CEO hiring confidence at all time high

The YPO Global Pulse Confidence Index has revealed Australia and New Zealand’s business leaders are at their most confident level since October 2010. Australian and New Zealand Chief Executive Officer confidence levels are also higher than their Asian counterparts for the first time in the history of the survey.

Tudor Marsden-Huggins, Employment Office’s Managing Director and Executive Member for YPO Queensland cites the combination of low interest rates, the weakening of the Australian dollar and the recent change of Government as the key contributing factors in the CEO confidence surge.

The Hiring Index was also at the highest level the survey has ever produced, indicating that the Australian and New Zealand employment market will begin to soften.  The positive results in the Hiring Index are closely linked with the fact that 71% of CEOs expect their business’ turnover to increase by at least 10% over the next 12 months.

In addition, nearly half (46%) of the CEOs surveyed said that business and economic conditions had improved over the past six months while a similar number (44%) expect economic conditions to improve even more.

The increased hiring confidence is converging with one of the most fruitful times of the  year to recruit candidates – the holiday season.  Candidates have an abundance of time to assess their current career situation and, importantly, a call to action, often in the form of a New Year’s Resolution.

Making the decision to recruit during the holiday season is a difficult proposition if you plan on managing the process yourself.  You probably have plenty of work to finish before you enjoy your time away from the office but you’ll still need candidates when you return.  Wouldn’t it be nice if you returned from the Christmas and New Year holidays with a pool of quality candidates ready for screening and interviews?

Employment Office can help.  What’s more, with our special holiday offer, you’ll receive more than $900 in additional advertising value including a free eShot targeted candidate database mail out which is an excellent way to attract passive candidates to your opportunity.  If you would like to learn more about how Employment Office can assist in managing your recruitment over the holidays, call 1300 366 573 and ask to speak with your account manager.

All I want for Christmas is a new job

Why employers should kick-start recruitment in December

As employers around the country prepare to wind down their recruitment functions in the lead-up to Christmas, it’s a sad fact that many of them are missing out on a golden opportunity to access top quality candidates looking for a change of direction.

The truth is that December’s charms in the office extend far beyond Christmas parties and Secret Santa gifts.  The last weeks of the year are often the perfect time to nab a star recruit.

Managing Director of Employment Office, Tudor Marsden-Huggins, says there are a variety of compelling reasons for companies to recruit at year’s end.

“Job advertising hits a real low in December, with many businesses winding down their recruitment strategy, and planning to ramp things up again in January.  It’s a common misconception that job seekers aren’t in the market in December, however the opposite is actually true.

“Recruiting in December takes advantage of the fact that many top performers have a certain amount of down-time in in the last weeks of the year, whether that’s through taking annual leave or due to a decreased pre-Christmas workload,” he said.

By recruiting in December, employers are also more likely to have top candidates to themselves.  The misconception that candidates aren’t in the market for a new job at that time means competition is significantly reduced.

“The best time to recruit is when others are idle and when candidates are most receptive to a discussion about changing jobs.  This is even more important for smaller businesses who struggle to succeed when recruiting alongside high-profile competitors.

“A decade ago, the festive season was a dead period for recruiting, mostly because job advertising in newspapers was significantly reduced until the end of January.  The introduction of online job boards, and more recently, the move toward smartphone and tablet applications has meant December is no longer the wasteland it once was for jobseekers.

“Candidates are now checking job boards daily and receiving job notifications via email, Facebook and Twitter, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year.  With ads appearing on job boards for up to 28 days, candidates can check for job opportunities at their leisure, including during annual leave.  It’s easy to send out your CV using Cloud-based software, so the previous drawbacks associated with recruiting during the Christmas/New Year period, such as being away from a computer, or not having access to job ads in your local paper, are greatly diminished,” Marsden-Huggins said.

There are other factors at play for candidates which may also provide some extra incentive to look out for new career opportunities in December.

“At the end of the year, many top performers take time to re-evaluate their current work and life situation and plan for the future.  Some may be wanting to get started early on a new year’s resolution, or perhaps the effect Christmas shopping and travel has had on their finances has made them look into a better salary.

“Whatever the candidate’s motivation, it’s clear that even though other areas of your business may be slowing down, December is definitely not a time to put your recruitment function on hold.  If you run a fast, clean hiring process, you can be making job offers before your competitors have even published their job ads in January,” Marsden-Huggins said.

It’s an Advertisement, Not a Position Description

Our clients often ask why Employment Office’s online job advertisements that appear on Job Boards don’t include all of the information we include on their Recruitment Webpage.  While it might seem counterintuitive to not include every bit of information you have about the position on a job advertisement, in doing so, you run the risk of overloading your candidates with information and losing them in the process.

User research has shown time and again that candidates will quickly scan job advertisements until they find one that meets their criteria for new employment. For example, research conducted by the Nielsen/Norman Group found that the average web user spends only 10-20 seconds on any given webpage.  This means that you’ve got less than half a minute to grab your ideal candidate’s attention and convert their initial interest into an application.   Why then would you waste valuable copy lecturing your prospective candidates on the requirements and organisational expectations for your advertised vacancy?

At Employment Office, we offer a solution that will allow your Human Resources team to tick off on all of their compliance requirements while also providing a compelling advertisement to attract a high quality talent pool.

Our process involves preparing an Online Recruitment Webpage that fully informs your candidates about your organisation, the role and its requirements and also the benefits of the position and working for your organisation. The advertising copy is a heavily abbreviated version of the Recruitment Webpage that has been written with key search terms in mind and optimised for scan reading.  Key points including job title, main aim, and benefits are written in a bold font to immediately draw the candidate’s eye to the information they need to make a decision.

A candidate that scans an Employment Office advertisement will know the main function of your vacancy and the key benefits within 20-30 seconds and this is all the information they need to trigger a click on the ‘Apply’ button.

This process is one of Employment Office’s greatest benefits to the Human Resources professional.  You’ll receive a high quality talent pool of candidates that are fully informed about the position and excited to work for you, but what they’ll remember more clearly than anything is how quickly they were compelled to apply when they first saw your job advertisement.

Print advertising placement – Which is the right choice for your organisation?

EGN print advertising placement vs Careers print advertising placement – Which is the right choice for your organisation?

In an ever-changing employment market, recruitment can be a challenging process. One of the biggest issues a hiring manager can face how to allocate their advertising budget. Many factors need to be taken into consideration when making this decision including what sort of candidates they wish to attract and what the best possible way of doing so might be. Placement of ads need to be positioned in a way that will capture the attention of the audience and maximise your chances of hiring the ideal candidate.

Employers generally have two options when advertising in print news. There is the Early General News (EGN) and the Careers section of a newspaper.  If your candidate is not actively searching for a job, the EGN section or an industry-specific section is a great way to go. The EGN news pages also include a dedicated environment in which to advertise executive positions. With a limited number of broadsheet advertising pages available, the news section is regarded as a premium and exclusive place for high-profile roles.  It also generally reaches an educated and affluent audience, who may potentially be interested in your advertisement. However, the biggest drawback for EGN is the high price point, although the result is much wider and high-quality exposure.

The Careers section of a newspaper is another great option as it attracts active job-seekers for a much lower price. Careers placement is also perfect for targeting a specific geographic location; this means your business won’t have to worry about paying travel expenses for candidates outside local areas. It is also a cheaper alternative to EGN as it allows for flexibility – if your recruitment budget is small, you can create an advertisement consisting of just a few lines to keep costs to a minimum. The careers section is perfect for attracting active job-seekers, while EGN advertising is likely to attract a passive audience.

Although print advertising is an integral part of the recruitment process, it is also important to keep in mind that it is only one component of an overall strategy for sourcing candidates. A single source strategy will only achieve limited results and you will find that the more ads you place across different mediums, the higher number of quality applications and wider pool of candidates you will have to choose from. This also applies to keeping your advertisement visible and refreshed in the public domain for as long as possible. Employment Office specialises in Recruitment Advertising strategies and can assist your organisation in putting together an effective recruitment campaign.

Bring Your Parents to Work Day

Employment Office prepares for first Bring Your Parents to Work Day

Do you ever overhear your parents describing your job to family or friends and get the feeling they don’t quite understand exactly what you do for a living?

A recent survey conducted by online professional networking website, LinkedIn, has revealed that 35% of

parents aren’t completely familiar with what their child does at work.

In response to the survey’s findings, LinkedIn has declared Thursday November 7 as Bring Your Parents to Work Day, and is encouraging companies around the globe to roll out the red carpet for the parents of their employees.

Employment Office Managing Director Tudor Marsden-Huggins says the initiative is more than just a gimmick, offering tangible benefits to both employees and their parents.

“The corporate world has changed a lot over the last few decades, and many jobs of today didn’t even exist ten years ago.  It’s no wonder there can be a disconnect between employees and their parents, particularly if they have been out of the workforce for some time.

“If parents better understand the jobs their children do, it makes it easier for them to contribute their wealth of knowledge and life experience, providing invaluable guidance and career advice for their kids.  It also increases the bond between parent and child when open discourse about something as important as work life is possible,” he said.

Of course parents are proud of their children no matter what their job is, but the theory is that Mums and Dads will feel even more pride when they fully appreciate what’s involved in their kids’ careers.

“Many parents have no idea how valued their children are in the workplace.  We are looking forward to seeing some very proud Mums and Dads who are not only pleased to see how important the contribution of their son or daughter is to us, but also appreciate the great culture we have developed to create a happy environment for all employees,” Marsden-Huggins said.