How to Be a Great Boss: 7 Tips
Some bosses are truly great. Others are more like broken analog watches - right twice a day, but horribly wrong the rest of the time. Here are seven tips to help you become a great boss.
How to Interview a Salesperson & Avoid the Hot Air
Salespeople can really talk the talk. That’s good. That’s what they’re supposed to do. If you’re not careful though, their natural ability to talk anyone into what they want can lead to their taking over the interview… sometimes without you, the interviewer, even realizing it.
Is Your Business Your Retirement Plan?
For many small to medium sized business owners, the ability to have a comfortable retirement relies heavily on the financial success of their business. In other words their business becomes their retirement plan. If you fall into this category, ask yourself if you are taking advantage of the three key strategies for maximising the value […]
Down the Recruitment Rabbit Hole: Why Stereotyping Is Bad for Business
You do the maths and ask yourself “Does it make sense for us to make hiring decisions based on outdated, discriminatory stereotyping?” You could be discounting almost 75% of your applicant base and compromising your organisation’s productivity and revenue in the process.
5 Simple Ways to Keep Your Staff Engaged With Video
Video serves as the perfect learning tool, as it is easier to consume than the written word. Here are 5 easy ways to keep your staff engaged through video content in your organisation.
Here are six valuable lessons that I learned from my experiences as a new manager
8 of My Most Memorable “Aha” Management Moments
In this post I wanted to share some of my ‘light bulb’ moments as a manager. Those moments when ‘the penny dropped’ so to speak. When I suddenly realised what I had actually got myself into.
How Many Systems Does Your Business Really Need?
Having the right systems in place will ensure that your IP and business processes will remain in tact and secure in the event a member of the team leaves the organisation.
Mindfulness – How to Maintain Focus in the Workplace
Learning to focus the mind on what you choose is fast becoming a lost art form - especially in busy workplaces. But we do not have to be a victim to external or internal distractions. We can do something about it using corporate mindfulness training.
InfluenceHR: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Last week, our CEO and I went to InfluenceHR in San Francisco. Michael participated in a panel on "How Emerging Companies and Products Are Disrupting the HCM Sales and Marketing Status Quo", and I attended courtesy of Influitive, the advocate marketing experts (and many thanks to them!). There's already been an excellent recap posted, so we'll just talk about our experience there and the good, the bad, and the ugly.
6 Tips to Help Manage Your Brand Reputation on Social Media
Whether you like it or not there’s a good chance your business is being talked about somewhere in cyberspace. Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s not. Criticism itself may not damage your brand. However, the way your business handles it can certainly impact on your brand perception.
How To Avoid The “Feedback Sandwich” When Evaluating Staff
Giving negative feedback can be stressful for both the giver and the receiver. The sandwich feedback technique tries to fix this by softening the “blow” of negative feedback by sandwiching it between two items of positive feedback. The colloquial term is a “sh*t sandwich" and nobody really wants a "sh*t sandwich" no matter how good the "bread" is.
Set Yourself Service Targets; Not Just Sales Targets.
A satisfied customer tells one person, while a dissatisfied customer tells 10. And that’s before they hit social media. It’s harder to win a new customer than it is to keep an old one. So how are you adding value to your clients with the service you’re delivering?
Firing Employees: Top 5 Lessons
Previously, Greg Weiss guest posted about "Why Treating Departing Employees Well is Smart Business". Then our own Paul Slezak told some really wacky tales in "8 of My Most Bizarre ‘Firing’ Stories". Today we'll finish our series on this uncomfortable topic with my top 5 lessons learned about firing employees.
Why Treating Departing Employees Well is Smart Business
Whatever the reason, the decision to let someone go is hard on both sides. Treating employees with dignity, regardless of their position in your organisation, is not only morally and ethically right, but it makes sound business sense.
Recruiter Tips: Handling Client Objections … What “No” Might Really Mean
Recruiters are faced with objections from clients constantly. Rather than viewing them as insurmountable roadblocks, think of the objections as opportunities often pre-empting further questions or concerns that your client may want you to address.
7 Interview Tips From Bob The Builder And Five-Year Olds
Drills, tunnels, torches, monsters, ghosts and bogeymen. Is this an episode of Bob the Builder meets Scooby-Doo? No. I just wanted to share a few interview tips to ensure you don’t accidentally miss out on your next rock star.
Why Recruiting Should be Just as Much About Candidates Interviewing You About Your Business
Finding a perfect balance of skills, salary expectation, experience and cultural fit within one candidate for one position and at the right time is not easy. Effective recruiting should also reveal whether YOU are able to deliver value to each of your prospective candidates.
Is a Recruiter Worth More Than Your Lawyer?
Recruiting is a professional service (when done properly). Like other professional services, hourly pricing can make complete sense.
Become the Company People Want to Work For
Love isn’t just reserved for the Big Guys doing New Things, though. Every company has the potential to make employees feel this way. What is it that companies who are loved by their employees do differently?
When you first become a hiring manager, you assume that things will be pretty simple. Sure, you might have to coach a recent college grad on the finer points of not partying all night and getting in on time, but otherwise, you figure that most folks know how to operate in a business environment. Yeah, not so much.
8 Hiring Stories You Couldn’t Make Up Even If You Tried
I’ve hired hundreds of people over the years but here are a few classic examples of when my grand illusions of a perfect fit were somewhat shattered.
Why Is Startup Hiring So Damn Hard?
It seems like every company in technology is trying to hire for developers, sales, and marketing right now. Each sales candidate I've been talking to has multiple offers to consider, which makes it tough to find the right fit on a seed-stage startup budget.
6 Ways to Ensure Your New Recruit Isn’t a Dropout
Have you ever been in the position of watching your new recruit flounder away and then drop out or worse, have to be pushed?
Case Study: A Consultancy’s Innovative Interview Process
Innovative and effective interview processes are both the holy grail and John Cleese of recruitment; we know they can work if done right, but mostly it just seems like a bit of time-wasting fluff. If you’ve ever tried to implement a different way of sifting through your organization’s potential recruits you’ll understand the difficulty in working out how to effectively utilize the many different ways of screening an applicant. Here’s an example of how one company managed to do it very effectively.
Is Your Recruiter Elastic? 4 Questions You Must Ask
While it might be fun, we don't mean that your recruiter could look like Elastigirl or Mr. Fantastic here (although that would be awesome). We're wondering whether your recruiter is stretching with your needs.
How to Create Engaging Video Content
Not having video on your company website may well mean you're missing the multiple touch points consumers are expecting from businesses today. There are many parts that go into making great video content. Here are a few tips from an expert.
At some of my companies we justified paying recruiters exorbitant fees because we didn’t have time to do it ourselves. I worked at other companies where we had to make the opposite trade – we put in egregious numbers of hours because we couldn’t afford exorbitant fees. Does this feel broken to anyone else?
4 Questions that Make You Look Like a Numbskull Interviewer
Quite honestly – there are some dumb-ass interviewers out there. Here are the dumbest questions I’ve been asked by recruiters and hiring managers and start up owners and managing directors just three weeks into this pitiful charade we call ‘finding a job’, complete with the responses I wish I could have given.
How Your Vision Can Help Get You The Results You Want
No matter how long you have been in business, the number of clients you serve, or how many people you have on staff, do they all understand how they play a part in helping you take your company to where you would like it to be?
How to Stalk Candidates Online so They’ll Never Find Out – Or Will (if you want!)
Whether a candidate has been savvy enough to manage their online reputation is only the basic thing a quick stalk online will tell you about a potential future employee. You could also find out their interests, tone of voice and other people’s opinions about them outside of a work setting.
4 Things the WhatsApp Acquisition Teaches Us about Treating Candidates
What we find interesting in this isn't necessarily the $19 billion or the rejection itself. We are more interested in what this might teach us about how to treat candidates. Here are our four big takeaways:
Why Social Snapshots Are Vital to the Hiring Process
We live in a social media world where everything can be seen and heard instantaneously. It's how candidates and organisations market themselves to one another well before the first interview. This leads to the question, what can a social footprint really reveal about a prospective candidate?
How Art Can Help Lift the Lid on Your Business
Do you have an aspiring Da Vinci, Dali, or Monet in your team? Incorporating art practices such as painting and drawing into corporate training and development programs can actually help expand your business and motivate your staff.
9 Ways to Avoid a One-Night Stand (With Your Recruiter)
While it’s probably not something we boast about, one-night stands with recruiters happen more often than we’d like to admit. You need a fast hire, you canvas the scene for who can jump in and help you, make a quick decision in the haze of the moment and then once it’s all done and dusted you realize… this isn’t the Recruiter for you.
7 Rules for Phone Use in Hiring
Just this week, a friend of mine sent me an email about a recruiter who made just about every phone mistake possible - including hanging up on him! So I figured I'd draft a few rules to use - both in hiring and in general.
How to Hold on to Your Best People in 2014
Research shows that 46% of people are in a role that is not ideal, and at this time of year, many have come back to work with the idea that they are going to make a change. What can you do to prevent a mass exodus?
Why Are You Such a Scaredy Cat About Approaching Candidates?
You’ve met the perfect employee after months of looking! There’s just one problem: They don’t know they want to work for you yet. So now you’re a big, puddly mess of wishing they would just come and work for you right this instance. The thought of picking up the phone or sending them an introductory email makes you more nervous than a cat on a deflating pool toy. Here's what to do.
HR At Jawbone: Earning a Seat at the Executive Table
Randy Knaflic, who leads 'People and Operations' at Jawbone, has 3 requirements for HR to earn a seat at the executive table: Philosophies first; Keep it simple; Be data-driven.
Awful job ads are not only a complete waste of money, they can also be damaging to your employer brand. In the race for the top candidates, a great job ad can mean the difference between finding who you are looking for and… not.
Where to Source Top Technical Talent
Sourcing technical talent, especially in areas where many software development companies are looking for the same skill set can be… challenging. When everyone is looking for the same thing, the playing field becomes so level there’s just no way to stand out anymore. There are other alternatives, though.
9 Ways to Burn Bridges with Future Candidates
Congratulations on finding the perfect person for your role! Now, what are you going to do with all those resumes that you no longer need?Here’s some advice: Burn them.
5 Ways Recruiters Have Pissed Me Off
I’ve worked with some recruiters from both sides of the desk – both as a candidate and as a hiring manager. Some of them I still have relationships with (even though they’re in Boston and I’m in San Francisco), but others… well, shall we say that they might have wished they hadn’t encountered me?
6 Reasons to Set Success Expectations
As an employer looking to hire somebody new into your business, in order to determine whether a candidate will excel in a particular role, you should define your expectations of their success in the role before you start the recruitment process.
How To Fail at Hiring (Even with a Great Recruiter!)
You can be scoring a failing hiring grade and still do just enough to fill positions. It just takes a lot longer to fill them, and you’re probably missing the best candidates. If you’re really failing, your hires probably aren’t working out very well, either.
9 Ways Not To Look Like a Clueless Hiring Manager
You may think you can fudge it by simply asking routine questions, but the candidate knows and it will become apparent further down the track. It is crucial you have a clear idea of what it takes to be successful for the roles you are hiring for.
We have a confession to make: We hired our Head of Growth without ever looking at her CV. Were we stupid? Google searches and LinkedIn Profiles are amongst the first things many hiring managers look at. But have they really replaced the traditional résumé?
Do You Really Know What You’re Hiring For?
You never want to rush the recruitment process where you write a job ad, get inundated with applications, meet a whole lot of candidates, only to realise that you're actually after somebody entirely different. That would really be a complete waste of your time.
Why I Love Hiring Working Mothers
I love hiring, managing, and being on teams with working mothers. I've managed teams for most of my career, and I can truly say that some of the very best employees I've ever had were working mothers.
How to Alienate the Best Talent
It's pretty much a no brainer that employers will do everything they can not to lose their top performers. But what about potentially losing their best candidates before they've even had a chance to interview them? Seem strange? Have a read of Charlotte's story.
How To Handle Awkward Interview Moments
When you’re sitting across from a candidate (or on the phone with one), pretty much anything can happen. Candidates are usually nervous, and not all of them think well on their feet. Here are some tips on how to handle these moments gracefully and put the candidate at ease after something unexpected happens.
How Do You Feel When You Have Too Much To Do?
When you have too much to do, it's easy to become overwhelmed and stressed. Your productivity slows right down. Your focus and energy are spread too thin. Nothing gets done properly. Can you relate?
Can You Be Like the Boston Red Sox?
Can you guarantee a turnaround with a new team? Nope. The Red Sox hired many new managers in its history, and very few (just one) moved them from a nearly record-breaking losing season to the world series champion. But get the right people in their roles and give them some faith and support, and they might just surprise you.
4 Reasons to Love Working with Recruiters
Good recruiters MUST have fantastic people skills, or, well, they won’t be good recruiters. So you shouldn’t hate your recruiter - you should love him or her. You should like your recruiter enough to want to take his or her calls, right?
Your 10 Step Checklist for Getting New Hires up to Speed
The importance of professionally on-boarding every new employee cannot be underestimated. After all, a bad first experience can ruin a new job for anyone. Here are 10 best practices to ensure any new employees are made to feel welcome and are oriented as quickly as possible.
The 7 Biggest Mistakes I Made as a Hiring Manager
Earlier this week, we posted a list of Paul’s top 10 stuff-ups (in American - screw-ups :)) he made as a recruiter. Since turnabout is fair play, Jenn decided to post her own list of massive errors - from the hiring manager end. While there may be fewer, they’re no less cringe-inducing!
The 10 Biggest Stuff-ups I Made as a Recruiter
Anyone that's been in the recruitment game as long as I have will have had their fair share of disaster moments. After all nobody’s perfect. I've decided to share my Top 10 epic recruitment blunders ... the ones that left me embarrassed, lost for words, or rocking in a corner.
Are You Really Willing to Lose Customers to Your Competitors?
Fact: Online consumer research prior to purchase has now risen to between 80-97%. The balance of power has shifted to the buyer. The moment you or your salesforce step into 'Hunter' mode, your potential customer becomes your 'Prey' and you will lose the sale.
Managing For Change: Why Younger Bosses Need Educating Too!
The traditional hierarchy of an organisation is changing. Where previously age often determined seniority, for the first time we are seeing an emerging trend where older workers are now reporting to younger managers. How could this disrupt the harmony in your workplace?
How the Best Family Owned Businesses Manage Talent
Don’t be stressed if the thought of raising a capable team to carry on the legacy of your family business once you retire is keeping you up at night. You are in good company. Succession planning is one of the most difficult tasks for any family business owner.
How Much Is One Hour of Your Time Really Worth?
Being productive has nothing to do with being busy. It’s about doing the right things effectively. Your time is precious so manage it wisely. It's time to reflect on the real value of one hour of your time.
7 Ways to Piss Off A Candidate
If you piss off a candidate it can have a domino-like effect. Don’t destroy your employer brand with these easy-to-avoid mistakes.
15 Beautiful Workspaces to Inspire Your Office Makeover
Ocean themed break-out areas? Meetings in a tree house? Or how about a work station designed according to a “No Screw, No Glue” policy. No it's not the kids' playroom at IKEA ... it's a sneak peak into 15 of the world’s most beautiful workspaces to help inspire your office makeover.
Life as a Startup Founder-Recruiter: Our First Key Hires
Hiring at a startup is hard and time-consuming. But it's your job as a founder. Here are the steps and process we followed to make our first 2 key hires at RecruitLoop.
B2C Recruitment: Think Like A Marketer To Get More Candidates
Marketers know how to use social media to get people interested in their product. As a recruiter or hiring manager, thinking like a marketer can help you find and attract the best candidates.
Startup Stories: The ‘Rappa-Preneur’ Behind Vimily
If you’re a female tech entrepreneur or dream of becoming one, this interview with Kat Suess, founder and CTO of Vimily will inspire you to follow your dreams.
21 Ways To Be A LinkedIn Lemon
The success of LinkedIn is also its Achilles Heel. Because among the +300 million profiles, are a bunch of people who just don’t get it. Yep, it’s time to call out the LinkedIn Lemons.
How to be the Purple Cow in Recruitment
It's getting harder to earn attention every day, whether as a recruiter or job-seeker. Take some inspiration from these awesome examples of Purple Cow Marketing in recruitment.
Important Information For All Australian Employers
It’s that time of the year again when employers need to ensure they are up to date with the latest rates and threshold increases in the Fair Work Act and related legislation that came into effect from the 1st of July, 2013.
7 Surprising Lessons on Hiring from Google’s Big Data Research
Google is breaking new ground in hiring and management, by analyzing hard data to objectively measure outcomes of recruiting decisions over a long period of time. Check out these 7 surprising lessons
Smooth Sailing Aboard the Intern-Ship
Internships not only benefit the interns, but employers and startup founders as well. You can certainly get more done, while the intern provides refreshing energy and unique insights and ideas. Milica Djukanovic, our own intern, shares some of her personal experiences.
How Marriott Hotels is Beating Facebook at Their Own Game in Social Recruiting
What do you do if you want to hire a waiter ... in a country where there are no waiters? Marriott Hotels have recognised that recruitment begins with a potential employee falling in love with their brand and aspiring to work for the organization.
X + Y + BB = The New Workforce
Organisations chooing to embrace an age diverse workforce will be rewarded with lower employee turnover, more engaged and motivated workers, a sustainable talent pipeline and effective knowledge management.
How to Turn Your Speaking Anxiety Into Runaway Success
According to most studies, people’s number one fear is public speaking. Death is number two. So to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you’re better off in the casket than doing the eulogy! For anyone needing to address a group of any size, here are some tips to help you become a budding speaker.
14 Ingredients For A Killer Recruiting Presence On Facebook
We’ve studied the leaders in Facebook Recruitment to bring you the 14 ingredients needed for a killer recruiting presence on Facebook. See how to pimp your recruiting efforts on Facebook.
Do You Provide Your Staff With ‘Training’ Or ‘Development’?
Offering your employees additional training can reinforce your commitment to wanting to develop them professionally and to help them excel within the business. When did you last think about what further training and development opportunities could benefit your staff in order to give your organisation that leading edge?
Finding Great Talent Without a Dedicated Recruiting Function
We hosted the first #hiringhacks event, with LinkedIn in San Francisco this week. It was a great turnout. Here are 11 hiring hacks you can act on today.
University Graduates: The Degree of Discouragement
Hiring a graduate with little or no experience isn’t a reckless decision. You still have the power over their work performance. Why not take a risk? You never know ... the next graduate you hire with little experience could potentially astound you and become your organisation's next best employee.
Sales Enablement – It May Not Be What You Think!
Before you think about spending money on a sales training course to help your sales team close more business, remember that in one way or another, every person in your business is in sales whether they like it or not - not just your sales people.
Recruiters Anonymous #4: I’ve Got a Desk-Splitting Headache
The Anonymous Recruiter is livid. Just when he's spent the last 18 months building up his client base from scratch, he's told that he now has to hand over half his portfolio to a new consultant. The worst part is he has to help with the transition and introduce her to all his clients.
Creating a Culture of Superstars
Take a good look at your business. What is the prevailing vibe or mood in the office? Your company culture will have a significant influence on how your organisation performs. So the big question is, how do you create a culture to attract superstars?
Recruiters Anonymous #3: Commission Impossible
After working like a demon last quarter, the Anonymous Recruiter faces a Catch 22. If he resigns he certainly won't be entitled to any commission. But if he stays, believe it or not there's a chance he won't see his well-earned commission anyway.
We’ve Cracked the Code on Top Team Performance
People may well be the most valuable asset to any business. But they are also the most difficult part of a business to run. Whilst there is no magic user manual, there are a few practical secrets that can really make a difference to the overall performance of your business.
Hey SMBs, LinkedIn Wants More of Your Business
LinkedIn held the first 'Hire Smart' event in partnership with Intuit over the weekend. Targeted directly at small business, it was the first major attempt to reach out to a segment that makes up a small but growing proportion of revenue.
Recruiters Anonymous: Monday Morning ‘Boredroom’ Meetings
The Anonymous Recruiter vents on the curse of every recruitment agency - the Monday Bored-room meeting: Predictions, pipelines and peer pressure.
Recruiters Anonymous: I’m Living an Agency Lie, and I Need Help
For the past seven years, I've been tied to a global recruitment agency. But I've been living a lie. Can Recruiters Anonymous help me?!?
How to be Pitch Perfect Even if You’re Tone Deaf
Think of it like this; your elevator pitch needs to be a rehearsed performance appearing unrehearsed. Not an unrehearsed performance trying to appear like you ‘kinda know’ what you’re talking about.
How Well Do You Articulate What You Do?
As established business owners, startup founders or experienced entrepreneurs we’re often called upon to give some kind of version of an elevator pitch – a punchy précis of what we do, who we do it for, and why we do it. So why do we often find it so challenging?
How To Attract The New Breed Of Job Hunter With Your Job Ad
30% of all job applications are made from mobile devices, with many job hunters browsing job boards on their way to work. Posting an online ad forms the basis of your recruitment campaign so it’s definitely worth planning your strategy carefully.
Is This Redundancy or Just ‘Failure to Manage’?
In order to avoid an unfair dismissal or adverse action claim, you need to understand that a true redundancy occurs when there is no longer a need for a certain type of work. It’s about the job - not about the individual team member.
How to Assess the ‘Soft Stuff’ When Hiring
Focusing entirely on someone’s technical skills can often result in a poor hire. And while it might take a bit more effort to assess ‘softer skills’ in a potential candidate, it can be well worth it in the long run.
Job titles are a sensitive issue for candidates, for HR, and for hiring managers. Employers need to ensure they don’t woo candidates based solely on an eye-catching job title. Will the actual job measure up to what you are really offering them?
2013: The Year of the Mature Worker
If 2013 is the Year of the Snake according to the Chinese zodiac, then 2013 should be the year of the mature age jobseeker on the HR calendar.
Should the concept of a minimum wage serve to protect the most vulnerable workers and ensure there is a realistic “collar” on what people need to earn to live, as is the case in every other developed economy in the world?
The Internal Recruiters’ Playbook
Download a free guide for internal recruiters with all the tools needed to recruit the best people, in the least amount of time, within budget, and with the co-operation of everyone involved.
7 Tips To Help Manage Your Team Remotely
Is managing a team remotely really any different from a normal manager’s role if you can stay in contact almost as easily as being face-to-face? The answer is yes, very much so.
Hiring at a startup can be a challenge: it needs to be fast, incredibly high quality, and low cost. Here are 88 practical, actionable ideas that have worked for us (or someone else).
Australia’s Fair Work Laws: What We Know Now
As we find ourselves at the beginning of a new year, it’s worth reflecting on what we know now about Australia’s increasingly complicated employment laws.
How to Promote Your Employer Brand to the Boomers
As we close out 2012, now is the time to review your current recruitment strategy and ask yourself if you are doing enough to attract all segments of the community.
How to Manage Expectations Around Career Advancement
It’s important to be aware of the thought processes behind each of your team members when it comes to their career advancement.
How to Enjoy the Spirit of the Season Without the Legal Hangover
Don't be a party pooper. But don't let your office Christmas party land you with a harassment claim either.
How to Maximise the Return on Every Candidate Interview
There are five interview questions that will prove invaluable to anyone running their own recruitment process.
Are Executive Restraint Clauses Really Enforceable?
Restraint and non-compete clauses can be a useful tool in managing employees' actions once they move on, whatever the circumstances surrounding their departure.
Startup Stories: How RedBalloon Got Off The Ground
RedBalloon is regularly rated one of Australia's ‘Great Places to Work’. Here's an inside look at the story that keeps them there.
Startup Stories: How Airtasker Made it Happen
Here's a great example of how two startups helped each other grow, by staying connected in their local startup community.
Whinging Aussies? It’s Time to Toughen Up!
Under the Fair Work Act 2009, Australian workers are entitled to 10 days paid personal leave per year. Is it a coincidence that the average Australian worker takes over 9 days sick leave per year? Or are Aussie workers just taking up what the government owes them?
Startup Stories: How Mamamia Got Going
Mia Freedman, Founder of Mamamia, shares her story on leaving the glamourous world of magazines and establishing Australia's first online community for women.
Six Tips to Turn Your Talent Management Programme Into a Talent Magnet
A solid talent management practice is a valuable asset in the war for talent with satisfied staff promoting your organisation as an employer of choice.
Startup Stories: How Carman’s Kitchen Became a $50 Million Business
Carolyn Creswell, Founder of Carman's Kitchen, shares her story on building a $50 million business and successfully maintaining a work-life balance (including 4 kids!).
4 Rookie Recruiting Errors That Let Clint Eastwood Ruin A Run for President
Clint Eastwood made a rambling speech at Mitt Romney's campaign launch that was widely ridiculed. 4 rookie recruiting errors made it possible.
Why It’s Time For An Extreme HR Makeover
Guest Post: Human Resources needs to transition from old-school compliance to best-practice Employment Relations. David Bates from Workforce Guardian explains why.
Can you refuse to hire someone because they smoke, or are you risking a discrimination case?
What makes a successful salesperson? It's a hunger to achieve sales targets and win new business, but also the desire to develop long-term relationships.
“No Indians Or Asians”: Avoiding Discrimination in Job Ads
A recent job ad posted in Tasmania sparked a huge outcry for using the phrase ‘no Indians or Asians please’. Written by a cleaning sub-contractor for Coles, it was clearly a case of blatant racism and condemned as such by everyone, including the management of Coles. It was probably written as the result of ignorance […]
Editors Note: This is a guest post written by Edward Mallett, Managing Director of Employsure. His opinions are his own. Times are tight, we all know that. There are less jobs being created and, sadly, an increasing number of redundancies. I had what is becoming a common conversation with a client recently. After years of business with a […]
3 Great Ways to Improve Staff Productivity
Is your team productive? It’s one thing if morale is high. But are they really performing at an optimum level? While everyone works at a different speed and level of efficiency, there are some basic things you can do to increase your overall team productivity.
Know Your Obligations as an Employer or Pay the Penalty
“This is Sue, she’s our new casual full-time contractor …” (huh?) OK, we know that not everyone is as taken by employment law as we are, but it’s still important to know the basis on which you’re engaging people to work for you so that you treat them appropriately (and legally) in the workplace, and […]
Toughen up and assess those soft skills too
Many business owners and hiring managers are far too reactive (and rushed) when it comes to making a hire. They spend the majority of the assessment process focusing on technical skills, in the hope that the new hire will be able to hit the ground running with minimal hand-holding. However, focusing entirely on someone’s hard […]
Employers Beware! Common traps to avoid when hiring new staff
As a hiring manager have you ever really stopped to think just how important it is to find the best people for your business? Not just mediocre people. Not just someone who happens to be immediately available to fill an urgent vacancy in your team. Not just someone who may have attended the same university […]
Building a Dream Team in 7 Simple Steps
“Our people are our greatest asset”. This is one of the most over-used phrases in the business world today; one that is subscribed to by many, but practised by few. And if the team building process is not taken seriously, the wrong people can often be brought on board. So how do you go about […]
Going grey can be good for business
There is a lot of information out there for mature aged workers, advising them on the best ways to transition out of their corporate roles and how to plan for their coming retirement. But not all of the mature age workforce wants to or can afford to retire and there are some very good reasons […]
Are You Really Adding Value to Your Customers?
The phrase “value add” is over-used in business today. You’ll read it on company websites, hear it used in meetings and even find whole sections dedicated to it in tender documents and pitch presentations. But what you might consider a “value add”, is often something your client expects as a natural part of your service.
the recruiter honeypot: The best recruitment post I have ever read
the recruiter honeypot Elaine describes her dire struggle to find Javascipt engineers in Silicon Valley over the past 2 years. And how she created a fake persona – a self-described ninja – called Pete London in an elaborate 2 year experiment. The goal: to attract most innovative recruiters. A ‘honey-pot’ manoeuvre, to find the best […]
To bid or not to bid, that is the question
Business owners or business development managers can get very caught up in the idea of tendering for a new piece of business with a potentially large client. This could be due to the fact that the client is a “big name brand”, which would look great in a future testimonial. It might also be an […]
How to conduct successful performance reviews
It’s coming up to that time of the year again. While there’s plenty of advice out there for employees on how to prepare for their mid-year or annual performance reviews, it’s just as important for employers to prepare for the process as well. Even in small businesses and start-ups, employees expect to have some kind […]
A flexible workplace: How low can you go?
A popular talent-retention strategy used in business today is to allow people to work more flexible hours. Whether it’s a nine-day fortnight or four days in the office and one day working from home, it’s becoming the norm to never actually have an entire team in the office at the same time. Naturally, there’s a […]
Do Your Staff Know You Give A Shit?
If done well, a recognition and rewards program can have very positive results and can turn an average group into a cohesive team of high performers.
Who’s next in line? Always know how to replace yourself
Is there someone you would feel comfortable handing over the reins to, or would you need to look externally? Succession planning is an important business strategy. Identifying those within your organisation who you feel have the potential to assume key roles and then grooming them to fill those roles is vital for the future success […]
So you call yourself a leader: Why would anyone follow?
Dissatisfaction with a manager’s leadership style (or lack of it) is one of the primary motivations for switching jobs. So how do you tell if you’re an effective leader? By the results your team achieves? Yes and no. Achieving goals is not necessarily an indicator of good leadership. It could be the lucky result of having a […]
11 Ways To Find The Best Candidates On Seek
With over 14 million visits a month, seek.com.au is Australia’s leading job site, offering recruiters and hiring managers a huge pool of potential candidates. But these huge numbers come at a price. Most employers advertising on Seek will have experienced the tsunami of applications that follow. It’s like a firehose of unqualified, unsuitable and ineligible […]
Don’t be a Yahoo! Candidates lie.
The recent departure from Yahoo of CEO Scott Thompson for claiming a bogus degree on his CV highlights the need for background checks on candidates at every level. Thompson was accused of lying on his CV by declaring he had a Computer Science degree from Stonehill College near Boston. An opponent of Thompson’s, Daniel Loeb, […]
How I saved a client +$20K recruitment fees in 10 hours
My name is Bernadette, and I am one of the many independent recruiters working with RecruitLoop. With over 20 years recruitment experience behind me, I first started working with RecruitLoop towards the end of 2011. I really just wanted to share a great story – one where I was able to find one of my […]
10 No-Brainers for Every Business Using LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a great way for SMEs to promote themselves and attract potential employees to their business. We attended a recent event hosted by LinkedIn, and according to the experts themselves, there are 10 no-brainer steps every business must take to ensure maximum effectiveness and exposure:
Preventing last minute surprises: 4 critical pre-employment screening tips
In the world of recruitment it’s often said that “it’s not over ’till the fat lady sings“, and so it’s best to try to prevent any last minute nasty surprises. Once you’ve advertised the position, narrowed down the field and finally identified the perfect candidate, before you make them an offer, here is a check […]
5 Creative Ways To Make Your Job Ad Stand Out
Put in the effort to write a great job ad and you’ll reap the benefits.
15 Online Tools Making Recruitment Faster And Cheaper For Any Business
very business needs new staff at some point. But recruiting them can be expensive or painful. Both if you’re unlucky. There’s good news for employers: The internet is ‘democratising’ the recruitment process. Tools that were once a trade secret of expensive recruitment agencies are now available to anyone online – at a low cost, and […]
Personal liability in the workplace: Should you be afraid?
I don’t want to be a scaremonger, but did you know that directors can be held personally liable for breaches of the Fair Work Act 2009? Perhaps more worryingly, the personal liability provisions are so broad you need not even be a director to trigger them. Staff could also be personally liable for contraventions, as could […]
Become a thought leader to attract the best talent
Imagine you had a choice of working for two almost identical companies. Both do similar work. They’re offering comparable money. But there’s a critical difference: one is led by a figure regarded as a top expert in your field. The other by a faceless senior manager: someone competent and respected, but essentially unknown.
Horror stories from the frontline of employment relations (VIDEO)
Hot on the heels of announcing our partnership with Workforce Guardian, I sat down with Managing Director, David Bates to learn more about the world of employment relations in Australia.
RHUB: Highlights from the Recruiters Hub Conference (Day 1)
The Recruiters Hub Conference (RHUB) kicked off today in Sydney. It’s a 1.5 day conference, with a smashing lineup of speakers. Day one featured just over 100 attendees – mostly agency recruiters – and was very ably moderated by Ross Clennett. Here is a quick summary of speaker highlights, for those who couldn’t make it. […]
Pre-employment processes: The upsides of planning ahead
Whether you are replacing an existing employee or hiring an additional one, the overriding objective is to not only maintain but improve outcomes within your business. In addition to this all PCBU’s (read employers) have a legal obligation to comply with work health and safety standards. It is a wise investment therefore, to ensure that […]
Do you need a second opinion after seeing a recruitment specialist?
Many recruiters call themselves ‘specialists’, but if you peel away the layers, they often turn out to be doing nothing different to the more generalist recruiters. So, what is your so-called ‘specialist’ recruiter really offering you and are you getting real value for money? Generalist vs specialist A generalist recruiter is someone who works on […]
Using LinkedIn for Recruitment: 5 Tips for Beginners
inkedIn has been a key tool in the recruiter’s toolbox for many years now. But more and more, employers are wising up to the benefits themselves. Using LinkedIn for recruitment is no longer reserved for the experts or Boolean Geeks. Here are just a few simple ways that regular ol’ employers can start sourcing great […]
Curbing absenteeism in the workplace
I couldn’t even begin to count how many times during all my years as a recruiter that clients would ask me if I had a solution to their ongoing battle with absenteeism. I can remember one such occasion up in Hong Kong when a client asked if I knew the secret to reducing absenteeism in […]
You have two ears and one mouth for a reason
As a manager of some pretty large recruitment teams over the years, as part of my quality assurance process, from time to time I would sit in on interviews just to ensure that my recruiters were conducting their meetings with candidates in the most professional manner. The most common ‘trouble spot’ I came across was […]
Can your employer brand help you attract the best people?
I can’t even begin to think how many organisations I have dealt with over the years in either my capacity as a recruiter or as a manager of recruiters. But sitting across the table from a business owner, hiring manager or HR manager, the questions “what kind of reputation do we have out there in […]
Are Fair Work Laws strangling small business?
The Fair Work laws have been under a fair bit of scrutiny recently, following Qantas’ move to lock out workers. The Labor government has heaped criticism on the Qantas CEO, Alan Joyce, but in the same breath has proclaimed that it is an example of the Fair Work laws operating successfully. The reality is, Qantas, […]
Statistics and damn lies: Online job ads
Job ads in Australia increased 6.4% from December to January, according to recent data. This was the biggest monthly increase since 2010. Commentators wet themselves in delight: ‘Job ads hit 2 year high’. Politicians even got in on the game, with the federal Treasurer claiming this as a reminder that our economic fundamentals are strong. […]
Finding new customers and knowing the psychology of your target market
I caught up with a colleague of mine last week. She runs a successful small business and during our quick lunch we got on to the topic of finding new customers and general business development strategies. She put half her toasted focaccia down and said, “It’s all about going right back to basics. Everything we […]
Hire a graduate: 3 ways to inject new blood to your business
Graduates are a breed unto their own and hiring a talented graduate is a great way to inject new blood into your business. These new recruits will often offer a fresh perspective and provide your organization with a much needed boost. The graduates of today (the Gen Y or millennial grads as they are also […]
Are you a control freak or can you let go?
If you haven’t already read “Rework” by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, I cannot recommend it enough. A friend of mine leant it to me recently and I have to say I thought it was genius. Whilst our blog is not a forum for me to review books, many of the authors’ ideas really […]
Small employers, regulation and a declining middle class?
A friend who runs an IT consultancy shared a story over the break. After reading a few stats and articles over the weekend, it really got me thinking. His company has been growing like crazy, and we were talking about his hiring plans. You know what? His first and preferred option was to look outside […]
It’s time to think of your staff as your competitive advantage
In today’s employment market it is crucial for business owners and managers to engender a work environment where the staff actually want to stay. Staff attrition can be irritating, costly and have a negative impact on morale in any work environment. As companies grow and teams expand, people will leave – it’s a fact of […]
Candidate attraction: finding the needle in a haystack
The ability to retain top talent is one of the keys to any business’ success. And yet, while companies with a proven staff retention record certainly have a competitive advantage, candidate attraction still remains one of the greatest challenges faced by businesses today. Losing top performers will always have a significant impact on your team’s […]
Attractive compensation plans: There’s more to it than the dollars
Having a candidate decline a job offer because he or she believes that (base salary aside) the compensation plan you are offering them is not attractive enough is a situation in which many employers are finding themselves in today’s market. With the war for talent as fierce as it is, the best candidates are definitely not […]
Facebook wants to know everything about you. Should employers as well?
We recently heard from Facebook’s Head of Recruitment – Richard Cho – at a social media conference. His dream is that in the near future, candidates will be recruited for who they are as people, not just a history of job titles. Sounds like a simple aspiration: We’re obviously all more than a combination of […]
Don’t settle for ‘bums on seats’: Wait for the right person to hire
It’s typically at this time of the year that business owners and managers start to think about new hires for the coming year. But as a hiring manager have you ever really stopped to think just how important it is to find the best people for your business? Not just someone who happens to be […]
End of year performance appraisal season is upon us!
Where has 2011 gone? Carols are piping through shopping malls and train stations, it’s almost impossible to get a taxi on any night of the week, people are walking the streets wearing reindeer horns, and you can’t find anything half decent to watch on TV. Yes … it’s that time of the year again. Time for […]
The importance of creating an effective team environment
I have spent many years in the world of recruitment working all around Australia as well as further afield. I was fortunate enough to have worked with some of the world’s most recognisable brands. However I can honestly say that my fondest memories involve working with some incredibly dynamic managers of various small and medium sized […]
Why I had to be “kept in the loop”
Hi. My name’s Paul and I’m a recruit-aholic. I have been in the recruitment game for a long time. In fact when I tell recruiters new to the industry that when I first started there was no internet, no email, no online job boards, no mobile phones,and no LinkedIn, the first thing they usually ask […]
Reference checks and social media: On shaky ground?
With all the social media sites available today, it is still critical to verbally validate a potential employee’s past experience with a previous employer. There’s no denying, however, that a lot can be deduced about someone from a bit of quick searching in the public domain. Facebook, Twitter, and personal blogs can show the entire […]
Running a Smooth Exit Interview [Infographic]
If you’ve been following the RecruitLoop Blog, you may have noticed we’re fans of ‘infographics‘. Why? Well, we love data… but data can be boring. With a bit of creativity and flair, the most boring analysis can become a wonderful picture of insight, easily digestible at a glance. For example, we could have written a […]
Employer branding: Be bacon, not white bread
Employer branding. What’s all the fuss about? It sounds complicated. Something best left for multi-nationals and large professional service firms with even larger marketing budgets. But, if you believe the experts, building a strong employer brand can make all the difference in attracting top talent in a tight market. So where does that leave the rest of […]
5 common mistakes of busy hiring managers
Hiring a new employee is one of the most critical processes for any business manager. For many businesses it’s literally a make or break decision: the right candidate could be the difference between the success of your business or a drop in your standards of quality or service. It’s a big responsibility, and one you […]
7 Benefits to Attract Top Talent to your Smaller Business
If you’re a small business owner you’re in good company. Recent (US) data from the Small Business Administration shows some impressive results. Small businesses: Account for 99.7% of all firms that hire new employees Employ over half of all employees in the private sector Contribute 44% of total private sector payroll Obtain 13 times more […]
A Struggle to Find Skilled Staff is Not a Skills Shortage
75% of Australian SMEs and large businesses are struggling to find skilled staff, according to survey results released this week. An immediate reaction to these figures might be to blame the Great Australian Skills Shortage. Plenty of research has shown a skills shortage does exist, in certain sectors. But results like this don’t prove it. […]
5 Warning Signs to Save Time When Screening Resumes
The resume provides a first snapshot of your potential new employee. It won’t tell you if someone’s right for the job. But it’s a good way to screen the applicants that clearly aren’t. As a hiring manager, use this to your advantage to save time in the initial screening. Look out for warning signs rather […]