I have been working as a recruiter and HR Professional for the past 7 years, and after interviewing thousands of people, I now often describe job searching and the recruitment processes as finding the one you love and eventually getting married.Job searching is important and unique to each individual because no two people are alike in terms of what they want out of a career and what they can offer in a professional sense. Firstly, you need to ask and be honest to yourself as to what you value the most from a future employer. It is undeniable that people want different things at different stages of life and of their career. In Australia, training and career progression should be the most important thing to look for from an employer for people age between 18 to 25 and new to the professional world. Of course, this is the age bracket where you form the foundation of your skill set and initial networks within your field. You should try and absorb everything the world has to offer. A large organisation that offers world-class trainings will pay you to learn and acquire new skills. However, the salary will also reflect on 'learn as you go' approach since the cost will have been factored into your remuneration. As such these firms tend to offer lower starting salaries but more opportunities to learn and develop. Small to medium organisations can give you the environment to shine if you have a lots to offer but may not be as willing to invest from a training and development sense. The general rule is that your remuneration (especially early in your career) is NOT a true reflection of your ability because you should always give in more than what you take to stay competitive and desirable to your employer.It is very important that you do your homework before applying for a job, just like you wouldn't date someone without knowing anything about them! Being sincere is much more valuable to employers nowadays as people come and go - the emergence of Generation Y has brought about higher turnover rates for employers and the notion of having a 'job for life' has now passed. The most cost efficient strategy for an employer is to retain the talent they have developed. Employers do not want to lose these employees as there is always a chance they will take the skills and knowledge they have learned and work for a competitor. Hence, as a candidate you need to convince your prospective employer why you are suited to a specific role and organisation - and not just because you saw it advertised or because it has a decent salary band. If you put in some research and know enough about the role and organisation you will be able to understand whether or not you are the perfect candidate. This is exactly what employers are looking for as you will not only commit to work, but also commit to grow with the business. Do your research on the history, management team, it's culture, structure, it's clients and progression process (no employee will stay in an organisation if they don't progress - even employers know that!) Therefore, show some ambition at the interview by asking about things like progression and promotion. This will demonstrate that you have the confidence in yourself to know you are going to succeed at the organisation. I'll talk about this more in my next article.
