If you've ever sat through a job interview only to never hear from your potential boss again, three seemingly innocent words could be to blame.

According to Australian recruitment expert Kara Atkinson, many job seekers are falling into some common traps during the interview process that could cost them their dream role.

And while some no-no's — like being late, wearing sandals and swearing — are obvious, others are so subtle many never even realize they've made a crucial mistake.

Here's how to avoid it happening to you

Atkinson told news.com.au the first step was to be well-groomed — so make sure you get your hair cut, wear deodorant, remove distracting accessories like sunglasses and dress appropriately and conservatively.

But there's one item of clothing she said many people didn't realize was a "red flag" for employers.

An organisation’s competitive advantage is usually directly tied to its employees’ productivity. Therefore, executives desire heightened productivity and often pressure their employees to continually perform at high levels. Although this pressure can motivate employees, it also serves as a significant workplace stressor. Employees’ accomplishments are short-lived, with managers patting them on the back for achieving yesterday’s goals and then immediately asking them to up the ante. In the end, employees likely feel the stress from these increasing (and seemingly unattainable) performance targets.

Continued pressure for heightened performance should be a concern for organisations. A balance is needed; managers should strive to enhance their employees’ performance while also maintaining a healthy and effective level of employee motivation. Because performance pressure serves as a significant source of stress for employees, continually pressuring them to raise performance can be counterproductive and may be at odds with effectively motivating them.

If it takes too long to apply for a job at your organization and even longer to get a response, you might miss out on younger talent that’s raring to work, a new study finds.

Trying to win over the latest graduating class? Make sure you’re keeping your recruitment technology up with the times.

That’s a key recommendation from the talent acquisition software firm Yello, whose latest study finds that recruiting methods of old—long application processes, long waits, and lots of paper—could be turning away potential applicants.

The 2019 Yello Recruiting Study [registration] noted that 54 percent of generation Z candidates wouldn’t bother submitting a job application if the process was overly complicated or overtly old-school, while 51 percent of millennials who are currently students felt the same way. (Millennials already in the job market, as well as generation X workers, were less likely to thumb their noses—but more than a third of respondents in both demographics said an outdated recruiting process was a turnoff.)

Each and every person you hire can profoundly impact your company's culture. As you grow your team, remember that directly related experience is often not the best way to predict success. Consider instead a candidate's potential to impact the culture -- and the business.

Diversity among leadership, for example, has been shown to directly benefit a company's market value and profitability, according to new research from Harvard Business School. To cultivate the diverse team that will help your business thrive, look for people who align with your company's core values and weigh that in the balance with the experience they bring to the table.

Let’s start this with a pertinent question! Among two colleagues who are equally good at their jobs, whom will you approach for help in a crisis situation – the one who is congenial and helpful or the one who comes across as unforthcoming and vexed? The answer here is quite apparent.

A sympathetic, approachable individual is what makes for a good team. Technical skills can always be improved if the employee is willing to learn and absorb. However, it is rather difficult to teach soft skills to an individual. In a highly competitive and tough to survive the corporate world, soft skills might appear to be an understated requirement. However, one cannot do without them. You might be the best programmer in your organization, but if you are unable to communicate well with your team, gel with your colleagues and fail to maintain a good equation with your clients, your technical prowess is going to get you only so far.

Why Soft Skills Matter?

Eleven years ago, Andrea Clarke was living in the US and working in her dream job at one of the world's largest aid agencies.

But then, she was fired.

"It was that moment where your stomach just — you feel like you're going to throw up," she tells This Working Life.

Ms Clarke had never been fired before and felt as though her "whole world was coming undone".

On an employer-specific visa to work in the US, Ms Clarke says losing her job was a threat to her whole life and livelihood

"I knew that I probably had to leave the country and abandon the life that I had created there with an incredible network of people," Ms Clarke says.

Now the founder of Career CEO and the author of Future Fit, she looks back on the experience as a "catalyst for me to make some different decisions about my life".

In order to keep her visa valid, Ms Clarke had just 10 days to find another job — so she got cracking.

"I did a deal with myself to allow myself to cry all night, but at 8 o'clock in the morning the alarm was going off and it was game on."

This is what she learnt.

Digital transformation is no longer optional for businesses — it’s mandatory. Companies must integrate technology into their business models in order to thrive. This requires 21st-century business leaders who can rethink the role of technology to enhance the customer experience, create competitive advantages, and drive productivity. In truth, digital transformation is business transformation.

As a result, the makeup of the C-suite is changing significantly. CEOs increasingly are recruiting new members to join their teams and oversee strategic digital initiatives. These additions include chief digital officers, chief product officers, and chief customer experience officers

The “hedge fund vs private equity” question could refer to many things:

• Investment vehicles – If you’re wealthy, should you invest in hedge funds or private equity funds? Also, how do they invest, and how do they charge fees?
• Exit opportunities – If you’re currently in investment banking, sales & trading, or equity research, which one is best for the next step in your career?
• Long-term careers – What are the trade-offs in terms of day-to-day work, advancement, and salaries, and will these industries be around for the next few decades?

Around 90% of the articles I found addressed point #1, often copying and pasting the same text to do so, while completely ignoring points #2 and #3.

But we don’t use $5-per-hour writers in 3rd world countries on this site, so I’m going to explain the differences and focus on hedge funds and private equity as careers:

Having your employees on your side is important. And it starts with making them feel included.

The truth is that your own employees are some of the easiest people to recruit to your company’s social media pages. Most of them will quickly accept your invitation, not least of all because they know the other people who frequent the page (their colleagues).

But being easy to recruit is not the only reason you should get your employees engaged with your social media campaigns. It turns out that companies in many different industries are getting departments far beyond sales and marketing involved in their social media efforts, and for good reason.

Check out why you should get employees engaged with your social media, and how much the adoption of employee advocacy programs has increased across various industries...

New professionals who are currently in their first jobs, and young professionals looking to make their next career moves, find themselves in one of the hottest job markets in recent memory. In this job-seeker friendly environment, candidates are looking at factors beyond salary and benefits when making decisions about their next move.

Earlier this year, Merrill Corporation queried several hundred junior associates working across the financial services industry to gather perspective on the key factors these next-generation leaders consider when evaluating employers and planning their personal career trajectories.

MUMBAI: A senior-level candidate was recently offered a lead position at a reputed consulting firm. The offer was accepted but the candidate was forced to serve a full three-month notice period, during which, he continued to scout for other opportunities. Around a week before the joining date, the candidate had landed a better opportunity, and this gave him a reason good enough to decline the first offer.
Organisations are strictly adhering to the rule of long notice periods. This, recruitment agencies say, is not only hindering the process of hiring but is also fuelling counter-offers. Companies are increasingly investing in the learning and development of people, which is why losing a candidate and hiring a new one has become a costly affair. Earlier, such notice periods were “bought out” by the company making a hiring pitch when in urgent need for a candidate. Recruitment firms said companies are not keen on accepting such offers.

The truth is, we can't be on ALL the time. Taking breaks is healthy. Studies show that when employees take short breaks throughout the work day, they recharge their "mental" batteries, and, therefore, come back to their desk feeling more focused and energized and less fatigued.

Some breaks are better than others, though. Next time you take a break at work, don't vent about a problem to a colleague or stay inside and have another cup of coffee. Those behaviors don't actually make you feel re-energized because you're not detaching from work.

Taking a break means fully detaching from the task at hand.

Amid the dazzle and hopes of the digital age, it is easy to forget that old-fashioned human desire is as essential to achieving business goals as ever.

Right now, for example, companies are making massive investments in technologies that can more closely link their people to each other, to customers, and to other stakeholders. Yet many companies struggle because their cultures get in the way — too many layers and silos, too many colleagues who prefer to stay in their comfort zones, bask in their KPIs, and resist new ways of connecting and working.

This is a big problem. And joy can be a big part of the solution. Why? For two reasons. People intrinsically seek joy. And joy connects people more powerfully than almost any other human experience.

The connective power of joy is clearly visible in sports. When a team performs at its awe-inspiring best, overcoming its limitations and challenges, every player — indeed, the entire arena — experiences a brimming ecstasy that lifts the team even further. Success sparks joy. Joy fuels further success.

There are many reasons why a business may choose to use a recruitment agency to help fill their vacancies, whether that’s to save on time, resources, or the cost to the business of not having someone in the role. Whatever the reason, if you are paying to use one, make sure that you’re getting proper value for your money.

If you haven’t used an agency before, or perhaps used a very bad one, you may be mistaken into  thinking you’re just going to receive a bunch of CVs in your inbox and be left to chase the recruiter to help get candidates across the line. At one agency where I previously worked, there was a recruiter who said their approach was “throw enough shit, see what sticks.” They were in fact let go after revealing this nugget of wisdom in front of the Regional Director. You can, and should in fact, expect a lot more than this, and below are some of the most valuable resources you can reasonably ask for when engaging a recruiter.

10 ways to spot toxic employees:

Team members are afraid of toxic employees.

Ask a toxic person what they’re getting done and they’ll tell you what they plan to get done.

Conversations have winners and losers.

Listening is their tool to learn weaknesses, find fault, and gain advantage.

Toxic employees allow you to fail so they look good. As long as they look good, everything is fine. When failure comes knocking, they make excuses for themselves and blame others.

Toxic employees don’t:

Acknowledge failure.

Extend forgiveness.

Offer an apology.

Managers, leaders, and fellow employees are idiots. Toxic employees are always right. They carry the ‘burden’ of knowing what everyone else should do.

Toxic employees always have solutions/answers for everything and everyone but share it in a way to make them look good and you look stupid.

The only people who aren’t idiots are the people who:

Admire them.

Agree with them.

Acquiesce to their desires.

Advance their personal agenda.

Toxic employees throw you under the bus and make it look like they’re helping.

At some point in our lives and our leadership, we all experience insecurity. And when we act out of that insecurity we tend to behave badly, sometimes harming our relationships and reputation in the process. Especially for leaders, insecurity affects not only ourselves but also those around us.

Because when an insecure leader thinks everything is about them as a result, every action, every choice, ever decision is put through the filter of their own self-centeredness, which doesn’t really serve others well.

Here are 10 of the top signals that insecurity may be damaging your leadership. If any of these sound familiar, stop the behavior and work through the issues before major consequences result.

Flexible working hours are top of the list of requirements for young Australians looking for a new job.

But scoring a flexible arrangement is no easier now than it was way back in 2001, according to data in the latest Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey.

YouGov data provided to news.com.au shows flexibility is important to four out of five workers under the age of 40.

“The growing preference for flexibility is a sign that companies across Australia need to keep up with the demands of modern Australian workers,” says Levi Aron, spokesman for Deliveroo, which commissioned the research.

“Not only do a majority of Australians value flexibility, but nearly half say that they would be influenced by good benefits when choosing a company.”

But if flexibility is sought keenly by new recruits, they’re not having much success in achieving it.

4 ways to energize tired teams:

#1. Establish direction that matters to each team member.

Can everyone describe what rowing-with looks like?
Point out anyone who is rowing sideways. Do this in private. Explain what rowing-with looks like.
Understand each team member’s reason for caring about the team’s direction. Why does this matter to you?
Rowing together energizes teams. But people can’t row together when they don’t know where they’re going.

#2. Assure that contributions have meaningful impact.

Insignificant activities make people feel frustrated, drained, and powerless.

Describe how each team member’s strengths contribute to the greater good. (This assumes you can list the top three strengths of every person on the team.)
Make sure that everyone on the team does what they LOVE at least 20% of the time. (Work you love is work you can’t wait to do.)
Protect everyone from spending more than 20% of their time doing work they dislike.
How are you honoring the contribution of each team member?

#3. Encourage everyone to dance on the outer fringes of their strengths. (Part of every day.)

How are team members feeling challenged?
What new activities is each team member engaging in today?
When are you talking about the things people are learning?
How are you making it safe for people to try new things?
Tell people what you’re learning from failure.
Congratulate responsible failure.

#4. Notice high energy.

One thing that transforms the leaders I coach is feedback about their energy. I mention drooping shoulders and downward stares. But more importantly, I tell them when their eyes light up.

High energy is the result of understanding and respecting what makes people feel alive.

The Canadian insurance industry has a pipeline problem when it comes to strong female talent. It has a great track record at the top, specifically with regards to women in the CEO chair, but in the immediate pipeline levels below, women are still missing. Insurance is no different to any other financial services industry in terms of its typical talent funnel in which the ranks of senior females thins out as you get closer to the top – but there are strategies insurance organizations can adopt to buck that pipeline trend.

When good employees leave, productivity sinks, morale suffers and colleagues struggle with increased workloads. Add in recruitment and training costs, and onboarding new hires can make for a difficult and expensive transition.

The best solution is to keep your workers happy so they don't leave. But before you can implement a plan to increase employee retention, you need to determine why valuable employees are leaving. Here are the most common reasons employees jump ship to new employers.

The context in which banks are operating is undergoing major changes due to both technological evolution and evolution in clientele (private individuals and businesses), which require new modes of dialogue and interaction.

In fact, the survey carried out by The European House – Ambrosetti and Openjobmetis involving a significant sampling of companies based in Italy, shows that the determinant characteristics for preferring one specific bank among those available are, above all, cost considerations, the quality of interpersonal relations, and “process factors” such as speed, flexibility and simplicity.

“With change happening at an unprecedented pace, it is fitting that alternative investment firms are strategically focused on leveraging diverse perspectives in these disruptive times,” says KPMG Chairman and CEO Lynne Doughtie, “The Call to Act,” a new paper that looks at the roles of women in the alternative investment industry.    

This year’s report draws on a broader survey than did its precursors (going back to 2011). The new survey had 886 respondents, men and women within the industry, both management and investment. KPMG makes use of a broad definition of “alternatives,” so that respondents come from hedge funds, private equity, venture capital, and real estate

Corporate culture is powerful. It directly correlates to employee engagement, productivity and retention. It is ingrained in recruitment efforts and drives innovation. In a 2017 study by Deloitte, more than two-thirds of global C-suite executives agreed that company culture has a critically important impact on their organization’s ability to realize its mission and vision.

It’s interesting, then, that business culture is often described as an invisible aspect of the working environment – something you can feel, but not see. I disagree.

As competition for talented employees intensifies, some enterprises are now seeking to create increasingly neurodiverse workplaces with room for many different ways of thinking and processing information. From financial services firm JPMorgan Chase and automaker Ford to technology companies including Yahoo and Microsoft, corporate recruitment initiatives and learning programs are enabling people with neurological differences to apply special calculation, memory and other capabilities as they build rewarding careers