Video Transcript:
Hello everyone and welcome to another exciting Career Tips video series produced by AMES Australia, to assist those that are looking for work.
Today I will be speaking to you all about Job Applications.
And the topic is:When applying for jobs, focus on quality over quantity
Preparing a good job application is not only listing your skills and experience to show you meet the requirements of the role; in crafting a refined, sophisticated, error-free application, you are demonstrating your written communication skills, your attention to detail, and your ability to produce a high quality finished product. Achieving this is paramount, so focus on the quality of your applications before you put effort into the quantity, and be prepared to review, review, and review again!
It is always useful to get someone to review on your behalf too, preferably someone with excellent English language skills, so that they can ensure all punctuation, grammar and spelling is perfect, and also so that they can help you to improve the natural flow of speech and grammatical structure (prose). Even if you’re confident in your English language writing skills, another set of eyes to look over your application is always useful – you never know when you might miss that critical typo!
That’s it for today. Hope you’ve enjoyed the topic and tips on writing job applications. Look out for other videos in the Career Tips Series !!
Seeking job vacancies
There are countless internet job boards, and you may have family and friends trying to help you search for work too, so where do you focus your efforts when you’re looking for job vacancies? Job boards are great, so start there. Seek, LinkedIn, there are many others too, and the best one for you will depend on your occupation. You can set up alerts to help you along but don’t rely on these, you’ll find more opportunities if you search manually as well. As you explore different boards and different search criteria you will find job advertisements for your occupation and it will become clear where you need to focus your efforts. Although there a fewer vacancies than normal right now, and more applicants than ever, you still have a great chance if you are submitting a high quality application, so it is best to focus on these things which you have control over.
You can also do some googling to identify good companies to target, then check their job boards directly; some companies advertise on their own job boards before spending the money to advertise through external job boards. It may also be possible to find email addresses for some of these companies so that you can email them directly with your resume.
As discussed in a previous [[post/tip/video]], networking is excellent too. It’s very difficult right now since it is mostly limited to telephone and digital interactions, but you should take every opportunity to connect, both with people you know and people you don’t know. You never know who might have a valuable connection that can link you with employment, so treat every interaction as a potential job interview – be friendly, confident, and be ready to market yourself.
Widening your horizon
We have put together a series of video ‘Tips’ to help you find a job. In This episode we will discuss how to widen your horizons when searching for a job.
Given the challenges we face with the current labour market, it has never been more important to be flexible and adaptable when searching for a job.
This is challenging since employers tend to focus on a candidate’s technical skills before their potential to learn new ones, but you can highlight your transferable skills and put together a strong application to give yourself the best chance possible.
The first step in widening your horizon should be to identify the most accessible alternative occupations. ….. This will require some research.
For instance, if you have a hospitality background, it makes sense to try for other service based jobs, like call centre customer service consultant as an example..
Whilst researching the call centre customer service sector, you would discover that there is a distinct difference between inbound and outbound call roles, and that there are also telemarketing and telesales specialisations, which would allow you to tailor your application, for the role you feel would suit you best.
Exploring job boards and reviewing LinkedIn to see how your network have progressed through roles in their career can show some possible paths for you to consider.
Transitioning to a new occupation can be equal parts exciting and intimidating, but I encourage you to prepare strategically for an alternative job, especially if opportunities in your industry have dried up.
Leverage your network
Hello my name is Suraj Walson, and I work with AMES Australia as Industry and Client Manager in their Employment Division.
-Today I would like to talk about how to Leverage your network.
-First of all what is a network?
Network simply means building relationships. It is about meeting and establishing mutually-beneficial connections with people in your profession or industry.
-Even if you have recently moved to Australia, you will know some people who may be able to assist with your job search. And those people you know – you never know who they might be friends with!
-So do not hesitate to share with people that you are looking for work. This is a challenge that nearly everyone has faced at some point in their life, and I am sure that your friends will want to help you, if they can.
-You Might Know people who will have their own network separate to yours , consider approaching them , maybe at your child’s school, sporting club, religious centres or community facility .There maybe people who have a completely different circle of professional connections and they could use their connection to introduce you to them.
-In our Present Scenario networking is very difficult these days, but you should not hesitate to use the internet and telephone to connect with people. Everyone is different, some may not feel comfortable on the telephone, but others will really enjoy receiving your call.
-Some may not be frequently active on Facebook while others will be checking their account Multiple times per day.
-LinkedIn is, of course, the platform of choice for professional networking, since that is what it is designed for.
-So if you don’t already have a profile please refer to our prior video on how to create a profile on LinkedIn and get started!
-In addition to connecting with your “real life” network, look up some local companies in your industry and “follow” them so that you can stay informed for networking conversations.
-Last but not the least, Don’t be afraid to experiment, and do not worry if some of your approaches fail.
-It only takes one successful approach to result in a conversation, an interview, or a job!
All the best
This update is produced and reviewed by AMES Australia Employment Team.
Producer: Drue Vickery
Content Production: Arthur Chan
If you have any questions or wish to get in touch with AMES Australia to see how we can help you in your career journey, call 13 AMES (that’s 13 2637) during business hours.
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