Welcome

Leigh Johnson
We hope you're all coping with the changeable spring weather, and are feeling refreshed, rejuvenated and ready for the challenges of the run-up to Christmas.

Thanks to your support, our business is growing – and so is our reputation for matching the right people with the right job. Since April 2005, 67% of our clients' vacancies have been filled by candidates sourced from our database or through our networks. This shows why we put so much emphasis on getting to know you and your interests.

What does this mean to you?

Quite simply, we can often find you the ideal position that is a great match for you not only in terms of your skills and areas of expertise, but also with regards to your motivations and career aspirations.

We've been making some changes here at the Johnson Group, too. As the business expands, so does our team. Here are our three newest appointments:

Kate Finnerty, Consultant, brings several years of experience in public sector recruitment in the UK. She believes recruitment is a holistic process, with the consultant, the candidate and the client working together to find the right placement. Kate takes an innovative approach to finding a tailored solution for each candidate. Out of work, Kate enjoys sports, arts and the theatre.

Katherine Hamilton, who has moved from Office Manager to Candidate Liaison, is about to complete her Graduate Certificate in Career Development. As people spend increasing amounts of time at work, Katherine knows how important it is for them to be happy in their roles. Katherine is keen to get to know you, learn about your skills and discover your ideal role. In her spare time, Katherine, a Kiwi-Canadian, listens to country music and makes a mean chocolate brownie.

Office Manager Melissa Alfonso-Cruz has a diverse background in recruitment, advertising and promotions, and event management. A former professional singer, Melissa recently arrived in New Zealand from Manila, in the Philippines. In her front-of-house role, she's the face of the Johnson Group and part of her job description is to keep the office humming - and to manage the office playlist! Melissa is bubbly, enthusiastic and well-organised. Out of work, she enjoys music, reading and good coffee.

Kate, Katherine, Melissa and the rest of the team are looking forward to working with you.

Leigh

Is technology a help or a hindrance?

Technology can be frustrating, but a study of business executives has found that most believe technology has improved their work/life balance.

The study, by a US executive recruitment firm, found that three-quarters of the 2300 executives surveyed in 75 countries believed mobile technology such as mobile phones and BlackBerrys enhanced the balance between their work and home lives.

However, one-third believed they spent too much time connected to communication technology. The BlackBerry, in particular, was so addictive that some users jokingly called it the “CrackBerry”.

If you think e-mail is taking up too much of your time, try these tips on email etiquette from US author and motivational speaker Tim Sanders:

Don't send e-mails when you wouldn't phone. If it's not something you'd be prepared to tell someone on the phone, don't commit it to print.

Don't copy people in on e-mails unless the information is relevant to them.

Keep your e-mails brief.

Manage your e-mail replies. Set a time for replies each day, and don't send e-mails late at night – you don't want to make the recipient feel guilty for not still being at work, or give the impression you never leave the office.

Don't use the “reply all” function – remove the names of people who don't need to read your reply.

Voluntary Work has Broad Appeal

Voluntary work isn't just for people who have retired from the paid workforce: statistics suggest it is becoming increasingly attractive to a much wider range of workers.

Volunteer agency figures show many volunteers are people trying to gain work experience in a new career field, workers who want to gain a stronger sense of “doing something meaningful” than they have in their full-time jobs, and immigrants who see volunteering as a way to get to know their new home.

A growing number of employers are encouraging staff to give back to the community. Here at The Johnson Group, we take our social responsibility ethos very seriously. We volunteer time to support Victoria University's Skilled Migrant Programme, we raise money for Wellington City Mission, and our team members regularly take part in street appeals for charity - most recently, you may have seen us shaking our tins to raise money for Save the Children.

Lifting Industry Standards

The recruitment industry is relatively new, and is still developing its standards. Unfortunately, as with many new industries – and a few of the old ones – there are still some cowboys out there.

So how do you know the recruitment agency you're working with is professional, accountable and responsible? By choosing an agency that belongs to the industry's professional body, the Recruitment and Consulting Services Association (RCSA).

Members of the RCSA must adhere to a code of professional conduct, and are kept up to date on legislation and regulations. The RCSA runs training and development seminars, as well as a dispute resolution service to give candidates peace of mind.

Recruitment consultants must apply to join the RCSA, and are required to meet the association's standards before being accepted as a member. The Johnson Group belongs to the RCSA, and welcomes any moves to lift industry standards.

Are OE Returnees Living in a Dream World?

People returning from the traditional Kiwi big OE should try to keep their job and salary expectations realistic, according to an article in the New Zealand Herald.

Under Britain's highly skilled migrants visa programme, New Zealanders are able to stay longer than the previous two-year limit. As a result, people are returning to New Zealand from Britain at a more advanced stage in their career, rather than coming back earlier because their visa ran out.

The Herald article, published last month, quoted industry experts as saying many OE returnees came home with “a bit of an attitude”. Some assumed salaries in New Zealand would automatically match what they were earning overseas, and some made the unwelcome discovery that becoming specialists in their field had made them less desirable to potential employers than if they had stayed generalists.

Many were surprised that house prices had risen so dramatically while they had been away, and that the money they'd saved was no longer enough to buy a house outright – or even to put a substantial deposit on a house.

However, on the bright side, returnees working in some fields were snapped up immediately at high salaries. Skills shortages meant that people working in areas such as the public and local government sector, communications, accountancy, web design and public relations were in hot demand.

Plan to give British Parents a Right to Choose Working Hours

A “workplace revolution” package being developed by Britain's Labour Party would give parents the legal right to work part-time, choose their own hours and take paid sick leave if their children were ill.

The plan would also raise child benefits to help families who didn't feel they could afford to have a second or third child, and force companies to reveal if they were paying women less than men for doing the same job.

Job Doctor

The Doctor is In
I'd like to take the next step in my career by applying for a more senior role. However, there's one thing that is putting me off: if I get the job, I'll be called on to give presentations in front of large groups of people. I'm happy talking to people one-to-one, but I get anxious and stressed whenever I speak in front of a big group. Is it possible to learn to be good at making presentations, even if you don't have a natural aptitude for it?

Kirsty, Wellington

Public speaking is indeed a skill that can be learned, says Lee Wilkinson, of Communicate Consultants.
“Human beings just want a real person to communicate with them. When you're giving a presentation, you should be yourself, but a stronger, more polished version of yourself - yourself at your very best,” she says.

Preparation is really important. Decide what you want to say, and distill your presentation into key points. Stories and anecdotes are the best ways to present information – your audience is more likely to remember stories and anecdotes than any amount of data and slides.

“Practice is very important, but it should be reflective practice. Find out what people like and don't like about the way you give your presentation. That way you'll discover which parts you're doing well, and which parts you need to put more work into.”

Joining Toastmasters is one way to gain confidence in public speaking, or you can ask the experts for help. Communicate Consultants (04 471 0845) helps clients improve their public speaking skills, and works with clients to rehearse specific presentations.

And Finally...

The Johnson Group's business is all about building relationships, and we want to acknowledge the consistent support you've shown us, which has contributed to our growth.

If you refer a friend to The Johnson Group and we successfully place them in a role, you and your friend will receive two tickets to Wellington's Paramount cinema with complimentary drinks. It's a great way to celebrate a new job!

We also like to acknowledge referees, who are enormously helpful in ensuring we place the right person in the right job. Whenever someone provides a reference for one of our clients, we send them a thank-you card and enclose a six-cup packet of Caffe L'Affare coffee, inviting them to have a coffee on us.

Newsletter #4