June 06 Newsletter

Terrific Temp

Outstanding performance from our temps doesn’t go unnoticed. We truly appreciate their efforts and therefore would like to acknowledge the great work they are doing for us.
Our June Temp of the Month award goes to Sarah Frampton. Sarah is currently working at Aspect Communications where she has received glowing reports!

Sarah is pictured here whilst on assignment at Aspect Communications. She gets a $100 voucher from the store of her choice.

Land that job

Your resume has landed you a job interview and now you must make the most of a "face-to-face" meeting to land the role. Here are some practical pointers on getting interview-ready.

Being as prepared as possible is the key to success in the interview game.

Research

Visit the prospective employer's website and browse through the "About Us," "Employment," "Careers," "Our People," and "Media" or "News" sections. The State Library and other large public reference libraries will be able to provide newspaper clippings on a given company so it might be worth a visit. An annual report can also be a great source of information and can be picked up from the reception desk of the company you are interviewing with. Again, State Libraries keep the annual reports of government organisations as well as a number of publicly listed companies. Your consultant at Beaumont will be only too happy (and impressed) to help you do your homework.

Rehearse

Rehearsing with a friend or family member is a great way to soothe pre-interview nerves. In fact, do it! It will not only build confidence and communication skills but will also help you get your thoughts straight. Your rehearsal partner can tell you if you're speaking too quickly, if your sentences are too long or your answers hard to follow. Rehearse again and again until you feel your answers are flowing. Oh, and don't get mad at your rehearsal partner when they raise improvement points. They're on your side, remember?

Use the "behavioural interviewing" technique

This is where the question requires the interviewee to provide an actual example from their work or life experience. Questions will start with words such as "Tell me about a time when..." or "Give me an example of ...". The technique is built on the theory that best predictor of future performance is past performance.

Pre-interview check

Before the interview, find out the name and title of each and every person you will be meeting with. Memorise the names. Again, your consultant will be more than happy to provide these. When you are dealing directly with the company, it's perfectly acceptable to ask its HR department to provide these details.

Appearance

Take extra care with your appearance. Ensure your clothes are clean and well ironed. Check for stains, stray threads and loose buttons. Avoid visual distractions such as loud ties, chipped nail polish, heavy make up, sheer fabrics, heavy ear rings, jewellry that jangles, overpowering fragrances and unwashed hair or hair that flops into your eyes or needs constant pushing back.

Feeling good

On the morning of the interview, go for a walk or spend some time doing stretches. You will breathe deeply, which will help you relax, have better posture and therefore look the part of the successful candidate. On the way to the interview, walk tall and smile. Strangers will smile back at you and the receptionist at the interview firm will be nice to you. By the time you hit the interview, you'll feel good. Remember, some butterflies in the stomach are okay. Fear and excitement both cause butterflies so tell yourself those flutters are excitement.

During the interview

Don't say anything negative about a past employer.
Don't interrupt anyone.
Keep your answers relatively short and to the point. If the interviewer wants more information, he or she will ask for it. By the same token, try to avoid answering with just a "yes" or "no".
Maintain good eye contact. If there is more than one person at the interview, talk to both or all of them - no matter how junior or seemingly incidental.
Prepare something for when you are invited to ask questions. Two to three questions is enough. Sound questions could include who you will be reporting to, questions about the team you would be joining, career path options, projects you could be working on. Salary and benefit questions are best saved up until you have ultimate bargaining power - at the very least, second interview stage. The point of ultimate power is the time between being offered the job and accepting it.

Think carefully before accepting a drink. You might find yourself in a chair without arms and out of reach of a table balancing a coffee, tea or glass of water throughout the interview.
Smile - whenever appropriate of course.

Article by: Kate Southam, careerone.com.au

Tackling the “strength/weakness” question

Don't you just hate that moment in a job interview when you're asked to reveal your strengths and weaknesses?

As if you are going to answer truthfully. "My strengths include being a really good party host and my weaknesses include the fact that my mind often wanders to thoughts about my next party when I am supposed to be adding up figures." Yeah right!

I know a sales consultant who told her interviewer point blank: "You don't really expect me to tell you my weaknesses?" She got the job. However, when interviewing with experts such as a recruitment consultant or a human resources professional using humour or candour is a risk so proceed with caution. What might prove a great answer for a candidate for a sales job might prove a wrong move for someone else.

I saw a really good answer to the weakness question in the DVD Winning the career you deserve produced by Bill Lang International. The DVD has eight segments but in the one on interviews an actor fields the question by saying: "I don't have a weakness that would affect my ability to do this role successfully."

Graham Smith of Heritage Recruitment said asking a candidate about their strengths and weaknesses was an important way to test his or her suitability for a particular role.
"You are trying to see if the person has a sense of his or her own limitations," he said. "You also want to know what the person is good at and how that might fit into the role you are trying to fill."

"The interviewer wants to make sure the candidate has the right 'behaviours' and skills for the job. After the interview, the interviewer will then verify that the candidate has the skills they claim to."

"For example, is the person good at problem-solving? Will they work well in a team? Do they have an eye for detail and are they a self-starter?"

Both Mr Smith and Nicole Gorton, Australian branch manager of OfficeTeam, said it was very important to provide specific examples to demonstrate your "strengths".

Known as "behavioural interviewing", this is where the candidate is asked: "Tell me about a time when you..." So make sure you have specific examples to back up everything you rehearse for your interview.

A sales consultant who said a strength was the fact he or she was "driven by results" should follow with an example of a time when he or she achieved say 100 per cent of their monthly target in three weeks or consistently achieved more than 100 per cent of targets each month or quarter.

Simon Tobin, a director of Michael Page Finance and Ms Gorton both said to relate "weaknesses" that were really strengths and not to use the word "weakness".

"Start the sentence with, 'my area for improvement is'," said Ms Gorton. Also, nominate a skill you don't actually need on the job like languages. Being able to say you are actively trying to change your weakness into a strength is also a good idea.
For example, "My area for improvement is public speaking and I have just enrolled in a toastmaster's course."

Mr Smith said: "I ask. 'Give me an example of a situation when you were not successful, what you did, and how you felt about it?"

"I want to know that someone can encounter a knock back and be robust enough to cope with it and get on with the job," he said.

Article by: Kate Southam, careerone.com.au

What have we been up to?

A big welcome to Andrew McDermott! Andrew will be taking the reigns of the Banking and Finance division to charge the team to victory! We know he will do a smashing job – no pressure there. Check out our ‘The Team’ page of our website to find out a bit more about him.

Joke of the month

10 Useless Facts

1. Thomas Edison was afraid of the dark (hence, the light bulb).

2. Kotex was first manufactured as bandages, during W.W.I

3. Einstein couldn't speak fluently when he was nine. His parents thought he might be retarded.

4. Aztec emperor Montezuma had a nephew, Cuitlahac, whose name meant "plenty of excrement."

5. Most lipstick contains fish scales.

6. You're more likely to get stung by a bee on a windy day than in any other weather.

7. An average person laughs about 15 times a day.

8. Research indicates that mosquitoes are attracted to people who have recently eaten bananas.

9. Penguins can jump as high as 6 feet in the air.

10. The average person is about a quarter of an inch taller at night.

Quote of the month

I wasted time, and now doth time waste me.

William Shakespeare