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SBrecruitment

In today’s competition-rich job market, creating a resume that stands out from the crowd has never been more important. SB Recruitment have put together our top tips for creating an ideal resume, to get you one step closer to the job of your dreams! Don’t give it all away. It is important to communicate to the viewer what your strengths and abilities are, but they don’t need a 1-page breakdown on every job you’ve had since you were 15. Keep it short and sweet, and only go back as far as it is relevant. For example, if you’re nearing 40, they don’t need to know your worked at McDonald’s when you were 15. If that job led you on to work in management 10 years later, then that’s a great piece of information to share in your cover letter, or at the interview. However, as a general rule, your resume should be no more than 2 pages in total. Write for your reader. If you do your research and ask about the recruitment process you will have a better understanding of who your key audience is here, and what they are looking for. It is important to tailor your content accordingly. For example, a CV that will ultimately land in front of a CEO needs to be written in a way that they will see your key skills. It is..

SBrecruitment

SHOULD YOU HIRE FOR PERSONAL QUALITIES OR SKILL? There are certain personality traits that regardless of the field make people good workers. There is no denying that resilient, motivated and positive people with a great work ethic are the people you want working for you. However, there is an age-old debate about whether you should be hiring for skill over personality, or perhaps it is a perfect mix of both? In a competitive job market, when you can’t always get the perfect candidate – what’s more important? Often when you are looking to fill a role you will get a candidate that may not have all the skills you require for the job, but in terms of personality have all the characteristics of a great worker, who will fit in with your organisation. Yet you may have another candidate that has all the skills required for the job and more, but culturally may not be the best choice. When it comes to deciding if you should hire for personality or skill the answer really depends on you and your organisation, and the role itself. If you were hiring a surgeon, skills are 100% non-negotiable. Though, when you are talking about more administrative/business and clerical roles personality can be the difference between a great hire and a revolving door if you hire on skills alone. So what do you need to..

SBrecruitment

SHAKING THOSE INTERVIEW NERVES Got an important interview coming up, or hesitant to apply for that dream job because nerves normally get the better of you? It doesn’t seem to matter if you are 24 or 56, an assistant or a CEO… when it comes to job interviews most people get worried! Nerves are usually a good sign because they show you care about what you are doing, and often nature’s way of getting a little bit of adrenalin pumping to impress the crowd. However, too many nerves and it can cause you to misrepresent yourself or fumble through an interview and not give yourself a chance to shine. SB recruitment have put together our top tips for shaking off those interview nerves. Remember that they are only human. Remind yourself that the people sitting in front of you would have been in your position once, and they are just doing their job looking for the right person for the role. You can’t change what they think, you can only control how you feel. Imagine them making toast or dropping the kids at school and it can ease your mind a bit. Be there with plenty of time. It is important that you aren’t late for an interview, and adding to the stress of the situation by being under time pressure. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to..

SBrecruitment

THE PAYBACKS OF NETWORKING Whether you’re an accountant or an architect, the benefits of networking in both your professional and personal life are aplenty. From growing your business to finding a new job and everything in between. SB Recruitment have put together a list of the advantages of networking below: Broaden your horizons. When you work, live and socialise with the same groups of people it can be easy to think inside that space. By interacting with people from different industries or walks of life you open yourself up to learning new ways of looking at current situations and expanding your cultural understanding in many ways. Grow your connections. Having a great network of people to draw on when the need arises can be so beneficial. As a freelancer, or if you are looking to hire, or build a great network before the need arises - it can make life so much easier when the time comes to already have a network built. Whether that be to hire that next photographer, admin temp or events coordinator… you name it! Conversely if you are looking for work by selling yourself at events it is good business development for the future. Open yourself to opportunities. If you are looking for that next career break, or to move into a new field, networking can be a great place to start and meet people..

SBrecruitment

THE SCIENTIFIC BENEFITS OF READING While many of us appreciate the opportunity and escape that the time to sit down and read a book provides, in today’s tech focused lifestyle it is easy to forget how good for you reading actually is! Never more than now has the struggle for a great work life balance been more prevalent. Taking some time out to read can be a great way to relax and unwind, and also offers a number of health benefits. SB Recruitment have put together a list of the scientific benefits of reading below. It makes you smarter. Whether you are trying to educate yourself with your latest read or simply trying to escape with the newest fiction novel, by reading you are expanding your horizons and learning something new. Even a make-believe story is helping to expand your vocabulary and understanding of language and take in a new perspective. You are fighting off disease. Numerous studies have shown the positive health benefits of reading in helping to prevent Alzheimer's and lower depression levels. By actively engaging your brain you are helping prevent illnesses of the mind and improving your memory in several ways. You are de-stressing. Reading is an effective way to practice mindfulness, being present and focussing on what you are doing to relieve every-day pressures. Studies have proven that reading can help to relieve anxiety in..

SBrecruitment

HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR COMMUTE HOME Some of us are lucky enough to live really close to where we work, but for the majority the commute to and from work takes up a decent part of our work day. So rather than swearing at traffic or trolling through social media wishing you were somewhere else… We’ve come up with some ideas for the journey home that can not only help pass the time, but also increase your knowledge base by exercising your brain. If you are travelling by public transport (and it’s safe to look at your phone) the world of technology opens up a world of entertainment. Whether it’s watching a show on Stan or Netflix, playing a game, meditating, trying your luck at a mind exercise app, reading the latest novel or learning a new language there is plenty to do! However, if you’re stuck in your car or walking home it’s obviously not safe to stare into your phone screen or monitor. So if you only have your ears available to pass the time, a podcast can be a great way to learn something new, broaden your horizons or imagine yourself somewhere else. You can listen to a podcast on just about anything you can think of – food, history, crime, sport, news… and the list goes on. You can download from home, or..

SBrecruitment

GETTING BACK INTO WORK AFTER A LONG BREAK Going back to work after an extended period away can be a daunting task, even for the most experienced professional. Whether it’s because you took maternity/paternity leave, long service leave, family reasons, leave without pay (for a long break), or a myriad of other reasons… When you have had a period of months or years away from your job, or your field, returning to work can be a nervous time for many. With the Easter break fast approaching, SB Recruitment have put together some tips for easing back in to the workplace when you have been away for a lengthy amount of time. Be prepared for change. In today’s fast paced world, change is inevitable and even just a 6-month period away from work can see some companies go through large shifts in the way an organisation operates. New technology systems, staff restructures, or a change in strategic direction can make the workplace you once new very different. The best advice we can offer is to assume everything will have changed so you are prepared for whatever comes your way. Be patient with yourself. Adjusting back into a work routine, job and life in general after an extended break can be stressful, tire you out and make it feel like you are starting all over. So remember, be kind to yourself and..

SBrecruitment

DEBT & THE AUSTRALIAN MARKET Debt is something most people have faced in their lives, and in Australia levels of debt are higher than ever, with Australians ranking fourth highest in the world next to Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway. When it comes to defining debt, comparisons of household debt usually look at the total owed as a percentage of net income. As a country, Australia’s debt has increased over time, and are now reported to have some of the highest personal debt levels in the world. While much of this can be attributed to a desire to own a home or car, and credit cards, levels have increased at an alarming rate over the last 10-15 years. ‘The ratio of household debt to income has more than doubled between 1995 and 2015, going from 104% to 212%’, according to the OECD Data released in 2015. In layman’s terms this means if the average person earns $80,000 net, they are spending $169,600 per year. As of 2016, Australia’s total personal debt was around $2 trillion and the average Australian household owes $250,000. Debt includes several categories, including mortgages, investor debt, personal debt, student debt and credit card debt. However, not all debt is classed as ‘bad’, as often debt is a way of building wealth in the long term, like an investment in education or a home loan that will..

SBrecruitment

DEALING WITH A DIFFICULT CO-WORKER It is often be said that the people you work with can make the difference between loving your job or not. Workplace environments can have complicated people politics, and certainly lots of different personalities. While some of us are lucky enough to have a great team of people that we work with, for many, dealing with that difficult co-worker can be a real challenge. SB Recruitment have put together our top tips for dealing with a difficult co-worker. 1. Remain empathetic. Sometimes people’s insecurities manifest themselves as people that are hard to get along with, by remembering that defensive or competitive colleagues may just be insecure or have a lot going on at home causing them to lash out at work, or carry around a lot of anxiety that comes out the wrong way. By recalling that everyone has their own story and a lot going on you can show empathy for that colleague rather than getting annoyed or frustrated with them. 2. Focus on yourself. By keeping focussed on what your job is, and what you need to achieve you can filter out toxic team mates by running your own race and keeping fixated on what your goals are. By human nature too, if that person is not getting a reaction out of you, they might just stop their behaviour, or move on to..

SBrecruitment

THE POWER OF DIGITAL MARKETING The face of marketing has changed dramatically in recent years and ever-changing technology is greatly impacting the way products and services are promoted. Digital marketing includes marketing through digital technologies including online, computers, and on mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets. It is such a powerful tool because by using technology you can communicate with your target audience. You can choose to make your advertising appear in front of specific demographics through several platforms. What are some of the most targeted forms of digital marketing, and why are they so powerful? Remarketing. Have you ever wondered how you can google something, for example a specific model of car, and then for the next few days a number of website ads for this particular product or service appear? This is called remarketing and works by using cookies and programs in the background coding to record who is visiting the website and what they are looking at. Ads are then set to appear about this when you are online. This works on the marketing theory that if you see something several times you are more likely to make that purchase. LinkedIn advertising and recruitment. The LinkedIn platform has some of the most powerful digital marketing tools available. You can choose to target specific individuals, for example, people with the title ‘business development manager, in the..