I used to be excited about becoming an adult. I still am, I think. But this excitement has now been coupled with an underlying fear. While I still have a few years to suss out exactly what it is that I want to do after I graduate, 2013 will be my second year of university, which means that I’ll have to start thinking about what I want to major in and the general field that I want to get into.The summer before starting university, I thought that I knew what I wanted to do in my career. I thought ...

I was recently at a rugby prizegiving for 10 year olds when all the kids in one team were told that they were amazing, gifted and special; that they could all be All Blacks one day. I mean, seriously, I am all for encouragement, but it’s simply not realistic. These boys are more likely to be our next generation of entrepreneurs, multi-media specialists or CEOs. It got me wondering - as parents today, are we all a bit clueless regarding the future careers of our children in this changing world? F...

I’m often asked by high school and university students what they can do to ensure that they have the best chance of getting a suitable job and beginning their career quickly after studying.  Although there is more than just one solution, my first and foremost suggestion is always: GET A PART-TIME JOB!  The permanent job market is tight, especially for youths aged 15 to 24.  In the past 18 months we have seen youth unemployment in New Zealand surge to almost 20%.  With overwhe...

When I graduated from Uni in the late 90’s, I can’t say that working in a contact centre was ever a job I considered (or even knew existed!). But nowadays with the numbers graduating and the New Zealand job market tightening, gaining any form of permanent employment in a large organisation is a positive step to starting a successful career. The contact centre is a great entry point for grads with little work experience to learn a business from the ground up. They develop patience and empathy thr...