There’s no denying that one of the biggest expenses for any business is finding and training new talent.  Often a business doesn’t fully understand the financial impact (as it’s not a debtor invoice with a clear amount that we have to pay), so we forget to account for the time and drain involved in replacing staff members.  However, most businesses do innately understand the negative impact – so what is the solution?!  Do what you can to keep your talent!!

We’ve got some tips to help you build a ‘talent firewall’, so you can keep your staff happy and they will stay and give you their best.  This week we’ll look what you offer – at specific steps you can take to build programs and solutions for your staff members.  Next week, we’ll look at what you can do as Executives and Managers to improve the workplace environment:

1. Development programs: there are simple and effective ways to reward your staff and believe it or not, those that are gems will actually appreciate the opportunity to add some extra knowledge, study or accreditation to their skills.  You can perhaps help staff to obtain a certificate or diploma (don’t forget that RPL might be an option if they already demonstrate the necessary skills), or arrange for in-house training that offers specific benefits for your industry.
2. Reviews: you know that you should give your staff regular performance reviews, but few companies actually do this.  It is time to actually take control and ensure that your staff have up to date job descriptions and measurements so that they know where they are headed and you can also measure their progress.  It is also a good idea to set developmental goals such as strategic thinking, coaching and team development and for managers – delegation skills.
3. Offer a formalised coaching program: Executive coaches can help set goals and ensure accountability is a positive way.  This is a good way to keep up momentum and supplement internal HR resources. Remember that it helps to have a pre and post measure up of what the staff member achieves at the end of what you are offering so that there is a goal focus!
4. Mentoring: mentoring is an important way for staff to increase the knowledge and abilities – a mentor should be the level above the said staff member’s boss – this will allow all parties to be able to see things from a removed and clearer perspective.  Mentors help us to see the broader perspective and the added bonus is that it often helps staff to strive for promotion!
5. Long-term career goals: sometimes it is possible to get lost in the day to day.  It is important to help staff see the future potentials for growth and understand that their input and desires are taken into account!

All of the above steps are solutions that you should be implementing in conjuction with your staff members, the best way to do this is to ask for their input and help them to feel part of the process!  Next week we’ll discuss what you as management can action to make your work environment a more positive one to ensure you don’t lose your top talent!

Please feel free to drop us a comment below if you have any questions or suggestions that have worked for you!

If you have ever looked for a new job, you know just how daunting it can be!  One of the BEST ways you can help yourself to secure your dream job is to enlist the help of a recruiter, but the problem is most candidates have NO IDEA just how a recruiter can help them.  So instead of it becoming a useful and viable tool to help you get a job, candidates get frustrated and disillusioned with recruiters.

To help you take advantage of the enormous support and assistance a recruiter can provide we’ve put together a little handy guide for you!  These top 10 tips will help you to understand where the recruiter is coming from and thereby help you to capitalise on their knowledge and assistance!

1. How recruiters are paid: Recruiters are paid to FILL THE JOB.  They are not paid to FIND you a job.  This means that a recruiter is ALWAYS going to put forward the best person for the position.  How does this help you?  Keep in communication with your recruiter!  Make sure you ask WHY when you are not suitable for a role!  This is the simplest way to find out what you need to do to be the best candidate!  You may need to improve your skills, experience, training, attitude – your recruiter will be honest with you, if you demonstrate that you are genuine about wanting to improve!
2. Recruiters are BUSY: I know that sounds like a cliché, but it is absolutely the truth.  You think about it, for every position that a recruiter needs to fill, on average there are 100 applicants!  A recruiter needs to vet those applicants on a whole host of levels (as mentioned above, skills, experience, training, attitude, etc).  If you are the quiet reserved type, or if you never put yourself forward, you could be potentially lost amongst the dozens if not hundreds of other candidates.  So again, keep in touch with your recruiter!  I would recommend a call AND an email once a week.  Ask the recruiter what roles they have on their books and what is coming up. Make sure you ask what THEY think you are suitable for (it does help your recruiter draw the links between your skills and abilities and any vacancies they may have!).  PS: don’t waste their time – make sure when you are communicating with them that you capitalise on your time and theirs – it will be truly respected!
3. Are you a good candidate: Again recruiters are busy and usually have far more candidates than roles to fill, so you have to make sure you stand out from the crowd.  The easiest way is to make sure that you’re in the forefront of your recruiters mind is to make things simple for them.  Is your resume up to date and effective?  Do you have polished interview skills?  Are you up to date with industry standards and requirements and news?  Ask your recruiter what you need to do to make yourself a stand out candidate! And remember to ALWAYS be professional!
4. Knowledge base: a recruiter is actually an absolute wealth of knowledge!  Not only will they know about the standard information about the positions and the companies that are hiring, they will know a host of information about specific hurdles and opportunities.  They will have personal information and tips that can help you get your foot in the door!  The best way for me to demonstrate this is to tell you about a job I once got because I played netball!  It was a senior sales role and I was by far the youngest candidate, but the recruiter said that the employer was big into team environments and that because I played a team sport it would be viewed well!  I made sure that I discussed that I was the captain and what my responsibilities were to ensure a strong sporting team AND got the job!  Make sure you take advantage of your recruiters breadth of knowledge
5. Referrals: lastly, like any job that deals with people there is a very large element of networking and referrals that impact the success of a recruiter.  So if you want to take advantage of what a recruiter can offer you, remember to pay it forward!  Recruiters really appreciate referrals and recommendations!  If you go out of your way to help them, it is only natural that they will extend the same courtesy!

Recruiters really are an excellent way for you to give yourself the advantages you need to secure your dream job and now that you understand them better, you can make sure that you know how to work with one successfully!

Let us know your stories of dealing with recruiters – good or bad, we love to hear and would love to help you!!

It is often the case that we dread going back to work after the silly season.  Having a break, enjoying ourselves, spending time with family and loved ones all serve to remind us that perhaps we have lost the love for our job.

The problem usually sets in then, that we start to think about our options, we think about what we would like, why we have lost the passion for what we are currently doing.  Or as may be the case, New Year means big changes and perhaps the staff/role changes just don’t suit you.  For a small percentage of people their desire to change roles or find a new job is enough to push them along.  But for most of us, the fear grips us, we tell ourselves:

• Well at least we are secure,
• well at least we know what to expect, or
• I’ve spent most of my life building this career, I don’t want to throw it away.

What if you could actually find a job where the above still remains true, where you can tap into your passion BUT find new challenges?!

There is never a better time to consider recruitment!  To be successful as a recruiter, you need certain base skills that building a successful career in a particular role or position, makes you especially suited!  The best recruiters are ones that have successfully worked in their field of choice – it makes them most suited to understanding the intricacies of a role and the key factors that make a candidate successful at it!  If you know the job well, you are able to help your employer understand exactly what they need to successfully fill the role – with skills, experience, aptitude and ability, you are able to truly understand what candidates would be most suited to an employers needs!

If you would like to know more about a career in recruitment have a read below and pop along here: Become a Wise Recruiter to apply!  Or simply drop us a comment below and we’ll get back to you!

Control your own work / Life
Earn very well
leverage your network contacts

Most employers understand the value in a well-prepared job description but often, when we are called in as the recruiting experts, the employer hasn’t given clear thought to the foundation a well-designed job description gives.

For example, if we know our advertiser wants an Accounts person, it pays to actually understand what level of knowledge and expertise is required.  It is not enough to state that they want ‘an accounts person’ – they might need someone who has both Debtors and Creditors experience to General Ledger.  The same is true for any position – there are sub levels that are critically important to placing the correct person in a role!

As a recruiting company, we understand this foundation is paramount to building a successful role with a successful candidate.  This being the case, the sorts of questions we are going to want to know include:

• What are the day to day duties?
• What are the weekly duties?
• What are the quarterly duties?
• What are the yearend duties (if any)?
• What special projects are expected to be completed?
• What strategic projects need to be completed?
• What planning needs to occur?
• What are the 3 month, 6 month, 9 month, and 12 month goals for this position?

Once you have the answers to the above questions, it becomes very easy for an experienced recruiter to then successfully match a job seeker that has the skills and experience to fill the position effectively!  Another advantage is that when the foundation is clear, it is also far more likely that you will find the right person to fill the role!

From this foundation, it is then worthwhile to check similar positions on Seek or JobEzy, to make sure that you aren’t missing any critical elements of the role.

The job description now leads into the employer being able to identify the goals for the employee and to also create a review process to keep the role and the employee on track!