When providing career coaching, I am often asked how valuable cover letters are in the application process. I know what needs to go into a ‘good’ cover letter and how much time and effort that entails, so I always want to give an answer that will provide some value and guidance, as many believe the cover letter sits between them and their new role! 

Firstly I need to say that my response to this question differs on the hat I am wearing i.e. that of an executive recruiter, a company hiring manager or a career coach.  I don’t mean to cause confusion but some people in hiring positions see value in the cover letter whilst others simply don’t.  As a candidate trying to secure a role, what do you do then? 

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If you don’t plan, how will you know when you have achieved your goal?

With the business world talking about agility, failing fast and moving on, maybe we don’t need to plan too much anymore. Maybe if we plan too much, we are in fact only planning to fail, because we don’t take advantage of opportunities as they arise? Who knows?

My advice for 2018 is simply to have a goal. Think what you want to achieve then be flexible about how you achieve it. Life is not a straight line from a to z, nor should it be. The fun is in the ups and downs and the roads to the right and left. As long as you are moving ahead, life is good.

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Like a lot of professional services firms, Selection Partners have had a great year.  We have grown our team, we have moved into our new headquarters in the Melbourne CBD and we have opened a new office in Sydney.  However, we’ve lost a couple of our founding team members and while we are sad to lose them, this also gave us a chance to reflect.

I am a big fan of looking forward.  From a pure economic point of view, the world is in a good place.  Every major economy in the world is starting to perform at pre GFC levels.  Locally we have a lot of cranes in the sky and holes in the ground.  Couple this with governments, both State and Federal, investing heavily in infrastructure; we are set for a few good years.

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The Selection Partners Sydney Office capped off a great year with a celebration in style at the Workclub Sydney Offices. A live band entertained guests whilst Ken and Domenica mixed up a storm (and a mean negroni) at the bar. Guests revelled well into the night.

Selection Partners Principal in Sydney Amy Cato said ‘we are really proud of what the Sydney office  has built in such a short amount of time. 2018 is already looking busy with recruitment and diversity consulting pre booked so we took this opportunity to let our hair down and reflect on the success of the past year.’

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