Working overseas: should I accept an international job assignment?

Is there is a correlation between working overseas and progressing your career? And what are the factors that need to be considered before accepting a position overseas?

In a global economy, the opportunity to work abroad has become both more common and easier to organise. And, according to research undertaken by Healthy Companies International, offshore experience is more frequently becoming a prerequisite for top-level executive jobs. An examination of the career paths of C-level managers at Fortune 100 companies found that seven out of 10 had held management jobs in different countries. A decade ago, this figure was fewer than five out of 10.

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Australia’s employment market a tale of two halves

Regional Managing Director Phil Guest digests the latest Australian employment market research from Michael Page.

Our latest Michael Page Employment Index points to continued stability for the Australian employment market over the next few months. Over 60% of the employers we surveyed expect business conditions will remain stable or improve in the second quarter, with recruitment activity also predicted to remain relatively steady for most businesses (61%).

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Local workers continue to head across the ditch

Regional Director Pete Macauley reflects on the latest New Zealand employment market research from Michael Page.

Employers will need to rethink their attraction and retention strategies in order to stem the flow of white-collar professionals leaving to work in Australia over the next few months.

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Facebook as a professional networking tool

Social media has become a critical channel for professional networking. With over 120 million users worldwide, LinkedIn is a powerful tool for professionals to market themselves and expand their professional network. And when used appropriately, Twitter is also a useful channel for those looking to share news and become a thought leader in their industry.

The Facebook waters, however, are a little murkier. Research suggests that the lure of Facebook as a professional networking platform is actually decreasing. A 2010 study on how executives perceive and use social networking platforms found that only 20% of executives – CEOs, vice presidents and others – cited Facebook as a professional network in 2010, compared with 51% in 2009.

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Stepping Up: Applying for a management role

Whether you’re looking to move up in your current organisation or are searching for greater responsibilities in a new role at another company, there’s a lot to consider when it comes to taking on a managerial role.

Many organisations elevate their top performers into management positions as these individuals are often regarded as the trusted experts in their area. Unfortunately, by promoting an individual who hasn’t developed the right skill set and experience to navigate the management playing field, an organisation can end up with an ineffective manager and a demoralised team.

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Personal Branding: How to build ‘Brand You’

“Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You.” (Tom Peters, 1997)

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How mobile technology is changing job searching

Linked-In, Twitter, mobile apps, RSS feeds, smart phones, tablets… The list goes on. It seems that if you’re not connected to the latest technology then you may find yourself left behind in the job market. Mobile technology has changed the way we communicate in virtually every aspect of our lives and most of us are rarely more than an arm’s length from our smart phones.

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Retail: Retain talent with investment, innovation and action

Richard Wynn, National Director for Marketing and Retail, talks about the state of the Retail market over the past 12 months and expectations for industry performance and recruitment activity for the year ahead.

Over 2011 the Retail market was a game of two halves. At the start of the year the market looked promising, with some incremental growth in retail sales and a significant rise in the number of jobs available compared to the same period in the previous year. Read more…

New Year Career Assessment

The festive decorations have been packed away for another year and you’ve pinned the new calendar on the wall. Now what? Are you happy to be back to the same old routine? Or are you determined to do things better this year?

Most of us find the new year is a time of reflection. It’s an ideal time to reassess career goals and an opportunity to make changes. So, what’s the best way to organise your thoughts in order to set objectives and start the year travelling in the right direction?

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2011 Recruitment Wrap Up

Phillip Guest, Regional Managing Director of Michael Page International reviews the year that was for recruitment in Australia and shares his thoughts on the employment market outlook heading into 2012, the sectors to watch and where the hot opportunities will be.

A contrast between States

The domestic employment market over 2011 was a real contrast between the resources States and the others. In Western Australia and Queensland (excluding the impact of the floods) the white collar employment market went from strength to strength and most businesses found it Read more…