Tag Archives: employment

Best Practices For Career Growth

Posted on March 3, 2015 by Kristy Bishop

Walking the line between best and worst practice in terms of career growth is a very fine one. Some people try too hard while others don’t try hard enough. Here are some tips on getting the balance right.

When it comes to the workplace, good relationships are often as important as being good at what you do. It’s not uncommon for some to become so involved in excelling and surpassing, they fail to realise they’re neglecting the human element which exists in all industries.

Some may deny it, but it’s largely true that being liked as a person has significant relevance to your success as an employee. Put it this way, if you are disliked because you’re anti-social, unhelpful, rude or perhaps cocky or arrogant, people will very quickly know about it.

You might be brilliant at your job and smarter than all your colleagues put together, but if the questionable reputation of your personality precedes you, you don’t stand a chance.

However, before you head out and start trying to become besties with the boss, remember the keyword balance.

First of all, it’s important to be liked for the right reasons such as warm greetings, a friendly smile, occasional banter and willingness to help, and learn from, your colleagues. Baking the boss his or her favourite treats, brown nosing and boasting every chance you get are a sure fire way to get on others’ nerves and an indication you’ve gone overboard.

Of course, vital to the recipe of ‘please like me’ is being a decent employee. Popularity will actually get you nowhere if you don’t have your work ethic also in check.

Some employees become so caught up in the social aspect of the workplace they start neglecting their positions, taking liberties and becoming lazy and careless.

So again, that keyword is balance. In addition to being great at what you do, you’ll need diligence, punctuality and a strong work ethic.

If you can combine these things with maintaining healthy public relations, you are well on the way to career growth. Just remember not to go too far in any given direction.

4 Habits of Unsuccessful Event Managers

Posted on February 24, 2015 by Kristy Bishop

Everyone has bad habits; it’s part of being human. If you’ve been working in the events industry for a while then you’ve probably developed some bad habits you find yourself repeating at every event you run.

If you are looking to make 2015 your best year yet then why not consider cutting some of the bad habits out of your work life?

It can help to make you more efficient at work and your events more successful. Here are 4 common habits of unsuccessful event managers to kick out for the New Year:

1. Forgetting about first impressions

There are so many components that go into running a successful event that it is too easy to get caught up in the small granular details of the event, in the meantime forgetting to make sure people are totally sold on buying tickets to your event.

Whether you are organising a music festival, gala dinner or charity fundraiser – selling enough tickets is the no. 1 show stopper (pun intended) in measuring success for your event.

Enhance the look and reputation of your event by using online event management software. A professional online ticketing solution will deliver you an attractive event webpage (which you can use in your social media & marketing) that will support your brand, and make it super easy for your customers to buy their tickets 24/7 from their phone or computer.

It will also save you time (e.g. no more rushing around to be at the kiosk/desk to sell tickets at the allotted time) and also money (e.g. no more base ticket stocks to have to have printed up). While always knowing exactly how many tickets you have sold will not only help you sleep at night in the knowledge people are coming, but it will empower you to be able focus you marketing messages in the lead up to your event.

2. Not taking the time to create an emergency communication plan

You’re hosting a music festival, people are travelling for hours to experience the event you’ve spent most of this year planning and then you find out your worst nightmare has come true – one of the main acts has been delayed and isn’t going to make it in time.

Sometimes things go wrong, acts cancel at the last minute, there are delays to opening the doors, or you find out you have to change the event venue at the last minute.

As an event manager how often do you take the time out to put together a clear emergency communication plan?

Sure, it’s another thing to add to your to do list and it’s extra paperwork (that fingers crossed you won’t need to look at again) but don’t take a short cut on this task – it’s important.

Take the time to work out how you would get in touch with everyone who is attending your event as quickly and efficiently as possible. Here are some things to consider:

If you have sold your tickets online, do you have easy access to the list of attendees and their contact details?
What key information would you need to include in an email when notifying people of event changes?
What social media channels would you use to communicate the changes?

If something does go wrong and you are working under pressure it can be helpful to refer to a pre-written checklist.

3. Not embracing event technology

Technology has evolved at a rapid pace. With the rise of smartphones and tablets, social media and wearable technology the relationship between technology and events is becoming ever more important. Technology provides event managers with the opportunity to connect with their customers and make their events more efficient.

Are you embracing online ticket sales or do you still find yourself ordering expensive base tickets stubs to sell in person?

Are you still checking in guests by hand or have you switched to using online ticketing software that streamlines the process of checking guests in?

Is Wi-Fi a mandatory component at all of the events you run or just something that is nice to have if you can get it?

Dependent on how you answer these questions – is it time for you to update your approach to event technology?

4. Not using social media to your full advantage

Social media has been a game changer for event managers. If you think social media is just about creating a Facebook event page or sending out a couple of tweets to promote your event, then think again. Social media has changed the way event managers engage with event attendees.

Social media for your event should be frequently updated and regularly monitored. When used correctly it can be a useful customer service tool. Put your social media channels to work at every event and use them to:

Create buzz before the event with teasers
Engage directly with your attendees,
Gather all important event feedback (during and after the event).

If you are interested in learning more about how an online event booking system can help you to work more efficiently and help with the success of your next event, then get in touch with the team at Ticketebo today.

The Right Way To Apply For A Job

Posted on February 2, 2015 by Kristy Bishop

Once upon a time, applying for a job was a reasonably straight-forward process.

Submit your cover letter and resume in response to an advertised position and wait by the phone in hopes of an interview.

These days, however, constantly increasing competition has forced job seekers to adopt additional tactics to stand out and be seen, some of which have subsequently become standard expectation.

As such, the so-called right way to apply for a job should now, more often than not, also include the following practice.

Find a lead. With job networking site LinkedIn now at our disposal, establishing and getting in touch with company contacts has never been easier. Some quick research and perusing through the site can reveal which of your own contacts are loosely or perhaps even closely connected to other helpful contacts.

From there, you can ideally ask to be introduced, or otherwise introduce yourself, to appropriate sources in relation to your target position. You can ask questions, seek advice, request feedback on your resume and most importantly, find out more about the role and the company itself. You might even find some contacts are happy to meet in person to chat.

This practice also affords you the opportunity to confirm with company contacts that your resume has been received, which may prompt them to take particular note of it. If you’ve really struck a bond via LinkedIn, you might be lucky enough for them to pass your resume on personally.

Having done plenty of homework and gained an inside perspective prior to being interviewed, you’re already ahead of the game, able to drop names and discuss whatever relevant inside knowledge you have throughout the course of your interview.

It is essential to follow your interview with a message of thanks a day or so later, which reiterates your interest and enthusiasm for the position.

It is also important to send a personal message of thanks to anyone on LinkedIn or other networking hubs who assisted or advised you.

The entire process is more or less an exercise in public relations. Be sure to always express your gratitude and remain professional and courteous at every turn, and don’t take anyone or anything for granted. You will soon find that, even if you don’t always get the job, your own networks will steadily grow in very positive and helpful ways.

Adzuna Australia is Hiring!

Posted on January 28, 2015 by Kristy Bishop

About Adzuna

Adzuna is a search engine for classified ads used by over 1 million visitors per month, which makes it easier to find the right job for you. We search thousands of websites so you don’t have to and bring together millions of ads so you can find them all in one place. We add powerful search, insightful market data and social connections, so you can find your perfect job with a little help from your friends.
Adzuna was originally launched in the UK in 2011 and now operates in 11 countries. Adzuna Australia launched in January 2014 as a joint venture between Fairfax Media and Adzuna.

You can read more here: http://www.adzuna.com.au/about-us.html

Digital Marketing Manager

The Digital Marketing Manager will be responsible for developing and growing Adzuna’s job search engine through SEM & Partner Marketing. Adzuna is a Wired Magazine ‘Top 10 Startup’ and one of the fastest growing web businesses in Australia. For the right candidate, this is an excellent opportunity to work with a well-funded start up (backed by Fairfax in Australia) and make a major contribution to this high growth, global site.

You’ll be responsible for growing our paid traffic aggressively, managing Google Adwords, Bing, Display advertising, partner / affiliate marketing and all other online marketing channels. The Fairfax partnership presents large and unique advertising and integration opportunities. You’ll be managing a large budget and will be charged with scaling Adzuna’s job seeker audience into the millions.

We offer a fun, entrepreneurial working environment within an exciting high-growth business where you can make a huge difference.

Candidate requirements

The ideal candidate will have a minimum of 4-5 years online marketing experience, and should be an expert in search engine marketing. You’ll also need a solid understanding of SEO and the ability to think both creatively and analytically

This role is critical is to the success of the overall business, so the right candidate will have a proven track record of growing profitable marketing campaigns. They’ll have experience working on large scale, long tail search marketing campaigns and ideally worked in a start-up environment before. They should be highly analytical, an excel whizz and have a numeric degree from a top university. Google Adwords certification would be a positive, but is not essential. Great communication skills are a must in this role.

Key responsibilities

Pay per Click Marketing:

Manage & scale SEM activity to achieve high volumes of traffic and highest possible ROI & meet customer traffic targets in Australia.
Owner of all CPC channels (display advertising, retargeting etc)
Work with our sales and account management team on the paid search performance, strategy & plans to satisfy client budgets and user growth
Build out all new campaigns to target high ROI keywords
Daily optimisation of all campaigns (bid optimisation, ad copy / quality score optimisation & experiments) and work with our data science team to develop automation of bid management
Develop own initiatives to increase efficiency and growth of paid traffic
Ensure correct tracking, optimisation processes and reporting is in place.

Partners:

Owner of traffic driving partnerships and responsible for growth of this channel
Manage existing (paid and organic) partnerships to deliver on targets and at the highest ROI possible
Develop own initiatives for new partnerships + traffic driving initiatives and work with our management team to fuel growth

Apply: email raife@adzuna.com.au

Tips on Being a Good Leader

Posted on January 11, 2015 by Kristy Bishop

All too often we are subject to tales of woe about controlling bosses, patronising managers and dismissive leaders. It seems those with decent, nurturing and likeable bosses are well and truly in the minority.

So what does it take to be a good leader? And can one learn the law of the land, or is it more a case of being born ready? Either way – the bottom line is all about respect.

Most of us have seen them. They micromanage all over the place, have no real trust in their team’s capabilities, never have time for individual contact, are unapproachable and the list goes on ad nauseam.

The problem is, many a work leader is oblivious to their own failings and are often so bogged down with the job and their role that they have no idea they’re fuelling a frustrated and unhappy workplace.

Such a leader has lost sight of the fact they are just one section of a larger team, and that team consists of other human beings who are valuable and necessary in completing the sections to make a functioning whole.

If those people are being treated unequally, whether directly or passively, or with disrespect of any kind – they are going to either rebell, fail or become stress affected, at which point, the ship will start sinking.

Therefore, the most important attributes of being a good leader are not numbers related and certainly not how well you can brown nose to senior management. It’s how you relate to your team members. It’s about the compassion you show for them. It’s the ways in which you encourage, inspire, support and, above all, respect them.

Any leader who sees themselves as superior to their team has got it wrong from the get go. Great leaders know they are equals – nothing more, nothing less. And even better leaders can admit when they are wrong or when they don’t know all the answers, and they are proudly open to learning from their team in such situations.

So, if you’re the type of person who possesses good leadership qualities by nature (such as compassion and listening skills) then perhaps you’re a born leader. If you’re not, perhaps you can learn how to be through experience and practice.

However, if you have trouble delegating, cannot stand to lose control and don’t trust others easily, you might want to rethink your career choice, as the workplace is already well stocked with your particular variety.

30 Steps To Take When Changing Careers at 30

Posted on December 18, 2014 by Kristy Bishop

By 30, the reality of your current career choice has set in.

It’s also a time when you realise the career decisions you made in their 20’s don’t necessarily match your natural talent, abilities and passions.

If you are thinking about a career change, at any age – you’re not alone.

Changing careers is a big life decision and requires a lot of consideration. If you are considering a career change, then here are 30 essential steps to help guide you through:

Changing careers at 30 from Capital Training Institute

Admit to yourself that you need a change

Admitting that you need to consider other career options is the first step you need to take. If you constantly feel unmotivated and worn out, or that the money you earn no longer makes up for the boredom you feel, then it’s time to think about changing things.

Dedicate some time

Don’t change careers suddenly without giving it the thinking time such a big decision deserves. Think about creating a ‘career change plan’ (outlined in the steps below) to help guide you through the process of making the switch.

Call in the SWOT team

Start by undertaking some personal reflection. Ever heard of a SWOT analysis at work? Now it’s time to do one on you. Think about and list all your strengths and weaknesses, as well as any opportunities or threats to change you may face.

Consider the really important stuff

Don’t forget to spend time evaluating the other aspects of your life outside of work – family time, friends, mental and physical health considerations and your financial circumstances.

What’s the real problem?

Be clear on whether it’s the job and career you don’t like, or just your place of work. You may find that it’s not your career / job that is the problem.

Make the most of the experience

Formalise your previous experience with ‘Recognition of Prior Learning’ (RPL). RPL gives you credit for any skills, knowledge or experience gained in your current and previous roles and can reduce the time it takes to gain any new qualifications.

Opportunities for improvement

Use an RPL evaluation as an opportunity to highlight any gaps in your skills and look to identify how you could fill those gaps.

Talk to the career experts

Career advice isn’t just for school leavers – get some professional advice. Contact a ‘career practitioner’ for their advice on options available to you.

Train and gain

Identify and research the training or qualifications you may need in your new career.

Seek experience and advice

Check the accreditation of the training provider and look for any previous student testimonials or past student successes. Speaking to students who have decided to change their careers can help to reassure you in your decision.

Get networking

Work on building up your professional network with relevant industry contacts. Don’t forget to utilise the relationships you already have within your existing network.

Work shadowing

Consider asking people if you can shadow them at their jobs, or meet them for a coffee outside to ask questions about their day-to-day roles and responsibilities. Get new experience wherever you can – just because you are looking to change career at 30 doesn’t mean you are above shadowing people.

What do you like?

Create a list of your likes and dislikes – in and out of work. This can help you to identify what you want out of a career.

Changing in, or changing out?

Are you looking to change organisations completely – or is there an opportunity to change careers within your organisation? Speak to your internal HR team.

Keep an open mind

Don’t narrow yourself to a specific career option – keep your mind open throughout the process and investigate several career options.

Demonstrate your passion

Start thinking about how you can demonstrate your passion – could you start a blog, or create a portfolio? Or are there any volunteering opportunities where you could gain new skills?

Find a mentor

Changing careers can be daunting, and stressful – it’s a big life decision. Find someone who can help you through.

Be flexible

Don’t make the mistake of sticking rigidly to a plan and missing out on, or considering, other good opportunities because you don’t think it fits in your plan.\

Resume upgrade

Don’t forget to give your resume an overhaul. Before you apply for any new role consider re-writing your resume from scratch.

Make your career clear

Make sure your new career objective is clearly highlighted in the summary statement. Leave people in no doubt of what direction you are heading in now.

Be relevant

Revamp your resume to include skills and experience that are most relevant to your new career and make sure they are at the very top of your resume.

Show your skills

Draw emphasis to the skills you have gained – not the job titles you have previously held.

Show ‘em everything

Make sure you show a full breadth of skills – operations, management, leadership, creativity and communication. Anything that is relevant to your new career choice.

Clear cover letter

Consider your covering letter carefully. Make sure you clearly communicate why you are looking to change careers and what you can bring to the organisation and role.

Don’t forget the other experience

Don’t forget to highlight any non-work related experience on your resume – this includes part-time consulting or volunteering work.

Your personal commitment

Highlight any courses you have taken or qualifications you have gained.

This helps to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of a topic and shows personal commitment to investing in your career and yourself.

Speak their language

Make sure you change your resume to include terms or terminology used by your new industry, for example: ‘lifecycle management’ to ‘pipeline management’.

Have an elevator pitch at the ready

It can be difficult to explain the reasons why you are changing careers, so consider preparing a 30 second – 1 minute intro for yourself that gets your points across clearly and concisely.

Don’t rush in

If any point in this process you feel like you might be going down the wrong track, then don’t rush into anything. Write a list of your concerns and evaluate them. You can always start the process again.

Embrace new opportunities

This is a big life decision and it’s completely natural to feel apprehensive. It’s likely that you may have several career changes over the duration of your working life so take your time, weigh up the pros and cons and when you are feeling confident – go for it.

If you are looking for a career change then consider speaking to Capital Training Institute, they offer a wide range of courses and qualifications in Australia, from Project Management and Building and Construction to Health and Fitness.

They also recognise prior learning (RPL), to make sure your previous experience is taken into consideration. Visit the website today for more information on qualifications.

How To Develop Work Relationships

Posted on December 1, 2014 by Kristy Bishop

It is one thing doing your work while surrounded by colleagues minding their own business, offering only the briefest of interactions. It’s quite another to operate as part of a team of fully fledged relationships which encourage, inspire and grow together.

Yet the fact is, far too many employees work autonomously when they could and should be working in teams or partnerships and building strength in numbers.

Workers need to be supportive and understanding of their fellow colleagues in order to get the best business results. All parties should be reliable and trustworthy and strive to bring the best out of each other.

However, such conditions take time to develop, and require dedicated, willing attitudes.

Firstly, it is vital that a team mentality is established. A manager or leader ideally needs to introduce the team and ensure everyone is familiar and aware of all positions within it.

From here, individuals should be encouraged to meet one another and become familiarised with who does what.

However, it cannot be guaranteed that this will transpire on it’s own. As such, it is important to take the reigns and make the effort yourself to interact with your teammates and not only get to know them, but allow them to get to know you.

Aside from discussing one another’s previous jobs and training, asking questions about the company are a good idea and opening up a dialogue about current and recent projects, clients and events can all help in initiating a work relationship, while at the same time revealing related feelings, thoughts and ideas.

It’s all about showing a genuine interest, asking relevant questions, taking the initiative to offer or ask for help and assistance, being involved and also involving others.

Similar techniques can be applied to other types of working relationships such as stakeholders, clients, business equals and to a lesser extent, customers.

Remember that time is essential in nurturing any relationship, and as time goes by along with your efforts, the trust and support will strengthen, and so long as you remain inclusive of everyone and stay open and communicative, your work and your relationships will continue to flourish.

Surprising Celebrity Jobs Before They Were Famous

Posted on November 25, 2014 by Kristy Bishop

By Chloe Abotomey

As children we all answered the question, ‘what do you want to be when you grow up’, with things like, a doctor, an astronaut, a princess or an actor. But as we grew up these answers changed. Its important to find a career that you are passionate about, and just to show that you not always find this first go, you might be surprised by what these celebrities did before they were famous.

Patrick-Dempsey-American-Actor

Patrick Dempsey, most well known for playing Derek (McDreamy) on hit TV drama Grey’s Anatomy, as well as starring in various romantic comedies, started his adult career as a champion juggler.

Cindy_Crawford_Cannes_2013

Before her modelling career skyrocketed, Cindy Crawford was enrolled in a chemical engineering degree on a scholarship at Northwestern University in America. She dropped out soon after winning “Look of the Year” contest in 1982 and appearing on the cover of Vogue.

Mayim Bialik, who plays a Amy on ‘The Big Bang Theory has a Ph.D. in neuroscience. Ironically she is a neurobiologist so at least her knowledge must can help her get into character.

JohnnyDeppApr2011

Johnny Depp, acclaimed actor famous for his ability to portray a variety of personalities, sold ballpoint pens over the phone, showing that no matter where you start off, a little persistence could land you.

Dr Oz is one of the most accomplished cardiothoracic surgeons of his generation. A well as featuring on Oprah, Dr Oz has his own talk show and co host’s ‘The Doctors’. This is in addition to performing more than 100 heart surgeries a year.

Lisa_Kudrow_at_TIFF_2009

Before rising to fame as the loveable Phoebe Buffay, on 90’s classic TV show Friends, Lisa Kudrow conducted clinical research on headaches with her father.

Jerry Springer, BritishAmerican television presenter, best known as host of the tabloid talk show Jerry Springer was a campaign advisor to Robert F. Kennedy and dabbled in politics.

ken jeong

Ken Jeong, comedic actor who is most well known for playing Asian gangster, Leslie Chow in the Hangover trilogy is actually a licensed obstetrician.

Lisa_Kudrow_at_TIFF_2009

How To Make A Good First Impression

Posted on October 28, 2014 by Kristy Bishop

Making a good first impression is vital in most areas of life, but it is arguably never more important than where job interviews and the workplace are concerned.

Not only is the amount of time to impress limited, there are usually others around you competing for that time; and where there is competition, there are nerves – and nerves are your worst enemy when trying to impress.

Don’t panic, however! While giving a less than favourable first impression can mean missing out on that job opportunity you so desperately wanted, being conscious and prepared can seriously help you avoid such a fate and put you in good stead to make an impression to remember.

For instance, when people are nervous they often forget to smile. They can come across as tense and serious, which, although probably untrue, can seem as if they are dull, unhappy or lacking in personality.

The trick is to be aware of it, and smile anyway. There’s no need to to go overboard with insane bubbliness, but a decent smile along with direct eye contact is enough to suggest you are friendly, open and confident, in spite of any nerves.

Don’t forget to listen. Some people trip themselves up by talking too much and failing to listen to others properly. Waffling on and on will only irritate and bore your audience so get to the point and stay there, but also ask intelligent questions and be open and ready for the answers.

Body language also counts. Fidgeting is to be avoided as it suggests you are not relaxed, and a slouched or hunched posture creates the impression you are unconfident, sloppy or even lazy.

Remember to do your research. Know your facts and background about the company or position as it shows you are a genuinely interested and serious candidate.

A first impression can never be undone. However, if you can keep all these areas in check and ensure you dress to impress, remain willing and enthusiastic and use your best manners, you’re well on the way to creating a striking, likeable and professional first impression.

How To Stay Positive When You Hate Your Job

Posted on September 16, 2014 by Kristy Bishop

Hating your job is not overly unusual. In fact, it’s quite common.

The question is how you deal with it and make the best of what you’ve got.

Perhaps it’s your boss or your colleagues, or maybe the job itself. Whatever the reason, there is always a way to rise above it and stay positive, no matter how much you might feel you hate your job.

A nasty boss is enough to turn anyone away from a position. They could be undermining, disrespectful or just downright rude. At any rate, nobody should have to put up with that kind of treatment, but challenging them on it will only escalate issues further and make work life even more uncomfortable.

The trick is to let it roll off your back and be mentally armed with the necessary internal ammunition so as for it not to scar or wound you. Remind yourself that it’s less about you and more about them.

Consequently, you’ll come across as brave and strong as opposed to defensive and sensitive.

Likewise, if you have similar problems with rude, disrespectful colleagues, rather than make an outwardly, snowball-building scene, learn to laugh at any put downs or snide remarks as it will give you the immediate upper hand and re-shape you in their image.

Perhaps you hate the job itself. Is it boring? Repetitive? Stressful? Predictable? How can you put your own personal touch into things? How can you make it your own? Adding your flavour can not only be personally satisfying, it can also enhance the work and score you brownie points. It’s definitely worth a shot to see how you can make improvements and relieve some of the monotony at the same time.

There are many other potential reasons which might contribute to hating your work environment. Perhaps the geography of the place, or the decor. However, there are just some things we cannot change or if we try to, we will end up making matters worse and probably need to leave.

Staying positive even when you hate your job is the key to surviving in such an environment, and learning to react in ways that dampen, not fuel, the potential fires will mean the difference between a short lived career and a long one.

Adzuna.com.au blog

The blog of Adzuna, Australia's job search engine.