HR Blog

Turbo-charged jobs supermarket coming to Gympie and Sunshine Coast

Thu, 20 May 2010 02:15:00 GMT

The wait is over for businesses looking for staff and job seekers looking for opportunities, as the 'turbo-charged jobs supermarket' that is the Keep Australia Working Jobs Expo comes to Gympie Showgrounds on Friday, 28 May 2010 and the Lake Kawana Centre on Friday, 4 June 2010.

The Keep Australia Working Jobs Expo initiative was introduced by the Australian Government in October last year and has proven a great success, with over 1000 exhibitors providing over 5000 job seekers with real jobs from the Expos held across Australia so far.

The Gympie and Sunshine Coast Jobs Expos are a practical way for employers, industry groups, recruitment and training providers as well as Federal, State and Local Governments to connect directly with local job seekers.

They are one-stop job supermarkets where job seekers and employers can engage in person and build relationships.

The Jobs Expos are about real jobs right now on the day!
Entry for exhibitors and job seekers is free.

Come and meet special guest personalities, be entertained and enjoy the free sausage sizzle, all at the Gympie and Sunshine Coast Jobs Expos.
To be involved as an exhibitor, or to place a job at either the Gympie or Sunshine Coast Jobs Expos call Centrelink on (07) 5420 6016.

Media contact: Paul Creedon, Ph: 0411 670 923.

Getting ready for recovery

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:57:00 GMT

By Sally Desch, HRM Contracting and Consulting

With the dollar flying high and the energy industry being reignited there is a real sense that Australia’s economic recovery is on its way. Unemployment remains steady instead of rising and during August job advertisements increased for the first time in 16 months.

The ANZ survey released in August found there were 4.1 % more job advertisements in newspapers and on the internet (news.com.au September 2009). Many companies have been cautious about growth or expansion during these uncertain times - however it would seem that we really are about to emerge from the recession.

Growth is anticipated in the Mining and Construction sectors along with Transportation and Utilities (traditionally areas where there has been significant skill shortage in recent years). Other areas of growth include graduate recruitment in Accounting, Property, Medical and Pharmaceutical.

Despite the signs of growth unemployment itself will continue to rise (at a much slower rate) in the coming months as it is commonly acknowledged to be a “lag” indicator one that will level out slightly later than other growth indicators.

In this climate it remains very much an employer’s market and therefore being primed and ready for increased business activity could now put many companies in a much stronger market position than their competitors. Taking advantage of the market at the beginning of the upturn could prove to be a very lucrative long term move.

With a large pool of potential candidates to choose from how do you go about getting the best? Recruitment experts Pfau and Kay (The Human Capital Edge) state that you should hire a “sure thing” when recruiting - that is someone who has done the same job, in the same industry from a similar business culture. This means you are more likely to recruit candidates that fit and that can also be more effective more quickly.

Another commonly overlooked option by many companies is the development and or promotion of internal candidates. Not only are you getting a candidate that understands your organisation they have already formed effective working relationships within the company.

In order to attract the best candidate, your company should not only be a great place to work it should be known as a great place to work. The best employees are likely to be in work and not actively looking - therefore your company will really need to have something to offer to attract top quality new recruits.

This reflects internally on the company as well who should be providing a good working environment that will see employees remaining loyal and happy in the workplace, resisting the urge to explore greener pastures helping you to retain the brightest stars in your organisation.

Firms hiring should also not limit themselves to taking the best of the applicants in that round of recruitment - if that person does not really have the skills, qualification or fit what you are looking for, then it is better not to hire at all than hire the wrong person. Temporary or interim cover will cost you less in the long term while you concentrate on finding the right person.

While economic recovery brings about renewed hope for our business futures - it also brings about opportunity to refresh our organisational approach to recruitment bringing long term sustainable improvements to company structure and operation.

Sharpening the saw

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 00:39:00 GMT

By Sally Desch, HRM Contracting and Consulting

As we are all well aware the global recession is continuing to bite industry in the region. With employers maintaining their concern about whether to retrench and downsize, whilst keeping their business ready and poised to respond to increases in demand as and when it happens.

We’ve talked before in Business Matters about the importance of avoiding hasty decisions and retaining valuable staff and skills in order to be ready for the upturn, also about using contract and temporary staff to assist with the fluctuations in demand in the current climate. Now is a good time to consider undertaking an efficiency audit of your business and considering the possibility of re-training the staff you have got, helping them to develop a wider range of skills thereby increasing their flexibility and adaptability to your business needs.

Within this efficiency audit you should consider productivity issues, processes and day to day administration as well as reviewing suppliers, purchasing arrangements and more cost effective solutions. A key part of this is a review of staff skills and your requirements in light of your drive for increased productivity and overall business efficiency. Whilst we’re aware of the wider skills shortages that are still evident in professional and technical industries (despite the recession) - what is frequently overlooked by employers is the wide range of ‘soft skills’ that employees could develop to assist with improved productivity and efficiency.

The most commonly cited area for development across the board is IT skills. Whether this is in basic IT proficiency to more advanced skills such as finance packages and multi-media applications - a small investment in time and money in the short term could lead in the longer term to greater savings in time spent processing administration more efficiently. The added by product of this is a more professional service to customers impacting on overall satisfaction and reputation. What has been previously accepted as ‘good enough’ during busy periods - now can be given the attention required to really improve functionality and customer service for the future.

Other key skills deficits include the supervisory and management skills of employees who are in positions of responsibility. This again is a significant long term investment in your business for the future providing employees with the appropriate management requirements to develop staff skills, morale and overall productivity. The introduction of additional training may be welcomed as part of an overall professional development package for staff, assisting with retention and staff morale fostering loyalty and commitment.

Whilst re-training staff is an option - you may find during your audit that your current staff are not equipped or willing to develop the additional skills required. This presents you with the opportunity to recruit the right people, with the right skills for the right job. The time is ripe for re-structuring, because there is a bigger pool of talented and skilled staff to choose from. You can get the right people in place to launch your company further as the economy improves. Getting the right people and skills is no mean feat, we have all had experience of recruiting someone who looks great on paper and was a wow at interview - only to find their personal presentation skills far outstrip their actual performance in the job. This is where it is important to get the recruitment process right - a tight job description, clear expectations regarding qualifications and experience and using skills tests to assess their ability in a more pressurised situation.

So don’t let the downturn make you too despondent - use the opportunity to review and refresh your business and get the right people and skills in place to improve your overall performance and long term income - you’ll be ready and in a stronger position for when the economy improves.

Reference checking

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 02:28:00 GMT

Written by Sally Desch, HRM Contracting & Consulting.

Hiring the right person for the job may be the most critical management decision you will make. As such, it is vital that you decide exactly what you require of every position you are seeking to fill.

The cost of a wrong choice of employee is estimated to be three times their annual salary. This relates to costs of training and recruitment, consequences on productivity, client satisfaction, employee morale and turnover. A wage of $40,000 could quickly turn into a $120,000 liability.

One of the key areas overlooked in recruiting staff is reference checking. You have seen a resume – it looks good. You have interviewed the candidate – they said all the right things so let’s get them started. Wrong!

This part of the selection process is often overlooked because an employer doesn’t have the time or doesn’t want to pay a recruitment company to do the legwork for them. This could be a fatal mistake.

Reference checks are generally used for three purposes:

To verify information given by job applicants through other selection processes (eg. interview, resume)
To serve as a basis for predicting job success of job applicants
To uncover background information on applicants that may not have been identified by other selection procedures.
One purpose of the reference check is to serve as a predictor of job success. A reference check used in this way assumes that past performance is a good predictor of future performance. While an application form may summarise what applicants say they did, a reference will assess how well others say that the applicants did.

Four types of information are solicited through reference checks:
Employment and education background data
Appraisal of an applicant’s character and personality
Estimates of an applicant’s job performance
Willingness of the referee to rehire an applicant

Who to contact?

Former employers
Personal references
Investigative agencies
Public records including criminal record checks
Educational Records.

‘Former employers’ and ‘educational records’ are normally used.

Where to start?

You should get the candidate’s approval first before checking references provided, which gives the candidate an opportunity to notify their referees that they will be contacted. If you wish to pursue additional referees, you need the candidates approval to do so.

General rules.

Reference checks must be undertaken before an offer is made. A minimum of two references are done via a structured phone interview. Referees must have worked closely with the candidate and be in a position to comment about the candidates recent work performance.

Reference information sought must be job-related.

Recruitment, retention and retrenchment

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 23:44:00 GMT

Written by Sally Desch, HRM Contracting & Consulting.

The economic downturn is fast becoming the main topic of conversation among business colleagues, family and friends. With stimulus packages abounding and daily reports of the impact of what we now know is an official recession - employment, or more relevantly, unemployment is high on everyone’s agenda.

Companies are facing a downturn in business coming through the door and therefore downsizing for some has become a necessary evil. Discretionary spending is usually the first to go however, redundancies can seem like an attractive option to dramatically reduce expenditure and balance out the bottom line.

Smart employers are looking for more creative ways of managing the downturn, remembering the talent shortage that they faced in recent years. With a keen eye on the future and the light that we are all waiting for on the economic horizon, companies are reluctant to reduce their talent pool so they can be responsive and remain strong in the market when economic recovery begins.

In a recent article, Australian Human Resources Institute national president Peter Wilson said “employers are moving away from the slash-and-burn practices of past recessions where the emphasis was on immediately cutting outlays for a more strategic view. The aim is to keep people in place for when the recovery kicks in, even if it means keeping them on a part time basis.” (The Weekend Australian, April 2009).

Other companies are moving towards utilising the skill base they have across a broader range of areas preferring to move existing staff into gaps. So in some cases, rather than recruit skilled personnel, they are flying in staff from other states to meet the local need ensuring better use is made of their talent pool.

Reducing the working week is also a way to retain skilled personnel, therefore cutting expenditure to meet the business’ needs. The by-product of which has been a better work life balance that we have all been talking about achieving for many years.

Other solutions have been achieved by offering staff long term sabbaticals - on say 30% pay, this has again proven to be effective as those in a position to bear the pay reduction are given the opportunity to have some time off or commit valuable time to study or travel. This minimises risk to those remaining at work and again brings positive benefits to the workforce overall.

The other alternative for companies is to hold off on longer-term recruitment by utilising contractors and temporary staff to fill their immediate gaps. Many of our clients are coming to us for short-term solutions to help manage the fluctuations in their business activity. Our pool of temporary staff has also grown as those seeking employment recognise that a short-term contract could be the way forward to longer-term employability. The employer has all of the benefits when recruiting contract or temporary staff in that they take on none of the risk and have the complete flexibility to fine-tune their requirements to match the business needs.

Contract staff can also benefit from the arrangement securing a higher daily rate as compensation for lack of consistent employment. However, with more companies utilising contractors the access to short-term contracts is likely to increase.

Retention of current staff is unlikely to prove much of a problem during this period as people are more likely to hang on to the security of the job they have during uncertain times. Not willing to risk giving up a relatively secure position for one where there may be unforeseen cuts in the future, where a track record has not yet been established and where a probationary period is likely to be a requirement companies may find a sense of renewed loyalty and security among their existing workforce.

It would appear that whilst the downturn is creating a shaky landscape for some, a creative approach to managing the recession with foresight and flexibility can bring some social and organisational benefits that will stand such companies in good stead for when recovery begins.

Recruiting with integrity

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 23:33:00 GMT

Written by Sally Desch, HRM Contracting & Consulting.

It is very easy to get caught up in the here and now of customer requirements and urgent deadlines. Going for the quick fix in staff recruitment can cost both your business and the employee.

Adopting strong commercial ethics and values is becoming a mainstay for a sustainable future. Adopting this approach will not only improve your workforce efficiency and bottom line but will highlight you as an employer of choice improving your overall reputation. Just look at Google as an example, its work philosophy and culture has become legendary and it is now a sought after employer attracting the best candidates (www.youtube.com/lifeatgoogle).

The first step on your journey to recruitment enlightenment is to adopt a philosophy of “recruiting with integrity.” This means, approaching your recruitment practices from a more authentic perspective.

See your recruitment policies and procedures as a priority in your core business planning.
Commit to approaching your recruitment with openness and honesty.
Consider not only whether the person is right for you, but whether you are right for the person.
Be clear and honest about the requirements of the role and those important deal breakers - hours, pay, conditions. Too much spin and you will end up with disappointed employees.
Don’t attract someone away from a good position if your intentions are not long term.
Don’t assume that people are only looking for reward through pay. Good conditions, positive feedback and unexpected rewards (early finish, a meal out, etc.) can go a lot further than an extra $50.

Ask yourself some important questions:

Do you really know what you’re looking for in this new employee?
Does the job description reflect your needs?
Should this be a permanent, full-time position or should you hire a contractor?
Do you have the right people on your interview team?
Have you thought carefully about the questions you’ll ask the candidates?
Have you pitched the package at the right level to get the best calibre applicants?

Backing this up, you should also invest in sound policies and procedures. This way everyone - employer, managers, staff know where they stand and more importantly, where the company stands on things such as sick pay, carers leave, professional development and so on.

It is also useful alongside the role description, to write a clear person specification. However be warned that you are not setting the bar so high that you discount potentially suitable applicants. Undertake a verbal reference check before committing to an appointment because you can glean a lot more by a direct interaction than in writing.

Get it right from day one. Spend time with your new employee, ensure they get a proper induction into the business and understand fully your expectations. If you promised training then make sure you deliver it, professionally and quickly. The sooner your employees can perform their duties proficiently, the more value they are to you and the more they can get out of their job.

Maintain communication and encourage feedback, build relationships and loyalty. Make your company somewhere that your staff enjoy working. And finally don’t be too quick to dismiss. If things aren’t working out, take a look at your own behaviour and make sure that you have provided the employee with everything you promised.