News

Aug 30th

Group Assessment Days - the most cost-effective new tool in recruitment

According to research from Hudson, almost half of employer’s hires are poor quality, however they continue to rely on unsophisticated recruiting techniques such as resume screening and basic interviewing.

Aug 30th

Six tips to help you work smarter, not harder

Hiring Managers often feel there are not enough hours in the week to manage all their tasks, but they need to do just three key things consistently well to be successful, according to YouNique Coaching director Sophie Robertson.

"We all know that to be a consistently high-billing Hiring Manager, you have to juggle a few balls in the air simultaneously; you have to do business development, write ads, screen applications, interview, write interview summaries, and the list goes on."

Aug 23rd

How to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace

Sexual harassment is "incredibly widespread" in the Australian workforce - but the majority of cases are preventable, says Learning Seat general manager Tim Legge.

Allegations that led to the resignation of David Jones CEO Mark McInnes have made workplace harassment a front-page story, Legge says. "The reality is that it should have already been on the front pages."

Aug 18th

Does your candidate really want the job?

Regardless of how keen a candidate seems to take a role, recruiters must ask certain key questions to minimise the risk that they'll withdraw from the recruitment process, says coach Sophie Robertson.

Some recruiters never seem to have candidates change their mind about job offers, she notes, and this is because of their thoroughness in the interview process and their willingness to discount a candidate if they are not convinced about their intentions to move.

Aug 16th

Can you recognise a deceptive candidate?

Good interviewers are analysts of human behaviour and can tell when a person might be deceiving them, says "the lie guy", Steve Van Aperen.

It's actually very difficult for the average person to lie, says Van Aperen, who has trained with the FBI and other investigative authorities, and conducted both employment and criminal interviews.

Lying requires a lot of effort, because "when delivering a deception, we're trying to think of what we want to say and make it sound believable or credible", whereas telling the truth is much easier because a person can rely on their memory.

Aug 12th

'The People's Day' to become 'The People's Sick Day'?

Employers fear 'The People's Day' will become 'The People's Sick Day', following Wednesday's Ekka Celebrations.

Brisbane recruitment company Employment Office recently conducted an online poll with over 200 respondents, in which 40% admitted to ‘chucking a sickie’ (i.e. taking a fraudulent sick day) after a public holiday at least once, with over 10% confessing they made a habit of it.

Employment Office Managing Director Tudor Marsden-Huggins urges employees planning to take Thursday off under the guise of illness to think twice before calling the boss with a fake cough.

Aug 9th

Employers MUST comply with NES

Recruitment agency managers who aren't aware of National Employment Standards - such as maximum weekly working hours and the obligation to consider employees' requests for flexible work arrangements - risk facing costly claims. Here's what you need to know about the NES.

Aug 4th

The best recruiters build their resilience

Resilience is the "secret ingredient" that makes the difference between average and highly successful recruiters, says coach Sophie Robertson.

It is one of the range of characteristics that make up the mindset needed to be successful, by helping recruiters bounce back after a challenging encounter or event, she says.

"If you think about your resilience as a piece of elastic, it's your ability to flick back into the shape you were in, or stronger, when faced with adversity."

Jul 28th

Why bonus systems backfire

A lump-sum bonus is more likely to prompt a disengaged worker to resign than to perform, says Retention Partners director Lisa Halloran.

"When we talk about engagement, it's about people's positive expectations being met or exceeded," Halloran says.

A bonus can have a positive impact if the way it is calculated and distributed, and the net amount people receive, equals or exceeds their expectations. The problem is, the effect will be short lived.

Jul 26th

Work/life balance improving - for leaders

Organisations have made some progress in providing work/life balance over the past decade, but leaders and managers - not employees - are the ones who have benefited, new research shows.

Leadership Management Australasia's book, A Decade of L.E.A.D., which collates 10 years of findings from its leadership, employment and direction surveys (involving some 28,000 leaders, managers and employees), says that in 2000, the notion of striking a balance between work and personal life was only just forming.