So what makes you more valuable than the others.....in your organisation ? Here are three simple things... 1. Trust  Specifically building trust. Trust comes from two things - integrity and being capable of doing your job. Honesty is a highly valued trait and is often is part of what defines your integrity. Speak your mind appropriately when asked and if you are unsure be honest. It is perfectly "Ok" to not know all the answers or to put your hand up and admit/own your weaknesses. Trust also flows from your capabilities. You were hired for your role because the organisation that hired you had the faith in your technical and interpersonal skills.  2. Go the extra mile... Think outside the square and do not turn a blind eye to things as they are not in your position description. Managers/owners treasure people who are creative and are problem solvers. Don't throw your hands up in the air and declare "too hard". Find a way forward by brainstorming, discussing and researching the issues. If there is a tap leaking water...."tighten the tap properly" or wash the dishes in the sink. It is not in anyone's  job description to tighten leaky taps! Small things get noticed...go with the saying "be the standard that you walk past".  3. Enthusiasm Be excited to be rolling out of bed to go to work!  When an issue or problem is given to you -  show that you have a 'can do attitude".  Be positive at work and when asked "how are you feeling?" Do not spend the next 30 minutes doing a download of the million issues you are facing in your life. That may be the last time someone asks you that question and everyone will probably avoid you in the lunch room. (Of course seek help if you genuinely have problems....but not everyone at work will be ready to hear your issues and are your friends). If it is too painful thinking about work.....you are not in the right job.There are two options available:  a.change the environment at work so that it is a fun environment and, b. if you can't change that environment - go somewhere else where you will be happy!  Radical right! Well we have discussed with a lot of people over the years and have also experienced this first hand. Gandhi is credited with saying "Be the change you want to see in the world"...start being that change!

HOW DO I PREPARE A CV (Curriculum Vitae or Resume) - Q&A Q1. What does a CV normally have?  A. Your CV is a document that tells about your goals, education, experience, referees. Q2. Do I need to prepare a CV? A. Some employers prefer you to have a CV so it’s best to have one. Q3. How do I create or make a CV? A. We will have some templates on our job site that you can use as a guide. You will need a computer with word processing program like Word. Q4. How long should be my CV? A. The CV should not be any more than 5 pages long. It depends on your qualifications and experiences that you include. It should have important items that are relevant to the position that you are applying for. Most roles will have a two page (maximum) CV. Q5. I have been working for a long time - do I include details of every job that I have worked? A. No, if your earlier work history is not relevant then do not include in detail in the CV. Employers are human beings like us and do not have time to read items that are not relevant. Q6. What should I look out for to have a nice CV? A. Make sure the CV is factually accurate, there are no spelling mistakes and no grammatical errors. Get a friend or maybe 2 friends to read your CV and read it for any errors or things you should either add or remove. A fresh pair of eyes is always good to see the CV before you load it to the job site for job applications. Q7. Can I have more than one type of CV? A. Sure! The job site allows you to have a number of  CV’s  that you can load on the job site. You can have a CV for instance that is relevant for finance officer and another for say sales rep. Q8.  I am  interested in domestic duties? Do I need a CV? A. Umm well, a CV is really there to sell your skills to a potential employer. So it’s best to write down your skills and experience so that you stand out from the rest! Remember, a good CV helps you get the interview - it’s the first step in getting you your dream job. Download Sample CV Template here

Paradoxically, whilst we see bus driver, beverage staff, cashiers or construction jobs readvertised we also receive daily messages; “I need a job pliz [sic.] help”, “I am looking for a job as cashier” or "What is a CV?". Our conclusion is, therefore - “both”. This makes the job of employers and busy Human Resource Departments that much tougher. Whilst factors such as; labour mobility, availability to work, education and information flow are common bottlenecks we can play our part. We share some suggestions ("Tips") based on analytics from our web platform. TIP #1. Don't let the circumstances define you:  Specifically, here we refer to your hiring process but it applies to anything else. Consider Einstein’s definition of insanity -  “doing the same thing and expecting a different result.”   How many of us are guilty of doing it the way we have always done it and then when it doesn't work being surprised. Think about how many times you have readvertised - in the same medium at great cost? TIP #2. There are at least half a million Fijians with internet/email access:  What have you done to reach them over traditional (print) media ? TIP #3. Be different:  Related to Tip 1 we know but subtly different. Branding extends beyond a logo. As businesses, we have great aspirations - "To be bold" to "hire the best" ours is for example to connect Fiji together. What have you done in your own role(s) to be live by your organisation's aspirations? If you never try you never know. TIP #4. Be Bold:  In a candidate short market, candidates have a choice to join you or not or your organisation or you might not have the big name profile to attract them. How are you ensuring you are hiring the best and those who meet with your aspirations - are you killing their enthusiasm with the "usual" process or  put another way, going to the same (shallow) talent pool? Table: Our (humble) suggestions if you are looking for ideas based on observations to date from our  site  : Lastly, how are we following our own message? We have designed a platform that alleviates  some  of the issues: For candidates , we have tailored daily job alerts! The alerts match the type of work the job seekers are searching and are sent a list of matching jobs to their email each day. We are currently composing handy tips for CV preparation and cover letters. These will be sent out shortly. For employers,  we provide a database of CVs to browse for candidates, unlimited wording/description of the job and no deadline for listing the vacancy. Employers can post anytime, from anywhere and for a longer duration than 5 days (can be 60 if you wish). What is more, an employer dashboard provides analytics on the effectiveness of the job advert. The job adverts are cross-promoted across various social media forums to expand the reach. So go on .... Toso! From the team at  myjobsfiji.com      

 HOW DO I APPLY IN  MYJOBS   FIJI ? - Q&A Q1. How do I apply for jobs that I see on www.myjobsfiji.com? A. You will need to sign up on this job site. It’s quite easy to do. If you need help email us info@myjobsfiji.com Q2. Do I need to have an employer’s email address when applying for a job? A. There is a button “apply now “ next to each job listing - you click on this and apply for any role that interests you. The employer’s email is hidden out of sight in the background and when you click apply it goes to them.   . Q3. How many jobs can I apply for? A. You can apply for as many jobs as you wish! But, you should apply for roles that interest you and for which you have the skills, experience and qualifications. Q4. Can I get notified about new jobs on the site? A. MyJobsFiji is a smart job site with lots of features. It basically works for you - so, you can set up alerts when setting up your profile Q5. For what jobs  are alerts  possible? A. You can set as many different alerts as possible. For instance, you can set up an alert to get notified of jobs posted:      a. by your favourite  employer     b . for a role e.g.. barman,     c. that are in a particular geographical area eg. jobs in Labasa or  Suva     d . daily or weekly Q6. Where and when are the job alerts sent? A. Alerts are sent to your email... so  do  keep an eye on them. Every time a job that meets your alert criteria is posted on our job site - you will be notified. It's like it carrying a personal assistant in your pocket! So all you need is a smartphone that has your email and you can relax...wait for job alerts to keep you update. Never miss a job opportunity! Q7. Do I have to complete a new profile every time I apply for a job? A. No, that’s the smart thing about this job site. Once a profile is created and you have fully signed up - you can happily apply for jobs without much effort! Q8. How do I know that the jobs listed are not expired? A. All the jobs that we list have an automatic expiry date based on when the company to define as a deadline. So if you can see the job on the website - it’s still not yet expired Q9. Will I see jobs for office type only? What about work such as electrician, plumber or housekeeper? A. We designed MyJobsFiji as a  one-stop  shop for all types of jobs. You might need to wait for newspapers to look for jobs - but we have to educate the employers to post all types of jobs on this website. So go and spread the word.!!  

We all have mission and values statements incorporating us, our customers and employees. But, what about potential employees? It is easy in our busy day to day HR and recruiting work, to fail our marketing colleagues in "living the brand". To state another way, we are privileged to be working in our roles so what are we doing to make sure it is that much easier for the next person coming in? 1. Candidates are the "H" in HR  In a self-absorbed commoditised world where it seems everything is a product - we can be guilty of forgetting that candidates are human and, like us - humans. This detachment is not unique to recruiting - it has become an acquired habit to discharge indeed, mentally survive your daily duties. Professionals in medicine are the perfect example of those who stay necessarily detached. In our case though, we carry the title of " human " " resources " and we carry the job of looking after what is supposedly the largest asset in the business. REMINDER:   each application is a person filled with hope and dreams that go beyond their name and personal details. Details requested by you as employers that extend to birth certificates, photos, Tax details and referees.  A level of detail dare we say we ask for  and might only possess for our nearest and dearest at best.   2. Do Unto Others... It is part of our universal human values so why have we forgotten this?  We don't need to say more. As Gandhi summarised this best:  "Be the change you want to see in the world" REMINDER: Respect, politeness and humility go a long way to helping someone who is trying to earn a living.  The Top 4 things that candidates want - Wouldn't you if you were one? 1. Communication - tell them whether they were successful or not (not leave them hanging and in the dark). We aren't that busy and a glib statement stating "we will only contact shortlisted candidates" might pass but does it past the standards we want for ourselves?.  2. Honest feedback - why they did not get an interview. It only takes a small amount of time to do this. Imagine someone rejected a dozen times and they get a note from you explaining why they didn't get the job - they will remember that about your organisation forever. 3. Adequate time to apply for the vacancy - or be prepared to change your expectations about the application standard. Imagine a person juggling their current job, home life and other aspects having to think about responding to a job application and dealing with PC or internet problems and being given 3 days to apply. Yes, some candidates might deal with such "adversity" and overcome this to apply -great. But, do you even get to see what adversity they overcame to apply? In which case - why have such deadlines? 4. Clear Job description  -  a clear document that sets out expectations of the role makes it easy for you to reject, hire and of course provide feedback. Take time to create one and with it some weightings for each of the task . As you get applications weigh up the application against this. Voila, you can then use this document in 2. above to provide feedback. Let's put the "H' back in Human Resources.  As always, we look forward to your feedback!

Below is general advice we gave someone asking for comments on their CV.  We publish this here for the benefit of others who may find applicable.  Hi XXXX Firstly, we aren't experts at this but have the benefit of experience. A CV is a personal document and its purpose is to get you through the door for an interview.  So, your CV should end up in the "call for interview" rather than the "reject" pile.  You need to get into the mind of the person hiring by putting yourself in their shoes. Think about what are they looking for in terms of skills, experience, and personality.  So here goes: A. Comments on your CV ( examples relate to the person's own CV ) 1. Much better than most people's we have seen. Good job on trying to get into one page but maybe create more "white space". CV's can be up to 5 pages. 2. Suggest you expand to make it two pages. 3. Look at all spelling and Grammar - "vitae" should be a capital "V", "Ability to multitask and (be flexible)". It demonstrates your attention to detail that you say is your skill.  4. A CV should be aligned to line up with the job you applying for - if you applying for a sales job say then you try and match your tasks and achievements to that. Remember our first paragraph about CV's being personal. 5. Related to 4. above it might be hard to get a job in the Food Tech. industry based on your degree (we don't know) but you could expand out your search and/or define some things that might be applicable to your studies.   B. What we suggest:  a. Expand to two pages and perhaps use a different template - we have attached two samples. b. Experiences can be "volunteer" and unpaid positions as well. Expand and explain your experience with responsibilities and achievements. For example, as utility hand, I helped service XYZ and did not miss a single day of work (if you don't have anything else that is of significance) but we are sure you have some.  c. The External exams results etc. you can be included But only if you got great marks put that otherwise remove it out to just 7th form to make space - you couldn't have got to 7th form without getting past FSLC for instance. d. Expand your interests - Duke of Edinburgh - did you get a Bronze or Silver or something? Describe what that was; Safety Training,  Cadets Training - redefine these so your employer can apply for the role they have advertised. e. Similarly, your Referees are good and prominent - an employer needs to see that you are well regarded for them to be your referee.  f. Your career objective can be changed to describe who you are rather than a broad statement which takes up space: For example; I am an honest, hardworking, detail focused person. I would like to join a working environment that shares these values"  (this is just an example and not based on you specifically). g. Expand your skills listed here - "Computer literate" is one thing but if you have MYOB, Microsoft Excel etc. spell it out - an employer doesn't have to guess. h. Try and get your most important attributes to catch the eye of the hiring person (skills is probably more important than which school you went to but again remember para 1). i. Put down your hobbies -shows something personal about you and perhaps how well rounded you are. j. Don't leave gaps such as unaccounted years of service. And if there are gaps - explain it. For instance, you may have time out to study, work in the family business or went overseas. Attached are two examples of CVs (we said it was personal) but it should give you a flavour of what employers expect.  Last bit of advice, looking for a job is a job. So be dedicated to it. Good luck friend and you know where we are.   Yours Sincerely        DOWNLOAD SAMPLE CV TEMPLATES HERE