The cost of losing focus

capsizeBy LOIS JAMIESON | My switch off from work is to go racing in small dinghy boats at my local sailing club at Williamstown on Saturdays.

I am a great believer in balance in your life, and physical exercise and being outdoors is such a great contrast to the hours in the office and on the computer. And small boat sailing stretches the body and the mind — as my aching muscles tell me every Sunday morning.

Last weekend I had one of those unforgettable days of sailing, and not for good reasons. It was all because of what went wrong — and it was my fault because I lost focus.

Like many of us do at times, I was trying to do too many things at once — and stuffed up. At our club I am chairman of the Sailing Committee and have some responsibilities around organising the days racing.

Continue reading →

Posted in Reality | Leave a comment

Preparing to Join the Workforce:
The Job Application

picture-22As a result of very poor quality in some of the applications we receive from mainly younger candidates, I feel a need to write about some of the things that may help in improving these applications.

The reality of the job market at the moment is that it is very competitive — there are many more applicants than there are positions.

And as most job application happen via online applications you need to be aware of a few things.

1. DO NOT write in text speak or SMS type language. When sending an email enquiry or job application, please use correct grammar and punctuation.

Make sure you use spell check on your email. For the majority of recruitment companies or HR staff, they will not be impressed receiving applications not written in sensible English.

Continue reading →

Posted in CANDIDATES, Researching employers, Resume hints | Leave a comment

Mature Candidates- why consider them?

picture-21In the current economic climate there are quite a few “mature candidates” who are having to return to the workforce, or delay their retirement due to what has happened to their superannuation investments.

Here is a treasure trove of varied work and life skills, experiences and often a great work ethic that is a big bonus to employers.

So if you have some of these people applying for roles in your business, try and get them on board.

As an employer, mature candidates and employees can be some of your greatest assets.

They tend to be more confident, self assured and have good communication skills and have a variety of life skills that can contribute to their value.

Occasionally they may not be fully up to speed with the latest technology, but they are generally keen and willing to learn.

For one of my clients in the retail sector they are having consistent and successful results employing ‘empty nesters’ as trainee retail managers.

These people want to work, have the time and energy to put into learning, are often flexible and adaptable and thrive on the opportunities given to them.

So please employers, do what you can to retain your current, mature employees, and if you are recruiting new staff, do consider the great benefits of older employees for some of your positions.

From my experience, it is healthy for most workplaces to have a mix of ages, skills and experience in their workforce — but tapping into mature candidates could be a great asset to your business.

Posted in EMPLOYERS, Ready to employ?, Staff retention | Leave a comment

How to get a Job as a Mature candidate

picture-16The recent financial turmoil has forced many people who had already retired to have to re-enter the workforce. Or for some who were aiming to retire soon, they are having to stay on.

For others, it has not been easy to get back into the workforce. So here are a few ideas that may help you get a role that suits you.

1. You have to sell yourself. The employment market is a competitive place and you need to make yourself stand out.

So firstly you have to get a suitable resume together — it shouldn’t be too wordy; should be easy to read; cover your work history; include any volunteer or community involvement, sports or social clubs.

The resume needs to be maintained on a computer so it can be emailed for job application. Generally a resume should be no more than 3-4 pages maximum.

Do not include fancy borders, photos, graphics, or use fancy fonts- use a simple layout that is easily readable.

2. Get used to the Internet. The majority of employment vacancies are advertised online, and you need to apply online.

Even if it is a newspaper ad, many of the applications are still to be emailed. Obviously, you also need to learn how to search for vacancies on-line.

Many community houses and local libraries run courses on how to use the internet. You have to be comfortable with email, attaching files to emails and researching jobs and companies.

3. Write a cover letter. You should always include a cover letter in a job application. The resume is generally the facts and figures about your background — I see it as a general overview.

The role of the cover letter is more to indicate your suitability for that particular role, and maybe show more of your personality and character. It should be no longer than one page.

4. Researching Prospective Employers. You need to ensure you know something about the company before you go to an interview with them.

Elsewhere on this site are more detailed ideas about how to research potential employers.

5. Interviews and Testing. Not everyone is comfortable in an interview, but it is an essential part of the job hunting process.

So you need to prepare mentally and physically for them, so you can create the best impression possible. There is detailed information elsewhere on this website about preparing for interviews.

In recruitment, a variety of assessment techniques may be used as well as interviews. These may include online personality tests, literary and numeracy tests, group interviews and role playing exercises.

The assessments will obviously be dependent on the type of role. Customer service, retail and warehouse roles often use group activities and role pays to see how people work together.

You can research many of these activities on-line in preparation for your interviews. It is fine to ask the employer or recruiter what the interview will involve.

So if you use some of this information, hopefully you will find it easier to get that role you are seeking.

Do not undersell yourself and be confident in your own capabilities.

Posted in CANDIDATES, Interview hints | Leave a comment

Keep Your Job

picture-8Many employees of businesses small and large are very nervous about the security of their jobs in this current economic downturn. So here are a few practical ideas that might assist you to retain your position.

Some industries and businesses are more susceptible to economic downturns than others. So you need to be realistic about the organisation or business you work with and how likely they are to be effected in the current economic climate.

Certainly in the susceptible industry sectors it may be advisable to be more flexible and proactive in your employment arrangements.

If you know things are slowing down for your employer, it may be advisable to make the first move and talk to the employer what you can do to help them through the possible tougher times.

This might include negotiating varied working arrangements — like part time hours, 9-day fortnight, taking unpaid leave, etc, rather than face the loss of your employment.

You could even think about taking some study leave to upgrade your skills as a long term focus. Look at courses that could enhance your skills and benefits long term to the employer.

Your employer may be eligible for some government subsidies and support as the Federal Government is overtly spending to save jobs.

Why don’t you investigate some of the options that may be available and present them to your employer?

For the majority of you, one would hope you are regarded as a loyal and important member of the organisation you work for, no matter what its size. And realistically, most employers don’t want to lose good staff.

The cost to replace, retrain and get someone up to the standard you are at, is a large investment for any business or organisation.

So don’t sit around and wait for the call into the office that you are dreading. Be proactive, work with your employer and remind them of why they need you in their team.

Posted in Staff retention | Leave a comment

Hold Fast To Your Staff!

picture-9In the current challenging times I believe there is too much talk of businesses needing to lay off staff as the solution to possible downturns.

Even though all of us may be facing more challenging business times, slower growth and for some reduced turnover and lower profits- you need to think very seriously before you decide to terminate any staff.

For the majority of businesses, employees are your number one resource. Sure, they may also be one of your biggest costs — but more often than not they are your greatest asset. So don’t forget that!

Think about the diverse skills and experience you have in your team, and how beneficial and essential they are to your business.

More often than not they are the backbone of your business; the ones who develop or manage your systems; the ones who deal with the customers and suppliers; the ones who get the admin tasks done.

Maybe there would be a short term cost saving if you decided to terminate some of them. And yes, sometimes there are staff who do not perform well and cannot make the grade and you need to make the hard decisions about them.

But think about what it has cost you in $’s and time to get the majority of your staff to the level they are at. From a variety of industry and academic sources the dollar costs of recruiting, inducting and training staff is conservatively costed at $5K to $50K depending on skills levels, etc.

Continue reading →

Posted in Managing people, Staff retention | Leave a comment

IR Law Changes – What will change in 2010?

This is just a brief overview for those of you who want to get a basic understanding of the changes to the Industrial Relations system being introduced by the Rudd Government.

Firstly, since 27 March, 2008 no new Workplace Agreements can be made.

The Federal Government will introduce legislation later this year to implement changes to the Industrial Relations system, and has set a commencement date of 1 January 2010.

The main changes will be:

  • Replacement of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission and Workplace Authority with an ‘umbrella’ organisation to be called Fair Work Australia. This will have implications for the lodgment and administration of agreements, regulation of awards and procedures for settling disputes (eg over dismissal).
  • Replacement of the Australian Fair Pay and Conditions Standard (AFPCS) with a broader set of National Employment Standards (NES). These currently exist in draft form.
  • Awards will be modernised and simplified . The Australian Industrial Relations Commission is expected to produce a series of model award clauses between now and 2010.
  • Changes will be made to the coverage and procedures relating to dismissal. A Fair Dismissal Code will be developed, to be used as a model for appropriate dismissal procedures.
  • There will be further changes to the types of employment agreements available. The ‘transition’ legislation has implemented some temporary and transitional arrangements that will last until 31 December 2009, and also implemented the ‘no-disadvantage’ test that has replaced the Fairness Test that existed in the latter days of WorkChoices.
  • Provisions relating to right of entry and industrial disputes will change.

Information sourced from Workplace Information and Workplace Authority.

For more comprehensive information contact your industry association.

Posted in Managing people, Staff retention | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Staff Turnover Costs $100bn a year

Writing in The Age on Sunday, August 17, Rachel Browne soon gets to the core of the real cost of staff turnover.

Staff Turnover costs Australian businesses $100 Billion a year in lost productivity, training and recruitment costs, according to research.

Bad managers and the high expectations of generation Y employees are being blamed for staff turnover, currently running at 18% overall and at 40% for workers in their 20s.

Continue reading →

Posted in Staff retention | Tagged | Leave a comment

Why Invest in Training of Staff?

For some companies the cost of investing in training is seen as a short term thing. They may only look at what will the company get out of the training on the bottom line.

This is a real shame and a lost opportunity for companies to look at the bigger picture. Whether they are building skills and knowledge across their organisation, or contributing to an individual’s long term growth, training expenditure is crucial to the growth of organisations, small or large.

The investment in training and the right sort of training can add value to your company, and help make you “An Employer of Choice”. In the current employment market, employers need to stand out to attract the right candidates.

If you can provide your staff opportunities for training and development, it is a great reason for them to want to stay working for you. There are the skills and knowledge related to specific work tasks that may be crucial to provide training for.

Continue reading →

Posted in Obligations for employers, Training | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Behavioural Interviews — and why to do them?

Interviewing candidates can be a time consuming and often frustrating experience for managers and employers.

Whether you are a small business, or part of a large organisation, the reality is you will be involved in conducting or supervising job interviews at some stage in your career.

So let’s make the most out of it. Putting time and effort into interview preparation and planning are all important to making sure you have the opportunity to find the right candidate for your position and company.

Behavioural Interview techniques and questions are now regarded as a very crucial component of the interview process.

A behavioural interview is a style of interview that forces the candidate to provide specific examples from past experiences.

Continue reading →

Posted in Interview questions | Tagged , , | Leave a comment