If you don’t know where you are going, how will you know when you have arrived?

“Your ability to discipline yourself and set clear goal for yourself and then work towards them every day will do more to guarantee your success than any other single factor.

 

You need to have goals to accomplish worthwhile things in life.

 

You have probably heard it said- “You cannot hot a target that you cannot see”, or “You miss every shot you don’t take”.

 

3% of adults have written goals and plans, and this 3% earn more than all of the other 97% put together.

 

The tragedy is that most people think they already have goals.  But what they have are hopes and wishes.  However, hope is not a strategy for success, and a wish has been defined as a goal with no energy behind it.”

 

Don’t get caught in the New Years Resolution setting hype of the 31st of December.  Start now to think about what you want for 2023 and your future.  Then ask yourself what little actions you can take to get closer to those things.

 

I am obsessed with setting goals.  It’s my first priority each month.  At the beginning of the year, I set myself a list of goals for the year, and beyond.  Some of my goals have timelines, and others are bigger and I feel more comfortable with them being a little more open ended.  Then each month I set myself targets, or a “to-do” list for the month ahead.  I print it out and stick it next to my desk, my bed- places I will see it each day.  Every day, I read through the list and track habits and tick off what I have achieved on my to-do list.  The act of reading through the list daily, keeps me on track.

 

If you are the kind of person that has a to-do list in other areas of your life- why do you not have one for your life?

 

You can make excuses, or you can make progress.  You choose.

“Your intelligence is like a double-edge sord: It can cut in either direction.  You can use your intelligence to rationalize, justify, and blame other people for things you are not happy about, or you can use your intelligence to find reasons why you are responsible for what happened and then take action to solve the problem or resolve the situation.

 

You can make excuses, or you can make progress.  You choose.

 

This sense of “response-ability” is the mark of a highly developed personality: You take responsibility for your life by resolving, in advance, that you will not become upset or angry over something that you cannot affect or change.

 

What cannot be cured, must be endured.” – Brian Tracy- No Excuses!

 

When you turn towards the sunshine, the shadows fall behind you.- Helen Keller

It’s not Christmas yet!

20 Years ago when I started my business, I shut each year from the 15th of December to the 15th of January.  A lot of companies shut for “builders shut down”.  But the world has changed, and a lot of businesses will work right through.

Last week, the first week of December, we took in 11 new vacancies from clients and had four people start new jobs.  We have several more clients that are working hard to finalize placements to start in January 2023.  And last week, we also had the most number of job seekers cancel their interviews with both us, and with our clients for the second round of the recruitment process.

I know that you are tired.  It’s been a busy year.  Christmas long weekend are in sight, and the last thing you have the energy for is job seeking and interviews.

Every year, job seekers tell themselves that, “There are no jobs in December because people are hanging on for their Christmas Bonus.”  Or “Companies don’t employ in December.”  This is simply not true.

If you are serious about finding a new job and ending 2022 the way you want to start 2023, then now is the best time to be looking for a job!  While your competition is on holiday until February (when schools/ varsity goes back), and making excuses why there are theoretically no jobs, take advantage of the lack of competition and start applying.

The myth of the 2 Page CV

I personally am not a fan of a one or two page CV… but neither am I of the 10 page CV!

 

When you are asked to submit a short CV, you should not be asking yourself “What can I take out?”.  You should be asking yourself, “How can I fit more information onto this page?”, without making it look unprofessional.

 

I often look at abbreviated CV’s, and the first thing the candidate has done it take out their skills and experience (the very reason you would be short listed for an interview and get the job); and leave in their hobbies and interests, which are often irrelevant.

 

When putting together an abbreviated CV, you want to abbreviate your CV and highlight the most important experience that you have.  Take out the long paragraphs and expansive duties, and bring it down to the important duties you had at your most recent, relevant employment.  List your qualifications (without subjects); and don’t forget to include your contact details!

 

Finally, make sure that your abbreviated CV is neat, eye catching and well laid out.  There are some fantastic templates to inspire you at www.canva.com

Don’t Dress for your Personality

There is plenty of information out there about what to wear to an interview, what colours and styles best suite your body. But what about the clothes that best suits your personality?

You need to dress opposite to your personality, to balance things out. Generally, when you are nervous, your dominant personality traits are heightened. This means that if you are naturally bubbly and vibrant, you may be a little louder than ideal. Or if you are an introverted accountant, you may be extra reserved and quiet and come off as “flat” or disinterested.

The shy person- mousey; the confident person-pushy!

A flamboyant person should wear neutral colours and clean lines without too many accessories or bold makeup, to counterbalance their personality. Try putting on a coloured shirt, softening your hair and makeup and accessorising; if you feel you come off too serious. If you are shy, dress boldly; if you are very confident- maybe tone it down with softer colours.

When you walk in the door of the interview, you make an impression. The rest of the interview will be spent confirming this first impression.

What sort of impression are you trying to make?

It’s ok- you don’t need to know what job you want.

The relief I see on people’s faces, when I say this in an interview!
I have been in recruitment for 25 years, and I still don’t know all the jobs out there, possibly because there are new employee requirements each day, and each company calls them by different job titles, depending on the focus of the position.
When someone asks you what job are you looking for, they are not necessarily asking you for a job title. If you know specifically what you are wanting- great! Perhaps you are looking for a job as a “Chartered Accountant”, or “Graphic Designer specializing in digital marketing”. But you can also answer this question with the qualities and general duties you are looking for.
Make a list of all the qualities about your previous jobs that you liked/ disliked. Answer the question by saying, “I don’t know that title of the position that I am wanting, but I am looking for something where I work with people, am constantly multitasking, but can also put my strong administration skills to use. I am not a numbers- person, but rather more creative. I love Digital Marketing and would love to study and grow more in this position. Any role where I can put these qualities to use would be awesome!”
The answer above shows that you know yourself and have given this some thought. An answer like “I don’t know!”, or worse- “I’ll do anything!” does nothing to promote you for potential vacancies.

Interview nerves!

Believe it or not, interview nerves are not all that bad!

Nerves often come when our sympathetic nervous system is activated- that fight or flight response that was designed to keep us safe from danger.  In an interview, if our sympathetic nervous system is activated, your responses are heightened to help you perform better and deal with the stress.  If you have that nervous/ adrenalin rush too early, you can find by the time the interview starts, you are dull and your answers are flat.  Just being aware of this, can help you to consciously “dial up the energy”.  The opposite is also true- when your sympathetic nervous system is over stimulated by nerves, and you are unable to settle and focus.

 

Whether you are feeling flat or overly anxious, I find the best solution on the way to the interview, is to sing and dance.  Turn up the music and sing along at the top of your lungs (or just imagine you are 😊).  Dance a little in your car seat.  Burn off some of that nervous energy (or build up a little energy- whichever you need).  I promise you will feel better!

 

Remember, those nerves- they are going to make you perform at your best!  Embrace them, don’t view them as an obstacle.