Paul Jury, Managing Director - Recruitment, Australia & New Zealand We've all done it…made a controversial 'wall' comment, written a cheeky blog post or suffered as friends tag questionable photos of a big night out. It's a bit of harmless fun - until your intentions turn professional and you begin approaching prospective employers and contacts for a new job. Have you ever considered they might be sneaking a peek at your online profile? Can your professional network find your personal details on Facebook? Is your LinkedIn profile true to your professional resume? And, how can your online activity impact your career potential? The Privacy Issue Online privacy is a controversial issue in Australia and not just for the sporting world or celebrities! It is well acknowledged that our legislation is having trouble keeping up with the pace of new technology. Right now, unless it is considered 'defamatory,' there is little you can do to offset the publishing of your personal information; once it's there, it's there. So, should prospective employers be privy to your personal or social information? The simple answer is no; your job application should be based on merit and all other factors discounted; however if you do publish personal information on the internet and it is easily accessible, hiring managers can and might learn more than you want them to know. This includes content posted on personal websites, blogs, social sites (e.g., Facebook, MySpace), Twitter, old resumes and out-of-date information on professional sites and comments in forums. Also consider content on your friends' forums as on some websites your information can be viewed via the activity of others, despite your privacy settings. What Should You Do? Online and social media tools can be critical to your job search, whether you are a member of niche job boards or blogs, are making the most out of career networking sites, or are receiving Twitter updates about the latest contract opportunities. However, it is important that you consider the personal/ professional divide carefully and are aware of the pitfalls of being social media savvy. Not all publicity is good publicity and while you are actively job seeking, it is worth carefully considering the type of information that is out there and the potential impact of your online footprint. Google Do a quick online 'health check' by conducting a Google search on yourself. Whatever you find is pretty much what your prospective employer will see. If there's something potentially embarrassing or inappropriate (like that tagged photo), try to get rid of it. If there is a media article that is contentious that you cannot remove, be prepared to cover it off in your interview as chances are your prospective employer has seen it. Facebook Review your privacy settings. You can determine who sees your status, photos and posts and even your political and religious views. During your job search, it's probably a good idea to restrict all permissions to 'Friends' only. LinkedIn If you don't have a LinkedIn profile, get one, or if it's incomplete, update it. Most employers and recruiters are now using LinkedIn to find potential job candidates. A LinkedIn profile will give you the opportunity to post a professional photo of yourself, write a respectable bio, and connect with other industry professionals. Remember to make sure your profile information is consistent with your current resume. Blogs A blog is an extremely effective way to demonstrate your expertise on your profession's subject matter. By posting relevant content and educated opinions, this establishes your commitment to (and interest in) your industry, builds your credibility and also enhances your chances of being found by a headhunter. A professional blog also allows you to effectively build your own 'brand', encourages dialogue with like-minded professionals, and gives you an 'industry expert' reputation. TOP TIPS » Do review and adjust your social media privacy settings whilst job hunting. » Do try to clean up anything that's potentially embarrassing or inappropriate. » Do use professional networking sites such as LinkedIn to create a professional online profile. » Do consider posting anonymously or using a 'nickname' if you contribute to a blog or site that you don't want 'published' professionally. » Do post a decent profile picture. » Don't include a link on your resume to sites or blogs which include inappropriate/ personal content. By performing some basic searches and cleaning up anything that might not be appropriate for your professional network, you can avoid being discounted for a job for which you are otherwise qualified.

Have you been out of work for an extended period of time? Perhaps you have been on maternity leave and now ready to jump back into the job force. Maybe you took a "time out" to travel and explore different parts of the world. Whatever the reason, it is never too late to get back into the job market successfully, and we have a few suggestions for helping you to do so. Research your options: One of the first things you might consider doing is actually thinking about what it is you want to do. Do you have a specific field or industry in mind? Do you know what relevant qualifications/skills are required for that position? What have you done in your past that is relevant to that position? These are all good things to think about, and will help you with our next step. Re-write your resume: If you've been out of the workforce for an extended period of time, chances are that your resume is probably a bit out of date and needs to be more relevant to the present. Now that you have a good idea of what you want to do, you can now re-write your resume so it is more targeted toward that industry. Research the skills that are in demand for that industry, and make sure your resume includes these (if they are relevant to your experience). Think of the transferrable skills that you may have learned in your previous positions and incorporate these into your resume as well. You might also want to think about addressing your employment gap somewhere in your resume. A good tip is to write a "qualifications profile" at the very start of their resume, where you can summarize and promote your experience and qualifications. Most importantly don't forget to include keywords. A well resume will include the use of strategic keywords. Many times recruiters or hiring managers will often skim over the resume looking for keywords or use software programs to find key words. These key words can be changed depending on the job you are applying for. A keyword rich resume will help highlight your resume and cover letter. Learn new skills: It is never too late to learn something new that might assist you in a job position, so you might want to consider taking some classes that are relevant to the industry you're looking to get into. Look into some relevant certificate programs or brush up your skills in customer service or sales (industry dependant, of course). If you don't have time, there are always online courses available that you can take at your own pace. Apply! You will never know unless you try! After you've considered the above steps, start applying for jobs and see what happens... you never know. If you find that you aren't finding success, you can at least get a better idea into what hiring managers are looking for specifically, and you can work toward meeting those qualifications.

There comes a point in every worker's career when he or she feels deserving of a pay raise. If you're like most people, it will probably be on you to ask for one - a raise won't just be granted automatically. What you need to do is give your employer some concrete reasons for why you deserve one, and try to make it hard for them to say no. One thing to keep in mind, however, is that no matter how deserving you feel of one, employers will be reluctant to give you one if you possess one of the following traits: You routinely arrive to work late There is no better way to kill your chance at a raise. No matter how much you may excel at your job, it won't matter if you are habitually late to work, even by a couple of minutes. You've had some issues with co-workers Someone once described a constant disagreement between two co-workers as a "cancer in the workplace" because it spreads and eventually affects everyone else in the office. You don't need to be best friends with everyone at work, but you definitely should avoid personal disputes with your colleagues. Problems like these will label you as a liability rather than an asset - no boss wants to deal with workers like this. You take a lot of sick days Sure, everyone gets sick sometimes, but have you ever noticed the people who always seem to be out of the office for one reason or another? Chances are that you're not the only one who's noticed. Employees like this are seen as unreliable and as ones who routinely take advantage of the company. This is definitely a label you don't want on your back - especially if you're about to ask for a raise. Your boss asks you to do things more than once - repeatedly It's not the end of the world when you forget to do something at work, but it does become a problem with this is somewhat of a habit. No boss likes to ask for things twice, especially on a regular basis.

In a recent survey of almost 1000 IT workers, Balance Recruitment has found more than 50% of employees are working significant levels of overtime with no additional remuneration. Some employees indicated they were working as much as 40 additional hours per month over and above their standard working hours. Based on a Australian IT workforce of approximately 500000, and an average salary of $85000, it translates to businesses getting around $A2.6 billion of free work on an annual basis. Greg Pankhurst, co-owner of Balance Recruitment, cited economic issues as being a key driver for the increased pressures on IT teams. "IT is now a global business, and with the Australian dollar so high, outsourcing to China, the Philippines, the Sub-Continent or even Europe has never been so attractive financially. And while there are certainly challenges associated with offshoring your technical teams, the model is far more mature than it was a few years ago. If a company makes the decision to bear the additional costs and keep their IT based in Australia, their expectations around levels of service and delivery are going to be very high." "The rise of mobile devices has also been a factor. People are expecting to be available and on-line 24x7, and that in turn puts pressure on the IT team to be available 24x7". That increased workload is coming at a cost though. Balance also asked those same people what their biggest workplace stress was, and the standout was unrealistic workloads. Pankhurst went on to say it's important employers recognise and acknowledge the efforts of their employees. "As much as companies are under pressure, It's important to monitor the hours people are pulling and make sure that they are being recognised and rewarded for their time (be that time in lieu or additional pay). While people have accepted that they will have to put in periods of heavy work, it's very important that companies don't abuse that acceptance. It's a fine line between being a hard working environment and a sweatshop." Key Survey Questions: Have you been asked by your employer to work overtime/weekend work with no financial reward or time in lieu? Yes - up to 10 hrs/month - 23.1% Yes - up to 20 hrs/month - 14.8% Yes - up to 30 hrs/month - 3.9% Yes - up to 40 hrs/month - 2.9% (Total of Yes) - 50.7% No - 49.3% If you are not in a management position, what keeps you awake at night? Stability of my role - 38.2% My pay - 38.9% Workplace Culture/Management - 39.6% Workload - unrealistic deadlines - 51.8% Career growth/lack of challenges - 50.2%

If you're not happy with your current job or the people you work with, don't put up with it! Begin to look for something else because you don't deserve or need to be unhappy at the workplace. We spend so much of our life at work that being unhappy will only begin to start impacting on all aspects of your life. Start to network (use networking websites such as LinkedIn to begin making contact), and if required prepare your resume so it's ready to send out to hiring managers and recruitment agents. It is always worth having an up-to-date resume on hand as you never know what opportunities will present themselves to you. Be proactive about finding a new job. It is very easy to get down about your job so ensure that you set an action plan to begin the process of finding a new one. Creating an action plan will also give you more guidance as prepare your exit strategy. Tips on what to do if you hate your job: Network The world has changed so much in last 10 years. With social networking sites such as LinkedIn (there are now literally hundreds of networking sites online) you actually have access to contact hiring managers or bosses directly where you would have previously never had the opportunity to do so. Utilise social networking sites, but remember to maintain a professional image. This includes a professional picture, professional resume and an overall "professional image". Work for yourself Working for a boss is not everyone's cup of tea (it's not most people's cup of tea!). If you believe you can provide a good or service that will make you money, then don't be afraid to take that daunting step and start working for yourself. Be your own boss and set your own rules! Exit Strategy Preparing an exit strategy is a key element to beginning the process of leaving your job. As much as you would like to walk into your boss's office right now and hand in your resignation paper, this may not be the wisest decision. Although you may hate your job, the last thing you need is to be unemployed and without an income. Set yourself a timeframe to leave the job and begin to prepare your job seeking strategy. It may take longer to leave your job, but at least you are making money in your current job while you look for a new one. If you hate your job, hate your boss or a mixture of both don't put up with being unhappy. Begin planning on leaving the job and find a new job that will put that smile back on your face!