Shazamme Blog

Progress, not perfection!

chris@carerecruitment.com.au (Chris Goulas) — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 04:32:43 GMT

Progress, not perfection!

In light of the impending publication of employer gender pay gaps by WGEA, I recently connected with WORK180 to better understand their purpose, client and member value proposition. WORK180 exist to provide women and marginalised groups access to information they need to make informed career decisions, which includes identifying employers of choice. Once of their most recent publications, ‘What Women Want 2024’, has too many takeaways to mention in this post, however if you are a DEI practitioner or leader of an organisation looking to take small steps towards realising the benefits of a diverse workforce, then this report is a must read.

Click through on link to get access to the report: https://work180.com/en-au/resources/reports

Competition for Talent

chris@carerecruitment.com.au (Chris Goulas) — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 00:36:39 GMT

Competition for talent

Recent research conducted by Gartner revealed that within a 12-month period, a staggering 50% of candidates have accepted a job offer and then backed out at the last minute. The three main reasons included:

- Greater flexibility (59%)

- Better work-life balance (45%)

- Higher compensation (40%)

This data suggests that there a couple of main drivers behind this behavioural shift in a candidate’s mindset. The first indicator speaks to the amount of choice candidate’s still have in the job marketplace (irrespective of the national unemployment rate being at a 40yr all-time low). Couple this with an 11 point percentage increase (AHRI research) in return-to-office mandates from 2022 to 2023, it’s no wonder that candidates are seeking employer’s that can cater to their needs, with particular reference to the top 3 reasons stated above.

Conversely, employers who allow staff to work flexibly and with autonomy (not to be confused with mandated hybrid work), continue to be the beneficiaries when it comes to competition for talent. Further, working flexibly doesn’t just mean working from home. Employers who are open to hiring staff in regional or interstate locations widen an already diminished talent pool and discover talent that would otherwise remain untapped.

The report also talks to how organisations can avoid candidates changing their minds post-offer acceptance. Some of the key discussion points included:

- Scrutinising your candidate recruitment journey to the remove or mitigate roadblocks that can delay or worse, derail your process

- Using data to verify and address why employees and prospective candidates choose to both leave and join your organisation, respectively

- Providing access to and transparency of information from the get-go often can eliminate any element of surprise and immediately builds feelings of trust and buy-in

Food for thought and goes to support the view that the design and communication of an organisation’s employee value proposition has never been more important.

Candidate Experience

chris@carerecruitment.com.au (Chris Goulas) — Thu, 28 Sep 2023 22:59:59 GMT

CANDIDATE EXPERIENCE

Prior to being in the business of connecting top talent with progressive organisations, we never forget or take for granted the personal experiences we have had as candidates in the market place. To this end, we make sure that each candidate who applies to any client opportunity that we represent, is treated in line with our organisational values, particularly those of respect and empathy.

Our commitment to you is that we will communicate to all candidate applications with a written or verbal response, irrespective of the outcome. Where possible, we will also leverage our relationships with industry partners to extend further support to those candidates who seek feedback on ways to improve their approach to securing the next job opportunity.

Candidate Experience

Wed, 13 Sep 2023 07:03:16 GMT

Our commitment to you

Cover Letters

Wed, 13 Sep 2023 07:02:34 GMT

To cover letter or to not cover letter, that is the question.

A common question that I am asked by job seekers is, do I still need to write a cover letter as part of my job application.

Personally, I like receiving a cover letter for a job application. It’s your opportunity to illustrate how you connect with the business and role that you are applying to. Allow me to elaborate further.

A well-structured and written cover letter could prove to be a key differentiator in getting you to the next step of the recruitment process. It presents you with the opportunity to demonstrate your understanding of the role and to highlight your suitability. It’s your chance to detail relevant qualifications, industry experience and job skills that will start to separate you from the rest of the pack. Your value proposition will be unique and may include the beliefs, behaviours and values that you possess which may help you stand out. Underlying all of this, I’ll get a feel for your personality through the structure of your letter, and the choice of words you select. Finally, let me know in a punchy way as to why you want the role and how I should get in touch with you.

Prior to the days of LinkedIn and the like, a cover letter would be a minimum expectation. These days, online candidate and social media platforms have lessened the expectation for a cover letter to be included as part of your application. My advice is if you are applying directly to the employer, then I would recommend that you include a cover letter with your application, even if they don’t ask for one. If you are applying via a recruitment agency then it’s not as critical, however I would still recommend that you do.

In summary, key elements to keep in mind when constructing your cover letter include:

· Demonstrate your understanding of the role;

· Highlight your relevant qualifications, experience and skills;

· Describe your value proposition - point of differentiation;

· Tell us why you want the role;

· Finish with a call to action AND

. Have your letter peer reviewed prior to submission

Feel free to reach out to us if you are keen to be considered for any roles that we have advertised.

Best Regards - Chris Goulas

Hybrid Work Debate

Wed, 13 Sep 2023 06:59:21 GMT

Hybrid Work Debate

With lockdowns no longer a threat and flexible work becoming more a nice to have than a must have, getting the balance right is becoming increasingly sensitive to manage, paricularly in a tight talent market. HR leaders are now under more scrutiny than ever to measure and quantify the impact, importance and request for flexible working arrangements using evidence-based data.

Now more than ever, leaders need to be thinking about ways that their organisations can attract and retain staff beyond remuneration, organisational culture or career advancement. The premise of flexible work is underpinned by the notion that each individual employee's needs are heard, understood and valued in a way that does not compromise their ability to perform their role. Where employees can perform their role flexibly, it is our opinion that the option to promote this to the candidate market should remain so as not to limit an already shrinking talent pool. This position on flexible work (WFH) could also extend to other strategies involving remote working options, where skills you seek are niche and at a premium.

Speak to us about how to shift the focus of conversation away from a position of purely recruitment, to talent attraction and retention strategies.

Employee Value Proposition

Wed, 13 Sep 2023 04:06:26 GMT

Employee Value Proposition

Despite a continuing labour shortage and bumpy global economy, almost 90% of business leaders surveyed (HR Industry Benchmark Report) anticipated either keeping or adding staff to their workforce in 2023. This data suggests that businesses are taking an optimistic outlook to headcount growth. Couple this with the fact that competition for talent is at a high, it's important that organisations tap into differentiators that speak to the types of candidates that will be attracted to their brand and value proposition. With that mind, our experience with EVP programs means that we can partner with your business to consult on people-focused solutions that best fit the cultural profile of your organisation.

Our experience working with progressive and purpose-led organisations on their EVP and wellbeing strategies has given us visibility on a range of market leading, values-based reward and recognition programs. These programs can be driven by an internal team or fully outsourced to a provider and vary in size, complexity and cost. The point is once you get an understanding of what is valued at your organisation, this can provide a compelling tool to not only contribute towards retaining your existing workforce, but can also play an important role in your talent attraction strategy.

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Thu, 07 Sep 2023 13:51:19 GMT

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