May 05 Newsletter

May Temp of the Month

We appreciate and acknowledge outstanding performance from the amazing temps that are currently working for us.

Our May Temp of the Month award goes to Katy Whitehouse. Katy has always been reliable, responsible and a real joy to work with, which is why we wanted her to receive the Temp of the Month Award this month.

Katy is pictured here with our Cara Stillman, whilst on assignment at Grange Securities. Well done Katy.

Recommend a Friend and Earn $100!!

We continue to meet fantastic people due to you introducing us to your friends, so we are extending the recommend a friend offer.

Take the opportunity to earn an extra $100 (paid in vouchers from a store of your choice) by referring a family member or friend to Beaumont Consulting. If the recommended person is placed in a permanent role or a temporary role for two weeks or more, we’ll send you a $100 voucher to say thanks!

What’s the worst interview question?

There are a lot of very relevant and VERY difficult interview questions out there and quite often it’s the simple ones, not the behavioral type questions that really catch you out. For some, it’s salary. What are you worth? You don’t want to aim too high but you don’t want to sell yourself short either.

I just thought I’d share my own personal “dodgy” question with you; “What is your biggest weakness?”

Sure, we could probably all come up with a few things here, but it’s not the best time to admit your biggest flaws; “I get bored very quickly”, “I don’t suffer fools gladly”, “I love the odd beer and often come in with a hangover”. But let’s face it, it’s not the best time to pretend you don’t have any weaknesses either....we’re not all perfect after all…..really!

Firstly you need to know how to recognize when the question is being asked. It could be that the interviewer disguises it in another question;

What areas of your work do you find most challenging?
Tell me about a time when you did not achieve a target; why do you think that was?
If I was to ask your Manager what they will miss about you, and what they won’t miss, what do you think they’d say?

Recognising the question is a good step, but the real key is preparation. By considering this question beforehand, you minimise the need to think on your feet and can give a much more considered answer. It also removes the temptation to pretend that you get everything right, all the time…..without fail. That just appears a little conceited, some what arrogant and about as detached from reality as your average “Pop Idol” contestant. It also reduces the chance of you going into self destructive mode and admitting to every fault or flaw you can think of.

Obviously I can’t give you the answers, I shouldn’t need to anyway, you already know what to say. Give some serious thought to what’s been said in previous appraisals or what your colleagues (the good ones) might say about you.

Also, think of these weaknesses as “areas for development”. Making them real and providing examples not only adds credibility to what you’re saying, it also shows the potential employer that you’ve recognised something you need to work on (which is half the battle) and you’re working on developing your skills to overcome the issue.

That said, keep it small! Don’t pick on something that is incredibly relevant to the role such as organisational skills, listening skills or ability to work as part of a team. Giving good solid examples of how you don’t relate well to others and get nervous when talking on the phone wont go down too well if you’re interviewing for a position in a large call centre!

If possible, pick something that won’t affect your ability to do the job in question. But as I’ve said, make sure you do include an example and if you can, try and put a positive slant on it;

"Some people call me impatient, but that's only because I have drive and enthusiasm to get the job done. I compensate for this with thorough planning to make sure I don't miss anything."

Make sure your answer is relevant to the role, the above example may be good for a high pressure, target driven role, but not for a position where accuracy is paramount and the task turnaround is very slow.

I’m sure there are many “dreaded” interview questions out there. If you’ve come across some real shockers, please feel free to email them to us, if they’re good, we can include them in a future article and maybe we can all learn from it?

Our new Offices!!

We are now well and truly settled into our new offices at 50 Margaret Street. From humble beginnings 4 years ago in the spare room of Nikki the MDs apartment in Fairlight, we are proud to have expanded to the size we are today.

There are now 11 full-time staff at Beaumonts and we’re looking for two more, one for our Chatswood Office which will be opening later in the year and an additional consultant for the ever expanding Banking and Finance Division. If you know anyone with previous recruitment experience who would be interested, please let us know!

Our new offices are certainly a step up for us; all new furniture, loads more space, loads more windows and a lovely leafy outlook over Wynyard Park.

10 useful work phrases

1. Thank you. We're all refreshed and challenged by your unique point of view.
2. How about never? Is never good for you?
3. I don't know what your problem is, but I'll bet it's hard to pronounce.
4. Any connection between your reality and mine is purely coincidental.
5. I have plenty of talent and vision. I just don't care.
6. I like you. You remind me of when I was young and stupid.
7. What am I? Flypaper for freaks!?
8. I'm not being rude. You're just insignificant.
9. I'm already visualizing the duct tape over your mouth.
10. I will always cherish the initial misconceptions I had about you.

Timesheets are Online

Did you know you can fill out your timesheets online? For those you of you currently temping with us, or those who may in the future, all you have to do is log on to our website and go to jobseekers and submit timesheet.

All very simple and saves the trees too.

Why Not Have Your Say!

We like to encourage feedback on our newsletter as well as your views on Beaumont Consulting’s services. It is your opinion that shapes the future services we offer so please feel free to email your ideas and opinions to Debbie. Your comments and questions are always welcome whether it be about our site or this newsletter.

Quote of the month

The most important question to ask when considering a new job is not “What am I going to get?” The most important question is “What am I going to become?”

And Finally...

Don't forget to have a look at this weeks vacancies.

We hope you have a great day, thank you and keep in touch