What Employers Want (Qualifications)

When we understand what employers really want, not what we hope they want, it makes finding and securing a job that much easier and quicker.

Trainers

If you are planning to work as a trainer in the commercial sector, you will need the minimum of Cert IV TAE (Training and Assessment).  Qualifications beyond this won’t necessarily make you more employable, unless you’re applying for jobs that are more than simply training and assessing.  Coupled with this qualification you will then need experience in the field you are applying to teach in (to demonstrate credibility when talking about applying the teaching on the job).

Even though a job might be titled Trainer and Assessor and you have your Cert IV TAE, make sure you also have their desired experience in the relevant field.  This will save you and the employer time and effort in the recruiting process.

WHS

This field is very legalistic in that everything is guided by legislation and policies.  Employers are looking for suitably qualified WHS staff.  Cert IV will align you to a WHS Coordinator role.  A Dip WHS will align you to WSH Advisor roles.  While this title of WHS Advisor and associated pay packet might be attractive to you, when explaining or highlighting your experience in this field, you must also demonstrate your understanding and experience working with legislation.  Its not enough to get a Diploma with no workplace experience and expect to walk straight into and Advisor role.  There is also the legal responsibility that goes with roles of this nature.

For a career in WHS, we recommend you obtain a Cert IV in WHS, then get 1-2 years experience in a full time WHS role, then obtain your Dip and move on up from there.

Project Management                                            

The main industries for Project Managers are IT, Construction and Mining, but this discipline can apply to almost any field.  And within each field there are then specialisations specific to each (eg, communications, software, or hardware for IT).  In almost every case, employers want “relevant qualifications and experience in project planning and delivery”.  Like Teaching roles, your experience relevant to the type of work you are applying for will make you more competitive to securing a Project Management role in your chosen field.

Normally a Cert IV in PM will allow you to be competitive for roles as Assistant Project Manager, Implementation Manager, etc.  The Dip of PM is considered the minimum to demonstrate your level of understanding and also the level of responsibility needed to manage projects of significance.  Other qualifications relevant to that industry will then also make you more employable, eg, Microsoft Project, Pince2, civil engineering,

Many roles within Defence can be aligned to elements of Project Management experience.  Don’t discard your transferable skills.

HR staff

Defence are notorious for tagging NCOs and above with being HR Managers.  Unfortunately in the commercial industry HR Managers are very well versed in Industrial Relations, Recruitment and Payroll.  Yes, many supervisory skills in Defence align with the HR Function, such as team leading, mentoring, reporting, performance management, etc (This is actually personnel Management not HR Management) .  Don’t assume that because you have most of the HR skills that you will be competitive for HR Manager roles.  Even if you have HR qualifications, lacking experience in the three areas above will hold you back from being competitive for HR Manager roles.

Understanding where you fit and what you lack will go a long way to working your way to become a HR Manager with some commercial experience.

Consultants

A Consultant job is where you represent one organisation and work at another organisations workplace.  Sometimes you might be part of a team, however in most cases consultants are employed in for a specific purpose only.  Employers want Consultants who are highly qualified with quantifiable achievements, as they are constantly bidding for work and the better you look on paper, the better chances that organisation can get continued work for you (and them).  A Consultant will be expected to go into a new workplace and hit the ground running straight away and achieve very defined goals quickly.

If you want to consider becoming a consultant, qualifications and reputation are king.

I can do a number of things (Jack of All Trades)

Many ex-Defence members are multi-skilled across a number of disciplines and leave Defence with civil accredited qualifications in Frontline Management and Government, for example. They have nothing that fully aligns to any specific commercial career.  So they showcase all of their skills and qualifications hoping that something will attract the eye of an employer and they will gain a new career this way.  And to the untrained, this sounds logical, because when there’s not a lot to begin with, how else could you do it?

And that’s the main concern.  Most believe they have little to offer, so they put what they can in one Résumé and hope for the best.

Our experience shows that anyone who has held a team leader position can showcase enough experiences and achievements to be attractive to employers for a number of jobs if targeted properly, you just need to know how to identify these.

Cultural fit

In 2012, 89% of all hiring failures were due to poor cultural fit.  This means employers were choosing people based on other factors, such as qualifications and demonstrated experience.  While this seems logical, there has been a massive shift to placing less importance on qualifications and experience and focus more heavily on aligning cultural fit of their team.

Job satisfaction is primarily based on how well you fit your workplace environment.  The happiest workers are those who are in the right job culturally.  When applying for jobs, there are two things to consider – firstly employers are now placing greater emphasis on asking job interview questions to determine your cultural fit to their needs and secondly your turn to assess their cultural suitability for your needs is done through your research and when you ask questions at the interview.

• Do you know how to showcase your qualifications to the greatest benefit to commercial employers? 
• Do you know what level you should be targeting, based on your qualifications and/or experiences?
• Do you know how to avoid being ruled out for cultural reasons?
• Do you know what career will give you the greatest sense of achievement and significance?

For help in any of these areas, call us on 1300 366 104 or email info@transciv.com.au.