About 9 months ago I wrote a blog about how things were showing signs of improving.  I was feeling pretty relieved that there was a bit of light at the end of the tunnel.  Imagine the feeling now as I report a sensational quarter culminating in the best month ever in the history of Momentum Group.  We were established in 1996, so that's best month ever in 14 years!

Things are definitely looking up and many organisations are focussed on higher productivity and getting that old winning feeling back again.  Sure unemployment has crept back up a wee bit, sure Australia beckons offering salaries we seem unable to compete with and yes that old chestnut of finding the right people is back again, but I'll take these scenarios any day compared to the quagmire of despair that engulfed us last year.

We've also learnt a few things post-recession.  Managing costs and focussing on productivity more keenly for one, but just as important is the investment needed to recruit and retain the right talent.

Organisations that skimp on this will lag behind the rest of the competition in terms of higher productivity and performance.  This is an area our political leaders might want to reassess in light of the employment market.  The focus on cutting costs is certainly a short term reply, but is not the long term answer.  It's not impossible, but it does make it more difficult to get great people and subsequently a higher performing public sector. 

Conversely, those who attend to this area well will get quantum return leaving others in their wake.  If we truly realise that the right people resource is scarce again, but we invest in thorough recruitment and retention practices, then we should avoid any negative blips the market throws at us and enjoy an Indian summer of significant proportions as we slowly climb out of one of the worst recessions in living memory.

Enjoy the ride!

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We have a number of areas experience skill shortages. Stay close your consultants to avoid 'panic hiring' as your business begins to breathe and pickup again after a challenging 18 months or so. 

Come see us online http://momentum.co.nz

95% of people that accept a counter offer from their employer, leave within six months!
Don't get clouded by the cash. Think about what you're trying to achieve and discuss it with your employer before going to market.

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I was at a dinner the other night with someone who had just been placed in a CEO role.

I had a good chat to him about his preparation and was very impressed by the investment he had made in himself to get ready for the hiring process.

I’m always interested to hear from candidates about the type of preparation they do for roles. I’m often amazed by the casual attitude that some people take and in this tough economic environment, you can’t expect to breeze in and come away with an offer.

Here’s a quick snapshot of what he did over several weeks after work to prepare:

Built a strong CV:
He got other people to peer review his CV and spent weeks crafting something that clearly outlined his experience, skills and achievements. He started from scratch and designed something specifically for the role. This may sound time consuming, but again, this is an investment.  

Conducted extensive company research:
He looked a readily available information such as the website and promotional materials. He studied the annual reports to see how the business was structured and what their strategic priorities were. He also phoned the Marketing Manager and asked for further information about any upcoming key projects. This put him in a very strong position for answering questions about how he could contribute to the organisation and demonstrated his enthusiasm for the role.

Practiced psychometric tests:
Many candidates panic in psychometric tests and it shows in the results. Get used to the timing and flow of industry standard tests.
You don’t need to practice personality profiling because you are what you are. However, it is important to practice verbal reasoning and numerical reasoning. (We have some available at our website for you to try http://momentum.co.nz).  A good way to improve your scores for these type of assessments is to look at crosswords, number problems and suduko.

Briefed his referees:
He phoned his referees and provided them with some bullet points about key strengths and skill sets he would like them to speak to. He explained what the role was and how much he valued their input. It’s important to get your referees involved.

Sounds like a lot of work? It is but as someone who has conducted thousands of interviews I can assure you that your investment will pay off.

-We have links to some of the testing tool we use at our website http://tinyurl.com/yzppgkf

I still think a hobbies section is relevant on your CV. Just be
careful not to include anything that may stop you getting thte job. If
in doubt, leave it out.

A 0.01% rise in New Zealand GDP growth…we are officially out of the recession!

It may not yet be time to crack open the Bollinger or even the Lindauer but we in business can at least come up for air and take stock after what’s been a very rough 15 months or so.

Let’s be honest. Even at the best of times, most companies are very reactive when it comes to hiring.

Recent conditions have spun companies into an emergency response of downsizing and budget cuts.

Downsizing shores up the balance sheet quickly but the trade-off on your productivity and business growth can make it a double-edged sword.

The last thing you want to do now is ‘panic hire’. Panic hiring can bite you down the track as you don’t always get the best talent and carrying poor performers can compound your productivity issues.   

I’m advising a lot of my clients to look at a project based, variable workforce approach to staffing.

Get in some quality contractors, get them to deliver your projects and bolt them off and on as required.
The most common objection I get is “we can’t afford the hourly rates”. Contractors have also found things tight over the past 12 months or so and are prepared to come to the party on project fees. When you factor in the flexibility and risk mitigation gains it can be a smart solution.

We’ve still got a long way to go but throttling your productivity and growth as the wheels start turning again is probably not a good idea. 

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A quick Hi from me. I'm new to the Tubes and keen to chat with Kiwis about recruitment, retention and NZ business.