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The reality of recruitment: What should videos say?
There’s an old recruitment joke that’s been doing the rounds for years about a recently deceased HR Manager (insert lawyer, management consultant etc) arriving at the Pearly Gates and being given a tour of Heaven and Hell with a view to choosing where they wish to spend eternity. Heaven was serene and pleasant…
Read MoreRecruiters’ role critical in powering Australia’s future prosperity: Deloitte
I’ve just finished reading Deloitte’s Positioning for prosperity? Catching the next wave report, the third paper in their Building the Lucky Country series. This report includes the actions that businesses and governments can take to position their organisations, – and ultimately, Australia – for prosperity. It also introduces the full “Deloitte Growth 25”.…
Read MoreHow fools recruit: ‘I’ll know them when I meet them’
No matter how far we think Australian businesses have come with respect to recruitment and employment practices, there are always plenty of reminders that old habits die hard. One of these old habits is the classic client response to a recruiter who requests a job description; ‘I don’t need a job description, I’ll know them…
Read MoreI’m calling it – the job market is back
The mainstream media are full of big job loss stories such as Alcoa, QANTAS and Toyota but out there in the SME sector, where the economy’s engine really hums, there’s signs of life. I have been speaking to a lot of recruitment agency owners over the past 6 weeks and almost without exception they…
Read MoreHappy 80th Birthday, Dad
Just over a week ago, my family and I flew to Hobart to celebrate the 80th birthday of my father, Tony. It was a small family occasion on Saturday night as we shared stories, food and drink. It’s hard to comprehend how different the world was on 25 February 1934, when my father was…
Read MoreRecruitment industry used as easy scapegoat, yet again
Yet again we see the recruitment agency-bashing focus of the mainstream media is alive and well in Australia. Witness a recent a one-sided non-story in Fairfax Media’s Canberra Times entitled Public sector employment freeze proves a jobs boon for private recruiters. Writer Noel Towell decided that the new Abbott Government’s use of recruitment agencies while…
Read MoreLiar, liar, pants on fire: How to spot an interview lie
Dr David Craig’s book Lie Detector is an excellent resource for recruiters and I highly recommend you purchase it. In the meantime here’s a few hints from Dr Craig on lying as part of a recruitment and selection interview process: Nervous is normal: Detecting lies is about, first, establishing a baseline of behavior. When a…
Read MoreWhy governments should never have a ‘jobs plan’
As long-time readers will know, my favourite economic commentator is Ross Gittins from Fairfax Media. Gittins writes about the economy without fear or favour and speaks a vast amount of sense amongst the nonsense being spouted by people who should know better. The weekend before last, Gittins titled his article Why the jobs will come,…
Read MoreMeet the new President of the RCSA (Aus & NZ): Robert van Stokrom
Late last year the RCSA announced that DFP Recruitment CEO, Robert van Stokrom would succeed Lincoln Crawley as RCSA (Aus & NZ) President. Robert has very kindly agreed to answer my questions about himself and the plans he has for the RCSA in 2014. Ross: Tell me a little about your background prior to joining…
Read MoreHail the unsung heroes of the recruitment industry: the non-billers
One of the things I am most ashamed of in my whole career is an event from about 15 years ago. The temp accounting team I was leading had set our sights on having 300 weekly temps working. The week we achieved it, I shouted the whole team out for a night of expensive cocktails…
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