Skills and Jobs Top Tips

Thursday, 9 April 2020

Each week our Skills and Jobs Professionals are putting together a list of tips that can help you throughout the job-seeking process.  

With both COVID-19 and the recent bushfires, we understand that these may have had a negative economic impact on households, this may include yourself or a member of your family losing their jobs or a decline in income. We want to help you get back into the workforce in whatever way we can. This includes providing resources that you’re able to use or running sessions (online or in-person) that can help you find ways to showcase yourself and your skills. 

This week our careers counsellor has put together the following tips to help you with your career seeking or job application process. 

Tip #1 
Be Relevant 
Ensure that your resume reflects what the employer is looking for, I.e. relevant skills, knowledge or if you’re having a career change, focus on employability skills. 

Tip #2 
Identify Your Point of Difference  
What sets you apart from the rest of the crowd, e.g. how do you go about doing things, how do you problem solve, how do you work in teams? 

Tip #3 
Keep Going  
Don’t stop and stay in tune to what’s happening in the labour market 

Tip #4
Be flexible to consider other opportunities
 If what you are doing is not working, do something different.  Think broadly.  Look in different industries as jobs may not be where you expect. Eg. In the Retail Industry, it is not only about sales, and depending on the size of the business, it can also include jobs such as warehousing, marketing, cleaning, security or human resources.

Tip #5
Whare are your 'values'? i.e. What really matters to you in the context of your next career or job move?
Think back on your last job/career and ask yourself what kept you motivated and engaged? What was really important to you in that job/career? See if you can create a list of your Top 5 values, in priority order. Need help? Give us a call! 

Tip #6
Conduct your own SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis.
Strengths - what do you do well? Weaknesses (i.e. challenges, areas for improvement) - what could you improve on? Opportunities - How could you turn your strengths into opportunities? Threats - what is your competition doing?

Tip #7
Every job is unique.
To give yourself the best opportunity, ensure you tailor your resume for each job. It is so important for an employer to find the right match for their business, and you don't want to find yourself missing out by submitting a generic resume that doesn't reflect what the employer is looking for!

Tip #8
Is your approach to job seeking working?  
If yes, great, if not consider changing what you are doing.  Examples could be, change where and how you look;  review your Resume;  link in with your networks;  consider other opportunities promoting your employability skills.

Tip #9
Cover Letters – Cover Letters are a great opportunity for you to tell an employer which role you are applying for and why you are interested in it. It outlines who you are and your ‘fit’ for the position.  One page in length is sufficient unless otherwise stated.  If you are unsure, send us in a draft and we will help you!

Tip #10
Websites
In addition to your job search, it can be helpful to register and / or read through good resources to add value to your job search.  Check out these websites:
www.vic.gov.au/workingforvictoria
www.dese.gov.au/covid-19/jobs-hub
www.joboutlook.gov.au

Tip #11
Motivated Skills
What are they?  These are skills you enjoy using the most and are highly proficient at.  Think back through your work history and see if you can identify the skills you enjoyed and were really good at!  This might help you develop your resume to focus on jobs that may be a better fit for you.

Tip #12
Job Interviews! 
Congratulations you have secured an interview (and so have probably 3 others!).  An employer is keen to interview you all to decide who is the best applicant for their job!  You are!!!!  Find your key selling points and describe to an employer why you are the best fit for the role and their organisation.  Preparation is key for a job interview, you can never do enough!

Tip #13
Job seeking time management 
Seeking out employment can challenge our time, particularly when we have other competing demands.  These steps may help in minimising some challenges:

• Find a ‘blank planner’ across 7 days with times
• Populate in this ‘planner’ important dates, non-negotiables commitments and some self-care activities
• Then add in times for job seeking and include the activity type e.g. making a list of where you would like to work;  work on updating / tailoring your resume.

We hope these tips help you with your job search. Check back in next week for a few more helpful tips to get you through!  

For more information or help with your job applications, you can contact the Wodonga Skills and Jobs Centre by calling 1300 698 233, emailing info@wodongatafe.edu.au or visit the Skills and Jobs website here.