Posts by Ross Clennett
SEEK price rises: you ain’t seen nothing yet
SEEK is a massive player in the local recruitment industry. Their dominance of the job board market in Australia is such that local job boards such as CareerOne/Monster, MyCareer and JobsJobsJobs are no longer competitors of any relevance. SEEK are now facing a different, and altogether more powerful, threat from global companies; Indeed (owned by…
Read MoreResilience: we need less of it, not more
One day in 1998 (when I still had a full head of hair) as I was waiting for a haircut I picked up one of those glossy magazines that are a feature of hairdressing salons the world over. Although the specifics escape me, being an Oxford Street salon it was more Vogue than New Idea.…
Read MoreThree years on: Interview with RCSA CEO, Charles Cameron
Ross: Thanks for accepting the invitation to discuss the past three years as CEO of the RCSA, Charles. Congratulations on making it this far; how are you enjoying the combined challenges of Australia’s political turmoil, a recruitment industry boom and a rec tech explosion? Charles: Hey Ross, thanks for the invitation to share my thoughts…
Read MorePlease donate to my 2019 Mother’s Day Classic fundraising campaign
On 18 January 2012 my sister, Mary, passed away three and a half years after her terminal breast cancer diagnosis. She was one month past her 44th birthday. Her husband, Sam, her son Ned (then 5) and her daughter Lola (then 3) were left devastated, as were all of us who loved Mary, whether as…
Read MoreOut-of-touch Bassat botches Narev announcement
Although I have been in the recruitment industry for just over thirty years there’s always another surprise around the corner. This week Seek Limited announced the appointment of disgraced former Commonwealth Bank (CBA) CEO, Ian Narev, to the dual role of Chief Operating Offer and Asia Pacific & Americas (AP & A) CEO. The timing…
Read MoreThe #1 mistake small recruitment agency owners make (and how to avoid it)
I’ve had many conversations with recruitment agency owners about the experienced recruiter they hired, who seemed great on paper but turned out to be a complete dud. This is a painful occurrence for any recruitment agency owner but it’s especially so for a micro recruitment agency owner (a business with five, or fewer, employees). This…
Read MoreHow recruitment agency owners become “yesterday’s hero”
“Agency recruitment is not dying. In fact it’s thriving. But not for everyone! The winners will be the modern recruiters who evolve, re-tool, up-skill and re-invent. The rate of change in recruitment means the landscape is littered with yesterday’s heroes.” Greg Savage, 24 May 2016 It’s nearly three years since Greg Savage posted his “yesterday’s…
Read MoreWhat does ‘good’ look like?
Just before Christmas 2016 the Clarius/Ignite board decided that one of their own, Julian Sallabank, was to be the company’s new CEO, replacing the departed Peter Wilson. At the time of the Sallabank appointment I outlined why I thought the Clarius/Ignite board were likely to be making a mistake (again) in appointing a CEO with…
Read MoreWhy I attended my 1570th Greg Savage event last week
It would be tiny field of recruiters that could claim any right to my (self-proclaimed) title of Most Times Present at a Greg Savage Event. I estimated I have experienced 1570 Greg Savage professional development events* over the 28 years I have been (i) a recruiter in a company that Greg leads, (ii) a leader…
Read MorePoorly performing agencies stay that way, regardless of the market
When the recruitment industry is going through a flat spot with it can provide false comfort to recruitment agency owners and leaders whose businesses are struggling to improve sales and profit. In these circumstances it’s easy for an owner or leader to comfort themselves with the self-talk that their business is in reasonable shape. The…
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