Getting noticed in the job market used to be about dropping your carefully-printed resume off in person at a business. These days applications are digital and to make matters more difficult, many resumes are falling at the first hurdle - artificial intelligence.
Organisations are now using AI to filter out resumes before they are even seen by a human. This is where Amy Favro steps in. After Ms Favro, from the Central Coast, was made redundant she started helping others with their job applications to increase their chances of getting an interview. Initially using Airtasker to secure work, the demand for resume and cover letter writing grew so quickly she was able to launch her own business called Amlode Employment Services.
"I had always written the job applications for my friends and family, and they would consistently land those interviews, so I thought, I should make a career out of this," she told the Newcastle Herald.
She said battling the AI bots is all about using keyword optimisation in your application.
"It is all based on the content in your application, the keywords you include, and the keywords and requirements listed in the job application," she explained.
"It's very important to get that specific content in there to get past that ranking system."
She said it is also really obvious if you have used AI to write your entire resume, suggesting using it for help with structure and keywords, but also ensuring you are including your own personal voice in the application.
And what are the top mistakes to avoid in a job application?
"AI overuse, just repeating your resume in the cover letter, and length. I've seen a 20-page resume, we don't need to know about your unrelated apprenticeship from 20 years ago."
A Hunter butchery apprentice will soon find out if he is the Australian Meat Industry Council's 2026 apprentice of the year.
Clancy Lambkin is in the third year of his apprenticeship at TAFE NSW Hamilton and is employed at Springhill Butchery in Singleton.
He joined 16 of the state's top apprentices this month to compete in categories including technical, creative and precision skills learnt in his Certificate III in Meat Processing (Retail Butcher) course.
The winner will be announced at an awards dinner on September 26.
"Farming has been in my family for four generations so becoming a butcher is very sentimental because I'm able to take our family business to the next level," Clancy said.
"I grew up around my great grandfather and remember him cutting up his own meat on the farm, so it feels like a full circle moment."
Clancy and his cousin Koby have also started their own business, ValAndy Premium Lamb, and sell their livestock to Springhill Butchery.
Junction Fair Shopping Centre in Newcastle has signed a new eight-year lease with Newcastle Permanent.
The agreement will see the bank relocate from its existing branch on the corner of Union and Kenrick streets to a newly configured space at Shop 18 within Junction Fair. Newcastle Permanent will be undertaking a 10-week refurbishment of the shop ahead of an expected opening in April 2027.
Leading Australian funds management firm Stirling Property Funds has confirmed TerryWhite Chemmart will be relocating into the middle of the Centre, which will unlock a new tenancy adjoining Newcastle Permanent, available from the new year.
Nextra newsagency is due to return to the centre, the Tech Hospital will expand and nail salon Celine&Co Nails and Beauty is also due to open this year.
Aspiring helicopter pilots across Newcastle and the Hunter Region now have access to professional helicopter flight training at Warnervale Airport.
One Helicopters caters for people wanting to pursue a career as a commercial helicopter pilot, obtain a private helicopter license, or undertake advanced helicopter qualifications and endorsements. One Helicopters provides training from introductory flights through to private pilot licenses, commercial pilot licenses, low-level ratings, instructor ratings, and gas turbine endorsements.
Students can spend more of each lesson actively flying rather than losing valuable training time transiting through congested controlled airspace. The Warnervale location is close to a diverse range of training environments, including coastal areas, mountainous terrain and controlled airspace.
The school also offers trial introductory flights, giving people the opportunity to take the controls of a helicopter alongside a qualified flight instructor before committing to further training.
Love being on the water but don't want the responsibility - and cost - of owning a boat?
Freedom Boat Club is launching at Port Stephens on Friday, September 25.
Owned and operated by franchisees Peta and Jamie Crismale, the Port Stephens Freedom Boat Club is based at d'Albora Marina, Nelson Bay. Members will have access to a versatile and well-maintained fleet of boats, including the Sea Ray SPX 230, Arvor 705 Weekender and Arvor 705 Open, as well as opportunities to fish, whale watch, explore hidden coves and beaches in the Port Stephen area.
Freedom Boat Club members also enjoy premium dockside service.
On Saturday, September 26, Freedom Boat Club Port Stephens is inviting people to tour the boats, meet the local owners and learn more about the membership experience.
"We're incredibly excited to bring Freedom Boat Club to Port Stephens and introduce more people to a simpler way to enjoy boating," said Peta Crismale.
"We're looking forward to building the club together and making it easier for locals and families to get out on the water without the traditional costs and responsibilities that come with boat ownership."
Freedom Boat Club also has a base at Marmong Point on the western shores of Lake Macquarie.
