This is what they had to say about our Work-Readiness training...Hunt to Kill

"It was great attending the workshop, I feel like I am ready for the world out there. It was a privileged to attend. Thank you!!"

"The workshop was very good and eye opening. I have learnt how to professionally present myself."

"The training was informative and the trainer made every section clear to me and I think with all the skills I have learned today I will go places and I think it will be a good thing if you offer this type of training more often. "

"The most inspiring and encouraging presentation I have ever had to keep me going and driven. "

Interview Tips: EMPLOY ME

Thinking about a good and memorable acronym for some interview tips, EMPLOY ME seemed like a good, straightforward and direct choice. At the the end of the interview that is the message you want to send out to the recruiter! 

So here are a few tips: 

Engage: Be engaged and engaging in the interview. The interviewer needs to get to know you, as well as possible, in a limited time period. Show interest in the business and the role; listen to the questions; try to make the interview into more of a conversation than a Q & A session.

Me: Remember the interview is about YOU! You need to focus on YOUR achievements and accomplishments. Be focused on YOUR contributions to the team rather that what the team accomplished as a whole.

Proof: Back up all statements with proof. If you say you can do something , back it up with examples of past experience, times when you did this or something similar. Try to give as much detail as possible.

Look the part: First impression last! Make sure you are dressed appropriately for the interview. Rather be too smart that too casual! Even in a relaxed work environment you need to dress for an interview!

You should be clean, neat and tidy- body, hair and clothing.

Outspoken: Even if you are an introvert you have to be outspoken in an interview. An interviewer won’t necessarily have a chance to get to know you if you don’t use this opportunity to sell yourself. This is a MARKETING opportunity. They have your CV and have invited you for an interview, now you have to do the talking!

Yes I can: Always have a “CAN DO” attitude. Show willingness to learn and receptivity to feedback.

Manners: Be well mannered before, during and after the interview. You can do this by being polite on the phone during the pre-interview period. Greet the interviewer/s politely with a handshake and eye contact. Be polite to everyone you encounter in the office, including the receptionist, security guard or office administrator who greets you on arrival. Remember to thank the interviewer for their time and the opportunity.

Excellence: Focus on being the best possible candidate. Give an indication of your excellence through examples of past experience where you have made achievements. Highlight your excellence. Employers want winners! Know you are a winner and they will know you are an EXCELLENT candidate!

GOOD-LUCK!!

Application time...2012

It's that time of year that recruiters love and dread! A time of year when they are out in full force on University and College campuses selling themselves to you as "Employers of Choice" and building their Employer brands so that you aspire to be part of their organisations. This is the fun part- the part where they get to see the faces of the future, before being snowed under a pile of CV's and online applications.  

So my questions to you are as follows:

Have you thought about your future?

Where will you be in 2012?

Have you been to any career fairs or talks on your campus?

Have you prepared your CV?

Have you researched companies that you would like to work for?

HAVE YOU APPLIED?

If you are planning to work next year, now is the time to get your applications in. All going well you will head into final exams with a job lined up for the new year. This means you will be able to focus on your studies and enjoy your holiday!

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Introducing S-Connect

S-Connect (Student-Connect) believes that building a strong employer brand is crucial to recruiting high potential graduates. As Graduate Specialist consultants we are able to offer a holistic service that will help build your employer brand and follow through to build strong relationships with employees after hire.

We are able to offer 4 unique services to you:

• S-Connected Program (Monitor and mentoring of bursary students)
• Work –readiness training
• Graduate recruitment
• Consulting on Graduate Training programs

The S-Connected Program is a monitoring and mentoring program for students on bursaries. We will act as a liaison between companies/ trusts and the students who are being sponsored by their bursary funds.

Building this relationship with students will ensure they are kept abreast of business news and results, creating a strong sense of “connectedness” with their bursar. We will see students face-to-face throughout the year and saving travel and in some cases accommodation costs for bursars.

Work-readiness training, these would be short training sessions focusing on basic topics like business etiquette, job-searching, CV preparation and interview skills.

Our “bite-size” training offering will create a platform for meeting graduates and engaging with them outside of the recruitment process it is also an excellent opportunity to establish the employer brand. The type of training we will offer will include Business Etiquette and Communication, Translating Academic Knowledge in the Work Environment, CV Preparation (industry specific); Interview Skills including mock interviews.

University gives graduates the knowledge to perform a role at a certain level and develops the graduate’s ability to think, analyse and problem solve. We aim to equip graduates with the tools to use this knowledge and ability, efficiently, effectively and with utmost professionalism. We hope to present the working world with graduates that are corporate savvy and smart.

We aim to ensure that every graduate that passes through our hands or that of our clients will not only be corporate smart, savvy and set but they will be able to apply and utilize their tools with absolute aplomb.

Recruitment of graduates to businesses with graduate training programs in place. We will supply a full range of options from partial recruitment services or end-to-end recruitment services (with various options in between).

In a persistently fragile economy where labour costs are high, recruitment mistakes potentially disastrous and companies are constantly looking at how to save money. We propose recruiting graduates who show excellent potential for industry, brand and technical fit. This will enable companies to recruit potential high performers at a lower cost and focus on fast tracking them into key strategic positions.

We will strive to work hand in glove with the recruiters ensuring that the best graduates are selected for their programmes, satisfying a need for a culture and corporate fit, skills and attitude and aptitude for the role.

We will help develop clear and structured Graduate Training Programs training programs with specific measurables in place to monitor progress.

Many employers are actively recruiting graduates directly from the tertiary institutions but are not nurturing of the graduates they recruit. Graduates are expected to fulfil junior roles in the businesses with little support and are often accountable for important portfolios without the necessary support, management and leadership that they need. We offer to help structure programmes that will meet business needs and graduate expectations.

With huge amount of time, energy and money that is invested in training graduates the ultimate goal of the Graduate training program should be RETENTION. We will measure the success for the graduate training initiatives based on the companies’ ability to retain these graduates at the end of the program.

We aim to ensure that they are valued, respected and nurtured throughout their program and will be there to assist both the graduate and HR.