Job interviews can often be tense, nervous and sometimes downright frightening affairs. You may be tempted to lighten the atmosphere by telling some well-meaning jokes. Not everyone will share your sense of humour, so is it worth risking your chances?
For ADF personnel leaving their familiar military environment, the stress of finding a new career is compounded by the need to adjust to a new lifestyle and civilian work. It’s a difficult task; specialist defence transition services can help with the process.
Looking for a job can take longer than you expect and you may apply for more jobs than you planned. Keeping detailed records of your efforts avoids duplicating applications and forgetting what you’ve applied for.
Redundancy brings with it a complex set of emotions for those who are leaving, but if you keep your job you can also be affected. ‘Survivors’ of job cuts typically suffer from feelings normally experienced by those surviving major disasters or traumas.
An outplacement consultant’s role is to help you find a new job more quickly than if you searched for a job by yourself. They’re not recruitment consultants; this is your job search, and although the consultant will help you, what happens next is up to you. And the harder you work at it, the sooner you will get positive results.
Don’t like your current career? You’re not alone: few of us pick the right job on our first try. But if you are thinking about changing jobs, you probably want to find the right career this time. If you aren’t sure where to start, do some job research before you make any decisions.
In today’s job market, we often hear about people securing work in unconventional ways. Whether it’s using Instagram to showcase creativity, or networking with decision makers via LinkedIn, there are now many alternatives to the traditional paper resume format. But let’s not write off the well-crafted resume just yet.
Before you even speak a single word, the job interviewer will have formed their first impression of you thanks to your body language. Recognising and controlling your body language can help increase your chances of getting a job.
One of the most useful self-marketing tools in your job search toolkit is the ‘elevator speech’. How do you summarise your career and achievements in a brief yet engaging 30-second pitch?
If you’re thinking about looking for a new job, or have been searching for a while, you may be tempted to hold off over the holiday break. However companies are still hiring, so update your resume, send in an application or network your way into a new role.
Running your own business, and being your own boss, means no longer having to work for someone else. It can also have financial and work/life balance advantages, and bring great personal satisfaction. But it’s important to be realistic about what self-employment entails, and potential disadvantages.
Volunteering is a great way to give something back to the community, but it can also be beneficial if you are job searching. It’s National Volunteer Week, so why not consider donating some of your time and reap some positive effects for your career too?
Up to 80% of all available jobs are never advertised. Rather than waiting for roles to come to you via recruitment agencies or job search engines, why not use a proactive job search strategy to access the ‘hidden job market’?
Today most job seekers use online job boards to discover and apply for advertised roles. There’s an almost overwhelming choice, so how do you find the right site for your circumstances?
If you are leaving the ADF, writing a civilian resume will be one of the first steps in your job search. But how can you make your ADF background relevant to the civilian employment market, in terms that a recruiter or employer can recognise and value?
Does your job leave you unfulfilled or dissatisfied? Maybe you’re unhappy about your pay, the workplace is too demanding (or not challenging enough), or you’re looking for a promotion. If yours no longer feels like the right one for you, it could be time to change.
Most job interviews are repetitive and formulaic. After a day meeting an endless stream of candidates, interviewers can be hard pushed to remember who they met and what they said. So how can you stick out, for all the right reasons?
Social media tools such as LinkedIn and Facebook are great starting points when it comes to networking. However, real world networking tools can be more effective and provide greater value in connecting – and staying connected – with people who are important to your career.
When creating a resume, you can choose to write it yourself or use a specialist resume writer. Are you questioning the benefits of using a resume writing service and whether you really need a professional? Hiring a resume writer can significantly increase your chances of being asked to interview for a job.
Being made redundant at any age is a difficult thing to deal with, but it can be especially challenging to confront sudden unemployment in your 50s. Losing your job in the middle or late stages of your career can be extremely difficult to cope with. But remember age has its advantages.
Unsuccessful job applications can make it hard to stay positive while job searching. What are some of the common reasons for not getting a role, and how can you improve your chances of success?
If you are thinking about a new job, you may want to consider ways to develop your practical, intellectual or social skills. Any activity which develops these will be of interest to an employer and it can be a way of providing evidence of motivation relevant to the kind of work that you want to do.
A personal brand is how people perceive you – your public reputation – and a professional online brand can help open up new job opportunities. Although building an online brand takes time and requires some effort on your part, here are some tips to get you started.
Consider the kind of lifestyle you want before you retire and start to make plans, and even implement some of them, before you leave work. Research has shown that people who plan for the future tend to be healthier, more active, and enjoy being retired more than those who don’t plan.