Additionally, when employees were asked to rate their boss, the average score was just 6.5 out of 10, according to the latest Kelly Global Workforce Index which surveyed more than 4,000 people in Australia.

Slightly over half of respondents were willing to recommend their current employer, and Karen Colfer, managing director, Kelly Services Australia, said this was an alarming statistic because “employees’ views of an organisation carry a lot of credibility and send a clear signal about how people are managed and the best places to work”.

“[The opinions of] employees have a significant impact on the ability of a business to attract and retain talent,” Colfer added.

Key results of the survey included:

• The most important quality in a good boss is communication style, according to by 28% of respondents, ahead of leadership style at 23%, and vision and clear direction at 20%.
• 39% of respondents described their organisation’s leadership culture as either “empowering” or “inclusive”. 34% described it as “authoritative” or “oppressive”.
• 48% said their efforts at work wererecognised and rewarded.
• Among those respondents who said they feel rewarded and recognised for their work, 69% said this takes the form of being “noticed by management”, while 15% said they receive bonuses or incentives, and 12% are acknowledged through formal programs.

Colfer commented that employers are under intense scrutiny from a range of stakeholders, and employees are increasingly making judgments about their effectiveness, and how they rate as a desirable place to work.

“Employers need to be aware of this scrutiny and ensure that career development is a priority and that hard work does not go unnoticed,” she added.

What is it that job seekers really look for……

What type of information do you want to see advertised with a job description?

What type of information do you think, as a job seeker, you would benefit from knowing when it comes to the job market and industry to are working in?

Do workshops on career development and resume and interview techniques pay off?  Do you think they are worth going?

If you were considering attending a networking event for job seekers what type of information would you like to receive and what level of people would you expect to meet?

Let me know your thoughts.

The Age has just released this article on the release of figures which show that the unemployment rate has just jumped from 4.9% to 5.1%.

Artilce below:  

There are various factors that lead to low employee engagement and high staff turnover however two stand above all. Career advancement and career development opportunities are the top drivers for employee engagement. It is misleading to assume that training and development should only be offered to employees when a new skill or improvement of an existing skill is required. In fact your employees are already well trained and efficient at their tasks otherwise you would not have hired them.

This means that training and development opportunities need to be available and offered to employees in order to satisfy their need for career and self-development, this is how high employee engagement and motivation is generated in the workplace.

We all have the need to feel like we are progressing in our careers and above all we all carve that sense of achievement and self-actualisation.

Be Prepared. Practice your responses to all the typical questions, such as “tell me about yourself” and “why are you looking for a new position?” How well you speak will have a bigger impact than what you say.

Don’t be late. There is no worse way to begin an interview!!  Get there at least 10 minutes early.

First impression counts. You should dress suitably. Wear your best work outfit. The things to remember are cleanliness, simplicity and no strong or ‘loud’ colours. Do not chew gum or smoke and make sure you smell pleasant – deodorant people!

Be yourself. Speak clearly and enthusiastically about your experiences and skills. Be professional, but don’t be afraid to let your personality shine through, don’t be shy.

Listen carefully. There is nothing worse than to ask a question that the employer has already talked to you about. You will want to remember what you learn about the job, and you will want to answer the questions that were asked.

Address the job criteria. Nervous energy is good but not if you come to the job interview unprepared. It’s to your advantage to carefully research the job and the company. This can be done in many ways. You can request information personally, or go to the company’s website for material about job descriptions and company annual reports. Be sure to drop a few little hints in the interview so they know you made the extra effort.

Be positive. Don’t talk about your bad feelings or give any excuses about a negative experience. If you are asked why your grades are low or why you left another position,  don’t give excuses, instead, focus on stating the positive facts and lessons learnt from your experiences. And if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.  if you left a position because you had personal differences with your manager, simply say that you wanted a change.

Be poised. Pay attention to non-verbal behavior. Look the interviewer in the eye, sit up straight with both feet on the floor. You should also control nervous habits such as fingernail biting and giggling. Don’t ramble on and bore the interview with stories about your kids or past employment which is irrelevant to the current role.

Practice makes perfect. This maxim could not be more true with job interviews. Make sure your answers are clear and succinct. You should practice answering with a friend or with your family members. When practicing avoid terms such as “like” and “you know” and don’t sound too rehearsed, as though you have memorised each answer.

Research the company. Find out as much as you can about the company through annual reports, Newspapers, Value Line,” S&P, etc. Your effort will show in the job interview, and you’ll be seen as proactive, hardworking and astute.

Exhibit enthusiasm. First impressions, positive or negative, dramatically affect the ultimate evaluation. You can make or break an job interview within the first five minutes. Smile and say hello to everyone. A positive reaction from the support staff is an important factor in the evaluation. Many hires have been heavily influenced by an Administrative assistant.

Be self-confident. High self-esteem and self-confidence are the hallmarks of the successful individual. With confidence, be able to demonstrate how you have overcome obstacles. There’s nothing wrong with feeling good about yourself.

Remain involved. The most effective job interviews are those where an active two-way conversation takes place. Not the typical question and answer type. Begin early in the interview to interject your own relevant insight. Remember, don’t interrupt your interviewer.

Establish your worth. Discuss your specific accomplishments that demonstrate a proactive attitude. Such as: have you installed systems, done something not required, trained someone, etc. It’s always important to demonstrate how you either created revenue or saved expenses, and be specific with the amounts and how you accomplished that goal.

Know your six key strengths. Be prepared to discuss in detail and with examples your five or six main attributes. These should be the ultimate reason you get the job over someone else. Assuming you have done the proper homework on the company, these strengths should also be closely aligned to the key traits the employer is looking for in a person to fill their position.

Give 1 to 2 minute responses. Communication is the key to successful interviewing. A minimum of one to two minutes of well-prepared discussion gives the interviewer insight into your intellect and supports your contentions.

Provide examples/details. Support statements about yourself with specific examples. These will provide legitimacy to your claims. Without them, the interviewer won’t accept them as valid.

Remain attentive. Stay alert during the job interview. Maintain good eye contact. Sit forward in your chair. Be animated. Show high levels of interest and stay enthused. These actions can maintain or generate momentum during the interview. This is especially important when you are doing multiple interviews on the same day. The energy level must be as high for the last as it is for the first.

Don’t be arrogant. A presumptuous, overbearing attitude will offset the finest abilities. There’s a fine line between being too confident and cocky. Don’t cross that line.

Ask probing questions. A few strategic questions can demonstrate your intelligence, analytical skills and assertiveness. Have these prepared from your research. Avoid superficial small talk.

Be positive about co-workers. Don’t bad mouth previous positions, companies or employers. No matter how well founded, this implies a negative attitude, typical of those who don’t take personal responsibility for their actions.

Clearly state your interest. By the conclusion of the interview, state that you are definitely interested in the position and would like to know when the next step will take place. It’s best to demonstrate this interest throughout the session. Be careful not to go overboard.

Know your objective and end with it. Establish your objective before the job interview, like a second interview or an offer. Ask for it if you have not achieved it. Ask a question such as, “do you think my skills match your needs?” This gets straight to the point and, at worse, reveals other obstacles to overcome.

These are some of the things to keep in mind when preparing for an Interview. These can be a killer in an interview;

1. Be prepared and informed when arriving at the interview
2. Bad Breath is an instant interview killer
3. Don’t smoke before an interview, the smell of a cigarettes will annoy and agitate the interviewer.
4. Dress to impress, you need to look sharp this shows the interviewer that you are focused and committed.
5. Be on time if you can’t; arrive on time the first time you meet chances are you will be late again.
6. Focus in the interview and don’t fidget, look the interviewer in the eye and keep you responses focus to the topic and to 2-3min.

2. Brag about attention to detail then have mistakes in your resume.

3. Completely miss the requirements of the job you are applying for and be way over or under qualified.

4. Address your resume to the correct person, make sure you spell their name right.

5. Submit a unformatted resume! 

Australia’s unemployment rate has remained steady for the second consecutive month, with new data showing a surge in the number of full-time jobs during June, but losses in part-time work.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics data showed a rise of 59,000 full time jobs, while part-time jobs fell 35,600, leaving a net gain of 23,400 jobs for the month. The unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.9 per cent.

The gain was stronger than many economists expected. Market watchers forecast a rise of 15,000 jobs for June, but the result showed the biggest monthly gain in full-time jobs since July 2008.

to positively impact the global economy and marketplace by connecting all of the world’s professionals, and helping them to be more productive and successful. Hearing this week’s membership news, that goal seems entirely possible.

The reach of LinkedIn is incredible. The first thing I do when I receive an application for a position is look for that person on LinkedIn. Same as when I need to fill a specialist role, first point of call is LinkedIn.  It’s really just like the lotto “You’ve got to be in it to win it”.

In order to harness the power of LinkedIn you should:

1. Check your Profile:  Is it up to date with your latest’s achievements, positions and experience? Use power words that speak specifically of skills, talents, and experiences, then start over.  Don’t be afraid to tell people your specialties in your summary and list keywords that add targeted punch to your skill set.  Make it interesting. Instead of saying “I am a salesman” say, “I am a sales professional, who could sell you your own shoe, that’s how good I am”….. maybe not to cocky, but you get the idea. Be creative.

2. Make Connections: LinkedIn is like the professional Facebook! Use it to find old school mates, colleges, etc. You never know who you will bump into.

3. Groups:  This is the fun part!  Now that you have a great LinkedIn profile and a bunch of connections, join some groups.  LinkedIn groups are amazing, there is at least two for everything you can image and cover all the regions.  The topics are great and put you in touch with the latest’s trends and news as well as introducing you to like minded individuals.

4. Recommendations:  If you have had a good relationship with another LinkedIn member, then ask for a recommendation, especially if you have worked with them previously.  But don’t forget to return the favour!  Their recommendation gives you credentials, but your recommendation gives you exposure in their LinkedIn profile too.  It is the best of both worlds.

5. Apps:  Use the robust applications of LinkedIn to share what you are doing with your blog, add polls to your profile, and share presentations, you can link to Facebook and Twitter so all your accounts are interconnected.  Creating a 360 degree link to all of your activities gives the people in your LinkedIn network the ability to follow your message without difficulty or direction.  In the end, your LinkedIn profile should be about “working smarter, not harder” to get connections.

Be careful however that you do not put inappropriate material in your LinkedIn profile or any connected profile. You must be mindful that your colleges, boss and potential employers(ees) might be looking at it and no one wants to hear about your ingrown toe nail!

Get started today: http://au.linkedin.com/

CANDIDATES

1. We keep your information (relax! Not to stalk you) so if you aren’t successful in one position we can put you forward for another.
2. You only have to interview with us once!
3. We will buy you a coffee!! That’s right, FREE COFFEE! (or juice, tea, coke or Dr Pepper)
4.  We offer more than just trying to find you a job, we want to actually help you develop in your career.
5. We have a wider range of opportunities, some that haven’t even been advertised yet.
6. We hold regular networking events to get you in touch with hiring managers and industry specialists.
7. We are here to answer your questions about anything you need help with, what to wear, how to answer questions, which leads us to our next bonus.
8. We offer seminars on resume writing and interview techniques so you can be fully prepared.
9. Refer a Friend! If you recommend someone to us and they land a job with one of our clients, we reward you!  And it’s not a yo-yo, unless you like yo-yo’s, then it is!
10. We don’t pay lip service to “caring”. We really, honestly want to make sure we put you into a role that you will enjoy and flourish in!

COMPANIES

1. Outsourcing allows companies to focus on their core business.
2. Employers can better spend time on retention and new business development
3. When hours spent and opportunity costs are considered, it is cheaper to use a recruitment firm.
4. Recruitment firms have relationships with passive job seekers.
5. A recruitment firm has access to a wider range of candidates who may not have ever considered working for a particular employer.
6. Recruitment consultants are usually better trained in screening and interviewing candidates.
7. A guaranteed replacement makes using a recruiter very low risk.
8. Specialist recruiters will better determine suitability and fit as they interact with these candidates every day.
9. Access to wider market data makes recruiters better informed on trends, statistics and benchmarks
10. Using a recruiter reduces the stress associated with making a poor hiring decision.