The Dream Employers Uncovered 2010 survey, run by RedBalloon and Insync, asked almost 3000 Australian and New Zealand employees to nominate their dream employer – and here are the organisations that came out on top:

1. Google

2. Virgin

3. Self-employment

4. Apple

5. Qantas

6. Walt Disney

7. OMD

8. Sydney Water

9. Getaway

10. Coca-Cola

Other companies to make it into the top 20 include Microsoft, Vodafone, Lonely Planet and the ABC.

What dreams are made of
In the eyes of employees, the two most important company attributes are a positive brand/reputation and a fun, healthy culture. Eighty per cent of Dream Employers promote a fun working environment, but it’s Google, with its strong brand and culture, that led the pack.

‘At Google we believe that a strong culture and an atmosphere of fun, integrity, and creativity contribute to the productivity of our employees. Googlers believe in the company they work for and truly enjoy coming to work each day,’ says Joe Krayer, HR Director, Google Australia.

Also important are the provision of a healthy work–life balance, rewards and recognition, and the ability of employees to pursue their interests. At Disney, the ‘feel good factor’ of making people happy is a huge incentive to its workers.

The identity of the CEO is generally of little importance to most employees except in the case of Virgin, whose reputation rides on the charisma and positive image of Richard Branson, as well as its culture of fun. With constant images of Branson partying with his staff in the news, Virgin looks like one fun place to work with a great culture and leader. ‘I hang out with my people when I travel, party with them. Apart from the fact I like it … you have to be available to your people.’

As Branson said at a recent Business Chicks Breakfast in Sydney: ‘Our people need to be 100 per cent proud of where they work and believe in what they do every day.’

Be your own boss
With 73 per cent of Australian and NZ workers not working for their Dream Employer, many look to self-employment as a way to attain the kind of work–life balance, personal interest, flexibility and autonomy they yearn for. Only 12 per cent of those surveyed were working for themselves, but many more wish they were.

Ask those who actually work for themselves, however, and it seems that the dream is not quite everything it’s cracked up to be. Those who are self-employed aren’t much happier than employed workers, and many work long hours – though at least they work when they want and because they want to, not because they have to.

Those who most want to work for themselves are Baby Boomer males, who after years in the workforce are usually financially well-established and now want to pursue their dream of becoming their own Dream Employer.

A cover letter is like the introductory handshake at an interview. It’s a personal greeting on paper or in an email that breaks the ice and introduces you to the prospective employer. It outlines why you’re making contact and why you’d be a valuable employee.

Your cover letter serves a number of purposes. It can act as:

A letter of introduction. Give the employer a snapshot of who you are by introducing yourself in the cover letter. Tell the recruiter why you’re writing, how you fit the bill and why you want to work for their organisation.

A selling mechanism. You have 30 seconds of a recruiter’s time to grab his or her attention, so don’t be shy; take the opportunity to market your skills, abilities, qualifications and work experience in your cover letter. Demonstrate how good you are, explain why you’re the best person for the job and outline what you can offer the company. Sell yourself on paper.

The entrée before the main meal. A strong cover letter jumps out at the recruiter and sparks interest. It whets the employer’s appetite and arouses interest in your resume.

An example of your writing skills. Your cover letter gives the recruiter a feel for your written communication skills. It demonstrates your ability to construct a letter, and employers can see your eye for detail.

A perfect skills match. A well-crafted cover letter is customised to the job and the employer. It’s not a generic ‘canned letter’ sent out to every employer. It spells out your skills and highlights how these match perfectly to the requirements of the role. Figure 8-1 shows a specific job ad and Figure 8-2 provides an example cover letter tailored to the job ad.

Initiative scores high on a recruiter’s check list, so before you start putting together your cover letter, take the trouble to do some research on the company and job. Get hold of the organisation’s annual report or hop onto the company’s Web site – you’re bound to find plenty of information on the firm, its products and services, and corporate culture.

Not only that, the recruiter will know you’re genuinely interested in the role.

Excerpted from Australian Resumes for Dummies, Copyright 2008 by Amanda McCarthy. Avaliable from all good booksellers from RRP $39.95

Anyone can become a competent interview robot. All you need do is hop online and revise dozens of classic questions and model answers.

Armed with knowledge, you learn to say that you left your last job because you wanted more challenges. You know that, if asked to reveal your biggest flaw, the safe answer is that you overwork – the cost of total commitment.

Suppose, though, that the interviewer has more guile than average or is just plain devious, cruel – even strange.

How do you handle a question that comes from left field, never occurred to you and is absent from the cheat sheets? Try these tips.

1. What key performance indicators are you accountable for?

This brutally factual question stems from the hirer’s desire to know that you understand measurement and can achieve targets, says the general manager at Frontline Recruitment Group, Doug Downer. Write them down before attending the interview so you can easily pinpoint and talk about the KPIs for each role you’ve held.

2. Why are you worth the salary?

You must substantiate the value you will bring to the role and the company, Downer says. If you have boosted profitability or sales, that proves your value. Likewise, if you have slashed costs or achieved notable outcomes in projects or roles, that demonstrates worth. Play up your successes – be bold in response to this question.

3. Aren’t you overqualified?

Concerned about commitment, here the interviewer wants to know whether you will keep scouring the job market and quit when the right role or salary materialises. So, talk about long-term aspirations, express a desire to be with the business well into the future. Also, if applicable, point out that the business is growing and so needs able, well-qualified candidates like you. State that your experience and skills will yield an instant return.

4. Tell me about someone you worked for and didn’t respect.

When addressing this loaded question, beware of falling into the trap of passing personal judgement, says recruitment analyst Ross Clennett. “The interviewer is trying to see whether you bitch about others or dump on them,” Clennett adds. Focus on how you delivered the outcomes for which you were responsible. Keep the answer about you – not a rival.

5. Who did you vote for at the last election and why?

You could certainly decline to answer this question as it is unrelated to performing a specific job, Clennett says. However, that may not help your cause. If you respond, say that you cast your vote according to the candidates and policies specific to each election and cannot remember which way you voted last time.

6. What is the worst thing an employer would say about you?

Particularly treacherous, this question is fishing for disclosure of your worst weakness. Zero in on an area or skill where you overcame challenges and surmounted barriers that might mar your performance, suggests Annemarie Cross, the author of 10 Key Steps To Ace That Interview! “Avoid bringing up something that you are still struggling with unless, of course, you can demonstrate successful outcomes in the workplace.” Essentially, send the message that you continually strive to improve.

7. In what ways are you similar/dissimilar to your best friend?

This outwardly innocent question keys into the saying that “birds of a feather flock together”. The interviewer wants to know what kind of qualities you embrace. Focus on characteristics likely to be seen as strengths in regard to the role at stake, Cross advises. Some dissimilarities might be good qualities to have. If it’s not stretching things, talk about how they are rubbing off on you.

8. What type of cereal would you be and why?

A variant of this peculiar question is: “What type of car would you be?” or “What kind of animal would you be?” All three have a similar rationale – learning the reasoning behind your selection. For instance, would you choose a wholesome cereal or feel-good sugary pap? Would you select a flashy modern car that grabs attention or a safe, reliable car like a Volvo? When it comes to animals, would you choose to be a lion and become the king of the jungle or an animal that usually moves in packs (teams)? “Again, your response could be quite telling to an interviewer, despite the initial question seeming to be senseless,” Cross says.

Published: 18 April 2009
Original Article

How I can get over my nervousness when I go for an interview?

Answer:

Being nervous at a job interview is very common. There is nothing to stop you telling an interviewer how you feel at the start of any interview; it can help to break the ice.

An honest start to an interview will not go astray.

Nervousness is a clear sign that you want to do your best and good preparation will help you considerably. Find out all you can about the business and the job beforehand. Practise your interview the night before by making up your own list of possible questions and considering the answers. You will find your questions and those you confront the next day will usually be very similar.

At the interview, take your time in answering questions. Give yourself at least four to five seconds between the question finishing and when you start answering. This gives you time to consider the question and collect your thoughts. It does work.

Be yourself and trust yourself. Most times the right person will win the job and, hopefully, it’s you at your next interview.

Published: 23 May 2009
Original Article

Most people today have an email account, perhaps a Facebook™ profile and maybe even a LinkedIn™ profile. You’d have to be living under a rock not to realise the importance of being contactable via email in today’s job market.

Recruiters and HR teams, whether we like it or not, use email as a way of broadcasting vacancies, confirming availability and interview times as well (unfortunately) as a way of avoiding having to actually call the ever increasing talent pool flooding the market place.

Then of course, there is the fact that the only way you can be notified of new positions matching your desired criteria by the various job boards and employment websites is to have registered a unique personal email address.

Email tips

Let’s look at email in a bit more detail. We’ve already alluded to the expectation that email is fairly instant. So you must check it each day. If you are not regularly sitting in front of your computer, try to check your email at least once in the middle of the day.

If you not going to have access to your computer for most of the day, then try to check your email once in the morning and once in the evening to ensure that you are not missing out on any important messages that may have needed an urgent response (such as confirming an interview time).

If you don’t have access to a computer and you are actively searching for work, you may want to consider getting access to one of the many mobile phones available in the market that has an email function – where your emails are accessible remotely at the touch of a button.

The next thing you need to consider is your actual email identity. I know of a number of people who have an email address that may well be perfect for their close group of friends, like choceater@munchtime.com.

But you need to think about your professional image and how that will look to a prospective employer. Imagine for a moment how absolutelyuseless@noidea.com could be construed. Quite simply it just sends the wrong message.

I once received a résumé from a candidate applying for a fairly senior role. The content of his CV was certainly impressive, but I was surprised at the shock on his face when during the interview I suggested he no longer use drlovemuscle as the name on his email account for professional dealings – especially with recruiters or HR contacts within blue-chip corporate environments.

As far as email addresses go I have seen them all, sugarcakes@, smackme@, high-as@, bubbles@ … they all reinforce not serious. Ideally you should set up a web-based email account with the likes of Gmail™, Hotmail™ or Yahoo™. Try to use your name or something that is professional and then remember to make sure you check it regularly or have it forwarded to your other more personal or social account.

Finally, remember everything you send from your email can be traced. There is no point saying such and such is hopeless or saying slanderous things about anyone and then letting your thoughts run wild in the ether. Before you send out any potentially negative or offensive message, think about how it may then be linked back to you.

People are always sending emails to large distribution groups because they personally find the contents funny. But to certain individuals and in many workplaces, receiving such emails is simply inappropriate.

If you receive such an email and you don’t want to be associated with it in any way, then don’t engage at all with the mail. Don’t forward it to others and don’t reply – unless of course you include a request not to receive such emails in the future. But in general, it’s best to just ignore them. Choosing not to respond is far better than having your name linked to something that is discriminatory or defamatory.

The perils and potential of social networking

Once you have set up a professional email account you need to look at your other on line risks. If you have a Facebook™ profile, promise me you will do the following right now: Go and make sure that only responsible people can make comments on your wall. Make your profile private so that no one can see it unless you allow them to. If you post updates decide who sees them and who can add to them.

Let me tell you a true story. I know a person who had been offered a job, and then after meeting with the CEO posted something along the lines of ‘glad I won’t be working directly for her/him’ as a status update on their Facebook™ page.

They arrived to commence work on their first day to find a termination letter on their desk. Certain other employees within the organisation had received the Facebook™ update, and once it had been seen by HR, they immediately chose to rescind their offer.

Unfortunately in today’s socially networked world, malicious rumours have also resulted in people losing their jobs due to comments initially made for or about “friends” ultimately being seen by employers too. Sadly, the same can be said for photographs.

A few months ago I worked with a client who didn’t want me to conduct any reference checks on a candidate for whom they were considering making an offer. Instead they had decided to do some “soft background checks” – which translated to investigating the candidate’s social networking pages. What they saw in terms of photo galleries was enough to make them go with another candidate.

On a more personal note, I don’t invite my work colleagues to view my Facebook™ page. It’s a social networking tool and is therefore to share with friends. Business associates are on my LinkedIn™ profile – a different level of social networking altogether.

If you don’t have a LinkedIn™ profile you need to go and create one now. Use it for professional associations only. By all means invite your friends too, but don’t only invite friends.

I know of many people who have successfully been offered jobs through LinkedIn™ by virtue of the fact that such a broad network of related industry professionals knew they were looking for work … hey presto a job offer! LinkedIn™ is a software and social networking medium that enables you to look for connections to others.

Like a virtual six degrees of separation, you can pose questions and conduct surveys, join like-minded groups and if you feel inclined even make recommendations.

A word on recommendations though … just like a written reference, you won’t see a bad one. As we are not sure they add any value, just be careful about giving them or asking for them.

21 things to do to get a new job now!
Paul Slezak and Lynn Gribble PhD

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Time For Yourself

If you try to do everything, you run the risk of not doing anything well, and not having the time to exercise, eat right, or do any of the personal things that are important to you. Looking after yourself is absolutely essential to achieve and maintain career success. It’s not a luxury. Many men manage to prioritise what they want to get done, whether it’s going to the gym, nicking out of work to get a haircut or taking time to attend a lunch. Whatever your personal circumstances, no matter how busy you are, you need to prioritise the things that help you look after yourself. This could be anything from maintaining your appearance to enjoying things that you would usually feel guilty about. Like having a manicure, spa treatment, a massage or attending a yoga class. When it comes to career success, these are necessities, not luxuries.

While men are more likely to notice the overall effect than little details like a manicure, women certainly will. It sends a message that you are well-organised and in control, so consider time taken for a manicure, pedicure or any other beauty treatment you need as an investment in your career. Imagine sitting across from another woman whose eyebrows haven’t seen any wax or tweezers for a while. You may be wondering if she doesn’t care or can’t cope. The time spent on your appearance and yourself is a legitimate career-management activity and there is no reason to feel guilty about it!

Others will also notice how you handle the pressures and stresses of the work environment. Spending time on stress-management techniques, such as yoga, meditation or even a hobby you love, will help your demeanour. Your reputation will be enhanced if you look well groomed, calm and organised, rather than flustered, out of control and frantic.

The other activity to prioritise is exercise. This is widely understood to be important for your general health and well-being for reasons that include disease prevention, weight control and increased energy and stamina – all of which are important for whatever you choose to do with your life. For a Career Chick these are essential: you need every bit of energy you can muster to be at the top of your game. There isn’t much point being promoted if you then take time off work because you are worn out as you haven’t taken care of yourself. Exercise will help manage stress, control your weight and make you feel good. It also gives you time to think, listen to music and either be on your own, or with others. Be sensible about exercising within any health considerations you may have and get a medical check-up before you start out. But do it!

And there’s another career-related benefit: others will admire that you make the time to exercise and do a terrific job. They really will think you are incredibly organised and in control. It also provides a non-work, gender-neutral subject for small talk that men are likely to be interested in. Remember, networking and relationships are important to your career, so it’s handy to have a topic of mutual interest to talk about. Of course, these work benefits are really the icing on the cake compared to the health advantages, not that icing and cakes are the best analogies in relation to exercise but everyone needs a little indulgence now and then!

Career Chick Hot Tip: Take time and look after yourself.

Have Some Fun!

You should also spend time on things that you enjoy. You may think that spending time away from the serious pursuit of your career is an indulgence, but it can also be an investment in building your network. Playing or watching sport, being creative, even learning about wine and food can make you a more interesting person and help you engage in the small talk that is such an important part of building relationships. Finding things in common with others will deepen your relationships, and you’ll find that people are more willing to go that extra mile for you. You can be an attentive listener and ask lots of questions, but at some point you need to have something to talk about. And you never know what contacts you’ll make either through these activities or through others who share your interests.

A successful athlete spends time cross-training to build physical fitness and to complement the core skills that are required in their discipline. Career Chicks also need to take the time to rest, refresh and re-energize, so that they are at the top of their game when it matters. This means that time spent on looking after yourself is a priority. Don’t begrudge yourself time to spend on the things you love, as well as your career. Your passion and enjoyment will help fulfil you and, ultimately, complement your life and career aspirations.

So when it comes to managing ‘Everything Else’ for career success, prioritise what is important to you. Simplify your expectations. Spend time on what is important and be confident in what you do. In the next chapter you’ll find even more Career Chick Hot Tips, including how to dress for the workplace and how to travel in style. Use all of these to show the world that you are competent, in control and successful. And you will be!

Career Chick Hot Tip: Do the things you love and have some fun!

Career Chick Hot Tips to prioritise what’s important:

·Work out what’s important to you.

·Make what’s important your priority.

·Simplify your expectations – you don’t need (or want) to do everything.

·Take time and look after yourself.

·Do the things you love and have some fun!

Before you rush out to buy the office muffins or give in during that heated work exchange, consider this: if you’re a woman, being nice and agreeable at work could be leaving a dent in your salary. And don’t even think about bringing your emotional baggage to work. A new British study found personality traits can mean the difference of about $80,000 less earnings over a woman’s lifetime. Women have long battled for equal pay, and in Australia earn just 82.5 per cent of male earnings. This wage discrepancy is usually blamed on things such as sex discrimination, child rearing and career choice, but a German researcher says women’s personalities may also be letting them down.

“For a long time, personality traits were not considered particularly relevant for labour market outcomes compared to the intelligence of a person,” says Guido Heineck in his paper, Does It Pay To Be Nice? He decided to dig deeper, trawling through data from a large UK study of 5603 men and women aged 20 to 60. After comparing income with the five personality traits (openness to experience, conscientiousness, agreeableness, extraversion and neuroticism), he found that personality makes little difference to a man’s earning capacity, but does impact on a woman’s. In fact, “alpha females” earned on average four per cent more than their more passive co-workers.

Women also earned more if they were open to new experiences and worked hard, while they were penalised for being “agreeable” or “neurotic” (defined as emotional instability, such as being tense, anxious or moody). Ironically, the things women are often good at – being sociable and extroverted – didn’t make any difference at all. “This shows that to be successful in the workplace, women have to adapt to more alpha male-like behaviour,” Heineck says. It’s particularly important, he adds, in conflict situations and wage negotiations.

Not everyone is convinced. For starters, says Melbourne-based organisational psychologist Dr Peter Cotton, “working hard” is not necessarily a “male” trait. “Sure, there tend to be more women who get higher on the so-called emotionality scales, but conscientiousness, as far as I’m aware, doesn’t have a gender bias. I know lots of highly conscientious males and females.” And while moving into a higher-paid managerial role does require more work and less banter, Dr Cotton says you needn’t alter your personality along the way.

“Personality is very stable anyway, but it doesn’t mean you can’t develop other qualities and characteristics that compensate. So while you might still be warm, chatty and make muffins, irrespective of that, you develop a particular focus on getting down to business, being hard working and diligent.” So, don’t stop the pleasantries, girls, but do knuckle down and talk tough when it counts.

“If I have a meeting I’ll wear black and add killer heels.”

Tory Archbold is the managing director of media agency Torstar Communications, which has been in business for almost 10 years. This single mum believes that as long as you’re passionate about your work, you can use your feminine charms for good. “I do a lot of corporate work, so I deal with a lot of high-flying corporate men. My philosophy is that everyone should be their own person. I don’t own any suits but if I have a corporate meeting I’ll wear black and add killer heels – that’s one way of expressing my femininity.

“My office is quite serene, all white with candles burning, beautiful artwork and orchids. I offer everyone who visits organic tea or a shot of Nespresso coffee and men seem to love this! Being true to myself has not affected my bottom line. “I work 10am to 5pm, so I have a work/life balance and I don’t have voicemail. Women bring compassion and empathy to the workplace, but they also have intuition which can work in their favour. “I know a lot of feminine women who are successful because they have careers they’re passionate about.”

“It’s very important for women to get to the point.”

Mother of three, Alenka Tindale, took over her late husband’s business Targus Australia in 1989. A member of the predominantly male Australian Institute of Company Directors and The Executive Connection (TEC), Alenka says there are lessons we can learn from each other. “I’d definitely call myself a business person, but there are expectations of women. When my children were little I went home every night and had dinner with them. I don’t think most men would make those deliberate choices and trade-offs.

“About 90 per cent of TEC members are men, as are most of the people I deal with in IT. I do think men and women act differently. “Men are risk takers. To them, it’s a game. I don’t think women want that stress or to give up things for success, whereas men will, as they often have the support of a female partner at home. They’re also very focused on an outcome and that’s all they see. “It’s very important for women to be economical in what they say and get to the point without being brutal because men are like that, they’re very black and white.”

By Christina Larmer
“First published: October 11th, 2009″
Original article

Career Chick Hot Tip: Work out what’s important to you.

Prioritise

Working out what is important to you will show you where to focus your time. Bear in mind that you may not be able to do everything that you want, and some things that you’d like to do just won’t get done (because something else has priority). It’s not about what you have the capability to do, but the capacity. Learning to live with that is, perhaps, one of the greatest challenges for Career Chicks with superwoman aspirations to overcome.

Choosing what you truly need and want to do will give you the confidence that your time is being spent on what is most important to and for you. It’s unrealistic to try to deal with every one of the multitude of demands that come at you – that approach comes at the cost of not being able to do anything well. Remember this and draw on it when you need the strength to say “no” to some things or leave some things that you could do for another time.

Career Chick Hot Tip: Make what’s important your priority.

Keep It Simple

You may find that people use stereotypes and role models in the workplace to categorise behaviours and set unrealistic expectations. These can create work rather than facilitate career success. For example, women are often seen as the queens of multi-tasking, being able to hold a conversation and type an email at the same time with little effort. Scientific studies now suggest that this may not be the most efficient way of working due to the downtime and effort that is required to swap between tasks.

However, the social conditioning persists and women often feel that they need to do everything. Super girl, Wonder Woman and Lara Croft belong in comic books and movies, not in real life. (Although some super strength, super speed and even the ability to fly would be incredibly handy … and a little X-ray vision and power of the force wouldn’t go astray either!) You may feel that you need to operate at superhero levels just to juggle everything that is expected of you on a daily basis. But you don’t. The key is to simplify your expectations and work out how much you can realistically do.

Copyright Karen Adamedes 2010

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Karen’s blog is here

Published: 27 August 2010

Published: 20 November 2010

• Confidence dented by rate rises