The post The Big DON’Ts of Interviewing appeared first on First Personnel.
]]>What is most important when nerves strike, is that you can demonstrate the ability to successfully navigate flaws. If you come across as curt or impolite when stressed, being aware of this can make all the difference. Similarly, it’s important that you understand even the brightest and best personality probably won’t be acknowledged if it comes poorly presented. So what should you definitely avoid doing in an interview setting? We cover the basics here:
DON’T Slander previous employers
No matter how difficult or unfair your current situation is, never place a previous or current employer in poor light. Yes, “Why are you leaving your current place of work?” can be a loaded question, but whether you’ve been let go or you’re flying under the radar on this job hunt, never ever take this question as an opportunity to bag your last/current employer. We loved the spiel by the guy who was desperate to find a new position to avoid ongoing, devastating conflicts with his co-worker ‘I love my job but I promised myself that I would jump on a great opportunity when I saw one, even if it meant taking a risk. When I applied for this position, I didn’t do it lightly.”
DON’T Interrupt
While we admit that sometimes, interrupting is crucial to avoid time wasting, it’s more important to understand the impact regular interruptions have on progress. Trust that the person speaking will cover your questions. Take a notepad and jot down your questions as they arise. Come back to them when and if you need to. Focus is everything so most especially, never ever interrupt to deviate from the question.
DON’T Dwell on a stumble
Did you pronounce someone’s name incorrectly? Mumble through your answer? A small mistake can be emphasised in an interview setting, but it can also be an opportunity to demonstrate how to overcome small problems without making them into big ones. Follow the newsreader’s tact: never dwell on a mistake. If you make one, clarify it and move on with mind and word.
DON’T Give closed answers
Yes or No questions should be reserved for questionnaires only! In an interview, you should give thorough questions with support for your statements, without rambling. For example, the question “Are you comfortable liaising with clients,” is an invitation to talk about your ability to communicate. If you were to answer with a blunt ‘yes/no’ you’d be making a very clear demonstration. Avoid at all costs!
DON’T Smoke or Drink pre-interview
Goes without saying really. If you need to calm your nerves, deep breathing and mindfulness can be of assistance! If you are a smoker, wait until you’re well away from your interview setting to light up. Smell is one of the most powerful and impactful of your senses, it can drive strong emotional responses, not to mention the physical reactions. It’s really important not to head into an interview with bad breath, in a cloud of aftershave or perfume or with the odour of nicotine hanging around on your clothing or breath.
Melbourne recruitment agency First Personnel have helped thousands of individuals find and secure employment they can excel in. If you would like to speak with a member of our skilled team, email us today for more information via [email protected].
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]]>The post The Big DO’s of Interviewing appeared first on First Personnel.
]]>So, your CV made it past the algorithms and into the palms of a potential new employer? Great! Now, there’s one golden rule to keep in mind from the minute you get the call to the second you shake your hiring manager’s hand: Prepare, prepare, prepare.
Here are the biggest DOs and DON’Ts of interviewing.
DO Research
You should have lots of questions about your employment conditions. It’s not enough to simply know the name, department and building you’re heading to- forming a solid idea of your potential workplace shows initiative and drive. Being up to date with the business background, a number of employees in your department and an idea of the clients/service areas, etc will all come together to make a good impression.
DO Be early
Punctuality can’t be faked. Where there are some employers who can see the potential beyond lateness, the majority are conditioned to blacklist the interviewee who runs off schedule or wastes their time. Lateness can also translate as inexperience and naivete. Never expect a second chance when it comes to interviews- even genuine lateness is very difficult to overcome in an interview situation.
DO Prepare your strengths
Rehearse three key spiels you can use that demonstrate your major skills. Small skills can be demonstrated e.g. a preference for punctuality and tidiness- big skills deserve verbal recognition; if you’re comfortable in a leadership role, an insatiable analyst or a creatively driven mind, give short examples of these and be prepared to back yourself up with evidence!
DO Admit it when you just don’t know an answer
The last place you want to be in an interview is in the middle of a sentence you can’t finish. Don’t know the answer? Say so, straight up! Being able to admit you can’t answer a question is a skill, not a weakness. Sometimes, an interviewer may ask you a question that is particularly difficult to answer, to see if you’ll cope with not knowing. Work is about learning sometimes too: demonstrate that you can cope with not having an answer where it counts and show a willingness to learn when the opportunity arises.
Feeling confident in an interview doesn’t mean you have to know everything, have an answer for it all and never falter- it just means you need to set standards for yourself and be prepared for the test that an interview can be.
Want to know more? Find out some of the biggest mistakes you can make in an interview setting in the second half of our 2-part blog, where we’ll go over the great DON’Ts of Interviewing.
First Personnel are skilled consultants who specialise in placing people in jobs they can excel in. If you’re looking for a recruitment agency in Melbourne where your search for a great position will be prioritised. Email us at [email protected] today.
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]]>The post Engaging Your Workplace – Three Key Areas to Improve appeared first on First Personnel.
]]>When happier employees make for more productive teams, how can you help to generate an inspired workplace? Great teams don’t happen by accident- they are a product of consistent healthy workplace behaviours. Here’s how to make it work for you.
Bend to prevent breaking
Do you have great team members who are only limited by time? It’s important to understand the need for flexibility where possible and to see flexibility as an opportunity rather than a weakness, especially when it translates to working hours that don’t fit the social norms many employing bodies are used to. Consider that not everyone can run by the same clock- what works well for one person may not work well for the other.
Get organised
Are your team communicating via more than two main channels? Quality over quantity is a great rule to keep in mind when it comes to choosing the right organisation tools for your business. Choosing a way to communicate effectively with your teams is essential, and systems like Slack, Smartsheet and Yammer are excellent communication tools, easy to use and relatively affordable to run.
Set boundaries
A simple observation of how your teams tend to reach out to each other is a very revealing exercise for many employees. How do your teams interact when they need to discuss projects or ask questions? Unnecessary interruptions are a big gripe in the workplace. Look for areas that would benefit from boundary building and talk to your teams about healthy and productive collaboration, such as refraining from setting meetings about matters that can be resolved in a conversation or an email, and using priority flags to deal with non-urgent matters.
Lead by Example
If you want to work with people who share your ethics, you’ll need to represent yourself well. If you’re all about punctuality, authenticity and a positive mindset, don’t compromise: set your values and reinforce them regularly with great workplace habits. Send praise where it is due, for example, for those who turn in projects early, go the extra mile to get the job done or demonstrate values you particularly want to see, ensure they know their worth.
First Personnel are leading service providers as a Melbourne labour recruitment agency. We are proud to engage and link the right people for the right jobs. Call us on 1800 510 640 for more information today.
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]]>The post Part Two: How to Navigate the Probation Period appeared first on First Personnel.
]]>As we were saying, it’s normal to feel edgy about a probation period, but there are certainly ways to get through those (normally 90 days, or thereabouts) first three months without raising unnecessary red flags about your ability to slot into the role well.
In addition to the discussion we held about looking after yourself, getting to know your work family and why staying off your phone is critical, here are three further ways to ensure probation smooth sailing.
Anything you talk about should be kept neutral, especially if it isn’t related to the job you need to do. Unless your job is strongly focused on politics, gender, religion or any other subject with high potential to rock the probation raft, keep a lid on it. A strong opinion is a great quality, but wield it with caution: Don’t start a row about the 1% with Margie in accounts, pooh-pooh the mainstream music station your peers are listening to, or tell Rowan in design that the logo he’s about to pitch could use some help (especially if you’re in sales).
A good rule around these subjects is wait to be asked-and if you don’t feel comfortable to talk about controversial topics, simply say so with a friendly disposition. This is often the most professional way to manage a tricky conversation.
Rules are not your enemy. They are your friend. Don’t act put out if you are asked to place your phone out of reach, sharpen up on punctuality, or asked to keep the volume down on a conversation. Lateness, disruption and entitlement are red flags that are easily noticed and hard to turn around once noticed. You may be able to work well in loud environments or finish your workload at a time loss, but your colleagues may not. If you’ve been asked to resolve behaviours similar to these, take it as feedback in what is needed for you to keep the role.
If you really value your job and you want to make it past the probation period, remain professional at all times around your boss. You may be working closely with them or you rarely see them, but remember at all times that professional conduct is your best bet. Any problems you have, any questions you need to assert, consider them carefully before you raise them. There is always a preferred route for discussing problems, and it is rarely in direct discussion with the boss. Find out who you can speak to if you need to air concerns and arrange a time to be frank.
Starting a new position can be intimidating or challenging for many people. Just remember that by holding yourself accountable, pulling back any entitled behaviour and remaining friendly will go a long way.
Need help with your job search? First Personnel are pleased to offer expert advice and guidance and recruitment. Our team of Melbourne recruitment consultants look forward to helping you find the ideal role. Reach out to us on 1800 510 640 today and find out why we lead in the recruitment agency landscape.
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]]>The post Part One: How to Navigate the Probation Period appeared first on First Personnel.
]]>Want to sail through it? Read our two-part blog on what to do and what not to do during the probation period.
Lots of people let their guard down once they commence a new position, but this is a poor move. Your health is the biggest deciding factor in whether you’ll be able to make it into work, so ‘celebrating’ your new role right up to the day before you start is a bad idea- especially if it involves late nights, a few too many champagnes or anything that leaves you exhausted. Aim to be well rested, eat well and prepare yourself to ace the challenges that are sure to appear on your plate in the next few days.
You might be distracted by a whole bunch of new and brain-breaking challenges, but the probation period is not the time to put yourself in a bubble. A good employer will want to see how you conduct yourself when faced with unfamiliarity and potential stress. Don’t wait to learn your colleague’s names or get to know the people you’ll be seeing every day for the unforeseeable future. Friendliness and a little bit of social nouse go a LONG way in the probation period. HINT: Balance is the key here, of course.
We mean it. The inability to disengage from your phone reads poorly to the majority of employing bodies- socially, it’s more acceptable than ever to have your phone permanently within your reach, but the probation period is not the time to drop some cutting-edge content on your social media pages if you need to check in every 30 seconds to count likes. A hearty clap has to go out to the girl who made a public service announcement to her Facebook friend group when she started her new job: “Hi guys, I’m deactivating my account for the next couple of weeks until I’ve got my head around the new job I’ve just scored. I’ll be back soon!”
Stay tuned to our blog reel for a continuation of the probation period commandments. In our next post, Part Two of How to Navigate the Probation Period, we’ll talk about workplace neutrality, why the rulebook is your friend, and why The Boss doesn’t need to know about why you hate the music station your peers love.
First Personnel is committed to helping job seekers find and secure roles they love. If you’d like support on your job seeking journey, be sure to reach out to our hardworking team for advice and guidance. Call us on and get the ball rolling today.
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]]>The post Need To Submit A Video CV? Read This First. appeared first on First Personnel.
]]>Usually, Video CVs demonstrate one clear thing- presentability and great conduct in a very clear perspective. They give a potential employer invaluable insight into the way you wish to present yourself, and also the way you wish to demonstrate your best employable qualities on camera.
Video CVs give you an excellent step ahead – even before getting your foot in the door. It’s possibly the only time during a job hunt- other than the interview you’re trying to land- that you’ll get to make a visual first impression and have total control over the way you express yourself. For those who can become anxious in an interview situation, this is an opportunity to lead with style and act with the confidence you have when you’re not under scrutiny.
Some important tips to remember when you record your Video CV include:
Presentation
Be immaculate. Dress for the job. Clean, neat and tidy clothes and hair are a must, but if you’re trying to land a fashion sales role or something similar, dress FOR your audience. Your choices should reflect interests in line with the role. You don’t need to go overboard but provide some entertaining clues that your interest doesn’t disappear with the ‘stop’ button.
Environment and Background
Make sure the scenery is either neutral or pleasing. An outdoors video can go down well but you won’t necessarily have 100% control over your environment. Remove any visible signs of untidiness, and ensure your space is not distracting and definitely not untidy.
Diction and Pronunciation
A couple of deep calming breaths go a long way before preparing a video CV. Focus on speaking clearly and ensure that you can be perfectly heard, without pauses that go for too long, and without stalling words like ‘umm’ and ‘ahh’.
Consider a video CV just another way to impress a potential hiring manager. Building a video CV that charms the doubt out of an audience can be difficult, but it doesn’t have to be impossible. First Personnel is among Melbourne’s best Labour Recruitment agencies. If you’d like to streamline the job hunting process, speak with a member of our team today on 1800 510 640
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]]>The post Have You Recently Leapt On Board With A Recruitment Agency? appeared first on First Personnel.
]]>A great job agency is on your side.
A great recruiter can’t wait to hear those magic words,“I’ve been offered the position.” A great job agency will stick with you right up until those words are your own. But, as mentioned, those are words that don’t come easy and you’ll need to work with your agency closely for best results. Here are the biggest tips for building an effective and productive experience with the agency you’ve signed up to.
Be reliable.
Reliability translates as a starring quality in any employee. Punctuality is an attribute that goes a long way in the initial job search. Show up for your appointments as though they were interviews themselves. Make the calls you promised you would. Respond to emails as they arrive. Most importantly, show up for yourself to keep up with the momentum. Dropping the ball for a break in your job hunt is okay, but avoid leaving communications on the backburner too long.
Ask Questions.
Preparing for meetings and interviews puts you ten paces ahead by asking any questions you may have as they come up. This might sound obvious, but for many job-seekers, the need to feel like you’re not guessing can seep into everything. Your agency is there to help, so fire away and get those niggling queries out in the open.
Be Patient. A great recruitment agency knows how to place a candidate perfectly for the job. This is a process that can’t be rushed. It can be helpful to arrange regular updates with a good consultant and make sure any updates and questions are answered so you’re kept in the loop at all stages, but patience is key. Ask your consultant about scheduling a communication update to make sure things are moving the way they should be!
If you’re looking for great recruitment agency with your best interests, First Personnel is among Melbourne’s leading labour recruitment agencies. We can help you secure an ideal position. Call us today on 1800 510 640.
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]]>The post Beat the Algorithms and Get Your CV Shortlisted appeared first on First Personnel.
]]>This is why recruiters call upon the help of technology from time-to-time. Automated machine-learning algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI) can cut down processing times to mere seconds. So, how can you make sure these machines look favourably upon your resume?
Begin by adding all the right keywords to your CV. You can determine these by scanning job advertisements for the same role, then include things like “health and safety”, “project management”, “budget management” or anything else that may be relevant.
Soft skills are more generalised, so may include terms like “team work”, “communication” or “time management”. Use these to highlight your achievements and link them to previous job roles in which you’ve adapted these skills. Use actual facts, so instead of saying you always surpass KPI’s, explain how much you have surpassed KPI’s, for example.
Don’t leave the summary field of your LinkedIn profile blank, but optimise it as much as possible. Use the entire character count to highlight skills, talent and successes with the appropriate keywords. Try to steer away from unconventional job titles and choose more generic ones that are common in your industry.
As with the rest of your job application, ensure your resume is free from spelling mistakes, as AI won’t be able to pick these up. A human reader would toss a CV with spelling errors in the trash, as would a machine.
Keep formatting simple. Unless you’re applying for a role that requires creativity or design, simplicity is always the best way to go. Use fonts that are easy to read, like Ariel or Times New Roman and eliminate shading or logos. Any unusual headings or borders can confuse the system.
First Personnel is an employment agency in Melbourne, and we offer a complete recruitment service to job seekers. When you want to transition to a new career or advance in your current industry, we have the expertise to match you with a new employer.
We stay up-to-date on all changes in the recruitment industry, so submit your resume today to connect with a qualified staffing consultant that’s on-hand to turn your employment dreams into a reality.
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]]>The post Why a Labour Recruitment Agency Saves Time and Money appeared first on First Personnel.
]]>Business stops for no one and the job market is more competitive than ever. Filling roles in your company is vital to ensure business runs smoothly.
Posting to vast amounts of job sites like Indeed and Seek can be tedious. Many hands make for light work, and a recruitment agency is your best shot at streamlining the process of hiring new staff. Working with a labour hire agency is a collaborative arrangement that has your company’s best interests in mind.
Market Knowledge
Recruitment agencies have their finger on the pulse of the job market. Whether you’re looking for a temp or a full-time candidate, they are likely to have suitable and available talent on their hands. The best agencies will act as collaborators and partners, and will act as your eyes and ears in the market.
Agencies have many networks – each consultant, candidate, client or collaborator has the potential to leverage their networks to help connect you to people with a range of skills and experiences.
Selecting Applicants
Some of the problems that arise with pooling your own candidates can easily be fixed with a labour hire agency.
Almost every day, new job search sites are becoming available. Potential candidates are taking advantage of this and sending in multiple resumes across multiple platforms. All job advertisements are in search of applicants that meet the basic requirements of the position. People are often submitting their resume for jobs they aren’t completely qualified for. Using a recruitment agency can help eliminate this issue.
Some candidates are hard to find. They may be passive or selective. There’s a strong chance that a good recruiter will know how to reach them.
Job seekers that have been pre-selected to match all the criteria that you are looking for and are worthy for consideration and interview will be brought to your attention. Agencies have people on file and if their skills match your role, they can immediately be presented to you.
Getting the best candidates right from the start definitely saves time. There’s no need to weed through applications that don’t even meet your basic requirements.
First Day and Beyond
Alongside matching perfect candidates to roles, agencies can help handle paperwork and other formalities. They are able to liaise between employer and employee to make sure everything is in place for an employee’s first day and beyond.
Employee and employer relations can be stronger when formalities are handled by an agency, thus allowing both parties to excel in their roles. You can also avoid staffing as many dedicated HR people, and save money on salaries. Let the focus be on having employees that know how to do the work.
With our dedicated departments and expert support staff, First Personnel understands the needs of each unique company and has a pool of highly-qualified candidates ready to step into a suitable role. Contact us on (03) 5002 0030.
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]]>The post What Employers Really Want From Graduates appeared first on First Personnel.
]]>No matter what you studied, college and university courses are designed to prepare you for the world of work, so you have a good head-start when applying for positions. You’ve completed projects that have taught you how to work well on a team, make decisions and solve problems. What other skills do employers expect you to have?
When surveyed, more than 80% of employers said they search for evidence of leadership skills on an applicant’s resume. On top of that, you must also be able to show that you can work well in a team. Demonstrate how you’ve taken part in extra-curricular activities and taken initiative in particular situations to place yourself in an appealing light.
Most employers are looking for staff that have technical knowledge that’s related to the job role. Whether your course was relevant to the position you want, or you’ve picked up some work experience or an internship alongside your studies, displaying that you have a passion and genuine knowledge about the role is a great way to stand out.
You have to be able to communicate verbally with people both inside and outside of an organisation. You must be able to present in front of groups of people and have the confidence to reach out to stakeholders and clients. Becoming a part of your school’s committee or debate team is a good place to start.
One thing that gives younger candidates the edge is that they’re digital natives. They know computers, software and are good at analysing quantitative data. Most jobs will require you to be proficient at using computers. If you’re not, make sure you’re taking some evening classes to get practice in, or you may be left behind in the stream of more qualified candidates.
In 2015, the three degrees that were claimed to be most in-demand were business, engineering and computer & information sciences. Whichever degree you took, employers will only consider you if you can display that you’re a great team worker and decisive problem-solver.
If you feel like you need a head start when you’re fresh out of uni, contact First Personnel. We’re a job agency that connects job seekers with suitable positions and acts as a point-of-contact whenever you have questions or feel like you need a new position. You’ll be assigned a recruiter that’s experienced in your particular industry, so you can be sure we have the knowledge to get your foot in the door of the field you want.
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