Applying for a job should be as easy as making a phone call!

There has been a HUGE increase in job candidates signing into mobile job ads!  Certainly with the sheer number of people now sporting smart phones (even my Dad bought himself one for his 75^th birthday!) it’s not surprising that we are increasingly becoming mobile in our daily lives.

Never was it more true for the job market in Australia than right now!  With the number of jobs being posted daily, many job seekers are moving away from the traditional online websites, preferring the ease and simplicity of the mobile job ad boards.

The basic difference with the mobile boards, is that once you are registered, your desired jobs are pushed to your mobile phone.  In the case of www.JobEzy.com.au, you can also respond and apply for your desired job by simply responding to the text or email alert!

I’ve posted before about Information overload:

One thing those who predict online advertising is about to skyrocket and those who argue this happening both agree on is that we live in a world of increasing overwhelm. There is SO MUCH information now available to us that the way to get smart is to ensure that YOUR market is seeing you. That you can capture the attention of the demographics and psychographics that matter, those that want what you have to offer!

Mobile job ads remove the overwhelm, because you set up the alerts to ONLY send you the jobs you are interested in (removing the need to troll though hundreds and hundreds of jobs that aren’t what you want) and then you can simply respond from your mobile!!  Mobile job ads are also specifically designed for smartphones, so no worrying about pages not loading or delays or missing info!

It’s also far more private (who wants to get caught using the computer at work looking for a new job), more instant response (be the first to get your application and resume sent to the advertiser) and of course just plain simple and easy!

Mobile job ads are super convenient and JobEzy prides ourselves on removing the overwhelm of searching for your dream job!

Come and see what all the fuss is about – give yourself the BEST advantage to get your dream job: JobEzy it’s Easy, Convenient, very fast and discrete. We seek out Jobs for you.

Interview techniques and tips

For most of us, the prospect of an interview is about the same as getting up in front of a crowd of a thousand people – pretty darn scary!! In fact, the anxiety leading up to an interview can be even worse, ESPECIALLY if you REALLY want the job!!

But the good news is that interviewing is actually a skill you can learn and like any skill, if you give it some time and practice, you can learn to master the interview!!

Practice

The first thing you can do to help yourself interview better is…. Wait for it… Attend interviews! Yes, I am serious – attend as many interviews as you can, ask friends or colleagues, family or even your recruiter, to help you with mock interviews?

Don’t limit your possibilities

Just because a job might not meet all of your criteria, it is still worth your while to attend the interview – you just never know what it might lead to! Interviewing will also help you to refine your search, it helps you to understand the trends, positions and opportunities currently available! It may just open doors too, you never know who you will meet and even if they think that you are overqualified, they may refer you to someone or something else!

All about you

We tend to conclude that our lives are pretty much the same as other people's, that they’re average and boring. As a result, many people don’t tell their own story well. But your story is so much better than you think. The way your life has evolved; the things you’ve learned; your achievements, failings, and dreams—these things are unique to you and much more interesting than you realize. Sharing your well thought out story is a powerful interviewing technique.

Include major events that have shaped you, influences that got you to the career path you are on (or seek), aha moments that provide vivid dimensions and invite people to emotionally connect with you! Telling your story should be engaging and help people to connect with you!

Answering the dreaded questions

Ask almost anyone and they will say the same thing – the scariest part of the interview is being asked a question that you can’t think of an answer for! So the best way to deal with this is to prepare as best you can. Build some stories around the following ideas:

• State times where you either made money or saved money for your current or previous company.
• Focus on a crisis or two in your life or job and how you responded or recovered from it.
• A time where you functioned as a part of a team and what that contribution was.
• A time in your career or job where you had to deal with stress.
• A time in your job where you provided successful leadership or a sense of direction.
• The failures you faced in your job and how you overcame them.
• The major events that happened during your career that caused you to change direction and how that worked out for you.

Finally – be prepared! Before you go to an interview do a google search on the company. Find out what they do and what their philosophies are, this is a very important step in showing that you are genuine about wanting to work with someone!

Job seekers guide to searching for the perfect job

Once upon a time, most of us thought the perfect job was the one with the big pay cheque! The one that made our friends and colleagues envious. And then we get a little older and a little wiser and guess what – we truly learn that money alone doesn’t make us happy!

I read a fascinating article recently (read here) that talked about how we are seeking happiness in our careers and a younger and younger age. Once upon a time it was retirees and those nearing retirement who finally took the step to follow a dream. Then it started happening with people in their 40’s who were missing family time, now we are seeing people in their 30’s discovering that working all the time for money is actually depleting them of time with friends and family and even stopping them from having a significant other in their lives!

The author of the above linked article noticed a lot of his clients and friends changing careers, but more than that, they were sacrificing the big money for start up businesses, helping friends, or chasing a long time dream. He noticed that even Uni students were taking their time for the perfect job instead of just taking anything (interesting behaviour in a recession!). We probably all know someone who has thrown it all in to start again, I have a friend who had a successful well paying career and threw it in for an apprenticeship doing what he loved. It meant quite a financial burden for his family for a while, but his family all say it was worth it to see their husband and Dad finally happy!

When our author asked his participants questions around this career change pattern (ie: money Vs happiness) there were 2 questions that stood out, ‘are you happy’ and ‘what do you think success is’. He found: “Without a single exception, the individuals who answered yes to the first question were driven by similar sets of criteria, which could be summed up into a few statements; they wanted enough, but not too much, money; they wanted to be respected but also to be happy, and they wanted to be in a position where they woke up in the morning looking forward to the day ahead”.

He also found that the ones that were not happy in their careers were seeking more power, money and influence than their happy counterparts! The conclusion he was able to draw was that, based on these measurements, success is about winning, not happiness.

So what is the important point in all of this??? Those who seek happiness in their careers are actually happier and more satisfied in life overall. You see career and life are inextricably linked and if you are pursuing anything from a competitive approach, you are actually blocking your happiness.

Time to put some thought into what actually makes you happy and pursue a career that will fill this need, the money and rewards will follow!

Is it Time to Forget Your Spiel?

When you are a recruiter you get used to the first question being “what are your costs”. It is highly likely that your potential client will have whipped this one out just after you get to say hello. It is even more likely that they haven’t told you a whole lot (if any) about their company, their environment, their staff, their vacancy or any of the important stuff that you need to know to successfully fill a vacancy for them.

Most recruiters will at this point launch into the ‘spiel’ - who we are, what we do, how much it costs and the likelihood is that the person on the other end of the phone will say “thank you XYZ is cheaper” and you’ve lost the fish off the hook. Some of you are nodding with me aren’t you?!!

Think about it - what message are you sending? Are you stressing to clients (and even candidates) that you value their time? You can’t do this by just quoting a price and giving them your spiel – you need to create a connection!

So, if you want to secure more business, it’s time to reinvent the wheel and throw out the spiel and start with creating a connection!!

How do you CONNECT with a potential client

The first thing you need to do is ASK QUESTIONS! Yes, you need to get your potential client to do the talking. Chances are that they don’t really care which recruiter they use, as they probably don’t understand the differences and until they do they will be basing their decisions on a dollar figure. Simply telling them all of your good points and why you are better just isn’t going to cut it either – think about it, people really don’t liked to be talked AT, do they?!

Questions

So you need to think about some clever questions to ask, eg:

• Why do you currently have this vacancy?
• What is your ideal candidate like?
• Explain your office culture to me

These questions (and any more you can think of) are how you get a potential client to open up and start talking about themselves – and once you hear things you know you can help with, you can confirm that you are just the recruiter to meet their needs!

You may need a little spiel

You may need a little spiel to keep in your arsenal, especially if you are cold calling for business – just make sure that you have 1 or 2 points (no more – as it gets too overwhelming) that really make you stand out from your competition AND then use as many questions as you can to get your potential client to talk!

How to find a mentor

Last week we talked about how to get the edge in your job search. Amongst other things we discussed the merits of networking: it’s not what you know but WHO you know! This week I’d like to elaborate a little further on the concept of support from people and discuss the merits of finding yourself a mentor!

What is a mentor

A mentor is more experienced than the mentee, possessing wisdom that only experience can provide. A good mentor is someone who has the patience and the desire to teach someone less experienced, they must have good communication skills and be helpful.

What does a mentor provide

• Support and knowledge
• An insider's perspective on navigating your career
• Clearer understanding and enhancement of academic and career plans
• Exposure to diverse perspectives and experiences
• Direct access to powerful resources within your profession – including industry events and functions
• Identification of skill gaps
• Greater knowledge of career success factors
• The foundation of a lasting professional network

Who makes an ideal mentor

Firstly, a mentor should NOT be a direct boss – there needs to be some distance between a mentor and a mentee. A direct report relationship can’t be separated from the day-to-day needs of the business and is not a healthy solution. A mentor needs to be someone who can relay their experience and connect on a personal level with their mentee.

Where do you look for a mentor

The best place to start is usually within your own workplace. Remember to start at least a level above your boss – the advantage to this is that they will also be able to provide you with insight into how your boss has to deal with and respond to situations. If you are unable to find a mentor within your workplace, look wider within your industry. Perhaps attend some industry specific events and ask for referrals with people within your industry!

Tips for finding and working with a mentor

Firstly, choose a mentor who is on the same career path that you want to travel, someone who is in a different place to where you plan to be is not going to be able to help you as much as someone who has travelled the path you are looking to travel!

Choose a mentor whose goals are similar to your own, this is extremely important as a mentor needs to be able to understand where you are coming from and what you are trying to achieve. Your mentor should have the resources to spend time with you regularly and likewise you need to make regular time to spend with your mentor to get the best from the relationship.

Lastly choose a mentor with whom you feel a connection – if you don’t have respect and some healthy admiration for your mentor, you are less likely to learn from them!