Putting your best foot forward
Putting your best foot forward As a recruiter in the engineering sector, we have noticed a misalignment of supply and demand. The civil infrastructure sector is booming, everyone is looking for an extra civil engineer for their growing number of projects. But if Civil Engineers are in such high demand, why is it so hard for some highly qualified engineers to get a job? As a candidate, there are some things you can do to increase your chances of landing that ideal role. With continuing investment from state and local government, we are seeing continued growth of construction projects across Australia which looks like continuing for the foreseeable future. These projects include new road developments, road upgrades and rehabilitation works, buildings, dams and other complex structures, all of which require experienced engineers to oversee the design and construction. We are also seeing a resurgence in the mining sector in Queensland and Western Australia, with mines restarting, expanding, and new mines being developed, again all of these requiring experienced civil and other engineers. Although this is fantastic for the economy, companies are struggling to find suitably qualified engineers. There is a nationwide shortage of civil engineers, with engineering job vacancies higher than any other employment market throughout the country with civil engineering positions dominating this landscape. At the same time, engineering companies are becoming more discerning with their hiring choices even though there is a current skills shortage. There is a big demand now for Australian engineers with ‘soft skills’ like communication, digital literacy and critical thinking. Additionally, engineering companies in remote and regional areas are increasingly focused on culture fit to ensure their current teams are not too disrupted. In Cairns especially, most engineering offices are fairly small (under 25 staff) and they need someone with a broad range of experience that can work on any project, as employing a number of specialists is not in the business budget. What can you do? If you are an engineer, looking for your next opportunity, you need to be focusing on developing your soft skills. Take a course to learn how to use the various programs used in engineering, broaden your areas of experience, develop your communication skills by attending a toastmaster’s session, exercise your brain in other areas to develop more critical thinking skills. We are finding that if you develop your soft skills you will put yourself in a much stronger position in the eyes of your next employer. We are interested in hearing your thoughts or experiences as a civil engineer looking for work. What have you done to secure an interview? Eva GrabnerManaging DirectorElite Executive Pty Ltdwww.eliteexecutive.com.auCairns | Brisbane
Going Regional to Advance Your Career
Going Regional to Advance Your Career As Recruitment Specialists, we are often discussing people’s career objectives and what is standing in their way of achieving them. Unsurprisingly, management level roles are high on the list of career aspirations. But what is the best way to get into a management position? Do you wait until your direct manager moves up (or out) and go for their position? Do you apply for management roles in other companies? We have interviewed countless senior engineers and designers who tell me they can’t seem to break into the next level of their career. Most of them don’t have opportunities in their current company. They could be waiting years for their manager to retire, and they’re still not guaranteed to move up into that role. But if they apply for management roles with another employer, they most likely won’t be considered as they don’t have any existing management experience. It’s a cycle that traps a lot of good people who could go on to become great managers if they had the chance. Most people who work in major capital cities don’t consider the opportunities that moving to a regional or remote area can provide them. Regional and remote engineering firms find it hard to get good staff with experience and can provide a great career boost for a mid-senior level professional to take that next step. It can also give you a much broader experience in your field by being able to work on a wide range of different projects. There are other benefits as well. It will broaden your view of the country, and you will experience a whole different culture. It’s not unusual for people in the major capital cities to not be aware of what’s going on in other parts of the country, especially in regional or remote locations. Outside of where they live, it can seem that everywhere else is just a tourist destination. Before I moved from Sydney to Cairns, I too thought the same. I saw Cairns as just a small tourist destination people went to see the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest and there was nothing else there. But after moving to Cairns, I can see that it is so much more. There is a booming commercial sector as well as the tourism, the locals are much friendlier and more approachable than people in Sydney, there is so much more to do as a family, and the commute times are far less, meaning there is more time to enjoy everything available here. Now I don’t think I could ever leave as I love it here so much more than I ever thought I would. Have you reached a plateau in your career progression? Have you ever considered moving to a regional area to advance your career? Even if it is only for a couple of years, get the management experience, then you can move back with better career opportunities available. Who knows, you might like it so much you’ll want to stay too! Eva GrabnerManaging DirectorElite Executive Pty Ltdwww.eliteexecutive.com.auCairns | Brisbane
Professionalism
Professionalism. Professionalism. The Oxford English Dictionary says it means “The competence or skill expected of a professional: the key to quality and efficiency is professionalism” but what exactly is ‘expected’ in this context? I once made the mistake of ‘assuming’ a candidate knew what I meant by dressing professionally for an interview at a global (and very professional) business. When speaking with my client afterwards, they said this particular person gave a very bad first impression by turning up in casual pants and a polo shirt. Tidy, yes. Professional, no. Needless to say, they were not asked back for a second interview. However, to be professional can take on many forms, not only how you present yourself (your attire and your grooming) but also how you interact with others (attitude and competence). Are you reliable, respectful and competent? Do you perform your tasks with genuine intent and honesty? Do you maintain professional etiquette and ethics in the workplace? Depending on your workplace this can take on many different forms, however, there are and always will be a few common traits that make us valued and respected, that it helps to be aware of: Respect – Treat everyone with respect, all staff at all levels, vendors, clients and customers. When I worked on cruise ships, we had a 10 foot policy whereby we had to greet everyone we passed within a 10 foot radius with a ‘Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening’. I still do it sometimes to strangers on the street. Yes, they look at me funny! But it’s only good manners and isn’t it nice to get a greeting and a smile from a stranger? Competence – Know your role, your skills and what is required of you. Don’t just ‘talk the talk’, ‘walk the walk’. If you don’t know what’s expected of you, then ask a person who can tell you. Reliability – Be dependable, turn up to work, meetings and appointments on time. Honesty – Be honest, admit your mistakes and take responsibility for rectifying them. Support others – Be sure to include your team in on any accolades, share the spotlight. Be a team member. Be positive – Smile and see the good in everything! Stay work-focused – leave your personal life at home and do not use the company time for personal issues (unless there is an emergency of course) or to bog your colleagues down with negative energy from non-work matters. Project a positive business appearance – dress professionally and speak positively and confidently about your company and yourself. Integrity – This is one of my company (and personal) values. Do what you say you will do and you will become known as someone whose word can be trusted. It goes without saying (or does it?) that unprofessionalism includes gossiping, being negative, poor attendance or tardiness, unprofessional body language, presentation and disrespect. The more you practice ‘being professional’ the more chances you will have to create a positive reputation and image for yourself, this can ultimately translate into a better job, promotion and more chances at exciting projects or opportunities. But most importantly, you will benefit from feelings of increased self-worth and dignity and isn’t that the best reason of all? Eva GrabnerManaging DirectorElite Executive Pty Ltdwww.eliteexecutive.com.auCairns | Brisbane
The Only Resume Advice You’ll Ever Need
The Only Resume Advice You’ll Ever Need If you have ever been looking for a job I’m sure asked yourself: “What can I do to make my resume stand out and get an employer to seriously consider me for a job”? If you Googled the term “resume”, you know that there’s a dizzying array of information and advice out there about what works best in putting something together that presents you best. How do you make sense of it all? I’m going to make it easy for you – I have looked at well over 50,000 resumes and talk daily with Recruiters and HR Directors who are often the ones making the first pass at your resume. No matter your experience level or what kind of job you’re looking for, these are the most important “insider tips” you will need to know and do: The “one-size fits all” approach won’t cut it in a marketplace of increasingly specialized needs. So plan on having several versions of your resume adjusted for the different jobs you are applying for. Include ways you can make an immediate contribution to the organization that reflects the homework you should be doing about the organization you’re applying to. Make sure that you – and at least one other person you trust – carefully review your resume and adjust it to contain the “key words” that recruiters will be searching for. Don’t worry about an objective – employers will skip over this, or worse, will screen your resume out based on an objective that is not a perfect match for the job they are hiring for. Instead let your experience, skills and results-driven descriptions make the case for you. “Space equals importance”, so put the most critical information first and spend more time and space talking about the skills, experiences, and results that are directly related to the job you are applying for. Avoid all complicated fonts or design elements. To be considered an applicant, you will likely be uploading your resume to an applicant tracking system (ATS) on a company or third-party web site. These systems have a difficult time deciphering elaborate fonts or design elements and if your resume can’t be read easily, it won’t be read at all. Quantify whenever possible. We live in a metrics driven work culture and it’s no longer enough to state that you increased sales or productivity, you need to back it up with quantifiable data whenever possible. Check your resumes for errors of fact, typos, formatting woes or omissions. After you checked it and before you send it to an employer, let a trusted person in your network review it as well. One inaccuracy or misspelling could cost you a second look. Omit any unnecessary, or potentially controversial, information, including sexual orientation, religious or political affiliations. It’s illegal for employers to ask for this information and irrelevant to whether you are a strong candidate for the job. “Size matters” and no one has the time to spend a long time reviewing a resume. Keep the resume to one or two pages depending on your experience. If your resume is more than a page, be sure to include your name and email contact on subsequent pages and do your best early on to make sure the recruiter will want to read more!
The top 10 most common resume / CV Mistakes
The top 10 most common resume / CV Mistakes Resume readers tend to have very little patience, and will sooner reject your application than consider calling you for answers. Here’s a list of the most common resume writing and CV mistakes found on many applications. Resume is too long or too short – you won’t win any prizes for writing “War and Peace”, nor will you gain any extra points for trying to write your entire career history on a postage stamp. Too “fluffy” – “conscientious”, “dedicated” or “good communicator” are great words but most companies will expect you to substantiate your claims with skills and corresponding competencies to match. No value add – if your resume appears similar in skill set to that of 20 or 30 other applicants, there’s a good chance you’ll go on the “maybe pile” and never actually get a call. Your resume needs to scream out to the reader, offering something others simply don’t have. No focus – listing everything will cloud a resume. Is the employer looking for a “one glove fits all”, or do they want someone with focus? We can tell you now…it’s focus. Visually unappealing – how your resume looks is as important as the words it contains. That’s why you should be careful with the appearance of your resume. As many as a quarter of candidates with otherwise excellent resumes ruin their chances with bad layout. Grammar mistakes and typos – a rushed document can be spotted a mile away, and it’s even easier to spot a badly written resume when there’s a number of redlines under each word! Irrelevant data – we can all be proud of our extra curriculum activities, but sometimes these can work against you. Ensure that any additional activities have some direct relevance to your career, for example “trained in responsible serving of alcohol” isn’t so relevant if it was 20 years ago and you’re now looking for a CEO position! A picture can say a thousand words – these days it’s not always necessary to have your picture on your resume, however if one is required, ensure that it has a “professional image”. Password protection – if you feel it’s truly necessary to password protect your document, then only protect changes to the document, don’t leave them trying to guess how to open your resume in the first place. Web based resumes – employers like to collate all resumes before reading them and prefer to read from a standard format. Although on-line resumes are great interactive pieces of work, avoid using these forms of trial service unless you know the reader is expecting more than a word document, or make sure you have a Word version available for download. Thank you to itouch professional resumes for content on above article