Job Hunting News

Cover letters are the first chance you get to stand out to your potential employer but there is no clear cut formula. Ultimately, the sole point of a cover letter is to draw attention to your resume, which holds all of your relevant information, experience and skills....

This story is from Christopher Harris at the Sydney Morning Herald. Yep, there are resumes generated by AI, AI keyword scanners and AI-driven scanners dedicated to detecting resumes and cover letters written by AI. AI robots are also conducting job interviews. In the...

Adelaide people have slashed spending in response to rising prices, stagnating or falling wages and record debt. Its due, in large, to Adelaide people’s perception of the economy. Foul weather, Algae blooms, serious economic issues in Port Pirie and Whyalla, the...

As an Adelaide resume writer, I'm not adverse for people using AI to write junior level resumes - as long as they include their qualifications and training. They should also provide a summary of their work experience. Unfortunately, every now and then we get a...

Why focus on achievements and good results in a resume and cover letter? 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 pasting two pages of duties...

I’ve talked with other resume writers in Melbourne and Sydney and AI-driven software recruitment firm, Expr3ss, is loathed as it rejects strong candidates because their resumes don’t not conform to its prescriptive and unfathomable algorithms. An Applicant Tracking...

I wrote this piece for The Australian (Weekend Professional) ages ago but it still holds up. LinkedIn and resumes are very different documents. This article discusses the strengths and weaknesses of each It’s important to remember the traditional strengths of a...

As recruiters start to realise experience is more important in a hire than a strong of degrees, universities are scrapping courses left, right and centre. If you're not wanting to enter medicine or law, think deeply before committing oneself to a major HECS debt and...

I like Morgan’s survey methodology as they door knock. The ABS unemployed survey used by the RBA to determine interest rates is clunky and old hat. I wrote this back in 2018 but it still applies to the 'ghosts' in the ABS unemployment figures. The Roy Morgan figures...

The rise of AI in recruitment is a mixed blessing. It means scanners can sort resumes by key words and terms (with a high error rate) but it also means they can scan paragraphs which have been ‘cut and pasted’ in to resumes by shonky 1300 number resume mills. There...

Job interviews are nerve wracking. I've provided some typical questions. Think about how you would answer them. "What are your biggest weaknesses?" Every candidate knows how to answer this question: Just pick a theoretical weakness and magically transform that flaw...

I've heard of men pretending to go to work even though they've lost their job but this story from the BBC is 'out there'. I can't work out whether this is a good or bad idea. I like the motivation. I also like Xiaowen Tang's moxie. She'd go far in corporate Australia...

As the first day of Spring arroaches, what better way to start it than to call out shonks who cut and paste slabs of meaningless text into resumes and cover letters and charge their clients top dollar for it. Below are the first two paragraphs of a cover letter of a...

Nearly two decades ago, Roger Pugh, a retiree, went back to work. The Sydneysider had forged a long career in management at some of Australia’s top advertising agencies. At one point, it was his job to hand out the obligatory gold watch to employees who had turned 65....

The people flogging AI are on a major PR push in Australia. There are major issues with AI in the workplace. Waleed Aly, Fairfax, Columnist, author and academic has pointed out some in his article below. “AI may be the most transformative technology in human history,”...

Private metals smelter Nyrstar will receive a $135 million tax payer funded stop-gap package from the federal, SA and Tasmanian governments. The company says the funding will help it "maintain its ongoing operations" in Port Pirie and Hobart while working on...

Busy days on the Republic front line. One curious aspects about being a professional writer, is the angst people go through over the price for a resume. Some top line writing companies in Sydney and Melbourne charge more than $1000 for a resume. We charge in the...

I sometimes get enquires from people who want career advice. I strongly recommend John Hogan from Revolution Careers as he is professional and knows the Adelaide and Melbourne employment markets. His client reviews are very strong....

Wage theft is a business model for some Adelaide employers and was almost non-existent when we had strong unions. The story below if from the SMH. “Bosses who deliberately underpay workers could be jailed for up to 10 years and fined up to $1.65 million in the new...

I’ve spent a lot of time - or rather too much time - in Canberra working in Federal politics, and the Australian Public Service (APS). I’m still trying to get warm after those winters! APS resumes require at least three drafts, so give a resume writer a full week. Do...