CAREER ADVICE
7 transferable soft skills employers are looking for
A constant state of flux is our new normal, with technology rapidly evolving to take care of many tasks people used to do. If you’re in a career or role where technology is making rapid advances, your best defence is to invest in soft skills development – that is, you need to build up your…
Read MoreHow to prepare for a performance review
Many of us look at a performance review meeting scheduled in the calendar and start to get nervous – and that’s often because of the misconceptions around what performance reviews are and what they’re supposed to achieve. HR practices have evolved in recent years, so some of the negative perceptions may be the result of…
Read MoreHow to explain gaps in employment
Many professionals will at some point want or need to take a career break. Often, people’s career break reasons include spending time raising children or caring for an older family member, but sometimes it’s to take a sabbatical and travel, go back to university and re- or upskill, or to pursue a passion project after…
Read MoreHow to work with someone you don’t like
While the dream for most employees is to work with a team that they always get on with, the reality is that’s not always possible and you may end up on a team or project with someone who you simply don’t like. You don’t have to be best friends with everyone you work with, but…
Read MoreHow can a growth mindset benefit your career?
Carol Dweck of Stanford University identified two mindsets people can have about their talents and abilities – growth mindsets or fixed mindsets. People with a growth mindset believe talents and abilities are things they can grow and develop. They believe they have potential and can grow talent through effort, practice, and knowledge acquisition. Conversely, individuals…
Read MoreHow to use the STAR method to answer behavioural interview questions
Behavioural job interview questions are often the most challenging part of the job interview as there are no obvious right or wrong answers. Through situational interview questions, the hiring manager is looking to find out how you are likely to behave and resolve challenges in the workplace. To give the best responses, we suggest using…
Read MoreThe top questions to ask in an interview to assess your cultural fit
When it comes to job satisfaction, there’s a special ingredient that holds the key to happiness and success in a role: it’s called “cultural fit.” The Harvard Business Review describes cultural fit as the likelihood that someone will reflect and/or be able to adapt to the core beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours that make up an…
Read MoreChoosing the right professional job references
According to our research over 80% of hiring managers use reference checks as part of their selection process. Your job references are important in confirming the skills, motivation and attitudes included in your resume and demonstrated during your interview. Ideally, your referee is someone you have reported to in a professional capacity. Choose a job…
Read MoreFree resume templates
Writing a resume can be harder than it looks. To help you get started, we have compiled three most popular resume formats in downloadable Word template formats. These templates were deemed the most popular types by our highly-experienced consultants who assess hundreds of resumes on a weekly basis. Choose the template that is right for…
Read More7 most common job interview mistakes
It’s not just nerves that can shake an interview. Classic interview mistakes include acting arrogantly or being overly emotional, talking too much or refusing to answer certain questions. A survey by Generation Success found there are seven “job interview crimes”. Let’s look at them one by one. Turning up late Your car broke down. The…
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