Hello there,

How are you today?  There’s nothing better than having great relationships with your colleagues at work.  So how do we develop and nurture these relationships?

Develop professional and trusting relationships

Think about the quality of your relationships and the importance of trust. As you navigate the people in your new workplace, professional associations and beyond, associated with your role, follow up with the people who you believe share similar values to yourself. Create a positive image and actively participate in meetings with these people you value and assisting them where you can in their projects. Find out what matters to them to create a strong foundation on which to grow your relationship.  Build appreciation into the conversations or other means of communication. People will want to be involved with you if you can assist them to further their interests and service them in some way.  Think about ways to build mutual trust and shared intentions.  

Develop trusting relationships

Work at a range of levels to support and nurture those relationships, so that trust develops and new ventures can be pursued. When you find the right people to effectively work along side, people will collaborate with you and help you to leverage and grow your career too. You may be able to create mentoring opportunities. Seek out Professional Associations in your field. Go to the professional development sessions and networking events to engage width a wider group of people in your profession.

For further information about how to build successful relationships in this way, have a look at Melissa Giovagnoli’s networlding website http://www.networlding.com. She has two great books that assist you to make networking meaningful – they are the Networlding NanoBook and Networlding Guidebook.  See the further reading list for details.

Next week we will look at how to stay positive and grow your career identity within your role.

Trust – essential for workplace relationships is a post from: Career Change Aspirations Blog | job application support | career planning | women careers | career change | resume | selection criteria | Cover letter | further study

Hello and welcome to a brand new year!

It’s a great time to revisit your career goasl and current direction, even in the postion you currently have.

How are you today?  Today we will explore how to turn your job into your dream job.

Plan your pathway within the role

Whether you are in a new job or an old one, you will now be in a position to plan your pathway within the role either formally or informally. You are now in a position to make some informed plans for how to move forward. There are a number of types of action plans that may be relevant to you.

There will most likely be a probation period that will protect both you and the employer if the initial settling in stage does not work out for either party. Visualise how you would like to be performing in this role. Begin to develop your action plan.  If you want personal help with this you could engage me for a one to one session via http://www.winc.net.au/career-coaching.

Successful action plans are:

• Exciting – what you are planning to do has to motivate you!
• Specific – clear, with time-bound goals and definite actions
• Realistic – well researched and reality tested with input from others
• Flexible – able to adapt to unexpected circumstances or setbacks

Having the best-developed goals in the world are worthless without going to the next step and organising how to achieve them. While the amount of planning that people are willing to engage in varies with the personality of the person, some action planning is essential. For some of us it doesn’t come easily, but the more you focus on planning your actions, the easier it is to enact your plan and the sooner you will achieve your career goals.

i. Consider your longer term career plan within the context of this role

This is your big picture or master plan for the next 10 years of your career. Your career plan should include:

Goals – these include your short, medium, and long-term career goals.

Key Tasks – the components or steps that express your strategy for accomplishing your goals. You could consider your real and perceived barriers and obstacles to your goals and include strategies/tasks for overcoming or avoiding them.

Actions – important actions you can identify to achieve your steps with a particular focus on the next 6-12 months.

Resources and support – the information sources, organisations, training and people that you can identify to support you in implementing your actions and accomplishing your goals. Importantly, this should include motivational support from family, friends, networks or mentors.

Timeframe – when you expect to commence and complete your specific actions.

Back-up Plans – your “what if” plans if the goal in its current form can not be achieved. It is important to recognise that there are many ways to achieve your goals and many ways around perceived and real barriers.

A good practice is to take each key task, step, or strategy from your career plan and do a complete action plan for implementing it on a separate sheet of paper. Alternatively, you could create a table and tick off each task as you do it. It is easy to become side-tracked by what is termed ‘the shiny red apples’.

ii. Training and development plan

Your career plan may include an action plan for training and development. To create a training and development plan you identify the knowledge and skills you will need to achieve your career goals and work out ways to acquire them. If this is not a major area of need it can be incorporated in your career plan. However it is usually a good idea to keep it separate, but linked, to your career plan. It also will need the normal action plan elements: goals, tasks, actions, resources, and a timeframe but with a focus on training and development.

Next week we will look at how to develop positive trusting relationships with your colleagues.

Goals, action and training… Keep the dream alive - is a post from: Career Change Aspirations Blog | job application support | career planning | women careers | career change | resume | selection criteria | Cover letter | further study

Hello and welcome,
Christmas time is always a good time to reflect on where you are going in your career.
Many of us work right up until the end of the year, trying to fit as much as we can into our working hours.

Creating directions

However, this time of year punctuates the routine of the year, as we gather with family and friends and begin to catch up on our life stories.
Sometimes in the telling of what is going on, we begin to reflect on the events of the past year.
Consider your feelings- do you have gratitude, confidence, determination, and creativity.
Conversely are you cynical, fearful, angry, hesitant?
I like to consider my basic needs as a place to start to reconsider my direction.
Which area of basic need would make a difference to you and your happiness right now?
Love and belonging, personal power, freedom or fun.
If you can identify your needs, then you will know what to work on to move forward.
As Melody Beattie writes, ‘Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow’.
Best wishes to you and your family this Christmas. It’s my first without my mother this year, and I am so grateful to have been her daughter.
Bye for no and I’ll be back in the New Year.
Bye for now,
Leanne

Gratitude for our past, peace for today and vision for tomorrow. is a post from: Career Change Aspirations Blog | job application support | career planning | women careers | career change | resume | selection criteria | Cover letter | further study

How are you today?
Congratulations on your new job… now make it your dream job.

Transition into a position

Getting started

Make a good first impression

Crafting a new job

New Job – make it your dream job. is a post from: Career Change Aspirations Blog | job application support | career planning | women careers | career change | resume | selection criteria | Cover letter | further study

The job offer

Hi There,

How are you today?  

Follow up of the job application process.

There are a few more things that you can do to follow up after an interview.

If you are offered the position:

• Make a decision to accept the offer.
• At the time of the offer, take time to assess and consider the offer – build a case to negotiate salary and conditions.
• Reply to the offer by negotiating salary further if this is what you want.
• Negotiate start date.
• Be aware of your new ‘identity’ transition

If unsuccessful in being offered the position, you may follow up in the following ways:

• Accept the situation.
• Regain confidence.
• Request feedback for improvement from the panel chair.
• Request to remain on company or recruiter’s database.
• Nurture the relationship by keeping in contact.
• Persist in your relationship with recruiters as they are there to assist both you and the employer.
• Review feedback and your ability to match employer requirements.
• Review where you need to make improvements.

‘You are responsible for two things in your life – your actions and reactions’

Helen Rosing.

How to negotiate your salary

Kelly Magowan, from SixFigures.com.au, is passionate about salary negotiation. Kelly offered some important points to consider when negotiating your salary.

• ·       Research the process of salary negotiation.
• ·       See for example Kelly’s ‘Salary Negotiation Guide’ on her website on the resources page. You will probably need to sign in. You can always unsubscribe at any time.

• Research on the internet and through your networks, as to what is an appropriate salary for the job you are doing.
• Who is the most appropriate person with whom to negotiate your salary?
• Take action by arranging a meeting with the most appropriate person. Consider alternative possible benefits such as superannuation, parking fees, expected work times etc.
• Seriously consider salary negotiation. If you don’t ask you don’t get.

Enjoy your career development journey as it unfolds.

Next week we will look at how to transition into a new job.

When the time is right for you to take more action, here are a few options for you.

1.  Request the  free 32 page report in the right hand column here – it is jam packed with information that you can use today to get you motivated to start taking action.

2. Consider buying a Do it yourself eBook and focus on one part of the Career Momentum Program at a time. Click here to see the eBook options.

3. Personalised career coaching options for you. I have a few you can choose from. Click here to view the options.

4. Have a look at the kinds of Job application support options available to meet your needs, also on the career coaching link above.

If you need information and support more urgently than this blog provides, you are welcome to email me at leanne@winc.net.au.

Bye for now,

Leanne

Job application processes – the job offer – salary negotiation is a post from: Career Change Aspirations Blog | job application support | career planning | women careers | career change | resume | selection criteria | Cover letter | further study

Hi There,

How are you today?  To continue our preparation for your job interview, today we will focus on three things. Travel, clothes, and practising for the interview.

Plan for travel and appropriate clothing.

Plan your travel for the day. How will you get there? Do you need to park your car? Take the contact phone number for the panel chair if case you need to make contact on the day. Plan to be early by 15 minutes.
What will you wear? Have it ready before the day of the interview. Make a judgement about what is appropriate for an interview in this workplace. Take a pen and paper with you.

Practise for the interview.

It is advisable to practise for the interview, as the action of saying the words and feeling comfortable is different to having them written down. However, do not practise too much either.
If you need more input regarding the interview, we do offer a mock interview service, where you can practise in a safe place. You can contact us at leanne@winc.net.au for more information about price and availability. We can do it by phone or Skype if this is more convenient.

A great resource for interviews is Annemarie Cross’ book.
Click on the link on my website to check out how to buy this book
http://www.winc.net.au/
Outshine and outperform your competitors by using these cutting edge interview techniques in your next interview!

Next week we will explore how to follow up the job application process.

When the time is right for you to take more action, here are a few options for you.

1.  Request the  free 32 page report in the right hand column here – it is jam packed with information that you can use today to get you motivated to start taking action.

2. Consider buying a Do it yourself eBook and focus on one part of the Career Momentum Program at a time. Click here to see the eBook options.

3. Personalised career coaching options for you. I have a few you can choose from. Click here to view the options.

4. Have a look at the kinds of Job application support options available to meet your needs, also on the career coaching link above.

If you need information and support more urgently than this blog provides, you are welcome to email me at leanne@winc.net.au.

Bye for now,

Leanne

Impress in person at the interview is a post from: Career Change Aspirations Blog | job application support | career planning | women careers | career change | resume | selection criteria | Cover letter | further study

hi there,

How are you today? Last week we looked at making that all important phonecall after you have sent your application in. Today we will focus on how to prepare for the interview. There are a few key points you need to consider.

1. Research the company

You can go further than the job advertisement or the company website to source more information. For example, seek to find annual reports; do informational interviews; explore Google blogs and LinkedIn  too.

Prepare for different kinds of question
Some of these questions may include:
• Tell me about yourself? (remember your 60 second elevator speech)
• What do you know about our company?

Motivational questions

Sometimes you will be asked a question that will reflect your motivation to work for the company.
For example, you may be asked:
Why do you want this job?
Tell us what you know about our organisation?
What do you find most attractive about this position?

Behavioural questions

Behavioural questions are an attempt by the panel to hear short stories of where you have demonstrated their required skills in other places.   Some typical questions may start with phrases like:
Tell me about a time when …
Provide us with an example of when you have demonstrated …
Clearly these types of questions want you to tell a story about your experience that demonstrates a particular competency. These competencies are the kinds of skills that they require for the job. Once again, use the STAR technique (Situation, task, action and result)  to structure you answers. The results you give for your story, offer a natural close to your answer.

Prepare two questions for you to ask at the end of the interview.

Several recruiters report that it is very impressive to demonstrate your enthusiasm and commitment to understand the position, through asking questions. You could ask questions such as
What is the panel’s time line for decision making about the position?
What are your expectations for the successful candidate within the first month?
How many people are there in the team?

Next week we will look at how to do further preparation for the interview.

When the time is right for you to take more action, here are a few options for you.

1.  Request the  free 32 page report in the right hand column here – it is jam packed with information that you can use today to get you motivated to start taking action.

2. Consider buying a Do it yourself eBook and focus on one part of the Career Momentum Program at a time. Click here to see the eBook options.

3. Personalised career coaching options for you. I have a few you can choose from. Click here to view the options.

4. Have a look at the kinds of Job application support options available to meet your needs, also on the career coaching link above.

If you need information and support more urgently than this blog provides, you are welcome to email me at leanne@winc.net.au.

Bye for now,

Leanne

Job interviews: research and preparation is a post from: Career Change Aspirations Blog | job application support | career planning | women careers | career change | resume | selection criteria | Cover letter | further study

Hi there,

How are you today?

Often people think that once they have sent their application in, that’s the end of it, and they sit and wait. Well, if you want to stand out in the crowd, you need to go a step further. This could be the most important step you’ll take… read on…

Send in the application

Ensure that you have followed the instructions given and included all of the employers requirements. For example, if the position has no selection criteria, simply include a cover letter and a resume. If a response to selection criteria is required, the order of your documents should be: cover letter, responses to selection criteria, and resume. Send your application in to the recruiter or employer through the required mechanism, whether it is online or by mail. If possible, do both.

Phone the contact person again

Make the call

Phone to confirm or acknowledge the application has been received. If it has already been acknowledged, let them know that you are double checking on this. If your application has not been acknowledged as received, then it is essential that you do make this call.
The importance of this phone call is that it could get your application onto the top of the pile. You may be asked for an interview during the call as you bring notice to your application. Imagine a recruitment officer allocating three hours to short list a set of applications. After that time, remaining applications may be discarded. You need to get on top of the pile. During this follow up phone call, you could ask a question about the process from this point on. For example,
When will applicants be invited for interviews and associated timelines?

In the next blog I  will look at how to do research before an interview.

When the time is right for you to take more action, here are a few options for you.

1.  Request the  free 32 page report in the right hand column here – it is jam packed with information that you can use today to get you motivated to start taking action.

2. Consider buying a Do it yourself eBook and focus on one part of the Career Momentum Program at a time. Click here to see the eBook options.

3. Personalised career coaching options for you. I have a few you can choose from. Click here to view the options.

4. Have a look at the kinds of Job application support options available to meet your needs, also on the career coaching link above.

If you need information and support more urgently than this blog provides, you are welcome to email me at leanne@winc.net.au.

Bye for now,

Leanne

Job applications: the most important follow-up phone call you’ll make is a post from: Career Change Aspirations Blog | job application support | career planning | women careers | career change | resume | selection criteria | Cover letter | further study

Hi there,      How are you today?
Now we are up to the part that matters – the resume.

Prepare the résumé

By now you will have drafted a résumé to build on as described in an earlier blog post. I revise that information here, for your convenience.

Winning Resumes

The goal of a résumé is to get you an interview so it needs to encourage the employer to notice you and want to find out more about you at an interview. Build a base résumé that you can tweak for each position that you go for. There is no right way to write a résumé, and ultimately you need to make judgements about your documents.

In Australia, a résumé is also called a CV (Curriculum Vitae) and is usually between 3 and 4 pages.  In some other countries, there is a distinction between the two, where the CV is much more comprehensive and a longer document.

Résumé formats.

• CHRONOLOGICAL – This is a traditional résumé and lists your education and work history in reverse date order with the emphasis on your work history.
• SKILLS-BASED OR FUNCTIONAL – The focus here is on demonstrating your skills relevant to the job, with less emphasis on your work history.
• HYBRID or COMBINATION – I prefer this kind of résumé as it is a combination of the chronological and skills-based résumé. It gives you the opportunity to highlight skills and experiences gained both at work, studies and life in general.

Résumé Layout

Remember employers allow between 30 seconds and 4 minutes to read your résumé.  Your goal is to get them to not only begin to read the résumé but to keep reading…right to the end!  The first page is prime real estate for you.
Therefore, your résumé needs to catch the reader’s attention and be clear and easy to read.
Here’s a checklist for you to consider as you draft your résumé.
The layout or setting out of your résumé needs to be consistent the whole way through.
• Have white spaces
• Keep headings consistent. For example, if you leave a line beneath a heading you need to do this after each heading not just sometimes.
• Bold text for keywords you want to draw the reader’s attention to.
• The text should have a consistent font and size, for example Arial, 12.
• Generally you would only reflect the past 10 years experience unless it is relevant. Anything older is possibly too dated.
• Do not include photos or logos.
• Avoid writing acronyms – write everything in full.

Suggested headings for a hybrid résumé.

Personal details
Career objective (future) or Career profile (summary of past experience).
Skills and achievements
Education
Employment history
Professional Associations
Interests (if applicable).
Referees.

When the time is right for you to take more action, here are a few options for you.

1.  Request the  free 32 page report in the right hand column here – it is jam packed with information that you can use today to get you motivated to start taking action.

2. Consider buying a Do it yourself eBook and focus on one part of the Career Momentum Program at a time. Click here to see the eBook options.

3. Personalised career coaching options for you. I have a few you can choose from. Click here to view the options.

4. Have a look at the kinds of Job application support options available to meet your needs, also on the career coaching link above.

If you need information and support more urgently than this blog provides, you are welcome to email me at leanne@winc.net.au.

Bye for now,

Leanne

Your job application: How to write a resume to impress. is a post from: Career Change Aspirations Blog | job application support | career planning | women careers | career change | resume | selection criteria | Cover letter | further study

Hi and welcome,

Today I will talk with you about how to apply to study in the Australian context in the university and TAFE sectors. Most of these insitutions have already held their open days for you to visit and gather information.

1. Tertiary Admissions (University and TAFE options).

Are you thinking of studying in 2012?

Apply to study now for 2012

2012 tertiary information is now available online and also in hard copy at your local newsagent in Australia.

How to apply:

The most important message here is that you must check with the institution about how to apply. Some courses require direct applications while others require that you go through the tertiary admission centre of that state.
State Tertiary Admission Centers:  Each state will have a designated central office that will process applications and offers for places within their universities, TAFEs and private colleges. The institutions themselves have selection offices associated with each course, who make decisions about who is offered a place, and they authorise the state Tertiary Admissions Centre to make the offers.
For example, the State Tertiary Admission Centres are listed here:
Victoria – Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC)
ACT and New South Wales – Universities Admissions Centre (UAC)
Queensland – Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC)
Tasmania – University of Tasmania
South Australia- South Australian Tertiary Admissions Centre (SATAC)
Northern Territory – Charles Darwin University
Western Australia – Tertiary Institutions Service Centre (TISC)

Google these to find the appropriate link for your state.

At this stage key dates are very important and you can see these on the websites. For example applications open on 2 August, and timely applications close on 30th September.  There are other timelines set for tests, late applications and special consideration.
There is a nominal cost for your VTAC application, but this goes up if your application is late. Direct applications do not usually cost anything.

When the time is right for you to take more action, here are a few options for you.

1.  Request the  free 32 page report in the right hand column here – it is jam packed with information that you can use today to get you motivated to start taking action.

2. Consider buying a Do it yourself eBook and focus on one part of the Career Momentum Program at a time. Click here to see the eBook options.

3. Personalised career coaching options for you. I have a few you can choose from. Click here to view the options.

4. Have a look at the kinds of Job application support options available to meet your needs, also on the career coaching link above.

If you need information and support more urgently than this blog provides, you are welcome to email me at leanne@winc.net.au.

Bye for now,

Best wishes in your career planning.

Leanne

Apply to study in 2012 is a post from: Career Change Aspirations Blog | job application support | career planning | women careers | career change | resume | selection criteria | Cover letter | further study