Saturday, October 29, 2011

Whale watching in Sydney

We had wanted to do this while visiting the Gold Coast in QLD, however due to unfortunate weather we weren't able to so I jumped at a Travelzoo voucher that included a 3 hour whale watching tour and one drink from the bar for $39 each. This was a really good deal as most started at $50 for just the tour! The company was Sydney Whale Watching Adventure Cruises and we had a fantastic time! We discovered that even with a nice camera getting a good picture of the whales is difficult but luckily we managed a few OK ones.

A mother and baby whale traveling together


My favorite part was as we were headed back we found a baby whale that was just showing off. Up until that point we hadn't seen the whales breaching more than a couple of times, but this little whale seemed to be playing and continuously breaching. I got a video of it but unfortunately it's too large to upload. I will have to try to make it smaller to post up for everyone to see.


Acing a Phone Interview


Many recruiters and human resources professionals give preliminary phone interviews to weed out candidates that aren't right for the position they've applied for. These calls can last anywhere from 15 minutes to one hour and can be about general availability/interest questions to more in depth questions regarding your strengths. Sometimes it can catch you by surprise and if you don't do well you won't be invited to interview for the position.
Here are just a few of the steps you can take to be prepared and ace this initial phone screen:

- Research the company. At the very least know what the company's mission is(why does the company exist?), an understanding of the history(Were they always in this industry?) and recent events (Was there a recent merger? New product released? Were they in the news?)
- Find a quiet location. If the interview was scheduled ahead of time this should be simple, however if you are called at an unexpected time you can ask the caller to hold for a moment while you find a more quiet spot to speak. If this is not possible, then ask if you may call them back at a later time. This shows that you take the conversation seriously and respect the recruiter's time. 
Know your strengths. Go through your resume and write key strengths that you developed or helped you to be successful in each of your positions.
- Have examples ready. Make a list of professional accomplishments so that you have examples of why you were successful in each role. This can include targets or deadlines you met, projects you were recognized for or extra responsibilities you were given.
- Eliminate “um” from your vocabulary. One way to keep this from happening is to speak more slowly than you normally would so that you are focused on the words you are choosing during the conversation. 
- Maintain a upbeat and positive demeanor. Have you done dozens of these interviews and frustrated that you haven't found a job yet? Do you think the question is pointless or obvious? Do not let this slip into your voice. No matter what the job is, no-one wants to hire someone with a negative attitude.

With a little preparation, your phone interview performance can be strong enough to land you a job! Good luck!


Tuesday, October 11, 2011

What would you do for $5?


What would you do for $5? 
Well list it on http://fiverr.com! This site has been around for a couple of years now but recently it looks like it's been revamped with some new buyer protections so I took another look at it.
I even posted a couple of "gigs" that I'd do just to try it out so let's see it if anyone contacts me! 
$5 may not be much but it does add up!

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Corporate Attire at a bargain

Over the weekend I found a store that sells clothing appropriate for work for decent prices. 
I'm sure this is no hidden secret, but to me it was a good find. Working as a temp doesn't afford you a large wardrobe, but at least some key pieces can be found here:






Saturday, October 1, 2011

My $20 hair cut


Not unlike New Yorkers, Sydneysiders spend quite a bit on their hair. I had asked around for recommendations, but most people were telling me they spent over $90 on their salon visits! 
For the past 4 years I haven't colored my hair and had my mom trimming my hair to save money (in other words I spent $0 on upkeep) so naturally hearing costs of $90 + made my heart rate speed up. 
 During our first couple of weeks in Sydney, my husband found this place by Central Station that did men's haircuts for $10. We recently returned for another hair cut and I noticed that they also advertised women's wash,cut and blow dry for $20 so I decided to give it a try. 
I was a bit nervous given that the place was called Shiny Star Hairdressing which I found to be corny (not that a business name necessarily reflects service but let's be honest - it's the first impression) and wondering if I was going to get what I paid for but to my pleasant surprise the hairdresser did a great job! My hair is a simple style which of course also adds to savings and also leaves less room for error on the part of the hairdresser, however the service, time it took and products were also great. This price even beat local beauty school prices so I'm glad to say I have found a local hairdresser here!

If anyone is interested I went to:

816 George Street, Sydney NSW 2000