The Career Hack: The secret formula for using social media and personal branding to sell yourself and find success at work [1 ed.] 9781922764546, 192276454X

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THE CAREER HACK Simone Rennocks

First published in 2022 by Simone Rennocks © Simone Rennocks 2022 The moral rights of the author have been asserted All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (for example, a fair dealing for the purposes of study, research, criticism or review), no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, communicated or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission. All inquiries should be made to the author. A catalogue entry for this book is available from the National Library of Australia. ISBN: 978-1-922764-54-6 Book production and text design by Publish Central Cover design by Pipeline Design Disclaimer The material in this publication is of the nature of general comment only, and does not represent professional advice. It is not intended to provide specific guidance for particular circumstances and it should not be relied on as the basis for any decision to take action or not take action on any matter which it covers. Readers should obtain professional advice where appropriate, before making any such decision. To the maximum extent permitted by law, the author and publisher disclaim all responsibility and liability to any person, arising directly or indirectly from any person taking or not taking action based on the information in this publication.

I dedicate this book to my amazing children Tanah and Christian. Right in the thick of Gen Z land we go forth together. You have taught me so much about the person I need to be.

Contents Introduction: What is the Career Hack? Who is the Career Hack for? Part 1: Job ready Career launch Targeting at-risk roles and prioritising the digital divide The new experience of work What employers want It’s normal to fear change Employability can be learnt Personal brand strategy Part 2: The Toolkit The secret formula Strategy – control the narrative in a positive way Know your values Self-reflection Perception Self-audit – who you are

Pride in a job well done Storytelling Effective storytelling hacks Relationship – aligning out personal values with our work is a privilege Side hustles and volunteering Part 3: Co-creating something meaningful Feeding your purpose Vision – your aspiration for the future Crafting your personal brand story Online research Create your LinkedIn profile Skills assessments Communications skills assessment What is a cover letter? Online interviews The Career Hack manifesto Next steps… Simone Rennocks

Introduction WHAT IS THE CAREER HACK? Hack: a simple and clever tip or technique to easily do a task, in a simple and deliciously clever way.

In my job as a CEO over the past 20 years, I have read thousands of resumes. All from job-seekers just like yourself, wanting a new career, a higher-paying job, a job with stability or to work for an innovative community-conscious company. My own personal mission is to promote learners who can learn, find productive work, make wise decisions and actively engage in their communities. The Career Hack is simply a formula that will give you the exact edge you need to stand out and land that job. There is no doubt – the way we work has changed. So too have the skills we need to succeed in our careers. Digital skills, know-how, problem-solving and automation are skills that, once learnt, will allow you to flow between different jobs, careers and industries over your working life. Transferable skills, often referred to as ‘soft skills’, include digital literacy, problemsolving, collaboration, adaptability and creativity among others. These skills represent the ability to collaborate in a virtual world and use rapidly evolving technology to solve problems. Technology was the saviour for many industries during 2020–2021. This acceleration caused employers and employees to fast track their digital development. If you had told business owners five years ago that face-to-face meetings were a thing of the past and this thing called Zoom would become the new way to conduct business, they would have laughed. Or tell recruiters that you would possibly hire a new staff member without actually meeting them in person, they’d think you crazy.

Digital communication isn’t taught in schools and is very different to face-to-face communication. It has both positive and negative attributes. On the plus side it has allowed businesses (mine included) to manage remote teams all over the country, as I can have my Sydney team involved in a meeting simultaneously with my regional teams. I can train and have instant input across the workforce from all staff. On the negative side, written communication is fraught with mis-communication issues if not taught well. The simple art of writing and communicating with clarity is a niche skill. Without the added body language, tone of voice, energy and emotional vibe we get during face-to-face conversation, a simple email, if worded badly, can land you in hot water. The Career Hack incorporates both digital communication and transferable skills. From high school, through uni to the professional development I have done throughout my career, I have noticed a little secret. There is a formula, that once mastered, can be used to impress anyone. Let’s backtrack a little here. We all know how it feels to be sold on something, like the used car salesman speech we have all recoiled from. We also all know how it feels to have to sell yourself – nothing feels scarier. Yet it is a skill anyone can learn. So why is it not taught to us at school? Sales always felt foreign to me. During my teens and twenties, I was a nervous introvert. But as I developed my career and skill set, I became confident in certain aspects of my jobs. Before I knew it, I had an eyeopening revelation about the sales process. Sales is just having a conversation about a product you are confident about. In the case of job hunting, I am confident in the skills I have developed, so in an interview, I need to talk about that. If I get thrown a curveball question, I simply bring it back to my skills and how I, with my unique skill set, would handle that situation. But, job hunting doesn’t start with your resume. In fact, your resume is the final piece to the puzzle. In this book I will walk you through the simple process of personal branding. You will learn what brand strategy is and how

it builds on your unique strengths, and how to leverage your skills and become a stellar candidate. Why is personal branding so important? Right now, it’s a candidate’s market. The world is going through a huge shake-up and many people have been forced to change careers, so suddenly we have a huge number of people under-employed. What do I mean by under-employed? 2020–2021 saw many unexpected redundancies and layoffs. Many over-qualified people had to take lower paying or lower skilled jobs out of financial necessity. For some, this was a welcome relief, but for many, it was a kick in the guts. Our youth have record levels of unemployment, thanks to this shake-up. School leavers were competing with highly educated and over-qualified candidates for the same entry-level jobs. So how can you stand out among all this? It is possible and I have seen some extremely impressive school-leaver resumes, who, whether consciously or not, used the secret formula to become a stellar candidate. So what is this formula? The Career Hack is the perfect blend of personal branding and leveraging your story to sell yourself. You may not have heard of the term ‘personal branding’ – what is it? Personal branding is what you’d want to be known for. What makes you stand out now, and where do you want to go in the future? You can use personal branding to tell the story of your skills and expertise. Are you known for marketing? Sales? Building businesses? Engineering? Do you have specific skills in those areas you can share? This should not come as a surprise – I check potential candidates on social media. Why? Company culture is everything to me. I look for candidates who are a right fit and who have the skills to help me achieve my business goals. While there are so many different social media platforms out there, in business most employers and employees looking to make a name for themselves during their career use LinkedIn – think of it as your living,

breathing resume. This is where you can engage, network, connect and, most of all, contribute your unique skills. Even when you are not looking for employment, LinkedIn can be used to further your brand or influence in your industry to gain promotions and carve out a niche for yourself. Your personal brand done right creates credibility, trust and expertise. The Career Hack will help you understand why you need a personal brand, what a strategy is and how to define your USP (Unique Selling Point). I will show you how to build your personal/professional relationships and online reputation, as well as how you can use LinkedIn to create your network, ecosystem and content to strengthen your position of influence. Finally, I’ll show you how to tie your brand and job applications together in one super cool hack. As a CEO, the top skills I look for in my staff are: •

empathy

•

social skills

•

digital literacy.

Technical skills are important in many roles, but can be learnt over time. The one thing you can’t teach is how to be a nice person. We spend roughly one third of our life at work. That’s a whole lot of time to waste if you’re not enjoying working with those around you. Unlike face-to-face communication or even spoken conversation, learning to communicate effectively via digital communication doesn’t allow your unspoken language to be interpreted by the other person. Without seeing a person’s body language, feeling their energy levels and emotions, and noticing their tone and inflection, we are only ever getting one piece of the message via digital communication. I am a big fan of emojis :) and hashtags, not over-using them but being aware of choosing ones that explain my message further. The other way I express my meaning when I write blogs or articles is by selecting an image that visually reinforces my meaning.

Have you ever received a text from someone and thought ‘what on earth does that mean?’ Without any additional context, other than our own perception of a message’s meaning, you can understand how easily digital communication can go so far wrong. The Career Hack is the secret formula for becoming a great communicator of your unique story.

WHO IS THE CAREER HACK FOR? The Career Hack is designed for the new workplace. It is perfect for schoolor university-leavers or anyone transitioning back into the new workplace after a career break. School and university curriculums take on average five years to refresh. By the time the future workplace is being taught, it will already be outdated. The pandemic changed us all in a once-in-a-generation thrust. Not many were prepared for it, most of us were caught off guard and many walked around in a haze trying to deal with so many significant changes all at once. It was the stuff of movies, science fiction kind of storylines. I think the one thing the whole world can agree upon is never say never again. The Career Hack will teach you about: •

your online presence

•

knowing what it is you want to achieve

•

using subtle and unconscious clues

•

understanding who you align yourself with (people and ideas)

•

putting your personal brand forward.

The Career Hack will give you tips about: •

using social media to build your personal brand

•

writing blogs, vlogs and content

•

crafting images

•

using LinkedIn as a virtual resume.

The Career Hack is the secret formula to future-proofing yourself, to thrive on change.

Part 1

JOB READY

CAREER LAUNCH Job ready: having a positive attitude and the in-demand skills employers are looking for.

When I was 16 I wanted to be a hairdresser. Every week I would anxiously run to the newsagency to pick up my copy of Hair Now. It had this cool extra flip book of different hairstyles where you could hold a small photo of yourself behind, to see if the style suited you. I know it’s pretty lame… But hey, it was the late 1980s. My stepson is in Year 11. There are so many job otions before him but it’s crazy to think that at 16 years of age, with little to no real world experience, anyone can know what they want to be when they grow up. A study by The Foundations for Young Australians 2014 uncovered that only 6% of adults end up in the career they wanted when they were younger. So how many times does the average person change jobs in their lifetime? Would you be surprised if I said that the average person will change careers between five and seven times and work for around 17 different employers during their lifetime?1 So why is the Career Hack a secret formula? Mostly because it combines skills not taught by secondary or vocational education. Likewise, it’s not a parenting failure either (finally, some things aren’t our fault!). The secret is that the rapidly changing world of work has gained momentum at a rate not anticipated. The education system simply can’t keep up. By the time it does catch up, the world of work will have changed again. However, the skills required to be employable are easily taught. Best of all, it’s never too late to learn to be employable. The top five jobs of the future don’t exist yet. So how can we prepare ourselves for an ever-changing skill set? By ensuring we develop a range of skills that can be used across multiple jobs. But barriers to learning these

skills exist and the digital divide is at risk of widening. Being without basic digital skills places you at risk of being deprived of many workplace opportunities. Inequities in access to devices and even reliable internet services means that a portion of our community is at a huge disadvantage. Increasing life expectancy and the profound disruption of skill sets and career paths by technological change mean that individuals will undertake more transitions at greater frequencies over their lifetime. As an adult educator, I have designed an ecosystem of learning to support these frequent career transitions. As new technologies emerge and ways of working evolve, short targeted career upskilling will be a vital part of the Career Hack. It is expected that each of the on-average 17 career changes you may make, a new or refreshed skill set will be required. The Career Hack will guide you to adapt quickly and confidently to frequent transitions. The new experience of work will require a new experience of vocational learning – ‘just-enough, just-in-time and just-for-me’. The emphasis is on personalised, concise content that is accessible as and when needed, across devices.

Figure 1: Anti-fragile education model

Diverse experiences and skill sets play a critical role in the Career Hack. People gain skills by taking up sideways career moves, making them more

resilient to future change. Rather than the career ladder model, a career ecosystem of lateral moves on the same pay level will make you a more valuable employee. They also create agility within the organisation, making it easier for people to move out of roles that are no longer required and into new and emerging roles. The process of employees innovating within an established organisation is termed ‘intrapreneurship’, and it encourages employees to develop new enterprises and commercially viable ideas within the corporation. Intrapreneurship can meet an organisation’s goal of developing new and disruptive ideas, while also fulfilling individual desires to create and innovate – without workers moving on. A majority of young people see themselves working independently at some point rather than being employed within traditional organisational structures. Surrounding yourself with a tribe of likeminded creative thinkers will foster the ‘intrapreneurship’ spirit. The Career Hack will encourage you to find your tribe and use networking and mentoring to build your career. The federal government has strengthened funding for Digital Skills Training in 2022, but without flexible and intuitive design, barriers to gaining these skills will still exist. Many workers are concerned about automation in the workplace making their role redundant. Having access to affordable and flexible training opportunities will ensure you have a competitive advantage in the jobs market. 1

McCrindle Research, Foundation for Young Australians, ‘The New Work Order: Ensuring young Australians have skills and experience for the jobs of the future, not the past’, 2015.

TARGETING AT-RISK ROLES AND PRIORITISING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE Before COVID-19, automation was already disrupting Australian jobs. Faethm (2020)2 suggests that:

•

one in five workers, or 2.7 million Australians, now have jobs that could be completely replaced by automation by 2034

•

4.5 million Australians now have jobs that could be augmented by technology in a way that will lift their productivity by 15%

•

men will be hit hardest by the rise of technologies such as autonomous vehicles; 56% of the 2.7 million vanishing positions will be jobs now currently held by males

•

the nation will be able to capture 85% of the potential new jobs created by technological advancements, resulting in structural unemployment of nearly 400,000 people. By giving all people opportunities to build the skills they will need to fully participate in the future workplace, we can start to create more inclusive and sustainable economies where noone is left behind. Bob Moritz, Global Chairman, PwC

Before the pandemic, Australia had a skills problem. That has become more complex because of the remote and distributed nature of our workforce and more urgent given the economic impacts of the pandemic. Australians are living a once-in-a-generation opportunity to re-evaluate what is broken in the work-life balance. The pandemic’s effect on business has been a catalyst to show the world that we can change. PwC Australia is

part of a network of firms in 156 countries with over 250,000 people. PwC is one of the top 50 brands worldwide, a team of more than 8000 people who deliver integrated solutions in audit, assurance, consulting and tax services. They perfectly sum themselves up as a community of solvers coming together in unexpected ways to solve the world’s important problems. In the Future of Work series, they have a report that outlines the positive effects of the pandemic on the future workplace. In the report, Balancing act: The new equation in hybrid working, PwC looks at change in the workplace not as chaos – but as the chance to do something great.3 2

https://info.faethm.ai/future-of-jobs

3

https://www.pwc.com.au/future-of-work-design-for-the-future.html

THE NEW EXPERIENCE OF WORK

The old rules of work – where jobs were for life and breadwinners worked until retirement – applied to a world of stable employment and less technological change. The new rules belong to another universe: one in which people are autonomous and entrepreneurial and are less tied to specific times, places and employers. People love the individual flexibility of working remotely; it should be the norm, rather than the exception. But there are some challenges for organisations. Remote working has meant that employers need to consider employee wellbeing more than ever before, but it has also led to open discussions about mental health. This is a huge leap forward. Research finds that humans need to have fun, feel understood by others, and experience a sense of hope and optimism about the future.4 Understanding the ways in which these factors motivate employees – and putting initiatives into place to facilitate this – is key. This is an exciting time to be part of an organisation’s leadership, as the new experience of work requires leaders to be far more progressive and take responsibility for a culture shift. So why does the Career Hack focus on this new experience of work? Because we have no previous model to fall back on. School curriculum has nothing to base lessons on, our parents have no words of wisdom to give here. The Career Hack prepares us for the new experience of work. What kind of work do we do? Work type relates to new ways of working, from macro and systems-level trends – such as labour market trends and related policies – to legal and compliance requirements.

What kind of workforce do we need? Workforce refers to the resources – including people and technology – needed to do the work. It’s all about having the right capabilities and the right skills in the right place at the right time. How do our workplaces enable our people? Workplaces are the physical and digital environments where work is structured and undertaken. This includes everything from an organisation’s real estate strategy to the layout of office space and the way work gets done. How will we energise and inspire our people? The experience of work is the way in which workers experience the purpose, values and culture of the organisation, as demonstrated by their behaviours and engagement. In researching for The Career Hack, I interviewed a number of under-25year-olds to get a deeper understanding of what they felt unprepared for during the transition from high school to the workplace.

“Savings! That is a huge one. Financial literacy, insurances and bills in general. Living out of home and the consequences of that choice. I can’t afford to travel but with the savings I do have, I know I also need to save for a house deposit. It’s okay not to go to uni and it’s also okay to not have any idea what you want to do long term. Having a job while at school was frowned upon as teachers saw this as taking time away from academics. But for me, starting work at 15 years enabled me to save while I was living at home and that made the travel I did possible. Balancing social life with friends and work. Emotional intelligence skills to understand the transition stages where friends go in and out of relationships and you come and go from importance. Knowing that it’s natural and doesn’t mean anything about you personally. The transition of social life being everything to growing up.

Friends not being around 24/7, they are all tough lessons.” Interviewee 1

“Savings! Oh my god, I need to do a financial literacy course. It’s so hard when you don’t always learn from your family. In my culture, we don’t talk about money. So now that I’m wanting to move out of home, thinking about balancing rent and bills and still seeing my friends is scary. All these things make me question my job, does it pay enough, is there a future for me in this role? If I don’t understand my own finances, how will I ever know right out of school how business works?” Interviewee 2 Workforce-ready means having the technical and employability skills to participate productively in the workforce, as well as to embrace the concept of lifelong learning, enabling adaptability to changing work conditions. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD 2013) supports this by stating that, in addition to occupation-specific skills, workers in the twenty-first century require a stock of other skills, including: •

literacy and numeracy

•

problem-solving

•

communication

•

self-management

•

the ability to learn.

Figure 2: Know your skills and experience. Reproduced under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence. © Commonwealth of Australia.

In an increasingly competitive employment market, employers are looking beyond simple academic achievement when considering applicants for a job.5 An employable society is the foundation for which our economic growth depends. As a whole, society needs a combination of specific skills, such as doctors, nurses, teachers, lawyers, builders, childcare workers and carers; as well as a strongly employable sector who have the adaptability to move with societal needs. This adaptable sector needs citizens who are equipped to move with emerging industries, to move with emerging technologies and to be entrepreneurial to start small businesses. An adaptable workforce who is resilient to change will have social and emotional skills to be agile. The current design of teaching careers in high school lacks the understanding of what employability skills are and isn’t adequately preparing students in the right way. A far more beneficial approach would be to focus on those adaptable skills, rather than trying to lead students to identify a specific job or career to enter into. These skills include business-like attitudes

that centre around being good team players and problem-solvers, as well as entrepreneurial skills to develop an adaptable mindset. Many employers agree that a minority of students entering the workforce want to be the boss right away, climbing the ladder in record time. Rather than squashing this energy, these are the students who may well go on to be the entrepreneurs and small business owners of tomorrow. When I see ambition like this in my young team members, I, with equal enthusiasm, sit down and talk about career path opportunities and agree on a program of mentoring with them. It’s not every day a young worker demonstrates ambition and while it can be disruptive to the team on one hand, it is an amazing opportunity of growth for both the young worker and the employer. Traditionally, as a society the norm was to leave school and after uni or completing a trade, enter into full-time work. Full-time work was the norm. However, as we see the decline of industries such as manufacturing and a growth in service industries, and we enter into a technology-driven economy, the norm is no more. The backbone of our technological-driven economy is hybrid teams, remote working, the rise of the casual workforce and webbased microbusinesses. What this means for careers education and lifelong learning is the need for resilience and adaptability. Once again, this idea of what being employable means is a societal issue. The role of careers education in reducing poverty and increasing social mobility has never been more urgent. Society needs almost everyone to have skills to do almost any job.6

Employability is, at heart, a process of learning.6 Figure 3: A positive approach

As the figure on the previous page shows, the skills to be employable are also the same skills needed to be an active, responsible citizen, having both adaptability and resilience and also integrity, empathy and ethics. Whether a technician or professional person, success lies in being able to communicate, share and use information to solve complex problems, in being able to adapt and innovate in response to new demands and changing circumstances, in being able to marshal and expand the power of technology to create new knowledge, and in expanding human capacity and productivity.7 Not surprisingly, technology-related skills and greater information literacy is needed. Today’s society has multitudes of information all related in real-time, so having the ability to discern the validity and usefulness of information is a key life skill. Twenty-first-century life skills can be summed up in the outline below.

1 Ways of thinking: •

creativity and innovation

•

critical thinking, problem-solving, decision-making

•

learning to processes).

learn/metacognition

(knowledge

about

cognitive

2 Ways of working: •

communication

•

collaboration (teamwork).

3 Tools for working: •

information literacy

•

information and communication technology (ICT) literacy.

4 Ways of living in the world: •

citizenship

•

local and global

•

life and career

•

personal and social responsibility, including cultural awareness and competence.

For our society to grow and compete globally, it needs citizens equipped to be adaptable and resilient. Learning how to be employable can be easily taught. These same skills will allow young people to become successful contributors to society and allow them to achieve real change. 4

Burow, Peter, NeuroPower: Leading with Neurointelligence, 3rd edition, 2013.

5

Lucas, B and Hanson, J, Centre for real world learning, Learning to be employable, Practical

lessons from research into developing character, 2016. 6

Ibid.

7

Ibid.

WHAT EMPLOYERS WANT

What does it mean to have the ‘right attitude’? There is a generational language divide in the workplace. Not around the latest cool words but how different generations communicate meaning of often assumed concepts. We hear from employers that young workers simply don’t have the right attitude, but what does that mean? This simple conversation, if not handled correctly, can be the cause of communication breakdown and lead to stereotypes. Young workers feel misunderstood by employers following old-fashioned ideas, employers feel that young workers are entitled. How can we find common language to discuss basic workplace issues? At the core, a for-profit business is designed to make money and, in return, support the community by hiring locals and contributing to the local economy. In an ideal world, staff would have a clear understanding of the business’s goals, both financially and locally, and feel good about their contribution to this plan. The best workforce is one that feels their own personal beliefs and goals align with the business’s and by being part of that team, they will achieve their goals and feel personally fulfilled. While there are workplaces with great culture, there are many still with a long way to go to achieve this ideal. However, employers aren’t saying that they want employees who are going to align with their own goals and help the business to achieve success. Capitalist? Yes. Honest? Yes. When an employer says they want to hire someone with the right attitude, what does that mean? To confuse things even further, a baby boomer employer and a Gen Z employer may also not quite agree on a definition. So how do young workers know? You just have to have the right attitude. We can train and upskill anybody, it’s just finding those people that want to jump out of bed and go to work.

Kelly Bulpett The feedback directly from clients is that they’re unreliable. So they often start off really well. They go to their job, and then they kind of peter out and aren’t reliable. From a skills perspective, I’m looking for people who are physically fit, and don’t mind getting their hands dirty. And a lot of people these days are wanting to go in on the top level, as opposed to starting at the bottom and working their way up. So the feedback from clients, again, is just the right attitude and the willingness to learn and willingness to learn on the job. Kelly – Hoban Recruitment In April 2022, I hosted a Virtual Skills Summit to discuss the question, ‘What does it mean to be employable?’ I was after a cross-section of employers, recruiters and industry leaders to discuss what this phrase meant to them and what they were hearing from other employers. Here is an excerpt of my conversation with Kelly from Hoban Recruitment and Tracy from The Digital Guide. Simone Rennocks: Hearing so much about the great resignation, I must admit from the beginning, when I first started to hear that, I’m like, Oh, my gosh, this is just another buzz term. What are you seeing in regards to that great resignation? Kelly – Hoban Recruitment: Definitely happening. You know, from a recruitment standpoint, we’re seeing a lot of people that are moving around from employer to employer, whether it be from recruitment agencies or companies themselves. When it comes to labor hire, it’s a great resignation, because there’s a lot of jobs versus, I guess, a really tiny pool of available, workable candidates. Employers lost permanent staff for whatever reason, it could be they’ve got vaccination statuses, and these people don’t want to be vaccinated. These jobs are now being released to us. And then we’re going to the

market to try and find these people. It’s here and it’s real. But insane that we’re starting to see a shift, with people coming out of the market that are now looking for casual employment over permanent employment, because of the casual labor rate. Yeah, they get 25% casual loading. These people often don’t take holidays. And they want that casual flexibility as well, because people now since we’ve been into lockdown, I think we’ve been able to, I guess, get a bit humble and learn that we can live off the basics as opposed to this grand gesture life. Simone Rennocks: Are you seeing it more with young people? Or is it older people or families? Who are the ones that are looking for that flexibility of moving to just a casual workforce? Kelly – Hoban Recruitment: I couldn’t say it would be from a mature audience or youth or anything like that. It’s everybody so it’s not really predominant in any age group. I definitely see a lot of women, particularly mothers who have been able to work out their family life plan and be able to stay home. So the husbands or the partners would work. But that’s obviously dependent on each person’s circumstance. Tracy – The Digital Guide: It really seems like sort of putting those two points of flexibility together, having that casual ability to work various hours, and then combine that with hybrid work models, I guess that really sort of gives us a clearer feel of where the community’s sort of placing emphasis at the moment and what their priorities are, which is nothing but a good thing. I think that’s come out of the pandemic and the way we’ve been working. There’s this digital divide that’s opening up between the people who understand the role that tech is going to play or has been playing, and it’s going to become more predominant. Simone Rennocks: We’re trying to structure our skills training around foundation skills and transferable skills. We’re seeing a lot of people coming back into the workforce now after COVID, or where

they were temporarily out of their industry, mothers coming back after having children, you know, maybe the finances got a little under pressure, and they’re having to return to work now. But I know that we’ve experienced really successful people in marketing and sales, coming back where everything’s by Zoom, technology is everything, there is a real divide there, where they’ve just lost touch with that industry. Tracy – The Digital Guide: My advice to them – number one is curiosity. You know, there’s got to be a curiosity and an openmindedness to what is out there. And not just what’s out there now, but what’s coming. So if somebody has chosen a field that they want to pursue, whether it’s stem, whether it’s logistics, where you know, whatever that is, there are so many advancements being made in the tech space of whatever field you’re looking at right now. You need to be curious and open-minded and have a willingness to kind of be looking at where are we at right now, and what’s on the horizon. While the tech space is great for a connection, you also need to have that personal skill there to be able to connect with people. It’s almost like what is needed is a digital body language course. It’s like combining the best of both worlds in how to do a Zoom but still show that engagement and really still get those interpersonal skills really tied up.

Many employers are feeling that young workers are having difficulty adjusting to the work environment and difficulty separating work from being a social occasion, are not taking the job seriously and have a lack of awareness of how their behaviour creates a bad impression. These same issues were raised during my interviews with young workers as part of my research into The Career Hack. Young people felt that they were not emotionally prepared for not having their friends around 24/7. In my experience, I have seen similar traits in older workers too. I believe there is a new meaning needed behind phrases such as ‘hard work’ and ‘work ethics’,

as it’s clear these phrases mean different things to different people. If a young person identifies that they are struggling with work not being seen as a social occasion, this to me shows that they are emotionally intelligent and rather than punish the young worker, it shows a perfect opportunity for workplace mentoring. The way business leaders clearly define and demonstrate their desired company culture makes finding employees with a similar mindset and vision for their own personal achievements a whole lot easier. Rather than putting responsibility on young workers to guess what the right attitude is, employers should keep a clear vision of what the right attitude means to them throughout the hiring process and communicate what they are looking for from the beginning. A great question to ask a potential employer during an interview is, ‘What characteristics would someone have to display the right attitude in this role?’ To me, being asked a question such as this would show emotional intelligence, which is a skill closely linked with what employers want.

IT’S NORMAL TO FEAR CHANGE

Humans are wired to want stability, calm and security. During any life stages of transition such as going from school to uni life, school to work life, returning to work after parenting, divorce, it is totally normal to feel anxious. The most important thing our community can do is to openly acknowledge that it is an inevitable milestone of emotional upheaval and any related anxiety is by no means strange, uncommon or shameful. Often school leavers and parents re-entering the workforce find themselves, out of necessity, in jobs that hold no personal interest for them, for the sake of a paycheck. They have limited job-seeking or industryspecific skills, so work-related confidence can easily lead them to an all-time low. Transitioning into the workforce presents multiple challenges beyond the most obvious objective of finding a job. Let’s not forget about all of the life administration stuff that comes with working life, such as bank accounts, superannuation, transportation, taxes and so on. All necessary evils which can be resolved relatively easily as long as you know how, but to many they can present instant stress. Parental expectations also often change when young people start earning their own money, and unexpected considerations regarding housing, rent, household expenses and domestic chores start to come into play. Parents returning to work and juggling family routines and household chores find the struggle just as real. Finding yourself thrust into the world with different societal expectations, diminished support systems and additional responsibilities is tough. Everyone responds differently to change. Some people find it exciting and full of opportunities while others feel stressed and overwhelmed, or a combination of these things. Even changes that you’re looking forward to can cause some worries. Whatever your reaction is, it’s okay to feel this way. The uncertainty that big changes bring can be hard to deal with. Some common concerns that people experience with the transition into or back to the

workforce can include: •

making friends in a new setting

•

figuring out new workplace environments

•

juggling commitments, such as work, family, friends and study

•

meeting different expectations and obligations (e.g. meeting deadlines)

•

adapting to new living arrangements (e.g. moving out of home)

•

wondering if you have made the right decisions

•

managing finances and financial pressures.

There are lots of things you can do to support yourself during these times. Learning some strategies can help you feel better prepared to cope with any worry or stress. These strategies include: •

learn about stress and your early warning signs. Stress is our body’s way of reacting to change – there are things you can do that can help you cope

•

make a list of things you can do to support yourself, things that you enjoy and that help you de-stress

•

notice your unhelpful thoughts. If your worries are getting out of control, try an app like Worry Time

•

reach out to friends, family or professional help for support. Talking things through can help you feel supported

•

accept that some things won’t go to plan, but can give us opportunities for growth

•

Be kind to yourself. Giving yourself a hard time only makes things worse.

Preparing for change can help it feel more manageable. Check out our practical tips to help: •

problem solve: identify what’s troubling you and name it. This helps you figure out what’s in your control and find a possible solution. It also helps you let go of what’s out of your control

•

set achievable goals: at times, your goals can seem big and overwhelming, breaking them down into manageable chunks can help you take those first steps

•

create a routine: routines bring order and predictability to our lives. This can help at all times, but especially if you’re feeling overwhelmed. Remember to include activities that you enjoy.

Those first few months of full-time work can be rough. It’s a time of adjusting to the 9-to-5 routine as sleep-ins become a weekend-only activity. A time of getting to know a new workplace culture as you try to memorise names and find the best local cafe. And a time when you head up that steep learning curve of putting your training and education into action. All in all, full-time work is an exciting new transition that can come as a bit of a shock to the system. Here are five tips on how to survive the early stages of fulltime work: 1. Develop a new routine A new job calls for a new schedule. According to the Fair Work Ombudsman, full-time work is 38 hours a week, which can leave you feeling drained. Develop your own set of rules on when to have late nights – and when you need to get to bed early. Be strict about getting enough sleep so you have enough energy to focus on work the next day.

Practise good sleep habits such as winding down without screen time before bed and regular exercise. 2. Learn to say no It’s easy to become overwhelmed by events outside work such as social activities, sport and family commitments. While it’s important to have outlets, it’s also crucial to find a balance. The sooner you master the art of saying no or at least asking for a raincheck, the sooner you’ll ease the pressure on your weekly schedule and find some much-needed time for yourself. 3. Work hard, play hard Your hard work deserves rewards. Be sure to treat yourself regularly with something that puts your mind on anything but work. It could be a fortnightly massage or movie. 4. Holidays are not optional Planning a holiday is what puts pep in the step of so many new full-timers. Knowing a refreshing break is on the horizon is not only motivating, but essential for life-work balance. In addition to annual leave, employees are also entitled to personal leave, which includes sick, carer’s and compassionate leave. Get to know your entitlements here. 5. Set up your super Choose the right super fund from the beginning of your working life and your future-self will thank you. The choice is yours, so take control of choosing your super fund instead of leaving it in the hands of your employer. You may already have a super fund from a casual after-school job. Make sure you

know who that super fund is with and find out how to roll over your super down the track if you end up with multiple super accounts throughout your career. Go for a fund that has low fees so you can make the most of your hardearned super savings. Ensure your fund can grow as your career does so you can stick with the same fund for life and avoid doubling up on fees. Find your tribe The Career Hack encourages you to find your tribe. Reach out to friends, online forums and you’ll soon find you are not alone in how you feel, as you can see from the following responses:8 Finished uni in May and have been fortunate to get a fulltime 9-5 job. I’ve been there three weeks now, and am struggling like hell with it. As a student I’ve been so used to lieins, pubbing it till late, and just generally enjoying life. I worked weekends, so had money to spend too. But since working 9-5 I find I’m struggling to fit in much around work at all. I have to get up at 6, and don’t get home till gone 7 due to the commute I have to make. I’m struggling to sleep as I’m so aware I have to be up early then I find myself checking the time at crazy hours in the morning. The job itself isn’t quite what they sold to me at interview either, it’s a lot more targets-based than I was led to believe and I already feel stressed by them. I seem to have been struck, rather fiercely, with a reality check about what the working world offers. I went to uni to get a degree to get a job, but mainly to have a good time and now feel like my life is going to be very boring and rather

depressing! A lot of my friends are working in retail still part-time and I’m already envying them, not sure whether I should go back to that and have fun while I’m still young and at home with the folks with no responsibilities? And maybe rethink what to do career wise. Thoughts? I’ve found it really hard too. I used to work a checkout and thought I’d left behind the days of working in a boring routine… but now I do it 38 hours a week in front of a computer! You’ll feel better when you get paid, it’s a lot more money than I had ever got from working overtime in a supermarket. But given that I have no responsibilities either, it does make it tougher because I suppose we’re lacking the ‘I need to work to live’ mentality which bill payers hold. Plus, like you, my friends haven’t been able to get jobs so they’re all out having fun and I’m not. It’s a strange one, because uni life doesn’t prepare you at all for the working world. School does to an extent; with the 9-4 days, then things slowly start to get further from the working reality as you reach sixth form! I would try and stay for as long as you can, to try and build experience up on your CV, so that you’ll be more employable in the future. But heck, you only live once and you’re only young once, so if you’re prepared to shack up with your parents for years to come, then go have fun! It’s definitely a shock to the system at first, but you do get used to it. I think the worst part for me was the realisation that gone are the days of being able to stay up till it gets light on any day of the week, watching whole TV series online and that kind of

thing! But eventually you’ll find a pattern that works for you, as the sleep side of things alone is a massive adjustment, let alone actually doing the job! Also, three weeks isn’t a huge amount of time, and you’re still getting to grips with the job, so things will hopefully get better and seem more positive once the creases of entering the working world have all been ironed out! 8

Employment Consultations with Young People, Young people’s voices that informed the State and Federal youth employment reports, Youth Action 2022

EMPLOYABILITY CAN BE LEARNT

The Career Hack is a method of learning to be employable. The habits to cultivate ‘employability’ may not be as difficult as you think. Habits are learnt or changed sometimes unintentionally, while they can also be created or changed with intention. Understanding how habits are formed makes replacing them with new ones easier. Habits are built through learning and repetition. A person is thought to develop a habit in the course of pursuing goals by beginning to associate certain cues with behavioral responses that help meet the goal. Learning to be employable is understanding the mindset and habits that will help you to achieve your goals. To develop employability habits, first understand which habits are important. Look at the list opposite: Self-belief

Confidence in oneself and one’s capability, arising from past experiences

Self-control

Ability to forgo, voluntarily, short-term temptations, impulses or diversions in order to prioritise higher goals and activities

Perseverance

A set of attributes including effort, persistence, attention, focus, grit and a commitment to long-term goals

Resilience

The ability to adapt to challenges and seek growth in them, as well as the idea of being able to bounce back from setbacks

Curiosity

A strong desire to know and learn, coupled with an openness to new experiences

Empathy

Being able to ‘walk in another’s shoes’, identifying with and understanding their feelings and views

Creativity

The production and development of new and useful ideas, often collaboratively

Craftsmanship

Pride in a job well done, along with an ethic of excellence

How do you learn the habits of employability? Careers education hasn’t got the process completely wrong. Work experience, work placement, volunteering and after-school jobs are the best ways for young people to gain

insight into the workplace. There is no better teacher than experience. What I like best about the list above is that it reflects the earlier comments from Interviewee 1: •

Savings! That is a huge one. Financial literacy, insurances and bills in general – self-control

•

Living out of home and the consequences of that choice, I can’t afford to travel but with the savings I do have – perseverance

•

I know I also need to save for a house deposit – curiosity

•

It’s okay not to go to uni and it’s also okay to not have any idea what you want to do long term. Having a job while at school was frowned upon as teachers saw this as taking time away from academics – selfbelief

•

But for me, starting work at 15 years enabled me to save while I was living at home and that made the travel I did possible – resilience

•

Balancing social life with friends and work. Emotional intelligence skills to understand the transition stages where friends go in out of relationships and you come and go from importance – empathy.

How can employers create a space for learning ‘employability’? There is no doubt that having a diverse workforce creates new opportunities that would not have been realised without the mix of ideas and skills. The biggest learning curve, for employers, older staff and younger workers, comes from clear and constant communication. My purpose as a business owner is the belief that small to medium businessess can solve the world’s most meaningful problems by adopting an entrepreneurial culture and investing in or mentoring upcoming entrepreneurs. In creating an ecology which is hospitable to the development of employability habits, the presence and influence of active role models will be important – people whose own habits are consonant with those we have suggested. This role-modelling

needs to be college-wide, with examples in the senior leadership team.9 So what are the top seven characteristics to develop to be successful at work? 1. Self-awareness Recognises own strengths and weaknesses, exhibits self-control, takes responsibility for themselves (and others), relates to others as adults rather than as in a child/parent role, able to communicate and explain their strengths and weaknesses to others, does not shift blame, is accountable, sets realistic goals, recognises their limits, has the ability to control emotions and desires in difficult situations. 2. Receptiveness Willing to learn, open-minded, patient, flexible, happy to consider travel and/or relocate, displays humility, shows respect for other people, appreciates the views of others, works well with others, recognises the importance of compromise, can identify people to ask/learn from, engages in informal networking, learns from different people and situations, willing to tackle their own weaknesses, open to working in different ways, takes on feedback and advice. 3. Drive Determined, diligent, hard-working, shows care and conscientiousness in their work, displays a positive attitude, keen, enthusiastic about all tasks, motivated, punctual, proves themselves quickly, works carefully, does background research, goes the extra mile, well-organised, persistent, in the right place at the right time, reliable, applies themselves consistently. 4. Self-assurance

Quietly confident, displays self-belief, has good levels of self-esteem, believes they can reach goals, influences future outcomes and shapes their life, independent thinker, makes eye contact, exhibits good posture, has a firm handshake, displays trust in other people, willing to ask questions and seek more information, able to work alone without clear direction. 5. Resilience Includes the capacity to manage the everyday stress of work and remain healthy, rebound and learn from unexpected setbacks and prepare for future challenges proactively. 6. Be informed Understands job market, aware of options, can identify pathways into work, direct contact with employers, capable of searching for job vacancies, can uncover background information about sectors/companies/roles, will interact with job centres/recruitment firms/HR, has representative CV, understands office etiquette, punctual and well-presented, can effectively describe themselves and their achievements verbally, proactively seeks advice from people in work, understands impact of education and training levels on employment. 7. Having a growth-mindset The growth mindset includes but is not limited to: •

assuming greater responsibility for your own learning and developing expertise in goal setting and decision-making

•

providing challenging learning experiences to foster tenacity

•

breaking tasks down into their different levels and then step-by-step planning and goal-setting activities to stretch yourself, providing motivational scaffolding

•

seeing the ‘struggle’ all learners experience in the real world and learning tools and strategies for getting ‘unstuck’

•

making learning as authentic as possible – students are much more likely to persevere at learning something that has relevance to them and their lives

•

encouraging a positive climate through peer learning.

The Career Hack is a method of learning to be employable and understanding the mindset and habits that will help you to achieve your goals. Habits such as self-belief and confidence in oneself are valuable life lessons that will help you to achieve your personal goals in life as well. 9

Lucas, B and Hanson, J, Centre for real world learning, Learning to be employable: Practical lessons from research into developing character, 2016.

PERSONAL BRAND STRATEGY

The Career Hack is a simple formula that will give you the exact edge you need to stand out and land that job. It incorporates both digital communication and transferable skills. It is the perfect blend of personal branding and leveraging your story to sell yourself. It is the secret formula of becoming a great communicator of your unique story and a method of learning to be employable. But the real hack is a strategy to tie it all together. Your personal brand is how you are perceived and the reputation you build. Think of it as writing your own story and the legacy it will create. How do you want people to see you? Are there specific achievements you are most proud of ? Do you have a strong goal or mission that you are passionate about? My own personal mission in business actually came about from my parenting philosophy. In both parenting and in business I wanted to raise young adults who can learn, find productive work, make wise decisions and actively engage in their communities. My mission is key to how I want to be seen and the legacy I want to create. But without a plan of how to get this message across to your network and followers, you run the risk of the message getting lost in translation, or worse, misunderstood completely. So what makes for a ‘good’ strategy? A good personal brand strategy has its audience front and centre. You can define your target audience by asking yourself a few quick questions: •

What is the goal – new job, promotion, starting your own business?

•

What industry are you targeting – white collar, blue collar?

•

Who are the go-to brands or influencers right now?

Success is often built on strong personal branding – because it immediately tells us who a person is and where their expertise lies. Personal branding isn’t limited to those in the public sphere. Regardless of who you are, you can showcase your talents. We’ve curated a list of excellent examples of welldefined personal brands to inspire your own. Google these brands to look at their websites and social media. Elon Musk Elon Musk’s name is almost as well known as Coca-Cola. Even if you have no interest in technology, it’s hard to avoid the brand that is Mr Musk. Having a personal brand does make you a public figure and thus very much subject to criticisms of your public statements. Elon has been criticised for spending huge amounts of money with little return and for publicity stunts like shooting a Tesla into space which give the appearance of being more about ego than science. Regardless of how you feel about him, it’s undeniable that his drive and follow-through have shown us technologies yet to be invented and a whole universe whose mysteries are yet to be discovered. There may not be any photos of him, but his presence touches every part of his site. Instead, shiny products and clear copy are what make his innovative brand unmistakable. Behind all this fascinating gadgetry is extensive research, development and a team of bright engineers chosen by Mr Musk. Mindy Kaling As a writer, actor and producer, Mindy Kaling’s work has made so many of us laugh. She’s established herself as someone whose creative output is about smart comedy that punches up against Hollywood and societal norms. Her personal brand is multi-faceted and isn’t limited to labelling her as a writer, feminist or actor. Even though there are so many aspects to what makes Mindy amazing, her brand offers a clear idea of who she is and what matters

to her. Billie Eilish Remember when pop stars were simple? The Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears and the Spice Girls weren’t exactly known for their layers. Now that I’ve totally dated myself – with age comes wisdom, right? – growing up with everything that was saccharine and fake about pop stars gives this Gen Xer an appreciation for what makes an artist like Billie Eilish special. Billie Eilish is equal parts awkward and ego. She can be infuriating and likable all within 10 seconds of an interview. Her music flirts with experimentalism while still being within the lines of pop sensibilities. She’s complicated both in her music and who she is. Images such as sneakers, cartoon-like drawings and skulls are synymonous with Billie, creating a teenager-from-another-dimension vibe. Her website is a surreal, disorienting page to navigate, much like her music. Her personal brand of quirk is almost anti-brand – it’s what makes her music and aesthetic easy to recognise. Conduct research on those brands or influencers in the industry you want to work in. This research will help you narrow down your precise target audience. The following case study will help you identify your audience. Case study Joel is working as a business development manager for a training company. He has been in this role for two years and loves it. He enjoys getting out of the office and meeting new people and helping connect employers with the right candidate and the right skill set. Joel is hoping to be promoted to the role of skills broker and move into the government sector. Joel has a strong personal mission and wants to build his online presence to get his mission out there to help leverage his career options.

Joel decides to jump on LinkedIn and do a search for skills brokers, to better understand who is already in the role he is keen to move into and what their branding looks like. His research leads him to the Minister for Education. The Minister is a regular poster on social media highlighting the good work of his department and the initiatives he leads. He also loves to give credit posting about high achievers in that sector and staff making a big difference. From their profiles, Joel can see the networks and groups they both belong to, as well as links to the projects the government is promoting right now and also other key people they communicate and connect with. Joel can also get a feel for the types of conversations, images and language they use. From this information, Joel can start to look at how his own mission matches or differs from this audience. He knows now the groups and networks he needs to join, the projects to read up on, as well as the events coming up that will help his introduction into that industry. Next, he starts to research job advertisements, to crossmatch the required and desirable skills with his own skill set. Joel can see a few gaps and plans to do some professional development in the form of an online course in communications, as his writing skills could use a brush-up. The advertisement has listed under ‘preferred qualifications’ that the candidate has a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, but Joel doesn’t have time right now to commit to a full qualification. In a web search for this course, he notices a short single unit, Provide work skill instruction, listed under related courses and decides to complete this as well. This research forms the basis of Joel’s brand strategy. Once your audience is clear, it’s time to start fleshing out your brand and the impact you can make. Passions and personality are key to a strong personal brand. Adding this is how you can showcase your unique characteristics to bring energy and life into the role. The best examples I have seen here are often from university

candidates who really understand the value that extracurricular activities add to their skill set. Some of the best resumes I have seen will go into detail talking about their long-term career goals and how their hobbies and out-ofstudy interests build these skills. Recently, when recruiting for a new administration manager position, the candidates that stood out to me most had all detailed their passion for volunteering. Being in a customer-service-based industry, our company culture is built around helping and mentoring in teams. So seeing that a candidate has five years of experience volunteering with the SES may on the surface seem a disjointed fit for an administrative role, but on the contrary, it shows the candidate is passionate and dedicated to helping and working alongside others in times of need. Perfect for the values underpinning the role I was advertising for. Likewise, I love when a resume lists things like family first, a love for the outdoors, learning new languages, 4WD clubs, car clubs, anything really that gives me an idea of who you actually are beyond the work experience listed on your resume. The key to career success is specialisation, the nicher the richer. Your resume is how you make a first impression and sell yourself. Think of it like your business card. Abilities, education and professional experience form the core of your resume, but your passions and personality are key to a strong personal brand. If you have done your research on the industry and even the specific company you’re applying to, you can tailor your resume to hit the perfect formula every time. Good brand strategy aligned with a tailored first impression (aka your resume) will allow your personal brand reputation to proceed you. Your personal brand strategy will give you the exact edge you need to stand out and land that job. It is the perfect blend to leveraging your story to sell yourself and becoming a great communicator of your unique story of how you became employable. In the next chapter, you will be introduced to a model called ‘SPHERE’, a toolkit to bring the Career Hack to life.

Part 2

THE TOOLKIT

THE SECRET FORMULA Toolkit: a set of tools designed to be used together to solve a problem.

Creating a personal brand strategy takes time. To present the full story of who you are and the unique qualities you have to offer is more than just your resume. The secret formula to telling your story can best be organised into the ‘SPHERE’ model. I created the diagram ‘SPHERE’ as a way for you to remember the main steps to follow in the Career Hack. The Career Hack toolkit is designed to give you a pathway to follow. It’s a guide to a step-by-step approach to bring your personal brand to life. It includes a simple formula: 1. Who I am 2. What I do 3. Why it’s different 4. What I believe

Figure 4: SPHERE

5. What I stand for. And finally, how my unique story allows me to contribute to society and the workplace. I use this strategy and tell my story every day – by how I dress, who I network with, the images I choose for social media, the articles I write on LinkedIn. For the most part, it is done unconsciously. As you work with this idea of your personal story, you’ll get into a natural rhythm and feel when you are on brand and when you are not. Everyone has certain subjects they are happy to share their passion for – more power to you! But there are other subjects we are just as happy to keep our opinions to ourselves. There is no right or wrong way when it comes to your personal story, other than use it wisely. Stay true to yourself and make sure the story you are telling is going to lead you to achieve your goals. Like I said, it’s your narrative, hit them

with a plot twist anytime you like! Using the SPHERE model, the Career Hack will give you step-by-step tips to find your story and leverage it to sell your character and skills to employers. The Career Hack strategy: 1. Use social media to build your personal brand. 2. Write blogs, articles and content to showcase your story. 3. Use images wisely to reinforce your character and skills. 4. Use LinkedIn as a virtual resume.

STRATEGY – CONTROL THE NARRATIVE IN A POSITIVE WAY

Having a strategy to tell your story makes the job easier. Let’s be honest, when we meet someone we like or have a first date with, we Google them, right? Well, employers do the exact same thing. This isn’t a bad thing at all. Doing research to make sure the person we just met is who they say they are is smart. So if there is going to be a story out there about you, make sure you are the author of that story on purpose. A lot of people, especially young people, make this exact mistake. By not presenting the full picture of who you are, the world is left to make up their own mind about you from their judgement of the few things they can see of you. And it is judgement, sometimes definitely in the worst sense. But also just simply from the perspective of human nature. We all interpret meaning from our own mindset. Having a strategy to tell your story is taking control of the narrative in a positive way. Did you know that around 70% of employers check out applicants’ profiles on platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and TikTok as part of their screening process, with 54% rejecting applicants because of what they found? LinkedIn Poll What do you think about the role of social media in the recruitment process? Vote in our poll and tell us more in the comments. Should employers screen job candidates’ social media profiles before interviews? The author can see how you vote. Learn more. Yes, it’s public info

49% No, that’s personal 22% Only ‘work’ profiles 27% Other (please comment) 2% 8829 votes Be authentic. There is no point creating a story that either doesn’t make sense or creates the wrong impression – just be you. You have ideas, opinions, goals and your own unique way of doing things and this is the story to tell. I understand that telling your story can be uncomfortable. We weren’t always raised to be confident in ourselves or to know how to talk about ourselves in a positive way. That’s why the SPHERE model is so helpful. Baby steps. Let’s break this down into a few easy parts. Your strategy is made up of: •

your online presence

•

knowing what it is you want to achieve

•

subtle/unconscious clues

•

who you align yourself with (people and ideas)

•

putting your brand forward.

The tools we will use to put this strategy all together are:

•

social media

•

blogs, vlogs and content

•

images

•

your resume.

KNOW YOUR VALUES

When you start job hunting, you will hear a lot of talk about company culture. The culture or vibe of an organisation can just happen by chance, but more often than not, employers and business owners take great pride in building a culture that fits with their personal vision for what they’d like their company to uphold. No-one wants to work in a place that has a bad or toxic culture. Doing your research into the culture of a potential workplace is vital. A secure livelihood is the basic reason people work, but to be in a role where your personal values align with those of the organisation is priceless. When employers Google potential candidates, they are looking to see that you are a ‘right fit’ for their culture. To ensure that you put out a clear message about what you value and stand for, take control of the message. Don’t fall into the trap of missing this vital chance to share your values and end up with a wrong judgement being made and the lost opportunity. Without knowing yourself, how can you be sure to tell your authentic story? Knowing your personal values and goals is step one. Take some time to think about what you value most right now and also the values you would like to work towards into the future. Look over this list of values and write down all that resonates with you now. Next, make a second list of values that you’d like to cultivate in the future. The reason I recommend having the ‘future’ values list is so you can grow and develop. No-one stays exactly the same. In time we all change – our mind, our opinions, our friends, our likes and dislikes, our goals and… our job. Life is fluid, make sure your story doesn’t typecast you! When values align Just like we are creating a strategy here to tell your story, companies do the

exact same thing. A big trend in marketing right now is using storytelling. This can be done in a number of ways. Marketing psychology tells us that an effective way to sell a brand is by letting the customers do the selling. Testimonials and reviews are right at the top of marketing brand strategy. This is the first place to start looking for clues into a company’s culture.

SELF-REFLECTION

Everyone has a personal story and our stories change over time. It’s important to note here that we are not our story. Don’t mistake your personal story for your identity. You have the choice to tell the story about yourself that you want. Storytelling has been a method for human connection for thousands of years. It is said that over 60% of our daily conversations are made up of stories. Don’t be overwhelmed about finding your story – simply telling a friend at work about your crazy weekend is a story. The important thing to remember is that you are not setting out to write a novel. You are looking for a way to use what you stand for and what is important to you as a means to highlight your character. In business, we call it our pitch. The carefully crafted story that introduces who we are and why that’s unique. A common leading question in an interview is – tell me a little about yourself ? There is nothing worse than being put on the spot to talk about youself – most people choke and find it super embarrassing. My own personal pitch goes something like this: I’m Simone Rennocks, CEO of My Skills Australia. We are a registered training organisation, proudly disrupting the way skills are taught to employers and their staff in the workplace. I believe that with change comes opportunity. That anyone, regardless of their age, gender, background or prior education, can learn to thrive. It’s a simple formula. 1. Who I am 2. What I do 3. Why it’s different

4. What I believe 5. What I stand for.

PERCEPTION Perception: the way in which something is regarded, understood or interpreted.

Have you ever wondered how other people see you? I was seen as painfully shy as a small girl, so shy that I burst into tears in public when a group of strangers sang me happy birthday! And we all have that friend full of selfconfidence, who genuinely does not care. But the truth is a healthy balance somewhere in the middle. When I was growing up, my mum used to say, ‘It’s not what you say, but how you say it.’ Wise words. Understanding how you come across to others is important, because it allows you to take your power back and be in control of how you are perceived. Failing to take into account others’ perceptions of you may well impact your chances of reaching your goals. You could fail at an interview. Receive a poor performance review. Not be accepted as part of the team. All because your self-perception is different to the perception others have of you. Written communication is the main way we connect with prospective employers. It may be by email, a Seek application or resume. Some businesses conduct their entire hiring process online. But communication is so much more than just written words and not all of us are good at finding the right words. The problem with written communication is that the reader cannot see your body language, voice inflection and facial expressions, which can all change the message greatly. This is where online communication has both a positive and a negative effect. What kind of unconscious messages are you portraying about yourself online? Is the online person you are perceived to be by outside audiences, the same person your friends, family and colleagues see you as? Most of all, is that how you perceive yourself ? When people introduce you, what words do they use? Do different people use the same words to describe you? People might say things like, ‘This girl

has such great energy, I know you’ll love her,’ or ‘This guy just cracks me up!’ or even ‘I love your dress, I saw you outside earlier.’ Start to notice what people say about you in social settings. Another option for the brave is to ask for feedback. Get feedback from a variety of people you trust who have different relationships with you – friends, family, colleagues, managers, employees, networking contacts, mentors, your coach. Ask them this question: When you think of me, how would you describe me?

SELF-AUDIT – WHO YOU ARE

Your abilities, education and professional experience form the core of your resume. However, the goal of your resume is to leave the recruiter feeling – yes, I must interview this candidate! This is your first impression and it must be impactful and stand out from the crowd. Your resume must be tailored to match the job you’re applying for and to sell yourself as the perfect candidate for the role. It needs to highlight the exact niche skills and show enough of your personality and passion in life to give the interviewer an insight into who you are and what strengths you can bring to their organisation. When an employer or recruiter places an ad, they have a specific person in mind for the role already. Far beyond the skills the candidate must hold, they will already have a clear vision of the company culture and personality type they are on the hunt for. For example, when we are hiring, we know for sure that the right fit will have a passion for helping people, mentoring experience (even sports coaching or team leading) and be a strong team player. For example, if you are an experienced truck driver for the past 10 years, you might be looking for a change of pace from your current role. It is easy to think, how can I possibly show my personality and niche skills when all the candidates will have a truck licence? Yes they will, but to stand out you must highlight your track record of being on time. If you have an exemplary driving history, put that information front and centre. Make sure you get a reference not just from previous managers but also from customers you have a long relationship with. Whenever we receive our weekly stationery and supply delivery to our office, our staff always take five minutes to have a chat with the driver, who is usually the same gentleman. Our staff always remark how super-friendly he is, that he always remembers their names and overall what great service he

gives. Never forget you can ask your customers at any time for a testimonial. Even when you are happy in your current job and not looking for new opportunities, you should always ask for feedback. Having a collection of customer testimonials will go a lot further for your skills building than just the truck licence itself. Understanding what people think about you is an essential part of the personal branding process. Feedback is the best mirror for understanding your reputation. Don’t fear the process. Information is power. Understand others’ perceptions, then make a plan to reinforce or evolve your brand so you can align with those who are making decisions about you. Hack: short cut time, not quality, to reach your goal. The way we connect with people has changed in so many ways during the past few years. In some ways for the better, some for the worse. Digital communication and personal branding aren’t skills taught in school but they should be. So now we have a plan and we’ve begun thinking and working on how others see us. The Career Hack, once learnt, can be used time and time again as you change and grow into different careers. Remember, the average person changes jobs around 17 times in their life. The good news is all you need to do right now is focus on your current career goal. Think about the job or career you want. Imagine yourself confidently in that role. Who do you work for? What is your boss like, and what are your colleagues like? What are you like? Now let’s reverse engineer that scenario… Task 1: Goal setting This doesn’t have to be a huge lifetime plan. Part of the Career Hack is to specifically target the job you want. If you already know what your next move is and have a specific job in mind, excellent. If not, let’s start small by answering a few quick questions:

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Do you prefer working indoors or outdoors?

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Do you like to be part of a team or work by yourself ?

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If a team is important to you, is it a small team or a large team?

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Do you like to work in a fast-paced busy environment or at a slower pace?

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Do you work best in quiet surroundings or with music playing loud to raise the vibe?

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Do you like to work with your hands, create or build things?

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Do you like to work with numbers?

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Do you enjoy direct contact with customers or are you more comfortable behind the scenes?

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Are you happy to comute or travel, or are you more of a stay-close-tohome person?

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Do you prefer to follow instructions or do you prefer to use your own initiative?

Hopefully these questions have helped you to define an industry you’d like to work in. Task 2: Online research Take a few days to research the leading companies in the industry that you’d ideally like to work for. Setting the bar isn’t the task at hand, it gives you a picture in your mind of what your career might look like. Check out their Insta, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and Google reviews. Note down what they post and talk about, what hashtags they use, whether they praise their staff. Getting the vibe and tone of a company’s culture plays a big role in the hack.

Google reviews are awesome, not just for researching bars, accomodation and cafes but to guage how a company handles complaints, praise and customer feedback. Look at the staff who comment or are connected to the company’s page. A good idea is to reach out with a simple message to ask what it’s like to work there. You write a simple message such as: Hi (insert name), I loved your comment on ABC Inc.’s facebook page. I saw that they are advertising on Seek and I am thinking of applying. Can you give me any advice? Thanks for your time. Never discount the benefits of reaching out or feel embarrassed to do so. If the employee truly loves their job, they’ll take any opportunity to praise the company. If they truly hate their job, they will not hesitate telling you all about it! Either way, their feedback is invaluable. Don’t stop at one staff member, ask the same question of different staff from various companies. One organisation may be great to work for, but the industry as a whole may not be in a great space. That is important to consider as well. This information-gathering stage can help you to blend your unique personal story with a job that fits you like a glove. Understanding the industry sector, you can tailor your brand to be a right fit and still stay true and authentic to who you are. Task 3: Creating your brand Make a vision board, mood board or journal – whichever works for you. Create a folder where you can start to add images, colours, work outfits, training courses or licences you need to do, buzz words you’ve noticed on your industry’s social media. Remember, the secret formula to the Career Hack is:

The perfect blend of personal branding and leveraging your story to sell yourself.

You don’t have to change yourself to fit in – instead find your unique angle to get a foot in the door. At first you may not see the connection, but slowly it will reveal itself. Start adding words and images that describe you to the board you have created. Add images that represent your hobbies, likes and friends. Start adding images of where you see yourself this time next year. Do you see any patterns or similarities emerging? Do you notice a few things you have in common with the industry or company you have researched? Task 4: Social media audit Now you have a better understanding of your career goal or next job, it is the perfect time to review your social media posts. By this, I don’t mean from the beginning of time, but it definitely wouldn’t hurt to remove any old post that will contradict the story you are telling about yourself. On the flip side, if you are more of the voyeur type or sneaky social media follower, it might be time to start posting a few images, hobbies or interests that fit with your company research. Example 1 – What to remove: You’d love to work with animals so a job at a local pet shop sounds perfect. But then you remember a comment you made on a friend’s post last year that you’re allergic to cats and hate the smell of dog poo. Silly I know, but not the best fit when part of your job is picking up poop daily! Example 2 – What to remove: You love working outdoors with your hands and a landscape garden job is what you are aiming for. This will mean you need to get to different sites and locations every day, but you just posted about your latest speeding fine or a rant (with pictures) of the stupid guy you

got into a car accident with. Not a good track record, right? Example 3 – What to post about: Your research revealed that your company is huge on teamwork and team events. You are the captain of your netball team so when you had a recent big win, you take a team selfie and post about how your team came together like pros. Or maybe you had a crushing loss and you take the time to do a shoutout to praise a team member for never losing heart. The way we connect with people has changed and digital communication is the best and potentially worst way to tell your personal story. Selling your personal brand is finding your unique, authentic style and aligning your values with a job or career that fits you. Becoming a master at digital communication through your words and images is the secret formula to the Career Hack.

PRIDE IN A JOB WELL DONE Enjoyment: Every single person I know who is successful at what they do is successful because they love doing it. Joe Penna, Mystery Guitar Man

Recently, my company has hosted Year 12 students who are completing a Certificate II in Business. These students come in for one week full-time to put what they have been learning into real-life practice. We recently had a number of amazing students, one who I have invited back during the school holidays for casual work. She was that good. I was so impressed by how perfectly she fitted into our team and the confidence she had to go above and beyond what was required of her. So I wrote a story post and placed it on LinkedIn. She got four full-time job offers from my one post. Finding a job can be hard. But I have the inside info on what bosses want. We hosted a 17-year-old for work placement. And now she’s killing it. Tahlia joined to get hands-on experience for her school study. From day one, I saw three traits I knew would make her successful: •

she’s smart

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she’s humble

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and she’s hungry.

I couldn’t ask for more. At 17 that’s unbelievable. That’s just the attitude I want on the team. While it’s easy to talk the talk – she really walks the walk. Already she’s

handling data like a pro and she learnt our growth hacking processes to help with client bookings. She does it all with a positive attitude and professional manner that plenty of older folks could learn from. At the end of her first week, I was more than happy to write her a glowing reference letter. If she keeps pushing and continuing to grow, who knows what she can do by the time she’s 20? Your age does not determine your success. Instead, it’s your •

drive

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attitude

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and devotion to growth that’ll make or break you.

STORYTELLING

With storytelling, you can design a highly engaging personal brand that carries a strong focus. Thankfully, there’s an easy way to create a compelling storyline to help sell yourself to employers and it begins with utilising a variety of delivery methods, including: •

visual storytelling – videos, images and reels

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content-based – everything else, such as articles, blog posts and so on.

It’s important to combine both storytelling methods into your personal brand so you’re able to catch the eye of a broader range of employers. Some people prefer to watch video; others absorb information better in text form. Here’s a quick overview of what you need to consider when designing your storytelling brand. Crafting content is a way to address desirable and must-have qualities that speak right to current job ads. Look at what qualities your industry is looking for and how best to connect with your target industry using language they best understand. Establishing a timeline: This is where you draft your story arc around your career journey. This story will tell your audience how you got from point A to B, why you created, gathered and improved the skills you have, and speak directly to the employers’ needs. It gives your story purpose and helps you stay aligned with your goals while remaining consistent with yourself. Laying the groundwork for a storytelling timeline is also important so that you’re able to personalise your brand to the industry needs. Your story needs to connect with your core audience and you do this by making it all about them. Rather than creating a generic storyline that simply highlights your brand, you need to embrace your audience by fostering a mindset that you understand what they need, desire and fear. And finally,

adaptation is important: one story doesn’t fit all marketing channels, so you need to make sure you create stories that align with the platforms you use. For creating a virtual resume and personal brand, you cannot go past LinkedIn. As mentioned earlier, LinkedIn is the most used social media platform for employers and employees looking to make a name for themselves in the workplace. While it is highly important to keep all of your social media consistent, your posts on Instagram to your friends isn’t the same as crafting a personal brand to attract employers’ attention. I know of a lot of young adults who prefer to keep their Instagram profile private. A very smart move. LinkedIn was designed to be a social media platform for your work life. It is the number one social channel for building your career, being headhunted and employer networking. Far fewer people will view your resume than will view your LinkedIn profile. Greater visibility on LinkedIn means it’s much more likely that a current or prospective employer will see your personal brand. It contains the following traditional resume sections: work experience, education, skills, accomplishments, volunteer experience, honours and awards. The same rules in developing a paper resume apply in completing these sections: •

watch your grammar and spelling

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always list your greatest strengths first

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show your accomplishments, awards, honours and significant projects you are involved in

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use relevant keywords.

Every word in your profile is keyword searchable. The search function allows employers and others to find people with certain types of experience, classifications and education. Unlike a paper resume, your LinkedIn profile provides a greater opportunity to tell your story and who you are. Every story has three main parts: the beginning, the middle and, of

course, the end. When using storytelling to further your outreach, your story needs to cover all the bases as explained below. Step 1: Setting the stage In the first part of your storytelling, you’re essentially laying the foundation for your story arc. You’re setting the scene. In other words, you’re acknowledging the problems that they need help with and clarifying your brand message to demonstrate you understand your market and what they’re struggling with. This is an important step because it will set the tone for your profile and help connect your brand with its industry struggles. For example, you see a number of employer posts regarding team culture. Being an active part of the team means showing up for colleagues and picking up the slack when required. You know that in Year 11 and 12, you had perfect attendance and can demonstrate a time when you stayed back and put in a load more hours than required to finish a group assessment task on time. And your group nailed it. Reflecting on this experience is the perfect way to speak directly to the employer’s pain, that is, not having a team willing to go the extra mile. Show prospective employers that you are reliable and happy to pitch in. Employers hate the attitude of ‘that’s not my job’! This mindset is the enemy of teamwork. So already you have runs on the board. Step 2: Providing a solution In the second part of your storytelling, you’re offering your audience a solution to the problems outlined in step one. You’re connecting with your industry by being personal, engaging them directly with your content, and demonstrating to them that you understand what they need and that you can give it to them. Step 3: Call to action

At the end of every great romance book, the hero and heroine ride off into the sunset, finally at the point of finding their happily ever after. In brand-based storytelling, you’re prompting employers to follow your brand so they can achieve that same happily ever after, by having you on their team. By combining industry keywords that employers can search LinkedIn by, you can attract employers that are a good fit with you and, best of all, be headhunted by them.

EFFECTIVE STORYTELLING HACKS

I call these storytelling hacks because they’re fast and easy ways to ensure you are hitting the hot buttons and fulfilling your goals by creating an irresistible story that will resonate with your industry. Tip 1: Listen to your audience Once you’ve kicked off your storytelling profile, you need to start listening. This is when you gauge responses and can keep a pulse on how your audience feels about your story. Listening to responses helps you tweak your storyline so that it better aligns with what your market is looking for, so it’s important that you stay on top of each phase of your storytelling and leave room for adjustments and growth. Tip 2: Be memorable This goes without saying, but there are easy ways to ensure your story is share-worthy. You want to get as many people talking about your story as possible, which means you want to research and understand audience triggers and overall motivations. Knowing your industry will make it easier for your stories to stick. Tip 3: Be personal Getting personal in your storytelling profile will make it easier for you to connect with your industry but it will also ensure you are approachable, come across as genuine and are deeply involved. Tip 4: Be relatable I just mentioned the importance of personalising your profile, but you want to

take things a step further by ensuring you are relatable. Being relatable shows them that you’ve done the job of researching the industry to know what is most important to them, but more importantly, it demonstrates that you’ve worked hard to create a personal brand that’s tailored to their needs. Remember, the secret formula to the Career Hack is:

The perfect blend of personal branding and leveraging your story to sell yourself.

RELATIONSHIP – ALIGNING OUR PERSONAL VALUES WITH OUR WORK IS A PRIVILEGE

Networking is vital to a successful career. The workplace is not a solo sport. A key component to the Career Hack is finding your tribe. I don’t mean work buddies, I mean finding your niche within your industry so you can craft yourself as the go-to person. In the training industry, we work with three main cohorts of students: •

school leavers

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job-seekers

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mid-life career changers.

My own personal mission is to promote learners who can learn, find productive work, make wise decisions and actively engage in their communities. And as a parent, I naturally gravitate to specialise in helping school leavers and young adults. Youth advocacy and employment is my niche. I dedicate much of my content on LinkedIn and in my working life to promoting this mission. As a result, I network and partner with other likeminded organisations and groups with a similar goal. I attend careers fairs, I speak with school career advisors and I have a focused presence in this niche. The Career Hack includes understanding what you are passionate about and using this message to build your brand. You’ve likely heard about influencer marketing, but may not really know what it’s all about and how it relates to the Career Hack. The great thing about the influencer marketing concept is that you don’t need a large following or any previous experience in advertising. It comes down to the relationships you build within your industry. If people trust your personal brand it is easier to attract employers to your profile. The Career Hack

includes a few subtle hints about how the top influencers secure profitable partnerships and how they set themselves up for ongoing success. Look at a workplace influencer as that top team member who everyone wants to work with. If you’re unsure what niche within your industry is the best one for you, consider your own personal experiences and skills. What are you knowledgeable about? What skills do you possess that your industry is searching for? Drawing from existing skills is the easiest way to find a niche that you’ll be able to move in quickly with little, if any, learning involved. It’s also a great idea to choose a niche that you’re passionate about. If you know a lot about a specific topic in your industry, chances are people will be interested in learning from you and hearing your own personal stories. If you’re personally interested in a specific subject matter, it’ll also come across in your content and people will return to you again and again because your message will resonate with them. I like to write posts and blogs on social media on the latest in-demand skills employers are searching for – this is my niche. So, choose a niche that you want to be known as the go-to person for. Your entire brand will focus around this niche so you’ll want to choose carefully. Once you’ve determined what niche market you’re interested in, you’ll want to survey the competition. Analyse the top blogs in that area so you can identify key topics and gauge what people are most interested in, as well as what they’re struggling with. This will help you determine a unique angle for your own brand, so that you’re able to connect with a larger audience of employers who are looking for specific skill sets. Then, take it to social media. Follow the top influencers in your industry on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. Look at what they’re doing, what kind of topics they’re covering, as well as the type of responses they’re receiving from their existing audience. Write everything down! Market research is an integral part of the Career Hack. You need to know who your industry looks up to, to learn from the best.

Becoming an influencer in a niche isn’t that difficult to do. It all begins by defining your personal brand, choosing an area of your industry that you love and know about and then building a foundation that allows you to connect and engage with employers. Bringing something new to the table is important to stand out from other potential candidates, and the easiest way to do that is to choose a topic and then create as many different channels around that area while offering something fresh. For example, if you discover that most YouTubers in your industry are creating formal videos that take a serious approach, consider creating a channel that offers candid conversations and off-beat interviews and content. Tell personal stories, share your experiences and don’t be afraid to open up to your audience. People can relate to that because it shows them that you once dealt with the same issues and struggles that they are now facing, and that you know how to overcome them. Taking a personal approach also makes you more approachable. Put your own spin on common topics! Your own personal stories are uniquely yours, so while you’re covering subject matter that’s been done many times before, you’re still able to create a strong brand with a clear message that will resonate with employers. The Career Hack includes offering a unique viewpoint within your niche to build a stand-out personal brand that captures attention. As an employee, you are demonstrating your creativity and innovative thinking. Begin by creating a priority list. This would include the top tasks you need to complete in order to establish influence in your industry and grow a following: •

Create a blog and publish 5 to 10 posts to boost exposure and give people enough content to encourage them to return.

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Grow a YouTube channel – publish one video every week on the same day to create a consistent schedule that subscribers will come to rely on.

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Hashtags will become part of your brand and will help you connect with your key audience. If you’re not sure what hashtags to use, spend some time researching what existing influencers in your industry are actively using.

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Create a content calendar. Staying consistent is key to becoming a successful influencer. People need to know what to expect from you, and will come to rely on you for regular updates. Creating a content calendar is also the easiest way to stay focused and on track, but it also helps you generate fresh ideas for new topics, while keeping a pulse on what you’ve already created. Regardless of how you plan to publish your content, or the format you’re intending to offer, a content calendar is the way to go.

When it comes to what kind of content you should be creating for your industry, analyse what people want most and then give that to them. Your overall brand needs to look and feel polished and professional. This includes everything from the profile picture or images you use, to the social media headers on your profile. It’ll take time for you to grow a following and connect with your tribe. The key is to stay consistent and do your best to always engage and communicate with your industry. Provide as much value as possible so that potential employers see your commitment. The sooner you can get on their radar the better, and there’s no better way than by creating content that gets people talking. Focus on community first. Consider joining industry forums and groups online. These will help to establish yourself, as well as the passion you bring. Networking is a team sport. A key component of the Career Hack is finding your tribe, so craft yourself as the go-to person.

SIDE HUSTLES AND VOLUNTEERING I’m way too fine to be this stressed yeah Lizzo

Not everyone can pull off the confidence in themselves that others just seem to ooze naturally. Imposter syndrome is real! I am an introverted-extrovert. An oxymoron? Well, yes. But it’s true. While I may not always be as confident in myself as I’d like to be, the one thing I am confident about is the skills I have learnt throughout my career. My final tip for the Career Hack is to take every opportunity to learn as much as you can, about… as much as you can. Be extra. Make yourself ireplaceable. Side hustles and side projects are the perfect way, not just to make extra money, but to showcase your skills. Raise your hand, volunteer, donate your time or skills to projects you are passionate about. This doesn’t need to be specific to your industry.

Community engagement and having a social conscience isn’t exclusive to Gen Z. I love seeing volunteer work and community projects listed on resumes. In fact, I have hired staff based on their social conscience alone. This is a common scenario I see when I’m conducting interviews for a new trainer: Candidate 1: Over five years experience as a trainer/assessor. Worked with ABC RTO. During the interview, they come across as jaded about their recent employer and over-confident in knowing better. Well, that may be true! But if all they talk about is their last bad experience and all the things wrong with most RTOs, they’ve just wasted a valuable opportunity to show me the passion they have.

Candidate 2: No formal experience as a trainer/assessor but was a team leader in their last role and taught staff on the job. They are enthused about teaching others. On weekends they coach an under-12 soccer team and love volunteering with the club as much as possible.

Hello, candidate 2! You’re hired. The workplace is a team sport. Everyone’s roles are interconnected. Stand out for the right reasons. Don’t leave a question in an employer’s mind as to whether you’ll fit into the company culture or not. Employers love to see candidates who are creative and innovative. So, begin by exploring different side hustles and volunteer opportunities near you. This could be: •

creating video tutorials. People are always looking for how-to videos that show them how to complete a task or simply to learn something new. This makes video tutorials extremely profitable and with platforms like Vimeo and YouTube, it’s easy to build a channel and generate quality traffic quickly.

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offering online training. Similar to creating video tutorials based on your knowledge and skills, you can take things a step further by creating online tutorials. Maybe you’re great at photography, surfing or knitting – whatever it is that you are personally good at, use that to show your innovation.

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designing websites. All of these things are valuable skills that others would pay good money to learn. This is one of the most profitable side hustles and one of the more sought-after skills that an employer will love.

Just as the workplace is a team sport, so is your local community. Most local communities will have services or groups available you can join or network with. People who are connected with community groups, such as the RFS Volunteers, youth groups and even churches, say they feel more confident and prepared for job-hunting and the interview process due to the

support these local groups provide. The availability of secure and meaningful employment opportunities in a range of industries is crucial in ensuring longterm positive outcomes for all of us. Being an active member of a community group or a sporting club supports your confidence and builds transferable skills that you can use in your career. Likewise, parents who may have stopped work to have children and feel that their skills aren’t up to date when they want to return to work do have a variety of skills to bring to the workforce. Often these parents have volunteered in their school and kinder communities – running meetings, acting as treasurer, liaising between school boards, teachers and parents. A few stay-at-home parents I know have even started small home business, that while can’t make enough money to support the family, have given them a whole range of new skills to bring back into the workforce. Volunteering is essential to compensate for the fact that a the pandemic disrupted thousands of school leavers who suffered an absence of shadowing, apprenticeships and learning by observation. Team members have identified how much professional development and learning is gained from observation, shadowing and informal encounters with colleagues. The pandemic has been particularly challenging for young adults who rely heavily on this type of learning. Many young people have had frustrating experiences trying to highlight the skills they have which are relevant to finding work. I came to Australia, and I wanted to find a job. I had never applied for any jobs before, so I went to the store near my home, and they said, ‘Okay, bring in your resume.’ I went home and I wrote in reasonable handwriting, then I went to the shop, and I gave it to the shop owner, and he said, ‘I will call you back.’ He never called me back. Now I realise that the reason was because there was not much for me to write, I don’t have experience. In my experience careers advisors do not tell you how to apply

for a job until you’re older and you already have a job or have needed a job. By joining and actively taking part in community activities, you are getting your first taste of the diversity of working life. This includes different people with different working styles, levels of experience and personalities. I’m in Liverpool, and for a lot of young people there are a lot of job agencies around us, I think that is really good. My job provider understands what I want to be doing in terms of a job, which makes it easier to have discussions with her about what I do want to apply for and what I don’t want to apply for, so I think that’s a really good thing to have as a young person. Side hustles are the perfect way to highlight your employability skills when you don’t have any work experience. Skills that a side hustle demonstrate can include: •

self-belief

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self-control

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perseverance

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resilience

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curiosity

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empathy

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creativity

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craftsmanship.

You may remember from my discussion with Kelly from Hoban Recruitment during our Skills Summit, attitude and character are top priorities for employers. Volunteering and side hustles give the perfect

opportunity to add character to your personal brand. Character, like employability, has many meanings. Currently the idea of character is also being explored in terms of phrases and words such as ‘non-cognitive skills’, ‘soft skills’, ‘21st-century skills’ and, more specifically, ‘resilience’. Many community groups, such as sporting clubs, Scouts and Guides, are committed to helping ensure that more young people develop a set of character traits, attributes and behaviours that underpin success in education and work. These qualities include: •

perseverance, resilience and grit

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confidence and optimism

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motivation, drive and ambition

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neighbourliness and community spirit

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tolerance and respect

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honesty, integrity and dignity

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conscientiousness, curiosity and focus.

A common complaint from employers is that employees entering the workforce are not job-ready. They lack the practical skills, maturity and life experience to do their job well. Research into the contribution volunteering can make to transitioning into paid employment has shown that new employees with previous volunteer experience with groups such as the SES, St Johns Ambulance or the RFS, demonstrate higher levels of an appreciation of the role of teamwork and sense of company culture. In other words, they assimilate into the workplace faster and more successfully. People living with a disability Many people express concern about the additional barriers faced by people with disabilities, both in securing and maintaining employment. Difficulties include knowing how to find suitable roles that they could undertake with

their disability as well as finding employers who have the capacity to support them once in employment. If you have a disability, volunteering is a great way to gain skills while in a supportive environment and while doing an activity that you enjoy. I’m pretty concerned about the people with disabilities, because they might not know how to write a resume, and to just build up the courage to go and give their resume to a workplace and ask for employment. I don’t really see [many people] supporting that. The workplace itself matters a lot, because someone with anxiety and autism, like me, wouldn’t really cope in a fast-food restaurant or a fast retail place because it would just be too overwhelming. But I’ve noticed that’s where most of the jobs for young people are. Corporate and social responsibility Employers have become more conscious over the past five years that while we want all the basics covered, we expect more than just a paycheck from our jobs. The pandemic taught us about the power of being connected – this has led to a desire to find meaningful work as a strong motivator for many employees who want to work for an organisation with a powerful social conscience. We live in the most technologically connected age yet loneliness is a growing issue. These feelings of isolation affect a person’s ability to perform at work and are correlated with lower creativity and impaired decision-making. For most people, work is an important opportunity to interact with others and to feel part of a community, creating a sense of connection and belonging. Leaders now are becoming conscious of their responsibility for the wellbeing and mental health of employees. Close work relationships boost employee satisfaction by 50%, and people with a best friend at work are seven times as likely as others to engage fully in their work. A long-running Harvard University study has found that close social relationships are more important than money in promoting happiness. Community groups play a vital role in supplementing this sense of connection.

Community involvement and volunteering plays a part in designing a life that matters and bringing meaning to individual purpose as well as giving us the freedom to live our life the way that we want to. The Career Hack encourages you to search out employers who want to do good in the world. The meaning you find through any community activities must be highlighted as part of your personal brand story. The Career Hack gives you the ability to align your personal values with a company’s culture and become a co-creator of social responsibility.

Part 3

CO-CREATING SOMETHING MEANINGFUL

FEEDING YOUR PURPOSE

The Career Hack allows you to align your personal values and passions to find meaningful work. The beauty of the Career Hack is that it is designed to support change. It will flow and bend with you as you and your career change and grow. It’s an ecosystem, a living model that will help you to thrive on change. The Career Hack helps you to find sustainable productive work that has a social responsibility and feeds your purpose. In 2015, world leaders agreed to 17 Global Goals. These goals have the power to create a better world by 2030, by ending poverty, fighting inequality and addressing the urgency of climate change. My own mission is to promote learners who can learn, find productive work, make wise decisions and actively engage in their communities. My mission for myself and my company is designed to support Global Goal No. 8 – Decent work and economic growth for all. I recommend you spend some time reading more about the Global Goals here before finishing this chapter – https://www.globalgoals.org/ The Career Hack asks four things of your career: 1. Always endeavour to have a positive effect on others. 2. Have a mindset to contribute. 3. Refrain from causing negativity in this environment, e.g. by throwing litter on the ground or by gossiping. 4. Ensure social and economic activities will have a positive or neutral impact on the environment. Discover your own Personal Social Responsibility (PSR) vision by spending some time answering the following questions. These will help you

to develop your own understanding of PSR and ultimately find what your contribution to society might be. FINDING YOUR PERSONAL SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (PSR) VISION 1. How will the world be a better place because you have lived?

2. Which of the Global Goals calls to you? Why?

3. If you only had six months to live, how would you spend some of that time making a difference in the world?

4. If you ran a for-profit company, how would you make a socially conscious difference in the community?

5. What positive lessons can you learn from businesses that you think have a social conscience? What do you really like about the ethics of those businesses whose ethics you admire?

6. What legacy do you want your career to create for the children of tomorrow: socially, ethically and environmentally?

QUESTIONS TO BUILD YOUR PERSONAL BRAND STORY What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever done? What did doing the hard thing teach you about yourself ? How have you used that learning to make hard decisions?

Who are the two people who have had the biggest impact on your life? What did you learn from them? What events in your life show how you have applied the lessons you learned from those mentors?

What was your first job and what valuable lessons did you learn there? Describe the incidents that reveal some of the challenges and insights you gained from doing this work.

What’s your proudest memory? Why? Record that story in as much detail as you can remember.

How would you like to be remembered? What event from your life so far best illustrates that you are the person you want to be remembered as? Record that story.

Your purpose is your Why. It’s what drives your actions today, tomorrow and into the future. When we understand our purpose it brings great energy and motivation. Not only for ourselves but a purpose can attract other people who believe in your mission. Describing your purpose is an essential part of your personal brand.

GUIDING QUESTIONS TO DEFINE YOUR PURPOSE If you could achieve only one thing in the next year, what would that be?

Why is this goal important to you?

What change are you trying to create?

VISION – YOUR ASPIRATION FOR THE FUTURE

To begin with the end in mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination. It means to know where you’re going so that you better understand where you are now and so that the steps you take are always in the right direction. Stephen Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Without a purpose, we don’t know why we’re on the journey. But without a vision, we don’t know the destination. Your vision is your aspiration for the future – the contribution you or your work will make. Your brand’s story has the power to be a map and a magnet, and your vision keeps you on track, enabling you to find your tribe of like-minded people who want to create the future with you. A great way to describe your vision is to state what you hope to be true in the future. GUIDING QUESTIONS TO DEFINE YOUR VISION What will be different in the world if this vision is realised?

What change happens in the future because of your work?

How are lives changed for the better?

What will your legacy be?

CRAFTING YOUR PERSONAL BRAND STORY

My own personal brand story goes something like this: I’m Simone Rennocks, CEO of My Skills Australia. We are a registered training organisation, proudly disrupting the way skills are taught to employers and their staff in the workplace. I believe that with change comes opportunity. That anyone, regardless of their age, gender, background or prior education, can learn to thrive. It’s a simple formula. 1. Who I am 2. What I do 3. Why it’s different 4. What I believe 5. What I stand for. Here’s another example: I’m Olivia, I’m a student currently studying Public Relations at Western Sydney University. I want to major in communications so I can help female artists find their voice in society. I believe that no-one has equal rights, until we all do. I believe that I can make a difference so that young artists, female and male, can express themselves and find a sustainable living through performing. Now it’s your turn.

ONLINE RESEARCH

I recommend taking a look on the website Seek.com.au. Do a search for the job you want to apply for. Here is a sample ad for a personal assistant role. Personal Assistant If you are looking to make a difference and up for an exciting challenge, apply now! My Skills Australia is a brand in a period of high growth. We have recently expanded into the global education market and are soon to launch our International Student Campuses. We are a company going places with plenty of advancement opportunities. Our social venture, the ‘Better Future Project’, has unlimited possibilities for social research, change-making and unique program design. We are skills and community-focused, with leading Edtech access. Our Managing Director is looking for a personal assistant with a strong social conscience. Must haves: •

creative critical thinking skills

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an accountability mindset – ideas are great but execution is better

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solutions-oriented – you need to be proactive

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eye for detail

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social media and PR skills.

Team benefits:

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flexible hours

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hybrid working

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Wellness Wednesdays

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professional development

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team building and charity work

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networking events.

About the role: •

full time

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Kings Park Head Office

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possibility to complete a Traineeship in Diploma of Marketing and Communications

About the tasks: •

general admin tasks

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email management

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podcast management (upload episodes and show notes to website)

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guests interview scheduling

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PR product launches (social media and live events)

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social media management

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simple research for social venture projects

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blog management

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personal support tasks to MD.

The big takeaways I see from this ad is that the brand is very socially responsible and the perfect candidate is going to be someone with a strong personal brand story that aligns.

CREATE YOUR LINKEDIN PROFILE

The following information lists 14 ways to boost your personal brand using LinkedIn. 1. Optimise your profile for search LinkedIn is just as much of a search engine as it is a social media platform, so the words you choose matter immensely. What keywords do you want to be found when potential clients or employers search LinkedIn? Determine those keywords and use them in your headline, job title, summary and job descriptions. Choosing the right words makes the difference between your profile being found or being invisible. 2. Approach LinkedIn like a living resume Your LinkedIn profile is not something you can set and forget. Update your profile whenever you make a career move, speak at a conference, publish a new article, take a new course and so on. Think of LinkedIn as your living resume. 3. Use your description to sell yourself Take the time to really sell yourself in your description. Get specific: make sure to include any facts and figures. For example, you can state that you increased site traffic by 10% – that will be much more compelling than simply calling yourself an SEO expert. Highlight your greatest accomplishments that will be relevant to the clients and/or jobs you want to attract. Avoid jargon at all costs. Your profile description functions just like a cover letter – keep it concise and clear, and don’t shy away from selling how

great you are. 4. Reconsider your profile photo You’d be surprised at some of the profile photos that make their way onto LinkedIn. Here are the things to keep in mind when selecting your profile photo: •

Use a photo of your workspace – For a simple, professional-looking banner, use a picture of your desk, home office setup, or office space at work. If you’re proud of the way you’ve organised your workspace, why not show it to the world?

•

Use a photo of your tools of trade – An easy way to suggest to others that you’re dedicated to your trade and know what you’re doing is featuring the tools you use in your everyday work in your cover photo. This should be something that people associate with your field. For example:

•

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a camera or lenses if you’re a photographer

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a typewriter, writing pad, or laptop if you’re a writer

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a computer with code on the screen if you’re a programmer

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a healthy meal if you’re a nutritionist

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some dumbbells and a water bottle if you’re a personal trainer

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a microphone or headphones if you’re a podcast producer

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a blueprint or a plan if you’re an architect.

Use a personal photo that shows your hobbies and interests –

People like to know there’s a real person behind your LinkedIn profile. Give them a hint of who you are by featuring one of your hobbies and interests in your background photo. LinkedIn also allows you to add a banner image to your profile. It’s a great way to stand out and add an extra element to your profile. 5. Customise your LinkedIn profile’s URL Take the time to customise your LinkedIn profile’s URL. Ideally, you’ll be able to change it to your name. If, however, the name is already taken, consider adding your middle name or using your profession. For example, if /John-Smith was taken, try things like: /John-M-Smith /John-Smith-SEO If at all possible, use dashes in these URLs, as seen above. Why? Google reads dashes as spaces, and, accordingly, recommends their use over underscores. Keep in mind that you can only change your URL once every 30 days, so make sure you are 100% committed to the URL you’re about to submit since you’ll be stuck with it for at least a month! 6. Write articles for LinkedIn Consider publishing articles directly to LinkedIn. You might wonder why you’d post an article to LinkedIn rather than your own blog, and that’s a fair question. The advantage of posting on LinkedIn is that when you hit publish, all your connections will be notified and it will show up in their feed. There’s an opportunity to increase your chances of your LinkedIn audience reading it. You can, of course, always publish an excerpt of an article already on your blog or site, and direct your LinkedIn audience to read the rest on your

site. Or, you can syndicate content from your blog and repost it to LinkedIn. You can also, of course, create content that’s exclusive to LinkedIn. For example, there might be a piece you want to write on an entrepreneurial subject that would resonate with your LinkedIn connections that won’t necessarily make sense on your business blog. 7. Choose your skills strategically Every LinkedIn profile can list up to 50 skills. You should choose relevant skills to fill all 50 slots, and furthermore, you should think strategically about which skills to include. Fifty might seem like a lot, but once you start adding skills you’ll find it’s actually not that many (especially considering skills can include things as generic as ‘writing’ and ‘editing’). The 50 skills you choose should align with the skills that potential employers or clients will look for. Not sure what those skills are? Look at jobs you want and see the desired skills listed. If you have them, make sure to include them (and if not, start working on them so you can include them down the road!). 8. Set your profile to public You want your profile to be public, no matter what you’re using LinkedIn for. Why would you alienate future employers, colleagues and customers from seeing your work? The only reason you might choose to keep your profile private is if you want to check out other people’s profiles without them knowing it (we all have our reasons). But, in that case, you can log out of your account before viewing a profile, and they’ll never know. Now, you have no reason not to go ahead and make your LinkedIn profile public! 9. Participate in groups Don’t underestimate the power of participating in LinkedIn groups. Joining

groups is a fantastic way to find other professionals whose interests align with yours. Down the line, those connections can lead to opportunities and contracts. Find groups relevant to your industry and not only join them, but participate in them. Comment, start threads, pose questions, offer advice – strive to be a useful, active member of a few key groups, rather than a silent lurker in many. 10. Accept all connection requests There’s literally no reason not to accept a connection request, whether you know the person or not. Given that your profile is a professional, publicfacing component of your personal brand, you should welcome any and all connection requests. Growing your connections will only lead to a wider network and more opportunities. Plus, you’ll show up more. Every time you accept a request, you’re now going to be part of that connection’s network, and accordingly, you’ll show up as a second-degree connection in their network. Obviously, there’s one exception to this rule: if someone is harassing you online, you shouldn’t accept their LinkedIn request. Other than that, however, accept requests – they’re a good thing! 11. Engage meaningfully LinkedIn shouldn’t just be a platform for your own posts. Set aside time to go through your LinkedIn feed and find opportunities to share, like and comment. This is key to building relationships over time. If, for example, there’s someone you’d really like to work with in the future or a client you’d like to land, make a point to engage with their content on LinkedIn. That way, if you ever are in a position to partner with them or pitch to them, they have a background with you – you won’t be just another connection but someone they actually interacted with. 12. Personalise invitations to connect

Taking the time to write a personal note along with an invitation to connect will boost your chance of acceptance and also open the door for further communication down the line. Write a brief message (even a paragraph is fine!) and mention how you met, why you want to connect or something you admire about their business. 13. Don’t be afraid to ask for recommendations Don’t wait for recommendations to float your way – be proactive and go after them! Reach out to your connections with a request for a recommendation! Good places to start include your colleagues (past and present) or over-themoon clients who you can count on to share good work. Be sure to include a personal note, politely requesting a recommendation on LinkedIn. It helps to share why you want the recommendation as well. For example, you’re looking to boost your online reputation, you’re applying for new jobs, you’re looking for good references for clients. Once they give you a recommendation, always take the time to thank them and write a recommendation for them in return. 14. Keep your content positive and helpful LinkedIn is your professional calling card – don’t comment, share or publish anything that you wouldn’t say to a client or employer. Keep your posts and comments positive, thoughtful and encouraging, and always treat LinkedIn like a professional workspace, rather than a personal social media profile.

SKILLS ASSESSMENTS

Critical thinking is the process of considering information on its merits, and reaching an analysis or conclusion from that information that can be defended and rationalised with evidence. You are likely to be someone with good critical thinking skills if you can: •

build winning arguments

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pick holes in someone’s theory if it’s inconsistent with known facts

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reflect on the biases inherent in your own experiences and assumptions

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look at problems using a systematic methodology.

A critical thinking test assesses your ability to use a range of logical skills to evaluate given information and make a judgement. The test is presented in such a way that candidates are expected to quickly scrutinise the evidence presented and decide on the strength of the arguments. Critical thinking tests show potential employers that you do not just accept data and can avoid subconscious bias and opinions – instead, you can find logical connections between ideas and find alternative interpretations. Five examples of critical thinking practice questions with answers 1. Inference In this section, you need to deduce whether the inferred statement is true, false or impossible to deduce. Statement

The Australian Government has published data that shows 81% of people under the age of 35 are not homeowners. A charity that helps homeless people has published data that shows 43% of people that are considered homeless are under 25. Inference The lack of affordable housing on the sales market is the reason so many under-25s are homeless. Which statement is correct? •

definitely true

•

probably true

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impossible to deduce

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probably false

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definitely false.

Answer The information given does not infer the conclusion given, so it is impossible to deduce if the inference is correct – there is not enough information to judge the inference as correct. 2. Assumptions Statement The removal of the five-substitution rule in soccer will benefit clubs with a smaller reserve team. Assumption

Clubs with more money would prefer the five-substitute rule to continue. Which statement is correct? •

assumption made

•

assumption not made

Answer Assumption not made. This is an example of a fallacy that could cause confusion for a candidate – it encourages you to bring in any pre-existing knowledge of soccer. It would be easy to assume the assumption has been made when you consider that the more money a club has, the more players they should have on the roster. However, the statement does not make the assumption that the clubs with more money would prefer to continue with the five-substitute rule. 3. Deduction Statement Which statement is correct? All boys love footy. Footy is a sport, therefore: •

all boys love all sports

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girls do not love football

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boys are more likely to choose to play football than any other sport.

Answer In this section we are looking for the conclusion that follows the logic of the statement. In this example, we cannot deduce that girls do not love football,

because there is not enough information to support that. In the same way the conclusion that all boys love all sports does not follow – we are not given enough information to make that assumption. So, the conclusion that follows is the final statment – boys are more likely to choose football than any other sport because all boys like football. 4. Interpretation Statement The Powerhouse Museum has a range of artefacts on display, including the largest privately owned collection of WWII weaponry. Conclusion There is a larger privately owned collection of WWII weaponry in Australia. Which statement is correct? •

conclusion follows

•

conclusion does not follow.

Answer Conclusion does not follow. The fact that the collection is in the Powerhouse Museum does not make a difference to the fact it is the largest private collection – so there cannot be a larger collection elsewhere. 5. Evaluation of Arguments Statement The Department for Education should lower standards in examinations to make it fairer for less able students.

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yes – top grades are too hard for lower-income students

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no – less fortunate students are not capable of higher standards

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yes – making the standards lower will benefit all students

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no – private school students will suffer if grade standards are lower.

Which statement is correct? Answer The strongest argument is the right answer, not the one that you might personally believe. In this case, we need to assess which argument is most relevant to the statement. Both 1 and 4 refer to students in particular situations, which isn’t relevant to the statement. The same can be said about 2, so the strongest argument is 3, since it is relevant and addresses the statement given.

COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS ASSESSMENT

Choose one of the following five options to fill in the statements below. 1. Never 2. Not often 3. Sometimes 4. Often 5. Always 1. When someone makes me angry I deal with them while still angry. _______ 2. I become impatient with people who do not express their thoughts and opinions clearly. _________ 3. I can get to the solution of the problem without regard to underlying interests or motivations. __________ 4. When I’m negotiating with someone I view them as an opponent. _______ 5. I believe the words I choose in communication with another person convey most of my message. _______ 6. When I listen carefully to what someone is saying to me I can predict what their conclusion will be. _______ 7. When I’m not sure about what someone is saying to me, rather than ask questions, I’ll wait to learn more. _______ 8. When someone gives me instructions and asks, ‘Do you understand?’ I say, ‘Yes,’ even if I’m not entirely sure. _______

9. Effective communication can be achieved simply by taking turns talking. ____ 10. When I’m locked in an argument with someone I view them as an opponent, and I think in terms of win/lose. _______ For questions 1-10, add all scores and divide by 10 for the average total score. __________ 1. Never 2. Not often 3. Sometimes 4. Often 5. Always 11. When I initiate a discussion of something important to me and want to be sure it makes an impact, I invite the other person to explain their viewpoint before I present mine. _______ 12. I ask for more information about why a particular demand is being made to explore underlying interests and ask why a position is important. _______ 13. I listen fully and affirm that I understand what the other person has said as a sign of respect to the speaker. _______ 14. When I ask questions for clarification, they tend to be open-ended and cannot be answered with a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ response. _______ 15. The best way to get the listening I need is to make the other person feel listened to first. _________ 16. In negotiations I try to direct the focus away from stated positions and explore interests and common solutions. _______ 17. I practise direct communication by using ‘I’ statements, such as, ‘I

think…,’ ‘I feel…,’ ‘I need….’ _______ 18. I look past a person’s opinion of what solution is necessary to solve the problem to get to their needs and underlying interests. _______ 19. When someone says something I’m not sure about I ask for clarification. _____ 20. I restate the essence of the speaker’s message in my own words as a way of checking the accuracy of what has been heard. _______ For questions 11–20, add all scores and divide by 10 for an average total score. _______ Questions 1-10 Evaluation

Questions 11-20 Evaluation

1–2.5 – effective communication skills

1–2.5 – very poor communication

2.6–3.5 – needs improvement

2.6–3.8 – satisfactory

3.6–5 – destructive communication habits

3.9–5 – effective communication

WHAT IS A COVER LETTER?

A cover letter is your big chance to show off your personality and uniqueness to your employer and the perfect place to start with your personal branding short story. Your resume shows your experience, sure, but your cover letter explains who you are as a person and why you’re a great fit for the company. It allows you to demonstrate an understanding of the company’s brand and how hiring you will add value to the organisation’s purpose. So how do you write a good cover letter? Even though you’re talking about yourself, it’s still important for your language to be formal. Don’t use abreviations or slang and stick to only information that serves your personal brand in a positive way. You should still have energy and be yourself – but make sure you proofread it aloud and check for spelling mistakes before hitting send. Go back over the job ad and highlight keywords. These are the main points you need to address in your letter with examples of how you demonstrate them. Use their exact words or requirements where you can. If they ask for someone who’s tech-savvy, tell them about all the devices you’re proficient at. Try to answer everything with a bit of experience or a part of your personality. This is your chance to tell them that you’re the perfect fit for their brand, ethics and purpose. This is your chance to explain exactly how you’d add value to their brand. Don’t just say that you’re a ‘team player’, show an example of a time when you used that skill! For instance: you love working on group assignments at school, you play on a sports team on the weekends, you help out volunteering at a vet clinic one day a week. Short anecdotes of a sentence or two can really help your employers see who you are and how you work. Address the letter to the hiring manager. Make sure you spell their name correctly. If you can’t find their name, use the title ‘Dear Hiring Manager’.

State why you are interested in the position, organisation and/or industry. Include the job reference number, if appropriate, and how you heard about the position. Emphasise the particular contribution you can make. Why are you interested in working in this particular organisation? Persuade the employer that you are suitable. Show enthusiasm. I love it when a candidate says how excited they are for the opportunity or even saying straight out – I want this job! Bring everything all together at the end by thanking your potential employers for reading your application, directing them to your resume, asking them to contact you if they have any further questions, and inviting them to schedule an interview!

ONLINE INTERVIEWS

Making a strong first impression, be it a video or digital interview, requires preparation. If you go in blindly, you’ll be left sitting in front of a screen feeling awkward, embarrassed and clueless. Preparation is key. A video interview Often job ads online will ask you to submit a one- to two-minute video introduction. Practise and perfect your personal brand short story in the mirror or even record yourself a number of times and review the video before submitting. Some tips to remember: •

make sure you smile, breathe, speak at a normal conversation pace, and sit or stand still

•

make sure you record the introduction in a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed

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make sure you check what can be seen in the video before filming. Have a clean and tidy room with no distractions

•

consider having a friend film the video introduction for you. NEVER use a selfie stick.

A virtual interview This is usually held over Zoom or Teams. Often this is a good way for the hiring manager to conduct first-round interviews and cull the list down to only a few in-person second interviews. Again, practise and perfect your personal brand short story. Some tips to remember: •

smile, breathe, speak at a normal conversation pace, and sit or stand

still •

make sure to record the intro in a quiet place where you won’t be distrubed

•

make sure you check what can be seen in the video before filming. Have a clean and tidy room with no distractions

•

having a plain-coloured wall behind you is best

•

make sure the lighting in the room is good. Do not have direct sunlight on your face, as squinting or having a weird shadow across your face will be a distraction to you and the interviewer

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make sure the webcam has you placed in the centre of the frame from the shoulders up

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make sure to dress in appropriate interview clothing

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ALWAYS be on time. Virtual interviews are still a formal interview

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practise using the selected technology

•

make sure your webcam and microphone are working before the day

•

make sure you check the name of the interviewer ahead of time

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look the interviewer up on LinkedIn

•

keep normal eye contact with the web camera, just like you would in person.

It can be difficult for the hiring manager to pick up body language and expression through online interviews, so it’s also important to practise how this might come across on camera. You might need to exaggerate your smile or responses a bit more than usual, not so it comes across as ungenuine, but more to help you present your best self. Similarly, treating the interview just like someone is in the room with you

is another important tip. This involves keeping eye contact with the web camera, maintaining positive body language and smiling frequently. Keep in mind that nerves are normal, especially if this is a new interview method for you. Many people will be in the same boat and feel a bit uncertain about an online interview. Check your tech While this may seem quite obvious, more often than not, technology doesn’t always work in our favour when we need it to. Take the time to check that your computer is charged before the interview (even keep it charging during the interview to avoid it dying) and ensure it is updated with the latest software needed for the interview platform (e.g. Zoom). Also, check that your internet is working fine on the day. Give yourself time to make other arrangements like hotspotting or going to a friend’s house in an emergency. An extra pointer: turn your mobile phone hotspot on, just as a back-up if your home wifi decides to go rogue and stop working on you. Better to be safe than sorry… Dress for success Just as your resume and cover letter sets up your first impression when you are applying for a job, your job interview outfit is what creates the initial impressions when you walk into your interview. While we would all like to imagine that we live in a world where appearance comes second to ability, how you present yourself at an interview matters. It’s the first thing your interviewer will notice before you’ve even had a chance to say hello or shake their hand. Wearing the right outfit will make sure you come across as polite and respectful… wearing the wrong thing could cost you the job. Natasha Harding, style editor at Pedestrian.tv, shares her top recommendations for pulling together the perfect job interview outfit. What you should wear to a job interview outfit depends on

two things: the type of job you’re applying for, and your own personal style. The perfect interview outfit helps the interviewer imagine you already working there, as part of the team. For example, if you’re going for a position in the corporate field (think: finance or law), you want to wear something smart and sophisticated. Whether it’s a crisp suit, collared shirt or a quality pencil skirt, the key to nailing this dress code is with elegant, tailored pieces. Conversely, if you’re applying for a role in the creative industry, there’s the opportunity (and, in some case, the expectation) that you will show your personality through your outfit. This gives you permission to experiment with colours, prints and even combine different formalities, like swapping out a collared shirt for a T-shirt under a blazer. In the creative world, interviewers are also looking at you and your ‘personal brand’ – you’re trying to sell them on your skills but also, you as a package, so this isn’t necessarily the right time to reach for your safest, blandest outfit. Oh, and if you find yourself asking questions like ‘is this too short?’ or ‘is this too creased?’, chances are, the interviewer might think the same thing, so stay well clear of these fashion faux pas. With all this in mind, it’s also worth noting that you will feel more confident in the job interview if you wear something you’re comfortable in. If you never normally wear pencil skirts or heels, don’t completely overhaul your own personal style. Instead, why not opt for a snazzy pantsuit and some closed-toe flats? In short, the perfect interview outfit is supposed to help

give you the confidence to present the best version of yourself, rather than make you look like someone you’re not. What are the big dos and don’ts? Do your research and check out what existing staff at the company wear, then dress one notch more formally. Of course, jeans and a T-shirt are comfortable, and in just about any other situation, the combo would make a perfect outfit, but it is a HUGE no-no when it comes to a job interview, especially in an office. Don’t wear your dad’s three-piece suit I had a recent Year 12 student come in for work placement in a full business suit. Yep… he looked as uncomfortable as if he was at a funeral! If you look like you’re trying too hard or don’t fit the suit, then interviewers might not take you seriously. Ditch the vest or unbutton your jacket to look a little more comfortable while maintaining your professional style, or try switching it up with a colourful shirt, tie, shoes or socks to catch attention and show that you’re not just a boring person in a boring suit. Don’t wear your earbuds or headphones Take out your headphones well before you enter the building in which you’re being interviewed, and don’t wear them while you’re waiting to meet your job interviewer. Earphones can make you come across as distracted, disinterested and unfocused. You certainly don’t want to be stuck pulling them out and fumbling around with a cord when you’re trying to shake hands with the person who, before this moment, could have been your new boss. Don’t go crazy with the makeup, accessories or perfume This one applies to both men and women. You want to be remembered for the right reasons, not because your after-shave was cheap. With that said,

make sure you take a good long shower before you head to your interview! Body odour is never okay. Don’t wear dirty sneakers or thongs This one goes back to the jeans and T-shirt argument. You’re not attending a casual lunch with a friend – your outfit needs to show that you recognise this, care, and want to get the job. Even if you’re applying for a job at a more casual location, dressing up is better than dressing down in these cases: you’ll want to do something like wearing a jacket over your shirt, or rolling up the cuffs of your pants to show that you’re comfortable and on-trend. Don’t go too outside of the box Fashion can say a lot about a person, and we’re all for being yourself! But at an interview, it’s a good idea to tone it down a little and err on the side of being a bit more cautious and conservative. Once you’ve nailed that job you can start to test the waters and see what your coworkers’ and bosses’ taste in fashion and style is like – then you can start experimenting and doing Fancy Fridays or something similar. You might even start a trend! Don’t wear something uncomfortable We know, it seems confusing after saying no to jeans, tees, sneakers and thongs – but wearing something super uncomfortable could distract you throughout the interview process. You need to wear something that looks both nice and presentable, but if you’re going to be fidgeting and adjusting your outfit, you won’t have your mind on presenting your best self. The same goes for ensuring you’ve gotten rid of itchy internal tags or loose buttons – make sure there’s nothing for you to fidget with or get distracted by.

THE CAREER HACK MANIFESTO

There is a confidence crisis facing many Australians in the workforce. As so many young people and future job-seekers battle with the realities of everyday life while preparing to enter or re-enter the job market, a recent survey found 25% of respondents didn’t feel skilled enough to seek entrylevel positions, despite these roles requiring little to no previous experience or professional skills. Thirty per cent felt too discouraged to even try to apply for these jobs. Based on our findings, we now know that young workers are leaving school feeling underprepared and like they don’t know enough to apply for roles or land a job. Worryingly, it’s not just a perceived lack of skills that is discouraging them from entering or remaining in the workforce. Thirty-three per cent of respondents were working less (or not at all) due to additional mental health concerns. These numbers are similar across the board, whether we’re looking at women vs. men, Gen Z vs. Millennials, or white collar vs. blue collar. So, what’s the solution? We know that the new experience of work has spun traditions on their head. Hybrid working, remote teams and virtual working mean that there is no longer an average workplace environment. The skills we need for work are based on transferable skills that we can build upon and take with us across careers and industries. The way these skills are currently taught in school and in vocational education is under the spotlight. Lockdowns and financial and health crises have only shown us how fragile our society was, or still is. Leaders of tomorrow’s companies must be people-centric. Work health and safety obligations now need to include mental health and physical wellbeing, not just risk management and site safety. Corporate social responsibility must consider the needs of the employees, their families and the community as a whole.

Disparities still exist in Australia (and the world) when it comes to equality of access to educational resources and reliable technology. It’s closer to home than you think. In 2022 there are still high schools in Western Sydney, middle socio-economic areas, whose students still use textbooks and workbooks rather than the laptops, and digital classrooms that are used 20 minutes away. There is a major digital skills crisis across all generations of the current workforce. This means as we currently stand, a sustainable future is still only hoped for, not guaranteed. Rapid technology changes are not inclusive or equally accessible. Yet there is hope. The pandemic has shown us that change is possible. We can change. It has also shown us how connected we all are. Reimagining skills and vocational education is a matter for all of us to collaborate on. Life skills (rather than calling them skills for work) should be taught from a younger age: •

team work

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ethics

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social responsibility

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pride in a job well done

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thinking critically

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collaborating

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communicating

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digital literacy.

Work experience programs must be expanded. Internships and extracurricular activities such as volunteering and community projects should be commonplace. Vocational education should be designed as scenario-based learning. Targeted skills that are delivered in just the right way, for the right duration,

using the appropriate tech. The model for career transition pathway learning should be ever-evolving. Like a spiral that can be jumped onto and jumped off again when needed. The core skills should be revisited time and time again in response to emerging technologies and societal needs. Education shouldn’t stop once the learning is complete. Ongoing mentoring and support should be provided. Change management and transition planning between school and work and between career gaps should be a subject taught. Communication skills should be a priority as care industries become such a vital part of our community. Having difficult conversations, managing socially diverse teams and empathy are just as important today as technical skills. The same level of innovation that is applied in business must be applied to education. The new experience of work must be people-centric. A leader’s role is to hold the space for people in their charge to learn, collaborate and grow. Young workers should be encouraged to mentor older workers. We need to encourage diverse thinking to get the best perspectives possible. Accounts teams need to work through roadblocks they face, not with other accounts team members, but with customer services, and vice versa. A company’s values shouldn’t be set by management. Values should be a conversation that is inclusive. Sit and determine your values together with employees. If leaders are required to consult workers on safety issues, why don’t they consult workers on values? We must foster innovation from within our organisations. Intrapreneurship is one step towards entrepreneurship. Intrapreneurs are selfmotivated, proactive and action-oriented people who take initiative to pursue an innovative product or service. Intraprenuership is a system that allows an employee to act like an entrepreneur within a company or organisation. Intraprenuerships foster autonomy and independence, while attempting to

find the best resolution. It gives employees the freedom to experiment, as well as the potential for growth of both the organisation and the employee. They are often able to solve problems on their own, and come up with their ideas that lead to process improvements, using their creativity to enhance existing goods and services within the context of the business. An intrapreneur is comfortable being uncomfortable while testing ideas until achieving the desired results. Intrapreneurs are often considered inventors. While inventors come up with new products, intrapreneurs come up with new processes that get that product to market. Another reason they are considered similar to inventors is that they are creative and risk-takers in the sense that they are stepping out of their traditional role within the business. Intrapreneurship helps employees with good ideas to better channel the resources of a corporation to develop more successful products. No organisation or employee can afford to stand still. The new experience of work requires us to understand change, plan for it, accept it and communicate it well. A strong economy and future career must be antifragile. We must thrive on change.

NEXT STEPS…

It all starts right here right now… •

Are you out there applying but still haven’t found the right job for yourself ?

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Are you feeling overwhelmed?

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Do you need some direction on how to get your career to the next stage?

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Perhaps you are high-performing and successful but looking to step into a new opportunity?

The Career Hack is your superpower that you must harness. Before I get to the nitty-gritty, I want you to know that you’re not alone. You’re in a boring, low-paid job and you don’t have the skills to apply for a better one because most of what you learned at school or in your current job is irrelevant. And now you’re stuck. You’re not in control of your career – or your life – and you’re getting by on a minimum wage and relying on handouts from parents or Centrelink. Acquiring transferable life skills (such as communication, collaboration, critical thinking, digital literacy, ethics and social responsibility) is the key to successfully navigating the transition between careers, between jobs or from school to work.

MySkills Australia are the only RTO in Australia who teach those skills as standard as part of course curriculum. The way we work is changing rapidly. Globalisation and remote working have removed geographical barriers for talented jobseekers and competition for good jobs is fierce. Myskills equips students with transferable, relevant and in-demand skills that help them thrive as a leader in the modern workplace. Prepare for a rewarding career where work not only means something, it provides you with financial security to buy your home, raise a family and contribute to your community. You only live once. Take control of your life by beginning a new career that rewards you for making a positive difference to the world. Upskill by enrolling in a course at MySkills Australia. Get started by taking a free skills assessment at https://myskillsaustralia.e du.au.

SIMONE RENNOCKS

I’m a business owner with over 20 years experience living and working on Dharug lands in Western Sydney. My mission is to promote learners who can learn, find productive work, make wise decisions and actively engage in their communities. I am the parent and step-parent of four kids and three crazy Pugs and have one amazing husband. I have always known that I needed a career with a purpose and have built a legacy that allows me to contribute back to the community. My Registered Training Organisations, My Skills Australia and Australian Forklift Training (RTO 91037), have allowed me to contribute to the vocational education sector and help over 90,000 adult learners learn new skills and find work they love. I am an artist, photographer and instructional designer. I love anything creative. I now use my creativity to design e-learning programs for a wide range of industries: •

civil construction

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supply chain logistics

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information technology

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marketing and communications

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leadership and management

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work health and safety

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foundation skills

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digital skills

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community services.

My social venture, The Better Future Project, offers FREE-FOREVER foundations and digital skills for the workplace for not-for-profit clients and community groups. In 2022, My Skills launched its Global Campus offering English language and skills for the Aussie workplace right around the world. I sit on a number of youth task forces in Western Sydney as well as advocating for digital access and equity as a basic human right. I love to listen to my community members and actively take part in a range of local chambers of commerce. I am the marketing expert for the Western Sydney Business Connect, delivering e-webinars and live Masterclasses to employers and their teams. The world of work has changed. So have the expectations of workers. Change is coming, no matter where a company is located or what kind of talent it has. Amid the upheaval, there is good news: hiring rates outpace resignation rates. That means most of the talent isn’t dropping out of the workforce altogether – they’re just confident the grass is greener somewhere else. While many factors drive employees to walk away from their jobs, one truth remains constant: talent no longer wants to be tied to the traditional 9to-5, brick-and-mortar workplace model. Instead, they’re gravitating toward job opportunities that empower them to work on their own terms. But there is one big problem… HUGE. It’s not just the world of work that has changed. The skills that you now

need to work in the gig- economy have changed too. Gen-Zs get a really bad rap. But it’s not your fault. School has prepared you for the old way of working. But everywhere now, you hear and see these new expectations of what the NEW workplace should look like. You hear things like, ‘It’s a candidate’s market!’ or ‘The employees have all the power…. YEAH.’ You want and should be working in the new world workplace. You want: •

flexibility

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remote and work from home options

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career progression opportunities

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high pay

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work-life balance.

And you should demand those things. BUT… You need the skills behind you that make the new workplace successful. And this is where the mismatch of employer and employee expectations crash down around us. If you are entering the workforce today, with only casual or part-time typical jobs on your resume. If you are entering the workforce for the first time right after school or uni… Guess what… You don’t have the skill set yet and your resume doesn’t

have the right skills on it to land that job in the new workplace. True story ahead: I recently had a young worker leave my company after only a couple of weeks. Her resume was patchy, meaning she hadn’t been able to hold a fulltime job since leaving school for more than a few weeks at a time. I have a hire policy of always balancing the ratio of mature-aged workers with Gen-Zs. And not just in entry level roles. I love when a team can pair up with different perspectives and viewpoints. I love my Gen-Zs to mentor older workers. Trust me, us oldies can learn a few things. But this young lady, despite having the full position description negotiated with her, despite full onboarding and the acceptance of a traineeship (i.e. upskill career advancement from day one), still expected: •

higher pay than she negotiated at the interview

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career advancement to happen in the first three weeks of employment.

She was still under ‘L’ plates in my industry. Still learning how the industry worked. She was yet to meet her agreed KPIs. She was making loads of rookie mistakes on the job. But, full of the ‘I deserve the full new workplace experience!’ she ghosted us. Literally did a no-show on Monday morning. No phone call. Left on Friday afternoon all smiles. Did not have the difficult conversation with her manager that she had questions or wanted timeframes clarified. I have other Gen-Zs, who this young lady worked alongside, who in the first three to six months of their employment, had been promoted, got a pay rise and had work from home flexibility. Do you know why? Because they had mastered the top five in-demand transferable skills all employers want right now… and my ghosty friend had not learnt those skills yet.

What are the five Cs to give you the power to direct your own career? •

communication

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collaboration

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critical thinking

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cyber skills

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career-specific skills.

Yup, those five skills once mastered, will take you wherever you want to go. You can learn those skills in three easy steps: Step 1 – Listen to the Job Ready Podcast available now on iTunes. Step 2 – Take the Get Hired Scorecard. Find out where your strengths and weaknesses around these five C skills are. Receive a full PDF report with tips to master these in-demand skills to take you anywhere. Step 3 – Upskill yourself in short courses with My Skills Australia. You may even be eligible for free training in: •

digital marketing

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business admin

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digital skills

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leadership and management

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info tech and cyber security.

Go now, right now, and download the Job Ready Podcast. Take the Get Hired Scorecard – https://simone-94k5lfj3.scoreapp.com/. And visit www.myskillsaustralia.edu.au right now!