2 NT NEWS. Saturday, September 21, 2013. CLASSIFIEDS 8944 9999 www.ntnews.com.au

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By ALISON HUCKS

Avant principal

Probation valuable tool

Alison Hucks . . . Avant principal

A PROBATIONARY period is a prede-termined period of time (for example,three to six months), which beginswith the start date of a new employee.

The purpose of the probationaryperiod is for both the employer and theemployee to see if there is a match be-tween employee and the employer or-ganisation, which is often called ‘‘cul-tural fit’’ (and vice versa) plus theemployee and the work.

The probationary period allows eith-er party, new employee and employer,to terminate the employment forany reason.

Now usually a probation period iswritten into an employment contract,but it is not law that it has to be. Thatsaid, there are guidelines that need tobe followed.

Check out fairwork.gov.au for moreinformation. Whether you are an em-ployee or an employer you will findheaps of information on this site.

Essentially in a probationary re-view your work, any outcomes ach-ieved, your behaviours and attitudesfor the period of time from start date tothe probation review date will be as-sessed, and it will be determinedwhether or not you have the com-petencies, capability, and the right be-haviours and attitude for the new role.

Managing expectations is key dur-ing the probation review period. I say

it takes three months before you havean idea of the role and some idea ofwhat is required of you; six monthsbefore you understand the role and therequirements of the role; and it takesat least a year before you are in thegroove, and truly know what the roleis and all that is required.

Often both the new employee andthe employer have high expectationsaround the probationary period andoutcomes they want to achieve.

If it’s a newly created position or if itis a case where there has been no dedi-cated handover time between the lastperson to do the role and the new star-ter, ease up a little.

In that case, rather than focusing toomuch on specific outcomes, reviewproductivity, behaviours, and attitudeto the work, team and organisation.

The review may be based on yourposition description or specificationand may also be based on KPIs (keyperformance indicators) included inthose. If you are new starter it’s agreat idea to confirm early on inthe piece:

o How long is the probationperiod? Indeed, is there one?

o When will the probationaryreview be?

o Who will conduct the review? Isit someone who is directly supervis-ing your work? This is handy toknow because if the review is to bedone by someone other than your di-rect supervisor, you can check inregularly with your supervisor forimmediate feedback on your work,your behaviours and attitudes. Keepa record of this feedback and you’llbe able to discuss this with the per-son who conducts the review.

o Does the job match you, yourvalues, your needs, your wants?

o Do you match the needs of thebusiness, your work, your values,their needs, their wants?

If it’s a ‘‘yes’’, terrific! Check inwith your supervisor when yournext review will be and start youraction plan on how you will blitz it! Ifit’s a ‘‘no’’ take stock.

It could be a case of the match justisn’t there for you. You can use theexperience to understand furtherwhat it is that motivates you, what itis that you truly want from a job, aboss, or an organisation.

Rather than collecting dry cleaning or

making coffee, a career in office support

keeps you front and centre in our fast-

paced businessworld

Learn biz secretsin office support

Office support professionals are jobs that are unlikely to be outsourced

LOOKING for a job that is unlikely tobe outsourced, gives you access to theleading business minds and allowsyou to work in successful multinat-ionals or thriving SMEs? Consider anoffice support career.

‘‘Office support professionals enjoylong and exciting careers,’’ says LisaMorris, senior regional director ofHays Office Support.

‘‘Rather than collecting dry clean-ing or making coffee, a career in officesupport keeps you front and centrein our fast-paced business world,’’she says.

‘‘Depending on who you support, notwo days are the same. You might planmeetings in different countries andtime zones, organise the logistics oftransporting equipment or productsamples for a conference, ensure anevent runs smoothly, take minutes,manage diaries, data entry, take own-ership of occupational health andsafety or load content on to intranetand internet sites.

‘‘The only certainty is that the roleis varied.’’

Lisa says the career path is fairlystandard. ‘‘Typically you start out asan office junior and as you gain exper-ience, prove yourself and your skillsbase grows, you move up into moredemanding support roles.’’

But it’s not only the variety thatmakes office support attractive.

Hays Office Support says there arethree other factors worth considering.

1. It’s not easy to outsource:Every department needs an admin-

istrator, every senior manager has anexecutive assistant, every receptionarea needs a reliable receptionist andevery office needs an office manager.

Office support enables every meet-ing to take place, every deal to bewon and every executive to lead. It’snot easy to outsource so many mul-tiple tasks.

2. You can work alongside theleading business minds:

With hard work, a good attitude anda solid base of skills and experience,you can climb the corporate ladderand become the right hand of theexecutive/s you support.

Supporting at C-suite level meansyou are usually on call but you arealso privy to how such executivesoperate, what makes them success-ful and you can pre-empt their needs.

It can be inspiring to work in suchan environment.

In addition, an executive will trusttheir good office support to stand infor them whenever they are away,which gives you an opportunity togain valuable experience.

3. You can work inside successfulmultinationals or thriving SMEs:

By working side by side with execu-tives, you keep on top of what is hap-pening in the market and develop goodbusiness acumen.

Importantly, office support is anecessary function in every officelarge or small, so you will always findan organisation that is right for you.