Debbie’s gap life – or how she found satisfying and well paid jobs online

by K B , updated on November 3, 2020

I started from the United States on what was to be a gap year of travel and fun that ended up lasting over 6 years. I suppose it is classified as a “gap life” now. My point is that gap lives can be expensive. I needed extra money to be more comfortable and keep traveling.

I took an inventory of all my skills and researched what was marketable via the internet. If you are looking for freelance work online, please know I have been there and I feel for you. I’ll begin by telling you my experiences on various online freelance venues.

Just like Charlie Brown when Lucy pulled the football away, I felt disappointed when I could not get reasonable jobs on Odesk and other similar sites espousing great jobs.

My skill set is social media management, writing content/SEO and transcription among other tasks. These are good skills to work online so I gave it a shot. As the sites generally request, I made stellar and complete profiles, took the various tests to prove my skills and offered a very competitive price for my work.

But that’s where it stopped for me.

I found that the majority of the jobs offered on these sites are of the poverty wage variety with employers who are either broke or happen to enjoy the use of slave labor. Upon further research I found the typical job was given to people in Pakistan for $2.22 per hour. There is no doubt that this is a great deal of money to people in these countries but to the majority of us “It ain’t gonna cut it”.

Over and over in my mind, I kept returning to that Linkedin account that I signed up for but just never got around to using. I followed the same strategy of a good profile highlighting my major skill set. Afterward, I used the search function to browse profiles of others with my skills and snoop on what they were doing. Lo and behold, there was my name at number one for every keyword I used.

Auspicious start so I continue. I learned how to search, expand my network and then offer my services to members and the various groups. Within 1 hour I obtained 5 prospective assignments of which 3 worked out. Those 3 kept me busy for a few weeks.

The next go around, I obtained 3 prospects and one of them worked out and kept me busy daily ever since. In addition, that employer referred me to another client. We are talking about two messages sent out to only a portion of the people in my network and they each took only 20 minutes to compose and send. I kept the messages brief and included what I was offering in the message header. That way there was no mistaking what the email was about.

The power of Linkedin as a networking resource is astounding!

By the way, I no longer send out messages for my services as I am too busy to take new clients. I recommend to anyone able to do their work online to use social media as a resource to find work. Join Linkedin and do the initial work to set your page up properly.

Learn it, live it and LOVE it people. I know I do.

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Facebook Twitter Candidate Checks …….should we……just because we can?

by Richard , updated on November 3, 2020

There’s been a constant stream of discussion in the online and print media recently about the use of social media to assess candidate suitability.

The vast majority of this discussion seems to be saying either if you’re going to be doing it be careful or well it’s so widespread and common within the recruitment space – it must be OK

For anyone involved in recruitment who has used or is contemplating using social media to uncover “unsuitable” candidates, I have a few questions for you……..

Scenario One: You routinely check shortlisted candidate Facebook pages for what you or your company consider “unsuitable” or “inappropriate” behaviour. In one instance you have 5 candidates and discount a candidate because of the pictures you discover material involving their drinking habits, inappropriate language or behaviour. Three of your candidates however don’t have Facebook pages.

To ensure you are treating all candidates fairly, “will you now ring those 3 candidates and ask them about their drinking habits, use of ‘inappropriate’ language and other ‘anti-social’ habits?”

Scenario Two: A common reason I hear in defence of the use of social media in candidate selection is ‘well it’s in the public domain’. You have just finished interviewing a candidate. You look out your window and notice them walking into the pub on the corner. Two hours later you happen to notice them leaving the pub. It could be argued that this is also ‘in the public domain’.

Do you include the candidate’s behaviour in your selection process? Do you know if he drank any alcohol? Do you know how many drinks he drank? Are you using Facebook simply because you can without the candidate’s knowledge?

My final question for you is.

Just because we can do something………. does that mean that we should?

I do think there are some situations where it’s appropriate to access a person’s social media pages (and take appropriate disciplinary action). For example if an employee is found to have breached their privacy and confidentially contract with their employer.

I also do not include LinkedIn in the above comments. LinkedIn’s primary role is to facilitate networking opportunities for business, career and employment. Any user of LinkedIn should be mindful of this fact and that potential employers will be accessing their LinkedIn profile.

And to all candidates I would go a step further and suggest that there’s only one way to protect yourself if you don’t want potential employers using your social media profiles (eg Facebook and Twitter) to select or deselect you as a job candidate…….

Candidate Tip: Change your privacy settings to exclude all public access!

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New in Australia from overseas? How to apply some IQ to your job hunt!

by K B , updated on November 3, 2020

This post is brought to you by one InterviewIQ’s regular readers. Here he shares his approach to finding a job in Australia. If you are a skilled migrant you’ll need to be more persistent and creative in your job hunt than the average Joe. Read on for some great tips on what to do from IQ.

Someone told me once that finding a job in Australia takes some time – “up to six months is not unusual” they said. Straight away I wondered why it should take that long. “By analysing it I can take a shortcut” I thought. Sorry, I can’t help but think that way since I am an Engineer. I’ve spent the past 15 years of my life troubleshooting machines. Then I moved on to troubleshoot processes to try and fix them.

So what is it in the job hunt that takes that long?

Surely it is a simple process of finding a vacancy, applying for it, and either getting a yay or a nay? If you do the right numbers you should get a result. In six months, you can definitely receive a minimum of one job alert a day in your inbox and respond to it by an email the same day. That makes it 130 times not counting weekends. So why would it take that long? Is it the recruiters taking a nap for five months and working in the sixth? Or is it that you have to kiss 5 month’s worth of frog-job-vacancies until you land on your prince charming of a job?

Well, my story could give you an insight into the gremlin that holds back your job search, and in the process, drains your bank account and your will to live at the same time.

So I started right, or so I thought.

Having had to wait for six months before finding my last job, I made sure I did all the right things. Before moving to Australia, I read at least five websites on how to write up a CV and cover letter. Then I topped that up by a running the CV past three different people, all native English speakers, at least one who works in my profession. The result was three versions of my CV: one functional to apply for a consultant position that I always wanted; another chronological version to apply for jobs in my same line of work; and a third that is “watered down” to apply for temporary or casual jobs and not be rejected for being overqualified.

I wanted to maximise my opportunities, and have contingency plans should the main one fail. Unfortunately, I had no contingencies for the contingencies failing. Read on.

I phoned my friend in Sydney who’d been in the same position as me a couple of years ago. He confirmed that the so called “hunting journey” would take a few months, even if you’re prepared. “Bizarre! Why can’t he tell me what went wrong and what went right, and this way I’ll shave off a couple of months?!” I wondered. All he did was give me a link to the three major websites.

So to cut a long story short, all attempts to land a job applying from abroad yielded nought. In the words of one good recruitment coordinator: there are similarly or better qualified candidates doing the same thing you’re doing from at least another couple of dozen countries. So unless your skill is so unique and particular for a job, then you have to put extra effort to stand out; firstly by being in Australia and available for a face to face interview when called.

I took the hint, and put the job hunt till later

Four days after I arrived. I was on the net firing up applications, customising covering letters, and giving CVs away like marketing flyers. The scatter gun approach missed quite a few times, then it seemed to have hit. I got the very first phone call from a recruiter. But it couldn’t have come at a worse time. I was loading furniture in the car, and expecting another phone call from the electricity company. I was very honest and professional in my answer saying “this was not a good time and since I cannot recall which job he was speaking about as I applied for quite a few, it’s better if he calls me back later.”

Guess what? He never did.

This taught me another two lessons: a) recruiters do not need you, you need them, and b) keep a record of what you’ve done handy will you. Harsh it might sound, this is the name of the game and I dislike it as much as the next person.

That was the first week. Then there was another two weeks of much the same approach, yet with different outcomes. Somehow there was no soul-destroying anonymous and generic rejection emails. It drove me to desperation for a bit until my partner’s family told me January was a bad time to find a job since everyone is away. If that was not enough to drive me suicidal, they followed that by February being the month where everyone deals with January backlog. So I have to man up and tighten the belt until March, and consider all these adverts online to be generated by very intelligent computer programs covering for folk on extended holidays.

I took that time to review what I had done so far. It’s very easy to walk in circles if you don’t stop and gauge your track; it is actually scientifically proven. Following the review, I decided that I should consider new means to my desired ends, and that I should become really ruthless in terms of effort and application.

I filtered out the best five websites on job hunting (judged by Google’s ranking and by my own sceptical nature), and of them I jotted down a list of action points all five unanimously recommended. I rewrote my CVs, again, and took a different slant to writing covering letters. It wasn’t until another week of full-on nine-to-five job hunt ending in same old had passed that I got called for an interview with a recruitment consultant. Hurrah, in moderation though, since the lead came through my partner, and using the old version of my CV. Never mind, it is an interview and we went out for drinks to celebrate it.

The interview went well, and I was promised to be connected with my dream company to work for. I was almost drooling with excitement. I decided this consultant is it, and that I should sacrifice all other opportunities for the sake of getting any job with them. A week later, being the professional planner I am, I gave the consultant a courtesy follow up call. For some reason I have not understood yet, she went on the defensive and said she’ll get in touch when there is an update. My Babel fish translated that into: “you kind of upset me, and I shall put the minimum effort in your job search”. The translation was validated since a week later she told me “my CV was sent awaiting an answer,” and 3 days after I was told there were no openings. Just like that.

So now a month or more had passed, and I am exactly where I started….but not quite.

I actually got a random phone call from a recruiter inquiring about a minor detail in my CV he found uploaded on one of the major websites. This call made me feel good about myself, although his line of recruitment was out with my planned career path. He asked if I could tweak my CV (for the third time now) to highlight certain areas, and so I did… hopeful maybe something will come out of it.

I also looked up the vacancies he had on the internet, and found a website dedicated for that line of business, so I posted my mark III CV there, and got another phone call from another recruiter almost instantly. Things were going fine, and I was on the up again.

But I won’t throw all my eggs in the one basket again.

Driven by sheer frustration from the generic rejections from faceless recruiters, I gathered all the courage and confidence I had and started phoning them. Yes, I was afraid of rejection. I couldn’t handle well-rehearsed, cocky and crafty answers designed to send me away. I did know what the jobs were about, and I already had my cover letter and my CV tailored waiting to be sent. I just wanted to be noticed, to have a voice behind the name, to have a personal service and believe me that was a very hard part that went wrong quite a few times.

Never mind, there’s plenty of fish in the sea. And so there was.

I was called for an interview with an agency again, and we went out to drink and celebrate. Unfortunately, nothing came out of it, apart from having to rearrange my CV again; not a thing of the next few either. My record of agencies, names, phones and dates is now a dozen pages long, and my Linked In profile was thriving with invites and hits, but still the personal element is missing. That said, I went to one interview where the guy was so good and personal about his service that I slowed down my search to give him a chance.

He kept in touch, said all the right things, and it felt great and I felt sure again. But the karma of my earlier scatter gun approach started to pay back. I got called for my first interview with an actual employer, who were really interested in my skills that they were on the phone daily scheduling one interview and one test after another. Although I did appreciate their interest and effort, I knew if the personal recruiter had a breakthrough soon, I would be breaking these guys’ professional hearts soon. The world of business is not very different from the world of relationships in that regard.

But the personal recruiter started getting quieter and quieter, my bank balance smaller and my credit card statement longer. I had to do something and not surrender to the way things are, not after all that effort. And that was a light bulb moment that turned things around.

I reviewed all the recruiters I dealt with, and picked the one who was practically honest and on the ball. I had a frank conversation with him that ended up with him pushing an employer to take me on and it went like a breeze from there, and everyone was happy. It took 11 weeks in total.

In hindsight, if I was to go back 11 weeks, I would’ve done things differently. Would that have shaved off a few weeks? Maybe, but there were other elements like the timing of moving to Australia that should have changed months not weeks ago.

The moral of the story is that every job search is a very personal learning experience that you cannot transfer. What takes most of the time is you learning about yourself and about the world around you: how to approach, who to approach, and how to follow up. The quicker you master the game, the quicker you start earning points.

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Life lessons come from the most unexpected sources

by Richard , updated on November 3, 2020

I’m a great believer in fate and it happened again during a recent trip to Sydney. I had been excited at the opportunity of a side-trip down to Canberra for the Renaissance exhibition. Here were paintings of exquisite beauty from the likes of Raphael, Botticelli and Titian right on my doorstep – many of which have never before been seen outside Italy.

However a number of circumstances conspired against me so that I missed out on getting down to Canberra. I’m an optimist at heart though and so I figured this gave me a damn good reason to visit Italy in the future! And then fate stepped in one morning while I was having a lazy start to my day watching Sonia Kruger and David Campbell on morning TV.

There was a story about the American actress Ellen Burstyn visiting Australia to conduct acting master classes. I have always liked her and greatly respected her as an actress and a person. The story ended by advertising an evening with Ellen Burstyn at the Chauvel Cinema where she was to be interviewed by Noni Hazelhurst. In my mind fate had struck again, and the ticket cost was exactly what it would of cost me to go to Canberra!

It was one of the most amazing evenings I have ever experienced and has the potential to be life changing, depending upon the decisions I now make.

Ellen Burstyn was an inspiration! Examples of the quality of her character were her decision to refuse a part which she and the director suspected would win an Oscar, because she didn’t think the role suited her. The declined role won Cloris Leachman an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 1972. She also chose to not attend the Academy Awards in 1975 because it would of meant being absent for a Broadway stage performance. Her ethical compass told her it wasn’t right to disappoint patrons who had paid good money to see her perform, so she could possibly receive an award for a long since completed performance. She won the Oscar for Best Actress for her role in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

My goal is to live my life and to work for and with people with the same moral compass.

She also spoke of the value of acting classes in teaching anyone who commits to them to learn to be in the present and to minimise the negative impact of ego. She gave a powerful example of having to pick up a glass of water on stage. Common thoughts are “my hands are shaking and the audience can see it”, “what if I spill it or how should I hold it” which are examples of ego and not being in the moment. When in fact the only thing you actually need to do is……….. pick up the glass of water!

My goal is to take acting classes (a recurring thought over the past 20 years that I have never followed through on).

Ellen finished the evening by selecting a poem to read, When Death Comes by an American poet Mary Oliver. On the face of it this could be seen as a depressing choice however nothing could be further from the truth. The poem spoke of living a life without regret so that death can be experienced with curiosity rather than fear.

My goal is to have lived my life embracing every opportunity.

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Podcast – how to manage your relationships with recruitment consultants

by K B , updated on March 26, 2012

Ok, here’s my very first podcast. Now I know people have been podding since about 2005 or so, but hey – better late than never. Today I would like to present a very good friend of mine, Ms Bronwyn Murphy. Bronnie and I go waaaay back to a time where we sat next to each other at Smalls Recruiting.

Bronwyn gave me an award and a bathing cap with a shark on it – “the sink or swim award” as I stepped into a desk where the previous occupant had left in a rush due to an accident. There were no notes, no nothing. I think I swam, thanks to her encouragement and support.

Bronwyn now runs www.bjmconsulting.com.au, a firm specialising in training, retaining and engaging staff.

Many of Bronwyn’s clients are recruiters and recruitment consultants. She gives us the rundown on what the industry looks like, and how to manage your relationship with consultants.

I’ve hit her up with some hard questions including:

– overcoming roadblocks such as “no local experience”

– how you can tell whether you are in the hands of a professional consultant

– how many consultants should you meet

– what makes them pick up the phone

– how many resumes should you send out

– what are they really looking for in a telephone interview

– should you accept a telephone interview on the spot

– should you tell them if you have been sacked

– how you can annoy your recruitment consultant

So here it is: Interview IQ interview with Bronwyn Murphy. All feedback gratefully accepted.

If you know anyone who would make an interesting interview, please let me know.

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Blog Spotter Six

by Richard , updated on November 3, 2020

Its still Kool a bit Kwerky and always Kwestioning . . . . . we’ve found what’s good for you!

Hello and welcome to the Year of the Dragon! I’ve ferociously hunted down what’s frighteningly hot in the Careers, HR and Recruitment blogosphere.

Let’s open the new year with a smart pithy piece from Ask a Manager. I’d suggest Alison Green’s what should a new manager ask to get to know their employees better, is also sage advice for more seasoned managers and any employee. You can follow Alison on twitter @AskAManager.

On a lighter but still informative note Anita Bruzzese informs us What to do When You Make a Fool of Yourself in Front of Colleagues. Sobering advice…….thanks Anita!

OK, it’s short and sweet, but maybe that’s why it’s so good! In a few well chosen words Maureen Anderson reminds us how important it is to be faithful to our most cherished desires. It’s so easy to get distracted in today’s world of technological distractions from what’s really important to you. Thanks for the poke in the ribs Maureen.

How To Show An Employer That You Are Well Rounded may just give you that different perspective needed for your job hunt. It’s so easy to fall into the trap of focusing too much on particular strengths whilst losing sight of the value to employers of a broad skill set. Anna Runyan’s words of advice may just widen your field of vision. You can follow Anna on twitter @classycareer.

This is just pure positivity. Nothing more to say except watch and enjoy! The Future Belongs to the Curious.

Now that I’ve turbo-charged your positivity, let’s take a moment to pause and reflect on how Confidence is a Numbers Game. Even the most successful people can lack confidence and here’s a useful tip to combat that tendency. Now men before you complain that Jodie Glickman’s blog is only aimed at women, I think it relates just as well to anyone who experiences a seed of doubt. You can follow Jodie on twitter @greatonthejob.

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