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October 11 Newsletter
Welcome
Wow, what a month! Firstly, thank you to all our candidates and clients that voted for us in the SARA awards. We received a very nice call from Seek to confirm our place as 2011 finalists. We’ve already polished off our party shoes and fingers crossed for the 17th November when the winners will be announced at the Seek awards night being held at Dolton House.
Our branches continued to expand in October. Alex Turner and Cherie Bousfield joined our temporary division and Michaela Neill joined our permanent business services team, both in our CBD office. You can find out more about them on our website.
For the last four weeks our North Shore branch have been desperately missing their administration whizz Janine Hayne. This month they were very, very happy to welcome her back as the newly married Janine McLennan! Congratulations to Janine and John!
The next in our list of people getting married (and there is a long list!) is Janine Runaghan from our Not For Profit team who will be away for November in South Africa where she will become Mrs Birch. In her absence, the ever capable Michelle Maye, Rebecca Green and Vicky Alford will be holding the fort, so if you have any queries you know who to call!
Whilst all this has been going on we also organised a charity clothes swap party in aid of Dress for Success which raised $1465.25. We’ve also been wearing our loud shirts and selling cups cakes which raised a fabulous $320 for deaf children.
That’s us wrapped up for October….here’s wishing everyone a great November!
Patricia Leech
Operations Manager
market
Market Update
After a stressful period the Australian Financial markets have recovered from the turmoil of recent months, helped by stronger economic data in the
The Reserve Bank has cut interest rates for the first time in more than two and a half years, bringing relief to households and corporate borrowers. Though the news was received with mixed reactions overall the general Australian population was relieved with this development. Though most economists warn the nation to be wary, it is also important to note that the exchange rate has been very variable over the past few months, but on the whole has remained at historically high levels.
resumeThe ultimate resume guide
Article taken from seek.com.au
Everybody needs a current resume close at hand. You never know when a great opportunity might arise, and it’s good to be ready.
Your resume is a vital part of your job-search toolbox. SEEK can help you cut through the confusion and prepare the best resume you've ever had!
Presentation and Format
Hardly any resumes are printed and sent in the post these days, so – unless a posted application is specifically required – don’t bother shopping for 100% cotton fibre watermarked parchment.
Pay attention to submission requirements. Most organisations are happy with simple documents created in Word and saved as a .doc, .docx or .rtf file. To retain your formatting and fonts, you could save your resume as a PDF; but first make sure PDFs are accepted. Otherwise, use a standard font and keep images out.
Increasingly, larger organisations are using electronic application tracking systems. Resumes are also commonly distributed internally, emailed and photocopied. This means that a simple, plain resume layout is preferred.
Personal details
Don't waste time with a cover sheet. List your name and contact details at the top of the first page, including your address (suburb and state is fine) and a telephone contact number. Include your email address only if it is private and you can check for incoming messages at least once a day. As a general rule, don't include your work number unless you have a private office where you can take a phone call without being overheard.
Using a mobile number is a good idea, but make sure that you’re able to take incoming calls. If you might miss the call, make sure your voicemail message is appropriately professional.
It is no longer usual to include details under headings such as gender, age, marital status, religion, ethnicity or health. Some experts strongly counsel against including these details. It can make your resume look dated and this personal information is not relevant to your ability to do the job. If any of the factors are relevant and an employer has an exemption to discriminate on these grounds, mention the appropriate information in your cover letter.
Career objective
Differences of opinion exist about including a career objective. Some experts dislike them, viewing them as an Americanism, clichéd or adding no value. If you do use one, expect to rewrite it, even slightly, to match each job you apply for.
Three sample career objectives:
• Accountant
• An accounting position in a blue-chip media/entertainment company. Long-term plans are to advance into a management position with responsibility for financial functioning of the firm.
• Graphic designer
• To obtain an entry-level position as a graphic designer that will utilise my creative and organisational skills and will provide an intense learning experience.
• Retail manager
• To become a store manager in a national retail chain with opportunities to advance to state sales management.
Professional experience
The best resumes are brief and informative, so every word in this section must work hard for you. As a general rule, include more details about your current job, and less details the older the job. If you've been in the workforce for some period of time, simply list the position, company and dates of your earlier or least relevant jobs. You are not obliged to list every job you've ever had, but you should highlight relevant experience whenever it occurred.
A tactic for older job seekers is to only list jobs since, say, 2000.
If possible, illustrate career development in your resume. If you have "downsized" your career or moved sideways, you may wish to include a brief reference to the circumstances that motivated your move. For instance, "By accepting a less senior position, I was able to accommodate part-time graduate study. In this role, I..."
"The best resumes are brief and informative"
Company and title
Make a decision about whether the companies you have worked for are more important than the job titles. The most important information should go first, followed by the job title on a new line. Stay consistent, though, to allow for quick scanning and comprehension.
Job summary
Don't just describe your duties and responsibilities. Emphasise your achievements and show how you contributed to your employer's business. Carefully consider how you can quantify your goals and achievements.
As an example:
"Transformed an inefficient call centre with low morale into an organised, lean and quality focused organisation, increasing revenue by 12 per cent, decreasing costs by 20 per cent and decreasing staff turnover by 25 per cent."
In some cases there won't be a quantitative measure of your achievements. Find other ways to show your contribution. For example:
"Conducted a production inventory and calculated costs as a consultant to a national retailer; findings led to a shift in the purchasing strategy"
There may not have been a problem in the first place. You did however initiate an action and get a result.
"As a self-employed contractor, set up databases for organisations that led to increased productivity for account managers."
Education
The level of detail depends on the balance between your qualifications and your work experience. It may be suitable for school leavers and graduates with little experience to list selected classes and to include results if these are better than average (or requested). Don’t just list everything you did at high school.
As a general guide, the less recent your qualification, the less information you provide. A typical format lists the name of the qualification, the date you graduated, the institution which granted it and your major. For example:
BA, 2006, Victoria University of Wellington
Major: History
Add the name of any scholarships or awards you have won to the second line.
If you are partway through a qualification, list it like this:
Graduate Diploma in Public Relations (RMIT)
study commenced 2009
Begin with the highest level of educational achievement. You can leave out details about high school if you have a higher degree or qualification.
The education section usually follows the employment details unless you are recently graduated or you are pursuing an academic position where your educational achievements are more relevant.
"A new employer generally won't contact referees until they have selected a preferred candidate — or if they are trying to decide between two candidates."
References and referees
It is increasingly uncommon for past employers to provide written references. Instead, a new employer will want the names and contact details of referees — people who know you well and can be contacted to check the details in your resume.
Choose your referees carefully. You must gain someone's agreement before listing them as a referee. A new employer generally won't contact referees until they have selected a preferred candidate — or if they are trying to decide between two candidates.
Consider not including details of your referees on your resume. Instead, under a heading "Referees", note that referees are available on request. Once you have been interviewed you can offer details of referees. It is a courtesy to advise referees that they may be contacted. It is also a valuable opportunity to tell them briefly about the position, what it involves and to gently remind them of your relevant skills.
Sometimes a job advertisement or position description will specifically ask for the names of referees to be included with your application. In such cases, of course, include them.
Optional extras
A good resume is as brief as possible. Only include items listed below if they will truly strengthen your application.
• Professional training
• Professional affiliations and memberships
• Licences and accreditations
• Knowledge of foreign languages
• Publications
• Special accomplishments such as awards
• Interests
Tailoring your resume
Ideally, tailor your resume for each application you submit. Every job is unique and requires a different mix of skills and experience. Don't focus your resume on what you want. Instead, understand the needs and problems facing the employer. Research the company and industry to work out what problems and challenges the company faces. If you are responding to an advertised vacancy, read the ad closely to identify what issues or problems the successful candidate needs to solve.
Next, go through your work history, retrieving the skills and experience most relevant to this employer and position. Summarise or leave out those parts of your work history which won 't help you get the job. Essentially, you are emphasising some skills and achievements and de -emphasising others. Don't lie.
As part of this process, give some thought to what tone to use in your application. For example, aggressively selling yourself may suit a high-powered sales role. A graphic artist might want to develop a resume that reflects their creativity.
Once you have written the resume be sure to get somebody you trust to read it. An objective opinion can help improve your resume, but keep in mind that there are many different ideas about the ideal presentation. Weigh advice carefully (including ours).
"… tailor your resume for each application you submit"
Different resume formats
There are two main ways to organise your resume:
Chronological structure: The chronological resume is the most common way of structuring your information. It lists your work experience and achievements in each job, beginning with the most recent.
Hybrid model: The hybrid format highlights your strengths by placing your skills, experience and abilities at the beginning, and a chronologically ordered list of experience toward the end, as in this example.
For further information on this article, or to find others like it please visit www.seek.com
Temp of the month
This month our $100 Temp of the Month prize goes to Grainne Delaney
This is what the client had to say: ‘Fantastic worker who is loved by everyone.’
Well done Grainne from the team at Beaumont!
Getting to know you
Ever wondered what we get up to when we're not at work? This week we are getting to know Vicky Alford.....
1. What is your role in Beaumont Consulting?
Not for Profit Recruitment Coordinator
2. What was your first job?
Receptionist at a photography studio
3. What was your favourite subject at school?
Drama
4. If you were stuck on a desert island, what is the one thing you couldn’t do without?
People
5. What is the first thing you notice about people?
Teeth, I like clean neat teeth
6. Who is someone that inspires you and why?
My mum, she has just reached her 10 year anniversary of sobriety. She now talks regularly in schools and runs AA groups where she lives.
7. What do you do in your spare time?
I eat & drink A LOT and then go to the gym to make up for it. I also like going to the theatre to watch musicals or watching reality TV like Beauty & the Geek and Xfactor
8. What was the last book you read?
A Million Little Pieces by James Frey
9. If you could be famous for anything what would it be?
My dessert bar called “Just Desserts” – one day I will make it happen!
10. What’s the best decision you have ever made?
To go travelling around the world.