Explaining gaps on your CV

For prospective employers seeing gaps on candidates CV’s can set off warning bells pretty quickly.
Here’s some useful and sensible advice about how to work with these gaps, and sometimes, use them to your advantage.

1. Be Honest

Employers, especially HR mangers are experts in knowing when someone is telling the truth and when they are not. 

Though it may be tempting to pretend like those periods of time when you were not in work didn’t exist, or they were shorter than they actually were, in reality the person looking at your CV or interviewing you will find out. This will rule you out straight away. Take the safe bet and be honest. Plus, by telling the truth you can potentially work gaps to your advantage.

2. It is how you handle gaps

Don’t think you’re the only person an employer is reviewing who has gaps in their CV. An employer is going to ask you about the gaps in your employment not because they are out to get you or because they hate you, they just want to know what you were doing so they can get a rounded idea of you as a candidate.

It’s pretty logical.

For many people in professional life you may hit a point where you want to take a different direction. In that case it often can take time to figure out what that is, or work your way into a different industry. This often turns out to be a positive or even the best thing that happens to someone. It’s up to you whether you want to treat this as a blemish or a refocus in your career trajectory.

Form a strategy

·         Gaps are what you make them. If you take the time to understand where your skills lie, and what industry your personality fits best, taking a gap could be a blessing. Understand what your end goal is to avoid having another gap.

·         Once you know what your goals are, make sure you know what skills and training it will take to get there. Many businesses are now taking the time to understand the skills and personality of candidates in front of them rather than simply judging based off their CV.

·         It’s a wise idea to submit an application that allows employers to see your skills   and aptitude, such as on Talent Propeller Jobs. Employers would rather hire someone with gaps on their CV, but with the skills and aptitude rather than the other way round.

It’s a tough world out there, but if you put in the extra effort it will really help set you apart and create results!

 Talent Propeller Jobs | for more career tips and advice check out http://www.talentpropellerjobs.co.nz/tips-and-advice/ 

Knowing you’re successful – even when it might not feel that way

If you have ambition and expectation about the steps you take in life it is inevitable that you will experience moments where you feel defeated or that you are not living up to what you envisaged.  Emotional Intelligence Expert Dr Travis Bradberry argues that we live in a world that reinforces this feeling. Even though most people wouldn’t say it, we usually equate success with material possessions. He says that it is a shame that we fall into this mode of thinking, as a recent study from Strayer University found that 90% of people found that happiness was a bigger indicator of success than power or possessions. When it comes to success, it’s often hard not to be consumed by the image of fancy clothes, big houses and expensive cars. Regardless of this, it is important to put life into perspective. Remember that there is always someone with more than you, and this can make you feel like you are losing, or not as successful. If you worry about this, you are likely measuring yourself against the wrong criteria. What you need to do is take a step back and give yourself a reminder as to what is real achievement in life. Here are some key indicators that you should follow to help understand how successful you really are. 1. Positivity = Success Dr Bradberry explains that “Hope and optimism are essential components of a happy life.” He goes onto say that “If you dwell on the things that go wrong, you become bitter and resentful. When that happens, you fail—no matter what you may have achieved. Real success means always seeing the bright side and believing you have the power to make even the worst situations better.” 2. Failure isn’t forever Bradberry says the only people who fail are those who don’t try. “When you fail, you don’t automatically assume that you’re a failure. Instead, you embrace each failure as an opportunity to learn something—and then you move on. If you still struggle with this at times, know that you’ll never experience true success until you learn to embrace failure. Your mistakes pave the way for your success by revealing when you’re on the wrong path. The biggest breakthroughs typically come when you’re feeling the most frustrated and the most stuck. It’s this frustration that forces you to think differently, to look outside the box and see the solution you’ve been missing.” 3. Perspective is key “Sometimes bad things happen. It’s part of life. For most of us, however, our very worst day would seem like a vacation to somebody who has real problems—like not having enough to eat, or trying to survive a civil war. Locking your keys in the car—or even getting passed over for a promotion—aren’t that bad once you learn to develop perspective. If you’ve mastered the ability to keep your problems in perspective, mark it down as a huge success.” 4. Help is always there Asking for help will get you ahead. Bradberry says “refusing to ask for help, no matter how much you’re struggling, is a sign of emotional immaturity. Asking for help means that you no longer feel like you have something to prove by being perfect. It shows you aren’t afraid of people discovering your weaknesses and you understand no one succeeds alone.” 5. People have the same insecurities as you, only care what you think “You only worry about what other people think when you still feel like you have something to prove. Conversely, you know you’ve “made it” when you don’t worry about that anymore—when you’re true to yourself and your principles, and satisfied with your life. You know you’ve made it when you understand that other people’s opinions are just that—opinions. They have no effect on reality. They don’t change who or what you are.” 6. Accept what you can’t change and change what you can. “There’s a difference between pessimism and practicality.” Bradberry explains, “If there’s a hurricane headed your way, there’s nothing you can do to stop it. But once you accept that the hurricane is coming, you can start working to mitigate its effects. If your company downsizes and you get laid off, every moment you spend in denial just delays whatever is waiting over the horizon. You’re able to move on only when you start exploring your options and making plans to change what you can. Taking responsibility for changing the things you don’t like about your life is one of the biggest indicators of success.”

7. Bring it Together

Lastly Dr Braberry sums up by saying “There’s no sense in feeling like a failure just because you think you should have a better job, a bigger house, or a nicer car. Real success comes from the inside, and it’s completely independent of circumstance.”

Do Something Positive – Apply for a Job on Talent Propeller Jobs!

NZ: http://www.talentpropellerjobs.co.nz
AU: http://www.talentpropellerjobs.com.au

Gender Stats of Trade Me Jobs Applicants

This is a breakdown of the gender split of Trade Me Jobs applicants over the last six months. The overall gender divide is almost evenly split however industry breakdowns evidently present some pretty significant imbalances.

Job Category	F	M
IT	18%	82%
Engineering	19%	81%
Construction & roading	26%	74%
Automotive	29%	71%
Transport & logistics	31%	69%
Trades & services	33%	67%
Executive & general management	35%	65%
Architecture	37%	63%
Manufacturing & operations	40%	60%
Agriculture, fishing & forestry	40%	60%
Science & technology	42%	58%
Sales	45%	55%
Government & council	49%	51%
Marketing, media & communications	50%	50%
Property	51%	49%
Hospitality & tourism	53%	47%
Banking, finance & insurance	54%	46%
Other	54%	46%
HR & recruitment	55%	45%
Accounting	56%	44%
Retail	59%	41%
Customer service	59%	41%
Healthcare	66%	34%
Legal	67%	33%
Office & administration	71%	29%
Education	72%	28%
All Trade Me Jobs	49%	51%

What are your thoughts? Are certain industries gender bias or are me and woman simply not interested in particular jobs?


Talent Propeller Jobs | For Career Tips and Advice check out 

http://www.talentpropellerjobs.co.nz/tips-and-advice/

What to wear to your next interview

It takes less than three seconds for an interviewer to form an impression of us. That means, sometimes no matter how experienced or skilled you are or how perfect your interview technique is, It would be remiss of you to forget what you decided to wear to an interview. We have devised a 5 step plan for interview success the next time you make it to that promising stage. 1. What will the interviewers are wearing? Regardless of whether you like to dress preppy or like a punk rocker, when you are with a potential employer you don’t want to look out of place.   Imagine rocking up in a suit and everyone else is wearing a T-Shirt and jeans, it’ll probably make you feel really uncomfortable, and more importantly it will signify you have no understanding of the company culture. Check out your potential employer’s website or LinkedIn profiles, take a look at what they are wearing. This should give you a reasonable understanding on what to wear. 2. Keep it Together When you are going into an interview the interviewer is looking for someone is the package, someone who has it together. What this means in terms of your outfit is that all the elements need to add up.  Avoid wearing more than 2 to 3 colours. This is probably the key way to keeping an outfit together. You don’t want to show up looking like a tragic rainbow. Also don’t skimp on accessories, your bag umbrella AND SOCKS are all part of the outfit. Make sure these all go with your look. You don’t want odd pink and orange polka-dot socks running the entire situation. 3. Layer up Always wear at least two layers; a shirt and a jacket. You never know what the temperature is going to be like. What if it’s in a freezing cold air conditioned board room and you’re wearing a silk blouse. Make sure you’re prepared so the environment doesn’t distract you. 4. Iron! It’s all about the details people! Ladies, check out those nails, guys do the same but make sure you iron your shirt and pants the day before! Remember its about communicating to employers why you are the most suitable person for the job, so if you can remove as many distractions as possible you’re on the best track to being able to do this.

5. Don’t wear something you haven’t worn before

You want to feel confident and comfortable. Which means you shouldn’t wear anything you haven’t worn before.

Talent Propeller Jobs | For More Career Tips and Advice check out 


AU: http://www.talentpropellerjobs.com.au/ 
NZ: http://www.talentpropellerjobs.co.nz/tips-and-advice/

How to Manage your Time like a CEO

Many of us have that moment at the end of the working day when we wished we possessed the superhuman power to create more hours in the day. Unfortunately, this is not a reality.

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/