Important Notice to Six Figures Members & Advertisers

January 22, 2012 – 11:37 am

Dear Six Figures Community,

We’re closing down Six Figures, including the website, effective immediately. Our blog will continue to be available for a short period.

We’re extremely disappointed to have to close Six Figures but unfortunately, due to capital constraints, we’ve simply run out of options.

We would like to thank all our supporters and apologize to our members. We hope we have provided you with a valuable career resource over the last 4 years and we wish you continued success in your career.

Thank you very much for being part of the Six Figures community.

Kelly Magowan & Karen Jenkin Founders, Six Figures

By Kelly Magowan | Posted in Six Figures News | Comments (2)

Performance Reviews Need Extreme Makeover?

December 2, 2011 – 1:51 pm

An article on Performance Reviews in HRMonthly this week caught my attention as it discussed a major shift in a large company’s approach to performance reviews. I had to respond and have precised as follows:

“We are constantly working with businesses in the performance management field and have developed an approach and philosophy which has also impacted positively on our recruitment outcomes for our clients. I think this company was right to move away from their old process and the big wins for them are focusing on the six monthly conversations and also the twice weekly check ins. Forced distribution doesn’t help a business, and when remuneration reviews or bonuses are attached so directly to ratings because there is only so much money to go around, then the credibility of ratings is unavoidably compromised.”

In general I think HR often falls short of a CEO’s expectations because it struggles to articulate commercial outcomes. The HR Manager identifies a new way for performance reviews but speaks little about commercial outcomes. To read this full blog post by Andrew Thoseby from the Executive Recruitment Firm, 1st Executive visit Performance reviews need extreme makeover?

By Kelly Magowan | Posted in Employers & Social Media, Executive Career Management & Development, Executive Channel, Executive Job Searching, Executive Talent Attraction & Retention, Human Resources, Information of Interest, Recruitment, Recruitment Agencies & Search Firms | Leave a Comment

Are educational qualifications over rated?

November 8, 2011 – 6:52 pm

“If I can somehow craft a livelihood out of virtually no qualifications or marketable skills, surely you can too.”

Chris Guillebeau is a financially successful person who has a post on the site The Art of Non-Conformity about Qualifications. In it he explored how qualifications are somewhat overrated in our society. He does this by recounting his own childhood as a juvenile delinquent and his educational background, emphasising his lack of education and also his lack of skills in many areas.  Most of his adult life has been spent working as an entrepreneur, writer, traveller and volunteer.

The real takeaways from the post was if things are going well in your life, to continually be grateful. Also, he provides the reminder that we all have choices, particularly in a country like Australia where we are incredibility fortunate in all manner of things including our career choices.

It is true that for some occupations you want the person to be qualified, such as a pilot, engineer, doctor, etc.  However, for most business type roles there does seem to be an over reliance on qualifications, particularly when it comes
to recruiting or promotions.

Share your views on the subject, are educational qualifications overrated in business?  Why do you think this is?

By Kelly Magowan | Posted in Six Figures News | Leave a Comment

e-Book Review ’125 Twitter Job Search Tips’

November 8, 2011 – 6:08 pm

Position Ignition is a leading career consultancy in the UK that produce content to assist job seekers and career changers via their website and blog.  They have a variety of careers e-books, one of which is 125 Twitter Job Search Tips.  It is a great resource for those that are either new to Twitter or use it to some degree but not to its full capacity – which is a lot more than most would think.  In this e-book you will find tips on things like:

  • Understanding the basics of Twitter
  • Attracting and following the right people
  • Finding jobs of interest
  • Using Twitter to build your personal brand

The e-book is segmented logically as it takes you briefly through the 125 tips. Even for someone who is reasonably familiar with Twitter, I learnt a few new things.

Tip 21 – talks about using Twitter to ask others for help, which is crucial in the job search process and something that many are reluctant to do. Twitter is a perfect platform to leverage the online community, who in my experience – if communicated with correctly – are generally more than happy to help.

Tip 28 – the most well known Twitter directory is Twellow a great resource to find the right people to follow

Tip 103 – you can search for useful tweets about the job search process by using hash tags, such as #jobsearch

Tip 108 – join a tweetchat in your relevant fields of interest

This is just a tiny slice of the information that you will find in this e-book 125 Twitter Job Search Tips.

By Kelly Magowan | Posted in Career Services & Advice, Career Strategy & Planning, Executive Career Management & Development, Executive Career Services & Coaching, Executive Channel, Information of Interest, Job Boards & Job Hunting, Job Seeking & Social Media, Networking, Personal & Work Values, Personal Branding, Reputation Management, Searching for the Six Figure Job | Leave a Comment

Do You Have a Career Transition Object? It May Just Help Career Changers …

October 19, 2011 – 11:01 am

This weekend I attended the Victorian Career Development Association of Australia mini conference.  As with any event you attend you always walk away with new knowledge and insights, which is what makes getting up early on a Saturday bearable.

Louise Millar-Hoffman - a Career Coach with an environmental focus – gave a powerful presentation that told her own personal career transition story. In her presentation she spoke of the importance of transition objects.  I found this interesting as never before in my many years of coaching had I read or heard about this concept of a ‘career transition object’.  We generally explore things like the client’s interests, skills, values, education; not objects.

Louise demonstrated the relevance of a career transition object via her own journey.  If you think of young children they generally have a transition object that helps them through the day and night from home to childcare, school and back, etc.  Louise looked back through her various stages of life to discover a theme of transition objects that all had a strong environmental theme: her favourite childhood story (an environmental story) through to a book her partner gave her as an adult about solar power as she always had the dream of building a solar home.   In recent years this theme of the environment has emerged, leading to Louise refocussing her careers practice to environmental careers.

If you are at a careers crossroad or simply as an exercise of interest, reflect on the items that you have cherished in your childhood, teenage years and in adulthood – you too may discover themes within these transition objects.

For those interested in environmental jobs, DEEWR has a new bullseye chart that may get you thinking.

By Kelly Magowan | Posted in Career Events, Career Services & Advice, Career Strategy & Planning, Executive Career Management & Development, Executive Career Services & Coaching, Executive Channel, Executive Job Searching, Information of Interest, Redundancy & Outplacement, Searching for the Six Figure Job, Six Figures News | Leave a Comment

‘Resilient People Program’ with John Sautelle and Anne Sutherland-Kelly

October 18, 2011 – 8:45 pm

Why is resilience so important?

“…more than education, more than experience, more than training, an individual’s level of resilience will determine who succeeds and who fails.” Diane Coutu, Senior Editor, Harvard Business Review, 2002

The program

Two days of practical skills and tools you can immediately apply to increase resilience. This program draws on a range of disciplines, including neuroscience, positive psychology and mindfulness.

Imagine ……..

• You and your team performing to your potential…
• Dealing with setbacks and challenges with confidence…
• Handling emotionally charged situations more effectively…
• Enjoying physical, mental and emotional fitness…
• Having a clear sense of purpose and direction …

“Probably the best development training I’ve ever done. Grounded in evidence — not just a flavour of the moment ideology”   Sharon Ryan, People & Culture, CenITex

Your facilitators

John Sautelle & Anne Sutherland-Kelly are two of Australia’s leading trainers.

“John is one of the truly innovative thinkers I have worked with. He has helped change how people view themselves and their organisations in ways that have prolonged deep impact.”  Greg McGlone, Director, Business Process Services, KPMG

“Anne is a charismatic facilitator with exceptional ability to impart her ‘hands on’ expertise in an engaging and interesting manner.”  Karen Wise, Managing Director, Wise Workplace Solutions

To find out more about the the Resilient People Programs which are running accross Australia visit Exceptional People.

Note: Six Figures Members receive a 25% disscount on programs

By Kelly Magowan | Posted in Career Events, Career Services & Advice, Executive Channel, Six Figures News, Training & Events | Leave a Comment

Book Review – ‘Job Searching with Social Media (For Dummies)’

October 12, 2011 – 8:12 pm

I am not normally someone who is drawn to the “For Dummies” book series. I suspect it is because I don’t find the look of the books all that appealing and perhaps subconsciously I don’t like to think of myself as a Dummy.   However, when I was approached by the author Joshua Waldman of ‘Job Searching with Social Media (For Dummies)’ I was intrigued by the subject and ready to be open-minded about it all.

Having read the book, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by how much great content is included.  While there are so many out in the market sprouting and selling all sorts of products and advice on using social media, this book is actually very informative and practical for job seekers. It has only just been released so everything that is included is 100% current.  I like that it also covers off some pretty fundamental personal aspects relating to the job search and is not all just about the latest technology and sites – albeit there is also a lot of this in there too.

The book covers a lot of ground, from understanding what social media is out there for job seekers to leverage, and how to actually set yourself up to utilize the best channels for job search success. There are tips and tools to manage the job search process, information about understanding and building your personal brand, to the basics of online networking.  It goes on to look at key words, elevator pitches (or as Joshua calls them value statements), online resumes, the hidden job market and much more. In fact, it covers so much it is very difficult to give you a taste of the breadth of the content in this short review.

Some of my favourite sections include:

  • Tools to track your activity & contacts (sounds simple I know; however most job seekers have a fairly shot gun approach) – focus, tracking and measuring works and there are free tools to help you with this or just use Excel
  • Managing your career – yes career management is important in this day and age; it’s not just about finding a job
  • Your personal brand, your niche and online reputation management
  • Publishing and managing your content online such as online resumes, blogs, newsletters, videos etc

While using social media for job seeking is not for everyone, for those of you who want to develop their skills in this area, the book ‘Job Searching with Social Media (For Dummies)’ is certainly a worthwhile resource to have.

By Kelly Magowan | Posted in Book Reviews, Education, Executive Job Searching, Information of Interest, Job Seeking & Social Media, Personal Branding, Reputation Management, Searching for the Six Figure Job, Six Figures News | Leave a Comment

Recruiters & Hiring Managers conducting reference checks behind your back – ethical or not?

October 10, 2011 – 2:54 pm

While the internet has certainly made it easier for job seekers to find out information about companies and hiring managers, it has also made it easier for those doing the recruiting to research prospective talent via the multitude of social networking sites.  The content shared here has generally been provided with the person/s consent.

So, what happens when you are being considered for a job, and perhaps you have not even been interviewed yet a potential employer or recruiter conducts an ‘off the record’ reference or character check with someone who knows you. Even though you have not included this person/s on your list of referees that you provide consent to contact, they are still approached and questioned about your suitability for a job. At the senior levels in particular this is common practise.

Is it ethical or not? Share your views and experiences.

By Kelly Magowan | Posted in Career Services & Advice, Career Strategy & Planning, Employers & Social Media, Executive Career Management & Development, Executive Channel, Executive Job Searching, Executive Talent Attraction & Retention, Human Resources, Interviewing, Interviews with HR & Recruitment Professionals, Job Seeking & Social Media, Recruitment, Recruitment Agencies & Search Firms, Reference & Background Checks, Reputation Management, Six Figures News | Comments (4)

Recruitment Technology Conference – Special Deal for Six Figures Members & Clients

October 9, 2011 – 1:05 pm

Technology is constantly changing, and so is its role in recruitment. How does one make sense of a rapidly evolving recruitment technology landscape?

Join us on 22 Nov in Sydney for the first Recruitment Technology Evaluation Convention (RECTEC). The event is the first of its kind in the region to focus solely on technology and its application to recruitment.

Speakers will include technology path-breakers, consultants, vendors, innovation experts, software entrepreneurs, technologists, RPO innovators, industry analysts and staffing professionals who are at the forefront of technology adoption.

The event will tackle wide ranging subjects; from cloud computing to vendor selection, social technology to mobile apps, video technology to website analytics, all in the context of recruitment. All things under the broad umbrella of technology and its application to recruitment and talent acquisition will be addressed. Put simply, RECTEC is where recruitment meets technology.

The event is also part-expo, where you can meet some of the most innovative recruitment technology providers in Australia. Delegates have the option of requesting a one-on-one session with vendors prior or after the event. The event is fully catered and, thanks to our supporters, is one of the most affordable recruitment events to be held in Australia.

The event is a must-attend for those interested in using technology to enhance their recruitment efforts. Whether you are a recruiter, internal HR or recruitment business owner you will find something that will challenge your perspective and encourage you to innovate.

To find out more visit Recruitment Technology Evaluation Convention (RECTEC).

By Kelly Magowan | Posted in Career Events, Executive Channel, Executive Job Searching, Executive Talent Attraction & Retention, Human Resources, Information of Interest, Interesting Events, Networking, Recruitment, Recruitment Agencies & Search Firms, Six Figures News, Social Media & Technology, Training & Events | Leave a Comment

Life as a white collar contractor keeps getting better

September 27, 2011 – 2:08 pm

This is amongst the key findings of the third instalment of the IPro Index 2011; an annual research project conducted by Monash University and sponsored by Entity Solutions.

White collar contractors (referred to as Independent Professionals or IPros by Entity Solutions) prove to be an overwhelmingly enthusiastic group, with more than four in five IPros reporting that they are proud of the work they do, enjoy being immersed in their work and say they are happiest when working intensely.

IPros are also becoming a key source for knowledge sharing and knowledge transfer among their clients. Dr Tui McKeown, Senior Lecturer of Monash University and Contracting Specialist, explained that, “The contract workforce is a powerful and compelling workforce that organisations need to know more about and understand to unleash this potential.”

Click here to get your hands on the IPro Index 2011 Report today.

By Kelly Magowan | Posted in Six Figures News | Leave a Comment
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 26 other followers