Career EQ

Written by Jane Lowder, Max Coaching

Recently I was asked to offer comment on the pros and cons of Socialising at Work. Journalist Nikki Williamson offered some interesting thoughts on this topic in the SMH last weekend. It may seem trivial, but in fact the way we socialise at work can help or hinder our professional reputation and career prospects. …read more

By Dr Alicia Karwat, KeySteps Pty. Ltd.

Do you know how your time orientation influences and guides your life choices and your decision making? What is its impact on how happy you feel and how successful you are?  Would you like to be more constructive with your time and acquire a “healthier time perspective”? If that sounds interesting, read the new book by Philip Zimbardo and John Boyd “The Time Paradox”. …read more

By Heidi Winney, Strategic Career Management

Many times when I’ve coached people in how to answer interview questions we began with the “Tell me about yourself”! Very often, I was asked “Well, what do you want to hear? Do you want me to tell you where I grew up and went to school and should I tell you about my kids, etc? Where should I start?”

In a “real” interview, this may well create doubt in an interviewer’s mind about your suitability and in particular your level of preparedness for the interview? If you’re not prepared for the interview, what else might you not be prepared for? …read more

By Dr Alicia Karwat, KeySteps Pty. Ltd.

I have just come across interesting information about a University of Adelaide study currently recruiting managers and bosses to talk about their experiences if they have been accused of workplace bullying. The researcher asks a question “Office bully or workplace victim?” and provides some evidence that the latter might also be true.

…read more

By Dr Alicia Karwat, KeySteps Pty. Ltd.

Skill Shortage – What skill shortage? What does it mean to be career resilient?

Media would like us to believe that our labour market experiences skill shortage. This is true in some sectors, such as mining, engineering and trades; however, in fact most other sectors experience a rise of redundancies and retrenchments, in particular at more senior levels. Recruiters complain that their business is down because there are not many new vacancies coming in. I have seen many good candidates in my practice recently, who have been looking for jobs for more than six months.  Age seems to do quite a lot with it; perhaps because older people are looking for more senior positions than the younger ones and there are not so many senior positions advertised. Turning 40 appears to be a magical age, although one recruiter told me that in their circle mature age workers are those over 36.  “This position is too junior for you” – you can hear their response, and “I do not have anything at your level right now”. 

…read more