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Getting AcceptedThe first step in finding a job is to get an employer or prospective customer to consider the possibility of engaging your services.Once they decide: "Let's have a closer look at this person"; you then have a chance to convince them that they should employ you. You need to give them every reason you possibly can to employ you. You need to be careful to NOT give them ANY REASONS AT ALL to NOT employ you. Consider: *A positive and enthusiastic attitude impresses a potential employer. Positive and enthusiastic people are judged as more likely to learn faster, work better, and contribute to a more pleasant working environment. *People are more likely to employ someone who is friendly and pleasant to be with, so smile and be easy to get along with. Don't issue or even imply demands (eg. Don't indicate conditions of employment which you require unless you are in an extremely good bargaining position. Wait for the employer to raise such matters). *Many bosses believe that the way a person presents themselves is a reflection of how they will perform at work. A sloppy dresser is seen as someone who might be sloppy in their work. Wear good clothes and be well groomed when attending interviews. *Bosses may judge people who don't stick to the point in an interview as being people who might be diverted from their work and hence waste time in the work place. Be concise, well organised and keep to the point in an interview, on the phone or in a letter. *In different industries, different things are expected to be brought by a prospective employee to an interview; so if you are at all uncertain, ask "What should I bring to the interview". EXAMPLE: In the graphics industry, you should take a portfolio of artwork, and it must be well presented. In the photographic industry, you should take a folio of photos you have taken. In the advertising industry, you should take examples of advertisements or press releases you have prepared. Landscapers should take examples of their plans, and photos of gardens they have constructed. An aspiring nursery worker might take along a plant they have grown. A writer should take along examples of work they have had published. NOTE: If you do take examples of your work to an interview, they must be of good quality, and well presented! It's better not to take anything, than to take poor quality work. TELEPHONE MANNER The way in which you answer a telephone and speak to people, is very important to the image you convey to a potential employer. For many employers, the first time they have contact with you will be when you phone them or they phone you. (As they say...first impressions are lasting ones). WHEN ANSWERING the phone, you should simply say either... A. Your name: Example: "John Smith speaking" OR B. Hello, Good Morning or some similar greeting, followed by your name: Example: "Good Morning; John Smith speaking" Throughout a phone discussion it is important to cultivate a voice tone which is lively and interesting. Do not speak in a monotone. The tone of your voice should go up and down varying in pitch and speed...but in a subtle way...not too obvious. A friendly happy voice on the phone is a very great asset in any employee. End the phone discussion in a friendly way.....A cheerful goodbye is acceptable. In some situations, it may be even better to say "Have a nice day", or "Hope to hear from you again soon" ....etc. TELEPHONE ANSWERING WHEN YOU'RE NOT THERE If a prospective employer calls on the phone and you're not at home, here are a few ways you can handle the situation: 1. Let it Ring It's not good to do this too often. It can affect your opportunities. 2. Leave it off the Hook This makes people think that your phone is busy....occasionally it might be better to leave it off the hook, than to just let it ring; however, too often, this will discourage employers, because they cannot get you. 3. Have someone take a message for you. This is always the best. Make sure the person (family or friend) knows that people might call, and know how to handle phone calls. Make sure you check in twice daily on phone calls and reply quickly. If you don't have anyone to take messages, consider using a telephone answering service Here you can redirect you phone calls to a receptionists service elsewhere which (normally during business hours) will take messages for you. When you wish, you can redirect calls back to your own telephone. The advantage is that it is a person who they can speak to, and who can take a message, which might not have been left if they got onto an answering machine. 4. Use a telephone answering machine This is a machine which can be connected to your telephone system. It will play a recorded message to anyone who calls you, and will record a message from them if they wish to leave one. Many people tend to be uncomfortable about leaving messages on these machines however, and do not leave the recordings you ask them to. The machine can redirect people to call at a different time, or to ring an alternative telephone number if this is how you choose to use it. WRITING RESUMES A well written resume or C.V. (ie. Curriculum Vitae), is the first step to getting a job. If you are unsure of your ability to write a good resume, get help from either a teacher or tutor (if you are studying), a careers officer/adviser, or even just a professional person who has had experience and success with writing their own (eg. a friend, neighbour or relative who holds an executive or managerial position). There are professional resume writing services which can be paid to assist you with writing a resume. The Australian Correspondence Schools provides a service where they will review, comment on, and if necessary, rewrite resumes. Current and former students of that school are provided with this service at no cost. A resume needs to be clear, concise and relevant to the person you are giving it to. -For jobs in a garden centre or parks department where you might be dealing with people, the resume should show that you have the ability to communicate and deal with the public. Experience in selling, Public speaking, involvement with youth clubs, scouts, church groups, sporting clubs etc. will all be relevant here. -For jobs where you are dealing with machinery (eg. Lawn mowing, spraying, tractor driving etc), it will be an advantage to show any skills or knowledge with engines. Relevant things which should be mentioned include :any work experience or study involving machines, the fact that you service your own car or motor bike or even hobbies such as model railways or building model planes which show some ability with engines. -In jobs which require you to take responsibility for money, a background in bookkeeping, banking, or running your own business will go in your favour; as will involvement with a church or some other reputable group such as a youth or sports club. -In jobs which require you to supervise people the employer will look for experience as a leader both in the workplace and outside. It will count if you include experience as president or secretary on a committee, as the organizer of a fund raising event or sporting function, or as a voluntary leader at a recreation centre. An excellent way to look for work is to send resumes, together with covering letters to potential employers. Looking for work this way does work, but remember that it is a numbers game! The more you send out, the more chance you will have of getting a response. The more responses you get, the more chance you will have of getting an interview. The more interviews you get, the more chance you will have of getting a job. Put yourself in the position of an employer receiving a resume in the mail. If he/she has the time to read it, or if the beginning of the resume impresses, they will read it. Only a certain proportion will read it. If it arrives in the right week, or on the right day, (perhaps when they have just been given a lot more work, or when someone has just resigned), the boss will probably contact you. If you don't receive a response from a business the first time, don't give up. If you send another letter and resume a month later, the situation may be different, and the response may be more positive. A resume should be typed and include the following information: 1. Name, Address, Phone No, Age, Nationality, Marital status [optional] 2. Education - subjects taken and results for last two years of secondary school. Any tertiary, trade, or recreational courses done in part or full (even if only a hobby class...in gardening or anything else). 3. Experience - list complete work experience (both full and part-time jobs). Note the job, employer and date you commenced and date you left. Also note experience outside of employment (eg. grew up on a farm, helped parents with vegie garden, collected cacti since I was 10). 4. Any Awards or Positions held - eg. president of club, football team captain, Queen's scout, etc. 5. Other Interests - Church, scouts, sport, music, etc. 6. Skills Audit -list all skills which you have. Example: Able to type at 45 w.p.m.; Commercial drivers license, Trained First Aider, etc GETTING A JOB When an employer considers a job application, he usually considers many of the following: 1) FORMAL QUALIFICATIONS Formal qualifications are viewed in two different ways: a. To indicate the level of knowledge and ability. By looking at what has been studied and passed, the employer can gain an indication of what areas of knowledge and skill are likely to be found with the job applicant). b. As a means of separating applicants who will be considered from those who will not be considered (ie. In some jobs, a particular level of qualification is set as a minimum...anyone applying without that level of qualification is simply not considered) 2) WORK EXPERIENCE Consider the total time in the workforce generally, and in the industry sector which the job relates to. Consider the level of responsibility in prior positions. Consider variety of situations. Consider experience specifically related to the job being filled. 3) PUBLISHED WORKS Anything you have had published will help convince the employer that you have good writing skills; and in many jobs, such skills are an advantage. Writing business letters, advertisements, or even reports; are all important in a wide range of jobs. Consider work published in newsletters, newspapers, professional journals, trade magazines, conference reports, popular magazines and books. 4) MEMBERSHIPS TO PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS/INSTITUTES This is used to gauge the level of acceptance by your peers. Memberships in several associations is better than only one. Consider the length of time you have been a member. Consider the relevance of the association to the job. Consider any formal positions (eg. President, secretary, etc) you have held with the association. Consider any awards given to you by the association. 5) PERSONALITY This is extremely important. Any employer will give a great deal of consideration to how well you will fit in with existing staff. His/her aim will be to retain harmony between employees. Consideration is given to how easy you will be to control, and how readily you will take orders from your superior. 6) AGE Employers are not supposed to show any prejudice about age when employing people, but some may. Often the employer is more concerned about maturity though, so it can be important to show that you are mature in every aspect of your presentation (eg. Dress, preparation for the interview -a mature person will come to an interview with all their paperwork: references, school reports etc). Try to foresee and counteract any possible prejudices an employer might have because of your age. If you have experience which is uncommon for your age, highlight this in your job application. 7) ADAPTABILITY How flexible is the attitude of the applicant? Is it possible to change his approach as the need arises? 8) LENGTH OF TIME OF INVOLVEMENT WITH THE FIELD The applicant might not have worked in the field, but they may have been involved in other ways (eg. as a hobby, through clubs or societies or as a student). Example: If you are applying for a job with computers, and have been an active member of a computer club for many years, this can help. 9) HOW PROLIFIC How much output does the person have? The employer may try to gauge, what you are likely to produce in an 8 hour day. Some employers are interested in what your attitude is to overtime...some like employing workaholics...other employers will avoid workaholics (they see them as risky...they may burn themselves out and go onto worker's compensation). 10) KNOWLEDGE - GENERAL (example if applying for a horticultural position:) What is your general knowledge of the field/industry? How many plant names do you know? Do you understand the use and selection of soils and fertilisers? Do you understand plant botany? ...etc Most employers avoid people who have strong views one way or another, unless they fit into the policy of the particular job. 11) KNOWLEDGE - SPECIFIC Detailed knowledge or experience in the area covered by the job applied for is a big advantage. EMPLOYERS CONSIDER ALL OF THESE THINGS. A QUALIFICATION ALONE DOES NOT GET YOU A JOB!!!! EXPERIENCE ALONE DOES NOT GET YOU A JOB!!!! Very few people ever get the perfect job. You must plan your employment and develop all of the above things in order to give yourself the best chance to get the best job for you (which is available at the time you are looking). Different employers have their own preferences for one particular qualification in preference to another. There is no one qualification in Australia which is preferred by every employer! State government departments favour qualifications from colleges run by their own state government. Some unions have written certain qualifications into their award systems - meaning employers must pay over award payments to staff holding those qualifications. Some employers operating under such awards prefer to employ people with those qualifications...other employers actually prefer qualifications not recognised by the award so as to avoid having to pay out more money. FOR MOST EMPLOYERS, the major considerations about a qualification will be.... i) Is it credible - are the tutors qualified and accepted by their peers; is the school accepted as being credible within the industry (more important than acceptance with education circles), do you need to need to do a considerable amount of work to obtain a qualification? ii) Is there any precedent of graduates being employed? Success rates in this respect can vary greatly. Even highly reputable university courses can often have a very low rate of success with respect to students finding employment. iii) What has been studied and how useful will that be to us? The proficient manager will always look to employ persons who have training in the areas which they intend assigning the employee to work in. Often, the work one does can be very specific...the composition of the course studied might be looked at closely to see that certain skills had been taught. This is the way many employers think. iv/ Personal Preferences - Employers can sometimes show prejudice towards a job applicant determined by their background. Sometimes employers who have studied at a particular college will tend to prefer people who have studied at the same college, or at least another college which they are familiar with. Sometimes an employer will avoid employing a person who has worked for another particular employer. (eg. ABC Landscaping won't employ people who worked for AAA Landscapes because they just don't like the way AAA Landscapes goes about their paving...and they don't want to risk someone on their team who might do things differently). Sometimes, the fact that you worked for the competition can go in your favour, if the new boss thinks he can get some insights into his opponents by having you on his team. |
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