Why Success is Failing Us
Is it time to start valuing ourselves and others more effectively?Once upon a time – in an epoch before social media followers, annual salaries, KPIs and student grades – personal success was a matter of meaningful action and invaluable participation: a young hunter with extraordinary agility and prowess; an old crone with an uncanny knack for healing; a stoic leader with the strength of character to hold a community together through great challenge. Through these early human millennia, success was intrinsically linked with contribution — and the value you added to your community, your family, or your tribe. However, as our lives and mindsets have become more mechanized, so too has our concept of success. These days, the inherent value of personal contribution (and personal exceptionalism) is often overlooked. “Success” is only obtained if, and when, your talents and achievements can be quantified, and when they compare favourably to others’ performances and/or meet an accepted standard. The modern definition of success is often solely reliant on superficial numbers and benchmarks. KPIs, ROIs, exam marks and school grades, social media followers, viewer- or readership, money earned, money spent, votes gained and profit margin. All of this ignores the immeasurable (yet often more profound) impact our personal contribution has on our businesses, our community and our world. Of course, this move toward calculable success keeps things nice and tidy for the authorities, statisticians and those keeping score. But it completely misses the boat in terms of our actual value as human beings and the traits that have truly made humans succeed and flourish through the centuries. The challenges experienced by our modern concept of successEncourages a focus on breadth and superficial accumulation, rather than depth and authenticity.A brief interaction with 50,000 Twitter followers is considered more successful than an intimate relationship with three clients. A sprawling mansion full of loneliness and despair is considered more successful than a humble trailer filled with love and laughter. Devalues and belittles those whose daily contributions are impossible to calculate; ie. full-time parents, caregivers, the unemployed and retirees.Those who don’t earn or study often struggle to determine their personal worth and find it difficult to recognize and celebrate the value they add to society. Additionally, this mindset drives many parents to seek validation through the actions and achievements of their children — successes that can be measured numerically — and to compare and compete with other parents. Reduces the opportunity to seek purpose, meaning and inspired action in daily activities.In many of life’s pursuits, we are given a set of numbers to attain or aspire to. We are somehow supposed to be inspired by these meaningless digits. There is no purpose in the quest or the result, and therefore most employees, students and citizens are inherently uninspired and disengaged. Rewards conformity over contribution.Seeking to be validated in socially-acceptable ways, many people ignore their personal desires. They push down their gut instinct and talents in favour of accepted or ‘proven’ processes, methods and practices. Individuality is diluted and innovation is avoided for fear of perceived failure. Perpetuates the illusion of control.Almost inevitably, the main indicators of modern success are entwined with the actions and decisions of others. If we are to meet our sales targets, become a best-selling author, secure that dream gig, garner the promotion, make millions off our investment, and so on, we need to have the full support, agreement or cooperation of others. Sadly, we are conditioned to believe that we can control any situation; if we follow the right process, pull the right strings, behave the right way, say the right words, we will bring others onside and succeed in our quest. If we fail (we are told) it is because we didn’t try hard enough, or follow the right procedure. The concept of success based on external validation is deeply flawed in this regard; we may be in charge of our lives, but we are never, ever in control. Ignores the most important qualities humans possess: cooperation, innovation and resilience.An employee’s ability to calm conflict and offer sound advice can be overlooked if they regularly miss their sales quota. An imaginative and inquisitive child may be counselled if they do not read or write to an ‘acceptable’ level. A courageous and hard-working single parent may not be appreciated if they cannot earn enough to rent their own home. Cooperation, innovation and resilience are the three most important characteristics in human evolution. Yet they are often overlooked and undervalued in modern society, for the simple reason that they cannot be easily quantified. The need for measurable success is ingrained in our modern psyche. It fulfils a purpose in our ongoing need for societal structure. But it is time to acknowledge that there is more to life — more to the value of any human being — than numbers can express. If we can expand our concept of success and remember the importance of non-numerical contribution, we can inspire people to be a valued part of their workplace and community. Importantly, if we begin to celebrate the multitude of intangible successes in society, we offer everyone an opportunity to recognize the true value they offer the world, no matter how isolated or indefinable that contribution may be. Questions for authentic success:How many times did I genuinely smile today?Did I experience vulnerable and honest moments today?How and who did I inspire today?Am I allowing myself to be inspired?What did I change about myself today (beliefs, perception, behaviour)?What did I do better today than yesterday?Is there something I need to forgive myself for today? Do I need to forgive another?What action did I take today that honours my current dream/goal?What have I done today that I can be proud of? Kim Forrester Kim Forrester is an award-winning author, educator and holistic wellbeing consultant. She combines cutting-edge science, philosophy and spiritual thought-leadership to inspire authentic well-being and fullness of living. She is the host of the Eudaemonia podcast and contributes regularly to publications throughout Australia, New Zealand, Asia and the USA. www.kimforrester.net
How to Prepare for a Virtual Job Interview
As companies around the world implement Corona-virus social distancing measures, HR teams are increasingly depending on recruiting candidates that they haven’t met. For many roles, this means transitioning from face to face job interviews to online or virtual job interviews. The great news is that for the most part, the rules of a successful online job interview are much the same as if you were meeting in person. Be positive, smile and have your demonstrated experience ready so you can respond to questions with ease. Test run your technology If you haven’t used videoconferencing tools before, don’t worry. There are lots of easy to use platforms out there like Zoom, Skype, FaceTime and Google Hangouts. During the current Corona-virus pandemic, a number of these free tools are available for an extended trial. According to Business Insider, Microsoft is offering a free trial of the premium plan for its Teams chat app, Google is giving free access to the enterprise version of Hangouts Meet to all G Suite users and Cisco Webex is offering the free version of its Webex service with no time restrictions. Zoom already offers a free version of their videoconferencing software and they are working to ensure maximum reliability with the increase in traffic. When you are meeting with a potential employer, they will most likely have a preferred platform they use. Once you know the technology that will be used, download the app on your computer, phone or smart device and get to know the system a little. The invitation they send you will often contain a URL that you will click on the enter the virtual meeting space. It’s important to only click on this link at the time of the scheduled interview. Do your research This also goes for in-person interviews, but once the company has provided the details of the interview and who you will be speaking to, jump onto LinkedIn and do a little research. What is their background? Do you have any common ground that you can reference to build rapport? Find a space The job interview might be online but it’s just as important to be professional. Make sure the space you choose is tidy, quiet and well lit. Ideally find a spot that has a blank wall behind you so that the interviewer isn’t distracted by the background. If you have children, animals or other potential disruptions, plan ahead to ensure they give you space and no background noise. Everyone is in the same position at the moment so you can assume some level of flexibility around this. If you know you may be interrupted, start the interview with something along the lines of, “Thank you for the opportunity to meet with you today. I have young children/flatmates or you may hear my dog barking so I apologise in advance if there is some noise in the background.” Being upfront about it might even help build rapport with interviewers who are in the same position! Try to avoid sitting in front of a window. If there is light behind you, it will be hard for the interviewer to see you. Just before your interview is due to start, set yourself up with a glass of water, some paper and a pen. By the time the meeting starts you want to feel relaxed and appear cool, calm and collected! Be as professional and personable as you would be in a face to face interview This means dress the part, turn your phone onto silent, limit the distractions you might face and smile! Just like an ‘in-person’ interview, body language counts so sit up, speak clearly and maintain eye contact. Because it’s hard to tell if the sound is consistent and clear, when the interviewer is talking acknowledge you are listening by making occasional small nods. Practice, practice, practice! Consider doing a trial run of your background with a friend or family member so they can give feedback on how you can adjust your camera ensure a clutter free and professional background, your volume and the speed at which you should speak, and where to look. Practising these things and recording yourself is the best way to refine your video interview technique. Believe it or not, a lot of the impact of your message comes from how you speak and your body language. So, take the time to prepare yourself as much as possible, and make every minute count. If you would like to use this opportunity to consider your career direction, Successful Resumes is offering a Career Support Package for anyone affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. Click here to find out if this could benefit you.
Covid-19 and Your Career
Pandemics are life altering events that can impact your career, regardless of the sector you are employed in. Right now, most of us are focusing on getting through each day, trying to work from home, dealing with the stress of being in essential services, or worrying about being stood down or let go. Maybe you’ve been made redundant, forced to go part time, or you’re worried that your job is at risk. Your fears are real. But if you’re like most people, you are distracting yourself with spending time in the kitchen, online workouts, gardening, or Netflix. Distraction is fine. But it’s not going to help you when the pandemic is over. That’s when you need to be ready to grab career opportunities and edge out the competition. The only way to do that is to use this time to work on your career. Here’s how to use this time to boost your career If all this sounds like great advice but is a little daunting, a career coach can help. We’re offering special career coaching and resume support packages, delivered via online videoconferencing. Our 90 minute sessions are entirely tailored to your individual needs. You will also receive a pack of useful resources and templates (valued at $195) absolutely free. You might not have ever considered hiring a career coach before. Now is the time to do something new, and make sure that are in the best possible position to retain your role or find a new job when we emerge from this crisis. With so many people unemployed and businesses struggling to avoid going bankrupt, the job market is becoming tough – tougher than it has been for a very long time. We want to give you cost effective, practical support during this difficult time. Find out more today and turn this time of chaos into an investment in your career.
Do you need a LinkedIn profile?
A question I get asked often at Successful Resumes Adelaide is whether clients need a LinkedIn profile. My answer is always – yes! No matter what career stage you are at, a LinkedIn profile will complement your job-seeking tools. Job markets are changing and now more than ever, a professional online presence can open doors for you. Possibly doors to opportunities you didn’t even know existed. A well written and optimised LinkedIn profile can be the key to a modern job-seeking toolkit. Despite this, we still find it’s common for clients to only choose to have cover letters and resumes written. In my experience working with Adelaide job seekers, this approach means you could be missing out on great job opportunities! Although both a professional resume and cover letter is required in most job-seeking efforts, they are, for the most part, reactive. You often need to wait for jobs to be advertised and then hope that you are the strongest candidate applying for the role. A professionally written LinkedIn profile can be a highly successful passive job-seeking tool. With recruiters using LinkedIn to source new candidates, you can let opportunities come to you. Do employers in Adelaide use LinkedIn? Yes! Recently a client in her late-50s was completely opposed to having a LinkedIn profile. She said she would email her contacts and send off some applications through Seek, using her new resume and cover letter. She tested her success doing this and, as a result, did get some leads. However, what she found was that employers and recruiters were asking – do you have a LinkedIn profile? Within a few weeks of her creating an online presence with LinkedIn, she started connecting with networks and recruiters in Adelaide and in other states. It opened doors to local recruiters looking for new staff because they found her online. Guess what? Soon after, she emailed to tell me she had been offered a job; an Adelaide recruiter had found her on LinkedIn! she emailed to tell me she had been offered a job; an Adelaide recruiter had found her on LinkedIn! Are jobs in Adelaide advertised on LinkedIn? Yes! In fact, there are 2,484 jobs listed on LinkedIn in Adelaide right now and this is in the midst of one of Australia’s toughest job markets in recent times. If you visit the jobs section of LinkedIn and set the location to Adelaide, you’ll see the incredible range of roles being advertised. It’s a common but outdated myth that these roles are all for senior executives. 50% of the roles listed are classified for entry-level or early-career candidates. With approximately 660 million users in 200 countries and new members joining every second, LinkedIn operates the world’s largest professional online network. Can you afford to miss out on this opportunity? There will always be jobs you have to apply for. Applications for roles in the Australian Public Service, South Australian government or local government still have requirements that must be met. Roles at universities like Adelaide University still require you to address selection criteria. LinkedIn does not replace that. It also doesn’t replace applying for jobs with a cover letter and resume. What a LinkedIn profile does do is gives you professional credibility, demonstrates your network and acts as a tool so that job opportunities can come to you. If you are ready for recruiters and hiring managers to find you, speak to us. We help people across Australia create engaging LinkedIn profiles that attract potential employers and networking opportunities. We take the time to get to know you and where you want your career to go so that you can build a network of people to help you get there. Successful Resumes also offers the full suite of job-seeking tools including Professional Resumes, Cover Letters and Selection Criteria. Find out how we can help you get the job you want by contacting Esther Daniell of Successful Resumes below.
How to Find a Job using Social Media in Australia
Starting your job search can be challenging but knowing the right places to look for opportunities can take the frustration out of the process. According to the Australian Government’s Survey of Employers’ Recruitment Experiences, 2018, although many jobs are advertised on recruitment websites and jobs boards, employers are also using other methods to find the right candidate for their roles. What can you do to increase your chance of finding the right job? Most job seekers are familiar with recruitment websites and using an agency or employment service, but what about social media? We’ve known for a long time that the majority of employers use social media channels to research candidates. In fact, according to Robert Walters, 62% of employers use social media to check on prospective employees. With 8 in 10 Australians using social media, employers are now looking at ways to use social channels to attract and recruit candidates. In 2012, only 1% of available roles were advertised on social media. In 2018/19 it rose to 14%. Where are these roles? According to the Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business, Facebook ‘job groups’, in particular, have grown in popularity. Offering a free online forum, Facebook has become a popular tool for employers to advertise available positions and for job seekers to find employment. Facebook job groups have started popping up in almost every region in Australia. Most relate to geographical areas however some are industry specific. The Transport and Truck Jobs Australia have more than 20 posts per day and 23,000 members. Also with more than 26,000 members, Redlands Jobs Board in QLD offers an online space for local businesses to find local jobseekers. To find the right groups, search for terms like ‘jobs in Perth’ or ‘construction jobs’. Join any that you think look relevant. Not only will you be able to access potential roles, but these groups can also be a great way to build your local or industry network. Once you have joined, you can publish text posts, upload photos and comment on other members posts or announcements. If you are looking for work, you can create a post outlining the type of work you want. Add in details like how much experience you have and your availability. For the most part, though, you will use the group to browse available jobs and comment when you find one that could be a good match for you. For now, it seems that employers in the services sectors are using Facebook the most for recruitment. The rate of technology adoption and engagement continues to grow. We think it’s likely that over time, more employers will use social media to find candidates.
Be A Communications Superstar
Excellent communication skills are essential to building relationships and succeeding in workplaces. They can also make or break your interview success. Here are our top strategies to help you master the art of communicating so that you can connect with people, be understood and build a strong rapport. Learn the basics of nonverbal communication. Albert Mehrabian, one of the first researchers of body language in the 1950’s, discovered that around 7% of the total impact of a message comes from words, 38% from your tone of voice, inflexion, and other sounds and 55% of your impact is nonverbal. That means that most of what you say, or what people take in, isn’t communicated through your words, but through your body language and physical cues. When it comes to job hunting, learning the art of empowered nonverbal communication is critical. Especially at interview time. Even if you are feeling nervous, give yourself a pep talk beforehand to prop up your posture. Stand taller, straighter and prouder. Make sure you maintain appropriate eye contact and be interested. Lean in ever so slightly and remember to smile. Stand and sit tall and avoid slouching or folding your arms. Taking it one level up, calibrating your tone, energy level, language and body language to the interviewer can show that you’re fully engaged in the conversation and will make it easier to build rapport. Although the trick here is to be subtle about it! Prepare notes, then throw them away There is a well know trick to interviews; confidence can get you the job and confidence is built from preparation. When you are ready and armed with examples of your experiences, answering interview questions is easier. We suggest creating a series of career narratives to use across a range of questions or scenarios. We also recommend researching the company and thinking about how your strengths can add value. Once you have done all that, throw it away. When it comes to the actual interview you want your responses to be engaging, agile and responsive. If you over-prepare, you run the risk of sounding rehearsed and scripted. Be a listener To communicate effectively, first listen to what others have to say. Then you can provide a thoughtful answer that shows you understand what they are communicating. Let the speaker finish their question before you start thinking about your response. This is incredibly important during job interviews. Many people are so nervous in job interviews that they hear the beginning of a question and immediately start thinking of their answer before the interviewer has finished the question. When they start to respond, they often lose focus, realising they didn’t get the full question and their not sure what the interviewer was really asking. Bring into play the Power of the Pause Pausing before you speak is one of the most underrated tools that candidate can use in interviews. Great things can happen in pauses. You allow time to think of the most effective response, you carve out the mental space to better articulate your response and importantly you breathe and therefore slow down your speech. Once the interviewer has asked the question, take a few seconds to consider the best way to respond. Really think about the skills they want to you demonstrate and find the best example you have before you launch into your response. Be curious When CareerBuilder surveyed more than 2,500 employers, they found that 32% of hiring managers believed that one of the worst mistakes that candidates make is not asking good questions at the end of the interview. Job interviews are a two-way street. Asking intelligent and meaningful questions, can set you apart from other candidates and demonstrate you’re genuinely interested in the role. More importantly, it’s the perfect way to determine if the job fits your career goals. Old-fashioned manners It’s amazing how far old-fashioned manners will get you. This includes being courteous and polite in the way you speak. Greet the interviewer with a warm smile and use a friendly tone when speaking on the phone. Saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ in your spoken communication as well as when you write, will ensure you’re looked on favourably when it comes to manners. And last but not least, it’s good practice to write a small and simple thank-you note or email to your interviewer to thank them for their time and consideration. For some, this has meant the difference between being asked to attend a second interview, or not. If you would like to be invited to more interviews, start with a successful resume. Our team have helped more than 100,000 Australians get the job they want with a professional resume. Complete the form below to find out more.
Improve Your Job Applications with Resume Keywords
If you’re applying for roles and getting the standard ‘unlikely to progress further’ message it might be time to look at how well you are using keywords in your resume. Did you know that when you submit a job application online, your resume gets transferred into recruitment software known as an Applicant Tracking System? This software was created to help companies manage their recruitment electronically. Now a billion-dollar industry, recruitment software is used by recruiters, HR teams and employers to automate and simplify the recruitment process. Along with recording and tracking the progress of every job application they receive; applicant tracking systems are designed to filter and rank the applications based on the best candidates for the job. This is where keywords come into play. If you’re not using the right keywords for the role you are applying for, chances are you won’t rank as a good match for the role. Here are some tips on how you can use keywords to improve your chances of being asked for an interview. Make Your Application Relevant to the Role The most important step to maximise how well your resume performs in the system is to make sure it is designed for the role. Optimising keywords is a lot like SEO. When you enter words and phrases into Google, the search engine finds the websites that it thinks are the best match. Similarly, when an employer is looking to fill a job, they enter the keywords and phrases that best suit the role in their system. The ATS sorts and filters all the applications it has received. It then ranks the candidates that are the best match for the job, based on the employer’s search terms. The resumes that rank the highest, are most likely to be considered for an interview. To make sure your resume has the right keywords, look closely at the job description. What skills and/or experience are they asking for? Have you included these words and phrases in your resume? Word clouds can be a great way to identify keywords. We used MonkeyLearn.com to create a word cloud based on a Sales Manager role in Sydney. By copying and pasting the job description into the generator, you can get great ideas of keywords you can include. Consider Keyword Variations Everyone is different and the language that one person uses is different from another’s. Make sure you optimise your resume by using different names for the same thing. For example, in one bullet point, you might say sales management and in another bullet, you might write account manager. Be aware of other variations people might use. For example, some people refer to Microsoft Office and some call it Microsoft Suite or Microsoft 365. Mirror the Job Titles It helps to look at the language an employer uses to make sure the language in your resume matches. If they are recruiting for a project manager but your current job title is an obscure version of a project manager, like Delivery Specialist, make sure you include the actual title of project manager in your document. It’s ok to change your current title to better reflect the title of the role you are applying for. Just make sure it’s still consistent with the job that you did. Acronyms Systems don’t have the ability to recognise abbreviations like MBA, CPA and PMP if the hiring manager or recruiter is searching for the full name. For example, if they search for Certified Public Accountant but you use CPA in your document, the system won’t make the match. Consider using both in your document. Avoid Keyword Spamming Although tempting, it’s important to not just throw keywords in to try and trick the system. They need to make sense and sit within a context. Eventually, your resume will be read by a human. If it’s not people-friendly, you might make it through the system but fall at the next round in the process. A good resume is successful all the way to an invitation for an interview. Recruitment Software is a growing industry. Although the US is the biggest users at the moment, the Asia Pacific region is expected to have the highest incremental market growth. This, combined with a push to automate recruitment due to COVID, means that applicant tracking systems, like other recruitment tools, including video interview platforms, game-based skills assessments and virtual reality simulations, are all likely to evolve and increase at a much faster rate than in the past. To make sure your resume ranks highly for the roles you are applying for, speak to the team at Successful Resumes.
Getting a Job in Australia during COVID-19
Recruiting experts Hays recently polled job seekers in Australia and New Zealand and found that 39% of people looking for work, didn’t feel confident they knew how to create a job application that would lead to being shortlisted for interview. These findings come at a tough time for Australia. Although the post Coronavirus economic outlook seems better than anticipated, the number of unemployed people in Australia is still expected to peak at 10 per cent, or well over 1.3 million people by the end of 2020. Analysis from the Lowy Institute reasoned it will take the rest of this year and most of next to get Australia’s employment back to where it was in December 2019. To support Australians navigate these challenges, the Government recently announced an extension of the JobKeeper Program for a further six months until 28 March 2021. The impact of COVID-19 hasn’t been equal across all industries in Australia. The accommodation and food industry has been the worst hit with 36% of jobs lost since March 2020. At the other end of the spectrum, the financial services and insurance sector has seen a very slight gain. With fewer roles being advertised and more people looking for work, the competition to secure available jobs is set to increase. We’ve outlined some steps you can take to help your application stand out and be shortlisted for interview. Create a contemporary resume or CV format that will work in electronic systems Many people equate standing out to mean creating alternative resume styles to differentiate themselves from other candidates. Unfortunately, this approach often has the opposite effect. Complicated layouts are still hard for electronic recruitment software to process. Keep it clean and avoid columns to give yourself the best chance. Focus on keywords When you submit a job application online, your resume is transferred into recruitment software also known as an Applicant Tracking System. This software was created to help companies manage their recruitment electronically. Along with recording and tracking the progress of every job application received, the systems are designed to filter and rank the applications based on the best candidates for the job. This is where keywords come into play. If you’re not using the right keywords for the role you are applying for, chances are you won’t rank as a good match for the role. Demonstrate why you are the best match for the job Your future employers are looking to understand how you will bring value to their business. The best way to do this is by demonstrating how you brought value and impact to previous employers. Transform your previous job responsibilities into examples of how you contributed to the success of the business by using the 5 W’s and a H – what, where, why, when, who and how much. Use the summary section to tie your experience to their role A resume that is relevant to the reader will always perform better. Use the summary section of your resume to showcase the technical capability, experience, qualifications, and soft skills that will help you bring value to their business. Focus on the skills they are looking for and dive into your career to find the best example of how you have those skills. If you would like more specific advice based on your career, contact one of our resume writers. We craft resumes and CV’s that help our clients stand out – in a good way. Successful Resumes is a leader is professionally written resumes, CV’s and application documents. With more than 30 offices around Australia, and international offices in New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong and India reach out to us to how we can help elevate your career.
Mastering the Pitch – Writing Australian Government Job Applications
To be competitive at any career level, you must be able to articulate your achievements and the impact of your work. When applying for roles with the Australian Government, you do this in a pitch. Over the last five years, government agencies have evolved their application process. In an effort to streamline recruitment procedures and reduce the time it takes to recruit, the public service farewelled individual selection criteria in favour of a ‘submission’ and resume. While the submission element can take many forms, the most common request is a 1 or 2-page pitch. Sometimes it can also be a limited word pitch of 500, 750 or 1000 words. What is a Government Job Application Pitch Considered a ‘brief of evidence’, a pitch is your opportunity to tell the hirer why you are the right person for the job with the evidence to back up your claim. It is not enough to say you’ll be great at the job, you need to prove it with demonstrated evidence. The pitch also provides an opportunity to tell the hirer why you want to work at the organisation. It’s your chance to explain why you are interested in the role, what you can offer, and how your skills, knowledge, experience and qualifications are applicable to the role. To write a successful pitch, we spoke with Jenny Carlin, owner of Successful Resumes Canberra. Here’s what Jenny had to say, “To write a successful pitch, I suggest using a 3 part structure. The structure helps keep you on succinct while presenting all the information they need to make a favourable decision”. Part 1 – The opener Introduce your interest in the role and present your case as a strong candidate with a tailored and highly relevant opening paragraph. The opening paragraph should make the case for why you should be considered for the vacancy. The Department of Jobs and Small Business suggests it should include things like, why you are interested in the role, what you can contribute, and how your attributes, skills, knowledge, experience and qualifications will ensure your success in the role. To be effective, it must demonstrate relevance to the reader. Focus on highlighting the specific skills, experience and qualifications they are looking for. Part 2 – The proof The next part of your document is providing proof. In this section, you should include several example-based paragraphs to demonstrate and quantify your capability. For a 1-page pitch that means 2-3 examples and a 2-page pitch might be more like 5-7. Using a formula for these proof points is critical. Jenny suggests using CAR stories. C : Circumstances Add value here by outlining the strategic context or complexity of the situation, other players, and any risks, difficulties, challenges A : Action Ensure you include an appropriate amount of detail and keep the focus on you! Jenny suggests also including the most critical and relevant reasoning or decisions behind the actions R : Results This is where you describe how the end result impacted on the objective of the organisation or team. Jenny suggests mentioning both the intended and unintended outcomes of your actions. Along with including feedback, lessons learnt and impact on the work area / agency) You do not need to use different examples to demonstrate the individual skills required in the position overview. Likewise, if the agency mentions selection criteria that reflect the federal government ‘Integrated Leadership Framework’ that describes the required competencies for each level. For example, if the position overview states “we are looking for a confident communicator with the ability to problem solve and work effectively as part of a team”, you can use one example that demonstrates all of these skills. In choosing your career stories, focus on examples that are relevant to the job and the level you are targeting. Once you understand the role requirements, create a list of examples from your previous experience that will show the panel why you have the right experience to be successful in the role. Include the best examples in your pitch. The remaining ones can be used to both tailor your resume for the role and at the interview. It’s good to show the panel that you have plenty of examples to draw on. Part 3 – The closing The final part of your document is a short closing paragraph. Jenny suggests using this paragraph to wrap up by outlining the contribution you could make in the role. It’s also a great opportunity to express your enthusiasm for the opportunity. [icon name=”key” prefix=”fas”] Dont risk your next job application. Successful Resumes can work with you to create the perfect pitch that helps Government recruitment teams put your application on the top of the list. For more information on how a small investment in yourself can pay big rewards, please get in touch below.
Why you’re not getting the job after interviews.
If your resume is landing you interviews but you’re struggling to convert them to job offers, it’s time to look at what is preventing you from securing your next opportunity. Here are 5 reasons you might not be getting hired and how you can fix them. You’ve underestimated the phone screen For a number of roles, recruiters will reach out to you for what sounds like an informal and friendly call. Don’t be fooled by the idea of a quick chat. While not as formal as the core interview process, this a still an interview of sorts. The recruiter is using this opportunity to determine your fit for the role so it’s important to be prepared with both your pitch and possibly salary expectations. If you are applying for multiple roles concurrently, have the job advertainments or position descriptions printed out and on hand so you can quickly reference the role they are talking about. It’s a good idea to have made notes on the printout that connect their requirements to your skills. This will help you craft a relevant pitch that establishes what you will bring to the role. It’s also important to have considered how much you want to be paid. Do your research on similar roles and have a figure in mind, so you are not fumbling if and when the question comes up. You haven’t demonstrated your interest When I was recruiting for roles, it was frustrating when you got the impression that the candidate had no idea about the role they were applying for. They obviously hadn’t done any desktop research on the company or its products and services which showed a lack of authentic interest. If you want an employer to care about you and your application, show them how you care about their company and the role. Make it clear that you have done your research and that you are enthusiastic and excited about the opportunity. Your body language is giving off the wrong message It is widely recognised that more than half of what you are saying doesn’t come from the words you are speaking. Communication is both verbal and nonverbal, and tone and body language often play the biggest part. If you’re trying to make an impression, it’s critical to consider what your body is saying. Forgetting to smile, slouching in your chair, or failing to make eye contact during an interview, could cost you a job offer. Read more on body language for successful interviews here. You haven’t built a bank of career narratives The trick to a good behavioural interview is to respond to questions with examples that clearly demonstrate how you have the skills, capabilities and experience to be successful in the role. One of the best ways to do this is by creating a bank of narratives that show how you have been successful in previous roles. There are lots of formulas and the STAR approach is probably the most popular. We think you can simplify it even more with SAO : Situation, Action, Outcome. With practice, you should be able to get these down to three simple but strong sentences. Being prepared with a series of examples also prevents the common issue of getting lost in the response and rambling. You haven’t practised. Interview practice is so important for both building your confidence and delivering clear concise messaging. Once you have found a list of common interview questions, work your way through a dozen or so to test how comfortable you feel answering them out loud. You can also ask a friend or family member to help you with a mock interview. They simply chose questions from the list for you to answer and provide you with some feedback. The team at Successful Resumes also offer interview coaching and can create mock interview to help you prepare. Please reach out to us for more information. It’s important to remember that sometimes you can be doing everything right in your job search but things outside your control prevent you from landing your next opportunity. You might be coming up against internal applicants, or the hiring manager is looking for a specific micro skill to add value to the team. Keep your confidence strong, focus on the aspects of job search that you can control and know that the right role for you is on its way.