Do I want just the next job, or a fulfilling career?
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If it’s about long term career direction and effective career planning then the best service we offer is the Career Pack 1 which includes an accredited career assessment to give you some baseline data to help decision making. While you’re thinking about this, explore ‘The 3 Key Career Questions’ to help you start the process. If it’s about an immediate strategy to tap upcoming positions and job applications then the Matrix Method job search program is more appropriate for you.
Do I really know my strengths and my skills?
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It’s good to start with a Skills Audit which is part of Career Pack 1. This is your take on your skills and doing an accredited career assessment will complement this. The Career Coach then builds in the ideas you’ve been having to ‘triangulate the data’ and adds his own impressions to build up the picture with you. To start on this, explore ‘The 3 Key Career Questions’ and this will get you thinking.
Do I like to take the opportunities that I think are ‘out there’ already, or do I like to plan it out?
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This is about your personality and your preferences. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) will give insight here. Lawrence Arnold – Career Coach Melbourne is an accredited and experienced MBTI consultant who can show what the assessment really means for you. Explore ‘The 3 Key Career Questions’ to start this workout.
Will salary and benefits give me a great career, or will a great career give me the salary and benefits I’m looking for?
Answer
This is a difficult one and there are no easy answers because it’s about your values. Try ‘The 3 Key Career Questions’ exercise to start on this.
I’ve been submitting applications and my CV to Seek and online listings but get immediate rejection emails – what am I doing wrong?
Answer
This is a common problem because many employers and recruiters use ATS software to screen incoming CVs. It stands for Applicant Tracking System software and is a computer robot that scans CVs and rejects those that don’t fit the brief. It also generates the rejection email. Like any gatekeeper it can also let in the right people and will generate an acceptance email for the right CVs. Lawrence Arnold – Career Coach Melbourne is a professional resume writer and a qualified Master Degree Applied Linguist who prepares the best application documents to get past the CV Dalek and through to the human reader. There is also a rigorous CV review in both Career Pack 1 and Career Pack 2 to skill clients in re-writing their own CVs and applications. Explore ‘The 3 Key Career Questions’ to start thinking about your achievements to present in the CV.
Am I looking for in-depth study, or the quickest qualifications to get me where I want to be?
Answer
This is a practical decision once you have a career direction. With the increasing costs of study, you don’t want to go down a one-way street and be paying that bill for a course that’s no longer relevant! Investigating employment projections and finding an appropriate course is part of the UniPack 1, 2, 3 program. Explore ‘The 3 Key Career Questions’ to think about your career values and whether you are seeking long term development or an immediate solution to an immediate problem.
I’m just completing a degree course and it’s no longer what I want to be doing. Is there a way I can springboard from this to something I really like doing?
Answer
It’s good you’ve discovered this now! About 14% of tertiary students change their courses dramatically at the end of first year … or just drop out. It’s about the same number for second year. It used to be 40%! This has improved because there are now more courses and more places for those searching. Also, career counselling has gotten better. Most university career services still do not use ‘accredited’ career assessments but more private practitioners have become accredited and experienced in using the real and full accredited assessments. Lawrence Arnold – Career Coach Melbourne is accredited in several reliable career assessments and will choose the most appropriate for you. We then build on this and incorporate what you’ve been thinking about. In the short term, you can explore ‘The 3 Key Career Questions’ and start working on what you really want for yourself.
I’ve just returned from an international executive posting – how do I fit in again?
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You’ve probably discovered that ‘international experience’ is not highly regarded by some employers. You’ve changed a lot … but we’re just the same as we were when you left! Career Pack 2 will help you re-connect and give you strategies to demonstrate your value to local employers. Explore ‘The 3 Key Career Questions’ to start translating that once-in-a-lifetime international experience into the local language!
I’m a migrant with Australian PR but how do I connect with employers who want ‘local experience’?
Answer
You’re qualified and experienced but connecting with Australian employers is difficult. You feel you just need one chance to show what you can do but can’t demonstrate ‘local experience’. It’s a little more complicated than the ‘local experience’ mantra that gets thrown at you. Career Pack 2 with the Matrix Method job search strategy will help you develop an effective strategy to connect with ‘the local community’. It needs to be a strategy that fits your personality. Explore ‘The 3 Key Career Questions’ and start thinking about which achievements are important.
I’ve been in my job for some time but am finding it less fulfilling – should I do something totally different or go for a serious promotion to increase my interest in what I do well?
Answer
This is ‘career crossroads’ stuff! You don’t want to throw away a good job but you know you need to be engaged. Career Pack 1 will help you sort this out. Start with exploring ‘The 3 Key Career Questions’ and, when you hit a barrier call Lawrence Arnold – Career Coach Melbourne.
I’m good at what I do but am concerned about coming across well in the interview.
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Career Pack 3 is the answer here! The Career Coach shows you the interview strategies to get you to dig deep for real answers to the difficult interview questions and present your personality positively in the interview. It’s also true that some interviewers are not that good at getting the best information out of candidates. You can’t control the quality of the interviewer but you can control your performance in an interview. Explore ‘The 3 Key Career Questions’ to start working on this.
Can I really do career change in six weeks?
Answer
You will have all the information needed to make a career decision in this time. The accredited assessment is the key here as it reduces the number of sessions needed to collect the career history. The 6 Week Career Change program encourages you to: make a decision; explore the options realistically; implement the decision using the appropriate tools; and test out that decision in the market place by searching for real jobs using your new understanding. The exact time depends on the individual person and prevailing labour market conditions, and some people may take longer. There’s plenty of help for this through Help Desk Support that continues on after the final session. The aim of the 6 Week Career Change is not to rush you into a quick decision but to give you all the tools ‘quickly’ to make the decision ‘slowly’, at your own pace. No specific outcome can be guaranteed, as it depends on individual characteristics and labour market conditions at the time.
If you’ve found this helpful … or challenging … get in touch today.