke was offered to attend an interview for a graduate role at Pitney Bowes. ” I am a Sales Executive within a large territory in mebourne.” Luke, ProGrad Graduate. Luke has attended 4 training modules within his first year of employment at Pitney Bowes.

” The training is a very open and appraochable forum where great content is covered and related to specific roles, also where honesty and openess is welcomed and respected. I would recommend ProGrad to any recent graduate because the training courses and very relevant and applicable to the real world.” Luke, ProGrad Graduate.

If you are interested in finding out more about ProGrads training courses, please call us directly 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

What were you doing before applying to ProGrad?

“I am originally from South Africa however completed by school and university degree in New Zealand. Before ProGrad I had 2 years corporate sales experience for an inline accommodation company in Queensland.”

What was your experience at the ProGrad assessment day?

“ It was pretty nerve racking but was a good introduction to performing under pressure in a business environment.”

What is the role ProGrad helped you to find?

“I prospect, cold call, set appointments, close and manage accounts that specialise in mobile advertising, billing and solutions.

What is your advice for other graduates thinking of applying to ProGrad?

“There is no better way to begin your career”

If you are a recent university graduate looking to begin a corporate career, please call us and ask for one of the ProGrad Account Managers at our ProGrad Sydney office on 02 8235 8300 or visit ProGrads website at www.prograd.com.au

ProGrad recently placed 20 university graduates into entry level roles within our client partner companies. The graduates spent their first month at work getting to know the companies products, services and key clients before coming back to the ProGrad offices for their Module 1 training course.

ProGrad Module 1: An introduction to professional sales and marketing, is designed to educate these graduates on a range of business basics including the different between profit and loss, how to manage your time effectively, how to set achievable objectives and the importance of building a strong pipeline.

“I really liked the course; I found it very applicable and relevant. I also enjoyed the interaction with other graduates. Kingsley was a great teacher as he listened as well as taught. He got the points across very well by using good examples.” Natasha, ProGrad graduate.

ProGrad values all of the feedback we receive from our graduates. If you have recently been involved in a ProGrad training course and would like to leave some feedback please call the Prograd office directly on 02 8235 8300 or visit the ProGrad website at www.prograd.com.au

Sophie

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 

Everyone has heard the saying “its not what you know but who you know.” This sentence couldn’t be more spot on, especially in the business world. Rapport building is all about finding a connection with someone and using that to build a strong relationship.

At the end of the day, people like people like themselves and people buy from people they like.

Here are some tips I have found quite useful when building good rapport:

      -                 Always make good eye contact

-                 Be professional, yet personable

-                 Ask open ended questions

-                 Use positive and open body language

-                 Find out as much as you can, without being intrusive

It’s important not to come across as fake, strong rapport is best built when people are open, honest and friendly.

Sophie

Call us at ProGrad for more information on our services. Our Sydney phone number is 02 8235 8300 or visit our website at www.prograd.com.au

Michael worked at various creative media agencies and freelanced as a 3D animator and film-maker prior to graduating from Bachelor Digital Media at UNSW, minoring in Personal Financial Planning.

My first run-in with ProGrad was on one of the larger online job sites. I saw an ad, shrugged, and said to myself “yeah why not, might as well give this a go”.

After submitting a CV and taking part in a phone interview (while walking to a face-to-face interview, coincidentally enough), I was invited to attend one of ProGrad’s regular Assessment Days.

Being one of a handful of non-Business/Economics/Commerce graduates present, in a room of about thirty candidates, it’s a severe understatement to say I was “nervous”.  The assessment Day was an interesting experience, made more so by being told we passed.  There are a few pointers that are worth sharing to those at the early stages of the ProGrad process:

• Plenty of sleep the night prior to Assessment Day definitely helps keep you on the ball.
• Being able to think about the situation from someone else’s perspective (eg, a client) is helpful too.
• Be professional, amiable, and friendly. Migrating from a uni lifestyle to a business environment can be a large transition, we just have to try and persevere.
• For those whose degrees are don’t quite fall under the business umbrella, you’ll be happy to know a degree is also about being able to finish something you started 3 or more years ago. Learning the ropes of a new industry is easier than learning perseverance.

The second company I attended an interview for, was Rainmaker Group. After securing employment, ProGrad provided training sessions every few months, which is always helpful in developing one’s repertoire, from solution selling to negotiation skills. I am definitely looking forward to the next training session with ProGrad.

If you’re looking for career that recognises your professional abilities, getting involved with ProGrad is a very easy first step. Chances are they’ll slide a springboard after that step and you’ll start taking leaps onwards, with ProGrad pointing you in the direction you want to go. 

If you would like to apply for a ProGrad opportunity, please call our Graduate Management Team on 02 8235 8300, or apply online using the ProGrad application form.  To open the ProGrad Application Form please click on this link.

I was born in Malaysia, raised in Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur until the end of High School. I am half malay, half australian. I swam and ran for school and state and absolutely love reading comics. I studied at Sydney University for 5 years, where it should have been 4 years but I went to Wesley College on campus, and between that and competing for Malaysia it took me a bit longer!

I graduated with a Commerce (liberal studies) Degree and majored in Political Economy and Management but my favourite subjects were usually Sociology.

I mainly did internships over the summer back in KL, advertising with Saatchi and then Market Research with TNS. Most of my work experience was bar work, I have been a bartender for about 4 years and it is by far the most fun job, up till now at least. I had been searching for a job for several months before I came across Pro Grad.

Initially the assessment day is very daunting, you think there are going to be a lot of egos and people shouting over one another but it was not like that, people were generally friendly but there was a definite air of competition. It is quite difficult to be heard and so you have to choose your timing and words very carefully. I found the tests to be interesting, there is no right or wrong way to go about them, but your personality will be exposed, whether you are a group leader, peacemaker, quiet and so on. I found the best thing to do was listen first and then try to resolve issues together, and even if someone wanted to be supreme leader it was beneficial to ensure everyone was heard.

Speaking in front of the clients made me a bit nervous so I gave up trying to read my speech and just went with it. It is definitely a good experience though.

Why did you select the role you did?

Books mainly, I jumped at the idea I could spend my days researching, purchasing and distributing books! My boss read all the same books so I knew we would get along. In the second interview I found that I may work with comics too and by that stage they pretty much had me hook, line and sinker. It was quite a junior role but since I had no real prior work experience it was great for me.

Tell us about the company…

Sorrento is a book company but I cannot say too much because I am bound by a lot of confidentiality oaths! On a day to day basis I help with operations, researching book prices (mainly tertiary), writing invoices, tracking their freight movements and finding new clients and suppliers worldwide. However just recently my time is moving to new markets and new products, mainly Comics and fiction books which is what I signed up for.

The ProGrad training was enjoyable, definitely interesting to be taken out of work and put in a room with people of similar situations. I made a lot of good friends and contacts and for me that was the greatest benefit of the training.

The first few days were good for life skills and self reflection, it definitely made me re think my life’s direction and how I may achieve certain goals; simple things, we learnt could make huge differences, you just have to work at it.

What advice do you have for other graduates thinking of using ProGrad?

Well, on the assessment day be yourself, just be yourself on your best day, don’t let people take charge, make sure you are heard and what you are saying is worth hearing! Don’t be intimidated and look the clients in the eye and be confident. 

Otherwise just DO IT! Save the hassle of scouring the internet day in and day out, looking for jobs which aren’t even looking for you! ProGrad, from start to ‘finish’ helped and worked with me every step of the way, taking into consideration all my thoughts and wishes and called me almost every day after the assessment to discuss job possibilities as well as following up to see what the next move is.

You get the extra benefits of training, meeting loads of interesting people and best of all Pro Grad got me a job in comics. So if you think you may have to settle for ‘some job’ right out of Uni just for experience sake… think again!

If you would like to apply for a ProGrad opportunity, please call our Graduate Management Team on 02 8235 8300, or apply online using the ProGrad application form.  To open the ProGrad Application Form please click on this link.