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Are resumes dead?
I like this story by blogger Mat McGuinness, who reckons resumes are dead. I reckon they've got maybe five to ten years left. The main reason is most are boring. They’re eye glazing. They don’t have a unique selling point. Almost none use basic propaganda and...
Time wasters and non-payers terminated
Every now and then we get a client who says, after we have started work on their resume: “Put this on hold and I’ll get back to you later.” “This is hard. I have to think. I thought you’d do all the work.” A personal favourite is to tell us the job closes in three...
Fibs on your resume, CV or LinkedIn site?
Can a prospective employer detect whether a resume and LinkedIn profile contains lies? I wrote about it in Smart Company some years ago. People will always talk up their qualifications and brag about their abilities. This is the hyper competitive job market we’re...
Google reviews are the gold standard for resume writers
There are three measures of success for a resume writer. One is getting clients short-listed for jobs, then helping them get the job and Google reviews. We are currently hitting about 70 per cent in getting people short-listed for work with more than half of those (if...
Retiring and then going back to work
We get quite a few people who have retired and then realised they are bored or they don't have enough superannuation or savings. They come to us for a resume and advice on job strategy, Nearly two decades ago, Roger Pugh went back to work. He’s now 86. The Sydneysider...
Adelaide’s black African migrants victims of recruiter racism
I laughed bitterly when I read this ABC story about recruiter race prejudice in Adelaide as I see it every week. According to an UniSA study, black Africans are less likely to get hired unless they have white referees. Someone tell me this isn’t South Africa in the...
Job interview questions
Don't you just love job interviews? Here are some of the most common interview questions with guidance on how to answer them. "What are your biggest weaknesses?" Every candidate knows how to answer this question: Just pick a theoretical weakness and magically...
Jobs in the Australian Public Service (APS)
I’ve spent a lot of time in Canberra working in Federal politics, and the Australian Public Service (APS) in the Department of Employment. I’m still trying to get warm after those winters! APS resumes require at least three drafts, so give a resume writer a full week...
State of the job market
Gareth Hutchens from the ABC is the first reporter to create a compelling expose on the job market. It's compelling because the unemployment figure is one of the prime economic indicators for setting government policy. Here it is:...
Employment rising faster than working age population
I’ve been criticised for being too negative about the ABS unemployment figures. But people are actually getting jobs and unemployment is falling. This story is an edited version of Gareth Hutchens' story at the ABC. He’s killing it so far as explaining what’s...
More wage theft at Woolworths
I write a lot of resumes for young Adelaide people wanting to get in the FMCG industry. It's often they're first job. Woolworths ripping off their workers is a blight on the industry. The total cost of staff underpayments at Woolworths has ballooned to more than half...
Lower unemployment without immigration
If you’re chasing a job, now is a good time to look but note, not every one believes the unemployment figures are true. The Treasurer wants to get people into jobs, so he wasn't going to deliver an "austerity" budget by chasing a budget surplus. This is a radical...
Senate’s damning report on wage theft
With inflation going up and wages flat, spare a thought for the thousands of people who are victims of wage theft. I’ve written a lot about wage theft, which is a business strategy for many employers. The Adelaide victims sometimes come to me for help to get another...
Resume packages of generic crap
Some people say, “Malcolm, surely resume writing businesses can’t be pasting whole chunks of generic pap in to cover letters and resumes and charging people for it. That’s a report to Consumer Affairs.” Below is an example of a first paragraph ‘cut and paste’ cover...
Deadline breakers need not apply
Everyone has an excuse for breaking deadlines: The dog died. Car accident. Sick uncle. Dog ate it (same dog). Computer failure. Forgot to save. Wedding anniversary. Alien invasion. We’ve heard them all. I once had a senior administrator who broke a deadline because he...
Hints when using a resume writer
Most online resume writers don’t live in the cities they claim to be in. They ‘trick’ Google to saying they operate in Adelaide or where ever. Most work out of Sydney or Melbourne - except for Republic Resumes. DUMP GENERIC COVER LETTERS When you ask for a writer to...
Cover letters that work
I enjoy writing targeted cover letters in partnership with clients (after we’ve written the resume). Every paragraph is a ‘punchy’ selling point, which goes to the heart of the application. Don’t use the same cover letter for different job applications. This is where...
Generic ‘cut and paste’ cover letters kill job chances
Unfortunately below is another dodgy generic cover letter written by the same ‘cut and paste’ Adelaide CBD business – which actually operates out of Perth. This is one is a year old. It was written for a guy in the state’s north who wanted to get in to mining. It’s...
Send old resume and cover in 24 hours
I’ve changed the terms and conditions, which will help clients who are die-hard job seekers while eliminating ‘window shoppers’. Prospective clients now need to provide us with their old or current documentation within 24 hours of our request. The reason is, we can...
Federal Budget won’t drive wages growth
I work in employment services and also write articles on employment and unemployment. There’s a story in today’s Sydney Morning Herald, which is a head scratcher. The Federal Government is going to use the budget to increase wages because workers (mainly battlers)...
Resumes that go to work for you
I build expert resumes, cover letters and LinkedIn profiles, which unleash an unbeatable business case to promote you as a ‘must have’ asset to an employer.