Free Resume Advice For Job Seekers

I prepared an application for a client applying for an entry level Customer Service Call Centre Operator position (AO3/4 level) with Centrelink. The selection criteria component involved addressing five key areas, maximum 200 word length for each. Outlined below are two of the criteria.

 

1. Please give an example of how you provided a service to a customer that went beyond their expectations.

 

Whilst employed with ABC, on occasions, customers were required to wait for extended periods of time in order for their hire car to be delivered to them. This was due to the landing of multiple flights, and also the late return of vehicles. Therefore, in dealing with these customers whose patience very often wore thin, I always maintained a calm demeanour and sought solutions to accommodate them and the situation they were under. I was required to take initiative when these situations arose and management was not available. Therefore, decisive decision making was required. Examples of how I went beyond customers expectations included providing free beverages for their entire entourage including family members and friends; ensuring the vehicle was thoroughly checked over and prepared for immediate service; reducing their daily rate on the vehicle; and ensuring their hire car contained a street directory. I made certain that everything possible was done to accommodate the customer. Subsequently, customers were left satisfied which was further validated in customer feedback reports sent to head office.

 

2. As a Call Centre Operator you will need to possess the ability to multi-task. Can you please give an example of where you have utilised this skill in the past.

 

As a senior staff member working the weekend roster, I was left to manage the day to day operations of the ABC counters. This required the prioritisation and completion of several concurrent tasks including those unexpected challenges which often arose. Standard weekend duties included allocating vehicles for the shift and advising staff of their duties and the processes involved during that period at the different counters located at the Gold Coast airport and Surfers Paradise. During these periods, there was a high turnover of vehicles, which required advising both the customers and the vehicle detailers of the situation. In addition, I trained new counter staff with customers present during peak weekend times at the Gold Coast airport location. When problems arose, for example, with computer system malfunctions, I directed staff on what was to be done in order to work through and rectify the problem. Importantly, during these tense and stressful times, I remained pleasant and cordial to both staff members and customers. As a result, in my performance appraisals regarding customer service standards, I received excellent comments and was often garnered with letters from customers thanking me for providing high quality service and dedication.

 

I’m here to help market you!

Cheers,

Annie Cerone

 

Following is a link that provides valuable information on current market conditions across various industries supplied by Hays Recruitment:

http://www.hays.com.au/forecast/

Cheers,

Annie Cerone

I would like to share with you some details on an interesting excerpt in the ‘Recruiter Daily’ I read this morning regarding a charter that has been developed (its still in draft form), which will be open to changes pending the results of a large survey being undertaken on current recruitment processes (both with recruitment agencies and employers). The charter covers up to 10 key areas and I would like to discuss 3 of them that I’ve been rallying for, for quite some time now:

1. Keep selection criteria questions to a minimum.
I believe that there are many suitable job applicants who are simply not applying for certain advertised positions because of the daunting process of addressing pages of criteria. The industry is already changing as I’ve dealt with many clients who have applied for positions within several government departments (for example, Queensland Transport and Queensland Health) where the addressing of criteria is set to a 1-2 page maximum. Now doesn’t this make the whole process so much easier!

2. Require that applications contain only a CV/resume and/or cover letter.
Wow, even better, way less documentation for applicants to prepare! I firmly believe that resumes can be tailored and developed to showcase the requirements of advertised positions. I am currently developing a resume for a client in Canberra addressing 6 main general criteria points (one to two sentences each) in an Overview section on the first page of the resume. I have used this format for two clients within the last two weeks who have gone on to win job interviews.

3. Conduct interviews in as informal a manner as possible.
Remember what I said in my blog dated 1^st July 2009 about changing the manner in which job interviews are conducted, steering away from a more formal approach to a less formal one. Looks like others in the recruitment industry are concurring. Stay tuned for a blog I’ll be posting soon that will give even more examples on the informal approach.

Cheers,
Annie Cerone

Hello everyone,

Stay tuned and please keep checking my Blog page regulary as I’ll be posting selection criteria answers and examples that have gone on to win my clients job interviews. I’ll be posting responses and examples on a regular basis (fortnightly or monthly) showcasing different job fields and levels from entry level government positions, senior positions(administrative, technical, project and service), middle management up to executive levels. In the meantime please read the blogs that I’ve posted in the ‘Addressing Job Selection Criteria’ category for helpful hints and tips.

I’m here to help market you!

Cheers,
Annie Cerone

Note: I commenced posting selection criteria answers and examples on 24th July 2009; please go to my BLOG page and select the ‘Addressing Job Selection Criteria’ category to view and read.

Psychometric assessment or testing is frequently used early on in the job selection process (in conjunction with the job interview) with its key aim of providing the employer with a profile of the candidate and how they would fit into the workplace. Research has shown that traditional interviews do not work so employers are incorporating assessment to tighten up their recruitment. Psychometric testing is used to assess applicants applying for positions across many levels from entry level graduate positions as high up as senior management or executive roles in both government and private sectors. It can be administered in the more traditional paper-based manner and as a series of online tests. Psychometric testing falls into two categories – aptitude/ability tests and personality inventories. Aptitude tests measure mental reasoning capabilities which can include numerical reasoning; verbal reasoning; comprehension/grammar; abstract, mechanical or spatial; information checking; and IQ. Depending on how you rank (or grade) on aptitude tests can determine whether you are more suitable for a certain type of role. Personality inventories reveal interests, motivations, emotional intelligence, values, attitudes and so forth. There is no right or wrong answer on personality inventories; responses are used primarily as a guide to determine suitability for the position and whether you are a good fit for the organisation.

The question is: is psychometric testing effective as part of the job selection process in sourcing the right candidate for the job? General consensus is yes. However, there are exceptions and let me share this experience with you. A good friend of mine was looking to change career direction from education to pharmaceutical sales. I developed her resume and she was subsequently called into interviews with three large global pharmaceutical companies in the capacity of a pharmaceutical sales representative in the Brisbane area. The process was lengthy (three hours all up), structured  and in three parts consisting of undergoing two behavioural-based interviews; conducting a 10 minute sales pitch; and completing 20-30 minutes of paper-based psychometric testing. She was subsequently placed in the top 3 final candidates, and was the second favoured applicant for one of the positions. Another applicant was offered (and accepted) this position, however, she only lasted four months in the role. My friend was contacted again by the recruitment agency (handling all the recruitment for this particular pharmaceutical company) to be offered the position as she was the second most preferred applicant. The first question she asked the recruiter was why the offer? Apparently, from the outset, the lady that accepted the position was confrontational and did not bond or get on well with staff and fellow team members. The very important question here is why was this not determined during the interview process orwith the psychometric testing? Surely this personality trait would have revealed itself in some form. When I assessed and analysed this particular situation, I wondered whether the interviewers actually assessed whether there was a rapport established with this candidate. Initial rapport says a lot and sells. I swear by this when interviewing. Unfortunately rapport is not something that can be ‘put into a box’ so to speak and assessed in a structured format; it’s either there or not, but must not be overlooked.

A certain recruiter who has been many years in the profession and HR industry and deals with high paying senior managers and executives recently revealed the need to change the manner in which the selection process and interviews are conducted. He believes they should steer away from a structured environment to a less formal one, initially at least. Specifically, he believes that when one initially ‘interviews’ a prospective candidate, it should be done in an informal and relaxed setting and manner, over a coffee away from an office environment and doing away with structured behavioural questioning! He also suggests that these type of meetings should take place more than once. The first step is in establishing rapport and getting to know the applicant and building from that. Conversation is free flowing and the quality of information that is imparted in this manner can reveal a lot about a prospective employee, both work and non-work related. I like this style ‘interviewing’, it’s my style and the way I like to get to know who I could potentially be working with.

Cheers,

Annie Cerone