For more on this topic, email Rex@colourthinking.com.au
Many people leave a new job quite soon because it was nothing like they thought it would be! Others find the culture of the new organisation is not supportive, this can be even more so when ‘you’ do not fit into the culture – maybe nationality, religion – your height or even hair colour. Unfortunately many people find all sorts of reasons to ‘pick on others’, to make them feel uncomfortable, not welcome. Yes, these people usually lack self-esteem and seek to gain some sort of prominence by putting others down; how you handle this sort of behaviour distinguishes you are a leader, or follower.
These same people who seem to want to seek to hurt you, believe it or not, dependant on your behaviour, can be your best friend. One thing for certain, if you don’t find a way to fix the situation, you will suffer – blaming the other person is no use, you will have been hurt and potentially your job prospects diminished. DO NOT LISTEN to those who just wan to sympathise with you or blame the other person – that will not help you in fact it will make you even more susceptible to being bullied.
Referring to the title of this post, Getting a job, the interview, seeking advancement, making sure you know what the job is about! you might wonder what these earlier paragraphs are about – well one thing follows the other, understanding that there are many influences impacting on you and your responsibility to take charge of your situation, not be crushed or demotivated but find ways to raise above and present your r]self in a practical and affirmative manner.
Getting the job – there are some jobs in the newspaper, available to see on job web sites, referral from friends and using your own initiative, asking people, knocking on doors. The migration centre can probably offer assistance. The thing is you have to have something to sell – your experience, your skills YOU! That is the job of your resume,Curriculum Vitae. Every time you apply for a position your application and your resume MUST BE NEW AND FOCUSED ON THE COMPANY AND JOB you are applying for. See https://web.archive.org/web/20180226041437/http://www.colourthinking-businessleadershipcoachingtrainingrecruitment.com.au/home/ for numerous article on recruitment. It is worth the time and trouble to check it out – LESS APPLICATIONS, HIGHER FOCUSED STANDARD. Checkout www.colourthinking.com.au for numerous titles about recruitment and resumes that will help you see Australian thinking.
The job of the resume is to get you to THE INTERVIEW – you can complete the online form, send an email or even visit the business. You have to have something to sell – your experience, your skills, YOU! and how you do that makes ALL THE DIFFERENCE!
It is good if you can get a ‘Person Description’ as well as the ‘Job description’. You need to see what they are seeing as the job and the person. Some of their needs you will be able to match, some not so easily – do not be discouraged. Some needs will seem to be to negotiable – unless the need is absolute – are you licensed to fly a plane for a job as a pilot, then yes essential. Most essential need are not really essential and it is how you address them that makes all the difference. You need to do some preparatory work.
1 What are my skills and how to I support that fact that I have them?
2 How does my experience translate to your needs?
3 How do I address any potentially seen discrepancies in both, to the hirer’s needs?
This quite complex but also easy once you get the ones of what it is all about – BUT, too much to address here, you are probably already getting tired or reading?! I am happy to expand on any of this – Rex@LeadershipThinking.Academy or 0407827173 – ask questions, seek wide input, be aware of biased negative thinkers.
About 10% of new recruits leave a position within the first 3 months because it was nothing like they thought it would be. That is partly because many job descriptions/personnel descriptions are outdated (the job changes over time and there is no attention to bring up the JD/PD) and the applicant doesn’t ask questions to help both the employer and them get a clear picture.
In the Public Service most applicants need to apply through specific templates; this does hinder initiative but supposedly makes it easier for the employer to assess the various applications.
So, the first thing is to closely look at the JD/PD and see where your experience and skills match and where there might be discrepancies. The job of the resume is to secure an interview. You job is to help the interviewer see, and remember, your application! Remembering that applications can come in over extended periods and be reviewed in many cases by people who have the task to skim and refer – so the employer looks at some but not all applications. There some things you can do to help people see and remember you – to seek out your application, to keep it live.
This need to be done in print – you need to be able to see it, refer to it, go back to it, log your work so you don’t miss a step
- Identify by name and title of the people relative to the position you are applying for
- Gain the contact info – email, phone location
- Identify if they are on LinkedIn or other Public Service contact platforms – anywhere you can engage with them
- Pay for the added LinkedIn service form the period of this project – getting employed – it allows you much more vision and information
- Device posts and post every three/four days
- The Title of the post is very important – it needs to attract immediate attention so it should be about a problem needing to be solved – then ties that back to have
- Unintened consequences can be addressed
- Budget blowouts can be effectively managed
- Public opinion / media negativity addressed
- Unpopular political thinking recognised and addressed BUT not politically
Anything that the reader will see as something positive, that they will benefit from reading and of course, how what you might be saying indicates you are the type of thinker they need
- Check out those LinkedIn people and respond to their posts – this can be complimentary or even questioning and adding to what they say or highlighting potential challenges
- Look at potential clients to this position you are applying for and add them on in LinkedIn – this is easier if you have paid for the additional service – it is worthwhile for the few dollars
- Make sure your referees contact is fully available – email and phone – – word up your referees so they know what to say if they are contacted – the contacting is further down the path, usually after the initial interview
- In your posts if you can refer to what the department you are applying for has achieved with outlooking like a sucker, then do so
- Thinking back over time, has there been any negatives about the department and how can your posts pick up on that in a way that helps to soften the situation
- In the resume stay away from words that oversell your situation or experience
Seize the day