Welcome

Leigh Johnson
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 is why we put so much emphasis on building relationships in our area of specialisation.

What does this mean to you?

Quite simply, we can often unearth and approach those elusive top applicants who are a good match, but may not normally be attracted to your vacancies through standard methods.

As the business expands, so does our team. Here are the three newest members of the Johnson Group:

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 very 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

DoL calls for More Staff Training

Increasing staff training will help employees cope with ongoing skill shortages, according to a labour market report.

The Department of Labour's Skills in the Labour Market report shows skill shortages are still a major problem for the economy. Department of Labour Deputy Secretary Monique Dawson said the number of advertised vacancies remained high, and recruitment was difficult.

“We will not see again unemployment levels of 10% or more. Indeed, over the next three to five years, our worst case forecast is for unemployment to peak somewhere around 4.5%,” she says. “So while businesses might find it easier in the short term to find skilled staff, the reality is that the days of a readily available labour supply are over, probably forever.”

The solution was to encourage New Zealanders living overseas to come home, use targeted immigration policies to attract skilled migrants, and give employees more training and education.

“Additional training is an investment not only in that staff member, but also in the business and the New Zealand economy.”

Training courses are one way to improve the skill levels of staff, but another option is to bring specialists into the workplace to build organisational capability. The Johnson Group has just invested in a high-level coaching programme for the entire team – including the boss – for six weeks. The coaching programme will help us give you even better service.

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 email 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 emails 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 emails unless the information is relevant to them.

Keep your emails brief.

Manage your email replies. Set a time for replies each day, and don't send emails 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.

Employers very Satisfied with Skilled Migrants

Wellington organisations that employ migrants are very satisfied with their work, according to new research.

A study by Dr Astrid Podsiadlowski, from the Centre for Applied Cross-cultural Research at Victoria University, found that, from a scale of one (“not very satisfied”) to five (“very satisfied”), the average satisfaction score was 4.3. Employees were even more satisfied with the co-operation among migrants and local staff, giving an average score of 4.5.

Migrants were described as highly motivated and hard working. The benefits they brought to the workplace included new ideas, international perspectives, better links to customers and communities, and a more enriching work environment.

While there is a shortage of skilled workers in the Wellington region, many well qualified and highly motivated migrants are unable to find work. The Centre for Applied Cross-Cultural Research and the Wellington Regional Chamber of Commerce have joined forces to look at the issue.

The Johnson Group is committed to helping migrants fill gaps in the New Zealand workforce, and volunteers time to support Victoria University's Skilled Migrant Programme.

Healthy Lifestyles to be Promoted in Public Sector Workplaces

More fruit and vegetables in work cafeterias, an increased number of workplace sports teams and better access to stairs are among the changes the PSA has called for as part of the Government's new healthy eating initiative.

In September, the Government announced Mission-On, a $67 million package of initiatives to help New Zealanders eat more healthily and become more active. The package included measures to encourage government departments to lead by example by promoting healthy workplaces.

The PSA welcomed the announcement, and urged state sector employers to make physical activity for employees accessible and convenient.

“We are calling on all state sector employers to work with staff and unions to develop practical steps to make workplaces healthy,” said PSA National Secretary Brenda Pilott.

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.

Recruitment Coach

Each newsletter, you'll have a chance to put your questions to one of our recruitment specialists.

I regularly have to recruit new staff for my department, and am finding it difficult to attract people with the appropriate skills and attitude. I suspect most of the people I'd like to employ are not actively on the market, but would be open to persuasion if the right job came up. How can I reach them?

- Jamie, Wellington

Some employers have little trouble attracting good staff, while others always seem to struggle. There are several ways to help your organisation become more successful at recruitment, says Leigh Johnson.

One method is to become an “employer of choice”. If your organisation has an attractive profile, says Leigh, people will see the name of your organisation on job advertisements and think, “I've always wanted to work there”. If your organisation has a reputation for being a great place to work, people will be immediately interested when they see an ad – even if they're not specifically job-hunting.

Making your advertising attractive is another way to find good candidates, says Leigh. “In a candidate-driven market, your advertising has to be attractive and to tell a compelling story about what the successful candidate can expect from the role – the opportunities, the challenges and the leadership. It's impossible to over-estimate the importance of good advertising. We often tell clients that if they need help with advertising, we're happy to give them advice on how to make the most of what they're offering.”

Another tactic was to ensure people who left the organisation felt the door was open for them to come back later on in their career. If people felt positive about the workplace when they left for another job, they would not only consider going back when another opportunity came up but would spread the word about the organisation's merits – helping it gain a reputation as an employer of choice.

And Finally....

The Johnson Group's business is all about building relationships, and we want to acknowledge the support you give us which has helped us to grow.

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