NEW AGE CV: YOU ARE WHAT YOU SAY ONLINE / OFFICE COOL
CAREER NEWS AND ADVICE SEPTEMBER 2014
MONEY MATTERS
HOW TO DEAL WITH A NIGHTMARE BOSS
POSSIBLE CAREERS FOR EXTROVERTED PERSONALITIES
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TWALA NG’AMBI
DJ, ARCHITECT AND FASHION DESIGNER DELUXE
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CONTENTS 06 How to choose between two jobs 10 Ten resume mojo boosters most people miss 14 Recharge your career 16 How to deal with a nightmare boss 18 Money Matters 21 DJ, Architect + Fashion Designer deluxe 24 Office Cool 26 SA needs more medical researchers 28 Possible careers for extroverted personalities 30 New-age CV: You are what you say online 32 The value of internships in choosing a career 34 How to write the perfect CV 37 Employee benefits should include lifestyle & traditional benefits
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How to get promoted How to accept a job offer
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CAREER HIGHLIGHTS THE LATEST HAPPENING IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN JOB MARKET
See what other job seekers had to say about the job market!
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Women at work
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Penelope Trunk founded four startups. Her most recent is Quistic. Her career advice runs in 200 newspapers. She lives on a farm in Wisconsin and home-schools her sons.
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ADVICE JOB HUNT
HOW TO CHOOSE BETWEEN TWO JOBS TEXT Penelope Trunk SOURCE www.penelopetrunk.com PHOTOGRAPHS istockphoto.com LINK blog.penelopetrunk.com
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bout a month ago I got a stack of catalogues from Restoration Hardware in the mail. My first thought was that I had purchased so much at Restoration Hardware in the past year that I am now one of their top customers. I thought about my friend Maria, who teaches people how to choose a color for anything in their home. She can make you feel like a genius and I’m pretty sure that means everything she buys from Restoration Hardware tax deductable. Before I was her friend and could call her all the time to ask about every little color question in my life (should my dark brown leather sofa be coco or espresso?) I hired Maria to do a color consultation. Well, I didn’t really hire her. She did it for free. But it changed my life. She picked all the colors for my house in ten minutes. And then she let me stress out about it for the next 50 minutes. I loved that call because I realized that picking colors is like picking
careers. There are right answers and we are scared to trust them. I told Maria I want French farmhouse red/ yellow/blue. And Maria saved me from creating circus tent red/yellow/blue. You think you can manage these things by yourself but really, you don’t know you can’t until you see what someone who is amazing at it can do. Like, I can tell you that my favorite chair in my house is the Versailles chair that no one sits in because it looks sort of like a piece of art - from Restoration Hardware, of course. Before I ordered it, I checked with Maria: “Is the white version okay? Because I like things fast and Restoration Hardware can ship it to me in a week if I buy what they have in stock.” Maria said yes and that she likes anything from Restoration Hardware. You are thinking Restoration Hardware should sponsor this post, right? Well, they can’t, because I’m about
to tell you that when I received their stack of nine catalogues, I realized pretty quickly that I was not special because my brother, who lives in commute-to-a-job-in-NYC New Jersey says there’s a Facebook thread for his neighborhood to talk about how wasteful it is to send out all those catalogues. I did not want New Jersey snark to ruin my wide-eyed Wisconsin excitement over endless bedtime reading. I replaced the Xanax bottle on my nightstand with the stack of catalogues. That’s how much hope I had for pages of Small Spaces (Barcelona! Paris! Malibu!) and Furniture (Deconstructed! Aerospace! Swedish!). But then I got to Rugs. (Ben Soleimani! Ben Soleimani! Ben Soleimani!) Really. There are 80 pages of rugs and each page says the rug is made by him. Wait. That’s not true. There are
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ADVICE JOB HUNT two pages with Ben that have no rugs photos, only polo photos illustrating a biography of Ben where we find out that he’s a great polo player with inner thigh muscles any woman would kill for. I mean to have as her own. I don’t know why he thinks we want to see him playing polo. It’s like this is an aspirational magazine but not for the reader, only for him. I starting thinking about why Restoration Hardware would let this happen. All the other catalogues in my stack have a wide range of designers caring about design. Why would the rug catalogue be all Ben? I googled him. He’s famous. Well, famous for being born into the rug business, and supplying Prince Charles with rugs and saying the best way to buy rugs is to pay a lot of money. (Suddenly, the polo makes sense.) I guess Restoration Hardware needs some outside validation for their rug business, and Ben needs to be a household name and wasn’t able to buy his own spot on reality TV. This makes sense. It’s really what every business agreement is: each side needs something from the other. And if you keep that in mind, it’s much easier to decide which job to talk at which point in your life: Choose the company where you had a great interview. A good job interview is more like a consulting gig. You tell the company what you have to offer. How you will change their business. Because that’s what establishes you and the company as equals – it’s not an interview but a partnership. They want what you can give them. The best job interviews I’ve had have come from me reaching out to the CEO and telling him I see a problem he has
that I can solve. Ben did that with Restoration Hardware. He saw their carpets sucked and he knew how to fix that. Choose a company for its image – it’ll reflect on you. The definition of a good company to work at is one with a good brand. Your career is only as good as your resume, and, let’s face it, a big career is really just a series of company names and titles. If the company has a great brand, then it conveys immediate and significant meaning to your career. Just because it sits on your resume. You could do nothing at the company, but it’s pretty easy to hide that with well-written bullets on a resume. It’s impossible to hide that the company is not a respected brand. Go to a job that makes a good story. I see that Restoration Hardware did
bottom feeding by marrying him. But he’s loaded. So fine, it makes sense. Be careful what you reveal by who you pair yourself with. If you hire someone as demanding as Ben you look like you don’t have selfconfidence in the field. If you make a deal with your employer that puts your name on every page they print, it might feel like a win, but beware: an overly accommodating employer tells everyone you were too scared to go work for a company that has as strong a reputation as you do. Choose to work with people who are easy for you. I like that Maria is in this post. She’s an example of someone I like being associated with. We did an online course together and it felt so natural. Ben and Restoration don’t look like a natural fit. They look forced and self-serving. Often people ask me how to choose between two jobs. It’s almost always an obvious choice if you look at the choice in terms of Ben Soleimani’s career. Each of us has many stories we could tell to describe our career and how we got here. Taking a new job is like making a new ending to the story. And a new ending changes the meaning of the story. Look at what the job choice says about the rest of the story, and figure out which story you like best. Ben’s story is that he wants to be everything to everyone. A polo player and a rug dealer to royalty who is also trying to corner the cataloguecrooning Restoration Hardware crowd. Don’t choose a job that shows you trying to be everything to everyone. It makes you look unhinged. Even if you’re on top of a horse.
“I googled him. He’s famous. Well, famous for being born into the rug business, and supplying Prince Charles with rugs and saying the best way to buy rugs is to pay a lot of money.”
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some deal where they had to bend over backwards to get Ben Soleimani to work with them. Ben thinks he looks amazing in his polo outfit. I think he looks desperate. Like a woman who is really hot who had to settle for a short, middle-class guy. There’s something wrong with her. Maybe she is a whiner. Or terrible in bed. Who knows? But we know that you get what you are worth. And you can see what someone is worth on the dating market by looking at who they are with. It’s why George Clooney is marrying Amal Alamuddin. He needs credibility in the political world so he can be the next California governor. I think she is
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ADVICE YOUR RESUME (CV)
TOP 10 RESUME MOJO
BOOSTERS MOST PEOPLE MISS
TEXT Liz Ryan SOURCE www.humanworkplace.com PHOTOGRAPHS istockphoto.com LINK www.linkedin.com
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ven if you and I haven’t met, I know a few things about you. You’re smart and creative. You’re interested in lots of different things. You make people laugh; you make yourself laugh, and you think about things going on around you. You’re curious about the world and why things work the way they do. I know all that about you, and that’s why it kills me to think about the way we’ve all been brainwashed to believe we can’t bring our spark and power across in a resume. We’re not allowed to do that, supposedly. I read resumes and LinkedIn profiles all day, and they all look alike. They’re boring, and they don’t sound remotely like the smart, interesting, sparky, wickedly funny people behind them. Long before we were born, somebody came up with a bunch of rules for writing resumes, and we’re still living under those awful rules today. Who made up the rules? Do we know the person’s name? If not, why are we still following his or her guidance? You know the rules I mean: don’t use “I” in your resume. Don’t use full sentences. Stick to the standard zombie jargon like “Results-oriented professional” and “Meets or exceeds expectations.” The best bit of standard resume jargon -- by which I mean the throw-uppiest bit - is the abominable “proven track record of success.” Is there such a thing as an UNproven track record of
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success? Or a proven track record of failure? That’s not how people speak! I hate to see you describe yourself that way. You don’t have to! It’s a new day. Whether you get your resumes in the hands of hiring managers directly in the manner we teach, or send them through Black Hole recruiting portals, you can use a human voice in your resume. If you do, it can only help you. You’re thinking “But those keyword-searching algorithms don’t want to see a human voice in my resume.”
Long before we were born, came up with a bunch of ru writing resumes, and we’re under those awful rules tod Keyword-searching algorithms couldn’t care less what voice you use in your resume. They’re just looking for keywords. If you’ve got the appropriate keywords sprinkled in among the regular words in your resume, the keyword-searching algorithm will find them. You can put all your keywords together in a keyword corral at the end of your resume, too
somebody ules for e still living day.
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- the keyword searchbot will find them wherever they are. If your target employer uses keyword-searching tools to pull resumes for further review, a pair of human eyes (or more than one) is going to see your resume eventually, before anyone asks you to come for an interview. That’s a good thing! Humans are the key to the Whole Person Job Search approach we teach, and of course to the Human Workplace. You want a human to see your resume. That’s why you’ve bothered putting a human voice into it! A human is either going to like your Human-Voiced Resume or dislike it. A human would like or dislike your resume whether it were written in zombie style, with a human voice or in musical notes. There’s no ‘safe’ approach to writing a resume, so why not be yourself? Wouldn’t you rather work for people who appreciate a jobseeker who dares to sound like him- or herself? I was an HR chief for ages. The piles of nearly identical resumes depressed me like crazy, until I realized there was no need to prolong the insanity. We can sound like ourselves in our resumes now. I developed the Human-Voiced Resume and started teaching people how to write them. Those people started to get great jobs! It wasn’t just the great jobs that made me excited about the human approach to job search. People told us “When the hiring manager called, he wasn’t calling to tell me I have an interview at four p.m. on Thursday. He was calling to invite me to coffee!” Who can blame a hiring manager for wanting to learn more about a person who knows the hiring manager’s movie well as you do, from your careful research? The traditional recruiting process doesn’t require a job seeker to understand the employer’s situation at all. Every manager wants to know that his or her next new hire can come in and make a difference right away. Someone who shows up via a Pain Letter and Human-Voiced Resume is going to shift the hiring manager’s brain out of “one more applicant” mode into “maybe this person can help me.” If you want to jazz up your resume with a human voice, here are ten ways to shift out of Zombie Land into This is Really Me on the Page Land. Pick the Resume Mojo Boosters you like best from our list below! Put a human voice in your Summary Start by writing a two-to-three-sentence Summary to go just under your name and contact information on your
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Human-Voiced Resume. Go ahead and use the word “I.” Your Summary will frame the rest of your resume for the benefit of your reader -your next boss - so tell him or her where you’ve been and where you’re going. I’m an HR Generalist who thrives in a mix of recruiting, employee relations and training. My goal is to help people succeed at work whether that means re-inventing processes, coaching employees and leaders or writing a friendlier Employee Handbook. I’m looking for an organization that’s talent-aware and planning to grow. Three sentences and we get the picture. You’re not looking to sit in a cube and perform sales-comp-plan analysis all day long. Better they should know up front what you’re looking for, right? Choose your brand You get to choose your brand, on your Human-Voiced Resume (hereafter HVR) and your LinkedIn profile. Choose your headline wisely - it represents you to the world! You can put a branding statement at the top of your HVR Summary, whether you’ve held that job title before or not. If you’ve done the work in some way and you know you can do it, why not claim it? The HR job-seeker we just met has the brand HR Generalist at the top of his HVR Summary. He hasn’t held that title before -- that’s the job he’s looking for. He’s been an HR Coordinator, a Recruiting Assistant and an HRIS Analyst. Now he knows what he wants: an HR Generalist job. That’s the title of his Summary and by extension his resume. Good! We have to brand ourselves for the job we want. Frame each employer and each job Your reader a/k/a hiring manager won’t understand who each of your employers is unless you spell it out. Without knowing the size of the organization and its general situation, how could your hiring manager evaluate your role or impact? Frame each employer and each role you held, like this: Acme Explosives, Inc., Phoenix, Arizona Inventory Analyst - Operations Manager, 2005 - 2009 Acme Explosives is the largest stick dynamite maker for the coyote market, a $10M privately-owned firm. I joined Acme after approaching its CEO when he spoke on campus at State U, and over four years grew with the company to run all its Operations functions: materials, production and repair.
Share context in colorful Dragon-Slaying Stories In each Dragon-Slaying Story in your HVR (up to three Dragon-Slaying Story bullets per past job) tell us what was wrong (the reason for your action), what you did about it and why that was a good thing to do. Here’s a Dragon-Slaying Story example: When we upgraded to a new software system, I integrated the data entry forms and processes for 12 regions and trained the local Finance reps to migrate with zero customer billing errors. If you did it, claim it Your old boss is not looking over your shoulder as you write your HVR right now. If you did it, claim it! If you did something that wasn’t in your job description, claim it. If you did it in a volunteer assignment, claim it. If you can answer the question “How did you do it?” then it’s your accomplishment to keep forever. Tell us about the corners Corners are very important in an HVR. Corners are junctures where you changed jobs, moved to a new city or made other big changes. We need to know what was happening. We need those changes explained so we see your path. If the reader can’t follow the story or it doesn’t make sense, s/he’ll stop reading. You can use bullets under one job description to explain why you left the job, like this: (awesome Dragon-Slaying Story here) (second amazing Dragon-Slaying Story here) As the company was preparing to be sold, I switched to a consulting role and helped Acme through a successful integration into Toontown Industries. Now the reader knows why you’re not working there anymore: the company was sold. The more questions you can answer in your resume, the better, especially questions that would cause your next manager to wonder “Now why would a person make that change?”
project-type stories like the Customer Support story above, and sometimes they’re stories about your everyday genius, the things you did without even thinking because you’re brilliant that way: When my boss was away, I talked a major customer through a thorny billing mistake (ours) and saved his account, worth $500K/year You didn’t know how big a customer that guy was at the time, but so what? You found out later. Claim that everyday genius event now! Tell us the years, not the months Skip the starting and ending months for each job you’ve held; just give us the years. Consolidate If you worked in several jobs at one employer, you can dramatically increase the readability of your resume by consolidating those various jobs into one entry under your Experience or Career History. Smash all the jobs and their dates into one, and when you frame the role, say “I joined Acme in the mailroom and grew with them to become Customer Service Supervisor.” Clean up past titles You may have held jobs with titles so obscure that no one outside the organization would understand them. Go ahead and clean up those titles in retrospect, shifting Accounts Payable Operator II to Accounts Payable Coordinator or a similar title you like. Worried about background checks? Those are conducted based on an application form, not your resume, and you’ll have to time to provide the background-check-friendly version of your history if things heat up. It’s a new day. Zombie resumes are a job-seeker’s worst enemy! Put a human voice in your resume and let your hiring manager in on your amazing story.
Show us your everyday genius You’re not going to tell us the tasks and duties in each role you’ve held. No one cares, and we can extrapolate the tasks and duties from the job title. Tell us what YOU left in your wake! Tell us in the form of short Dragon-Slaying Stories, one story per bullet, like this: In my boss’s absence, I led Customer Support and helped the team reduce wait time from 3.5 minutes to under one minute, raising customer satisfaction to its highest point ever Everyone has Dragon-Slaying Stories. Sometimes they’re
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RECHARGE YOURCAREER Up your game by furthering your skills or equipping yourself with a completely new skill set. Sign up for a short course; part-time course or full-time diploma/degree with one of SA’s most reputable training providers. It’s the easiest way to climb the corporate ladder at a place, pace and price that suits your needs.
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What do you do if you levels high, quitting b that you need to learn
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ADVICE THE OFFICE
HOW TO DEAL WITH A NIGHTMARE BOSS TEXT Margaret Harris SOURCE BD Live PHOTOGRAPHS istockphoto.com LINK www.careerjunction.co.za
u have the job of your dreams but a nightmare boss? With unemployment because you do not get on with your boss is not a smart move. This means n to live with the discomfort, or outright pain, of a difficult boss. Lebogang Nakene, a specialist consultant with Network Recruitment, suggests “self-leadership” to deal with this problem. Look for ways to play to your manager’s likes, strengths, attitudes and behaviour and “work with them rather than against them”. Nakene says it is important to be able to distinguish between a difficult boss and someone simply doing their job. “For a start, bosses are tough, but that’s why they’re in the leadership position. To become a successful manager in today’s competitive climate, managers need to be highly efficient, quality-focused and
deadline-driven. And they will expect the same from staff. Naturally, strict command can at times seem unfair or even uncaring.” Nakene has the following advice: Ask yourself why you are so upset with your boss. Is it about what you have been asked to do, or the manner in which the request was made? Be careful about making judgments based on attitude. If the demands are reasonable and work-related, you may need to rise above any emotional response. Try putting yourself in your manager’s shoes. But remember that abuse should never be tolerated;
Check your attitude towards your boss, especially in front of others. “Your manager needs to be assured of your cooperation, the absence of which can be construed as disrespect - a negative trait that will mar the rest of your time in that position and could compromise your future success in the company,” says Nakene; and If, after being as impartial as possible, you still feel that your manager’s requests are unreasonable, you need to take the matter further. “If negotiations have proved fruitless, gather evidence of this and take it up with your manager’s superior or your HR manager.”
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BALANCE YOUR BUDGET IN 4 EASY STEPS Budgeting – it’s a balancing act
SOURCE www.all4women.com FIRST PUBLISHED ON ALL4WOMEN
Why is this so important? Simply put, having a budget helps you take control of your financial situation. It is a spending and a savings plan that ensures you have the ability to buy the things that you need, as well as the things you want. It also helps you to avoid landing up in debt. Wilfred Moyo, Investment and Economic Strategist at Metropolitan, offers four simple steps to create a balanced budget: 1. SET GOALS Budgeting focuses mainly on short term goals. However, short term goals build towards medium and long term goals as well. So it is important to ask yourself these questions: What do you want to achieve financially? What are your non-negotiable expenses? How much money can you afford to save each month? This first step is vital as it will help you make savvy spending choices. 2. DETERMINE THE BALANCE OF YOUR INCOME AND EXPENSES What is your monthly net (take-home) salary and are you earning any other income? Then work out your essential expenses such as rent/bond, transport costs, groceries, school fees and so on. Decide on the amount you can afford to
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MONEY MATTER$
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save each month and then consider it one of these non-negotiable expenses. What are the non-essential expenses? Leave a little room for these but you need to be ruthless if you want to effectively manage your money. Lastly, deduct your expenses from your income – this is your disposable cash. And remember, ‘disposable’ does not mean that it is there to be wasted. 3. TRIM SOME MORE Budget for more but aim for less. For example, maybe you have planned that you will need R2 000 a month for groceries. Keep aside R2 500, and then aim to spend R1 800. Cut corners where you can. Find clever ways to stock up. Prioritising your spending will help keep you on track with your budget. A budget is only helpful if you follow it. Like most things in life, this takes a little practice and a lot of selfdiscipline 4. NOW STICK TO IT A budget is only helpful if you follow it. Like most things in life, this takes a little practice and a lot of selfdiscipline. If you stick to your budget you will soon find that being financially secure is most definitely worth the effort.
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HOW TO BUDGET FOR YOUR FIRST HOME AUTHOR Contributor SOURCE www.all4women.com FIRST PUBLISHED ON ALL4WOMEN
Acquiring your first property is a purchase that should be carefully considered and requires a solid financial plan of action. Many of us dream about owning our own home one day and making a longterm investment in our financial future. A home loan cannot simply be viewed as a mortgage held with your bank: it signifies so much more for you and your family. A home is the visual reality of your goals coming to fruition Steven Barker, head of home loans at Standard Bank, says one significant advantage of buying a house is that it’s a passive way of creating equity and investing in your future. As buying a home is one of the first steps to creating wealth for yourself and your family, Barker suggests considering the following points when planning to purchase your first house:
Ideally your bond 1. EXAMINE YOUR SHORTrepayment should not TERM DEBT exceed 30% of your monthly One of the biggest obstacles income. It is a good idea to to saving for a home is talk to your bank to help you short-term debt. If you have work out how much you can numerous small accounts afford. they could quickly add up to a significant amount every 3. SAVE UP FOR THE month, and could be a key DEPOSIT obstacle to you owning your Although banks assess dream home. people’s financial situations A better way of viewing a individually, it is now budget is to see it as an exercise to To kick-start very rare to get 100% bonds. Saving up for help you reduce your plan a deposit is therefore your exposure to make a list a key part of your debt and increase financial plan to your savings. By of all your expenses, purchasing a house. doing this, you Remember that you can focus on the including must also take into positive goal of essentials account the transfer savings for your and nonduty and lawyers’ fees house. essentials when you are saving To avoid any 2. CALCULATE YOUR disappointment, it might be AFFORDABILITY wise to only start looking While getting rid of small for your dream house once debts will help you to qualify you’ve saved the deposit for a home loan, it is equally Taking out further debt to important to work out cover deposits and cost are what you can realistically never a good idea as it places afford to pay on a bond. It is increased pressure on your important to remember to affordability. consider not only the bond repayment but other factors such as rates, maintenance and insurance.
4. BUDGET ACCORDINGLY Buying your first home, even if it’s not exactly what you want, provides you with that first “foot in the door”. Once you are in the property market it becomes easier to upgrade to a better home because you can use the appreciation to keep moving up. To maximize appreciation make sure that you choose a good location near schools and transport. Buying a slightly Buying a run-down home slightly in a good area run-down and fixing it up home in a good area will give you and fixing it better growth up will give you better potential than a newer house in growth potential an undesirable than a area newer house in an undesirable area.
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It is important to take this into consideration and plan for any logistical, furnishing and maintenance work that would need to be carried out on your home. A proactive method is to receive estimated quotations from service providers and include these figures in your initial budgeting exercise. 5. KNOW YOUR PRICE It is vital to stick to your price no matter what the agent shows you. By stretching your budget in order to buy a more expensive house you leave no margin for
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things such as interest rates increases, or if you experience a financial emergency. 6. Plan for future financial commitments It is important to plan for unforeseen and foreseen future events by ensuring that you have surplus funds saved away. Pay additionally when you can to provide relief through tough times. A home loan is a long-term commitment and your financial and personal circumstances could change.
Interest rates also tend to go through cycles of lows and highs - it is important that this is taken into account when buying a house. Plan for the future by making sure that your personal cash flow can cope with increased payments if interest rates should rise. By preparing a personal budget which allows for costs to increase, you will be ensuring that you avoid finding yourself in financial difficulties at a later date.
ADVICE CAREER TALK
DJ, ARCHITECT + FASHION DESIGNER DELUXE TEXT Odile Badenhorst SOURCE CareerJunction Company SOURCE www.careerjunction.co.za
Twala is own fashion line! Q: Your name? a familiar A: Tawela “Twala” Ng’ambi name among Q: What do you do for a living? A: I’m a model, radio presenter, owner Capetonians. of my own fashion line and I work at an She is a Lunch architecture firm. Time host on Q: Tell us more about the company you for/own? Kfm, Cape Town work A: I host the Lunch-time show on Kfm, of the biggest radio stations in #1 radio station. one SA. I’m also part of an architectural However, what team specialising in mixed-use and many don’t know residential buildings. Q: When did you first realise that you is that Twala is wanted to work in this role? A: The radio bug bit me about 4 years also quite the ago. I started at Kfm as an overnight business woman. stand-in presenter. A few months later I was given my own overnight show, Away from her and late last year I was promoted to Lunch Time host. career in radio Architecture is something I’ve wanted she works as an to do since my early high school days. Architect and manages her very
It’s the perfect combination on science (Maths, physics) and art. Q: Describe a typical day at work? A: I work on the fashion line in my own time, but a typical weekday involves morning meetings at the architecture firm from 7:30/8am, I’m at the Kfm studios from 11am-3pm, then it’s off to a few castings or back to the architecture firm. Q: What challenges do you face in this male dominated role? A: Initially people don’t always trust your abilities to take on difficult tasks, you’ve just got to persevere because they eventually come around and value your skills, thus making job very rewarding. Q: What do you enjoy most about your job? A: I love interacting with people, I’m a great team player and love that I get to do that in both my jobs. Q: Describe your most challenging day at work? A: Every day comes with its own challenges. What challenges me most
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ADVICE CAREER TALK
is time management, deadlines that need to be met as well as juggling work and personal life. Me-time is always challenging with only 24 hours in a day, but with that said “you have as many hours in a day as Beyoncé”; if you just put your mind to it, you can get it done. Q: Was there ever a moment when you felt that your gender held you back? A: I face different struggles every day, but as does everyone else. My mother always said “a woman can do anything a man can do, and we can do it in 6inch heels”. Q: How do people react when they first hear what you do for a living?
A: I’m usually met with giggles or surprised expression. Q: What is the funniest reaction you have ever received? A: I’ve been referred to as a ‘one man army’ / superwoman. Q: What skills and tertiary education is required to fulfil this role and what training providers would you recommend? A: No real formal training is required to host a radio show. One needs to be outgoing, bubbly, and approachable, a great team player and someone that isn’t afraid of hard work and is able
to take initiative. As for architecture, a degree is required if you wish to practice, I’d suggest UCT. This is where I studied towards a BAS (architecture) degree. Q: What advice do you have for young women out there? A: 1. Success is never an accident, you either set yourself up for it or you don’t. 2. You can have anything you’re willing to work for, anything.
WATCH HER FULL INTERVIEW ON YOUTUBE.
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OFFICE COOL
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Rhino Eraser R89 Superbalist.com
Bull Money Saving Bank R265 www.yuppiegadgets.com
Large Mug With Birds R110 www.spree.co.za Chihuahua Fashion Saving Bank R265 www.yuppiegadgets.com Super Plantarium R500 www.yuppiegadgets.com Woods Keyboard Reminders by PELEG DESIGN. R59 Superbalist.com
LeafKeepers™ Cable Ties (12 pack) R125 www.mantality.co.za
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ADVICE CAREER TALK
SA NEEDS MORE
MEDICAL RESEARCHERS TEXT Pericles Anetos SOURCE BD Live LINK www.careerjunction.co.za
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outh Africa should be spending more on training medical professionals to conduct research, says a Dutch medical expert who is in the country as part of a trade mission. A very small number of doctors in South Africa pursue PhD studies after graduating. According to Jan Nouwen, of the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam, training doctors to conduct research could also be a solution to some of South Africa’s medical problems. The Erasmus Medical Centre is the 23rdbiggest employer in the Netherlands and runs training programmes for all 28 officially registered medical specialities. Dr Nouwen was speaking yesterday on the sidelines of a networking session with South African company representatives at the Protea Hotel OR Tambo. The session included local representatives from a range of industries including agrifood, horticulture, the creative industries, as well as transport and logistics. Also participating were delegates from the Dutch healthcare industry, including from companies such as Philips Africa and Royal HaskoningDHV. Contacted for comment, the deputy dean of research at the University of Cape Town, Tania Douglas, said there was a critical need for training in research due to the low number of graduates that obtained PhDs. Prof Douglas said the main issues hampering a culture of research in SA were the lack of funding to conduct research and the lack of trained supervisors to oversee research projects.
Dr Nouwen said the Erasmus Medical Centre was discussing setting up medical rescue unit with the University of Cape Town. He believed that the main investment for South Africa’s overstretched healthcare system should be in education. “I think what is lacking in a lot of countries is that there is not so much stress on research, there is a lot of stress on how to train as many health professionals as possible … because there is a shortage and that hampers healthcare, but the other thing is the lack of research.” Dr Nouwen said if research were integrated into doctors’ training programmes, medical professionals could ultimately improve the healthcare system they were part of. He said discussion with partner universities in South Africa was important to create collaborative research programmes and conduct them within South Africa so that students remained in the country, conducting most of their research here. This was because South Africa had enough problems and issues on which to conduct studies. He said the country had the facilities to perform these forms of investigations. I think what is lacking in a lot of countries is that there is not so much stress on research, there is a lot of stress on training more health professionals.
Partnering with international institutions could solve these issues and open up funding opportunities. Prof Douglas said another compelling reason for such mutually beneficial partnerships was the exposure that foreign institutions received to infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, HIV and malaria.
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Humans are complicated creatures. No one fits in perfectly to any single box, but usually uncomfortably in to many. Yet, sometimes, we do fit more into one box than into another – even though we aren’t TV characters, we do happily consider ourselves according to straight definitions. For example, some of us consider ourselves outgoing, social – others the opposite. Recognising where we more likely fit in helps us make decisions about where we should be in our lives – but that doesn’t mean we should solely rely on personality tests. This is particularly the case when it comes to future careers.
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POSSIBLE CAREERS FOR EXTROVERTED PERSONALITIES SOURCE CareerJunction Company PHOTOGRAPHS istockphoto.com LINK www.careerjunction.co.za
Often we hear about success stories from shy “nerdy” people. There’s a popular saying: “Be kind to nerds, you’ll be working for one in the future”. But what about those who aren’t shy? What careers exist for those who don’t mind having attention on them?
speaking. (Indeed, famous personalities, like Marilyn Monroe, almost everyone would consider extroverts were in fact self-proclaimed introverts.)
waters of those with media platforms. The best PR people are those who don’t give their brand a bad name – but also those that know how to respond.
Event planner and public relations
Performance or public engagement The obvious career path for anyone who considers herself an “extrovert” is the stage and screen. Performances – whether acting, singing, dancing, instrumental – requires you to be in the eyes of strangers; your actions will be their central focus. Lecturing and public speaking are, after all, considered antithetical to introverts. For example, the title of this Jonathon Colman blogpost is A Guide to Public Speaking for Introverted and Shy People.
The main element of extroverts is their ability to handle other people – particularly strangers and particularly in large groups. This basically summarises the entire career of an event organizer. Though event management courses stress organizational skills, little can prepare you for the “human element” where people need help, have emergencies, and so on. You need to be able to not only manage your own emotions, but others too.
In these times, it’s easy to find yourself without a job if you aren’t consistent in your PR approach though – even in your personal capacity, because of how it rubs off on your employer’s name.
It’s considered unnecessary to have a similar guide for extroverts: they apparently don’t need to overcome fear of judgement, anxiety, and so on. But of course that’s not true: Even extroverts feel these worries but wouldn’t consider these crippling in the face of performances or public
Related to this, it takes particular skill to be able to represent an entire company or brand. Public relations persons have to bridge the gap between an often sceptical and vicious press. You need to be able to sell your brand, while at the same time undermining concerns and worries. You are a walking marketing machine, that must navigate the human
Physical therapist Perhaps the ultimate expression of being an extrovert: not only engaging with someone in terms of talking and management, but also physical interaction. People are often uncomfortable with strangers touching them. But physical therapists are tasked with touching people all the time and being concerned with these people’s physical condition. Extroverts make the best for this kind of career and its reflected constantly in data and personal anecdotes. So, if you are on the louder, visible side of the coin, consider these areas of study for your future career.
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ADVICE YOUR RESUME (CV)
NEW-AGE CV: YOU ARE WHAT YOU SAY ONLINE
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AUTHOR Tamsyn de Beer SOURCE Times Live PHOTOGRAPHS istockphoto.com LINK www.careerjunction.co.za
I
n April, a sub-contractor for telecommunications giant Ericsson found herself out of a job after her racist Facebook rant went viral. Last year, in the UK, 17-year-old youth crime commissioner Paris Brown was forced to step down from her high-profile job after several foulmouthed tweets in which she used racial and homophobic slurs (all of which were posted before she was hired) were discovered. In the US, a high school teacher was forced to resign on account of pictures posted on her Facebook page showing her posing with a glass of wine and a pint of beer. It was deemed to “promote alcohol use”. These are just some of the countless examples of people who have lost their jobs because of what has been deemed by their employer to be unacceptable uses of social media. But what if these “offences” had been discovered before the individual had even been hired?
But the practice raises concerns. From a privacy perspective, while employers can access publicly available information, they may not try to gain surreptitious access to private information (for example, by hacking an account or using a fake profile to access a social network). In South Africa, the Protection of Personal Information Act 2013, once in place, will mean that job applicants must be made aware that personal information provided will be used to audit their online presence. The practice increases the possibility of discriminatory hiring practices – personal details about people’s lives are often apparent from their social media accounts, for example, pregnancy, religious and political views and sexual orientation.
In the US, a high school teacher was forced to resign on account of pictures posted on her Facebook page showing her posing with a glass of wine and a pint of beer. It was deemed to “promote alcohol use”.
The truth is, they wouldn’t have ever got the job on account of their “digital CV”. First impressions are no longer made by a carefully crafted résumé, but by the results that pop up when a potential employer types a name into Google or scrolls through a Twitter profile.
The online conduct of an employee has the potential to harm their employer’s reputation and may cause financial damage to the company. Many companies now consider social media audits an integral part of the recruitment process.
Employers could inadvertently discriminate against potential employees on the basis of information gleaned from online profiles. It is essential that prospective job applicants carry out active online reputation management.
The fact is potential employers will consider digital CVs. By carefully managing online profiles jobseekers can proactively construct the person that stares back at them when they do.
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ADVICE CAREER TALK
THE VALUE OF INTERNSHIPS IN CHOOSING A CAREER SOURCE www.isilumko.com PHOTOGRAPHS istockphoto.com LINK www.careerjunction.co.za
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There is enormous value in serving an internship either during one’s tertiary education or immediately after graduating, before making a final decision on a career. This is according to Aslam Galant, who is Business Development & General Manager in the Cape Town Division at Isilumko Staffing, a national recruitment company, which offers temporary, flexible and permanent staff.
S
outh Africa should be spending more on training medical professionals to conduct research, says a Dutch medical expert who is in the country as part of a trade mission. A very small number of doctors in South Africa pursue PhD studies after graduating. According to Jan Nouwen, of the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam, training doctors to conduct research could also be a solution to some of South Africa’s medical problems. The Erasmus Medical Centre is the 23rd-biggest employer in the Netherlands and runs training programmes for all 28 officially registered medical specialities. Dr Nouwen was speaking yesterday on the sidelines of a networking session with South African company representatives at the Protea Hotel OR Tambo. The session included local representatives from a range of industries including agrifood, horticulture, the creative industries, as well as transport and logistics. Also participating were delegates from the Dutch healthcare industry, including from companies such as Philips Africa and Royal HaskoningDHV. Contacted for comment, the deputy dean of research at the University
of Cape Town, Tania Douglas, said there was a critical need for training in research due to the low number of graduates that obtained PhDs. Prof Douglas said the main issues hampering a culture of research in SA were the lack of funding to conduct research and the lack of trained supervisors to oversee research projects. Partnering with international institutions could solve these issues and open up funding opportunities. Prof Douglas said another compelling reason for such mutually beneficial partnerships was the exposure that foreign institutions received to infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, HIV and malaria. Dr Nouwen said the Erasmus Medical Centre was discussing setting up medical rescue unit with the University of Cape Town. He believed that the main investment for South Africa’s overstretched healthcare system should be in education. “I think what is lacking in a lot of countries is that there is not so much stress on research, there is a lot of stress on how to train as many health professionals as possible … because there is a shortage and that hampers healthcare, but the other thing is the lack of research.”
healthcare system they were part of. He said discussion with partner universities in South Africa was important to create collaborative research programmes and conduct them within Dr Nouwen said South Africa so that if research were students integrated into remained in doctors’ training the country, programmes, conducting most of their medical professionals could research here.
ultimately improve the healthcare system they were part of.
This was because South Africa had enough problems and issues on which to conduct studies. He said the country had the facilities to perform these forms of investigations. I think what is lacking in a lot of countries is that there is not so much stress on research, there is a lot of stress on training more health professionals.
Dr Nouwen said if research were integrated into doctors’ training programmes, medical professionals could ultimately improve the
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WHEN IT COMES TO JOB HUNTING, YOU ARE ONLY AS GOOD AS YOU LOOK ON PAPER,
HOW TO WRITE THE PERFECT CV AUTHOR Claire Cobbledick SOURCE Science Daily PHOTOGRAPHS istockphoto.com LINK www.all4women.co.za
WHICH IS WHY IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT YOU HAVE A GREAT CV TO GET YOU THAT FIRST INTERVIEW. Companies and recruitment agencies have the same complaint – there are simply too many “poor candidates” flooding their HR departments and account managers out there. But the reality is that these companies aren’t necessarily receiving poor candidates, but rather poor CVs. How to compile a winning CV Whereas many online sites and books (and even professional services) provide templates and format suggestions, more emphasis should be placed on content. (If you need more tips as either a job seeker, or a job poster, there is an online resource centre available).
As a general rule of thumb, you should use a clear and easily readable font and an uncluttered layout – but spend most of your time perfecting the actual description of your past experience and qualifications. Your personal details Most recruiters and HR professionals simply scan your personal details to immediately qualify or disqualify your application. If, for example, the job in question is only open to SA citizens or individuals with a drivers’ licence your application will be dismissed right away if you don’t match the criteria. Make sure to list the basics right at the top of your CV and ensure that relevant details are included. If you are living
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in Cape Town but moving to Durban, make sure that you state clearly that you are aiming to relocate soon to avoid being disregarded purely by your physical address. Keep the section short and succinct. Education If you are quite far along in your career and experience, there is no need to delve into all the details of your education. It’s enough to state where you matriculated and If you are quite obtained your qualifications. far along in your If you’ve done numerous career and expecourses over the years, only state the ones most relevant rience, there is no to your job and most recently acquired – your certificate in need to delve into wine tasting won’t impress all the details of if you are applying for a your education position as an accountant, and a typewriting maintenance course completed in 1979 is definitely not going to land you a job in 2014. If however, you feel that this section is a little thin, scour the Internet for some free courses Even large international universities such as Harvard and Oxford offer free online courses in a range of subjects and, if completed, will issue you with a certificate to that effect. Again, this section can be short and to the point – include your subjects that are relevant, the year of completion and your final marks. Experience counts Companies are the most interested in learning about your practical experience. Start with the last two jobs you have had and a detailed description of what your roles and responsibilities were.
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It’s a good idea to keep the job you are applying for in mind – if the position you want involves attention to detail and careful bookkeeping, you might opt to highlight the fact that you were responsible for balancing the office petty cash box every month rather than spend too much time detailing your duties picking up the mail or making the coffee. Also be extremely clear about how many years you’ve spent at each position – this would determine your seniority to the recruiter. If you don’t have years of experience... The real difficulty lies in fleshing out your CV when you’ve had very little experience, particularly if you are a recent graduate or if you’ve been out of the job market for some time. Try to focus on your talents and strengths – and incorporate a cover letter into the CV. Everyone has certain strengths that are intuitive to them, whether it’s public speaking or writing great copy. Explain in detail why you would like to work at the organisation to which you are applying and whether you are willing to work for free to gain some experience.
Your CV is the Read and re-read your CV Finally, be sure to double-check only insight a poyour CV for spelling mistakes and tential employer errors. If necessary, have a friend has as to whether read through it. It’s important to make the right impression straight or not you are the away. Don’t simply write a right person for stock-standard CV – write different versions and tailor-make each the job cover letter to the position for which you are applying. Your CV is the only insight a potential employer has as to whether or not you are the right person for the job. Make sure that yours is up to scratch.
When you apply for a new job, part of your interview will cover the company’s employee benefits.
EMPLOYEE BENEFITS SHOULD INCLUDE LIFESTYLE & TRADITIONAL BENEFITS SOURCE ELI (Employee Lifestyle Improvement) PHOTOGRAPHS istockphoto.com LINK www.all4women.co.za
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Employee benefits are the additional perks that are incorporated into your contract together with your basic salary to “sweeten the deal”. However, when considering which company to work for, take a look at both their traditional and lifestyle benefit offerings. Traditional employee benefits There are a few standard employee benefits that are offered to employees. Some of these are even mandated by law and include minimum wages, overtime pay and sick leave. Other traditional employee benefits include maternity leave, health insurance, retirement annuity, car allowance, petrol allowance and cellphone allowance. All of these benefits are mutually beneficial perks as the employee only pays in a portion of these costs and the company gets all the benefits at a group discount. Paying for these costs is also a business expense and therefore a tax benefit to the company.
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Lifestyle employee benefits In the ordinary corporate environment, these benefits have been seen as “nice-to-have”. However, more companies are starting to realise how vital these components are to having an optimal work force. They include services that are available to improve the lifestyle and experience at the office. These could be healthy meals at the company cafeteria, a gym, onsite massages, self-development programmes, medical and dental assistance and flexible working hours. These are true employee benefits as the focus is on the overall wellbeing of each employee.
In some companies, these services are also available to employee family members, which makes it a great offering to the employee. Initial capital outlay is worth the investment Lifestyle employee benefits are an initial capital outlay to the company with the long-term benefit that employees will be happier and therefore more productive. When you are working for a company that offers you a balanced combination of both traditional and lifestyle employee benefits, you can be assured that you are working for an employeefocused company. The security of such a position is priceless and one to be appreciated.
HOW TO
GET PROMOTED TEXT Margaret Harris SOURCE BD Live LINK www.careerjunction.co.za PHOTOGRAPHS istockphoto.com
You have been with a company for long enough to really know how to do your job, and some of the excitement you first felt about it has waned. What is the next step? It may be time for you to consider getting promoted. There is no point in being a wallflower. If you want to get noticed, you will need to make an effort. Richard Leeming, principal of the Academy of York, says: “Most people want to be promoted, but in order to do this and increase your earning power you have to not only improve your skills and work ethic, you have to model aspirational behaviour.” Mr Leeming has the following advice on how to get a step closer to the metaphorical corner office: • If you do not believe in yourself, it is unlikely anyone else will. “Be assertive at work, and go after what you want. You need to believe it first, and then your employer will,” says Mr Leeming; • Idle chatter around the coffee machine or water cooler is not likely to impress your boss, or get you anywhere, especially if the general theme of conversation is how much you hate your job, company and boss. Try to surround yourself with positive people and develop a more positive attitude yourself;
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• If you begin to speak and think like a leader, it is easier for your manager to see you in such a role. “Show an interest in your company’s strategic direction. Ask questions, think in broader terms and step into a companyowner mindset.” ; • Show that you are willing to learn and explore ways of doing things more effectively, then take the time to apply your new skills to the work you do;
• No matter how small the task appears, always take pride in the work you do; and • Develop a plan so you can get from where you are now to where you want to be by setting goals. Remember to include the smaller ones you need to reach to ultimately achieve the big one.
HOW TO ACCEPT A JOB OFFER
5 CRUCIAL STEPS BEFORE SAYING YES TEXT Jenny Treanor SOURCE Brazen Careerist Blog PHOTOGRAPHS istockphoto.com LINK blog.brazencareerist.com
After a challenging job search, you finally received the call you’ve been waiting for! Your interviewers liked the potential they saw in you, and a few days after your final meeting, they picked up the phone to tell you the good news:
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You’re the one they want. They’d like to offer you the position and they hope you’ll accept their terms and start working as soon as possible. You may be pleased and flattered by the offer, but before you say yes, make sure you pause and take these five critical steps. 1. KEEP A COOL HEAD Whatever you do, don’t let the excitement of the moment push you into a hasty decision. Your employers will probably discuss your candidacy in glowing terms and tell you how happy they were to meet you and how optimistic they feel about bringing you onboard. They’ve already decided that you’ll make a great addition to the team, and they’ll probably enjoy sharing this with you. But don’t get carried away. Accepting a job can be a major life decision, and before you say yes, you have the best possible opportunity to negotiate the terms of your agreement. 2. SAY THANK YOU Before you get down to business and start talking about the terms of your employment, thank your potential managers for the offer. Saying thank you won’t lock you into a commitment — it’s just a pleasant and professional way of showing respect and gratitude.
3. BE HONEST ABOUT THEIR SALARY OFFER Expect your potential employers to include a clear annual or hourly salary rate in their informal offer. They should also include a clear explanation of your basic insurance benefits, commission details and bonus rates with the intention of listing these again in a formal written offer later on. But be aware that they may not do this and may expect you to speak first and clearly state the preferred terms of your employment. If you’ve done your research and have an answer ready, feel free to share your terms. But if not, don’t speak until you’re ready. 4. ASK FOR SOME TIME TO THINK ABOUT YOUR DECISION No matter the terms of your employment, and no matter who speaks first during your negotiation process, ask for at least 24 hours before you provide your official answer. This will give you time to discuss your decision with your friends and family, and it will give you the time to conduct some research into the standard salary and benefit rates for this type of position if you haven’t done this already. 5. CONSIDER YOUR CURRENT POSITION If your current position involves an “at-will” agreement between you and your employers, then legally, you’re free to walk away at any time for any reason. But for the sake of courtesy and professionalism, it’s a good idea to give your employers two weeks’ notice before you walk away. Your new managers will probably factor this twoweek period into your start date, but if they don’t, you’ll need to make this request on your own. Make sure you leave your previous employer on good terms, and make sure you’re satisfied with your formal written offer before you sever your existing ties.
Jenny Treanor is a career advisor and job search expert who provides consultation for staffing firms, hiring managers and job seekers across every industry. Her blogs and articles appear regularly on LiveCareer, home of America’s #1 Resume Builder. Brazen powers real-time, online events for leading organizations around the world. Our lifestyle and career blog, Brazen Life, offers fun and edgy ideas for ambitious professionals navigating the changing world of work.
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