SMP Magazine - October 2014 by SMP Magazine

OCTOBER 2014 â&#x20AC;˘ ISSUE 1

A STRATEGY for successful migration to Australia

Job hunting strategies

Increasing productivity

Healthcare in Australia

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Are we squandering the skills of migrant professionals?

CONTENTS October 2014

IN THIS ISSUE

Issue 1

29 Dr Kyoung her insights on professional identity among migrant professionals in Australia

Migration

Lifestyle

Technology

Back Talk

Australia’s economy can be enhanced through implementation of Skilled Professional Migrant Program (SPMP)

YOUR HEALTH ADVISER Making yourself at home with Australia’s healthcare system

YOUR IT CONSULTANT 5 ways mobile apps can help grow your business

PREMIER PROFILE Building a career on the cornerstone of engineering

by Laurie Nowell

by Audra Millis

by Patel Dipen

by Laszlo Licsik

October 2014 | www.smpmagazine.com.au

CONTENTS October 2014

COLUMNS

IN EVERY ISSUE

7 9

Publisher’s Page Editor’s View

Issue 1

setting the course for a better life: it’s up to you Tools and guidance for success in a new land

Career

How to get your first job in Australia by Gishan Liyanage

YOUR CAREER COACHES

Your career is in your hands: Job seeker’s guide 101 by Jackson Merrey

The art of being indispensable by Davies Chibale

Your Financial Adviser Understanding the benefits of networking and Australian tax laws by Juan Koen

Your Business Coach Avoid the Top 5 business mistakes by Richard Giannini

Your Performance Improvement Coach The Importance of attitude in driving performance and results by Andrew Cooke

Your Diversity Consultant Stating the business case for embracing diversity by Fadzi Whande

Money

Protecting your financial future with good insurance cover by Chits Nyamidzi

Business

Motivation

Diversity

Rate cut cycle opportunity for property purchases by Clay Bland

October 2014 | www.smpmagazine.com.au

Publisher’s Page

Setting the course for a better life: It’s up to you

ne of the main reasons people migrate to a different country is for a better life. Sometimes we can lose sight of that ambition when the going gets tough. Whenever I encounter a challenging moment in my professional career, one memory always springs to mind based on a discussion I had with an immigration officer at Perth International Airport on my arrival in Australia 14 years ago. I was talking to him about my aspirations. He asked me about my goals and how I hoped to achieve them, particularly with me entering on a student visa. I told him that I had set the course for my life, which I believed I had the right to choose. I went on to explain to him that my success in Australia was solely dependent on me; not on which political party was in power, tax laws or the economic situation. I knew the success or failure of realising my goals would depend on my bigger picture; who I wanted to become. I simply refused to let anything derail my vision for a better life or be an impediment to my future. I frequently chat with co-migrants here in Australia and am constantly surprised to discover that they don’t have a basic plan to guide their lives, much less contingencies for major obstacles. As unbelievable as it sounds, most people don’t map out the essentials; finances, career, education or health, just to name a few key areas. These days, many people see career opportunities and pursue them assuming that everything else will somehow just fall into place. When it comes to financial security, they naively hope that the government will ensure they are taken care of in retirement. They wait and wait until the wait is over only to find they are not as financially secure as they had hoped but by then it is too late to do anything about it and are filled with regret. I will not allow this fate to befall me and you shouldn’t either. The fact remains that no one else is going to do it for you; we need to take charge of our own destiny. One of Australia’s migrant millionaires, native Dutchman who was born in Indonesia, John Hemmes, says: “It’s not being an immigrant that makes you succeed. Whatever country you live in, are born in, or immigrated to, the key is having a hunger and passion to make the best of your life.” Recent reports* suggest that immigrants are four times more likely to become self-made millionaires in Australia than people born here primarily due to savvy investment strategies. To assist with increasing the number of successful immigrants in this country each quarter SMP experts will share ideas to educate and inspire you to make the best and most informed choices to build your careers and develop your businesses to ultimately create wealth. No one can stop us from achieving our dreams. Having said that, it would be unrealistic to expect plain sailing all the way but with the tools we pro-

vide, you will be able to move on and map your own course. Regard SMP as your survival kit. I personally believe that skilled migrant professionals in Australia do not need hand-outs, what they need is a hand up. This is precisely why SMP magazine has been established - to provide migrants with beneficial information that will aid in achieving career, entrepreneurship, or health goals and quickly too! My mentor once told me that performance and competency are the two best ways to displace doubt in terms of ability or any other type of prejudice against race, gender, colour, ethnicity, physical abilities, or religion. When you make yourself a problem solver, you will inevitably shine and be rewarded accordingly in the market. Now, let me ask you the type of questions I ask myself every day. Where will you be in five years? Ten years? What about in 25 years? Do you know? Do you have any idea? Have you dreamt about it or set goals for those seemingly distant times? We live in a land of freedom and opportunity, which is why so many people want to migrate to Australia. Let’s take advantage of every opportunity to share information and knowledge to create a better life for our children and ourselves. See you at the top! Tommy Adebayo

* Source: Jamie McIntyre - 21st Century News

P.O.BOX 5201 Canning Vale South WA 6155 Perth Australia. Tel: (08) 9398 3671. Email: info@smpmagazine.com.au, Website: www.smpmagazine.com.au

October 2014 | www.smpmagazine.com.au

Western Australia (WA) 199 Oxford Street Leederville Perth WA 6007 Australia Tel: +61 (08) 63170217. PO Box 5201 Canning Vale South WA 6155 Australia New South Wales (NSW) PO Box 20428 World Square Sydney NSW 2002 Tel: +61 (02) 80987889 Australia Capital Territory (ACT) PO Box 2586 Jolimont Centre GPO Canberra ACT 2601 Tel: +61 (02) 61021125 Victoria (VIC) PO Box 5, 440 Collins Street West Melbourne VIC 8007

Editor

Leanne Casellas

EDITORIAL Managing Editors Peter Goodwin Max De Vietri Dr Casta Tungaraza Eve Howell Executive Editors Bill Repard Bill Turner Trish Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Reilly Proof Readers Leanne Casellas Rumbi Chekeche Article Contributors Laurie Nowell Millis Audra Patel Dipen Laszlo Licsik Dr Kyoung-Hee Davies Chibale Gishan Liyanage Juan Koen Chits Nyamidzi Clay Bland Richard Giannini Andrew Cooke Fadzi Whande Carol-Ann Lynch Jackson Merrey

Publisher

Tommy Adebayo

PRODUCTION Technology Director Patel Dipen Website Designer Daniel Ngari Creative Director Tamu Mnangwa Zoran ZarkoviÄ&#x2021; Photo Coordinator Farhad Mobarra Operations Manager Andrew Kaniki Brand Manager Melvin Hachuma App Designer Patel Dipen

HEAD OF SALES & MARKETING Business Development Manager Duc Pham Subscription Manager Bola Adebayo

Skilled Migrant Professionals Magazine (ABN 18169512618) is published quarterly by Skilled Migrant Professionals Australia, 199 Oxford Street Leederville Perth WA 6007 Australia. Phone: +61 (08) 63170217. P.O.Box 5201 Canning Vale South WA 6155 Australia. To subscribe to SMP Magazine or to receive our free monthly newsletter and online exclusive, log on to www.smpmagazine.com.au. CUSTOMER SERVICE: For subscriptions, renewals, change of address or any other customer service matters please contact us on +61 (0) 4302 09803 or subs@smpmagaizne.com.au. ARTICLE PROPOSALS and unsolicited articles should be emailed to tommy@smpmagazine.com.au. @2014 SMP Australia Media. All rights reserved. Material may not be reproduced in whole or in print in any form without prior written permission. Printed in Australia.

www.smpmagazine.com.au | October 2014

Editor’s View

Tools and guidance for success in a new land

o say the very least, the prospect of migrating to another country and starting a new life is intimidating. Perhaps there are language barriers to overcome, cultural differences to navigate, a job search to begin or a host of other obstacles that you will face. Beyond these challenges, even after arriving in a new country, migrants often have to deal simultaneously with tricky situations in their home country adding to the pressure of the move itself. These issues could be the very reason you planned to leave in the first place. Here at Skilled Migrant Professionals magazine we understand that being a migrant is difficult for a variety of reasons. We can say this because many of us are migrants ourselves so we are speaking from actual personal experience. Our new magazine is dedicated to educating, inspiring and improving your opportunities in Australia as a skilled migrant professional. We are here to help with strategies and tips to assist in simplifying the process for honest people looking to start a new chapter in their lives. The October issue – our very first - features a variety of useful articles to help you establish a firm footing in Australia. Although it may seem like finding a job is the most important step in the assimilation process, it isn’t the only factor you need to consider as a new migrant in a new country. Many of these factors are addressed in this edition of SMP. Some of the questions you need to ask yourself are: What sort of skills do you possess? What type of jobs should you be realistically looking for? Do you have any contacts in your new country? Is your curriculum vitae (CV) or résumé fit for purpose? Which tools, both tangible and intangible, do you have that may be able to help you find that perfect position? Walking the streets randomly handing out CVs to anyone and everyone demonstrates willingness and commitment but it is not the smartest strategy. Neither is being overly picky when you just really need to get your foot in the door. We are here to help you with guidance on making the right choices to ensure that you spend your time, money and energy wisely, otherwise these resources might just run out – along with your patience! This issue focuses primarily on how to find the right job; how to apply for it; and then how to demonstrate your value so you not only keep the position but also move up the ladder. Our objective is to provide you with the tools to build a strong foundation on which to grow. Along with advice on how to secure a job that you’ll enjoy and adapting to a new professional situation, this issue also contains a selection of great ideas on how to establish a firm financial future. Many migrants never stop feeling the pressure because they are often only a month or two away from running out of money, which would necessitate them returning home.

Advice on making the right choices to ensure that you spend your time, money and energy wisely.

If you want a stable and fulfilling new life, then you need to acquire the cushion and the capital to live comfortably. Consequently, we have included articles on wise spending, investment opportunities and other techniques to protect your financial future. From start to finish, this month’s Skilled Migrant Professionals magazine is geared towards helping you, our migrant readers gain the skills, the knowledge and the confidence to stay here! We’d love to know how useful the information in this edition is to you and would encourage you to let us know your opinion. Also views on any future articles that would be of particular interest or use to you would be appreciated. Please email feedback to info@smpmagazine.com.au. In the meantime, we wish you every success in all that you seek… Leanne Casellas

October 2014 | www.smpmagazine.com.au

Career 10

www.smpmagazine.com.au | October 2014

Career fession. This simple six stage process is a guide for anyone that is looking to start their journey towards becoming job ready. 1. Find a career path: If you are just starting university or making an occupation change, you should outline a career path to support the accomplishment of your career objectives. 2. Evaluate your interests: Consider what you appreciate, enjoy and what you are best at doing. Take career ability tests to determine if you have the type of character and values that are needed to meet your job goal. Understand your ‘thinking preference’ – a great tool to do this is the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI), a system used to analyse and describe thinking preferences in people. Understand your personality by using assessment tools such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Learning Orientation Questionnaire, DISC assessment etc. 3. Investigate potential jobs and businesses: Look into professions in your area of choice. Decide if the employment potential, remuneration and work conditions are suitable for you. Finally, narrow down the emphasis to one or two explicit opportunities in the selected occupational field. 4. Set a career goal: Research the kind of preparation, abilities and education required to reach the set goal. Plan a clear process map on how you will achieve your career outline. Jackson Merrey, Business Services Team Leader at ISA Group

Are you ready to find the right job? Business leaders in Australia and around the globe continue in their war for talent, vying to recruit skilled employees. At a time when many in the baby boomer generation are approaching retirement, it is very important that businesses build and preserve a cache of talented candidates so they can effectively compete in, and fuel the global economy.

5. Select a training or educational facility: Find a university, trade school or preparation program that will help plan for the occupation or profession that you have decided to work towards. 6. Attend classes: Finish your training, up-skilling or degree. While at school, take the opportunity to practice and be better by applying and taking part-time jobs or internships in a career that most interests and benefits you. Begin the job hunt: Prior to graduation time, plan your CV and get the best career guidance possible. Talk to a counsellor or maybe an experienced friend or acquaintance for help with CV tips, potential jobs in your field of interest and interview advice and procedures.

Employment readiness is defined as being capable, with slight or no external assistance, to locate, obtain, and keep a suitable occupation as well as being able to change over to new professions. Being employment-ready includes ensuring you can effectively sustain the following three goals: 1. Self-sufficiency in four employability dimensions: − Planning and pre-employment − Job search − Skills/qualifications − Career decision making 2. Understanding and accepting the specific pressures or challenges one confronts. 3. Efficiently managing the stresses or tasks one faces. Before you jump into applying for employment, you should ensure that you possess the right skills and qualifications to enable you to fulfil the essential criteria for your future pro-

October 2014 | www.smpmagazine.com.au

Career

Job-hunting strategies Being ready is the most vital part of looking for a job. Developing the RIGHT SKILLS and PLANNING SOUND STRATEGIES will make your jobhunt easier and more effective.

Job searching cannot be done efficiently unless you use the right skills and approach to your search. While CVs, covering letters and efficient communication are essential in the job search process, studying effective search strategies can be just as vital. Organising a great CV will not help you get a job if you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know how to locate businesses that will be attracted by your services and credentials. There are three crucial features to grow and plan job-hunting strategies: 1. Identify which job search approaches are applicable for you. Where is your time and energy best spent? Online? Employment agencies? Networking? 2. Work on how to market yourself. When searching for a job you need to be able to sell your abilities both verbally and in writing. 3. Work on your interview skills. The interview process is the final hurdle in obtaining the desired position. Review best practice ways to manage problematic topics such as income negotiation.

www.smpmagazine.com.au | October 2014

Career

Essential skills to nurture Businesses in the market to recruit new workers look for specific/detailed skills and qualities. Their aim is to maintain or enhance a well-organised, specialised and creative business. Some of the most well-regarded employee capabilities include how people work and connect with each other and how research and preparation is done at work.

Communication skills: Both potential employees and employers must have very good communication competencies. A vital part of any business is the need to communicate effectively; with one another, with supervisors and most importantly with the business’s clients. Operational communication skills are imperative to guarantee that emails are succinct, documents are clear and presentations are sharp and professional. Listening is also a fundamental skill, as staff will be required to interpret requirements for assignments and projects, particularly when employed as part of a team.

Preparation and multitasking: Each individual staff member is accountable for simultaneously meeting targets, organising a schedule and completing various assignments. Businesses look for workers who can manage a job and don’t need too much direction or supervision. This skill includes being able to solve problems, being adaptable with project variances and taking opinions on board from other employees.

Research and analytical skills: Other significant skills that employers value in new workers are research and analytical skills. Some employers often require staff to do marketplace studies for new goods/ services, to conduct research to keep internal processes costs low and profits high, and to assess emerging niche markets.

Leadership and creativity skills: Employees often work together on projects. Some of them will need to undertake a leadership role to ensure deadlines are met, problems are addressed and all ideas are considered. Therefore, employers will seek employees who display natural leadership skills. Additionally, these employees should be creative so they can identify and implement solutions to potential problems.

“If you just communicate, you can get by. But if you communicate skillfully, you can work miracles.” – Jim Rohn

October 2014 | www.smpmagazine.com.au

Career

Stress management tools While a degree of pressure at work is expected, excessive or prolonged pressure leading to undue stress levels can affect an employee’s health and a business’s efficiency. The ability to deal with stress can mean the difference between triumph and disappointment. No one can control everything in the workplace but that does not mean workers are powerless to take control of their situation no matter how challenging a situation seems. Discovering methods to deal and cope with work related stress isn’t about making big modifications or reconsidering career aspirations, but rather it’s about concentrating on the things that you can control. Stress can be very subjective. Some people may find that something that’s nerve-wracking to one may not even bother another. Factors that affect stress tolerance: • Support network: A robust support system of understanding friends and family members is a great cushion in a stressful situation. Conversely, the more remote and inaccessible people are, the greater their vulnerability to anxiety.

www.smpmagazine.com.au | October 2014

• Sense of control: Self-confidence and the ability to affect outcomes assist employees with managing stress. Employees who are susceptible to stress feel like things are out of their control. • Attitude and outlook: Being positive and assertive are traits that are prized, employees should be driven and encouraged to take on challenges. Workers with a good sense of humor and who are receptive to change are known to be less susceptible to stress. • Capability to deal with your feelings: Everyone has their good days and their bad days. Being able to relax when a person is anxious helps them bounce back from hardship. • Awareness and planning: Understanding how a stressful situation arose, how long it will impact and what the likely outcomes are makes it easier to prepare for and manage. When stress at work affects an employee’s capability to perform well they should look at their home life or anything else that negatively affects their wellbeing. It is then up to the individual to assess

Career

Decision Making

Making a decision about a career path or deciding on a university degree are serious choices . Businesses’ demand for high-quality decision making is always great, as leaders and good managers are hard to come by. Studies show that there are four vital stages decision-makers need to follow to make that right choice: ACIP. A for Alternatives. When a significant choice or decision needs to be made, all the options should be considered. The decision-maker needs to ask themselves if there are any other ways to solve the problem. C for Consequences. Once the choices have been narrowed down, weigh up the pros and cons of each of them. I for Information. Look for fresh information about each choice under contemplation.

P for Plans. Ensure that comprehensive and thorough plans are made to carry out the decision along with contingencies to address any of the cons if they were to arise. If the decision-making process is delayed the end result could be: • A job that isn’t compatible with your values, hobbies, individual characteristics and experience. • Completing and paying for a degree that after 4 – 6 years you realise isn’t for you. • Feeling the work you do lacks worth or meaning and does not present a challenge. • Becoming bored or burning out. • Feeling trapped between life and work values that make it hard for anyone to accept what it is they are doing.

these indicators and make changes. Individuals should start by concentrating on physical and emotional well-being. When a person’s own needs are looked after, they have greater resilience to stress. The healthier and happier they feel, the better prepared they’ll be to deal with work stress without becoming overwhelmed. The skill to exercise self-control in demanding circumstances will be received well by team members, leaders, and subordinates alike, which in most cases will lead to better relationships on both professional and personal levels. Here are some recommendations for minimising stress by arranging and organising key accountabilities. • Generate a stable calendar. Analyse your agenda, duties, and dayto-day jobs. All work and no enjoyment is a recipe for disaster. Employees need to find equilibrium between work and personal life, community activities and private hobbies, daily tasks and relaxation time. • Don’t avalanche yourself. As much as possible, avoid squeezing in too much into one day. All too often employees misjudge how long tasks/ jobs will take. If an individual has got too much on then it is up to them to prioritise the things they need to do and the things they could do.

Using emotional intelligence to resolve issues Practising emotional intelligence can assist in dealing with stressful situations in the workplace. Emotional intelligence is the skill to control and use your feelings in optimistic and productive ways. When it comes to happiness and achievement in the workplace, emotional intelligence matters as much as academic ability. This skill is about interacting with team members in ways that bring people to you, mending hurt feelings and resolving conflict, pressure and anxiety. The four main emotional intelligence mechanisms are: 1. Self-awareness – The skill to identify your feelings and their influence while using automatic approaches to guide your choices. 2. Self-management – The ability to regulate your feelings and behaviour and adapt to changing circumstances. 3. Social awareness – The ability to sense, comprehend, and respond to others’ sentiments and feel relaxed on public. 4. Relationship management – The ability to motivate, inspire and associate with others and deal with disagreements.

October 2014 | www.smpmagazine.com.au

Career

Gishan Liyanage advises on HOW TO

Get your first job in Australia Ask any recent migrant to Australia about getting their first job here and almost all will say that it is a daunting and frustrating task. Some may have registered with recruitment agencies or applied for jobs online without any success. While others may have been offered a job interview but were unable to turn that opportunity into steady employment. As an experienced recruiter and Human Resources professional, I feel particularly qualified to help you get your first job in Australia.

Steps to Success

STEP 1: Writing an effective Covering Letter (CL) To get your curriculum vitae (CV) read, you first need to have an effective CL. If your covering letter falls flat, then it is highly likely your CV won’t even be read by a recruiter. Contents of an effective CL: • Mention three points that highlight your specific expertise relevant to the job • Explain how you can add value to the company with your skills • Make sure that you include all your contact details • Focus on the company’s requirements rather than your own • The opening paragraph should tell the employer who you are and what you want • The second paragraph outlines what you have to offer and emphasises any relevant experience or skills • The third paragraph explains why you would be of value • The final paragraph should clearly state when you are available for an interview. DOs: • Always customise your CL to the job for which you are applying • Keep it concise! If you give too much detail, you lose the effect • Check grammar and spelling meticulously • Always write to a named individual.

www.smpmagazine.com.au | October 2014

Career STEP 2: Writing an effective Curriculum Vitae (CV) Having an effective CV will help you get shortlisted for a job interview. • Your CV should begin with personal details and a short career/qualification summary • The length of your CV should be between two to three pages • It should reflect your skills, experience, and achievements • Customise your CV to the requirements of the job for which you are applying • As some hiring managers won’t read the entire CV always put the most important points first. DOs: • Get a professional CV writer to review your CV • Be prepared to refine your CV a number of times until it is right • Your CV should be printed, well designed, and properly formatted • Make sure that the CV is clear and visually attractive • Title your CV with your preferred name • Update your CV regularly. DON’T: • List every training course that you have ever attended • Indicate race/nationality/age/gender/height etc. • Include present salary details • Include all your work experience, as it will result in an extremely long CV • Give references.

Gishan Liyanage, HR Partner at Nelara HR consultancy

STEP 3: Preparing for a job interview After you have been invited to a job interview, it is essential to fully prepare yourself if you want a chance of landing the job. Before the interview, be sure to do the following: • Ask for details of the interview structure, i.e., who will be interviewing you and for how long • If you need more information about the organisation and position, ask before you go in for the interview • Practice common interview questions using STARS (Situation, Task, Action, Result, Summary) • Study all your achievements from your CV and be prepared to elaborate on them if asked • Be enthusiastic about your career and proud of what you have achieved • Know specific facts about the organisation, its history, mission, markets, competitors, products, and services • Be prepared to share facts and figures about your present and former employers • Review the job advertisement, job description, and core competencies. DOs: Make a good first impression by: • Arriving on time • Dressing like a professional • Shaking hands firmly • Greeting the interviewer and thanking them for their time • Sitting upright in your chair and looking alert and interested at all times • Being charismatic • Being a good listener and a good talker • Smiling and maintaining eye contact • Marketing yourself in every possible way.

October 2014 | www.smpmagazine.com.au

Career

The Art of Being Indispensable Go-to individuals are professionals who consistently operate at the top of their game. These high performers are rewarded with handsome remuneration in whatever profession or industry they have mastered. According to American business journalist George Anders, these professionals are sometimes referred to as indispensable and usually possess five traits in common. “They thrive on expanding their skills, engage in solving ongoing problems, are self-starters who set the tempo at work or in their personal lives and deliver more value than is expected of them.” Find out how you fare in the two-minute Indispensable Test! Rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 by honestly responding to the following five questions. 1 = No recent evidence in my life 10 = I have two or three recent examples for each trait to substantiate my claim. 1. I keep expanding my skills every year 2. I solve problems that seem to have no solutions 3. I am a self-starter or closer at work 4. I set the tempo at work or in my personal life 5. I deliver more value than is expected from me If you scored seven or above for each question then you are well on your way to being a high performer. You thrive on identifying areas in your life that need developing and then working towards expanding those undeveloped skills. You take responsibility for your personal development and are up-to-date with the necessary knowledge and trends in your industry. Author Seth Godin urges us: “To approach our jobs as emotionally engaged artists, crusading for new ideas.” If you scored eight or above for question two, then you will never actually retire because you provide ongoing solutions for co-workers and society at large by delivering knowledge, providing companionship, and stimulating personal growth. You will also never ‘sell-out’, because you see every challenge as an opportunity to serve others and grow. If you scored nine or above for questions three to five, you are the kind of professional that your boss will hold onto for as long as possible. You are the type of team player that colleagues will always want to work with. You make this happen because on a subconscious level, you have made the firm choice to succeed in what you do. For more on this topic, please visit www.smpmagazine.com.au

www.smpmagazine.com.au | October 2014

Davies Chibale, Director, Engineered for Success HR Pty Ltd

Being indispensable begins with: 1. Committing to continued learning by attending seminars and professional workshops, reading books and professional journals etc. • When did you last attend a professional workshop or seminar? • When did you last read a good book for professional or personal development? 2. Engaging in giving ongoing, innovative solutions to co-workers and others. 3. Being a self-starter, innovating, and following through. 4. Setting the tempo and leading the way, while also being proactive, focused, and passionate. 5. Delivering more value than others expect of you. Going above and beyond the call of duty. If you are working for a company that you don’t believe deserves the best of you, then ask yourself whether the problem is with you, the company, or both? Remember, like attracts like and success is a choice!

Business

AVOID the top

business mistakes

here is a formula to being successful in business. Most fail because they don’t follow the fundamentals of this tried and true methodology. Part of that learning is avoiding the five biggest mistakes business owners make. If you want to ensure fast and continued success in business, here are five keys to your ongoing success.

If you try to be everything to everyone, you’ll usually just attract no one… You’ve got to focus your energy on those you can really help. There are two things you need to be absolutely clear on. First, as you would have heard many times before, it is vitally important to define your audience - who is your ideal customer/ client? Maybe you are struggling trying to figure that out. It’s OK – most of us do! Here is one easy way to work it out. Imagine you have way too many clients, like ten times more than you can possibly handle – OK, just play along with me. Now imagine you need to get rid of 90% of them. Those you would keep equal your ideal client. Second, you have to be really, really clear on the specific problem you solve for this ‘ideal client’. When you are clear on these two things, you can focus your marketing, sales and product/service on their needs. Your marketing now has a chance of getting their attention. General or broad base

Richard Giannini, Business Growth Advisor at Infinity Growth

Most businesses fail; even those that manage to be profitable quickly but it doesn’t have to be you. Avoiding these 5 BIG mistakes will help ensure it won’t happen to you… marketing tends to get no one’s attention. It needs to speak to a defined audience, not to everyone. This is one of the biggest mistakes that sends good businesses to the wall. Now here’s the thing: You can have multiple ‘ideal clients’ and multiple ‘specific problems’. Just ensure each marketing campaign focuses on only one of each. That’s the key.

Where are your ideal prospects? (Hint: Most of them are not even thinking of coming into your place of business.) Even if you have a prime location on a busy street, generally people will still want to check you out online before getting in the car. The point to remember here is that it’s convenient for people to access the internet from wherever they are so having a very good online shopfront is essential. You may not need to sell your products/services online (although for most that is usually a good idea) but you still need online visibility. Remember that when someone looks you up online, they’re likely to come across your competitors as well. How do you measure up? Will you be the most attractive option? Or will your competitors’ online presence overpower your ideal prospect and render your marketing efforts worthless?

www.smpmagazine.com.au | October 2014

Make sure you have a good, powerful online presence regardless of whether your business is online or not.

Are you ‘broke’ and don’t even know it… It happens more often than you think! Don’t laugh! There are many businesses that went broke before they knew it. Right now do you know what’s in your bank account within a few dollars? What is your new customer acquisition cost? Do you know your conversion rate? Your average transaction value? Your average profit margins? Do you know any of these figures? The less of these you know, the more precarious a situation you put yourself in. You don’t need to know every number associated with your business, but you must know the five to six major key numbers. The key point here is that you need to know the major numbers that determine the health of your business – at all times!

Hiring desperately usually only leads to frustration and re-hiring Too many business owners wait until it’s almost too late to hire a new team member. When they are desperate they can recruit recklessly. It’s a sure way to fail. Why? Because you usually get the wrong person; pay more than you should; or, just end up

Business with someone who isn’t a good fit. Instead, plan ahead. The ideal time to hire someone is when you can afford half their salary. By hiring smartly, the investment should benefit your business thus making the other half affordable. Most wait until they can afford 110% of their salary, which is often far too late. When you wait until you have too many clients to handle before realising you need to hire someone – that’s too late, isn’t it? The stress and the desperation builds and you’ll have a tendency to take anyone. Breathe in, relax, plan ahead and take your time. Prepare ahead to hire the best person for the position and ensure that you create an environment that would make them want to stay. This reduces your stress and the stress of your new team member. Planning ahead means you are focused on building your business and making it happen, rather than reacting and hoping it will work out. Remember, hope is not a strategy.

Did you know you are hardwired to fail at business? That is unless you do this one thing… It’s natural but deadly to business. We are hard-wired to do this one thing, this one-thing can kill your business. We are naturally disposed to think like business owners but that’s the problem. The secret is, to think like your prospect. Not only think, but to feel from your ideal customer’s perspective right down to knowing their reaction to certain words. Most business

owners say they think from their prospects’ perspective but the reality is that it’s only a fleeting thought here and there. In these times the problem is that we are bombarded with information and messages 24/7. With access to the internet, virtually all the time via phones and computers – there are just way too many messages for any one person to handle. Our brain is pretty cool. It filters out all the unnecessary messages. For example, maybe my daughter has sprained her ankle and I am trying to find something to fix it. My brain is focused on finding that solution. If I see a message that says “How to fix a sprained ankle fast!” – that would likely get my attention. Imagine if that same business said: “We help you stay healthy”. It’s the same company, but they wanted to be broad and capture everyone in their marketing. This message would be filtered out. It didn’t trigger the emotional response needed. It didn’t use the key words I had in my head. Now do you see how powerful it is to really think like your prospect? Only then can you tailor your marketing to speak to your ideal prospect directly and intimately. You want them to react, by saying to themselves something like; “That person gets me, they really understand what I want. I need to speak to them and now!” That’s powerful, but you can only do it when you’re deeply focused on your ideal prospect. Re-wire your brain, think like your prospect and stop thinking like a business owner. It will help ensure your continued success.

Business isn’t complicated, sometimes it can just seem that way. Stick to the fundamentals and focus on doing the right things in the right order and you’ll be fine. Avoiding these five BIG mistakes will help!

October 2014 | www.smpmagazine.com.au

Business RATE CUT CYCLE OPPORTUNITY FOR PROPERTY PURCHASERS

Now is the time to get onto the property ladder

pring is traditionally the busiest season for Australian real estate. It’s a time when both homebuyers and sellers are eager to make the most of the warmer weather. This year there has never been a more ideal time to borrow, considering the significant drops in housing prices and interest rates. First-time homebuyers are returning to the market as affordability increases, often with costs similar or even cheaper compared to renting. In other words, if you are considering purchasing a property over the coming months, then it just might be the right time to do so. Australia’s economy continues to perform considerably better than most of its international counterparts. This is particularly true of the housing market, which has experienced increased activity due to low interest rates. The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has actually placed interest rates on hold – the first pause in its aggressive monetary policy campaign since September of last year. While some homebuyers may have hoped to see a bit more shaved off their home loan rate, the RBA’s decision is a strong sign of its confidence in the Australian economy. Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has shown a significant increase in the number of home loans taken out by Australians since last year, while the level of first-time homebuyers has now swelled to more than one-quarter of all property purchases. Now is a great time for homebuyers to borrow funds thanks to the return of 95% loans, interest discounts, lower fees, or even no fees at all! In addition, Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI) can help you crack the market sooner rather than later. For many borrowers, saving up for a deposit can be a challenge, particularly when they have rent to pay, along with other living expenses. LMI can be a powerful enabler for borrowers, essentially allowing them to borrow more than 80% of the purchase price, therefore reducing the deposit amount that is required. A higher loan to value ratio (LVR) loan is considered to have more risk for the lender, which is why LMI covers the lender in case you default on your loan. Basically, it’s a one-off payment made when the loan is taken out and is definitely a cost that needs to be factored into your calculations. However, LMI can be capitalised into the loan, allowing you to add it onto the overall loan amount, which is paid off over time in line with your mortgage repayments. A robust credit score is vital to success. Many of us do not actually know our credit rating, but applying for financial assistance is all about credit ratings. The success or failure of every loan application relies on

www.smpmagazine.com.au | October 2014

Clay Bland: Senior Mortgage Consultant. Lifestyle Mortgages

it, but very few of us honestly know how well our debt management strategies work when it comes to borrowing more money. Finding out your credit rating is easy and by relying on the expertise of a company like Lifestyle Mortgages, the whole process will only take about 15 minutes and it’s free! Once you know your credit score, Lifestyle Mortgages can also fill out your loan application, if you want them to, and they can even deal directly with your bank to ensure that you’re getting the best product and interest rates that are available in line with your requirements.

Migration Each State and Territory of Australia provides free migration information online. Immigration information booklets are available for download at http://www.immi.gov.au/ allforms/booklets/

A STRATEGY FOR

Successful migration

ustralian citizens and permanent residents are truly some of the most fortunate people in the world. The Australian economy is stable. We have a low rate of unemployment, in addition to excellent schools, colleges, and universities along with access to top-quality healthcare. If you work hard in Australia, you can achieve a quality of life that many people can only dream about. Consequently, it’s hardly a surprise that so many people want to make Australia their home. My family decided to move to Australia in 1999. I was working as a solicitor in the UK and had three very young children. The economic outlook was uncertain, the weather was awful, and crime rates were on the increase. We migrated to Western Australia just in time to celebrate the new millennium in proper Aussie style - with a big party on the beach. We certainly wouldn’t have been able to do that in England! Fortunately, it didn’t take us long to make new friends and settle into the ‘downunder’ way of life. I went back to university to study Australia migration law and became a Registered Migration Agent (RMA). It’s a fantastic job that enables me to combine my legal training and personal migration experience to help others achieve their dream of migrating to Australia. That being said, migrating to Australia can be a complex and costly process. Tommy Adebayo, the CEO and founder of this magazine, asked me to share some useful tips on successfully migrating to Australia. I hope that the following tips will be helpful!

Tip One

Do your homework All visa applicants are assessed against the requirements set out in the Migration Act and Migration Regulations. The Department of Immigration and Border Protection provides a number of valuable information booklets designed to help you work out whether or not you will meet the requirements for the visa in which you are interested. Each state and territory of Australia also provide free migration information online. It’s extremely important to capitalise on the wealth of free infor-

www.smpmagazine.com.au | October 2014

mation available on various Australian government websites. Those sites are where your homework should begin. The Department of Immigration information booklets are available for download at http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/booklets/. Once you know what type of visa you are interested in applying for, the next step should be to find out what that visa’s requirements are and whether you are able to meet them. The visa requirements are very clear; you will either meet the requirements or you won’t. It’s important to remember that in order to migrate successfully, you really do need to do this homework!

to Australia by Carol-Ann Lynch

Registered Migration Agent (RMA) is a fantastic job that enables me to combine my legal training and personal migration experience to help others achieve their dream of migrating to Australia.

Tip Two

Think laterally If you can’t meet a particular visa requirement at the present time, then you may be able to take steps that will enable you to meet a certain requirement in the future. For example, you mignt need to achieve a score of at least seven in each section of an IELTS (English test – reading, writing, listening and speaking), but may have scored a six in the reading section. A few sessions with an English tutor may be all that is required to boost your score to seven in all sections of the test. Thinking laterally can help you achieve your migration objectives.

Tip Three

Migrating to Australia without formal qualifications Many people believe that migrating to Australia, as a skilled person, is impossible without formal qualifications. This is a myth. There are well-established pathways to permanent residence for people without formal qualifications. There are employer-nominated (sponsored) visa options that could enable you to be nominated for a temporary or permanent residence visa if you have work experience but no qualifications. An Australian trade qualification or professional skills assessment can sometimes be obtained through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). RPL typically involves a practical work place assessment for tradesmen and a paper-based assessment for other professionals. Many of our clients have achieved permanent residence as a result of RPL, which is achievable in many occupations and is definitely worth investigating.

Carol-Ann P Lynch LLB MMIA, Principal Registered Migration Agent

Tip Four

How to choose and find a Migration Agent You do not need to use a migration agent when lodging a visa application, but if you do decide to use a migration agent, please make sure that you choose a good one! There are some very good agents out there, but sadly, there are also some really bad ones. Migration Agents in Australia must be registered with the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA) and are required to observe the Migration Agents’ Code of Conduct. MARA is linked to the Department of Immigration and Border Protection. Migration Agents stationed overseas do not need to be registered with MARA and do not need to observe the Code of Conduct. If an unregistered overseas agent gives you bad migration advice or steals your money, then there is very little that MARA can do to help you. Using a registered migration agent will help to protect your interests. The MARA website provides valuable advice on choosing an agent, thoroughly explains what you should expect from your agent, and gives you an idea of how much you should expect to pay an agent for helping with your visa application. The MARA website is an essential read for anyone thinking about using a migration agent: www.mara.gov.au.

October 2014 | www.smpmagazine.com.au

Migration

Tip Five

Consider asking for an eligibility assessment If you arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t 100% confident that you can meet the requirements for a particular type of visa, there is nothing wrong with asking a registered migration agent to provide you with a written eligibility assessment. For an agreed fee, a registered migration agent can review your paperwork and formally advise you as to whether or not they believe you can meet the visa requirements. It can be very useful to obtain a second opinion from an expert.

Tip Six

International students and permanent residence International students are big business in Australia! There were 525,000 international student enrolments in 2013 and in terms of our economy, international students contribute over $15 billion AUD every year. Education agents at international study expos will promote certain Australian colleges and universities and will usually receive thousands of dollars in commission for each student enrolment. Many education agents are unscrupulous and will advise that a particular course of study will lead to permanent residence, but that is simply not the case. Many

students are shattered when they find out that the degree, diploma, or other qualification that they have worked so hard for does not provide a direct pathway to permanent residence. If you are unsure about whether your chosen course of study can lead to permanent residence, take the time to seek professional advice before enrolling. There is no point in pursuing an expensive course of study that leads nowhere. And finally... There are no absolutes in the world of Australian immigration. Each change of government results in a new list of changes to the Migration Regulations. Similarly, each upturn or downturn in our economy impacts the occupations listed on the SOL, the CSOL, and the state and territory lists. It is important to keep up-to-date with these changes if you are interested in migrating to Australia. I hope that some of this information will prove useful to you in your quest to migrate to Australia and that you will be fortunate enough to secure one of the 190,000 places available in the 2014/15 Migration Program. Good luck!

Student visa pathways In order to migrate successfully to Australia, you need to do your homework - this is particularly true for international students. If your purpose for studying in Australia is to eventually achieve permanent residence, be sure to research which courses provide a pathway to permanent residence. Some common pathways are:

Temporary Graduate Visa (subclass 485)

Student Visa

Permanent Residence Visa

This pathway requires an occupation on the Skilled Occupations List (SOL) **

Student Visa

Temporary Work (Skilled) Visa (subclass 457)

Permanent Residence Visa

This pathway requires an occupation on the Consolidated Sponsored Occupations List (CSOL) and a nomination by an approved Australian employer **

Student Visa

Regional Sponsored Migration Stream (subclass 187) (Permanent Residence Visa)

This pathway requires an occupation classified at Skill Level 1 to 3 in the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations, as well as a nomination by an approved Australian employer **

Student Visa

EOI (Points Tested Visas)

Permanent Residence Visa (subclass 189, 190 or 489 visa)

This pathway requires the submission of an Expression of Interest through SkillSelect and an invitation to lodge a visa application ** ** The eligibility requirements for the above visas can be found on the Department of Immigration and Border Protection website www.immi.gov.au

www.smpmagazine.com.au | October 2014

Migration

Increasing productivity by harnessing migrants’ skills

ustralia would see productivity boosted and an increase in the availability of skilled workers through a national program to help skilled migrants into professional jobs, according to recent research. The programs would also harness the skills and cultural knowledge of professionals from non-English speaking countries to help access overseas markets, according to the research commissioned by settlement agency AMES and unveiled at the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA) 2013 Conference on the Gold Coast. A review of the effectiveness of the Skilled Professional Migrants Program (SPMP) – which aims to bridge the cultural divide faced by some migrants relaunching their careers in Australia – found that a large number of professional migrants faced considerable challenges in finding work in their fields. Around 130,000 people arrived in Australia as skilled migrants in 2012-2013. Around 10 per cent of these – or 13,000 people, mostly from non-English speaking backgrounds – have trouble finding work

Laurie Nowell

appropriate to their training, according to ABS figures. And only 53 per cent of migrants who come to Australia under the Skilled Migrant Program ultimately work in the same occupation they nominated as immigrants. According to the 2006 Census, up to 40 per cent of tertiary qualified migrants aged between 25 and 34 and 38 per cent of those aged 35 top 54 were in low or medium skilled occupations.

October 2014 | www.smpmagazine.com.au

Migration The research report titled ‘Securing futures: making the most of migrants’ skills’, found barriers to work included: unfamiliarity with recruitment practices; a lack of professional networks and difficulty growing them; little knowledge of Australian workplace culture; and, difficulties in having qualifications recognised. The research was based on interviews exploring the job seeking experiences of 239 people who had completed the SPMP program. It canvased participants from 40 countries – the majority from China, India, Sri Lanka, Iran and South America. The largest groups of professionals were engineers, IT specialists, accountants, scientists and business managers. Before enrolling in the SPMP program, less than 35 per cent of participants had worked in Australia. Those who had worked here were mostly in low-skilled or non-professional work. After completing SPMP, 89 per cent had found work and, of this group, 64 per cent were in professional jobs. The SPMP program, operated by AMES, introduces professional migrants to Australian workplace culture and job seeking techniques. Participants receive advice about professional interviews as well as insights into Australian workplace culture. “Australia’s immigration program attracts a high proportion of highly skilled professionally qualified migrants. This research suggests that there is a role for employment orientation, such as the SPMP, for some migrants – particularly those from non-English speaking backgrounds,” the report said. “The SPMP is an intervention that can maximise the use of skills brought by migrants and contribute to Australia’s productivity,” it said. The report said productivity gains would be long term because most skilled migrants arriving in Australia were in the early stages of their careers. It said the employment of skilled migrants increased diversity in the workforce and built cultural competence needed to connect with overseas markets. “An effective strategy to make the most of migrants’ skills would be to establish a national program for professionals who require targeted employment orientation to relaunch their careers in Australia,” the report said. One of the study’s authors, social scientist Monica O’Dwyer, said the research showed small interventions could make a difference in helping newly arrived professionals into work in Australia. She said a national program driven by governments would yield increased productivity and better outcomes for professional migrants. “Attracting people with professional skills and qualifications is a significant objective of Australia’s immigration program. But in many cases these skills are going unused and we are missing out on potentially productive people who can bring new perspectives and unique problem solving skills,” Ms O’Dwyer said. “We are seeing many of these professional migrants accepting jobs outside their skill sets or in roles well below their actual capacities,” she said. She said programs like SPMP could help harness the skills and experience of professional migrants. “Our research shows these kinds of programs are effective in giving professional migrants and insight into and some experience of what it takes to get a job in Australia,” Ms O’Dwyer said.

www.smpmagazine.com.au | October 2014

About AMES AMES is the leading provider of humanitarian settlement, education, training and employment services to refugees, asylum seekers and newly arrived migrants in Victoria. A statutory authority of the Victorian Government, the organisation manages a range of federal and state government contracts including Humanitarian Settlement Services (HSS), the Adult Migrant English program (AMEP) General Services and Distance Learning programs; and Job Services Australia (JSA). The four economic and social determinants of Health and Wellbeing, Education, Employment and Safety and Security are what AMES focuses on to deliver its vision of “full participation for all in a cohesive and diverse society”.

Migration

Are We Squandering the Skills of Migrant Professionals? Dr Kyoung-Hee Yu, PhD, Senior lecturer and Honours coordinator, School of management, UNSW Australia Business School

well-developed sense of professional identity within business benefits society as a whole. Among other positive effects, it reinforces ethical behaviour and increases the likelihood that customers will receive the best recommendations and advice. Australian School of Business (ASB) senior lecturer Kyoung-Hee Yu has spent several years looking at professional identity as a basis for professional conduct. “Managerial logic has on the whole eroded professional identity,” said Yu. “Our proposition is that migrants, and possibly other non-traditional professional groups such as women and minorities, provide a stronghold of professional identity.” Yu has targeted her research towards the occupation of accounting, which she says has seen a greater migrant intake than any other occupation in Australia. During the past seven years, an average of 9,000 foreign-born migrant accountants a year have been welcomed under Australia’s skilled migration program. “We think that the mechanisms for higher professional identity among migrant accountants have to do with their position in the hierarchy of the organisation as well as the fact that work is more central in migrant professionals’ lives.” But there are caveats employers should heed. One is that migrants are more likely to have negative workplace experiences in Australia that can dampen their professional identity, compared with locals whose professional identity tends to rise the longer they stay in the profession. Another is that migrants tend not have the benefit of mentoring and development opportunities so these factors can’t act to raise their professional identity as they do for locals. “Migrant professionals feel more positive than the locals about their profession,” Yu says.

October 2014 | www.smpmagazine.com.au

Migration

“But the longer they stay in accounting, the less positive they feel. They become disappointed and disenchanted because it is less likely that they are matched with appropriate jobs and given independent tasks or access to managerial positions”

Remote and Excluded “We asked about social interaction in the workplace and had a measure for exclusion. Migrant workers experience incidents of exclusion at a higher rate than locals,” Yu says. “They also have difficulty accessing opportunities in the workplace. Accounting is very much a customer-focused industry but the taxation side, for instance, has lower status than auditing because auditing is more likely to involve relationships with high-powered customers. We suspect that migrants are not given equal levels of access to such customers.” Peter Wilson, chairman of the Australian Human Resources Institute (AHRI), agrees that the problem of exclusion may lead to migrants suffering lower levels of professional identity over time. He says there are some examples within Australian industry of organisations managing issues of diversity and cross-culture extremely well. But Wilson notes that the AHRI, which presents annual awards for various HR specialties, is not being bowled over by the number of high-performing businesses in the category of cross-cultural and diversity management. “The capacity within Australian industry for foreign workers to feel alone and remote is huge,” said Wilson. “There are two points of disconnection for migrants. One is the fact that their [original] culture is naturally relationship-oriented and the other is simply that they are already disconnected from their relationships as they have come to a new country. So employers must find a way to engage with them as people, to make them feel good about their work and about themselves to get a better result.” According to Wilson, the way business is conducted in Australia can be different to the way business is done elsewhere and managers need to be aware of this when dealing with migrant staff. “In Australia we say: ‘Here is the job. You understand what needs to be done. If you perform well then I will pay you well.’ But Asian cultural systems, for example, are more driven by relationships, so the way to get the best out of them is to say: ‘Here’s the job. We are seeking out performers but I understand to get that performance we will need to develop you and develop a relationship with you. What are the things that are most important for you to have in that context?’ “The macho stuff around handing somebody a job description, telling them their KPIs and saying ‘I don’t need to get to know you’ is just poison in the chalice for a migrant worker,” said Wilson.

Brokering Connections According to Wilson, migrant workers want and need somebody to broker connections for them. It has to be understood that, on a personal level, they don’t get to go to the football with their mates on the weekend and are not generally invited for drinks by colleagues within their For more on advices contact us on: address@smpmagazine.com

www.smpmagazine.com.au | October 2014

Migration own organisation, nor old friends within other businesses, as many local workers are. “It’s also important to realise that even within meetings at work the migrant workers may feel excluded or alone, unable to have their say or sometimes to understand exactly what is going on,” Wilson says. “In the workplace you must get them a ‘buddy’. Introduce them to a peer who can ask how they went in the meetings, whether they made good connections, how everything is going, is there anything they didn’t understand. Top accounting firms do this for women returning from maternity leave – they put them together with a colleague who keeps them abreast of what has happened since they’ve been away. “It’s important to have someone in place whose job it is to make sure this person is localising and who can help them out. But also the migrant worker has to know they have to work hard to build relationships of their own. This buddy system is not a permanent umbilical cord, it’s just a crutch until they can walk on their own.” Yu stresses that it is important not to patronise migrant workers and believes a great deal of thought must go in to the mentor match-up. “Scholarly literature suggests that it’s very important to be matched with the right mentor. If it is assumed that migrant professionals should always be paired up with someone from their own country, all parties might suffer from relative poverty in their network,” Yu says. “Such a relationship may offer assurance or validation of difficulties they’re having and I don’t want to undermine the importance of that. But we would hope that they also get the type of advice that helps them move upwards and build their career. This is not just for their benefit. This research is motivated by how society benefits from having a healthy professional community.”

9,000

foreign-born migrant accountants a year have been welcomed under Australia’s skilled migration program during the past seven years.

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UNDERSTANDING THE BENEFITS OF NETWORKING AND AUSTRALIAN TAX LAWS

y professional life began with qualifying with one of the Big Four accounting firms in South Africa which led to employment opportunities, as well as international experience, in the UK and the Cayman Islands. After some travelling, my wife and I set our sights on Australia, a country we had heard would be the closest to home in terms of lifestyle and a place with many expats, even some fellow South Africans. We could not foresee any challenges Juan Koen, Principal with settling into the ‘lucky country’. at JLK Accounting The opportunity to migrate to Australia is a & Tax great privilege but migration policies are very strict. I was lucky to find my profession on the entry short list but landing here without a job started a battle we hadn’t signed up for. Depending on your industry, the barriers to finding work without the benefit of local work experience are considerable. When we arrived in Perth mid-August 2009 our world was turned upside down. For the first time our qualifications and previous work experience counted for nothing. Local experience was the key to unlocking opportunities but how do you get local experience without having a job – it was indeed a classic Catch-22 case. At the time the job market in Perth was flat so we moved to Sydney in the hope of better prospects. After many interviews and six months later, a break finally came through a network connection. Finally my foot was in the door. I went on to further my studies to localise my tax knowledge and not long after another opportunity arose through another contact. Two and half years later and a 4,000km road trip across Australia, we were back in Perth. The greatest lesson to be learned from my experience is the importance of networking and making connections. It was not my prior experience or qualification that opened the door for me, but a connection, which eventuated in a job. A great mentor taught me that you might only be one hand shake away from the opportunity you are searching for. I found out the hard way that connections are invaluable when making a new life in Australia, luckily this is not everyone’s story. Although, if you find yourself fresh off the boat with no job, remember every person you meet could potentially open a new door for you, just keep trying and never give up.

TFN: Your first step is to get a Tax File Number or TFN, your unique identification number with the ATO. The ATO website - www.ato.gov.au - provides information on the various alternatives for applying for a TFN, a downloadable form and a list of identity documents required. Without a TFN banks are required to withhold 45% tax from interest you earn on your bank account.

Basics of the Australian taxation system As an employee or business owner, you will have to deal with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). The ATO is the Commonwealth Government’s main revenue collector and the statutory authority responsible for the administration of Australia’s taxation system.

ABN: If you plan to run a business in Australia you should apply for an Australian Business Number (ABN). Your ABN is a single identifier for use in business dealings with the ATO. Although an ABN is not compulsory, it does allow you to lodge Business Activity Statements (BAS) and confirm your business identity to others when ordering and invoicing and by so doing avoid Pay as You Go (PAYG) tax on payments your business receives. You can register for an ABN on the Australian Business Register website www.abr.gov.au.

Please note that this article does not constitute tax and/or legal advice. The content is intended to provide only general information in summary form on tax matters of interest. You should seek tax, legal or other professional advice before acting or relying on any content. Registered Tax Agents are authorised to assist you with your tax compliance in Australia.

TFN Declaration: Once you start your new job your employer will require you to file a TFN Declaration which determines how much tax should be withheld from your salary. You will be asked if you are a tax resident of Australia and if the annual tax-free threshold should be applied. You can ask your employer or your tax accountant to provide advice on filing out your TFN declaration.

Money

Crunching Numbers in Australia

Income Tax Return: The Australian tax year runs from July to June. Depending on your income you could be required to lodge an annual Income Tax Return. Your employer will provide you with a PAYG Summary showing your gross salary and tax withheld, which you need to prepare your tax return. The due date to lodge your individual tax return is 31 October. You could get an extension if you lodge through a tax agent. Superannuation: Superannuation, or super, is a way to save for your retirement. The money comes from contributions made into your super fund by your employer. You can also contribute additional funds. The concept is similar to pension funds in other countries. Your employer must contribute 9.5% of your salary. Most people can choose a super fund. All you have to do is advise your employer by filling in a Standard Choice Form from the ATO. In some cases your employer will decide which fund your super is paid into. If you don’t choose your super fund, your employer will put the money into a ‘default’ super fund, a fund nominated under an industrial award or by your employer. The ATO ensures that employers make the mandatory super contributions for employees.

October 2014 | www.smpmagazine.com.au

Money

Protect your Financial Future

with good insurance cover by Chits Nyamidzi Authorised Representative of AMP Financial Planning

ife would be much easier if we knew what the future holds for us. We would know when to save, spend or invest. In the event of a prolonged sickness, injury, permanent disablement or even death we would be able to adjust our lifestyle accordingly to ensure that it is never compromised by these events. Not knowing our tomorrow, we have two choices about how we can protect our financial future. We can self-insure, which means we will always need to have sufficient savings or investments that could be converted to cash easily for the purpose of maintaining our lifestyle if we were unable to generate current levels of incomes to fend for our families. The other option would be to transfer the risk to someone who will take over the financial burden for us if any of these life events occurred. This can be achieved by buying an insurance policy through one of many life insurance providers. I believe the main challenge each of us faces is trying to identify which type of insurance is the most important. To assist you with your decision, this article looks at the five main types of life insurance covers which are; income protection, total and permanent disability, trauma, child cover and death cover.

www.smpmagazine.com.au | October 2014

Income Protection Cover Income protection insurance replaces the income lost through your inability to work due to injury or sickness. It is an important consideration for anyone who relies on their income to support your family if you were either sick or injured and needed to take some time off work. Income protection insurance normally covers up to a maximum of 75% of your income although the choice is yours as to what percentage of your income you want covered as long it does not exceed the 75% mark. Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) Cover Total and permanent disability insurance cover is designed to provide financial protection in the event of a serious injury or illness that would make it difficult or impossible for you to continue to work. If this happens and you did not have this cover, you will need to find a way to support yourself and your family. Total and permanent disability (TPD) insurance provides cover if you are totally and permanently disabled in line with the TPD definition of your cover. Most TPD policies are issued with one of two definitions,

Money being ‘own occupation’ or ‘any occupation’. It is up to you to choose a definition when taking out your policy. Under the ‘own occupation’ definition, the insurer pays an agreed benefit when the individual is unable to perform the duties of their own occupation. For example, a surgeon who loses his left arm may still be able to practice as a general practitioner but he will suffer a significant drop in earnings. Under the ‘any occupation’ definition, the insurer pays an agreed benefit when the individual is unlikely to engage in gainful employment for which they are reasonably qualified by education, training or experience as a result of the disability. TPD insurance will help you cover the costs of rehabilitation, debt repayments and the future cost of living. Trauma Cover Trauma cover comes into play when a serious illness can make it difficult or impossible for you to continue to work. If this happens, you will need to find a way to support yourself and your family. Trauma cover can provide a financial safety net. Trauma cover is also referred to as ‘critical illness’ cover or ‘recovery’ insurance. Trauma insurance provides cover if you are diagnosed with a specified illness or injury. These policies include the major illnesses or injuries that will make a significant impact on a person’s life, such as cancer, heart attack or a stroke. Trauma insurance pays a set amount. This can be used for things like: • Any private medical costs above your health insurance • The ongoing cost of any therapy and special transport costs • Adjustments to housing and lifestyle changes • Debt repayments Child cover Child cover comes under the umbrella of trauma cover. Usually child cover can be provided as an addition to a parent or guardian’s policy. It comes at a small increase to your premium, but protects your family from a financial burden in the event of serious medical conditions affecting your child. Insurance for your child covers a number of different trauma conditions, and usually includes: death, cancer and heart conditions. Additional conditions may vary depending on the insurer. In order to apply for this type of cover the child’s age has to be between two to 15 or 16

Chits Nyamidzi Financial Planning BAOBAB wealth management PTY Ltd Authorised Representative of AMP financial planner PTY Ltd

years old. This cover expires once the child has reached the age of either 20 or 21 depending on the chosen insurer’s conditions. Death Cover Talking about dying isn’t easy but in view of those you will leave behind, it’s worth some thought. By setting up a way to support your loved ones after you die, you can ensure they can continue to pay the mortgage and school expenses, go on holiday and buy essentials. Death cover, also known as term life insurance or life cover, pays a set amount of money when the insured person dies. The money will go to the people you nominate as beneficiaries on your policy. When deciding how much life cover you want, think about: • All your debts • Your children’s future childcare and education costs • How much income your family will need to live comfortably

CONCLUSION Despite having discussed the main types of insurance policies, I know that one question still remains: how much of each type of coverage do I need? I recommend that you speak with your financial planner and he/she will help you complete a “needs analysis” and implement a suitable strategy for the funding of your insurance premiums. One thing I would like to leave you with is this: remember that you have to be comfortable with the level of insurance you are taking out and the premiums should be affordable to you. Having your financial planner help you conduct a cash-flow analysis might also assist you in assessing the impact of the additional insurance costs on your personal cashflow.

October 2014 | www.smpmagazine.com.au

Diversity 36

www.smpmagazine.com.au | October 2014

Diversity

Stating the business case for embracing diversity

Fadzi Whande, Diversity consultant CommunityWest

Workplace diversity is so important in today’s global context that more organisations are adopting strategies to accommodate implementation. You will find various publications and articles highlighting the business case for diversity. Some people tend to regard diversity as being only about race, ethnicity, gender, language or religion yet it’s so much broader than this. So, what is diversity?

Queensborough College, USA defines it as: The concept of diversity encompasses acceptance and respect. It means understanding that each individual is unique, and recognizing our individual differences. These can be along the dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or other ideologies. It is the exploration of these differences in a safe, positive, and nurturing environment. It is about understanding each other and moving beyond simple tolerance to embracing and celebrating the rich dimensions of diversity contained within each individual.

Australia has third highest proportion of overseas-born residents According to the Australia Bureau of Statistics, (ABS) at the end of 2011, Australia had one of the highest proportions of overseas-born residents (27%); third highest behind Singapore (41%); and Hong Kong (39%). The USA and UK clocked up 14% and 10% respectively. While the government can invest years of effort to pass legislation to overturn a discriminatory law or expand rights and legal protection to disfranchised groups, the crucial shifting of public attitudes and societal norms that bring about true equality can stretch out over generations. Meanwhile, in the corporate realm - where the bottom line is paramount- there is often a greater motivation to cut to the chase. You would think the business case for diversity would be simple, after all it makes sense that profitable organisations are the ones that are inclusive and adaptive to the global landscape. According to the results of a recent study*, it was revealed that many CEOs have not been exposed to what true workplace diversity looks like. The research suggests that CEOs view diversity as recruitment and compliance processes, rather than a strategy to engage talent and a means to achieve the competitive. According to the Diversity Council Australia (DCA): “…harnessing cultural diversity in Australia and abroad is essential to meeting the challenges of skill shortages, global labour market competition and an ageing population.” Considering the global village we live in today, there is no doubt that a more diverse workplace would open doors to areas where some companies are stalling.

In future editions of Skilled Migrant Professionals you will find articles on the companies in Australia leading the way in diversity and how it has affected the organisations in a very positive way. We will explore aspects of diversity such as: • Gender • Cultural diversity • Workplace diversity religion • Generational • Lesbian, gay bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) • Disability While it is important for private enterprise to do what they can to diversify their workplace, government programs are also crucial in redressing the balance. Australia’s Skilled Migration Program was devised to deliver workers with the skills Australia needs. SMP Australia believes that to get the maximum economic benefit from the government-instituted migration program, it is important that skilled migrants are successful in the labour market. They should be enjoying a high rate of labour force participation, a low rate of unemployment and a high propensity for skilled employment. Workplace diversity is crucial. This is not to say that employers should hire incompetent skilled migrant professionals, but they should be given equal employment opportunities to exercise their capabilities without prejudices in this ever-changing global marketplace. Diversity is a reality created by individuals and groups from a broad spectrum of demographic and philosophical differences. It is extremely important to support and protect diversity by valuing individuals and groups free from prejudice and fostering a climate where equity and mutual respect are intrinsic. We hope to start meaningful conversations about experiences and attitudes around this and explore how we as individuals can effectively begin to practice the acceptance and tolerance we crave from others and what we expect from organisations. Let’s not forget that organisations are made up of people, so if we truly want to see a diverse workplace we must be willing to challenge our individual mindsets and beliefs as well.

October 2014 | www.smpmagazine.com.au

* April 2013 by Korn/Ferry institute in association with Diversity Council Australia (DCA)

The Merriam Webster dictionary defines it as: The condition of having or being composed of differing elements: especially: the inclusion of different types of people (as people of different races or cultures) in a group or organization.

NEED HELP TO REALISE YOUR AUSTRALIAN DREAM? Contact: Tommy Adebayo Email: tommy@smpmagazine.com.au Phone: +61430209803

www.smpmagazine.com.au | October 2014

Motivation

The Importance of Attitude in Driving Performance & Results

hat has the greatest impact on your company’s performance, profitability, and ability to adapt and survive? Is it your people’s technical skills or their attitude towards their work? Is the key what they do? Or, how they do it?

ter of aptitude, not attitude. In other words, you cannot train your way out of an attitude problem.

Why is attitude so important for performance?

Attitude does make a very real difference A recent study by Leadership IQ, a global leadership training and research company, found that nearly 50% of newly-hired employees failed within 18 months (i.e. they were terminated, left under pressure, received disciplinary action, or had negative performance reviews) while less than one in five new employees exceeded their performance expectations.

Andrew Cooke executive coach, Leadership Development and Facilitator at Growth Profit Solutions

The reasons for this, in eight out of nine instances, were interpersonal reasons stemming from attitudes that resulted in low-performance behaviour; only one in nine failed for technical reasons. These findings were compiled from studying 5,247 hiring managers from 312 public, private, business and healthcare organisations. Collectively, these managers hired more than 20,000 employees over the three-year study period. While the failure rate for new hires is distressing, it should not be surprising: 82% of managers reported that in hindsight, their interviews with these employees revealed subtle clues that they might be headed for trouble. However, during the interviews, managers were either too focused on other issues, too pressed for time, or lacked the confidence in their interviewing abilities to heed the warning signs. In the same sample group 812 managers experienced significantly greater hiring success than their peers. What differentiated their interviewing approach was their emphasis on interpersonal and motivational issues. That being said, when companies recruit people and determine whom to retain, it is rarely done using the key attitudes and behaviours required to drive and sustain high performance. When recruiting, managers often lack the skills to hire based on attitude and are more subjective in their approach, often heavily influenced by how well they ‘like’ a particular candidate when making their decision, rather than on who will be a high performer in the future. When considering the retention of employees, managers often find it difficult to fire people, even if they have been consistently poor performers. This is due to a lack of any clear guidelines or standards that clearly outline what constitutes low-performing behaviours and high-performing behaviours. As such, they act conservatively and often tolerate poor performance. However, when they do attempt to remedy the situation, it is often addressed as a mat-

www.smpmagazine.com.au | October 2014

Most companies focus on what people do – how they perform against given measures or KPIs. However, very few companies focus on how people perform, which is reflected in their attitude. Think of a situation in your current organisation, or a previous one, where you have someone who is a high performer, but is difficult to manage, often alienates others, or adversely impacts them because of their behaviour. We all have experiences with people like this.

Often, companies try to change the behaviour of their people by focusing on the behaviour itself. However, this approach simply doesn’t work. As can be seen in the diagram opposite, if you want to change someone’s behaviour, you have to change their beliefs and, in turn, change their attitudes. An individual’s behaviour is the outward expression of their internal attitudes, but the manner in which an individual behaves will have external consequences both for the individual and for others around them.

What do managers and leaders need to do? To ensure that your people have the ‘right’ attitudes – those that lead to high-performing individuals, teams, and an overall excellent organisation – you need to do three things: 1. Determine what the key attitudes are that you need to have in order to support and enable individuals, teams, and the organisation to perform at a high level. 2. Determine what those attitudes mean in terms of actual behaviours. These need to be clear, specific, and applicable across a wide

Motivation Example: Attitude of Accountability – Example of Performance Levels in Terms of Behaviours Needs Work on Accountability

Good Work on Accountability

Great Work on Accountability

• When new changes are implemented, I resist the changes and push for a return to the status quo.

• I openly support change initiatives. I don’t want to be told to take action, and I find opportunities to help complete projects more quickly and effectively.

I do everything in the Good Work category, plus…

• I accept personal responsibility for the quality and timeliness of work without making excuses or blaming others.

• I actively redirect conversations with my colleagues to stop them from making excuses or blaming others.

• I meet my commitments, and if it looks like I won’t personally be able to meet a commitment, I take responsibility for implementing an alternative that ensures the commitment is still met.

• If I uncover an unexpected problem, I immediately remedy the situation, but then I also bring it to the attention of others so that we can develop a root cause solution, thereby preventing anyone else from suffering the same issue in the future.

• When breakdowns or missed communications occur, I engage in finger-pointing and blaming others. • When I make mistakes or miss deadlines, I offer excuses like “I couldn’t get it done because…” • When the going gets tough or intense, I become frantic and even overreact. • I avoid extra work, and when working in a team, I allow my co-workers to do most of the work.

• I encourage and convince my fellow employees to support change initiatives.

The above, created for each of a few core attitudes, provides you with clear examples of behaviours at each level. This allows you to guide people on what they have to do to specifically improve how they work, rather than making suggestions in vague and abstract terms. The individual then has the choice to rise to the challenge, leave of his or her own volition, or be let go. To make this system work, you need to have clear consequences that are consistently and fairly applied or you will have created a ‘toothless tiger’. By developing and using this with your existing employees, as well as by recruiting people with the right attitude, you will change the overall attitude of your business as people begin to behave in the appropriate way. This is one of the quickest ways to build a robust, high-performing business with all the benefits and success that you have imagined. To find out more how you can do this for your organisation and people, contact Andrew Cooke of Growth & Profit Solutions on +61 (0)401 842673 or by email at andrew.cooke@business-gps.com.au. Andrew’s blog, Growth & Profit, can be found at www.growthandprofit.me

50% of newly hired employees failed within 18 months

range of situations. This way, you can observe if people are demonstrating the right attitude in what they do. These behaviours need to be developed to affect each existing attitude: • High-performance – those behaviours demonstrated by someone performing above expectations. • On-target – those behaviours demonstrated by someone performing as expected. • Low-performance – those behaviours by someone performing below expectations. 3. Share and communicate these attitudes and behaviours with all staff members, assess people against these expectations, and provide continual feedback so progress can be monitored by both the individual and the company. This should also be integrated with the formal review process.

October 2014 | www.smpmagazine.com.au

Lifestyle

hether you’re starting life in Australia on a temporary or permanent basis, you’re no doubt going through a process of adjustment. It’s hard enough getting used to phrases like ‘fair dinkum’, and a new currency, let alone coping with the demands of your new life and navigating a foreign health system! So here is some practical information for people who are new to Australia — to help you find out more about the Australian health system, how it works, where to get medical advice, and where to find more information.

Making the most of Medicare Medicare is Australia’s version of a ‘universal’ health care scheme. It provides free or lower-cost medical and public hospital services for all Australian citizens and eligible permanent residents. You may also be eligible for Medicare if you live in Australia and you:

Make

Audra Millis, BUPA Head of Health and Care Solutions

• are a New Zealand citizen • have applied for an Australian permanent resident visa • are visiting Australia and you come from a country that has a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement with Australia. Other requirements may also apply. To find out if you are eligible, or to apply for Medicare, contact Medicare. (See ‘Find more information’ opposite).

What services does Medicare cover? If you are eligible for Medicare, you can claim benefits and payments for healthcare services including: • doctor and specialist consultation fees

e m o h t a yourself

m e t s y s e r a c h t l a e h s ’ a i l with Austra

www.smpmagazine.com.au | October 2014

Lifestyle • tests and examinations ordered by your doctor • eye tests carried out by optometrists • free treatment as a public patient in public hospitals. Medicare also subsidises services provided by some other healthcare professionals including physiotherapists, psychologists, dentists, dietitians and speech pathologists, but only for patients who meet certain conditions.

What isn’t covered by Medicare? It is important to know that if you need an ambulance in an emergency, the cost of an ambulance is not covered by Medicare. Treatment that is not medically necessary and any medical treatments as a private patient are also not covered.

Do I need private health insurance? If you are eligible for Medicare, it is not necessary to also have private health insurance. However, anyone living in Australia can pay for private health insurance to help cover the costs of healthcare as a private patient and some services that are not covered by Medicare (e.g. ambulances, or things like most dental examinations, or most physiotherapy). Some visa types may require you and your family to have health insurance for the duration of your stay in Australia, for example, if you are in Australia on a student visa, or if you are applying for a visa subclass 457. If you have private health insurance, you can usually choose the hospital (public or private) that you would like to go to. You can also usually choose the doctor or specialist who treats you, and when you would like to be treated.

Types of private health insurance There are two types of private health insurance — hospital cover and general treatment cover. Hospital cover helps you pay for the cost of treatment in hospital (e.g. hospital accommodation costs). General treatment cover (called ‘ancillary’ or ‘extras’) pays towards other healthcare services (e.g. ambulances, dentists, physiotherapists). Most health insurance providers offer policies that cover both hospital and general treatment services. Depending on the health insurance policy you choose, and your level of cover, you may not be covered for the full cost of some treatments, so you may have to pay the rest of the cost. It is important to choose the most appropriate policy for you and your family, and to know what your policy does and does not cover.

What to do in a medical emergency Call the emergency number triple zero (000) if you need an ambulance in a medical emergency. You will be asked what emergency service you need — ambulance, fire or police. If English is not your first language, the 000 emergency services line will connect you to an interpreter that speaks your language, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you need emergency medical treatment but you don’t need an ambulance, then you can visit the Emergency department of your nearest public hospital. Everyone who goes to Emergency is assessed and then treated in accordance with the seriousness of their condition. So, if you go to the Emergency department and your reason for doing so is not deemed as serious, you may have to wait a long time to be seen.

Where to get medical help after hours If you need medical advice at night, on weekends or public holidays, you can call the after-hours national GP helpline on 1800 022 222. Your call will be answered by a registered nurse who will ask you for more information about your medical problem. You may be transferred

Accessing healthcare in Australia How to find a doctor In Australia, a doctor or general practitioner (GP) is generally the first person you see for medical advice, if it is not a medical emergency. GPs usually work in medical centres, clinics or independent private practices. You can choose the GP that you want to see. It’s a good idea to find, and register with, a local GP as soon as you can so that you are set up to get medical advice and treatment when the need arises. Registering with a GP is especially important if you have children, or if you or a family member have a medical condition that needs ongoing medical care. Your GP can coordinate your medical care, refer you for tests and to specialists or other health professionals if needed. Ask a friend, colleague or another health professional if they can recommend a GP.

Choosing a doctor Choose a doctor whose knowledge and judgment you trust, and who you feel comfortable talking to. Here are a few things to consider when choosing a doctor: • Location — is your GP easy to get to? • Opening hours — longer opening hours may be more convenient for you. • Home visits — some GPs in some practices may visit you at home. • Language — ask if any of the practice staff speak your language. • Gender of the GP — this may be important to you. • Accreditation — accredited practices meet certain quality standards. • Specialities — some GPs specialise in treating particular medical conditions. • Billing — ask about the practice’s billing arrangements. If English is not your first language and you would like an interpreter to help you when you visit a doctor, ask your doctor to organise this for you).

to speak to a doctor. If necessary, they will direct you to an after-hours health service near to you. If it is an emergency, they will transfer you to the Ambulance Service emergency number triple zero (000).

Need an interpreter? If English is not your first language, the Australian Government provides a translating and interpreting service (TIS National) that can help you. The service is available 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Most TIS National interpreting services are free for non-English speakers. When you call TIS National your call will be answered by an English-speaking operator who will ask what language interpreter you need.

October 2014 | www.smpmagazine.com.au

Lifestyle

Ways Mobile Apps Can Help You Grow Your Business

Times have truly changed so it is imperative for every business to integrate and adapt to the latest technological developments. It is impossible to deny that iPhone apps and other mobile applications are taking the world by storm. The majority of smart, forward-thinking entrepreneurs are taking advantage of this phenomenon to improve and grow their businesses.

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Boost branding: With your company’s logo and/or slogan being visible on your customers’ mobile screens, it’s virtually impossible not to remember you when they need your products/services. This heightened visibility offers a definite advantage against your competitors who have yet to adopt this business strategy. If you want an instant boost in brand recognition, creating a mobile application is a great way to help improve your corporate branding and overall reputation in the market.

Act as a marketing tool: More than just as an application, a mobile app can also double as a valuable marketing tool. It can be easily integrated with Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, and other popular social media sites. This means that with a single tap, customers can share your app with their network and/or rate their experience with your company, which basically gives you free publicity. Plus, by using push notifications, you can quickly send upcoming promotions or special events to your customers and prospects.

Improve customer service experience: Your customers will benefit significantly by having access to your products/ services any time they want, no matter how hectic their schedule happens to be. This is especially true for companies that don’t have a help line available 24/7. Your app can include a feature enabling customers to contact you day or night, without necessarily having to go to your website.

Acquire more customers: Remember that today’s consumers are constantly on the move and are practically joined at the hip to their mobile devices. Therefore, the vast majority of your customers would appreciate a useful and engaging mobile app from your company. If your app helps them save time, kill time, or is simply that awesome, then they might even refer you to their friends and family. Generate more income: A mobile application with order fulfilment capability can easily provide another revenue channel besides the stream from your website and/or bricks and mortar store. For example, enabling the functionality to make restaurant reservations, book concert tickets, buy goods and services, etc. is possible with a few taps/ clicks. But wait, there’s more! You can also earn revenue by charging app users when they upgrade to a premium version, or by offering in-app advertisements, etc.

Unfortunately, many business owners have yet to recognise the huge potential of mobile applications in terms of boosting their productivity, efficiency, competitive edge, and user experience. Have you been brainstorming ideas on how to grow your business? Mobile apps might be just the solution you’ve been looking for. Feel free to contact us for advice or to help you get started: www.spidanet.mobi

www.smpmagazine.com.au | October 2014

October 2014 | www.smpmagazine.com.au

Back talk

Building a career on the cornerstone of Engineering

Laszlo Licsik Engineering Manager: Total Marine Technology

Q&A 1. What are your job responsibilities? I am responsible for the day-to-day running of an engineering department which is comprised of fifteen project engineers on different levels, three draftspeople and a technical writer. The role involves training, mentoring, and managing teams, as well as hiring and sometimes firing people. It also involves setting the direction for the department in line with company objectives. In other words, it is highly loaded with administrative tasks. 2. What is a typical work day like for you? To some extent I work around the clock; I need to respond to emails at all hours of the day as the company is on the verge of going global and that needs nurturing. My days in the office generally include keeping upto-date with all of the engineering projects, lots of meetings, design reviews, document approvals, and making difficult decisions on technical dilemmas. 3. Current position I work as an engineering manager. The role requires both technical and management backgrounds as well as some business acumen. 4. Where did you attend school? I graduated from the Technical University of Budapest in 2002, having earned my MSc degree in Mechanical Engineering. I later became interested in business administration and people management hence, I enrolled at Heriot-Watt University of Edinburgh where I earned my MBA in 2011. For someone who is generally interested in technical challenges, like me, the MBA course was a melting pot of all of the pieces of the business puzzle that I already knew a bit about; through the MBA these pieces became the solid foundation I needed.

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5. Location of operation The company is going global at the moment and our headquarters are in Perth, Western Australia. Providing support and problem solving internationally keeps the days whizzing past. Currently we operate heavy work class ROVs (Remotely Operated Vehicles) around Australia and in the Asia-Pacific region. We are also a manufacturing company, therefore my department works closely with the production side of the company on a daily basis. 6. Name of organisation The company is called Total Marine Technology. 7. What do you enjoy most about your work at TMT? The joy of creation; seeing designs come alive after battling difficult challenges and long days of hard work. The harder it is to design, the sweeter it feels when I get to see the ideas and sketches become a real, functioning machine. 8. What factors influenced your career choice? My personal interests helped me to map out my path. I always had an interest in creating and building and knowing how things work, which led me to study engineering so I could get paid for doing what I enjoy. 9. How would you describe your leadership style? I believe that leading by example and encouraging the heart are essential characteristics of a good leader. This is why I look at problems as challenges and am happy to be in the front-line to take part in solving them. I also believe that the best way to delegate is by building the confidence of others while letting them do things their own way, and in my opinion that is the only way to get an organisation to grow and flourish. 10. What advice would you give to others pursuing a career similar to yours? I have to say this career is not the easiest one, as you have to be able to see the big picture and sometimes even create it, while the need for attention to detail is very important as well. Once you have chosen your career path and begun that journey, your determination will drive you on. If for some reason you happen to get stuck, just take the time to look back to where you came from. The path you see will help guide you to your destination.