Blog Archives

Spoiler Alert. You can’t always get what you want.

Posted on April 18, 2018 by Anita Ziemer — No Comments ↓

We’re again experiencing a real shortage of capable talent at every professional level and if I could tag this post with ‘High Importance’ I would. For those who weren’t around, or who have already forgotten what it was like nearly a decade ago, here’s a story and some hot tips.

Always keen to innovate, we started Final5 as a shortlisting service in 2005; employers could brief us on a role, detail the five critical SKEs (skill, knowledge and experience) and receive a shortlist of five people in around 5 days. Five was the magical number. And it worked beautifully for around 5 years; that was until we couldn’t find 5 people who fit in five days. We couldn’t even find them in 50 days.

Embarrassingly we had to change our Terms of Business to say an acceptable shortlist from Final5 would comprise a Final 3+! And ultimately we changed our name to NextHire. Those were the years of critical shortages of capable talent. The term ‘War for Talent’ was in every second article we read.

Peeps, we think those days are back and we all have to respond accordingly.

Six Recruitment Tips for 2018.

  1. Different numbers

It may take 2x longer that than you expected to source high performers and you may only interview ½ as many candidates as you expected.

  1. Be clear up front

What are the critical capabilities and skills? What are the absolute ‘must haves’ vs what can be taught and learned?

  1. Don’t target 100% skills fit

Skills can always be learned and even better, your new hire will be trained in the latest best practice rather than relying on what they learned 10 years ago, or picked up by osmosis. It’s as true for a Claims Clerk as it is for a CFO.

  1. Do target culture and values

Improving self-awareness is hard to achieve once we’re adults. Spend time making sure the person will fit the organisation. If they’re smart and have an aptitude for learning they’ll quickly meet their accountabilities.

  1. Follow your instinct and act fast

You’ll know when you meet a good candidate. And so will everyone else she’s interviewing with. Don’t wait until you’ve met five more candidates before you make your decision. By then she’ll have three offers on the table and as you weren’t that interested early on…

  1. For specific expertise don’t overlook contractors

A Spot Market does exist for skilled employees – but it’s an interim/temporary solution rather than permanent. Our spot market is via interchangebench.com.au which has candidates with specific skill sets for fixed periods of time across most roles and industries.

How are you managing the talent shortage in your world@work?

Tagged with: , , , , , , ,
Posted in The Interchange Bench, The world @work

Nowadays, flattery will get you nowhere

Posted on April 4, 2018 by Kelly Camilleri — No Comments ↓

How the pendulum has swung! Just ten years ago when making approaches to potential candidates by phone, I could virtually hear their flattered voices. In 2018 those potential candidates are fielding calls from numerous consultants for multiple roles, and in those voices I now sometimes detect the sound of annoyance.

The market is as tight as ever with organisations needing top technical talent yesterday. The ever-expanding landscape in Victoria and NSW particularly driven by major infrastructure projects, means that technical specialists and executives are constantly in high demand.

As a recruiter, change is something we encourage. One of the reasons I am proud of the brand we have at Slade Group, is that we thrive on our ability to swim upstream in an industry where it can often be easier to go with the flow… We work with our clients and candidates so that even though we’re headhunters, nobody we work with ever feels they have been randomly targeted to end up as ‘professional roadkill’.

How do we break away from the pack?

We don’t expect candidates to move quickly. Would you? If someone called you out of the blue asking if you wanted to look at another job, would you blindly give your details? I wouldn’t. We take the time when we reach out to candidates to get to know them, their career aspirations, their likes and dislikes, and what they do for fun. We figure out if the candidate is the right fit for an organisation’s culture, and if a certain company culture is the right fit for the candidate. It goes both ways for the candidate and the client. Success and growth should be attainable for both parties, and it’s the long-term picture that we look at when we’re recruiting for a role.

We retain our work. Slade Group work with a large majority of our clients on a retained assignment basis, which is when we take a part payment from engagement to placement of the candidate. I know, you’re probably wondering why someone would pay up-front for a service they can get from a number of others, but it’s because when we take a retained assignment we see it as a project: If you paid someone to do your homework, you’d expect to receive an A+. This is exactly how we approach our retained assignment projects.

We take a thorough brief from the client, we take the time to understand what they need and don’t just guess what they need. We commit our reputation, time and effort just as much as we ask the client to commit to us, and with that commitment we do it properly. We have the best research team in the business who we engage to map the market to help establish your strategy. We want to get this right for you, as if we worked at your company.

We set realistic expectations. When we engage with our clients, we set expectations and we don’t take an assignment we can’t fill. We work with you and guide you through our shared journey. You receive a detailed schedule on what to expect when, and we leave you to get on with your day job.

If you’ve been headhunted, what was the experience like? What would you look for when considering the best way to recruit for your business?

Tagged with: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Slade Executive, The world @work

Learning is so much more than just getting to school.

Posted on March 21, 2018 by Andew Barr — No Comments ↓

It’s not pretty, but the latest iteration of the MySchool website, published by ACARA (Australian Curriculum, Reporting and Assessment Authority) has revealed (once again) the growing disparity in school attendance rates across the country and across major cities. At least some of these disproportionate statistics must be associated with cultural competence levels within our schools.

As The Australian reported, education experts generally believe that 90 per cent attendance is the minimum benchmark for a student to progress in their learning. Of course, quality of that learning extends way beyond merely getting to school. But, The Australian also recounted that up to half of the students enrolled in some schools in Tarneit, Flemington, Dandenong and Sunshine fall well below that 90 per cent figure. These schools and suburbs have a large population of African migrants.

Similarly, the attendance rates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students across the country fall well below that 90 per cent attendance rate. In some areas, only 45 per cent make it through to Year 12 from Year 7, compared with 77 per cent of non-indigenous students.

It’s hard not to see the correlation between a lack of cultural understanding and these stats.

The issues are similar – attendance and the retention in education.  As a result, there are ever growing divisions in educational outcomes and social inequities. When cultural inequality begins as early as in a child’s secondary education, you can bet that those cultural inequities will continue on later in that child’s life.

The cultural competence of schools, their staff and their communities is so very important. ACARA is currently recruiting, with the support of Slade Education, a Director, Curriculum to guide the next iteration of the Australian Curriculum which must of course be one element towards inclusion of all students in the advance of learning outcomes across Australia. A lack of cultural understanding, shown by any one staff member, can stifle badly the learning of children and adolescents.

Do you look for multicultural experience and training in the recruitment of your staff and/or create opportunities for cultural learning to better engage students in your school?

 

Featured image: Engagement officer Wally Elnour with students Junior, Alady, Anei and Siena at Sacred Heart primary school, Fitzroy VIC. Picture: Aaron Francis. The Australian, 6 March 2018

Tagged with: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Slade Education, The world @work

A race that will change your life

Posted on March 15, 2018 by Chris Toussaint — No Comments ↓

The Spartan Sprint is a 7km course that has 20 obstacles, which is a challenge for first timers and returning racers alike. The Spartan Slayers, a team comprising Diana Tanvis-Loi and Angelika Langer-Zindel from Slade Group Shared Services and Bill Sakellaris from TRANSEARCH International Australia, recently competed in the Spartan Australia Melbourne race. We spoke to the ‘Slayers after they had had time to recover and reflect on what they achieved by participating in the event.

How did you get involved in the Spartan Race?

Diana: Angelika and I were talking to Bill about our interest in Tough Mudder when Bill mentioned the Spartan Race. He had raced before and thought it would be good to do it again with us as Rookies.

Bill: Having completed two of these events previously, I was keen to participate again. The Spartan Race is mentally and physically challenging. It requires planning, preparation, training and teamwork.

What training or other preparation did you do prior to the event?

Angelika: I did more rock-climbing and tried to choose more strength base classes at gym, but I underestimated the running part, so I think I could have done better.

Bill: I trained twice a week in the gym with a weekly bike ride. The gym works on upper body strength, which is critical in the Spartan Race, and the cycling helped with my endurance.  

Diana: I hadn’t planned to customise my regular training for the Spartan Race, but it coincided with my new regime at F45, which I started in January. I’ve also been training for the 15+km course with Run for the Kids (Melbourne, 18 March). This combination definitely helped me prep for the race and I was able to do more than I normally would have been able to.

What did you find most challenging about the race?

Bill: The monkey rings, rope climb, horizontal wall scale and protruding wall were the most challenging for me. The monkey rings were particularly tough! I managed to complete ¾ of the wall, successfully climbed the rope and conquered Olympus – the protruding wall.

Diana: I have really weak arm strength so there were some obstacles that I struggled to complete. I did my best with the help of my amazing teammates. However, it was definitely a challenge for me and I found it a bit frustrating that I wasn’t able to complete every one.

Angelika: The running tired me out and did not leave me enough strength for some of the obstacles. The bucket nearly killed me, but I finished it! Next time I will follow the training instructions to be better prepared.

What surprised you about your abilities? Were you better/worse at something than you thought you would be?

Angelika: I struggled with balance and being a Yogi, wasn’t expecting that! Just because something looks easy, does not mean it really is easy!

Diana: I didn’t really know what to expect, but I was surprised most by how much strength and energy I had… I was expecting to be smashed. One obstacle that I thought would be a walk in the park for me was all about balance (think Cirque Du Soleil) and I just kept tipping over. It’s good that my dream wasn’t to be a circus performer!

Bill: Having completed the Sprint before, I knew that I could handle most of the challenges. The monkey ropes were the main issue for me in previous races and proved to be so again. This will my area of focus for the next attempt. Once I conquer this obstacle, the rest will be easy!

What did you enjoy most about the event? Would you do it again?

Diana: We completed the Sprint (rather than the Elite race), so there was less competitive pressure, which made it enjoyable. I would definitely do it again. The challenges I faced will help me target areas for improvement. I was wearing my most worn-out runners because of the mud (I threw them away after the race) but I could feel the impact that my shoes had on my performance. I won’t be making that mistake next year!

Angelika: I loved trying all the obstacles. It was really fun and I was very happy as first timer to have the option not to do the penalty burpees. Lucky me!

Bill: The event was challenging both physically and mentally, so just to be able to complete it was very rewarding. I successfully completed 90% of the obstacles, so my aim next year will be to complete all of them within a shorter time frame. Beyond that, our teamwork and the Slayers comradery made it fun. To get the most out of these events, I recommend the following:

  1. Be well prepared: train leading up to the event, know what to wear, what to eat before the race, plan for the event logistics

  2. Have a team plan: stick together, help each other through all the obstacles

  3. Change your roles: motivate yourself and the group leading up to and before the event, lead from the front at times, support from the back at times, coach your team through some of the more challenging obstacles

Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in The world @work

Leading with courage

Posted on February 28, 2018 by Dina Pozzo — 1 Comment ↓

In early February 2018 Dina Pozzo, founder of insium, spoke to the Slade Group team about Organisational Courage. Here is some background to what that term means.

Sustaining organisational performance in an environment that is volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous[1], is challenging and falls to the leadership within an organisation. This environment has contributed to corporate scandals including that of Enron in 2001 and Lehman Brothers in 2008. Might the collapse of both of these organisations have been averted by a strong expression of courage by senior and executive employees?

Might courage at work – defined as “an intentional constructive or moral action taken by an individual in the presence of perceived personal risk and uncertainty of outcome (personal or organisational) in order to resolve or avert a workplace issue” – avert further global collapses?

Warren Bennis, described as a “renowned leadership scholar”, espouses that “courage is the ‘X’ factor that can make or break corporate America”[2]. The Australian landscape is no different.

My Master of Applied Positive Psychology Capstone paper established the case for courage as an enabler of leadership, providing argument and a framework for the development of a measurable, outcomes-based programme to build courage. This programme, Leading with Courage, was launched at the 5th World Congress of Positive Psychology in Montreal in July 2017. The objective of this programme is to ‘build courage in senior and executive leaders, which will enable leadership behaviour, with an additional positive impact on leader workplace wellbeing’.

The above definition of courage, which I developed, is the foundation for this programme which uses narrative methodology to build courage, with measures of leaders’ workplace courage, leadership and workplace wellbeing taken pre- and post-programme. See more here: leadingwithcourage.com.au

The programme combines academic theory with practitioner evidence – including my own 16 years’ experience as a practitioner in the field of leadership and organisational culture development.

While courage is not the only behaviour required of leaders, it is an essential leadership behaviour for success, and may be the one which provides most support in these challenging times.

I welcome the opportunity to speak with you about Leading with Courage. For now, think about when have you been courageous in the workplace? How do you lead with courage? What stories of courage do you share to inspire courage in others?

 

References

  1. Bennett & Lemoine, 2014
  2. Jablin, 2006, p. 102
  3. Remeikis, 2016
Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Slade Executive, The world @work

3 non-business books that will improve your confidence at work

Posted on February 23, 2018 by Sophie Pusz — No Comments ↓

The other day I was having a conversation with someone about confidence in the workplace. I mentioned a book that I read a number of years ago on the subject which really changed the way I think about confidence, and gave me an armful of useful tools that I found incredibly helpful. This got me thinking about other books I recommend people read, so I’ve put together my top three work-and business-related books. These are not your run-of-the-mill, dry, ‘serious’ reads. They are not even books you would find in the business section of a bookshop. But they are books that are worth reading because they provide wonderful insights into the world @work, and how we can perform as our best selves at work.

The Confidence GapThe Confidence Gap, Russ Harris
Written by psychologist Russ Harris, The Confidence Gap is the perfect book for anyone who feels they are being held back by a lack of confidence.  Harris has written an approachable, easy-to-read book that explores how a lack of confidence can affect many areas of a person’s life, and looks at real, clear suggestions to work through it. It’s not an easy book to read in the sense that if you really want to make changes in this area you will have to have some tough, honest conversations with yourself. But it is easy in the sense that it is written in clear language, and breaks down complex concepts into easily understandable stories and ideas.

QuietQuiet, Susan Cain
This book explains what introverts are, how they tick, and what the pitfalls of introvert/extrovert interactions can be. I would recommend this books for introverts, extroverts and anyone who isn’t sure where they fall on the spectrum (but would like to figure this out). Cain looks at how the business world, especially in America, has for almost a century, celebrated extroverts and build a system that favours their personalities and mode of working. Cain argues that because this system is not designed for introverts, it is difficult and often tiring for them to navigate. However, this doesn’t mean that it isn’t possible for an introvert to not merely navigate, but to thrive in a world of extroverts. Cain provides tools and techniques for introverts negotiating the extroverted world of business, and for introverts and extroverts to figure out how best they can work together.

Unfinished BusinessUnfinished Business, Anne-Marie Slaughter
This book is (in my opinion) a sort of unofficial sequel to Lean In, the blockbuster work memoir written by Facebook CEO Cheryl Sandberg in 2013. It’s a look at how work-life balance is something worth striving for, but that the make-up of that balance may change over time. Slaughter says that it’s important to ‘lean in’ at times, but that it is just as important and necessary to be able to lean out at times too. She advocates for a world where we can accept a promotion and work like the devil for a couple of years, then dial things back for another couple of years, perhaps  to care for family members, or pursue study. Slaughter writes passionately and persuasively for her vision of a flexible and changing attitude to work over our lifetimes.

What are your top reads for personal and professional development?

Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in The Interchange Bench, The world @work

I get knocked down, I get up again…

Posted on February 16, 2018 by Candice Lewis — No Comments ↓

Resilience
noun
1. the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.

Organisations want people who aren’t afraid to tackle difficult tasks – problem solvers who learn from a challenge, not folk who say “that’s too hard” and pack it in.

It has been one of those weeks for me. Everything that could go wrong… did!  What appeared disastrous, was of course, in a life or death context, no more than a hiccup. Supported and sorted, and I’m up again for the next challenge.

This made me think: How do we gauge resilience without having actually worked alongside a person?

I actively screen for resilience in candidates. During the recruitment process, we need to find out if a candidate has been tested in tough times and how they manage through tricky situations.  Psychometric testing is also useful to get a good grasp on work style and character attributes.

Two of my favourite behavioural questions that I think give me the most insight are:

How have you dealt with failure? How did it make you feel, and what did you learn?  

We are all familiar with the old adage ‘sink or swim’ and there is a reason for this. Work can be tough; and each role has its own pressure points. You will make mistakes, you may miss a deadline and sometimes you could flat out fail. Listening to candidates answer this question gives me some insight into how reflective they are about their fallibilities, if they can learn from mistakes and bounce back.

Describe a time when you kept your eye on the big picture, through a challenging situation?

Why do I like this question? It allows me to see where a person’s focus lies. It is so easy to get side-tracked with a current disaster/issue/problem and assume that it’s all too hard. I know sometimes it may feel that the end of the road is nigh, but let me tell you, after 20 years in the workforce, it’s not. Maintaining perspective provides a way forward, so I want to find candidates who can keep their eye on the ball, get knocked down… get up again, to win the prize at the end of the race.

Our fast-paced contingent workforce at The Interchange Bench regularly attend jobs in new environments. Once we’re briefed on an assignment we match the role with our ‘bench of talent ensuring capability and culture fit are closely aligned. For our candidates going out on assignment, it’s a case of getting on with the show. That is why resilience is key whether it’s a months’ long assignment or just for a day.

Often in our working lives we get knocked down. Sometimes it’s not a little stumble, but a great big fall. We get up, we dust ourselves off and we get on with it. If we are lucky, we are able to learn from the experience and we become hardier in preparation for similar situations in the future.

It certainly helps to have a supportive team to get you through tough times at work

How do you measure resilience in your world @work?

Tagged with: , , , , , , ,
Posted in The Interchange Bench

Your next job interview: How to present the best version of you

Posted on February 9, 2018 by Shaunagh McEvoy — No Comments ↓

No matter how experienced you are, interviewing for a new role can be a stressful experience. Pressure from your current job (if you are working) and whatever else is going on in your life, such as family and financial stress, can dictate whether you are successful at interview.

Preparation is key. Understanding the role you are applying for and researching the organisation, and the managers or executives interviewing you, are integral to your ability to be en pointe during interview.

To give you the best chance of success, here are my ‘most likely’ from the Glassdoor’s Top 50 most often asked at interview. Nail these and you’ve nailed your interview:

  1. What are your strengths and weaknesses?
  2. Why are you interested in working for us?
  3. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years?
  4. Why do you want to leave your current company?
  5. Why was there a gap in your employment between these two dates?
  6. Tell me about an accomplishment you are most proud of.
  7. Tell me about a time you made a mistake.
  8. Describe yourself in 3 words?
  9. Give me an example of how you handled a difficult situation.
  10. Give a time when you went above and beyond the requirements for a project.
  11. Who are our competitors?
  12. What was your biggest failure?
  13. What motivates you?
  14. Tell me about a time when you disagreed with your boss.
  15. How do you handle pressure?
  16. What is the name of our CEO?
  17. What are your career goals?
  18. If I called your boss right now and asked him/her what is an area that you could improve on, what would he/she say?
  19. What was the last book you read for fun?
  20. What are your hobbies?

It is worth thinking through answers to the above questions. You don’t have to learn answers robotically, but it is a good idea to be prepared for these topics. There are often no right or wrong answers, it is about your confidence and the interviewers getting to know you as a person.

If you want to make a great first impression it is important to work out your ‘hook’. Telling a concise well planned story that displays your strengths, including a key characteristic you know they are looking for, is an excellent way to do it!

Give real examples of your strengths that are applicable to the role you are interviewing for; this will make it evident that you are a perfect fit for the role.

Prepare a list of follow-up questions to demonstrate your knowledge of the company, role and industry. Also, don’t be afraid to ask if there is anything missing in your skillset that they are looking for. It may be helpful to take a professional small hardcover notebook and refer to your notes, because when we are nervous, it is easy to forget what you had planned to say.

Mirroring the tone and pace of the interviewer is also a good way to appear relaxed and help you fit in with the interviewer’s style of communication.

Before you walk into the building take a ‘power pose’ and some deep breaths on the way up in the lift – this really helps your confidence.

Of course, honesty is always the best policy and being your authentic self shows integrity and confidence.

Interviewing is always going to be difficult and you may have to go through several rounds with panels of up to four people.

Stand out with your preparation, and don’t underestimate the effect of your personal presentation and polish. Ensure you are extremely well groomed, your clothes are comfortable for sitting and walking in… you’re one step closer to getting the job!

If you want to see the entire list, here are the 50 questions Glassdoor identified you are most likely to be asked during an interview.

What tips do you have for interview preparation?

Tagged with: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Slade Business Support