How to change jobs successfully

We are excited to announce that Annette Dixon, from End2end Business Solutions was recently interviewed for the Australian Construction Industry Magazine. Here is a transcript of her interview:


How to change jobs successfully

In an increasingly uncertain and precarious construction industry, many Australian workers are looking for security and stability via new opportunities.
By Sarah Linney


Construction professionals are taking a proactive approach cto their careers in an unstable economic climate through smart and considered career transitions. For these professionals, job-hunting may be a distant memory that ill equips them for today’s rigorous and competitive process.

The Official Australian Construction Magazine spoke to experts about how to effectively and efficiently job-hunt in a modern Australia.

Annette Dixon, Founder and Director of End2End Business Solutions, has 15 years experience managing change and the career transitions of employees across a range of industries including construction.

The OAC Magazine: As many construction companies downsize, what tips would you give to workers unsure of their future at their current workplace?

Annette: In these uncertain times, you need to focus more on being employable rather than worrying about being employed.
Being employable includes having a good network of contacts and undertaking formal and informal training courses to update technical skills and learn important new skills. This ensures that you are relevant to the market’s needs and specialities of the industry.

You must concentrate on maintaining and improving communication skills, regularly updating the customer-service focus, looking for ways to demonstrate leadership skills as well as revising your project management and negotiation skills. All of these are the transferable skills required in any job and industry.


The OAC Magazine: For someone who has been let go, what are the first steps they should take?

Annette: When you are let go, it is important to step back from the situation and take some time out before starting to search. It will be obvious to people conducting interviews if you haven’t let go of the past and aren’t ready to move onto the next stage of your career. It is also important to be realistic about how long it will take to find your next job; the more senior the role you seek, the longer it could take to find it.


The OAC Magazine: What are some innovative ways to job-hunt?

Annette: The best way to job-hunt is to have a plan of what you want from your next job. This includes who you would like to work for, the size of the company, what kind of opportunities for career growth there may be in the company, the cultural environment of the company, and what you don’t want, which is just as important. Then start researching public reports, news items, industry bodies and journals to find out more about the employers you may want to work for.


The OAC Magazine: How can workers prepare for job

Annette: When practicing for an interview, prepare your answers using the STAR principle so that you are targeting the correct hiring criteria for the role. In addition, write down three to five questions you would like to discuss so that you can ask them in the interview. This also demonstrates that you have thought about the role and are organised.


The OAC Magazine: What tips should job-seekers remember in an interview?

Annette: Ask questions that will help you assess the job, whether you are the right fit for the company as well as what kind of career growth is available. Do not talk over the interviewer, do maintain eye contact, and if there are a couple of interviewers, ensure that you direct your answers to both. If there is a pause in the discussion, don’t feel you have to fill it.

Everyone feels nervous in an interview. To banish nerves, focus on what you are going to say and how you are going to communicate it. The more you prepare for an interview, the more likely the outcome will be positive. Always follow up with a thank-you email or note to the interviewer for taking the time to meet with you. If the salary isn’t specifically mentioned, then don’t discuss it. If they ask you for your salary expectations always answer with a range like $50,000 to $55,000 that you know is equal to a similar role in a parallel organisation.


The OAC Magazine: What tips about writing a good resume would you give to employees in the construction industry?

Annette: A good resume is three to four pages long, and is clear and uncluttered. It is important to start with contact details. Have a concise summary of what you would bring to an organisation and your unique selling point. Then, detail your employment summary. When talking about achievements in the resume, pick two really strong ones for each role and use the STAR principle Situation, Action, Task and Result – which clearly articulates what you brought to that role.


If you are considering changing jobs, please contact us at End2end 02 8977-4002. End2End Business Solutions offers a 'One on One' career management program that is designed to provide skills to employees to obtain employment or change careers and access the non advertised job market.

16 telltale signs that a worker is an independent contractor

 Some interesting and useful information for employers to take note of:

16 telltale signs that a worker is an independent contractor
By Charles Power
Editor-in-Chief, Employment Law Practical Handbook

When you have engaged someone to perform work for your business, you need to determine whether that person is engaged as an employee or an independent contractor.

Here are 16 telltale signs that a worker is an independent contractor:

1. They advertise their services to the world at large (e.g. in industry magazines or in the Yellow Pages).
2. They negotiate their own fees.
3. They take out their own insurance and indemnity policies.
4. They provide their own tools and equipment and pay all their own business expenses.
5. They are paid only for the work they complete.
6. They do not work under supervision.
7. They are not given paid leave.
8. No tax is deducted from their payments.
9. They use an ABN (although in past cases the Court has given this little weight).
10. They develop goodwill (name, brand or reputation) through their work.
11. They provide services to a number of different purchasers (although in a past decision the Court said this was no different to that of casual or part-time employee working for a small number of employers).
12. They employ or sub-contract individuals to perform the work.
13. They use their own standard rates and terms and conditions of trade.
14. They are registered for GST.
15. They have their own systems for invoicing and payment, debt collection systems and budgeting.
16. They have their own business names or contract through an incorporated entity.

If some of the above characteristics are present but the legal status of the relationship is still unclear, you need to ask yourself the following questions:

1. Is the worker running their own business or enterprise with independence in the conduct of their own operation? If so, the worker is a contractor.

2. Is the worker operating as a representative of the principal’s business with little or no independence in the conduct of their operation? If so, the worker is an employee.

 
If you need assistance in clarifying whether a worker is an independent contractor or an employee, please contact Annette at End2end Business Solutions on  02 8977-4002

To Attract and Retain Gen Y Workers

It is projected that by 2020, workers born between 1980-1995 will make up approx, 40% of the workforce.

So, do you have a retention strategy for your young, Gen Y staff?

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that you can simply pay them more, and they will stay.

Organizations should consider shifting their mindset from permanent work to projects to give them the edge in attracting and retaining Gen Y workers. Money is rarely enough to keep employees on board and engaged.

To keep your young workers, companies should start thinking about lifestyle rather than salary, and offering these young Gen Y workers a job that makes them feel like they're making a difference in the world. Gen Y employees need to feel they are learning, and they especially appreciate being coached. That means employers and managers need to be competent in coaching techniques. Gen Y people welcome new challenges and a manageable degree of risk. If they are given an opportunity to take on a new challenge they see this as a vote of confidence in their abilities.Most importantly, they should be able to obtain a sense of accomplishment and forward momentum from their role and career, as Gen Y see accomplishments as the steppingstones to success. Without this, Gen-Yers feel as though they’re spinning their wheels.