Recruitment and jobs blog

There was a time, not so long ago, when it was commonplace for a school leaver to choose a career and stick with it, often within the same organisation for the next half century. Go back even further and your life’s work was set from birth, enshrined in your surname. If you were a Tailor, Miller, Cooper or Smith, that’s what you did, because that’s what your family had always done. How times have changed! The modern worker now has more flexibility and autonomy than ever before. You can choose your education, your occupation and your employer to optimise your professional journey. Furthermore, if a particular situation isn’t to your liking, then you’re free to find an alternate. But when is it appropriate to make the switch? There are many signs that it might be time for you to move on from your current job.  Let’s take a look at 10 of the most common:       You’re no longer excited or challenged by your work Who wants to spend 40+ hours of their week doing something that doesn’t excite or challenge them? They say love what you do and you’ll never work a day in your life. If your work is stimulating and challenging, you are more likely to achieve fulfillment, particularly when this adversity is overcome. Alternatively, If you don’t experience these feelings in your current role then perhaps this is a sign you should seek this fulfillment elsewhere.       You don’t feel like you’re making an impact Fulfillment can also be dependent on a sense of purpose in your work. Everyone wants to feel like a critical cog in the machine, or that their efforts are generally doing good for their company or in the broader community. If you don’t feel like you’re making an impact, or feel as though you aren’t contributing to something meaningful, perhaps you can find more purpose by shaking things up.        You don’t receive feedback Feedback is a core component of professional development. How can you improve if nobody tells you your strengths and weaknesses? A lack of feedback can lead to feelings of listlessness; of treading water and hoping you won’t drown. If your performance isn’t being reviewed by your managers, or if soliciting feedback is increasingly difficult, this may be a sign your leaders aren’t invested in your growth and better support would be provided somewhere else.        Your good work goes unacknowledged No matter your age, experience or position, it is intrinsically human to seek reward or acknowledgement for doing good work. If you pour your heart and soul into your work without receiving even an appreciative nod in return, perhaps your current company is taking your talents for granted. If this is the case, perhaps another employer would acknowledge your efforts more appropriately.         You aren’t being reimbursed for your good work What’s even better than an appreciative nod? Reward. Salary and compensation remains a key motivator for many professionals in the workplace. If you’re doing objectively outstanding work, you deserve to be adequately compensated for it. One thing’s for sure, good companies are willing to pay for good talent, particularly in candidate-tight industries. If you believe you’re not being reimbursed adequately for your good work, perhaps another organisation is willing to open the cheque book.        You lack opportunities for development and growth Do you ever feel like a hamster on a wheel, working hard but going nowhere? Many of us dread this feeling of career stagnation and are focused on moving forward.The best workplaces offer opportunities for career advancement through training and development, clear paths to promotion or ideally a balanced mix of both. If your current position offers neither, rending you stuck in the ‘hamster wheel’, maybe it’s time to leave the cage altogether and move to greener pastures.        Your company is struggling You’ll probably notice subtle signs when your company is struggling to stay afloat. Are your leaders stressed? Is your company cutting costs? Are colleagues leaving in droves? If the ship is sinking it’s often best to get out before it’s too late. While loyalty to a company may appear noble, unfortunately, when a company collapses, employees who remain aboard are often caught up in the financial and reputational crosshairs which can sit with them throughout their career journey.        You constantly feel stressed or anxious The workplace can have a material impact on the mental health and wellbeing of individuals. For example, banks and legal firms are facing an exodus on junior talent due to their highly stressful work environments. If you feel constantly stressed or anxious in your role, this is typically an indicator from your brain that this job isn’t a great fit for you. While stress is prevalent in all roles, too much can have serious consequences. If you find yourself feeling this way, a new job may be the valtrex medicine you need to improve your mental health.        You don’t feel part of a team Did you know that many workers spend more time with their colleagues than their family? IIn any environment, it is preferable to spend time with people you click with as opposed to colleagues you dislike and hold contempt for. In an organisational context, social unrest is not good for anyone. If you don’t like your colleagues, or feel isolated and not a part of the team, perhaps it’s time to remove yourself from the situation and find a more supportive team in a new job.      You’re struggling to find work/life balance Employee demand for work life balance is rapidly  increasing, Alongside salary, it has become one of the biggest motivators for individuals to change roles. However, many ‘old school’ employers are yet to adjust to these preferences and continue to measure commitment of their staff by the hours of unpaid overtime they put in. If this mentality sounds familiar, perhaps it’s time to find a workplace more accommodating to your needs where leaders put an onus on productivity over presence.  As an employee, ask yourself how many of these 10 signs resonate with you? If it’s one or more, it might be worth exploring other job opportunities. Life’s too short to be unhappy in your career, particularly when there are a plethora of alternative options.  If these signs resonate with you and you’re ready to look for a new job, the Ignite team can help.

How do you build the perfect team? Traditionally most organisations will identify an empty role, post a job ad, scour through resumes and interview the candidates who seem to bring the skills and experience they need. However, traditional methods don't always guarantee the best outcome. What if you don’t have an empty role and need to create a new one. What if you already have the required skill sets within your team and a simple restructure is a better option? In these situations, there is a rather elegant solution for organisations to build the perfect team: Profiling.  The whats and whys of profiling In simple terms, profiling is about gaining a better understanding of the talent within your organisation. It allows you to identify, arrange and secure the people that you need to hit your goals. It’s an all-encompassing concept, taking into account such factors as your team, your culture, your future, the skills and personalities that will drive your business to work more effectively. The goal of profiling is balance – it is designed to build an effective team that balances different personalities and skill sets. Done well, it helps leaders understand the complex web of intra-team strengths and weaknesses to make better business decisions.  Profiling brings clarity to a team. It allows team members to understand what each individual brings to the table and the key role each of them play in maintaining this balance. When these roles are clear, teams become more harmonious, accountable, trusting, adaptable and flexible to the requirements of your organisation. These elements are invaluable within modern, fast paced businesses.  How to map your team’s profile Your team’s ideal profile can be mapped in seven relatively simple steps: Identify objectives: What are your team’s goals, both short-term and long-term? Identify leaders: Who is best placed to lead the team to these goals?   Identify leadership traits: What characteristics do leaders need to do their job well?  Identify key workers: Which individuals will assist your leaders to achieve these goals? Identify worker traits:  What characteristics do key workers need to do their jobs well?  Profile your players: Create profiles of key players in your current and ideal teams Map your team: Match your profiles of players in your current team with players in your ideal team. Look for the gaps that need to be filled. Create pathways that allow individuals in your current team to follow to become a member of your ideal team Profiling is a flexible exercise. It can range from a simple exercise to gather insights on your team to a complex roadmap towards sustainable business growth by building stronger teams. No matter whether you take a more formal or more casual approach, it encourages more informed business decision making. Just remember, profiling your team is far from a ‘one and done’ process. It should be a constant and continuous review of the individuals within your team to ensure they align with your broader business goals and strategy.  Making the most of what you’ve got When you boil it down, profiling is simply an exercise in efficiency. It allows you to identify the right people you need to reach your business objectives by maximising your available resources. However, in some cases, when gaps can’t be filled internally, profiling enables you to bring in new talent that will actually drive you towards your business goals.  If you need assistance profiling your talent to build effective teams, or are looking to bring in new talent to help you achieve your business objectives, look no further than Ignite.  Click here to chat to our friendly team about profiling today.

Employee engagement is the emotional commitment an employee has to their organisation. It is correlated with higher productivity, a happier workplace, greater staff retention and superior profitability. An engaged employees take more pride in their work, goes over and above in their role, becomes an active brand ambassador and is more committed to an organisation’s goals. Consequently, they are a key ingredient to business success. In times of crisis, employee engagement is often compromised and becomes one of many challenges faced by employers. From a cyber-security breach to a global pandemic, crises are often unforeseen, unpredictable and highly impactful on employees. They typically create periods of heightened uncertainty and change that can trigger anxiety, stress, mental health conditions and other issues for individuals. It is crucial that employers efficiently and effectively identify, manage and overcome these challenges to ensure business continuity. According to the published data at , it is said that Valium belongs to psychotropic drugs, to the group of tranquilizers or anxiolytics (psychotropic drugs that reduce anxiety), antiepileptic drugs that affect the neuromuscular transmission of impulses. So, what can a business do to mitigate these impacts? The secret is proactive planning. Instill confidence in your employees by establishing a strategic plan that minimises the symptoms experienced during times of crisis. The following measures can play a crucial role in negating the impacts of any crisis on employee engagement: Communicate Intentionally and honestly Avoid misinformation and rumours Build trust through authentic leadership Use your personal communication skills Focus on mental health and wellbeing of employees Be flexible and relax working policies Encourage engagement and collaboration Celebrate employees and inject fun Organisations that use the tools above have a greater chance successfully navigating and conquering any crisis they encounter. Employers who are proactive in their response are more likely to have improved individual engagement, stronger team morale, greater employee retention and other potential future benefits that an organisation can reap. With this in mind, Ignite has developed a comprehensive guide to help organisations manage employee engagement in a crisis. This guide explores in-depth the challenges an organisation and its employees may experience during a crisis, and suggests proactive strategies to effectively respond and overcome them. Download our guide now using the link below.

Are you ready for your job interview? Better turn on your webcam and put your headphones in, because the job interview as we know it has changed. No more firm handshakes and nervous waits in reception, because interviews have migrated online in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Virtual collaboration tools (e.g. Zoom, Skype, etc.) have become the norm in today’s recruitment process, overhauling how employers interact with new candidates. This has given rise to the virtual job interview, creating a new set of challenges and considerations that candidates must now be aware of to be successful in their job search. In this article, we’re sharing the top 9 tips to help you master the virtual job interview and secure that dream job. Optimise your sound quality One of the most important considerations in a virtual interview is sound quality. It’s important that an interviewer can clearly understand what you’re saying to make an accurate judgement of your capabilities and personality as you answer their questions. To foster this, eliminate background noises and remove any distractions that may take away from your presentation. Find a quiet spot to conduct the interview, mute notifications on your phone and PC, wear high quality headphones that can block out external noises. These small actions will improve your sound quality, improving the overall quality of your interview. Set your background The background you use in a virtual interview is a key strategic decision to make prior to an interview, as its contents can reveal additional information to an employer about who you are. With modern technology, there are plenty of options including virtual, plain or real-life backgrounds. Each has its pros and cons and infers different information. A plain background is more conservative and ensures you’re the focal point which can help you standout. A virtual background can look visually striking and memorable but can also distract the interviewer. A real background, like a home office or bedroom, can help showcase elements of your personality and attributes that may otherwise be missed. For example, it’s much easier to convince an employer you’re well organised if you’re sitting in a clean and tidy space. A bookcase may suggest a willingness to learn, or a guitar may suggest you’re creatively minded. Done well, a real background can be a subtle way to showcase who you are to an employer helping you standout in a limited amount of time. Just remember, whatever you choose, the interviewer can see everything behind you, so think carefully about how you set your background. Check your lighting Lighting is another key consideration in the virtual interview, after all you still want to capture your best side. A room with strong natural light always works well, so you may want to sit near a window. We recommend using a light source in front of you to ensure you don’t appear washed out on-screen. Conversely, a light source behind you can create glare on the lens which could inhibit the visual experience for the employer. You can also improve the visual experience by using a high-quality webcam, or even utilise in-built features on Zoom that optimise your appearance. Strong visual quality, just like sound quality, is essential in a virtual interview in order to be remembered or at least not forgotten. Use positive body language The firm handshake and enthusiastic greeting have become redundant in a virtual interview, but body language still has an important role to play. Strong body language conveys confidence to an employer, and can greatly influence the overall feel of an interview. It’s important to consider what gestures translate well on-camera and which ones do not. Simple ways to project strong body language online can include sitting up straight, maintaining eye contact with the camera and smiling. These simple actions signal engagement, enthusiasm and confidence, which are beneficial when trying to impress a prospective employer. Consider your virtual identity Our virtual identity now plays a key role in the formation of first impressions. In today’s digital world, an interviewer will see your email address and username long before they meet you. It’s very unlikely these digital identifiers will help you stand out from the crowd, but inappropriate or unprofessional ones could significantly inhibit your outcome. This means [email protected] or Sparkleboy84 may not go down so well in a professional context. To combat this, keep your digital identifiers simple, clear and as professional as possible. This will create an untainted initial impression with your interviewer, which you can then build upon later during your interview. Test your technology Relying on technology to conduct an interview brings with it a number of potential risks. Prior to your interview, check your WiFi signal, make sure your computer battery is charged, test your audio, make sure your webcam works, have back-up equipment just in case and click on the meeting link early to ensure everything downloads smoothly. There is nothing worse than dropping out mid-interview, or producing obstructed visuals or muffled audio. Sometimes these issues are unavoidable, but testing all your equipment to minimise these risks will greatly increase the likelihood that everything runs smoothly during the actual interview enhancing overall quality. Use notes One key advantage of the virtual interview is that you can use notes to guide you without an employer knowing. Notes can be a great aid during an interview, reminding you to communicate all key points and assisting you if you become stuck or flustered. However, it’s important that you don’t rely on notes, or risk being perceived as reading off a page. This can be a major turn-off for an employer. To avoid this, we recommend using minimal notes and displaying them at eye level with the camera. This will allow you to use them if necessary, without giving away to an employer you are doing so. This back-up option could provide you with extra confidence needed to help you thrive in your interview. Remember the basics While the environment of the interview has drastically changed, ultimately the interview itself remains the same. Due to this, it’s important to remember the basics. Dress to impress by ensuring your appearance reflects the professional identity your trying to present – remember the top-half online is key. Do your research to better understand the employer, the industry and their needs. Have a digital copy of your CV ready on standby just in case the employer asks for it. Remembering these basics will allow you to flourish in any interview whether conducted virtually or not. Practice makes perfect Using new technologies can be unsettling, particularly in an already stressful situation like an interview. To minimise this, practice remains crucial to building confidence and improving performance. Get a feel for talking into a camera, work out the angles, lighting, background, etc. that works best for you. Learn how to use different virtual collaboration tools (e.g. Zoom, Skype, Google Hangouts, etc.) to understand their features or settings that could lift your performance. Practice answering typical questions and record yourself to get a sense of how you come across. These tips will help you overcome any anxiety you may experience, optimising your performance for the real thing. These 9 tips will help you master the virtual job interview and secure new employment in today’s increasingly digital environment. Understanding how to use virtual collaboration tools, and using them in your favour, can be a huge advantage to help you stand out in the highly competitive candidate market. If you’ve got a virtual interview coming up, take a deep breath, relax, remember these tips and you will give yourself the best chance of success.   Author: Mark Southwood Executive Business Analyst

Many people begin the job search enthusiastic about the possibilities ahead. But when they don’t get a role they wanted or if the process goes on longer than intended, they feel deflated and less confident with each interview. Exuding a positive attitude and confidence is essential when looking for a job and will determine your outcome. Whether you’re embarking on a search for a new role or have been on the job hunt for a while, the following tips can help you feel more ease and less effort. Prepare your CV & pitch “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” -Benjamin Franklin Like anything else in life, you’ll be more relaxed and confident when you’ve prepared for the job at hand. Hannah Simpson, recruitment consultant for Ignite in Sydney, says preparation is about making sure you have a complete CV, clear pitch and focused approach. She advises candidates to take the following steps: • Strengthen your CV: “Your CV is an extension of you. It needs to be consistent and complete. If you’re missing details about your experience and skills you could be missing your next opportunity.” • Create a pitch: “You should be able to briefly and clearly explain what you’re looking for and how you can benefit employers.” • Focus your search: “Make a list of the industries and organisations you’re interested in and proactively reach out to introduce yourself to internal contacts and recruiters." “If you look great on paper, sound crisp when introducing yourself and know what you’re after, you’ll be more prepared than most job seekers out there,” says Simpson. Focus on the benefits of the journey “Happiness is a journey, not a destination…So treasure every moment you have.” – Alfred D. Souza Many people view a job search as something to get through before you can relax and enjoy life. But as the writer and philosopher Alfred D. Souza discovered life is full of obstacles and there’s no sense in delaying happiness. Enjoying the job search journey will require you to change your perspective and see the benefits of the search itself, namely to explore and learn. • Get up to speed on trends: To be your best in interviews you’ll need to brush up on industry and trade trends, which will boost your professional confidence. • Explore organisations: The mere act of applying for jobs exposes you to a variety of organisations, educating you about the marketplace and possibilities. • Learning about yourself: When you mentally “try on” new positions, potential bosses and companies, you become clearer about what you desire from a role and a company. “The job search is an opportunity to grow as a professional,” says Simpson. “I encourage candidates to accept interviews even when they believe the role isn’t a perfect fit so they can practice interviewing and learn from the feedback interviewers provide.” Embrace non-attachment “Attachment is the origin, the root of suffering; hence it is the cause of suffering.” – Dali Lama Being detached from the outcome doesn’t mean that you don’t care or are non-emotional. It simply means you choose to not get entangled in the fleeting feelings and thoughts that come along with the process of landing a role. It means you choose to be empowered and joyful regardless of what happens in your search, during interviews and afterwards. Practicing non-attachment means: • You don’t allow other people’s words and actions to influence the way you feel. • You remain in the present moment, unconcerned about “what will happen.” • You release the need to control situations and trust that your needs will be met. “Interviewing is a two-way street. If it’s a fit for both of you, great. If not, know that there’s a role that’s a better match waiting for you,” says Simpson. “If you’ve prepared and go in with the intention of learning whether you want to work for the company and manager, you can relax and enjoy the interview.” Ready to search for a new role with ease? Ignite has job openings throughout Australia: Take a look here.