Changing Careers: Are you up for it?

July 24, 2010 View Comments

Careers can evolve and progress over decades or they can move rapidly—prompted by life-changing circumstances such as retrenchment, a personal revelation, or the ill-health of a family member. If change is being forced upon you or you have decided to take the plunge and follow your “bliss” be prepared to become more agile—in your thinking, [...]

Job Search Consultants: Let’s Get a Different Perspective

July 16, 2010 View Comments

For all the criticism Job Search Consultants receive from frustrated job seekers (and believe me, they get a lot of criticism!), there are two sides to every story. Talk to the average recruiter and you’ll find that many jobseekers aren’t exactly beyond reproach in their dealings either. This week I called for “pet peeves” from [...]

You have been “Let Go”. Will it Make You or Break You?

June 27, 2010 View Comments

Meet Linda. Seemingly out of the blue, Linda was retrenched. Just last year she was given a bonus and now she’s packing her desk. Linda’s angry, hurt and confused. She analyses every conversation and comes to the conclusion she was, without a doubt, badly done by. As she talks to friends and former colleagues about [...]

Heating up your job search. Five ways to dismiss those winter blues

June 18, 2010 View Comments

A #Careercollective article. As the wind howls down the cold city streets reminding you of the folly of not wearing fleecy undergarments, you can always count on your humorous friend to cheerfully remark “Is it cold enough for you?” as you take refuge inside the warm coffee shop where you’re meeting for a spot of [...]

Going up? The 30-second Elevator Pitch

May 27, 2010 View Comments

Dave the job seeker assured me he had prepared this elevator pitch. “Okay!” I said, “Hit me with it”. He began. “I was born in 1969 in Melbourne Australia” he started. I went to school at Box Hill South Primary School until I was 12 or so, and then I became a student at Box [...]

An interview? Don’t panic – have a plan!

May 12, 2010 View Comments

Your heart skips a beat as you disconnect the call. A combination of nausea and elation hit you as you turn to your partner wide-eyed, incredulous. “I got the interview” you say quietly as if by saying it louder you’ll somehow make it untrue. As you grasp the reality, you grin and laugh. “I got [...]

Cinderella 2010. The Internet isn’t the Solution

April 15, 2010 View Comments

Cinderella 2010: Taking a break from hearth cleaning at home, Cinderella scours searchforaprincess.com when she spies the perfect role advertised at Prince Charming Inc. Seems the CEO, Prince Charming, is looking for a Princess to co-manage his kingdom. The successful candidate need have no actual experience in kingdom management, but must possess a demure smile, the [...]

Of Plans and Pylons: What is your job search strategy?

April 8, 2010 View Comments

Has there been a freeway, bridge or major construction where someone wakes one morning and thinks: “That would be a good idea, I’ll build a bridge! Fred? Hand me a steel pylon!” No major decisions should ever be contemplated without a plan. Many jobseekers make the mistake of failing to plan. They ride on a [...]

Of Mums, Dads and Kids, Oldies and Sickies. Explaining Absences in Your Resume

March 25, 2010 View Comments

You know in your heart it absolutely looks awful. I’m taking about that gap in your resume where you just can’t easily explain your absence. Did I say “gap”? The more you look at it you see a great yawning chasm with nothing to link the dates before “the event” and after. “The Event” of [...]

Interview Paralysis

March 11, 2010 View Comments

The other day I was sent the Word of the Day by a friend. It was Anatidaephobia. Before you race to Google it, I’ll save you the time. Anatidaephobia is defined as a pervasive, irrational fear that one is being watched by a duck. (I vowed to get that into a sentence or a conversation [...]