Getting a Job in a Fortune 500 Company

Getting into a Fortune 500 Company – whether global, American or based in Australia – is much easier said than done.

These are companies that produce millions or billions of dollars in revenue each year, dominate the global market and potentially create the world’s best industry leaders and executives.

Sound appealing?

Here are just some of my tips for aiming your career at the Fortune 500 level:

Outstanding Resume

Your first step is to get your resume together, seeing as this will likely be your first, and perhaps only chance, to showcase your experience, achievements and skills to a potential Fortune 500 employer. If you have a basic resume, consider upgrading to an executive resume. You may want to look for an executive resume writing service to assist you or a resume writer who can also write a strong customised cover letter. If you need to address selection criteria consider getting assistance in developing a document that directly addresses these. The better your selection criteria, cover letter and resume, the more chance you’ll have of getting noticed.

Leadership Training

Many Fortune 500 companies also offer specific and general leadership training programs. These can either by run in-house by the companies themselves, or by external executive training organisations. Attending one or more of these programs could benefit you greatly – you’ll gain insight into a company’s operations, values, strategies and expectations, which will all help to formulate your entry plan. These training programs can also often lead to paid internships and entry-level (or higher) positions.

Experience

Of course, if you are already an executive, it can also be beneficial to possess the right management and leadership experience or to build up valuable experience in the same industry as your target company. Many of the Fortune 500 companies, for instance, operate in the resource and mining industries, which are highly specialised. So, your option may be to work your way up the corporate ladder of a similar corporation, and then make the direct jump into a Fortune 500 business. However, this can be tough and competitive.

Take a Lower-Level Job

Taking a lower-level job is a great way to get your foot in the door of a Fortune 500 company, even if it means a lower pay grade and more menial duties. Entry-level jobs and internships are a fantastic way to learn about the organisation, make valuable contacts, find out about internal opportunities and give your career a kick-start in the right direction.

Head to a Executive Search Consultant

If you’re a busy executive, you can also head to an executive search consultant or head hunter, who may be able to spearhead your career for you in the Fortune 500 arena. These consultants may conduct research and make contacts in Fortune 500 companies on your behalf, saving you the time.

Subscribe

Of course, if you don’t already subscribe to Fortune 500 (or their app), this could be a good idea. You’ll have access to company insights, financials and movements, as well as available jobs, and the expectations of each company. You can even see who in your target companies are on LinkedIn.

Network

Networking with the right people will undoubted help you as well, particularly if you already have extensive executive experience under your hat. Make connections with important people in the Fortune 500 companies that you want to work for – this can include HR managers and recruiters, as well as current executives in the company.

Got a Fortune 500 success story or simply aiming high? We’d love to hear about it! We can help you produce a winning, executive resume, too. Just contact Resumes Australia today.

Regards,

How to Answer: “What’s Your Greatest Strength?”

When it comes to preparing your resume, you will, of course, have many strengths and positives that you will want to emphasise to a potential employer. During a job interview, an employer will also make note of your strengths and they may choose to dive deeper into what makes you such a great candidate.

But when it comes to the question, “what’s your greatest strength?” it can often be difficult to choose the best answer.

1. Keep the Selection Criteria in Mind

When you first noticed the job or when it came to the resume writing stage, you would’ve paid attention to the selection criteria listed in the advertisement. Keep this criteria in mind when thinking about your greatest strength – and choose a strength that relates directly to one of the top criteria listed. An employer will not only want to determine what makes you stand out, but what makes you particularly suitable for their role.

2. Back Up Your Strength

As with any interview question, you should back up your strength/s with examples from your past and current job positions. When you prepare your list of strengths, note down at least two circumstances where you’ve used these strengths in your job, focusing on the outcomes and how your strength drove you to succeed. For example, if your strength is about client relations, you might want to point out that you’ve exceeded your sales targets throughout the year and that you’ve achieved X% growth for a particular product or service.

3. Common Strengths

It pays to be unique when it comes to your strengths so that you stand out from other candidates. You should customise your strengths both for an interview and when writing your resume.

However, as a starting point, common strengths can revolve around:

• Communication

• Relationship building

• Patience

• Honesty & integrity

• Organisation

• Attention to detail

• Dedication & hard work

4. More Specific Strengths

When it comes to tailoring your answers and describing your strengths, try and think of specific ways to clarify what makes you stand out. Here are some examples of specific strengths:

• Managing and retaining clients successfully

• Focusing on leadership with clear, timely strategies

• Dealing with challenges and producing successful outcomes

• Taking risks and learning from mistakes

• Understanding the industry & the competition

5. Don’t Get Cocky

Most importantly, you should sound confident yet modest when describing your strengths. It’s great to impress your interviewers, but you don’t want to come across as if you’re blowing your own trumpet. To avoid getting cocky, keep your responses succinct, with evidence and examples to authenticate your claims.

At Resumes Australia, our unique interview coaching servicescan also assist you in determining your best strengths for a position, and can teach you how to frame your responses for interview success!

Regards,

Tips for Addressing Selection Criteria

When it comes to applying for executive roles, Government roles or other positions with specific selection criteria, many candidates find themselves in the dark. In fact, selection criteria writing is an art form in itself.

Without clear focus and appropriate answers to each criterion, you could see a rejection in your inbox within a week.

 

Here are three of our best tips for writing selection criteria:

1. Read the Criteria. Then read them again.

Read carefully through each selection criteria point – and then read them again. This will help you thoroughly understand what each point is asking you. If the criteria still seem vague, try and put yourself in the employer’s shoes and contemplate what it is they want to learn about you with each question or statement. For example, the request, “demonstrate a time when you’ve had to deal with a difficult client or customer” might just seem like it’s asking you how well you cope with difficult people. But what the employer may really want to see is an example of how well you communicate, how you work under pressure and how effective you are at problem solving.

2. Provide Evidence

No selection criteria statement is going to succeed without solid evidence to support your claims. For each point, come up with at least two examples, where you have effectively demonstrated the criteria.

If you’re unsure how to proceed, use the STAR method: Situation, Task, Action, Result in each explanation. That is, explain the situation and task required, the action you took, and the result achieved. Apply this approach to each selection criteria – it will help you to effectively produce a strong case, with supporting examples.

3. Use Powerful & Professional Language

At no time should your selection criteria writing be vague or unclear. Ensure that your document uses professional, business-style language. Utilise powerful words such as ‘achieved,’ ‘accomplished,’ ‘succeeded’ and ‘developed,’ when talking about yourself and your responsibilities and outcomes.

Also, consider using bullet points with short sentences to list concise examples so that your writing is clear and to the point.

Still unsure of how to go about writing selection criteria?

The team at Resumes Australia are selection criteria writing specialists. We focus on delivering documents that leverage the right examples to demonstrate key competencies, clearly showing your future employer that you meet the key selection criteria and that you have the skills and capability to do the job required.

Regards,

Most Attractive Australian Companies For 2012

It was announced recently at the notorious Randstad Awards: the most attractive companies to work for in 2012, based on the public perception of their image and branding.

The results stemmed from Randstad’s annual, ‘people’s choice’ survey, with approximately 7,000 respondents between 18 and 65 years of age completing the questionnaire. The survey of 150 companies focused on ten key factors for each company, including financial stability, job security, training opportunities, management, work/life balance and a stimulating work environment.

Notable organisations included in the survey were: Allianz Australia, Ausgrid, BlueScope Steel, Cadbury Schwepps, Chubb, David Jones, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, Fairfax, Flight Centre, Hungry Jacks, Jetstar, LinFox, Optus, Rio Tinto, Tabcorp and Westfield. And of course, almost all of the major banks and communications providers were included, too.

So who were the winners for 2012?

 

Victoria’s Newcrest Mining took out the number #1 spot, while the ABC came in second and Virgin Australia, who won in 2011, came in third.

The fourth spot was awarded to GHD, the fifth to Wesfarmers and the remaining top ten to Cadbury Schweppes, BAE systems, Rio Tinto, IBM and the Australian Leisure & Hospitality Group, respectively.

In the banking and financial services, Westpac, St George and NAB were the three finalists listed, with Westpac taking home the award.

The success of Newcrest Mining, along with Randstad’s recognition of BHP Billiton, signify the growing success of the mining and resource industries across the nation. Notably, job security was also the most important factor for the general public in 2012, marking a 15% increase from last year.

Interested in working for a top company? You can view the full list of nominees at Randstad or chat to Resumes Australia about how we can help you achieve your career goals via our executive resume writing, selection criteria writing and interview coaching services.

Regards,

Selection Criteria Writing – Insider Tips

It’s amazing how much useful information you can pick up from seemingly idle conversation. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that the best way of ‘getting inside someone’s head’ is to actually listen to the things they say.

Example no.1: A close acquaintance who is the CEO for a high profile national insurer confided that, in their experience, a surprising number of job applicants supplied very little detail in their responses to selection criteria.

They said I would be amazed how many people considered it enough, for example, to state that their teamwork skills were ‘excellent’.

Clearly a prospective employer wants more than just a statement; they want supporting evidence. So, instead of “my teamwork skills are excellent”, why not try something along the following lines:

“My highly developed teamwork skills came to the fore recently when I took it upon myself to make sure the company I worked for was compliant with the latest changes to the HR legislation concerning Health and Safety issues.

Even though I work in the HR section, the job was really one for our section manager. I could see, however, that they were already over-stretched with a policy development project, so I told them I’d take care of it. The effect this had on our professional relationship, and on HR team morale generally, was extraordinary.

In terms of selection criteria writing, this is a very good response, and gives the applicant a powerful advantage over competitors for the position.

Example no.2:  Another friend, who has a senior recruitment role in a NSW Government department, joked that if they could refer people to take advantage of my selection criteria writing services, I’d be booked up for the next ten years. “Honestly” they confided, “every single senior project officer position we advertise asks applicants to demonstrate well-developed written communication skills. But over 90% of the applications we receive haven’t even been checked for spelling and grammar mistakes. Can you believe that?”

What I get from this is that standards are still important to some. When it comes to measuring the professionalism of candidates, the so-called ‘forgotten’ language skills are actually very much still on the agenda.

So, apart from the particular insider tips mentioned, my general advice concerning selection criteria writing is to listen well. By paying attention to the conversations of those in high places, you can quickly learn what is expected. This can often be the difference between gaining an interview and not.

In any case, why take the risk? My success in assisting talented executives at all levels to get where they want to go is proven. It’s certainly worth the investment.

Regards

Toughest Job Interview Companies

Some companies are notoriously tough when it comes to the interview process, and candidates can go through countless grueling interviews which include complex brain teasers, technical questions, and detailed case study analysis.

Glassdoor.com, a US based work-culture website, has recently conducted a study to rank these toughest interview companies, and not surprisingly many of these business giants operate here in Australia.

Resume Writing for Selection Criteria Writing

So, you’ve just found a dream job and the advertisement states “click here to download the selection criteria”. Most Australian Government (State, Federal or Local), and other organisations choose Selection Criteria recruitment method.

This style of recruitment is designed to find the right person for the job and ensures an equitable process based on merit (so everyone is on a level playing field!). You will need to respond to Selection Criteria statements and will be short-listed based on your ability to convince the Selection Team that you have the personal qualities, skills, abilities, knowledge and qualifications (if any) required to perform the job.