The new reality is that the overwhelming majority of vacancies now require post-secondary education for ENTRY level jobs!!  A fascinating overseas article I read (read here) talks about the statistics for Occupation projections through to 2018.

The statistics project that the growth in jobs will be highest for the highest level of education (eg: post-graduate degrees) and will follow suit to the smallest growth being in industries that require vocational or technical education (eg: trade certificates).  The forecast proposes that over 60% of jobs in 2018 will require some college education and up to half will require at least a Bachelor’s Degree.

So what does this mean for job seekers moving forward??

For the younger generations

Stick it out at school!  Take for granted that if you are currently in school (ie: under grade 12) you would be seriously jeopardizing your job prospects if you don’t gain some University qualifications.  I could write a whole new post on the merits of study and where you should direct your interests, but suffice to say a generalist Bachelor’s degree would be worth having under your belt, as experience in the retiring generation of Baby Boomers will be replaced by the need to have at least shown the tenacity to obtain a degree!  In other words, much like is the standard in London, a degree in anything, even if it doesn’t relate directly to your ultimate career path, is going to be viewed better than experience and no degree.

For the older generations

Time to start looking at upskilling on the job.  Many Certificates can now be ‘RPL’d” (Recognition of Prior Learning).  In Australia there are subsidies available to employers to help their staff (for little or no cost) to formalise their experience.

The benefits of study

Ever heard the saying the more you learn, the less you know?!  Although it might seem ironic, the truth is the more you learn the more it opens your eyes to things previously unknown and you begin to understand new things and the more you understand things the more you see that you can learn and understand more!

Employers understand the benefits of people who have engaged in study and who have broadened their understanding of new and varied topics!  Use this to your advantage and find a way to make study a priority!!  You will be rewarded with more doors opening for you!

Last week (see post here) we talked about the vicious cycle of not finding a job and how that saps your confidence when you go to interviews, which then has a demoralising effect on your performance.  It’s no surprise to know that the longer you are out of work, the more your self-esteem suffers and the more desperate you feel.

But the good news is that you CAN do something to turn this around and it is MUCH easier than you think!

As a manager, I can tell you that most managers truly believe that skills and experience can be taught and learnt if someone has the right attitude.  In fact it is attitude that gets people hired far more than any list of qualifications or experience!

So if you want to turn your luck around, there are some easy steps you can take to improve your chances of winning the job at the interview!

1. Research the company – find out what you can about them, and be prepared to be able to have a general conversation about the direction of the company and their products/services.  It is very easy to Google a company these days – check out their about page.  Really make sure that you understand their vision and mission statements – have a story where you can demonstrate your understanding of the importance of where they are going!
2. Role Play – get a friend or family member help you rehearse answers to the common questions asked in an interview.  There are heaps of resources on line that will help you prepare for the typical types of questions that are asked, be prepared to answer descriptively, ie: state WHY you answer the way you do!
   • What are you looking for in a job?
   • why would you like this job?
   • what do you think  you can bring to the role?
   • what are your strengths?
   • what are your weaknesses?
   • where do you see yourself in 5 years?
3. Narrative examples – have a few scenario’s rehearsed where you have been able to demonstrate the skills mentioned in the job vacancy ad.  This is one of the most important aspects of the interview.  Even if you are not directly asked by the interviewer – start the conversation yourself.  You could say something like ‘I notice that the job ad stated the ability to work autonomously; in my previous position I was granted permission to work remotely as I have proven I am extremely reliable in achieving targets and results!’
4. Confidence – this is the one that is the MOST important and often the most difficult to conquer.  Too much confidence and you sound arrogant – a turn off; too little confidence and you will seem to weak.  It is important that you relate your confidence to your achievements in previous roles!  Role playing and narrative examples are great ways for you to increase your confidence!  Having rehearsed real world examples of how you have achieved results for other companies and in other roles gives potential employers confidence in your abilities and your suitability for the role.

Remember the key in all of this is to be able to give examples of where you have demonstrated the key skills and abilities the hiring manager is looking for.  Make SURE that you have fully understood and rehearsed all that is contained in the job advert, that you truly understand what the company stands for and what they are about and SHOW you are keen and confident.  Even if you have to fake it ‘til you make it – trust me, the very best chance you can give yourself is to put yourself forward with full confidence!

Have you been unsuccessfully looking for a job for too long now?  You’re not alone…  The job market is difficult at the moment and it can be discouraging to be out of work.  In fact the longer you are out of work, the harder it seems to find a job.  Why is this?

It’s no surprise to know that the longer you are out of work, the more your self-esteem suffers and the more desperate you feel.  It is human nature to believe that our lack of success can all be related back to us.   We turn the fact that someone else was more suited into OUR failing and then it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy – we think that someone else will be more qualified, or have more experience and when we don’t get the job we can then say ‘there is our evidence that someone else was better than me’.

The good news is that we don’t have to stay on this path!  It is actually much simpler to do a 180 than you would expect.  What’s the trick?

Regain that confidence in your uniqueness!

Obviously you need to initially gain the attention of the hiring manager, so if you haven’t gotten to the interview stage for a while, make sure that you get some help with your resume and cover letters and get into the habit of following up your applications for feedback that will help you improve your future applications!

Once you have more confidence in your resume, it’s time to work on your own confidence.  You will honestly find that most managers agree that skills can be taught and learnt, but attitude is something that is innate.  In other words – if you are able to display the right attitude and a majority of the skills and requirements for the position, you are in with a flying chance!  Don’t let the fact that you might not have ALL of the qualifications or experience required in the job ad daunt you.  If you approach the Hiring Manager with the right attitude you will be surprised at what is not actually necessary for their decision process!

Next week, we’ll give you some specific tips and ideas to regain your confidence and put your best foot forward at that interview!

A recent decision by Fair Work Australia, to uphold the termination of an employee who made inappropriate comments on Facebook, is a clear message to all employers and employees that social media is indeed something that has the power to impact upon business!

It has been an interesting decision given that a previous decision by the FWA found that an employee’s comments would not be seen by many people and would not be damaging to the employer’s business

So what does this mean for employers?  Time to put some protection mechanisms in place!

How was the decision to uphold the employees termination reached

In the case of O’Keefe Vs The Good Guys (ref: public record available here), there were several factors weighed in the decision:

1. Work colleagues were able to view the post and although the particular subject of the post was blocked, it was deduced that the other staff could conceivably have shown the post to her,
2. The comments were deemed to be insulting and threatening,
3. The employee handbook specifically addressed expected behaviours for communicating with other staff, customers and supplier employees,
4. It did not matter that the comments were made outside of work hours and outside of the workplace.

Basically the decision held that: 1. There was a valid reason for the dismissal, 2. The person dismissed was notified of that reason, and 3. The person was given the opportunity to respond.  So given that the employer’s termination was upheld in a wrongful dismissal case brought against them (in opposition to previous social media cases) – what should employers be doing to make sure they are in the same position as The Good Guys

What can employers do to protect themselves?

Deduced from the above decision process by FWO, I would suggest there are a few things you could do to make sure you are protecting yourself and your company:

1. Implement a Social Media policy!!!  This is the most direct way to protect yourself.  State that employees are not to post information pertaining to the business, staff, clients or suppliers, either past, current or future!  Decide if you will allow employees to identify themselves as employed by your company or not.  Note that your company may view posts of staff as a means of ensuring compliance with your social media policy;
2. Decide if you will allow social media use during work hours and in the workplace (remembering that most people have social media on their smartphones these days, so they are not likely to be using work computers to access the sites), state that use outside of these boundaries is still bound by the internal policies;
3. Ensure that your employee handbook specifically addresses the issues of the behaviour guidelines, most specifically with regards to communication directly and indirectly with staff, clients and suppliers of your business, past, present and future! (this is really a huge part of the success of The Good Guys response to the application by Mr O’Keefe);
4. Educate your staff about what is acceptable general social media use and what is not (just as you would with sexual harassment).

As the use and popularity of Social Media grows, employers need to ensure they are protecting themselves and their staff.  Creating Social Media guidelines and/or policies are a smart and effective way for employers to ensure they do this!

PLEASE NOTE: this advice is not legal advice and does not take your particular circumstances into account.  Please seek legal advice about the suitability and applicability of any suggestions made.