Posts by Ross Clennett
Being subservient: demoralising and credibility-destroying
It’s often been said that elite sport is primarily played between the ears. I don’t know what research there is on the topic but for anecdotal evidence, you only have to read Open, Andre Agassi’s entertaining and revealing autobiography in which mid-career coach, Brad Gilbert, played a pivotal role in changing Agassi’s mental approach, relaunching…
Read MoreAre you ‘touching base’ … and pouring your credibility down the toilet?
Is it possible to come up with a more clichéd reason to call a client or prospect than ‘I’m just touching base’? I cringe if I ever hear a recruiter say that hackneyed phrase. They may as well just say ‘I can’t be bothered thinking too hard about what I should say but I…
Read MoreHow much time could you save with FAQs and information sheets?
This week I went to my dentist, Harmeet, because I had a very sensitive tooth. Drinking liquid was not pleasant. After a quick inspection and asking me to grip an object with my teeth and release, Harmeet concluded it was most likely a cracked tooth and that he would refer me to my local endodontic…
Read MoreThe endless questions and dilemmas about consultant commission schemes
Is there such a thing as the ideal commission scheme? Should we have a deficit scheme? If we have a deficit scheme, should we wipe the deficit at the end of the year? How frequently should we pay commission? Should commission be paid based on invoices or cash received? When should commission kick in? Should…
Read MoreStop your whinging hospitality employers: Improve pay and conditions
Last Friday industry news service, ShortList, ran a story (subscriber access only) on the struggles being faced by hospitality recruiters in finding sufficient staff to meet the demand from employers. The following from the ShortList article summarises the problem perfectly: (Frontline Hospitality Sydney agency manager Stephen) McGuire also noted salary packages for kitchen roles still aren’t as attractive as they…
Read MoreNZ employment update: First fall in three years
Yesterday the most recent quarterly update for employment in New Zealand was released (Statistics New Zealand publishes labour market data quarterly, whereas the Australian Bureau of Statistics publishes the equivalent data monthly). The result was the first backward step in the New Zealand labour market in three years. Category Sept 2015 (000s) …
Read MoreName-blind recruitment: A step we need to take?
In my first year as a recruiter, back in 1989 London, I was working on an enthusiastic young candidate. She was confident, capable and interviewed well. Whenever I followed up with the client after forwarding her resume, I was greeted with a range of rather odd-sounding reasons not to interview her. When I asked my…
Read MoreRIB Report 2014/15 Review: Temp/contract market surges to record high
Last week I wrote about the Recruitment Industry Benchmarking Report 2014/15 review, in which I analysed the vast drop off in drop that commonly occurs when an agency moves from less than 10 staff to 11 to 20 employees. This week I am returning to the same document to have a closer look at…
Read MoreThe predictable agency profit killer: ill-considered growth beyond 10 staff
The Recruitment Industry Benchmarking Report that Nigel Harse and Deb Charman compile each month is an invaluable resource for all its 126 subscribers across Australia and New Zealand. Of special interest to industry observers and pundits, like me, is the aggregated data released annually, and what this reveals about the effectiveness and productivity of our…
Read MoreASX-listed recruiters are now endangered: 2014/15 in review
When I wrote my first review of the ASX-listed recruitment agencies five years ago, there were nine companies I reviewed. One of those companies was generating a minority of its sales and profit via recruitment agency activities (Programmed). I overlooked H-Tech Group in that first review and I also did not include SMS, who have…
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