Late yesterday evening, the NSW Premier Nathan Rees was voted out of office and Kristina Keneally voted in. I was listening to some vox pop on the radio this morning, people on the Sydney streets being asked what they think of having four NSW premiers in as many years, as well as commentary over other statistics: seven Education Ministers in six years and a colourful congo line of Police Ministers.
The media does a brilliant job of presenting hype as news itself. Are we NSW citizens all worried now about the infighting and crebility of this state's government? Since you ask...
Kevin Rudd has even told the NSW government to get its act together. Bit embarrassing.
What the media does do well however is ask a lot of questions. Stories are coming in this morning which give us a lot more information on who Kristina Keneally is, who the powerbrokers are and the flaws in the current state political system that are perpetuating this dancing in and out of office. So perhaps it's all a good thing, a learning experience for us and them.
Politics is not the same as running a company but some of the HR principles are the same. There is some uncertainty and tension around who our leaders are now. If you were going for a job interview and you found out that those in senior management were only celebrating one or two birthdays in office at the most, I think you would either get a dodgy feeling in your guts or start asking a lot of questions yourself.
Job interviews are a bit like press conferences. Don't research the company only to rehearse and repeat impressive information during your meeting, make sure that this is a solid team with a good performance record. A group that you want to be a part of. Google the company to see if they appear in the media or internet landscape at all, and ask your interviewers about what you find. If you don't feel good about their answers or something doesn't add up, give it a miss. It will save you weeks and months of being in the wrong job and living with that dodgy feeling in your guts each day.
All the best to Kristina Keneally. Most of us are already working for her (paying our taxes and doing our best for the economy) so we can only hope that things settle down and improve.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
The Anatomy of Recruitment
Recruitment is a lot about sales. As with any sales, the salesperson works with what they have in stock - the main business areas that they trade in, or what they can possibly order in and arrange for you. The stock we are talking about are job vacancies.
Although many recruitment agencies would call themselves generalist (that is, not exclusive to one key area such as transport, science or accounting), it's probably not the case in a literal sense - most service a core range such as office administration, accounts and sales, or trades, distribution and manufacturing. It would be very challenging to be everything to everyone.
Some agencies have solved this by developing specialised units, so the agency is broken up into exclusive areas with recruiters who only deal with a certain occupation or industry, and this is how they market themselves as separate entities under the same agency umbrella.
But going back to the recruitment agency's main focuses - generalist or not, please be aware of the types or range of positions they actually do business in. If you visit a Ford dealership and ask about new Mitsubishis, it's unlikely that they will have any in stock or be ready to have one delivered - it's just not their line of work. I'm not saying that enquiries are out of the question, but if you are hoping that a recruiter might find you work as an Engineer when they usually work with customer service positions, you're working with the wrong person.
I received an enquiry this afternoon from a graduate who was looking for advice to start working as a manager. It would be a rare occasion that someone finished their degree and started working as a manager (unless you're in the armed forces or part of a great corporate dynasty), so it was a tough ask. Managers have usually worked their way to the top - that's why they have the smarts to manage. So this person lost their temper and said "come on, you work in the HR industry, you must know everyone."
I appreciate that this individual was frustrated. Especially having management qualifications, the hardest step is just getting experience to be on your way. But it's a serious misjudgement to think that people who work in the HR industry know everyone? There's no one salesperson who sells everything, only people who can show you how to get where you want to be. I gave the person recommendations on how to proceed, but there was no way I could provide a quick fix or an easy answer.
Consider how the person you speak to is going to help you - think about the outcome you would like before you start the relationship. Don't be offended by the feedback from recruiters as flat rejection if you don't get the result you're after - it's just a mismatch. Use their experience, ask questions and take advantage of referrals.
Although many recruitment agencies would call themselves generalist (that is, not exclusive to one key area such as transport, science or accounting), it's probably not the case in a literal sense - most service a core range such as office administration, accounts and sales, or trades, distribution and manufacturing. It would be very challenging to be everything to everyone.
Some agencies have solved this by developing specialised units, so the agency is broken up into exclusive areas with recruiters who only deal with a certain occupation or industry, and this is how they market themselves as separate entities under the same agency umbrella.
But going back to the recruitment agency's main focuses - generalist or not, please be aware of the types or range of positions they actually do business in. If you visit a Ford dealership and ask about new Mitsubishis, it's unlikely that they will have any in stock or be ready to have one delivered - it's just not their line of work. I'm not saying that enquiries are out of the question, but if you are hoping that a recruiter might find you work as an Engineer when they usually work with customer service positions, you're working with the wrong person.
I received an enquiry this afternoon from a graduate who was looking for advice to start working as a manager. It would be a rare occasion that someone finished their degree and started working as a manager (unless you're in the armed forces or part of a great corporate dynasty), so it was a tough ask. Managers have usually worked their way to the top - that's why they have the smarts to manage. So this person lost their temper and said "come on, you work in the HR industry, you must know everyone."
I appreciate that this individual was frustrated. Especially having management qualifications, the hardest step is just getting experience to be on your way. But it's a serious misjudgement to think that people who work in the HR industry know everyone? There's no one salesperson who sells everything, only people who can show you how to get where you want to be. I gave the person recommendations on how to proceed, but there was no way I could provide a quick fix or an easy answer.
Consider how the person you speak to is going to help you - think about the outcome you would like before you start the relationship. Don't be offended by the feedback from recruiters as flat rejection if you don't get the result you're after - it's just a mismatch. Use their experience, ask questions and take advantage of referrals.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
