Categories: News

Last time we started looking at the 6 principles of success that Arnold Schwarzenegger had applied in his life. He arrived in the US at the age of 21 with little money, a thick Austrian accent, only basic English, average grades and a background in bodybuilding. Certainly the combination of these are ingredients that could have made it very difficult for him, yet he went on to become the biggest movie star in the world in the 1990s, and then Governor of California from 2003 – 2011. Clearly he had a strong sense of what he wanted in life, and an unshakable belief in his ability to achieve all that he hoped for… His second rule of success is to “Break The Rules”. This doesn’t mean breaking the law, only the rules that our society has created to regulate itself. Looking at this in the context of applying for a job, there are many who...

Arnold Schwarzenegger has experienced the heights of success in a number of areas of life – firstly as a professional bodybuilder, then as an actor and finally as a politician. He served as the 38th Governor of California for 8 years from 2003 – 2011. When you look at his background, there were a number of things which could have become barriers to his success in his adopted country. At school, his grades were average. Money was short… he has said that one of the highlights of his youth was the family purchasing a refrigerator! He spent a week in a military prison after going AWOL from army training to attend a bodybuilding competition. He arrived in the US at the age of 21, after deciding at 14 that he wanted to pursue a career in bodybuilding. He knew little English, and had very little money. He had however made a decision a number of...

I’ve had a number of enquiries in recent weeks from people who have told me they want a simple resume. Politely I have asked why, and have been given a range of different answers. Some thought a simple resume would be cheaper, while another was only applying for part time work. It was obvious to me that each had little understanding of the importance of their resume, and the difference it can make to the success of a job application. Any potential employer wants to know if you have the right mix of skills, attitudes and experience to do a specific job within their organisation. In a competitive job market, employers can receive dozens, if not hundreds of applications for one position. Remembering that your resume is YOU to a potential employer, do you think a “simple resume” will seriously make the cut if it has to compete with resumes...

When is the best time to start preparing for a job interview? Fairly obvious it would seem… once you get the letter or phone call asking you to come to a certain address at a specific time to discuss a particular opportunity. If you think about it though, could it be that your preparations can start much sooner, and if that’s the case, what would those preparations look like? Getting a new job involves making a good impression on one or more decision makers within an organisation… this happens in different ways at various stages throughout the recruitment process. There are at least three steps that you need to take either consciously or unconsciously before you will ever be called in to discuss an actual job opportunity. The first is the decision you make to actively look for work. When you make this decision a mental shift takes place,...

Following on from our last topic of mastering job interviews, it is fair to say that any job interview you attend is where the rubber finally hits the road. It is your final opportunity to sell yourself as the best person for the job, and you need to be prepared for it, to give yourself the best chance of performing well. Remember, if you don’t sell yourself, no one else is going to – it all comes down to you. You can actually be the most experienced and qualified candidate for a position, and yet miss out because of poor interview performance. Preparing yourself is not always easy, especially if you are someone who tends to lack confidence in your abilities. Success comes by knowing how to prepare yourself, and in developing an unshakable belief in yourself as the best person for the job. Always give specific examples from your work...

Preparing for a job interview can be extremely daunting. No one enjoys facing a panel of strangers who hold your future in their hands, when so much hangs on how well you present yourself, and your ability to keep those unwelcome nerves under control! Taking the time needed to prepare yourself will always give you the best chance of being offered the job. How you prepare will reflect on your suitability for the position, in both the positive OR the negative! Like me, I’m sure you, or people you know have been to an interview and totally blown it, even though you could have easily done the work. Inevitably, you missed out. Interviewers know and expect that you will be nervous, and will make allowances for that. What is important is how well you recover from a slow and/or uncertain start. If your nerves get the better of you, apologise for them...

Losing your job is always a shock. Even if you know it is coming, when you actually receive the news, you finally have to face the reality of an uncertain future. It is almost always a stressful time, and never easy, One of the reasons losing a job affects us so much is because for many, their value and worth is closely linked with what they do, and as a society, by and large we define ourselves by our occupation. How often have you asked someone you have just met what they do? We all do it! We make assumptions, judgements and draw conclusions about people based on their answers to this question. Assumptions and conclusions about their level of education, work ethic, ambition, people skills, social connections, and financial situation. For a person who is out of work in a society that is overly focused on job or career status, it can be...

Losing your job is one of the 5 most stressful things we experience in life, following death, divorce, moving house and major health issues. Probably the greatest impact occurs when the job loss is sudden and unexpected, and seemingly unrelated to our work performance. The most obvious and immediate concern is having enough money to pay ongoing bills, such as rent, mortgage or loan repayments, but the emotional effects of job loss can also hit us really hard. A lady I I know was devastated to lose the job that she’d been working in for only a short time. Her supervisor had given good feedback, and indicated on several occasions he was pleased with her progress in learning the job. One Thursday afternoon however, she was called into the office to be told her employment was being terminated at 4pm the following day. It didn’t make sense at...

Age discrimination has significant negative impacts on most people who experience it. A recent government report shows that the most commonly reported effect of age discrimination is a negative impact on the person’s self-esteem or mental health, or increased levels of stress. This is followed closely by a negative impact on family, career and finances. Despite legislative changes and increased awareness of the issue in more recent years, unfortunately age discrimination continues to be part of the culture of some workplaces and work practices. Interestingly many older workers are not always aware of when they are being discriminated against. Given the importance of encouraging older workers to remain in, or to re-enter the workforce, this is a major concern. One thing I have noticed is that many people in the baby boomer generation don’t...

Joe Hockey recently released a report into age discrimination in the workplace. According to the report, “Different people experience age discrimination in different ways. Women are more likely to be perceived as having outdated skills, slow to learning new things, or more likely to perform unsatisfactorily in their job. Women are also more likely than men to report that the most recent episode of discrimination affected their self-esteem or mental health, or caused them stress.” So is offering financial incentives for employers to employ older workers going to make any difference? If these findings are correct, it would seem to me that the problem is more to do with people’s attitudes about themselves and others. Over the years many of my clients have been older workers. They have recognised that their age could potentially be a barrier...