QUT MBRC Libraries Job Search Skills Presentation Nov 2014

1. Job Search Skills - Enhance your
competitive edge in the job market
http://www.slideshare.net/yourfuturequt
• Career planning
• Exploring the Hidden Job Market
• Writing effective resumes
• Interview skills
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Welcome to Job Search Skills
Career Counsellor
Widening Participation
QUT Your Future Careers Team
www.bridgetostudy.com.au

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Career Planning
You need:
• A high level of self-awareness
• An awareness of career options and
pathways
This makes it easier to make career
decisions and choose career directions

4. Self Awareness
Interests: What do you enjoy doing?
Personality: What are your personal qualities?
Values: What is meaningful to you?
Motivation: What makes you want to do your best?
Skills: What are you going to offer an employer?
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5. What Do Employers Want?
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Fit
(the culture and values
of the organisation)
Will do
(the personality,
passion
interests,
ambitions,
motivation)
Can do
(the knowledge
and skills)

6. Core Skills for Work
Navigate the world of work
a. Manage career and work life
b. Work with roles, rights and protocols
Interact with others
a. Communicate for work
b. Connect and work with others
c. Recognise and utilise diverse perspectives
Get the work done
a. Plan and organise
b. Make decisions
c. Identify and solve problems
d. Create and innovate
e. Work in a digital world
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It’s all about YOU
SELF AWARENESS
Employability Skills: Employability Skills Audit
Interests: What do you enjoy doing?
What type of work would suit you?
(then use the Job Guide ‘Jobs Chart’ to check
out possible occupations)

8. Self Assessment
Myfuture Interests Activity
Careerone Personality Test
Job Outlook Career Quiz
HumanMetrics Career Assessment
Holland's Career Interest Party Game
Test your Motivation
Clarifying your Life Values
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Career Options and Pathways
Myfuture
Occupations List – details of each
occupation
Graduate Careers Australia
Career Profiles – career booklets for each
industry
Graduate Opportunities – use these links
to jobsearch - Careers Search

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Exploring the Hidden Job Market!

12. What is the Hidden Job Market?
• Some Job Opportunities Are Never
Advertised
• 55% + positions vacant filled through an
informal network
• “Hidden job market" jobs only accessed
through networking or warm calling
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Explore The Hidden Job Market
4 most effective ways to find a job are:
• Using business directories, focusing on your
field
• Presenting yourself to organisations of interest
• Being in job networking, association, support
groups
• Networking with family, friends and associates

14. Using business directories -
focusing on your field
www.yellow.com.au
Websites, annual reports, newsletters,
brochures, catalogues, staff
and…Research….
Their services? Product lines ?
Competitors? Growth prospects ?
Organisational structure?
Overseas trends and developments ?
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Presenting yourself to
organisations of interest
“Informational Interviewing”
• Ask questions
• Express interest
• Gain information from potential
employers about the job, requirements,
expectations and possible vacancies
• Develop interview skills, knowledge about
your industry
• Create networks!

16. Professional Networking
• Local associations
• Groups and clubs, or societies
• Education staff
• Students, former colleagues, classmates
• Social networking!… Facebook? Linked
In? Twitter?
• Professional associations
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Personal Networking –
with family and friends:
• Family
• Your employed (and unemployed) friends
• Store owners (dry cleaner, barber,
hairdresser)
• P/T work - customers, clients
• Doctors, lawyers, accountants, bankers,
insurance agents
• Tradespeople (plumbers, carpenters,
painters)

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Making Applications
• Resume Writing
• Cover Letter Writing
• Creating/responding to Selection Criteria
• Interview Preparation

19. Your Questions?
Your resume and Key
Selection Criteria
questions?
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Your Aim
To prepare Resumes, Cover Letters and Key
Selection Criteria statements - to be used as
a self-promoting and marketing tool,
appropriate to potential employer
expectations

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The good, the bad and the
ugly…

22. The good…
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The bad…

24. The ugly …
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What are the employers
looking for?
Academic achievement
• Grades/
Performance
• Subjects studied
• Knowledge acquired
Non academic
achievement
• Work experience
• Previous work
history
• Work skills acquired
Extra- curricular activities
• Clues to
achievement and
motivation
• Leadership qualities
• Teamwork skills
• Attitude
Personal qualities
• Motivation
• Values
• Communication
• Commitment
• Teamwork ability

26. Why is it important to start your
resume now?
• Writing a resume is about as much fun
as pulling out teeth!
• Write one now without rushing
• Add new experiences and knowledge
over time
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Presentation of the resume:
• 10 second rule
• Highlight achievements, skills, qualifications
• Never use one generic resume
• Research the organisation and the work...

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Before you apply to any
company...
Obtain as much information as you can about:
 Relevant contacts
 The company – what do they do?
Job Specific Info
 The position – tasks and duties
 The position skill and ability requirements
http://www.myfuture.edu.au/occupations

29. Your all-purpose
Resume
• Contact Details Only (check your email!)
• Career Objective (optional)
• Key Skills or Strengths (for the job)
• Employment History/Work Experience
• Education
• Licences/Certificates
• Interests & Hobbies/Achievements
• Referees
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Where to start?
Brainstorm all of your experiences!
• Employment/work experience
• Volunteer/community experiences
• Education Projects/Group
involvement
• Licences/Training/Certificates
• Your Achievements/Awards
• Leisure Activities (Teams,
Associations, Societies)
• Referees?

31. Prepare examples of your skills!
Transferable Skills
USE THE S.T.A.R PRINCIPLE
• The Situation/Task
• The Action you took
• The Result achieved
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Presentation of the Resume:
Make the resume easy to read
• DO NOT use fancy fonts, coloured or
textured paper etc and DO NOT put your
resume into a folder or binder – just a clip
in the left corner is sufficient OR send by
email
• Be very careful with spelling and grammar
– have it checked by someone else…

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Writing covering letters
A covering letter is to ensure that the reader
will be interested enough to read your resume

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Cover Letter Structure
• Use The Person’s Name
• Tell Them Why You’re Writing
• Tell Them Why You’re Interested in
them
• Tell Them Why You’re Suited – your
skills

35. Covering Letters
• First contact – make it relevant
• Research the job and organisation
• Tailor each letter – no generic letters
• One A4 page in length (usually)
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Writing Selection Criteria

37. What is Selection Criteria about?
Selection criteria may include:
• Skills
• Qualifications
• Aptitudes
• Abilities
• Experience
• Personal attributes
All are necessary to perform the job you are
applying for
Short-listing is based on how well your
Application addresses selection criteria
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39. Understand the selection criteria
• As an example, take the capability written
communication skills. The associated selection
criterion could be –
– ‘Well developed written communication skills.
This includes the ability to:
• structure written communications such as
reports to meet the needs and understanding
of the intended audience;
• express opinions, information and key points
of an argument clearly and concisely; and to
• write convincingly in an engaging and
expressive manner’.
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Brainstorm ideas for each criterion
For each selection criterion, brainstorm ideas
from your (recent) work life
• Positive examples of ‘well developed written
communication skills’:
– Project Officer at ... – needed to write
report on project planning methodologies
– when Research Support Officer at
Moreton Bay Regional Council – designed
and compiled a monthly newsletter
– research project when at TAFE – needed
to collate diverse sets of data, organise
the information into topic areas, and
synthesise into a paper for senior
management

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Prepare examples of your experience,
abilities for the skills needed in the job
Help the employer by giving examples
of your skills and abilities:
USE THE S.T.A.R PRINCIPLE
• The Situation/Task
• The Action you took
• The Result achieved

42. Hints and tips 1
• Individually address each criterion under
separate headings
• Carefully read each selection criterion.
Break down each criterion into parts and
address each aspect thoroughly
• Always consult the position description so
that you know the purpose of the
selection criteria and for terms,
language, jargon etc
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Hints and tips 2
• Use as many concrete examples as possible to
support your claim to meet each criterion -
education, employment, social, committee
participation, voluntary work, hobbies etc
• If an example applies to a number of selection
criteria, include it under each relevant
criterion
• Where possible substantiate your examples
with indicators of how well you did them. This
might include results, comments, extended
contracts, happy customers etc

44. Hints and tips 3
• Do not refer to your resume. Copy
from your resume into your selection
criteria statement
• Use good English. Ensure that your
application is written clearly and
concisely, that it is grammatically
correct, and free of spelling errors
• Get someone to read it through
before you send it to make sure it
makes sense!
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45. Templates & Guides
• Microsoft Office
• Job Guide Resume Builder
• Career One
• Youth Central (VIC)
• Education Queensland
• Resume Guide – Myfuture
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Further information
• For ‘Occupations’ information on job duties and skills – go to
http://www.myfuture.edu.au/Occupations
• For careers and labour market research information got to Job
Outlook - a site to help you decide on your future career
http://joboutlook.gov.au/pages/alpha.aspx
• Job Guide – for details of jobs
http://www.jobguide.thegoodguides.com.au/occupation/search

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The Job Interview
Your Questions?

48. Purpose of the interview
• Are you the right person for the job and
organisation?
• Do you have the skills, interests,
experiences to contribute job and
organisation?
• Will you fit into the organisation
community?
• Are you professionally competent?
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49. Sample interview questions
• Tell us about yourself….
• Why do you want to work for our company?
• What do you know about our company/organisation?
• What key skills do you have for this job?
• How have you shown leadership in your life? Provide a
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specific example….
• How have you shown effective teamwork in your life?
Provide a specific example….
• What is your biggest weakness?
• How do you handle disruptive situations or people? Can
you refer to a specific example?...
• What long term career interests do you have?

50. Where is the evidence?
• Academic results/ Certificates
• Examples of Work Experience
• Resume and response to Selection
Criteria
• Response to interview questions
• Personal experiences – work history,
extra curricular activities, interests
• Presentation at interview
• References
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Questions for you to ask
• What is the level and depth of training?
• What are the key priorities for the role right now?
• How will I be managed and supported?
• What qualities do your most successful workers
possess?
• How (often) do you measure an employee’s success?
• How often do you conduct performance reviews?

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Your interview preparation
• Review job description
• Reflect on experiences
• Brainstorm responses to questions
• Practice responses out loud
• Organise portfolio/ folder to take to
interview
• Consider your appearance
• Timing- how long will you need to get
there, park car, find room? …. Let’s
practice!...

53. Interview Practice
In two’s or threes …
• One Interviewer
• One Interviewee/Observer
1. Take it in turns to ask the ‘Sample
Interview Questions’
2. Observers please note responses and
provide feedback to Interviewee
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54. Sins! These won’t get you the job
• Criticising previous employers
(What will you say about them…?)
• Talking about personal, domestic,
political, religious issues unless asked
(What’s that got to do with the job…?)
• Reading from your resume
(If you don’t know about yourself…)
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55. Questions?
www.slideshare.net/yourfuturequt
Your Future Careers Team
QUT Caboolture
Building J
Tel: 07 5316 7666
Email: yourfuture@qut.edu.au
www.bridgetostudy.com.au
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