First of all, you got the interview! CONGRATULATIONS! Now you’re getting ready for it and pre-interview anxiety is healthy and if used right can help sharpen your focus. Here’s a list of things to help guide you and keep the jitters under control. 1. Give yourself credit. You got the interview, that’s more than the majority of applicants can say. Pat yourself on the back - they are already interested in you ! 2. Be Prepared. Research the company and the role. Go through the job description and ensure you are able to justify your experience with each of the responsibilities and qualifications. Be prepared with specific exampless. Remember you can never be over-prepared. 3. Practice makes perfect. Organise your thoughts, write them down, and practice with a friend or mentor. The best sports people in the world review their performance, you can do the same. 4. Sleep well. Get some good nights sleep leading up to the interview as the night before might be a restless one. 5. Avoid negative thinking. Prior to the interview picture yourself being hired. 6. Don’t fear rejection. Think about the sheer number of interviews versus offers. There are many aspects that you can’t control: chemistry with the interviewer, internal candidates who are normally viewed more favourably, and candidates from direct competitors. Don’t fear rejection, use this as a learning experience and perfect your interview [...]

IS THE CUSTOMER ALWAYS RIGHT ????  The old adage we have always been taught in business is that THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT !!” Well – after 35 years in business I beg to differ and to disagree ! We are all working to build a PROFITABLE business – but aside from “Profits” we want to “enjoy” working in our business also ! Dealing with the wrong or difficult clients and companies can certainly impair your business experience and your business growth ! One of the most important aspects to a working relationship between you and your client is “mutual respect”. I believe that if there is not a mutual respect between you and your client then that relationship is not going to be a good one! Sadly in this day and age, many business operators are … ● Not ethical ● Fly by nighters ● Users ● Have no intention of paying ● Never satisfied ● Want too much ● Don’t pay on time or adhere to Terms of Business/Trade ● Are rude ● Are disrespectful of you, your staff and your business. ● Time wasters You do not have to put up with this ! You can direct your time and efforts (money) into working with better companies with better management teams and practices. About 15 years ago, a large company who we [...]

Aptitude: (Skill-set) - Ability; Capacity; Talent. So which is more important when selecting new staff to join your team members ??? Which Attribute (just to confuse things further!), will better serve your team or fit in with your team? Can we differentiate? - Should we differentiate ? In my personal experience with over 25 years in the Employment game, my “mantra” in assisting Jobseekers find new Jobs and in assisting Employers find new Staff is: CAN DO : WILL DO : WILL FIT Aptitude or Skill Set: is the “Can Do” – the skill set or ability to complete the tasks Attitude or Mind Set: is the “Will Do” – the right mind set or behaviour to complete the tasks Aptitude PLUS Attitude: is the “Will Fit” – the ability to do the task, the mind set to do the task and the right approach and manner/behaviour to fit into the team and the company culture to work towards the future goals for the business. What should you consider FIRST ?? – What is the MOST Important ?? When seeking a new employee? Again, in my experience, I have found that SKILLS can be learnt, developed and built upon IF the employee has the right approach or manner ! If the employee has say, intermediate MSWord or typing skills or perhaps a general knowledge and experience in Accounts Payable, but is [...]

If you are seeking Permanent / Full time work or even Temporary / Contract work, you will find that there are greater opportunities for you in the “New Year” season and again in the “Spring Time” season. New Year Season: With the return to work after the Christmas Holiday break, there is great activity in the job market with Employers looking to employ more and new staff to build their businesses and teams for greater growth in the forthcoming year. Likewise, following the Christmas Break and with “New Year Resolutions” rebounding all around, job seekers make the decision to “Change their lives” by changing their jobs and seeking either greater fulfilment or greater incomes to improve their lot and build their futures! So traditionally, from the end of January, more permanent jobs become available and more vacancies occur as people start to change and move around. This snowballs right through with a fairly positive and consistent employment market through to the Easter Season / Holiday break. Similarly, the “Temp” market is strong during this “New Year / Summer” season when staff are more likely to take leave and employers are often testing the market to see who/what is out there. Often they will employ people as temps to determine if, in fact, their business does require more/new staff. We find it quite common for our clients to offer our temps a full [...]

The short answer to this question is - YES !!!! There certainly are “seasons” for employment throughout the Calendar year. These seasons are created by two factors – Holidays and Financial Year – so if you are “seeking work” or “seeking staff” , you need to take this into consideration. Traditionally most Companies and Industries experience a slow down over the Christmas / New Year period. Previously when Australia still had a strong manufacturing focus, many businesses closed down for approximately 6 weeks from mid December through to end January. Recent decades and changes in Industry focus to a more “Services” oriented sector, has seen this Christmas “slow down” drop to between 1 – 3 weeks just over the Christmas and New Year period. So there is less JOB AVAILABILITY !! Companies often will not recruit at this time as they do not want to pay Public Holidays, Penalty rates, etc over this period. (Obviously with the exception of the Hospitality, Tourism and Retail sectors). Often there are not enough staff available to induct and train new employees and a general period of business slowdown is not the right time to on-board them. Likewise there is a DROP in staff availability and people seeking work at this Holiday time. People want to spend school holidays with their families. Their focus is on the Christmas [...]

So you’ve heard this term bandied about, but just What IS The Triple Bottom Line - and what does it mean for you ? “TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE" was first coined in 1994 referring to “The Triple Bottom Line of 21st Century Business” It refers to the 3 “P’s” – ● PROFIT (Corporate - P & L): ● PEOPLE (Staff - how socially responsible both within the organisation and without): ● PLANET (The Environment –impact of usage, product and pay back) Profit refers to the “Traditional Bottom Line”. But today’s companies take more into consideration in order to count themselves as successful – People and Planet. This is not just about the “feel good factor”. TBL enables companies to fully assess their overall performance and potential impact to their business from their interactions with their staff, the local and broader community and with the physical environment. For example, a company may be making the perfect product with great profit margins. This could be pointless if no one will buy from them because either they or one of their suppliers is known for exploiting underpaid workers or using child labour or polluting other communities. As seen recently, the cost of an environmental accident can go beyond clean up and downtime costs into rehabilitation, legal costs, compensation etc. If companies are guilty of taking advantage or not managing their environmental impact sufficiently, customer [...]

Yes - it’s that time of year again ! We all review our past year! We look at all our successes and what we have achieved! We also consider how we might have done it better! We remember what things we had aimed for and not quite managed. And then of course, we make our “resolutions” for the year ahead ! What we would like to do differently. What we would like to change. What new challenges or projects we would like to take on! But when you are reviewing your past year, make it a POSITIVE review !! You are allowed to CONGRATULATE yourself and REVEL in your successes and achievements ! And these come in all aspects of your life. Make a list of all the positive, fun things that you enjoyed in the past year with regard to: ● Family and Friends ● Leisure Time ● Health ● Home ● Growth and Education ● Finances ● Work ● Community Congratulate yourself on your successes and remind yourself how you can enjoy even more successes in the year ahead ! Set yourself goals in each of the areas above (little steps are a good start) for your year ahead and review these as you travel through your year! Sometimes it is necessary to discard some things in order to make room for new and [...]