Welcome

Welcome to the autumn edition of The Johnson Group newsletter.

Kirsty Bidwell and I recently returned from the Australasian Talent Conference in Sydney, where we caught up with the latest thinking on future trends in the job market. Social networking sites will play an increasingly important part in recruitment, and the pressure will be on employers to be realistic about exactly what they’re able to offer candidates.

The job market is extremely busy now, which makes this a great time for those of you thinking about making a change.

Come in for a chat to see if you’d like to join our specialist talent pool of public sector professionals.  If you’re a policy analyst, planning and reporting advisor, strategic planner, data or information analyst, project manager, research or evaluator, or hold a related position, we’d love to hear from you.

Leigh

Half of all workers looking for a new job

55% of New Zealand workers are either considering or are ready to change jobs, according to the reports Candidate Buying Behaviour: An Exploration into the Key Motivators of Today’s Job Seeker.

The survey also found that employers aren’t giving candidates the information they need to make a decision.  Workers want to see the company name and salary in the job ad, and dislike ads that oversell roles.

They want to be given honest answers to their questions during interviews, to be able to talk with their potential colleagues, and even to see the desk where they’d work if they took the job.

At The Johnson Group, we invite candidates to have a chat about roles they’re uncertain about.  We can help you decide whether a job is right for you, and which roles you’re likely to find enjoyable and rewarding.

For the full reports, see: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0803/S00194.htm

One-third of Aussies not in the labour force

5.5 million Australian of working age are not in the labour force, according to new figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

One of the 33% of people not in the labour force, 85% don’t want to work.  Of the remaining 845,000 who want to work, only 8% were actively looking for a job.

New Zealand has similar labour force participation levels.  About 68% of Kiwis of working age have jobs, and the Department of Labour expects the figure to stay stable in 2008 and 2009.

For more details, go to: www.abs.gov.au

Awards finalist announced

The finalists in a new awards programme run by The Institute of Public Administration New Zealand (IPANZ) have been announced.

Finalists in the IPANZ Gen-i Public Sector Excellence Awards were announced on 17 March.  Winners will be announced on 27 May.

In other news from the institute, IPANZ New Professionals – which provides development opportunities and social networking for people in government jobs – will hold their conference on June 5-6 in Wellington Town Hall.  Speakers will include George Hickton, Rosslyn Noonan, Areti Metuamate and Danyon Loader.

For more details, go to www.ipanz.og.nz

More women working

Women’s participation in the labour force is rapidly increasing.

Department of Labour figures show the percentage of working-age women with a job increased from 59% in December 2002 to 62% in December 2007.  A relatively large number of women work part-time – 34.5%, compared to the OECD average of 26.4%.

Leigh Johnson says employers are now more accepting of part-time work.  “There is definitely more part-time work available, especially for women who want to work four days a week.”

For more details, go to www.dol.govt.nz

World-class Kiwis named

Global networking organisation Kea New Zealand has announced the winners of its 2008 World Class New Zealand Awards.

The “tall poppies” named in the awards are Professor Garth Cooper, Rod Drury, Professor Margaret Brimble, Craig Norgate, Maurice Prendergast, Phil Keoghan and Bruce Farr.

For more details, see: www.keanewzealand.com

10 worst job interview mistakes

A woman who brushed her hair during an interview and a man who sniffed his armpits on the way to the interview room are among those mentioned in an annual US survey of the most appalling interview mistakes.

Other poor decisions including flushing the toilet during a phone interview, asking the interviewer for a lift home, and admitting beating up a previous boss.

The 2000 hiring managers and HR professionals who took part in the survey say dressing inappropriately and talking negatively about a previous employer are the worst mistakes candidates can make in a job interview.

The Johnson Group on Facebook

As Leigh says in the welcome to this newsletter, it’s clear that social networking sites are playing an increasingly important role in recruitment. Paul Jacobs, from Engage (www.engageonline.co.nz)  - which helps organisations develop targeted recruitment strategies – says The Johnson Group’s Facebook presence extends our talent pool into a social networking platform.

“Social networking sites are communities,” says Paul. “They’re an opportunity for job seekers to promote their own personal brand, and for an employer or recruitment agency to connect with these personal brands. It’s all about building meaningful relationships over time.”

And they’re not just for generation Y – 33.5% of Facebook users are in the 35-54 age bracket.

Another important site is LinkedIn, a social networking platform for professionals. LinkedIn, which has 17 million users worldwide, gives job seekers a chance to say they’re looking for new opportunities and enables employers to develop an online community of potential candidates.

We’re inviting you to connect to The Johnson Group on Facebook and on LinkedIn.

See you there!

Job Doctor

Is this a good time for older workers to come back into the labour market?

Martin, Naenae

Employers are increasingly open to hiring older workers, says The Johnson Group team member Shekhar Reddy.

“Older workers are especially valued in frontline and operational roles.  Employers also recognise how important they can be in mentoring or coaching positions”, says Shekhar.  “There are more flexible roles around now, which older workers often prefer.”

“I think this is a great time for older workers to come back into the workforce.  To any older workers considering a return to work, I’d say come in and have a chat and we’ll tell you what opportunities might be right for you.”

And finally...

Interested in joining the recruitment industry?

We’re looking for a recruitment consultant. Ideally, we’d like someone with experience, but we’d consider a public sector professional with excellent relationship management skills and some sales or consulting experience.

Call us for a chat if you’re keen to explore this exciting opportunity with The Johnson Group.