18/04/2011

If this file doesn’t work for you click HERE to go to site

Upon walking into the Neil Waters campus at Massey University the afternoon seemed normal. The list of speakers was unknown to me, however it all changed by awe inspired shock. Yvonne is an incredibly modest and inspiring, passionate and loving person. We experienced three students’ speeches who had past through Miomo’s ten day courses. They had all suffered considerable small life changing experiences. It was evident from their enthusiasm and respect to all the people of Miomo. Each of their accounts enthralled the audience in the lecture hall.

Personally the afternoons most inspirational speaker was a person they dubbed ‘Uncle Pete’. His ambition and drive in life was universally incredible. His story of life was inspiring to the point of moral enlightenment of what others can do when they have a will for it. To survive seven-hundred Chemotherapies for over many years it brings thought to my mind of the impossible. Yet this man nearly bought me to tears for the small messages I and others could read from his story. All present in that hall could see the friendship that exists between this group of people speaking here. Friends with a common goal and an unsurpassable wealth of experience and morality.

For a raining afternoon to hear the speech of Opshops lead singer, and the devastating youth stories of the two Australian kids of my age could be said to be reflected to nature it’s self, although cliché, walking out those doors everyone had a new light to their eyes. Even the rain had let-up for a period. For eighty or more people to be inspired to such extent that their applause and cheering carried an air of disbelief at their story. Two youth’s matured in morality and life experience by just their traumatic events and life’s in comparison to a seven day experience with Yvonne simply was the pinnacle of my year thus far.

Calum de Jong ( 17 years old Westlake Boy’s High School)

Hi Yvonne,

We had a great time at the conference last Saturday. My friends and I couldn’t stop talking about how professional and well organized the whole event was presented. And to top it all off I walked away with $100 (thank you very much for that nice incentive).

I just want to let you know that you are doing such a great job with Miomo. You are striving to build a self-sufficient, responsible, winning generation of young adults and you have genuinely encouraged myself and many of my friends to do the same.

I know it can’t always be easy to stick your head out without others trying to shut you down, but you have proven to us that it is possible to bring change and help others become all that they were created to be. Keep up the good work!

Kind regards,

Brad Visser BBS

Executive Assistant

Colliers International North Shore

By Robyn Webb

Nz Herald, Sunday Mar 21, 2010

Employment search is challenging and teenagers face even tougher hurdles; fewer opportunities, no experience, lack of interview exposure, conflicting time commitments …

But in addition to the financial motivation, the future benefits of work experience make the first step into the workforce worthwhile.

So what opportunities exist for teenagers? How can they acquire experience? What strategies can improve their chance of securing a first job? And how can young people enhance their value to employers?

Everyone has to start somewhere. Many advertised positions require experience, which is frustrating for teens still at school. But there are suitable entry level roles to target, many of which offer fantastic potential. Casual employment can extend into permanent career options. It is also an important introduction to the workforce, with early work experience adding to a young person’s “offering”, when applying for future opportunities.

Progressive Enterprises prides itself on providing development and career opportunities. Gillian Davie, human resources manager, points out that many of the company’s senior executives first joined the company as part-time students.

Another business that encourages applications from young job-seekers is fashion retailer Cotton On.

National recruitment consultant Cindie Jacobs sees retail as a very realistic option for a first job. Casual employees gain valuable experience towards either internal progression, or as a foundation for future careers in other industries. Cotton On stores are all about atmosphere, with a positive attitude more important than previous experience, explains Jacobs.

“We love those ‘newbies’, because we can train them in the way we do things; they haven’t picked up any bad habits. We want them to apply!”

What is the best approach?

Searching internet sites for suitable advertisements can be disheartening. An alternative strategy is to target industries of interest and identify businesses which are likely to offer part-time employment. Then research the preferred application method. Although some businesses prefer online applications, there is value in the personal approach.

Teenagers can start their career with Progressive by going into their local Countdown, Foodtown or Woolworths store, says Davie.

“The store will be able to advise whether there are any suitable vacancies right now.”

Cotton On invites applications via its website, but Jacobs also encourages applicants to introduce themselves.

“Front up to a store – even if there are no immediate vacancies, we are opening new stores and always looking for staff.”

The process can take time, as Laura Patterson, 16, discovered. It took four months from her online application to Cotton On to her invitation to a group interview. A further month passed before she heard she had been accepted for induction.

Jacobs acknowledges and regrets the frustration of such delays due, in part, to the numbers of new stores.

Patterson has enjoyed increasing responsibilities in her role with Cotton On and values the training she has received. She recommends to others that they be confident in themselves and if they want something, “get out and make it happen”.

Teenager Logan Birch took the proactive approach in responding to an advertisement for a pizza chef. His attitude was realistic – knowing he lacked the experience to be a chef, his motivation stemmed from a flair inspired by his family’s home-built pizza oven. In addition to his online application, he visited the restaurant.

His positive attitude impressed Prego’s manager, Krishna Botica, who remembers Birch fronting up, confident and well presented.

“We hire on attitude and it is very helpful to meet the person. For positivity, Logan rated 10 out of 10.”

Botica says “entry-level applicants need to be adaptable, have realistic expectations and be prepared to start at the bottom. However, for a young person interested in the hospitality industry, Prego offers good training systems and structure, with the opportunity to achieve unit standards to progress their career.”

One month down the track the outcome is positive for Birch – a kitchen-hand opportunity, with the possibility of apprenticeship.

What do employers look for?

For entry-level roles, Progressive evaluates personal qualities, not necessarily previous experience. “We look for evidence that a candidate is committed, trustworthy, responsible and reliable,” says Davie.

Stressing the importance of punctuality, presentation and a well-presented application, Davie says stand-out candidates demonstrate a positive attitude, confident communication skills and personal motivation to achieve their goals.

“They will have a record of reliability and be able to manage their time and commitments effectively.”

Jacobs reminds applicants that Cotton On views all casual staff as potential managers. “We are interested in character, demonstrated through participation and contribution during our group interviews and through hobbies, attitude and lifestyle.” Applicants must be able to provide reliable references, which could be from teachers, sports coaches or family friends.

Davie and Jacobs both stress flexibility as being to an applicant’s advantage. Store managers need casuals who can be slotted into the roster. Jacobs gives preference to the student who says “I am happy for any hours” over the one whose shifts need to fit around other activities.

Future potential

Combined with qualifications and extra-curricular achievements, a proven work ethic provides a competitive edge in the market. Davie feels frustrated when she hears people say they’ve only worked in a supermarket, or only at McDonald’s. Employers recognise the solid grounding in customer service gained in retail or hospitality and such experience adds value to future applications. Although your first job might be just a few hours a week, Davie recommends you take it seriously and give it your all. “You don’t know where it might lead.”

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

* Identify your priorities.

* Be open to opportunities.

* Ensure your CV promotes your achievements.

* Demonstrate flexibility and enthusiasm.

* Be punctual.

* Explain why you want the job.

* Remember eye contact, clear speech, and body language.

* Express confidence in what you offer.

* Provide details of suitable referees.

* Follow up if you don’t hear back.

By Robyn Webb

http://www.infonews.co.nz/news.cfm?id=55586

By Hays

It exists in the public domain, but job seekers say that’s no reason to use a social media profile as part of the recruiting process.

In an online survey by recruiting expert Hays, 38 per cent of New Zealand job seekers believe employers use social networking profiles to help vet applications, but should not do so.

35 per cent of job seekers not only believe employers use social networking profiles, but also believe that they should use such information to vet applications. Just 27 per cent think employers do not use social networking profiles as part of the recruiting process.

“This survey reignites the debate about public versus private life, but this time it’s not celebrities or politicians that are arguing their right to privacy, but every day job seekers,” said Jason Walker, Managing Director of Hays in New Zealand.

“The majority of job seekers feel that their personal life is their personal life, and their social media profile should not be used as part of the decision making process.

“The opposing argument says any actions that take place in the public domain are open to public scrutiny and assessment. From this position some might say reviewing a candidate’s social media profile is not that different to conducting a security check – although consent is required for the latter. So is a social media profile really any different from any other publicly available data? 38 per cent of job seekers certainly think it is.

“In our experience, most employers do not leap to check a candidate’s online profile. It is far more common that an employer will extend their vetting process to include social media only if they feel a candidate might not be what they are portraying themselves to be in their face-to-face interview.

“In such cases, a Facebook profile with a public setting may reveal content that could make an interviewer see you in a different light.

“So if you are job searching, it would be wise to change your privacy settings so that you do not share all your posted content with everyone. But don’t just restrict your focus to pure social sites like Facebook or Twitter. What about content on video-sharing sites, online forums or blogs? What about comments you’ve made on social bookmarking sites? A potential employer who is using cyberspace to gather information about you will not stop at Facebook, so neither should you when editing your social media profile.

“Of course, you can also make cyberspace work for you to enhance a potential employer’s perception of you. For example, you can leverage the LinkedIn network or show your passion for your particular specialisation by blogging about latest trends. This last point in particular can highlight your expertise to a potential employer and show them what you could bring to the company, which can be very powerful,” he said.

The survey was conducted on hays.net.nz and asked: Do you think employers use social networking profiles to help vet applications? The responses were:

Yes – Employers should use all available information 35.09%

Yes – But I don’t think employers should 37.54%

No – I don’t think they’re used to vet applications 27.37%

855 people completed the survey.

Hays, the world’s leading recruiting experts in qualified, professional and skilled people.

About Hays

Hays is the leading global specialist recruiting group. It is the expert at recruiting qualified, professional and skilled people worldwide. It operates across the private and public sectors, dealing in permanent positions, contract roles and temporary assignments.

Hays employs 6,933 staff operating from 345 offices in 28 countries across 17 specialisms. For the year ended 30 June 2009, Hays placed around 50,000 candidates into permanent jobs and around 270,000 people into temporary assignments.

Living with Your Adult Child – Making it Work in Kiwi Culture

Yvonne Godfrey2010 All Rights Reserved www.miomo.co.nz

I’ll bet you never thought in your wildest bad dream that you would still have your 30 year old living at home! Did she leave home vowing to never come back but did anyway – or did she just never leave? Did she get involved with the wrong bloke; have his child and then return with grandchild in tow? Did he get into debt, lose his job and had nowhere to turn?

Then there is the university student who will be at home for the next four or more years.

I can show you families living all of these scenarios. In many cultures, generations of families living in the same home are commonplace. It works really well! But does it work in New Zealand where people live more independent lives?

For some it does but for others it becomes a nightmare of failed compromises and resentments on both sides. In our family, we have shared with our adult children with mixed success. Where we were clear on the boundaries, it worked and where we drifted into a situation with fuzzy expectations, it didn’t. Start with the end in mind. If it is a temporary arrangement – establish the time frame to allow the young adult to plan their future properly.

Let’s look at some principles to make it work well!

What has to change from the old regime?

The relationship gains an additional dimension now that you are flat-mates as well as parent and child. However, from a practical living standpoint the flatmate relationship now becomes number one. You are also both adults so the child part of the equation is now a bit of a mute point and you become respectful friends.

What are you doing for him that a flatmate wouldn’t?

The relationship needs to change from Mum, Dad and little Billy to Mum Dad and Bill as flatmates. What are you doing for Bill that a flatmate wouldn’t? Many mothers find it difficult to change their thinking. A woman may feel that she is not a good mother if she insists on Bill doing his ironing and cooking a meal. On Miomo (my programme to equip young people for adult life), I challenge the mothers of my students to stop changing the sheets on their boys’ beds and performing other servant behaviour (it doesn’t usually happen for their daughters).

Paying board or rent – how much?

Adult children who do not pay their way create problems on all fronts. No contribution means no responsibility and definitely no ownership or respect. Determine the board payable on how much the young person earns. Current market full board in Auckland is around $160 – $200 and flatting costs around $250 per week. Most parents want to cut their YA some slack, but there is a fine line between blessing your YA and hindering his development. Fair could be 20% of their take home pay but not less than $50 or more than $200. Work it out. If he is a pleasure to live with, is helpful, and is studying or working his tail off – then your system is working.

Beware of the trap of asking for money on payday – always set up an automatic payment.

Young Adults (YA) who are living at home to study should at least earn enough to take care of personal expenses over and above the basic food that you may be providing. School leavers who are not studying must make getting a job a priority. Put a time limit on how long you are willing to

let them live at home for free, say three months. Without a definite time limit – there is no sense of urgency to get a job. Initially, it can be any job, just so they are earning and contributing.

Whose house is it?

“This is my house and you will respect my wishes!’ doesn’t create the happiest atmosphere. The key to sharing with your adult children is to establish boundaries and to respect territories. If you are not happy to share – then refuse, but don’t be a martyr making continual snide comments about your sacrifice.

Respecting Territories and Establishing Boundaries

My mother (80) has lived on her own or with flat mates since she was 40. Now, because of her ill health, my sister Katie (53) has recently moved in with her. Initially Katie wondered if it would work but it does! They are having a great time and enjoying one another’s company. My mother has very clear rules around spaces. Bedrooms are off limits. They never go into each other’s room without invitation.

Before agreeing to an adult child moving back in, a standard of hygiene, cleanliness and tidiness should be agreed on by all parties. You don’t have to be visually assaulted every time you walk past your YA’s room, but neither should you be tempted to go in and clean it.

Sharing the workload

Divide up the jobs and allocate them to everyone! Just like in a flat, it doesn’t work to let people clean the house when they get the urge. Hardly anyone ever does except the one person who can’t stand a filthy house. The adult child should share the cost of a housekeeper/cleaner if they are on a full income. Otherwise revert to your system of pro-rata for the part time earner.

We converted the barn on our 5-acre property into a house for our daughter, her husband and our grandson. They are paying rent 25% under market value because they help maintain the whole property. This works for both of us. We have created an asset on our property with a reliable tenant. They get the use of the whole property and generous rent, and we get to see our fabulous little grandson every day.

So, it can work and be loads of fun – the key to success is in having clear expectations!

Failure to Launch

©Yvonne Godfrey 2007 All rights reserved www.miomo.co.nz

There is a great movie called ‘Failure to launch’ in which a 35-year-old man refuses to leave home. He dates many girls but always manages to sabotage the relationship once it gets too hot in case she lures him out of that beautiful place called security and comfort into that fearful place called responsibility – namely his own place.

The parents hire a gorgeous woman whose job is to have their son fall in love with her so that he will ultimately sever the apron strings and go it alone with the woman of his dreams. Of course in the movie the inevitable happens and she falls in love with him ruining everything temporarily, until in true Hollywood fashion, they sort it out and live happily ever after.

The reality is that the number of young adults over 20 and into their 30’s who are continuing to live with Mum and Dad long is increasing. Whilst on one hand it may be flattering to know that your kids still love you and think you are awesome, a closer look at the situation reveals that the primary motivation for these precious pups is money! That’s right, YOUR money – ‘why use your own?’ they ask when you can use Mum and Dad’s.

Our girls are 23 and 27 and I have only just managed to pry their sticky little fingers off my every belonging. It seems that what’s yours is theirs and what’s theirs doesn’t fit you anyway. So get over yourself and just buy 2 of everything that you ever thought was gorgeous because you can be sure that within a week – you will only be able to find one.

If you charge them market rates for board they squeal like a stuck pig, claiming that you are stinging them unfairly. Unfair! ‘Who is not being fair?’ I want to scream! They use your cell phone when you are not looking, wash only their clothes and never seem to notice that maybe the floor could do with sweeping to avoid an inspection from the health department.

So why do we put up with it? Because we are gutless –that’s why. We get sucked in by a crumb of appreciation like the odd time they brag about you to their friends and call you the most incredible mother in the world. Ooh – have you tasted Mum’s Lasagne? You just have to have some. It’s so good – it would cost way too much to make it in a restaurant. And what about those Mother’s Day cards that you absolutely must believe in order to maintain even a shred of self-esteem! Yes – off you go and keep that card along with all the others. You know that cardboard box you have tucked away with all your fan mail. Yeah – that’s the one that’s got the baby tooth and the first lock of hair and now the Mother’s day cards. You are pathetic – that’s what you are – just like me!

But one day the filthy room and the late board payments got the better of me and I rebelled. Like an SAS commando out of control I stormed the bedroom – when she wasn’t there of course – I would never have had the guts to do it when she was there. I’m mad but I’m not stupid! I cleaned the whole room from top to toe, killed the now unidentifiable organisms growing under the bed, and gave BOTH my girls notice. I gave them a deadline which was far enough away to give them time to get organised but close enough that they had to get on with the job.

And guess what – it worked! I don’t have any adults masquerading as kids living with me. I turned one of their rooms into a beautiful guest room and took over the other bedroom as my office. The message is clear! I love you; I just don’t want to live with you! Good luck – you can do it!

Footnote to this article:

Now 2009, both of my girls run really great households and can cook like Jamie Oliver. They are loving, appreciative and look out for me in all kinds of ways.