Help Me ! instead of telling me how to suck eggs…
Have you heard this one before? Don’t tell me how to suck eggs!
If you live in Australia, then I’m sure you’ve heard it and maybe even experienced it first-hand.
Employees, work mates, peers or friends who tell you that, are really saying they don’t care for your advice.
But, they would like you to help or they wouldn’t have asked in the first place!
They usually have a valid point, since advice is often not delivered properly. There are endless examples of managers and executives who do not know their staff and therefore do not know about their strengths and weaknesses. There are also tonnes of experts, forums and online portals which prefer to post generic–type advice and information instead of really helping their audience to work out issues or problems.
The same applies to people looking for a career change or new work. Job Seekers don’t need intervention and help from content providers or experts who live and work in countries which have no relationship to their situation. What Job Seekers want is tangible solutions and good direction. I found some of that for you – if you are a Job Seeker and if you are interested, that is…
This is not easy, especially if your hunt has not delivered any results. I know that most people out there are open to any kind of help as long as it is useful, but I need to ask you to de-program yourself from some of your standard ways of doing things. Take all of the below with an open mind and consider taking a completely different approach. I am sure you have heard the saying that goes something like this, ‘doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome is simply mad’.
I am not a recruiter and I am also not telling you what to do, how many eggs or how to suck those ‘eggs’ but I can point you towards some useful tools, ideas and portals to help you to think differently and maybe fast track your job search in Australia & New Zealand.
Forget what you currently know about job seeking and go back to a state of utter ignorance (and bliss??). Put all those shoddy internet tip sheets, outplacement counsellors and shockingly poor websites and job boards behind you.
Let’s start at the beginning. Ask yourself this question. If you are going to get a job what really needs to happen?
1) There needs to be something out there in your area (or country if you are willing to re-locate) that you can actually do.
2) The people handling the recruitment of these positions need to know you exist.
3) They need to like what they see from you more than anyone else. Now, please don’t get hung up on this point in particular. This is not the make or break point. They just need to like what they see.
To be honest, that’s it and that’s all!
Are you surprised or disappointed at this piece of info from TDJS blog? Do you feel like I am telling you how to ‘suck eggs’? I actually half thought about leaving it there but you’ll probably want more, so here it goes.
Ask yourself what are your skills, talents and interests that you can offer in a job? Be kind to yourself. Be generous to yourself. Don’t demand a high standard of proof from yourself. You are probably your own worst critic so don’t feel that if you are not a world acknowledged expert in something that you can’t use that skill. You can!
Once you know what you can do, you just have to find someone who wants you to do it for them.
That’s called research, and it takes time. I know that contrary to a common misconception, most unemployed Job Seekers are running out of time very fast. So, I have done some research for you! In fact, that is what I do pretty much all the time when I am not busy with my day job, since this subject is my passion.
You just need to follow the steps above and decide if this approach suits you. The next step is actual work. You need to use your findings from the process above and talk to just about everyone you know who seems even half way relevant. This bit I can’t do for you.
My first selection of different solutions covers:
- Government & council jobs; and
- Job opportunities for mature age employees.
The Australian Local Government Job Directory
Yes, you read this right, I really mean it. Why not consider working for a government, government organisation or a local council. The selection process is usually spread over 30 days and this gives ample opportunity to write excellent applications and fill out all the selection criteria. These job opportunities are very suitable for both Job Seeker categories – career changer and unemployed. You never know, your patience and hard work might land you a secure job close by… This job directory is a very good website. It’s maybe not the funkiest, but do you really care about that? They really do great work with the job postings and the best part is the fact that they actually do regular updates to ensure that the content is fairly up to date. All this is delivered by a very dedicated team of people who seem to care about the candidate material that’s coming in. So go and check out: http://www.job-directory.com.au/about.html
The next Australian website is http://adage.com.au/ – a great Job Board and Online Community for Experienced Workers aged 45+. Now I know that my initial title “job opportunities for mature age employees” is not in line with the proper descriptions as sanctioned by the watchdogs in Canberra. If you care more about that sort of stuff, then go to: http://www.fairwork.gov.au/employment/employers/new-employers/pages/tips-for-hiring-mature-age-workers.aspx?goback=%2Egde_79353_member_230809965. It explains in detail what the definition for a mature age worker is.
The fact remains, http://adage.com.au/ is a very good site with regular job postings and useful tips and advice for retaining and recruiting mature age workers. I bet you did not know this one even existed?! I also believe that this job portal is a great initiative from Heidi Peat Holmes, the creator and founder of the site. She occasionally posts tips on social media platforms and I admire her commitment and passion on the subject of mature age employment. It is very encouraging to see that there are people who care and I hope she has thousands of visitors and earns a million a year! I tried to find a New Zealand equivalent but could not find anything yet. Dear readership, please message me or comment if you have information about a similar New Zealand site.
…which takes us over to our friends across the Tasman.
As with everything, collecting information is what makes all the difference and that is why I regularly point my New Zealand friends at these two websites before I encourage them to use other New Zealand job seeker job portals. Our friends in New Zealand do things a little bit different and so it helps to read some of the information on the next two websites if you are not familiar with New Zealand employment customs and the way they do things over there. So, browse through them before you embark on your job hunt journey.
The first website is The Local Government Commission, which contains some useful content on Local Councils. This site is very informative and also pretty up to date with the events and plans of the 85 local governments in New Zealand. Just browse through it occasionally and you may discover your future job opportunity. The second useful website is the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. They have a pretty up2date Research section with useful data on the labour market and skills trends and shortages. This can be very useful when you assess your potential move to a council or government job. I am not being overly analytical here.
Trust me – it pays to read what these guys have to say about a council and the environment, before you spend the (often considerable) time to apply for a government job. There is also a regularly updated section which contains information and useful links that are designed to assist anyone with an interest in Māori social and economic issues to gain a better understanding about labour market trends amongst Māori… something our Australian counterparts in Canberra could improve on a bit!
So, when you are done with your bit of research and information updates, go straight to the job portal for New Zealand Council and Local Government jobs: http://www.localgovernmentcareers.govt.nz/ There are 85 city, district and regional councils in New Zealand local government and these guys cover it pretty well. They also offer career support including study and career options in local government and if you want to get your kids away from the computer, then contact these guys for a work experience placement.
Another web-portal which has become increasingly popular with council staff looking for new staff members is http://www.trademe.co.nz/jobs/government-council. This website was started 14 years ago as a regular auctioning website by young entrepreneur Sam Morgan, who loaned the start-up money from his father to launch the web portal. He sold the site to Fairfax Media 6 years later for $700 million and rewarded his father with a $70 million commission for the favour. How does that sound for a start up? Well the guys from Fairfax have done good things with Trade Me and added a Government & Council section to it. The good part of this section is the fact that the ads are timed and get kicked off the ad board once positions are filled. I have a subscription to the ‘Watch List’ and see almost 200 new jobs posted every week.
My third NZ recommendation and initiative is http://www.mayorstaskforceforjobs.co.nz/. The Mayors Taskforce for Jobs (MTFJ) is a nationwide network of Mayors which began in 2000 with 7 Mayors and now has a membership of 65 Mayors (97% of Mayors). Its focus is youth employment and engagement in local communities. Contrary to common stereotypes the people who run this initiative don’t sit on their hands and I encourage you to visit their website to check out the next career Expo or project announcement. They address a variety of subjects with hands-on campaigns and solutions. The website may be a bit bland, but their work rocks!
I hope you found the first part of my job category information useful. There is more in my pipeline “so to speak” I just need to find time to write it all up. As always, please send me your feedback and your pointers and tips and as always I am available to offer a professional critique or feedback and offer thoughts on how to improve your job seeking pursuits.
Hunt wisely!
Uli
