5 Things you need to stop doing in your CV

Your phone not ringing off the hook with job offers? Your resume may be blame.

Your resume is incredibly important - it is the first impression that a Hiring Manager has of you and like it or not, they are drawing assumptions on you as soon as they open it. Your resume plays a crucial role in your quest to find the job you want make sure you’re not making any of the rookie mistakes listed below:

#1 - Not providing your contact details

It might sound simple but it is ridiculous the number of CV’s we receive that have no contact details. Double check that you have at least one phone number listed and an email address (always have 2 ways people can contact you). Alternative contact methods could be via your LinkedIn profile (if you do this ensure your profile is up to date) or the old fashioned post.

#2 - Mixing personal pronouns

Never talk in first person on your CV, it’s weird. – If you don’t know what that is Google it, or get a CV review from Talent Propeller. www.talentpropellerjobs.co.nz/jobseeker-tools/cv-makeovers/

#3 - You check your spelling but not your grammar

We call it spelling and grammar for a reason; awkward flowing sentences are a major deterrent for potential employers and demonstrate poor attention to detail and communication skills.

#4 - No covering letter

Or even worse, a cover letter addressed to another application. CRINGE.  Keep your covering letter short and to the point - it should not have the same information as your resume and should outline why the role appeals to you and what value you can add to the company. Think of your covering letter a movie trailer - just like a movie trailer is designed to excite you to go to the full movie, your covering letter should excite and entice a Hiring Manager to read your resume.

#5 - "I like books, films and spending time with family"

BORING! Employers want to know more about you than what makes you the same as every other human being in the western world. What’s your involvement in sports? The community? Really think about what your hobbies are and include these in your resume.

Don’t let a bad CV come between you and the jobs you want. Submit your CV for review at http://talentpropellerjobs.co.nz/cvreview

The secret to beating procrastination

Telling yourself you need the right amount of time, physical space, equipment, optimal lighting and temperature, literally any excuse that will stop you from doing the task in front of you? 

Do you think you work best under pressure (or maybe that’s all you know) 

Are you taking care of everything else you’ve been putting off, so technically, but ironically productively procrastinating?

Many of us naively convince ourselves that tomorrow will come and we will do it then. Whether you’re putting it off because you’d rather do something less mentally or physically demanding or you’re just not interested, or something more ‘urgent’ is stealing your time, we’ve all been in a mode of procrastination.

There are simple and practical ‘secrets’ that will help you overcome these productive sapping habits.

#1 - 
Focus on the success you will achieve and the sense of accomplishment you will attain once you have completed the task in front of you.

#2 -
Be completely honest about what is distracting you. Figure out what the main culprits of your procrastination actually are. You can’t resist checking your phone every five minutes.

#3 - 
Break it down. With more manageable projects, you’ll be able to track your progress as you go, giving yourself a boost of motivation each time you tick a box.

#4 - 
Consequences (and rewards). Are you are making a coffee then releasing you’ve done nothing since the last coffee you made? Trial working on a reward and consequence basis, and make sure the ones you set yourself are something you’re actually likely to enforce.

#5 - 
Tell people: This will add pressure, but, avoiding embarrassment is a huge motivator.

Check out more tips: http://talentpropellerjobs.co.nz/tips-and-advice/

Are you planning to have children any time soon?

Women have been asked some really inappropriate interview questions. We were shocked when we heard that candidates were seriously being asked. "Are you planning to have children any time soon?"

Some of the questions employers have asked regarding religion and people’s bedroom habits are at best inappropriate and at worst, illegal.  

According to a British report from the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, 70% of UK bosses think women should declare they're pregnant when applying for jobs whereas one in four think it’s fair to ask candidates whether they plan to have children. In Australia and New Zealand you are not allowed to employ someone on the basis they may have kids.

One woman who returned to work 12 months after giving birth to twins. Her female manager told her she thought women who worked when they had children under the age of five were ‘selfish’.

Employers do not have the right to ask candidates about their health, age, love life or whether they have children. But it doesn’t mean they won’t!

Have you ever been asked a question at a job interview you felt was inappropriate? Tell us about it.

Five things that will kill your career

Look out for these 5 things as they are sure to ruin your chances of leading a long and prosperous career.

Over-promising and under-delivering.
There are four reasons why we make promises; to create obligation, to regulate and direct behaviour, to reduce uncertainty and to build trust.  When you say “sure, I can have that to you in two hours”, after two hours what you both knew wouldn’t be done, isn’t done. 

 Complacency.

How long has it been since you proactively learned a new skill, reached out to your networking contacts, or even polished up your resume?

Fear of change.

The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown. – H. P. Lovecraft

A driven employee will manage their fear and look for avenues to adjust and thrive in a new environment.

Sucking up to your boss. It’s sneaky and unproductive.

There is no substitute for merit.

Having an inflatable ego.

Have you ever worked with someone who had a string of successes and started thinking that they were the be-all and end-all of superstardom? It’s never a good thing.

Check out Talent Propeller Jobs for more Tips and Advice

http://talentpropellerjobs.com.au/jobseeker-tools/ 

Revealed: Top things candidates want when looking for a job

Businesses using recruitment agencies to hire staff may be missing out on exposure to almost half of prospective applicants. Fifty-one per cent of respondents to Talent Propeller's recent survey said that due to negative experiences, they would rather apply for a position direct with a company than through a recruitment agency.

"The findings indicate a range of reasons," says Sharon Davies, Managing Director of Talent Propeller. "Common feedback was that there seemed to be little communication between recruitment agencies and candidates. 

Agencies fail to return calls and candidates often never receive feedback as to why they didn't make the grade, or recommendations for how to improve. Most jobseekers just want honest advice on 'what am I doing wrong?'".

Another gripe from survey respondents was a lack of transparency on the identity of the hiring company. Davies says that in today's job market people want to know who they are working for. "Looking at a job listing with recruiter branding on behalf of an anonymous client simply isn't enough information.

"Scrolling through job boards with faceless recruitment jobs is uninspiring and a turn-off if you've had bad luck previously with recruitment agencies."

Davies says the survey shows that jobseekers aren't convinced that recruiters have a good understanding of the roles they're recruiting for, and instead are operating on the notion they should get a person into a role as quickly as possible rather than providing a fair and balanced assessment of an applicant to an employer.

We were interested to find the 5 top things job seekers told us they wanted in the job seeking process that they feel would add value or success of finding a job.

#1  59% Interview Coaching

#2  59% CV Critique Services

#3  55% CV Redesign

#4  55% Career Guidance

#5  50% Skills Testing

 
You can view the full survey here: http://www.talentpropeller.com/SurveyResults 
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