Let us get this straight: introverts are not shy, nor do we hate people. We also aren't any weirder than others are. Our brains are just wired vastly different from most of the people. While the extroverts get their energy and excitement from socialization, risk-taking, and adventures, we get ours from within, and an excess of these external stimulants drain the vitality out of us. We recharge by withdrawing from people and enjoying our quiet times. That’s why you may find us most of the time in coffee shops, museums, or libraries, embracing solitude.
And this makes living in such a social country like Australia quite challenging for us. This is a country where barbecues, office parties, and drinking out with your work mates are the norms. Fortunately, there are jobs out here that do not require us to interact with people 90% of the time. Occupations that will allow us to toil alone in an enclosed office or isolated fields. If you are one of us, you better take note of these.
Annual salary: $65,000 per year
Required training/degree: A bachelor’s degree in a field such as zoology, biology, wildlife biology, or ecology.
A zoologist’s line of job can be pretty diverse, ranging from tending for a zoo to caring for sanctuary animals to research and drug development. But the thing is, you only deal with animals from the furry to the scaly, and they won’t engage you in small talks.
Annual salary: $90,000
Required training/degree: A bachelor’s degree in Library Science, Education, or History.
As an archivist, your job is to sort, classify, and catalogue historical materials, documents, or works of arts. You will usually work in museums, libraries, or research centers. These lines of work are what some people will find extremely boring. But as an introvert, you will find these amusing. You will have the opportunity to learn about history, art, or science on a first hand basis, coming straight from the sources of knowledge themselves.
Annual salary: $116,000
Required training/degree: A bachelor’s degree in Geoscience.
Geoscientists either spend their entire time on the field, surveying the site, gathering data, and collecting samples. When they are not out there, they tinker in their laboratories, analyzing said samples, cataloguing, and writing researches. Each day is filled with wonders of discovery, learning, and realisations.
Annual salary: $57,000
Required training/degree: A bachelor’s degree in Computing, Information Technology, or Computer Science.
Computer programming is another intricate task. Programmers usually spend entire days in front of computer screens, building software programs by manipulating codes to the best of their knowledge and whatever programming language they use (yes, computer programs have their own specific languages). It is so challenging that Internet memes have already been made out of it by programmers themselves to make fun of their otherwise arduous jobs.
Annual salary: $78,000
Required training/degree: A bachelor’s degree in Economics
Economics might be a social science, but as someone in the field, social interaction will be the last thing you do. You will be working either in the Government, corporations, or the academia, translating and analysing numbers, extracting patterns, solving complex problems, and analysing human behaviors to paint a bigger picture of their actions and possibly predict the future.
The only time there will be human interaction is when you speak with your clients or superiors to communicate your findings and reports, and these would not take an entire day.
Annual salary: $65,000
Required training/degree: A bachelor’s degree in Mathematics
Not all mathematicians end up lecturing in front of the class. Some of them spend their days inside offices and research centers tinkering with numbers, predicting patterns, and exploring the world of data, facts, and figures. Mathematicians usually work in the fields of astronomy, economics, software and hardware development, and the academe. But you may also find them in robotics, medicine, climate study, and national security.
Annual salary: $51,000
Required training/degree: A bachelor’s degree in Radiology
No, radiologist is not the person who operates the x-ray machine. That is the radiographer. A radiologist is a specialised physician who interprets and analyses results from x-ray, CT scan, MRI, and ultrasound examinations to detect and diagnose certain illnesses, which he/she will then forward to the general physician or the relevant specialist. These people mostly have no patient interaction and deals only with a secretary, a few nurses, and other doctors, which do not always occur.
Aussies are overall friendly and open people but that doesn’t mean they cannot spot a liar or a blunderer from a mile away. They are perceptive people and that goes the same when they do job interviews. They are on the prowl to weed out those who are dishonest and incompetent from those who are genuinely willing to work. You have to be careful not only with your answers, but with the questions you ask as well.
If you want to ace your job interview, avoid asking these questions:
This question reveals that you entered the building unprepared. When applying, do some research about the company, its mission and vision, and the details about the position you are applying for.
Sometimes your company will need you to work beyond your usual nine to five shift, and that is normal as long as they are not violating any labour laws. If you are the type of person who will only log in for as long as you want, you may not be a fit for the company. Self-entitlement has no place here.
This question just screams “I am going to do something wrong so I might as well know the firing process now.” And more surprisingly, it isn’t uncommon. Asking how you may get booted out sends the wrong message to the interviewer.
This is one of those questions better left unasked. Social media sites have taken over our lives so there might be gravity to this concern. When posting on social media, avoid anything that speaks ill of the company, your superiors, or co-workers, even if you are not friends with them. These people always have a workaround. They will know.
Inquiring about rumours and hearsays is a sign of being unprofessional. Upping the ante by gossiping about the CEO is a bad move, mate.
We know the interviewer is impossibly good-looking, but you need to avoid asking personal inquiries. It is intrusive and unprofessional. You are there to prove yourself for a job position, not to look for a potential partner. Don’t be a creep and reserve those questions for bar conversations. Or for Tinder.
The last person on the job might have been fired due to misconduct or he/she could have taken a different career path. You will appear to be too prying on personal matters if you ask this question. Nobody likes someone who is too nosy. Especially employers.
Just like with the social media question up there, this question shows that you are hiding something. This provides a more negative impact since you are talking about the company resources and facilities. Asking this will raise red flags to your interviewer.
This glaringly (and unfortunately) shows your priorities. While your interviewer tries to find out what can you offer to the company, you are thinking of sipping piña colada while getting paid with company money. Obviously, there is disconnect in your primary concerns and therefore you do not deserve a spot in the office.
As much as we do not want you asking these questions, not asking anything is just as bad. An interview is like a first date. If you are the person who only talks about him/herself during the entire dinner, you won’t get a second date. Asking for further details about the company and your job description (in addition to the ones you know) shows that you are curious and eager to take on the job. That is a plus point added to your score already.
The business and technological world is rapidly changing. In fact, we are currently experiencing their fastest development in centuries. Chances are those hard-earned and prized skills of yours may not work anymore (for the time being, at least). Constantly upskilling and gathering knowledge is the key to survive the digital jungle.
Months ago, LinkedIn discovered and brought to light what expertise will be in-demand next year by pooling and analysing billions upon billions of user data and going through tens of thousands of job postings, searchings, and recruitment activities in their website to pin point the“hot skills” that companies will be looking for.
Here are the top ten. There is still time to upskill, train, and obtain your certifications before 2017 knocks on our doors.
Cloud computing refers to the storage and access of data and programs over the Internet as opposed to your computer's hard drive. Using the Google drive or your iPhone’s iCloud are examples of these. Someone who knows to enable this technology is an asset to companies because it provides self service provisioning, flexibility, and pay-per-use set up for the business.
Distributed computing, on the other hand, lets components of a software system to be shared among multiple computers working on the same goal to boost up efficiency and performance. Dozens upon dozens of projects on various fields ranging from Astrophysics to Cryptography to Finance are currently operating on this technology.
Statistical Analysis refers to the process of obtaining, scrutinising, and presenting huge quantities of data to uncover underlying patterns and trends. This is helpful to any business that process huge amounts of information or deal with a big number of people like manufacturers, airline companies, communication companies, and even government agencies. Data mining is drawing out meaningful information from large sources to create models that help important business decisions.
The two might sound the same, but they are not. Both are equally important to businesses and yes, they sometimes overlap but they utilise entirely different approaches.
Website architecture is simply the planning and designing of the technical, functional and visual components of a website. It deals not only with the appearance, but also server, memory, processes, and security parameters of the site.
Development Framework is the creation and improvement of software frameworks that provide specific functionality as part of a larger software platform to expedite development of software applications, products and solutions.
Middleware is the software that often operates between operating systems and applications or between clients and database servers, allowing them to communicate and work efficiently together. The Android system and other game engines operate on this system.
Integration, on the other hand, is the process of merging together disparate subsystems so that the data contained in each becomes part of a larger, more inclusive system that will easily share data when necessary. The AppleWorks for the Apple II utilised software integration.
User Interface Design refers to maximizing the user’s interaction, efficiency, and experience. It applies mostly to computers, smart phones, and other electronic devices where usability is of paramount concern. The multiple applications running on your smart phone do not negatively affect or slow down each other's operation and efficiency because of User Interface Design.
With the advent of social media upon us, not to mention the digitalization of government agencies, more and more sensitive information is being shared on line than ever. This leads to the rise of Network and Information Security to thwart any efforts of stealing and misusing these information.
Network security refers to the protocols and practices implemented by a network administrator to prevent and keep track of unauthorised access, exploitation, and modification, of the network and network resources. Information security, on the other hand, is the set of protocols and practices implemented to detect and counter the threats to digital (and even non-digital) information.
Mobile development is the creation and development of applications for mobile and smart phones. The era of smart phones is here and progressing, thousands of mobile applications are being created and developed every day to ride on this technological boom. No wonder mobile development will be a huge hit next year. If you are reading this article from a Chrome browser application on your iPhone, you can thank mobile development for that.
This refers to the summarising, organising and communicating mathematical data and information using various tools, such as diagrams, distribution charts, graphs, and histograms,. This skill is handy in business, sales, auditing, and marketing fields.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is the maximization of online presence by making sure the website ranks high in the search engine results. Wikipedia always appears first on Google results whenever you search for a word or a term because it is one of the most efficiently optimised websites on the planet. Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is a type of digital marketing being done through the use of paid promotions and advertising.
Both skills are essential in this day and age where businesses are no longer of brick and mortar variety and marketing is already beyond billboards and TV spots .
This is a broad skill, as it comprises (and even encompasses) the virtualisation, replication, and mirroring of data and networks, as well as security, compression, traffic analysis, process automation, storage provisioning, and other related techniques.
Nothing hits harder and more surprising than getting the boot. It starts with a bright and promising day at work. Then your boss calls you into his/her office. Next thing, he/she tells you to pack your things and look for other opportunities. It is like a sucker punch, if sucker punches can drain your bank account and throw you into depression.
If only there were signs, right?
Well actually, there always are. But they are so conventional and familiar that they are easy to ignore. Here, we list the eight signs that says you will be dismissed. However, all hope is not yet lost. Here are our articles on how to write a terrific curriculum vitae and how to nail a great interview to get you out of the unemployment line.
Aha! This is a win. This means you will have more free time to get closer to your crush during water cooler chats or update your Instagram account.
Better update your resume, mate. This means your responsibilities are being redistributed to other people as preparation for the hugehole you will be leaving when you walk out of the door. This is especially true if you are a high-level employee and/or used to juggle multiple tasks at the same time. If you get to log off from work early while your co-workers have to take overtime, do not feel blessed. Danger is coming your way.
We know, you hate meetings. You think it is a waste of time because it burns precious hours staring at slide shows that you could have poured on your tasks. And you would feel happy if you will no longer be part of them anymore. Trust us, you shouldn't. Not getting invited to key meetings and projects means the company is moving forward without you. The signs only get clearer when you try to bring this up to your superiors and all your get is a shrug. That means you will be getting the pink slip.
And speaking of your boss…
So, your supervisor that was always gleeful and supportive towards you suddenly becomes quite cold and overly critical. She now spends less time with you, and even less open with her ideas and prospects. “Alright,” you tell yourself, “She must be going through a lot lately, or having challenges with the work-life balance.” It is OK to clear up the negativity in your head, but if this goes on for weeks or months without any explanations or apologies, you better re-establish your connections and ask for openings.
Like your other, more personal relationships like with your partner, family, and friends, a sudden and huge change in your boss’s behavior spell signs of trouble. Ignoring these is a career death warrant.
The other way around is not good news either. If your boss is monitoring your cases closer than the usual, he might be looking for pitfalls and reasons to show you the door. Initiatives such as constantly asking for progress reports or putting you on a performance review only solidifies this.
And speaking of reports…
If the accounting department suddenly asks for documentations of your time and expenses, be warned. Increased scrutiny like these don’t casually happen, only when your boss and/or the company thinks someone (including you) has misused/bloated the expanses more than the company allows.
This is worse if you are the only one getting combed. That means they zeroed in on the irregularities on your end. And you think that unwarranted drinking and spending during the last business trip won’t haunt you again.
So, you were granted a vacation leave. Another win, right? Come on, nobody gets this privilege other than you.
But before you schedule your next trip to the beach, remember that unsolicited time offs are red flags, especially if it is something you don’t really need. Since your tasks and responsibilities are getting slashed, the company thinks they don’t have to pay you for the days you will never use productively anyway, thus the time off.
Not all signs can be seen from your boss. Sometimes the indication can shows up from the very people who gets the memo first: the HR department.
And contrary to what everybody believe, the Human Recourse office is not peopled with megalomaniacs who wants to see employees get fired. Like you, it breaks their heart to know that some people should go. And that makes them act unusual and bizarre around those they know will get dismissed. If you notice anything out of the ordinary in the way they act around or talk to you, be wary.
Let us preface this by saying that not all mergers are bad. It is a way for the company to continually grow and expand by unifying the two entities’ resources.
But sometimes, when two companies combine, their common departments overlap, and this leads to massive layoffs (You don’t need two administrative departments, do you?). The same effect happens when a new leadership takes over and wants to bring the company to a different direction. This sometimes involve huge overhauls among employees they deemed too unnecessary. So you better make calls if news of a merger starts looming in the horizon.
Each year, hundreds of thousands of hopeful workers from around the world vie to be employed in Australia, have their visa, settle in, and establish a good and stable life. It is every migrant’s dream. However, you need to be noticed and employed first before this aspiration rolls on. And that starts with the curriculum vitae.
As we have mentioned before, your CV is your first chance to get your future employers’ (or the Human Resources', for that matter) attention. Much like in products and services, it is your advertisement. You do it wrong and you forever lose the chance of making a deal.
You only get a singular chance to make an impression. It better count. Follow these tips that everybody seems to neglect when writing a curriculum vitae, and then you can start walking the road to a better life.
Here is what every job hunter’s order of business looks like: Write CV. Print multiple copies. Send them to prospective companies. Scratch head wondering why he/she doesn’t get a call. Believe it or not, there is no mystery there. Once you start thinking that a single CV will be acceptable to all companies, then expect to get ignored.
Much like your suit/dress is tailored to your size and shape, your curriculum vitae must also be adjusted to each company you are gunning for. Sit down and read the company’s values, mission, and vision statements, take a look at the words they use, and customize your paper according to those. Each employer is looking for a person who will fit to its established goals and culture, and you need to sell yourself as that person.
But no, do not copy statements directly off their Mission and Vision declaration. You will sound pretentious and insincere. And that’s a turn off.
It is a wonder that people still bother including objectives. That much is very clear the moment you send your CV. You need a job. Period. What companies want to know, however, is what you can do. That is where your executive summary will come in.
An executive summary is your elevator pitch printed on paper. It contains a gist of what you are good at and what value it can provide to the company, all listed in three to five sentences. If your curriculum vitae is a TV show, this is the opening scene. If the audience (your prospects) don’t like it, they will switch to another channel (the next applicant).
Do not litter your summary with vague and cliché descriptions like “Self-motivated, organized, and excellent in multi-tasking,” they have seen that on the previous fifty resumes before yours. Instead, be specific. “Account Manager with a degree in Business Management and experience in sales and marketing” is a better description. It tells something about yourself and what worth you can give to the employer. Throw in your most substantial work-related achievements and work ethics and you have got the big bosses hooked.
It is easy to spot the first time applicants by the way they refer to themselves. They use pronouns. And nothing turns a good curriculum vitae sour than pronouns. You need to be streamlined and unambiguous in your descriptions, so you better take it off.
Logically, using third person pronouns are out of the question (it sounds weird and you are not the Rock), but you shouldn’t use “I” either. Your descriptions, whether it is about your qualifications, trainings, and values, should begin with a verb or (rarely) an adjective for them to be firm and straight to the point:
Has a degree in Psychology…
Develops computer programs for entrepreneurs…
Responsible for arranging financial reports…
Notice also that they come in singular form and in present tense, unless of course the description stated refers to a specific accomplishment in the past that has a profound positive effect to the company, then you use the past tense.
And speaking of accomplishments…
Say what you will, but accomplishments are the most prized part of your curriculum vitae. This part proves that you are not just an item on the company’s payroll, but someone who actually turns the lever and moves the wheels. So you better write them correctly or you are wasting a good opportunity.
You use the Result by Action format. It simply means you list the achievement (result) followed by the method(s) you used.
Generated 150% increase in sales quota (result) by targeting more densely populated territories (action).
Lead the acquisition of related business entities (result) by developing policies that mutually adhere to the companies’ interests (action).
Structured a teaching curriculum (result) by conducting an intensive academic study on freshman students (action).
It shows that you are the employee that provides solution to the company’s challenges and you are producing results.
You know why Facebook’s Timeline design is successful and engaging? Because it focuses on the current things you do, what you are into, what you have for lunch… etc. Then it threads on the past and less important occurrences as you scroll down.
Its structure follows a reverse chronological order, where the latest period comes first followed by the older ones. Your curriculum vitae should be written in the same manner, too. It lets the employer take a look on what you’ve been up to recently. Are you currently working? Attending school? Starting a business? Remember when it comes to employment, time is relevancy. What you are doing in the previous month impacts more what you can offer to the company than, say, your status a year ago.
Also, this format provides a clue of what your future boss thinks is next for you. Are you up for a higher position? Do you need to expand your specialization? The possibilities are endless. And unless you are a fresh graduate, you also need to place your educational background at the bottom. We understand you are proud of dear alma mater, but it won’t make much bearing on your application.
This we cannot stress enough. You have gone out of High School (or College) and now ready to face the professional world. Your days of getting immersed in the World of Warcraft twelve hours a day has ended. Competing with thousands upon thousands of other applicants and/or clients is the real game now. That being said, there’s no reason for your email address to be soulcutter_megablade_1177@hotmail.com (or worse, something laden with sexual innuendos).
Look, your email address is a means of contact. The Human Resource will take note of that. Be sure it is appropriate and emanates professionalism. Leave the silly, suggestive, innuendo-filled names to your Counter Strike: Go account.
Create an email address solely for job applications. Use your first and last name. Avoid using underscores (_) and limit the use of numbers. If you can’t obtain an address with your name, experiment by including your middle initial and/or your job title, like in JohnSReedWriter@gmail.com.
You email address is your brand. It’s something people will associate with you. Be the person that should be taken seriously. Start with your email address.
If you are like most of us, you probably ditched the idea of going from office to office to hand out your CV and instead send virtual copies of applications online. If that's so, you are probably are among the thousands who carelessly just named their CV file name resume.doc. Big mistake.
You see, much like your executive summary and email address, your CV’s final name can also make or break your chance of getting noticed. If you simply named your curriculum vitae, well, curriculumvitae.doc, you are among the one-third of applicant who do that, and there’s a big chance your application will be lost among the similarly and generically named ones.
Use your name on your file name so you can be indexed and found easily among huge batch of files. Or better yet, include your title or the position you are vying for like in RachelLee_CV_OperationsManager.doc (you may use underscores and dashes). For someone who sorts through gazillions of applications each day, your file name will provide a relief since it already tells them who you are.
Also, avoid using version numbers on your CV, like in MelissaCruz11.doc. Your boss will think there are ten more which probably went to the ten other companies in the building. You are not giving a good impression with that.