It’s Friday afternoon, right around cocktail hour.
You have been working the phones this week looking for your next opportunity and as always, they seem to come in twos.
With an employment offer in each hand you lean back in your chair and try to decipher the differences between the two.
Australian Reserve Bank Governor Philip Lowe stared into his crystal ball in March 2022 and made a bold prediction.
He said his team were forecasting the unemployment rate to fall to below 4 per cent over the course of 2022 and remain there for much of 2023.
He went on to say that the last time the unemployment rate was that low was almost half a century ago and if Australia reached this milestone, it would be a significant achievement.
Fast forward to February 2023 and the most recent employment numbers bear out the optimism shown almost a year ago.
The latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows an unemployment rate at an almost historic low of 3.5 per cent.
This continued tightness in the employment sector is driving a dearth of candidates and causing hiring managers sleepless nights.
The knock-on effect for companies is a clear directive from the top to manage and retain their talent to the best of their ability.
Landing a real estate job is easier now than it has ever been.
A quick scroll through SEEK will confirm that agencies large and small are laying out the recruitment mat and looking for innovative ways to stand out from the crowd.
There has never been a better time than right now to get the job you really want working for the employer you truly want to work for.
Comparing apples to apples can be difficult of course, and employment promises can sometimes be nebulous and difficult to quantify.
Career growth is a non-negotiable for many jobseekers.
As the jobs market softens, it is important to ensure you are positioned where you need to be, but more importantly, with the right company that offers defined career pathways.
Choosing the right company for professional growth
Professional growth requires opportunity.
It goes without saying that larger businesses that have a deeper leadership strata and wider diversity of roles generally tick this box.
It is important to interrogate the learning and development programs that exist within the business.
A company that prides itself on internally promoting candidates will generally have a comprehensive training offering.
It will show a genuine commitment to providing in-house professional development or, at a minimum, third-party training modules with an industry partner or registered training provider.
Businesses that train their own teams, often hiring candidates at an entry level and supporting them through to leadership positions, are bound by the same mantra.
They put solid values and a healthy work ethic ahead of experience, believing you can train people to be good workers, you can’t train people to be good people.
Standing out from the crowd
New people coming into businesses bring with them fresh ideas and alternate ways of doing things.
Respectfully share your experience and offer your own point of view, you can create your own opportunities.
Introduce yourself to other people from other departments, team members and leaders in the business.
Share your aspirations with your own leader and make sure they are aware of your future ambitions.
Offer your time and assist across departments if possible, it is a great way to expand your own network and grow your personal brand.
There are always opportunities that arise in fast paced businesses, and they may not always perfectly align with what you had in mind when you started your day or your week.
Grasp those openings as they offer the chance to demonstrate your adaptability and willingness to learn and grow.
Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson famously had this advice for people in his business, “If someone offers you an amazing opportunity and you don’t know how to do it, say yes, and then learn how to do it later”.
Be curious and be guided
Many companies have facilitated and structured mentor programs.
A mentor can be a wonderful resource in so many ways.
Mentors provide advice, guidance, feedback and support, and often become their mentee’s biggest sponsor, supporter and ally.
Mentor programs may vary from company to company, but essentially will offer either one or a hybrid version of one-on-one, distance and group mentoring.
Be open to training options that exist within the business and be prepared to complement this with external offerings that your business may not offer, but that align and round out the skills required to take that next step.
One final thought on personal and professional growth, it is often primed by an individual’s innate curiosity.
Businesses benefit from attracting a curious workforce because it manifests itself in new ideas, greater efficiencies, and a healthier bottom line.
Building a culture of curiosity is beneficial to a company’s creativity and is commonly prized as a powerful attribute in an employee.
