The Professional Platform

Nailing your first day at work You have spent weeks going through the straining processes and paperwork in your quest to land the job, after that final signature you are finally an employee. Now your first day of work is almost guaranteed to be stressful and awkward. You tend to over think your first day and try too hard to find your place. Relax, take is easy and just go with the flow. Nobody is expecting anything from you yet, except to smile and wave. These tips will help you prepare for this day and be a guide on what to do on the days that follow. Show up early. This is you first step in showing your seriousness and commitment to your new role. This is imperative in not only work but in life as well. Being early will usually be accompanied by a cup of coffee, this also gives you an opportunity to meet your peers. Before the working day starts, employees will stand around and make small talk. This will be an opportunity to get some insights before HR takes you on...

What is it exactly that a recruitment agency does? We have discussed a lot of these topics in our blog. One topic that remains unclear for most people at this point is Recruitment agencies. How do They work? Lets take a look: Recruitment agencies find you a job, wrong! This is a major misconception people have. They also do not handle your employment, nor do they employ you. This is what a labour broker does and recruitment agencies are NOT labour brokers. Labour brokers offer human resources to a industry such as mining or transport. They outsource their workforce to labour intensive projects for a determinable time. A recruitment agency is approached by a company with a vacant position or opportunity. The recruiter goes to work on developing a criteria for the position and start searching through their database of candidates. Recruiters will use keywords when they search for suitable candidates, making it one of the most important elements of your CV. Good keywording...

Better answers to commonly asked questions in interviews Tell me about yourself? This is usually the first question any interviewer will ask you. Your response to this question should leave something for the employer to remember you by. Everyone is usually tempted to share their whole history when this question is asked. Relax, your history will be discussed later in the interview. Focus on aspects that elevate you above the other candidates. Try and keep your answer short and impactful and make sure you leave a lasting impression. Example Answer. Personally, I have always loved the saying “the sky is the limit”, and then one day someone remarked: “remember, there are footprints on the moon”. This got me thinking. I realised that we should never be bound by other’s limitations. From that day on, I became goal orientated and enjoyed the rewards life offers when striving to better oneself. I like a fast paced lifestyle and surround myself with positive ambitious pe...

Preparation for the interview process Your CV is out there, and the waiting game starts. You have applied for all the available positions in various companies and you are anticipating that phone call inviting you for an interview. Are you still wondering if you have the competitive edge? Why should company X hire you instead of the more senior, more experienced candidate that came out of the interview room before you? Knowledge is power! If you want to stand out and make the short list, you have to know what you can offer the company. You should have your own intelligent questions ready because an interview should not be a one sided process and it will help you to evaluate their offer. Not only are they qualifying you, but you are qualifying them. Researching the company and the industry extensively before your interview is of utmost importance. Listed here are some important things that you should know when going for your interview. Know what the company is looking for in a c...