Search for help and advice
in
Entire resources section
Login or Join
Search thousands of jobs, or upload your resume and let employers find you
Search for jobs
Upload your resume
Helpful documents
Download PDF Download PDF
ARTICLES
VIDEOS
Q & A
(4)
(1)
(1)
Balancing work & life
Well I suppose getting a better work-life balance is a challenge for just about everybody in the workforce. And I think time management is a real key and prioritizing what you do. So, I like to get a "to-do list" each day and I like to start each day sitting down, writing out what my plan is for that day, and then reflecting on what my plan is for that week. The problem people have with time management at work is that work always seems to override personal things. "I'll be home to read to a story to you," you say to your daughter, and something comes up because your boss wants you to do something and you never get home to do that, so your daughter's disappointed and things get in the way. So, I'm a great believer in looking at what an employee's issues are in their life, about their family and their own personal developments. So, I like to see in someone's weekly planner when they're going to the gym. I like to see time-out because I'm a great believer that "face-time", what I call "face-time" is I got to work, people were always telling me "Oh, I was at work at 8.30 or 8.00 and I didn't leave until 9.00" or ring you on Saturday morning to tell you "Oh, I just popped into work to do some things"; all those things, are to me what I call "face-time". I'd like to see people who put in these hours and produce things. So, I never really worry about the amount of time someone's spending at work, I worry about their outputs and their productivity. So, in their weekly planner, I like to see organised time slots for what they're doing and I like to see them telling other people who are in the organisation "I'm sorry, I'll come back to you about that", take a note about that but continue to work to what they've got in their diary, ah ... in their planner. An open plan is the worst environment for losing time at work because people just wander up to your work station and start talking to you when you're on the phone or you're trying to think, or you're writing halfway through your submission or proposal. So that's one of the big time wasters, just say you've got be really strong, put your hand up, communicate to that other work person that "I can't talk to you now, I'm focused on doing this". And measure your time, measure what your outputs are, and the time you put into those things. So, just good time management is the best way to get good work-life balance because you weave into your diary through the week, the 5 days that you are at work, things that replenish you as an employee, whether it's a walk around the block, whether it's a trip to the gym, whether it's to the hairdresser's, and I know that's a very important thing for women in the workforce. Guys just rush along and get a hair cut in 20 minutes and back to work, it's really not an issue for them. So I'd like to see those personal things in people's diary.
27
Watch now
First
1
Last
My recently viewed videos
You haven't viewed any articles yet
Select a category for your question
Select category
Characters left: 500
I give LinkMe permission to send my name and email address to RedStarResume. (Your details will not be used for any purposes other than to respond to your question).
Disclaimer: All responses will be sent directly from RedStarResume and LinkMe takes no responsibility for the content. Due to the high volume of questions received, RedStarResume may not be able to respond to each question individually.
This month's top rated article
Is your resume preventing you from getting a new job?

It seems that when people apply for jobs and don't receive job interview requests, they are quick to blame anyone or anything. I've heard job seekers tell me countless times that they applied for over 100 jobs online without receiving one single interview request. They tell me it's because of the current state of the economy or because the demand for jobs is far greater than the supply. While both of these reasons are true to an extent, companies are still interviewing and hiring. If you're someone who has applied to a large number of jobs but you haven't received a single interview request, it's probably time to start asking yourself those tough questions.

Are you qualified enough?

Are your job expectations realistic that you can actually get the jobs you are applying for? Too many times people waste their own time applying for jobs that they are not suitable for. I recently worked with a young professional with 2 years of work experience and no managerial experience. In terms of salary he was earning the market value for a person with his skills and experience. For an entire month he applied for different managerial roles - all paying salaries of double what he was currently earning - and he couldn't understand why he wasn't able to land an interview. While it is important to aim high, it is equally as important to be realistic about your skills and experience.

If you're qualified for the job, is your resume letting you down?

You may have fantastic skills, experience and achievements. You may even be the best person for the job. If this is the case, why are you not getting interview requests?

When a hiring manager first picks up your resume, what they see and what they read will be the first impression they have about you. I recently worked with a candidate who just finished law school and was running into a similar problem. He was at the top of his class and as a recent graduate, he was now looking at beginning his career in one of the top law firms. Every job this candidate applied for was right for him. A recent law graduate seeking the best and brightest. The candidate sent his resume out to every law firm in the city and didn't receive one interview request. Even the smaller firms were not even giving him a chance.

Here's what I saw when I took a brief look at his resume. The candidate had put his education and university roles on page 3 of the resume and had devoted the first 2 pages of the resume to the part-time jobs he had during high school and university. As such, by the time the hiring manager had read through page one of his high school work experience, the resume was being deleted before the most important part of the resume (his education) was even read. In today's society, reports suggest that a job candidate has 15-20 seconds to catch the reader's attention. By putting the most important information on the back page of the resume, the reader's attention was focused on aspects of the resume that were completely irrelevant for the candidate in getting the job.

Read full
Popular questions
1521
0
What should I include in my Australian resume?

A well written and properly presented Australian resume can be your ticket to finding an Australian job. The Australian job market is different to job markets around the world and it is important that your resume is presented in the "Australian way"

Responsibilities, achievements and duties need to be written clearly and backed up with supporting evidence. If these are not present, it is assumed you do not have any experience at all

Use British English ONLY in your Australian Resume - words such as "specialise" and "realise" need to be spelled with an "s" not a "z"

Ensure you tailor EVERY application to suit the job for which you are applying. If you are going to stand out from the crowd, you have to make sure that your application is outstanding

No picture is necessary on your Australian Resume

Do not include personal information such as marital status, date of birth, number of children, occupation of spouse, gender, religious affiliation, colour or race on your resume. It is true that in certain countries (South Africa, for example) personal information is included and is required, however it is not necessary or needed on your Australian Resume

Spend as much time as possible ensuring you address EXACTLY what the Australian employer wants. For example, if the job advertisement lists certain duties for the job, make sure you incorporate these duties into your current resume. If the job requires excellent customer service skills, provide examples about how you have provided excellent customer service

Get the edge on other job seekers and save yourself enormous amounts of time and stress by ensuring your resume ticks all the right boxes.

Read full
Need a professional resume?