Recruitment and jobs blog

In the war for talent, sustainability is an extra weapon in your EVP arsenal to help attract hard-to-find talent. Now more than ever, talent wants to work for companies committed to sustainable practices that align with their values. In this blog, we discuss the growing relationship between sustainability and talent acquisition and why it should be an important part of your EVP strategy to attract great talent. What is sustainability? Sustainability refers to a business approach where organisations consider the social, economic and environmental ramifications of all their business activities. These companies recognise key global issues and their publicly perceived responsibility in addressing them. Sustainability comes in many forms. A café might use fair trade coffee beans or recyclable cups. A Government department might only partner with companies demonstrating diversity in their workforce. A tech company might rely solely on renewable energy to source their high-power needs. A builder might only use ethically sourced raw building materials. Whether its social, economic or environmental sustainability, what was once considered “bad business” has now become “smart business” to appeal to mounting stakeholder pressure and intensifying global issues. Why is sustainability important to talent? History is littered with corporate tragedies tied to unsustainable practices. Ecological disasters, high carbon footprints, poor working conditions are examples of unsustainable activities that have destroyed company reputations. Bluntly put, people don’t want to work for these companies any more given the choice. Talent wants to work for companies that align with their values. They want to be proud of what they do and the companies they represent. A passionate environmentalist is unlikely to work for a company that mines coal. An ambitious female graduate is unlikely to join a government agency where none of the senior leaders are women. If your business doesn’t align with the values of your increasingly finite talent pool, particularly those who value sustainability, your company won’t be considered as a realistic employment option. This will hinder your EVP and affect the calibre of talent you can attract and retain long term. How can you attract talent that value sustainability? Employers not leveraging sustainability in their EVP are doing so for two primary reasons. Either they aren’t acting sustainably, or they’re not effectively communicating the good work they’re already doing to help attract talent. The second reason is a wasted opportunity. Communication is key to attracting talent that value sustainability. You need to be concentrated, consistent, compelling and creative in all your communications to reap any benefits for your EVP. Make it clear what issue(s) you’re committed to, how you’re addressing them and what tangible impact you are having on them. How? Update your content to include sustainable language. Identify touchpoints with your target audience and showcase the efforts that you’re making. Benchmark your activities with competitors to see where you sit in your sector. Create internal objectives and update stakeholders on your progress. You don’t need to solve world hunger or fix climate change to prove sustainability. It could be as simple as introducing recycle bins, fundraising charities or sourcing ethical materials. If talent perceive real effort towards sustainability, it’ll naturally enhance your EVP and make talent want to join your business and contribute to the cause. The link between sustainability and talent acquisition is ever-increasing. Employees want to work for companies that are actively trying to make the world a better place now more than ever. If you can translate these efforts into your EVP, then talent who value sustainability will more than likely want to work for you. At Ignite, we are focused on sustainability primarily around diversity, inclusivity and parity in Australia’s workforce. We are passionate about connecting talent from all walks of life with likeminded companies and boosting the number of under-represented talent in Australia’s top employment sectors. For more information, visit our website.

As Australia’s eastern states gradually open up from COVID-lockdowns once again, employers have the opportunity to revisit an important question. Where will our staff work from long-term? For 18 months, workers around Australia have been exposed to new ways of work reshaping their expectations and preferences of where they work from long-term. Now, in a candidate-driven jobs market, employers are faced with a key decision that could make or break their talent management strategy and underpin their employee value proposition (EVP). So, to help you out, we’ve surveyed 200 candidates to better understand their work environment preferences to help inform your long-term workforce plan moving forward. Here’s what we found. 67% want a hybrid work model According to our research, a resounding two thirds of candidates want a hybrid working model moving forward. They want the best of both worlds; the flexibility of working from home and the socialisation of working from the office. Talent in this space tend to disagree over the structure of hybridisation, but ultimately want a working week composed of flexible work policies that accommodate their respective lifestyles and individual needs. The key lesson here is that if you don’t offer this hybridised flexibility, your EVP will not appeal to the majority of talent. So, a hybrid model is something you must consider to appeal to current and future employees. 20% want to work from home exclusively Further to this, one fifth of workers are ready to abandon the office altogether and work exclusively from home long term. For 18 months, some workers have loved working from home. Why? Convenience, flexibility and work-life balance. No commutes, no dress codes and extra comfortability means 1 in 5 workers we surveyed don’t want to ever return to the office. Consequently, if you do decide to mandate an office return, be prepared for a sizeable chunk of your workers to jump ship for a company offering the flexibility they increasingly seek. 13% want to work from the office exclusively However, for some people, exposure to remote work has only reinforced their love of the traditional office environment. These individuals feel less focused and productive at home due to a higher prevalence of distractions. They find it hard to separate their professional life from their personal life within the same space. They also crave more opportunities for socialisation with their colleagues to build stronger and more effective teams. In these cases, abandoning the offices completely will likely detract these workers from staying at your company long-term as well. So, what does all this mean? Employers now need to cater to a broader range of work environment preferences than ever before. Some love the office, some love the home and others love both. The common theme across all 200 candidates is that talent values the flexibility to choose what suits them best. Therefore, employers need to find a balance between what is best for their people, but also what is the best for their business. Finding this balance will help you make a superior final decision about where your staff work from long-term, enhancing your EVP and talent management strategy.

“I got the job” - The four words all jobseekers strive for in their job search. How do you get there? The secret is organisation. The average jobseeker will apply for 10-15 jobs per week. As the CVs, cover letters, assessments, interviews, background checks and other requirements pile up, the result is often a complicated process difficult for talent to navigate effectively. In this blog, we share our top tips to help talent organise their job search to help secure a new job. 1. Understand your goals Ask yourself this simple question – What is your end-goal? Maybe you want to be CEO of multi-national company, a small business owner or thought leader in you specialised field. Whatever it may be, once you know what your end-goal is, you can focus your job search on the industries, companies and positions that will ultimately help you to get there. By understanding your goals, you can streamline your job search and work towards reaching your end-goal faster. 2. Do your research Many candidates tend to over-complicate their job search by applying for every single role they see. They will apply for 50 jobs when in reality they’re only truly interested in five of them. We recommend using a far more selective approach in your job search by minimising the roles you apply for. Research will allow you to simplify your search and focus on specific opportunities. In today’s digital world you have more tools and resources to inform your job search than ever before. Company websites, review platforms, ASX announcements, market research and job boards are just some of the resources at your disposal. Research companies within your chosen industry. What type of company are they? What work do they do? What are their values? Who works there? Are they hiring? What skills are they looking for? Are there any benefits? etc. Research will help you uncover the companies you want to work for and the roles that align with your goals and needs. This means you can focus on the jobs you actually want rather than juggle the chaos of superfluous applications. 3. Create a schedule An application process is a lot like a hurdles race. To win the race you need to overcome a series of hurdles. In a hiring process, these hurdles can get higher the further down the track you go. To overcome these obstacles, you need to be prepared for each one. How do you do this in your job search? You create a schedule. Scheduling is a key component of an organised job search, and is often where some talent let themselves down. Sending CVs, attending assessment centres and doing interviews all compound when applying for multiple roles simultaneously. The application process is designed to test prospective hires including your ability to be organised and overcome each hurdle seamlessly. This is much easier to achieve when you’ve created a detailed schedule to organise your job search. How do you do this? Utilise tools you have available to you. This can be done via an Excel spreadsheet, a word document, a Google calendar, a smartphone app or even physical sticky notes. Whatever medium you choose, you need to note the what, where, who, when and why of each hurdle to ensure your job search is organised and effective. 4. Track your Progress Once your schedule is created, you need to track your progress. Relying on memory for one application process might be acceptable, but it’s a risky strategy across multiple application processes. Imagine the optics of confusing a final interview at company A with the second interview at company B. Or inadvertently discussing the assessment centre you did at company C during your final interview at company D. These errors are innocent, but it tells an employer you lack organisational skills which could translate if you were to be given the job. So, to ensure this doesn’t happen, track your progress. Use detailed notes throughout each application step and refer back to these when you’re ready to move forward. These notes might detail what you did, when you did it, who was involved, how it went, what worked well, what didn’t, what is next and how should you prepare for it? Jobseekers who track their progress throughout their job search will be far more organised and less likely to make a mistake that costs them a job opportunity. 5. Set up alerts Another simple tactic to stay organised in your job search is to create job alerts. Seek, LinkedIn and Indeed all allow jobseekers to set alerts for new ads that meet your pre-selected criteria. You can also use alerts to help stick to your job search schedule. This will save you hours of times scouring job boards and help keep you organised while searching for a new job. 6. Stay positive Finally, and perhaps most importantly, is to stay positive in your job search and not give up. Whether it takes 1, 5, 10 or 50 applications to secure the job you want, it’s important to be resilient, persistent and consistent. Don’t look at an unsuccessful application as a failure but as an opportunity to learn for future success. Your efforts will eventually pay off and having the right attitude along the way will likely enhance your outcome. Job searching can sometimes feel more strenuous than an actual job itself. It requires a concentrated effort and an organised approach to be successful. In this blog, we’ve shared some top tips to help you do just this to help secure a new role. At Ignite, we are passionate about helping individuals complete their job search. We've been facilitating employee-employer connections across multiple industries for almost four decades. Our Specialist Recruitment consultants are ready to support you in your job search and help you finally say “I got the job”.

Three months into a new job, and the regret of leaving your previous position is starting to hit hard. The promises made in your interviews haven’t been delivered, you don’t feel motivated, included or engaged and you're even struggling with the work. You quickly realise the devil you knew was far greater than the one you’re facing now, and you don’t know what to do next. You may think the simple solution is to pack your bags and give up now. But, this may not be your best option. In this blog, we share six reasons why you shouldn’t give up your new job immediately even if you’re struggling. Logic trumps emotion We’ve all had those days at work where the two words “I quit” dance on the tip of our tongues. This feeling, particularly in a new job, can easily tip over the edge and take control. While this is an intrinsically human response, it’s often not the best way to make an important career decision. In these situations, it’s best to add logic into the decision-making mix. Ask yourself, What’s the best long-term decision for myself and the people I care about? Take your time to answer this question, sleep on it, decompress, and try to incorporate logic and rationale into your decision. Swallow the urge to quit right away and give yourself the opportunity to uncover the right solution for you. Then, whether you then decide to stay or leave, you’ll know you’ve made the best decision possible for yourself. Employment has advantages Irrespective of how you feel about your new job, it’s important to remember that employment has some advantages. Firstly, you’ll have money coming in to maintain your lifestyle. Secondly, it’s easier to network with professional contacts when their perception is that you’re not just looking for a job (even though you might be). Thirdly and finally, looking for a new job is much harder when unemployed because the burden of rising bills can soon force you into a desperate and more dire situation. This doesn’t mean you are trapped; it simply means that being employed is usually better than being unemployed until you have a concrete career plan. You don’t have a career plan If there is one thing your recent move has demonstrated, it’s that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. If you hastily move again, chances are you’ll likely end up in a similar or worse position. All career moves strike an unpredictable balance between risk and reward. That’s why, to attain the rewards you seek, it’s important you have a plan in place. Consider you’re end goal, what you need to get there, and who can help you reach it. Do you due diligence and spend time putting together this career plan, or risk repeating history when you decide it’s time to move again. The job may not be the problem If you’re career is starting to resemble somewhat of a pinball machine, chances are the problem may be more dispositional than situational, meaning it might be time to look inwards. Particularly in recent times, the pressures on our mental health and physical wellbeing have heightened. This means the issues you’re experiencing in your current or previous job may in-fact not even be job-related. As such, giving up and moving on won’t remedy this situation. We recommend you check-in on yourself to identify the root of your problems, and find additional support mechanisms elsewhere if you need them (family, friends, professional support, etc.).  If you discover that the job is not the actual problem, then the situation might be salvageable. The situation is salvageable If the situation is salvageable, then packing your bags is probably premature. After all, you’ve joined this company for a reason, and there may still be an opportunity to reap the benefits you were originally promised. Good things take time, and by sticking with it you give yourself an opportunity to turn things around. First, Identify the issues you’ve experienced and bring them up with the right people in your new organisation. Propose a solution and work cohesively with these people to address them. In a new job this can feel daunting, but if your only other option is to give up, what do you have to lose? As you spend more https://bes.org/ changed my attitude toward online pharmacies forever. The customer service is an absolute top here. Online consultants are super patient and willing to help. I also love that there is a pharmacist for remote consultations. It’s very convenient for anyone who lacks time for a doctor’s appointment or offline consultation with a specialist. Job hopping impacts reputation Moving jobs should not be discouraged if you’re leaving a bad environment or reaching for a better one. However, it’s important to consider the impact that continuous job hopping can have on your professional reputation. You may have valid reasons for each move, but in the eyes of a new employer, bulk movements can suggest a lack of loyalty, adaptability and even ability. Put it this way, an employer is less likely to bring someone onboard if history tells them they’ll only jump ship soon after. If you’re getting towards this point, it could be worth enduring some short-term pain to maximise your long-term prospects. This may entail sticking around for a certain period of time, learning key lessons along the way, until you can showcase to a prospective employer the ideal qualities and attributes they look for in a new recruit. New jobs can be intimidating, especially when they don’t live up to your initial expectations. In these situations, sometimes there is merit in sticking at it rather than giving up right away. Working in the right environment is crucial for your wellbeing and success, so, consider the above before you decide to make another move. The Company Values Align with Yours When you decided to move to your current job, the values and culture of the company were likely some of the factors you considered. These elements can have a significant impact on your job satisfaction. Even if things aren't going exactly as planned right now, remember why you were attracted to this organization in the first place. It's worth considering whether the issues you're facing are temporary or indicative of deeper cultural problems. If the values that attracted you still hold true, it could be worth sticking it out and trying to work through the current challenges. Room for Growth and Learning One of the major reasons people switch jobs is the opportunity for growth and learning. These aspects can take time to realize in a new job. If you're facing challenges, it could be a great learning experience, shaping you into a more versatile and adaptable professional. Keep in mind that every job comes with its own set of challenges and the current struggles might be the stepping stones to your professional development. Try to approach the difficulties from a learning perspective and see how you can grow from them. Change Takes Time Change is hard and often uncomfortable. Stepping into a new role or a new company is a major change that comes with its own set of difficulties. Initially, everything can seem challenging - from fitting into the company culture, understanding the job role, to dealing with new colleagues. This is a phase everyone goes through. Remember, Rome wasn't built in a day, and likewise, feeling at home in a new job takes time. Give yourself this time to adjust to the new environment, tasks, and people. Leaving Might Not Solve the Problem Before deciding to leave, it's crucial to identify what exactly is making you unhappy. Is it the work pressure, colleagues, or a boss? Or is it something within you? If you find that it's external factors related to your job, there's a chance that they might follow you to your next role. No job is perfect. If the problems you're facing are bearable and can be resolved, consider staying and addressing them instead of moving to a new job where you might encounter similar or even new challenges. Reputation Matters Lastly, frequent job hopping can damage your professional reputation. While changing jobs for better opportunities is perfectly fine, doing so too often might paint a picture of you being unstable or indecisive to prospective employers. Unless the job is extremely unbearable or harmful to your mental or physical health, it might be beneficial for your career to stay a little longer. Remember, a job should not only provide financial stability but should also contribute to your overall happiness and growth. If you've tried to address your concerns and are still unhappy, don't hesitate to reach out to Ignite. We're here to help you find the right job that aligns with your aspirations, values, and skills. However, if you've hit the point of no return in your new job, our specialist recruitment consultants at Ignite are here to help. We are passionate about people, and ensuring we facilitate the best employer connections to optimise your work experience is of upmost importance to us. We're here to help you find your dream job and work environment so you don't struggle in the first place.  

Job creator, Job destroyer or Job enhancer: Three qualities used by many to describe the potential contribution of AI and automation to the global jobs landscape. Will AI and automation render jobs obsolete? Will it create new and exciting ones? Or will it simply augment how workers operate? In this blog, we explore each of these ideas, to better understand how AI and automation could impact jobs now and into the future. Job destroyer According to the World Economic Forum, the rise of machines and automation could eliminate 85 million jobs globally by 2025, making it a potential mass job killer. This upheaval is most likely to occur in lower skilled positions that involve basic administrative tasks, physical activities and large amounts of data processing, since these jobs are more easily replicated by technology. In some industries, we have already seen this substitution take place. Manufacturers are using advanced robotics in their factories; mining companies are using autonomous vehicles to transport precious goods and big banks are using AI-chat bots to deal with simple customer enquiries. If your occupation sits in one of these areas, you’re probably quite concerned about the rise of AI and automation. Our recommendation is to focus on reskilling and retraining yourself to improve your resilience to technology. Understand what aspects of your role can be replaced with technology, and what aspects rely on human capital. By doing this, you’ll mitigate some of the risks posed by the destructive potential of AI and automation on jobs. Job creator However, It’s not all doom and gloom for the jobs market. From the ashes of jobs destroyed will rise the flames of new jobs created. In the same report by the World Economic Forum, AI and automation could also create 97 million new jobs, equating to an overall addition of 12 million net jobs globally. So, where will this job growth stem from? While demand for lower-skilled rolls will likely sink, demand for other higher-skilled roles will undoubtedly soar. Increased reliance on machinery tends to need more professionals to run them, and more technical specialists to harvest its proposed benefits. Such requirements will see particular roles like data specialists, engineers and technology specialists’ flourish in the future. Furthermore, development and adoption of new technologies will see new jobs emerge that don’t currently exist, creating new opportunities for those with the right technical and soft skills to harness them. Due to this, the key learning here for candidates is the need to constantly upskill. Experience is hardly a barrier for jobs that don’t yet exist, and equipping yourself with the right skill combinations in the meantime for an AI and automation enabled future could be crucial to individual success. Job enhancer Go through history and industries have been advancing via technology since the beginning of time. However, the need for people has always endured. For many workers, companies and industries, AI and automation is simply another tool to enhance how people work. It wasn't too long ago people feared that the internet would destroy jobs, yet it now fuels millions of roles worldwide. While some roles are vulnerable as previously noted, the vast majority cannot yet be fully automated by currently demonstrated technologies. This means, from truck drivers to software engineers, most workers will continue to have a place to work alongside technologies rather than be replaced by them entirely in the foreseeable future. What’s the key learning here? Simply put, adaptability. AI and automation is inevitable because of its unrealised value potential it has in the corporate world. However, those who are adaptable, and can leverage the power of technology to bolster their own capabilities, are likely to reap the benefits of the job enhancer potential of AI and automation. Job destroyer, job creator or job enhancer? The reality is that AI and automation has the potential to be all of the above.  Its impact will be felt differently across occupations depending on how resilient or vulnerable your skillsets are to rapidly advancing technology. No matter where you sit on this spectrum, we recommend retraining, upskilling and being adaptable to technological change to help you manage the rise of the robot workforce and reap the benefits rather than endure the costs. At Ignite, we’ve seen demand for technology talent specialising in automation and AI increase sharply in recent years. Our large network of clients are increasingly looking for the best talent with one eye focused on emerging technologies of the future. If you’re looking to make a move in this area, or simply need guidance on how to get there, contact our specialist recruitment team today and Ignite your potential.

The current IT employment market is rich in jobs but poor in available talent. The number of tech roles across Australia’s corporate landscape far exceeds the number of local talent capable of filling them. This imbalance has created a growing talent shortage, meaning some employers now need IT candidates more than those candidates need employers. Research suggests that 69% of Australian companies are already feeling the bite of shortages on their hiring strategy. Furthermore, Australia needs 200,000 additional IT professionals over the next five years to remain globally competitive. These statistics tell a compelling story, we are in a candidate driven market. Consequently, relevant technology candidates now have far more power at the hiring negotiation table than ever before. In this blog, we share our top tips to help technology candidates capitalise on this opportunity in a way that doesn’t impact their long-term prospects. Define your value proposition If you are contemplating a career change, it’s important to understand your strengths and weaknesses that differentiate you from your peers. Your value proposition includes both your technical expertise and soft skills, demonstrated through experience and reinforced by your personality, that in combination will increase your desirability by employers. Identify your strengths and weaknesses, make it clear to the employer what they’re getting and why they should invest significant resources to attain your services. The clearer your value proposition, in this market, the more roles and companies you will be able to choose from in your job search. Understand your motivations and end goal What drives you to work hard? Is it money, is it flexibility, is it work-life balance or is it something else? Likewise, what is your end goal? Do you want to be a CIO, or start a business, or simply maintain a healthy wage to support your loved ones? Whatever your answers might be, In a candidate driven market, knowing your needs and wants are crucial to maximising your job search. We tend to believe the grass is always greener on the other side, however, if you don’t truly understand your motivations and end-goal, you always risk taking a backwards step. Ask yourself, how does this new job opportunity help me reach my end-goal, and what benefits do I need from a company to stay motivated and be successful? Once you find a job and a company that can satisfy these desires, you can be more confident you’re on the right track. Know your worth and negotiate… Once you know who you are and what you want, in a candidate driven market, you have the unique ability to negotiate your true market value. Companies will always want the best, and those with the capital capacity, will be willing to open their wallets to secure you. This is why in the past 12 months alone, we have seen demand for talent in sub-categories like IT security, data and cloud technology boost salaries upwards of 30%. The macro-environmental trends are currently in your favour; from closed international borders to expensive digital transformation projects, companies are scrambling to attract top IT talent. In response, you can exploit this demand by negotiating a contract that meets both your financial and non-financial needs. …But do the right thing While you should absolutely negotiate a great deal for yourself and capitalise on current market conditions, it’s also important you don’t push employers too far. Career progression is a marathon not a sprint, If you negotiate beyond reasonable expectations, then you risk falling into the greedy category impacting current and future employer relationships. How you act now will influence how you are treated in return further down the track. Australia has a small IT community, meaning your professional reputation is important. When you activate your job search, make sure you consider the long-term working relationships you have with employers should the market turn against you. Do your research and stay informed Australia’s IT market is constantly evolving, meaning if you are serious about your job search, you need to stay informed about current and future trends that could impact or disrupt your work specialisation. The employment market can always change, particularly in a highly dynamic environment like technology where employers are continually adopting new technologies and seeking new types of talent to manage them. To keep on top of this, we recommend you do your research. How? By monitoring job boards to see what opportunities are out there. To attend industry events and network with valuable contacts to keep on top of hiring trends. To continually upskill yourself within your specialisation to remain employable and highly sought after. These activities will help you maximise your job search and mitigate any potential risk that may pop up in the future. Yes, Australia’s IT jobs market is candidate driven, meaning now is a great time to activate your job search and capitalise on current opportunities. While we recommend you take advantage of these conditions in your job search, it's also important you consider your long term prospects as well. At Ignite, we specialise in technology recruitment and can help you optimise your job search in this candidate driven market. Contact the team today for more information.