May 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 May Temp of the Month award goes to Lisa Blanco. Lisa is currently working at Transport Infrastructure and is dedicated and committed to everything she does!

Lisa is pictured here whilst on assignment at Transport Infrastructure. She gets a $100 voucher from the store of her choice.

Plan your career

Australians will have up to three careers over their working life and Generation Y will have up to five. That means a great many people will be trying to "break into" a new career at any given time.

For many others, the real struggle is choosing a career path in the first place.

Whichever group you fall into, solid research will help you on your way. Use the ideas, tips and links here to explore your options.

Finding what you're suited to

Answering this question is often the hardest part of your career research.

Start by making lists of:

Things you are great at and love doing

Things you are good at but hate doing
Things you love doing but are not that great at
Things you are not good at and hate doing

Are you an extrovert who loves meeting people or an introvert who prefers working behind the scenes? Do you like working with numbers or words, animals, children or adults? Ask friends and family for their input.

Your list should identify as many of your skills and attributes as possible. Skills are things like written and verbal communication, book keeping, analytical skills, computer skills, dress making, being good at fixing electronics or cars, typing and so on.

Getting career ideas

After taking a really good look at who you are and what you enjoy doing most, use books, websites, career expos, newspapers and contacts to gather information on career options.

What to read

The American book What Color is your Parachute? by Richard Bolles is still considered the "bible" of career choice. However, browse the "business" or "personal development" aisle of your local bookstore for other titles - we have many good home grown authors right here. For example, Warren Frehse's Manage Your Own Career (Pearson Prentice Hall) is full of good ideas. Another good source is Bill Lang's DVD, Winning the Career you Deserve (available from http://www.billlang.org/public/index.asp ).

Also check the Wednesday and Saturday employment sections of newspapers and clip any career profile that interests you.

Libraries

Make use of the State Library or regional reference library nearest to you. Australian libraries have an obligation to keep all periodicals, yearbooks, magazines, books and newspapers published in Australia . For example, if you are interested in media then the State Library is the place to go to view an otherwise costly tome like the B&T Yearbook, which lists all the advertising agencies and media organisations in Australia ; but there are heaps of others. Trade magazines are also a great source of information on people, companies and trends in a given industry sector.

You can also search for newspaper articles online using the News Text service.

Career shows

Use the Career Diary section of careerone.com.au to check out the dates for career shows in your state. When you visit a Career Expo, make sure you quiz exhibitors about the job roles and career paths they offer; entry level positions; training and development opportunities; and the roles they anticipate will be most in demand in their industry. You will find a link to Career Diary in the left hand navigation column.

Graduates

Recruiting season for graduates is getting earlier every year but March to May is peak career show season. Don't wait until your final year to start attending shows and grilling employers on the career paths they offer and what they want graduates to offer in return.

People you meet

When you meet people doing interesting jobs, don't be shy about asking questions. Most people love talking about themselves and what they do.

Key questions would be:

What's involved in your job?
What sort of qualifications and personality traits do you need to succeed at the job?
How did you get your job?

What have we been up to?

The Beaumont team bids a fond farewell this month to the wonderful Neil. He will be sorely missed and now we have no male consultants! It’s become quite feminine indeed here at Beaumont .

We also recently had a fabulous time at Camp Quality ’s Chandon Supper Club. A fabulous night and fabulous frocks were the go and we made sure that dancing was a main fixture on the menu as the team let loose and showed off their dancing skills!

Resume Bloopers

We all know how easy it can be to miss mistakes in documents – but remember, the people reading your resume are going to notice every single word; and some of your words can completely change your meaning. Here are some of our favourites (from actual resumes!):

"Qualifications: I am a man filled with passion and integrity, and I can act on short notice. I'm a class act and do not come cheap."

"Note: Please don't misconstrue my 14 jobs as 'job-hopping'. I have never quit a job."

"Here are my qualifications for you to overlook."

REASONS FOR LEAVING THE LAST JOB:

"Responsibility makes me nervous."

"They insisted that all employees get to work by 8:45 every morning. Couldn't work under those conditions."

"I was working for my mum until she decided to move."

"The company made me a scapegoat - just like my three previous employers."

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

"While I am open to the initial nature of an assignment, I am decidedly disposed that it be so oriented as to at least partially incorporate the experience enjoyed heretofore and that it be configured so as to ultimately lead to the application of more rarefied facets of financial management as the major sphere of responsibility."

"I was proud to win the Gregg Typting Award."

"Work Experience: Dealing with customers' conflicts that arouse."

"Develop and recommend an annual operating expense fudget."

"I'm a rabid typist."

"Instrumental in ruining entire operation for a Midwest chain operation."

Quote of the month

The only place where success comes before work is a dictionary

Vidal Sassoon