All About Jobs

Here’s a couple of tips about submitting your application by post or email:

Post

Don’t fold your application when you post it. Rather, send it flat in a larger envelope. For example, if you print on A4 paper (the standard in most countries except the USA), instead of folding it twice to fit a DL size envelope, you’d buy a C4 envelope so you could send it flat. (See here for paper and envelope sizes following the International Standards Organization sizing.)

It will cost you a little extra, but your application will arrive looking crisp and fresh.

Email

When you send your application by email, if possible and allowable (sometimes advertisers ask you to send in particular formats), convert it to a single Adobe PDF file. If you send it as a PDF the integrity of the formatting will be retained, unlike MS Word documents, the formatting of which often changes when loaded into a different software version.

This means that whoever prints your document won’t print a badly formatted document that reflects poorly on you. Given that the person printing could receive 20 or more applications, she or he won’t take the time to make sure your formatting is retained, they’ll just press the print button and you document could look like a dog’s breakfast (If you know what I mean).

Also, if they have to print only one PDF file, there is less chance that they will miss printing all of your application.

You can find free PDF converters on the Internet and the latest version of MS Word has a plug-in that will allow you to save as PDF files.

These couple of hints could save you missing out on an interview for reasons over which you have little control.

Robin
“Think success - Achieve success”

Believe it or not, but most of the recruitment people I have met don’t have a good command of grammar. Many are not that good at analysing job documentation and writing an advert that accurately reflects what is required of job applicants.

What are the implications for you?

Simple, if the advert says that the “successful applicant will have five years experience”, don’t be put off applying for it if you have only two or three. Consider this: a motor mechanic who had five years experience balancing and aligning wheels might say he has had five years experience as a motor mechanic, but really have little experience at tuning cars with electronic systems.

In your case, you may have learned much more in two years than Debbie has in five years because of the variety of work. Therefore, when you responded, you would detail the things you did to get that experience.

There are several scenarios that could make you more successful than someone with five years experience:

1. Your listed experience may be just what your potential employer wants even though it’s less than five years
2. Other candidates might have just stated that they had five years experience and recruiters don’t really know exactly what that entailed
3. The employer might realise that it is not essential to have five years experience, that two or three would have been sufficient
4. There may be no other applicants with five years experience

The only time you need not apply is when there is a regulated/licensing requirement eg, if you had to hold a trade certificate and didn’t have one, then there’s no need applying.

The rule I would use is this: if you feel that you have the overall skills and experience for a job despite the advertised requirements, apply. After all, it will only cost you a few sheets of paper, an envelope and a bit of postage.

Robin
“Think success - Achieve success”

Robin
“Think success - Achieve success”

Don’t fall into the habit of having a fixed salary mindset that says you are only worth this or that much salary.

If you are in a job now where you get paid $35,000 per year or your last job paid that amount, does that mean you should only apply for jobs whose salary is within a similar range?

No way Jose! You need to know your worth, how valuable your skills and knowledge are to an organisation.

There are people who have read job adverts for jobs that paid $20 - $30 thousand more than their previous job who were successful. That’s not a bad salary increase for anyone and would go a long way towards the mortgage.

How did they do it? In some cases they submitted an application just for “fun” to see what would happen, not dreaming they would win the jobs. The jobs advertised were close matches to their skills and knowledge and they won them.

The fact is the same skills sets are valued differently by different firms. The same laws of supply and demand affect salaries as do food and rent prices. So firm A might have a desperate need for an accounts receivable clerk who can reign in their growing amounts of debtors. $75,000 per annum would be a small price to pay for someone to clean up $2.4 million in outstanding debts. Firm B may have a much lower outstanding debtors total and be willing to pay only $40,000.

Action

When you apply for jobs, don’t focus on the advertised salary … if there is one, focus on how well your skills and knowledge match those sought by the advertiser. Remember, nothing ventured, nothing gained. It may also be true that you have potential that you have not yet realised or that you are currently being underpaid.

Robin
“Think success - Achieve success”

PS: While you are here, why not read this short article “Strange Jobs Still Pay the Bills” in our collection of articles.

A Resume that Gets Attention will help you stand out from the crowd and get the job you want.

What do you think would happen if you produced a resume that was different from the average, run of the mill resume? That’s right, you’d stand out. Isn’t that what you want to do? Yes, of course, so here’s a clue.

Instead of submitting the standard, boring looking resume that has your personal details at the top, your qualifications, previous employment and so on (ho, hum, I’m getting bored just thinking about it), why not try something different? Like this:

“Robin Henry - Accounts Receivable Team Leader
Mobile: 04042313861

Benefits I can Bring to Acme Finance

1. Improved customer satisfaction
2. A more motivated work team
3. High levels of accuracy with accounts
4. A reduction in the aging of debtors account

These benefits are discussed in order on page two.”

On page two you address each of the issues using the STAR method ie, describe a Situation, Action you took and the Result. Like this:

“2005-2008 West Wing Aviation, Mount Isa, Queensland(Heading)

Between July 2005 and May 2008 I worked for West Wing Aviation in charge of a small Accounts Receivable team. When I took over, we had 320 accounts and averaged 3.6 customer complaints about accuracy of accounts each week. (The Situation) I undertook to improve accuracy of accounts and to improve customer satisfaction by providing training to my team, establishing standard procedures for proofreading and cross checking, and ensuring that quality existed at every stage of our work. (The Action) Within three months I had changed the average customer complaint to one in three weeks and improved accuracy with accounts by almost 98%. (The Result)

Isn’t this what an employer wants to know? What you can do for them … what’s in it for me (WIFM)?

If you keep doing what you have always been doing, the results will continue to be the same. The ball’s in your court. The way you write your resume doesn’t have to be the same as every other Tom, Dick and Juliet.

Robin
“Think success - Achieve success”

Standing Out in a Crowd is important for job applicants.

Imagine you are a recruitment officer in a large firm. You have a nice, cosy office, the pay is okay and you like the work, with the sole exception of having to read hundreds of job applications that are almost identical. It’s plain boring (I know, I’ve done it!).

When someone advertises a job vacancy, they expect that all the applicants, no matter how many there are, will have similar qualifications and experience. Let’s face it, if you aren’t qualified and experienced in stores management, you wouldn’t apply for a stores management job would you? Doesn’t that make sense? I hope so.

Given that all of the applicants have the same or similar qualifications and experience, how can you stand out from the crowd?

Here’s a tip: Why not telephone, or call in and see the employer and ask them what type of person they are looking for? They will probably tell you things that fall outside the wording of the advertisement. Advertisements cost money, so they tend to be very brief with only the key information that will discriminate applicants. For example, if I state in a job advertisement that I want a person with a “NT driver’s licence class C”, noone without that qualification should apply, even though all their other qualifications etc might match perfectly. What I might really be looking for is a person with an NT driver’s licence class C who has an intimate knowledge of Alice Springs streets and businesses.

When you telephone me, I may tell you that. You can then state in your application that you have the NT driver’s licence class C and an inimate knowledge of Alice Springs street’s and businesses. Your application will stand out from all the others. You will have a better chance of getting an interview.

The key information about what benefits you can bring to your prospective employer needs to be right on the first page so it can be seen. You don’t necessarily have to follow some rule about how to write your resume. Tomorrow I will cover a slightly different approach that will help you get attention and stand out even more.

Action
From now on, make it a habit to contact prospective employers and discuss what they want that isn’t in the advertisement. Ask them, “What kind of person are you looking for?” Most people will be delighted to tell you.

Robin
“Think success - Achieve success”

Starting today, I will discuss some secrets and tips to help you fine tune your job search techniques. Pay attention and I’m sure you will get something worthwhile from this.

Have you ever thought about it … job seeking is a Competition in which you are entering to win a prize.

When you write your job application, you need to sit in the employer’s chair. What do I mean? Well, if you were employing you and were going to spend $35,000 per year in salary, plus additional sums in worker’s compensation premiums, superannuation levy, orientation and training costs, and provide an office or workshop etc, wouldn’t you be asking, “What can this person do for me? What return will I get on my investment?”

Of course you would.

The implications are that when you are being considered for a job, employers don’t care as much about the skills and experience you can bring to their job, but what they will get for their money. The difference is subtle. It doesn’t matter if you are a highly skilled motor mechanic, what does matter is how you can turn those skills into a benefit for your prospective employer. Do you see the difference?

Here’s an example: instead of writing in your application, “I am able to tune the most modern motor vehicles”, write, “On average, I can tune 3 cars more per eight hour day than the average motor mechanic, thus increasing your profit margin”.

Well, you’ve already guessed that I’m no motor mechanic, but you get the drift of what I mean; fill your application with benefits, not skills and experience. At the end of the day, the person who wins the competition will be the one who shows how their skills and experience benefit the employer. The employer wants to know, “What’s in it for me?”

Action

Write a list of your core skills, knowledge etc and next to each, try to identify some benefits that you can bring to your new employer. Consider any successes you had with previous employers that you can bring to your new employer eg, “While at Acme Finance, I redesigned the accounts receivable system and reduced bad debts by 12% … I can do that for Western Finance also”.

When you write your next application, stuff it full of benefits.

The prize goes to the person who can write the best application, not necessarily the best qualified or experienced person.You want to write the best application and you can do that largely by displaying benefits.

Tomorrow I will discuss how you can stand out in a crowd of applicants.

Robin
“Think success - Achieve success”

PS: If your grammar or written expression are poor, consider getting yourself a copy of WhiteSmoke software that will help improve it. You can find out more here.

Here are today’s jobs:

Robin
“Think Success - Achieve Success”

I’ve been to and Out of Africa and am back at Alice Springs in Central Australia.

Tomorrow I will return to my daily blogging and hope you join me and those seeking a job, wanting a change in jobs, working in the recruitment industry, and anyone else interested, to turn this into the place to be.

Looking forward to tomorrow.

Robin

“Think success - Achieve success”

I’ve been travelling around SA for the past two weeks. One of the things I have noticed is that since apartheid, indigenous South Africans are employed everywhere. Most I have seen have menial jobs, but at least they are working.

Unlike our Australian indiginees, who sit about on their black bums and don’t do much, it’s all go, go, go here. Are the SA indiginees more intelligent … they have taken up opportunities, or is it to do with the fact that there is not sit down money paid here?

If only we could get the blacks in Australia go take up the education opportunities, get off their black bums and do something, it would be wonderful.

Maybe the dole needs to be hit on the head. What do you think?

Robin
“Think success-Achieve success”