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ABC: older job seekers struggle to get work
Age prejudice is like race prejudice. People’s judgements are skin deep. Jacqueline Bradley describes feeling "demoralised, humiliated and … really quite embarrassed" about her failure to secure work after months of trying. "A very good friend of mine said … he...
Teeth grinding job ads
One of the most demoralising aspects of job hunting isn't just the insufferable recruiters or the flawed interviews; it's also the tiresome process of browsing job advertisements, many of which are questionable at best and discriminatory at worst. From among those...
Bias in recruitment
Some years ago Germany conducted a study where eight major companies adopted ‘anonymous’ hiring practices for 12 months. Not one piece of personal or identification information was disclosed before the interview stage. All biographical information was eliminated from...
Send that old resume asap and leave a message
It sounds crazy but we get people who have an old resume, but they take a week to send it to us for an assessment and quote. We have moved along by then and have taken on another seven or eight clients. Not giving us initial information is a sign the client shouldn't...
Great career advice
This is from Shane Rogers, Queensland Head, AIG. It was published a few years ago but is still a great read. He is looking back on his career and what he has learnt Do what you were put on earth to do Almost everyone knows deep down that they have a passion or an...
Age prejudice and job interviews
Dr Kirstin Ferguson from the SMH tackles questions on the workplace, career and leadership in her advice column “Got a Minute?” I’ve added my perspective as well. Recently, I was left feeling a bit baffled after one of my job interviews. I have the appropriate...
Working from home and while vacationing
This is an edited story from the ABC. Does it matter where one works from as long as one is safe and has insurance? Flexible working is the new norm for millions of employees, with recent Australian Bureau of Statistics data revealing 37 per cent of Australians now...
Common interview questions part two
Can you tell me about a time where you encountered a business challenge? How did you overcome it? Behavioural question alert! This is your opportunity to use the CAR method: Context, Action, and Result. Choose an example that demonstrates where you have solved a...
Tell me about yourself – job interview questions
As an Adelaide resume writer and employment specialist, I repost this blog about interview questions every year. It’s by Robert Half recruiters and it’s the best around. This is the first section. I will report the second section next week. Tell me about yourself....
Achievements are resume gold
Why focus on achievements and good results in a resume and cover letter? The reasons are simple. A person who wants to hire a car mechanic, knows what a car mechanic does. An architectural firm seeking a new architect, knows what an architect does. So cutting and...
Nailing video interviews
Video job interviews give candidates a chance to showcase themselves and abilities in a way that doesn’t come across on a traditional resume. Examples of video interview questions include: What is your work-from-home set-up like? How do you manage stress and avoid...
Building a better life before burnout
As an Adelaide professional resume writer, whether writing resumes, features and backgrounders, I hear stories of burn out every week. People working too hard or working with organisational bullies and psychopaths. A study by the World Health Organization and the...
Another Republic success story
Josh sent his old resume to me three weeks ago. He had just finished his security guard qualifications in Adelaide and he wanted to work in the field. Most of his previous work had been as an office cleaner and as a labourer. He had some good current tickets such as a...
A generational divide on LinkedIn
This story is from the USA and appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald recently. I have edited it for length. The job market has been sluggish for months and unemployment is rising as recession fears push more people to dust off their resumes and post on LinkedIn. At...
The resume testimonials keep coming
Testimonials are everything to a professional writer. Without them, you are dead in the water. "Malcolm offers an excellent service. He created a professional resume for me within a short time frame. High quality and very affordable. Malcolm completed my first...
Don’t lie on your resume or LinkedIn site
Can a prospective employer detect whether a resume and LinkedIn profile contains lies? I wrote about this in Smart Company some years ago. People will always talk up their qualifications and brag about their abilities. This is the hyper competitive job market we’re...
Jobs and employment scams
If it wasn’t hard enough getting a job with high unemployment, dodgy recruiters advertising false jobs we also have crooks who are after your money. Jobs and employment scams trick you into handing over your money by offering a ‘guaranteed’ way to make fast money or a...
Inappropriate questions in job interviews
You're laser-focused, the pitch is word-perfect and then the prospective employer asks a question that makes you uneasy. This story was supplied by ACM. ViewJobs head of talent Hisham Nidam told ACM the two most common questions, in his experience, that caused...
How do I answer the ‘salary expectation’ question?
This story is from Kirstin Ferguson, a career adviser at The Age. I have added my comment at the end. I am searching for a new role and many advertised jobs don’t disclose salary. Instead, they ask me to share my salary expectation. Can I ask the recruiter or employer...
The dregs: resume writers who cut and paste
In the last two weeks I’ve had three clients send me resumes written by other writing agencies. They are appalling. One spelt the client’s name wrong. Another has got the client’s mobile phone number wrong. How will a recruiter contact them? All three resumes suffer...
Resumes that go to work for you
I build expert resumes, cover letters and LinkedIn profiles, which unleash an unbeatable business case to promote you as a ‘must have’ asset to an employer.