Recruitment and jobs blog

To return to the office or stay at home? A key decision high on the agenda for many employees. it’s easy to look at the benefits of remote work and decide you never want to return to the office. Who doesn’t love the additional flexibility, work life balance and autonomy that comes with working from home? However, whilst there are undoubtedly some great perks of remote work, there are also some key shortcomings that can be better accomplished in the office. Perhaps this is why many companies are adopting hybrid work models, to give their employees the best of both worlds. The advantages of remote working are easy to see – no commute, no office dress code and more time with the family. On the other hand, the advantages of the office may be less clear. Whether you're pro-office or pro-home, it's important that  you understand the advantages of both environments to make a more informed decision about where you work from long-term. Here are the top 3 reasons you should consider working (in some capacity) from the office. 1.Socialisation One major drawback of remote work is the lack of face-to-face socialisation. Many of us experienced the Zoom fatigue phenomenon of 2020, where despite great improvements in our trivia skills and ability to talk on mute, socialisation became far more challenging. This is not surprising given we are hardwired to be social creatures, and the office provides us with a physical environment to satisfy this intrinsic need with our colleagues. Sure, we can talk online and give a virtual thumbs up, but technology still isn’t capable of replicating the impact of physically shaking your bosses hand or sharing a meal with your teammates to celebrate a job well done. Remember, great companies are underpinned by strong teams that need to work cohesively and collaboratively to be successful. In a remote environment, these relationships are harder to build, harder to maintain, and harder to leverage to optimise both your individual and team performance. In all areas of our lives, including our professional careers, we search for a sense of belonging. Research suggests that people who have a strong sense of belonging to an organisation are six times more likely to be engaged, motivated and productive. Furthermore, people who work remotely over an extended period of time are far more likely to feel disconnected with their employer. This disconnection, exacerbated by ‘social distance’ while working remotely, impacts your overall mental wellbeing and happiness. Therefore, offices provide an environment that enable you to socialise with others, feel a sense of belonging and build stronger team connections that ultimately enhance your mental wellbeing and performance. 2.Learning & Development If your primary motivation is learning and development, then you are potentially limiting your opportunities for growth by adopting a fully remote work experience. Learning goes well beyond simply reading a book or watching a webinar, it also relies on immersive and experiential forms of learning that are more likely to occur in the office. According to the 70 20 10 learning framework, 70% of our learning comes from experiential knowledge, 20% comes from social knowledge and 10% comes from formal knowledge. Based on this, 80% of our learning is better achieved in a face-to-face environment (i.e., an office) than a remote one (i.e., at home). Consciously or not, we learn a lot from the people around us. We listen to conversations, we read body language, we see how our managers display leadership and how our colleagues solve business problems. These teachings are almost impossible to replicate remotely, meaning that you’re inhibiting your professional development by abandoning the office completely. 3.Career Progression Most people, particularly early in their careers, are looking for opportunities to advance. If you want the next promotion, a new job, more money or more opportunities, then never being in the office may harm your future prospects. Rightly or wrongly, When it comes to career progression, you are ‘out of sight out of mind’. Research suggests people who work remotely are less likely to receive a promotion than someone who works in the office. This means merit or productivity aside, facetime with colleagues and managers is important because in this case, perception is often reality. If you’re not in the office, you have less opportunity to build relationships, showcase leadership abilities and demonstrate your technical and soft skills. You may be working just as hard if not harder at home, but if you’re not visible to the people making the key decisions, then chances are they will choose someone else rendering your progression stagnant. Yes, remote work has great perks and is an increasingly popular feature of how people want to work moving forward. However, it’s important to realise that the office also has key advantages crucial in your career journey. So, when the time comes to make that decision for yourself (or others), it’s important you consider all of the above to make an informed choice about where you work now and into the future. If you need assistance with making this decision, or are looking for a company whose work model accommodates your needs, get in touch with the team at Ignite today.

Digital transformation is high on the strategic agenda for many companies across all industries. From big banks to Federal Government departments, more and more organisations are integrating digital technologies into all areas of their business to streamline costs, improve capability and innovate their products and services. One such technology underpinning these efforts is cloud computing, which is changing the way companies operate and deliver. The global IT cloud market is expected to grow 18% this year, accelerated by COVID-19 and booming commerical demand. The days of strained internal servers and bursting PC hard drives are gradually phasing out in favour of cloud technologies managed by external providers. In this article, we define what cloud computing is, why it has become so popular, and what this means for companies across industries from a recruitment perspective. What is cloud computing? Ever heard the phrase “It’s in the cloud”. No need to look up, this simply means your IT resources (e.g., data, servers, networks, analytics, software, applications) are being stored, managed, processed and delivered on a remote network of servers usually inside a data centre. Simply put, the cloud enables digital products and services to be delivered over the internet (“the cloud”) between IT vendors, enterprises and end-users. Why are companies shifting to the cloud? Turn on the news, and inevitably you’ll see the latest company undergoing their own ‘digital transformation’ project. In the wake of COVID-19, 70% of Australian organisations plan to increase their cloud spend. Why? There are three key reasons. 1) Cost Firstly, managing IT infrastructure is expensive. It requires lots of IT people to run it, significant electricity to power it, and a temperature-controlled environment to keep it operating smoothly. Add in continuous upgrades, fixes, maintenance and other resource-consuming costs, it’s an expensive model for organisations to manage internally. Shifting to the cloud enables organisations to outsource these expensive tasks saving them time and money to focus on other business matters. 2) Performance Secondly, major cloud platforms run across vast global networks of data centres that help maximise performance of IT systems. Data centres are equipped to manage, store and process enormous amounts of data to keep your IT systems running efficiently and effectively. Furthermore, They are constantly upgraded with the latest hardware and software, and allow companies to be flexible and agile in their IT usage by seamlessly scaling up and down capacity according to their actual needs. 3) Security Thirdly, since cloud providers store sensitive company data, their security protocols and technologies are well above an average internal server. In an age of rising cyber-crime and disruption, these extra layers of protection and reliability are crucial for business continuity and peace of mind. If an internal server breaks down or a PC fails, the impact on a business can be catastrophic. By shifting to the cloud, your capability to keep data safe, ensure business continuity and recover from a disaster is considerably improved if something does go wrong. Who are the top cloud players? Competition for commercial workload in the global cloud market is fierce. Not surprising when Australia's cloud market alone grows 40% each year. Two companies lead this booming market: Amazon’s AWS and Microsoft’s Azure. What do these companies have in common? They’re both owned by global tech giants, they both leverage their leading tech capabilities (e.g., AI, analytics, software, etc.) into their cloud offering and they both are growing at a staggering rate. Amazon Web Services (AWS) boasts a 32% share of the global market, and is the cloud infrastructure arm of e-commerce giant Amazon. AWS leverages its competencies in AI, managed databases (e.g., MySQL), machine learning and serverless deployments to deliver on-demand computer resourcing services to individuals and organisations. To put its economy of scale in perspective, AWS delivers more operating income for Amazon than its entire e-commerce business. This is because many businesses, including multiple Federal Government departments and popular video collaboration tools like Zoom, rely on their platform to store critical data and deliver valuable services. Close behind AWS is Azure, which forms part of tech giant Microsoft’s intelligent cloud business. Microsoft’s commercial cloud business differentiates itself via incorporating its hugely popular software suite (Microsoft 365), it's partnerships with other popular software players (e.g., SAP, Adobe, etc.) and its compatibility with program design languages, machines and softwares into its broader cloud offering. This has granted Azure a $70 billion commercial footprint in the global IT market, making it a strong alternative cloud bundle for enterprise customers. What does this mean for clients? Whether you’re on the verge of commencing your own digital transformation, or are years into it already, it’s important to understand the challenge ahead of you in finding talent to execute your digitisation strategies. It’s well documented Australia’s tech talent shortage, exacerbated by international border closures restricting inflows of overseas talent. In fact, there are estimates Australia will need 200,000 technology workers over the next five years to remain globally competitive. This shortage has seen the price tag for cloud technology talent soar over 30% in the past twelve months alone. Therefore, unless you have an unlimited hiring budget, you need a strong recruitment plan in place to access top talent to deliver your digital transformation objectives. Fortunately, at Ignite, we specialise in technology recruitment, and can not only help you build this recruitment plan, but also connect you with amazing technology talent to ensure your digitalisation efforts succeed and broader business thrives.

Imagine choosing between two job offers with the same salary. What would motivate you to select one job over the other? We asked 185 candidates this very question to reveal their top motivators when choosing a new role. Their top motivators are: Work life balance (48%) Flexible working conditions (23%) Career progression opportunities (11%) Colleagues (10%) Leave entitlements (3%) Bonuses & commission structures (2%) Learning & development programs (2%) Office Perks & benefits (1%) These motivators are key to building a strong employee value proposition (EVP). In this article, we discuss how our research can help you optimise your EVP to attact the best talent in an increasingly candidate-led enviroment. Work-Life Balance Almost half (48%) of our candidates indicated that work-life balance is their top motivator when choosing a new role. This refers to an organisations ability to define clear lines between work and personal life, and allow their employees adequate time for both. Companies that demand 24-hour contact and out-of-hours work are unlikely to acquire and retain top talent seeking this balance. Flexible Work About a quarter (23%) of our candidates reported that flexibility is their top motivator when choosing a new role. Accelerated by COVID-19, flexible work has become increasingly popular amongst candidates and less uncomfortable for employers. The ability to choose your own hours, work from anywhere and compress your work week to accomodate your lifestyle are highly valued benefits sought out by many candidates. In response, many companies are embedding flexible work policies in their EVP to satisfy these demands. Career Progression 12% of our candidates reported career progression opportunities as the most likely reason they would choose a new role. These individuals are looking to climb the corporate ladder and value organisations that present clear pathways to doing so. Ambitious employees want to work for companies where there is scope to grow: a promotion, a new challenge or learning opportunity to maximise their development. Companies that don’t offer these opportunities are unlikely to attract top talent seeking these benefits. Colleagues 10% of candidates reported that their colleagues play a key factor in their decision to change roles. This is not surprising given the typical office worker will spend more time with colleagues than their own family. Strong relationships in the workplace benefit both employer and employee by boosting engagement, motivation, productivity and performance. Companies that can offer prospective talent a strong internal culture and supportive work environment are more likely to attract talent who value the people they work with. Leave Entitlements Only 3% of our candidates selected leave entitlements as their primary motivator to change roles. Perhaps this is because many leave entitlements are legally required (e.g., annual leave, maternity leave, etc.). However, some companies will go over and above what’s mandated by offering additional leave for birthdays, voluntary work and mental health to support their employees. These benefits may not be the top consideration for most candidates, but it certainly adds value to the EVP of a particular organisation. Candidates change jobs for a variety of reasons, and each will have their own motivation for doing so. Our research suggests when salaries are taken out of the equation, work-life balance, flexibility and career progression opportunities are the top reasons a candidate will choose a particular role over another. This has important ramifications for employers looking to optimise their EVP to attract and retain top talent, by ensuring they offer the perks and benefits their target candidates value the most. At Ignite, we have incorporated all of these top benefits into our employee value proposition to attract great talent to our business. In fact, we are always on the lookout for exceptional talent to join us. Check out our career page for more information about open vacancies.

When it comes to women in technology, the challenges are well documented. Pay gaps, male-dominated work environments, embedded biases and outdated stereotypes are just some of the key barriers impacting female participation. Alarmingly, just 17% of technology roles in Australia are occupied by women, and 50% of these women will end up changing careers. In an industry plagued by intensifying skill shortages, these statistics are a significant issue. The reality is that technology remains a male dominated sector, and systemic issues have and continue to detract highly capable female professionals from entering and remaining in the industry. However, on the other hand, we are seeing more and more women break through the supposed technology glass ceiling to go on and have long and successful tech careers. These women prove that it’s not only possible to navigate aforementioned challenges, but it’s also possible to overcome them and thrive. We asked our IT recruiters to share their top tips to help women in technology achieve these goals. Focus Firstly, identify what industries and technologies you are most interested in, and then focus on these sub-categories. Like anything in life, if you have purpose and passion in what you do then you’re more likely to be successful. From developer to tester, cyber-security to infrastructure, know your area front to back, back to front and sideways. The more focused you are, the greater depth of knowledge you can build, giving you confidence to operate within a particular specialism. Employers typically want specialists, so know a few things in depth rather than many things superficially. Self-learning Once you have focus, it’s important to keep your skills up to date. Technology is always evolving. Companies are constantly adopting new technologies that require new talent with new skillsets to manage them. This means a prodigious technology degree in 2015, or 10-years’ experience with fax machines, isn’t enough to secure the best current and future opportunities. In fact, many future tech roles will require skills that don’t yet exist, meaning experience is less relevant. Consequently, If you wish to remain employable long-term, constant self-learning is essential. Enrol in online courses, attend webinars, read the news, learn from your colleagues and try to stay ahead of the game. Candidates, male or female, who can demonstrate this willingness to upskill themselves to keep pace with technological change, are highly sought out by employers across all IT disciplines. Networking In technology recruitment, It’s not ‘what you know’ it’s ‘who you know’, with 70% of technology jobs not publicly advertised (i.e., on Seek, LinkedIn, Indeed, etc.). This means if you want access to the best jobs, you need to be visible to the right people. How? By networking. Attend industry meetups, optimise your LinkedIn profile, join associations and groups. Identify valuable contacts in your focus area that you can later activate and leverage to receive referrals for the best job opportunities. In technology, word of mouth and reputation is critical, particularly in very niche segments like cyber-security and data science where everyone knows everyone. Storytelling Remember that in the current technology jobs market, bargaining power, in most cases, lies with the candidate (i.e., you). Top technology talent is in short supply, meaning employers who retain affinity biases and maternal stereotypes are only denting their available talent pool further. Ultimately, most employers want talent who possess the right skills to help them solve business problems and drive organisational success. The best way to communicate your ability to do this, is by telling an influential story. We recommend a top-down approach. Highlight your impacts and accomplishments to validate your skills and experiences. Be open about your career breaks (e.g., maternity leave) and detail your re-entry into the workforce. If you can demonstrate your ability to solve problems and be successful in a particular role, good employers will want you irrespective of gender. Be Proactive Just because tech candidates are in short supply, doesn’t mean you can be complacent. This is especially true for women in technology, after all if you don’t ask, then you certainly won’t get. The best advice is to be proactive in all that you do. Promote your skills and experience, seek out network connections and ask about referral opportunities. Connect with other women and support them in their career journeys. Speak up to male counterparts and make yourself heard at any opportunity. Once you’ve established your own successful pathway, consider educating and empowering the next generation of female technology talent to follow in your footsteps. Yes, challenges for women still exist in technology, and the employment gap between men and women remains prevalent. However, by focusing, learning, networking, storytelling and being proactive, it is possible to navigate these challenges to break in, stay in and thrive in Australia’s technology sector. At Ignite, we are passionate about diversity, equality and inclusivity in the Australia workforce, and we can assist any women looking to advance their career in technology.

The shape your hiring strategy takes will often rest upon one important question: should I hire permanent employees, or should I use contractors? Both workers have their place, and both may be relevant for your business in certain roles and at certain times. Understanding which is the best fit for your organisation, or a specific role within it, is a matter of weighing the pros against the cons. Let’s compare these employment types and see if we can gain a bit of clarity on which will work best for you.  Contractors The popularity of contractors has increased sharply in recent years. The emergence of the gig workforce, demand for niche skill sets and rising talent shortages have transformed what was once a fringe group of ultra-specialised workers into a genuine core hiring option. More people than ever are leaving their jobs to become their own boss, with almost a third of Australians now preferring freelance work to being an employee. With so many contractors now available, the question has turned from ‘can I employ a contractor?’ to ‘should I employ a contractor?’ The pros Cost savings: While often commanding a higher hourly rate, contractors allow you to only ever pay for what you need when you actually need it. They aren’t entitled to a number of employee benefits such as holidays, leave loading, super, payroll tax and office equipment which all cost organisations additional money. They also require less onboarding, less training and less management than permanent employees which makes them attractive from a cost saving perspective. More flexibility: Contractors enable organisations to be agile in their recruitment. They can cover a short-term labour gap (e.g. maternity leave), they can grant access to a unique skill set (e.g. cyber-security specialist) unavailable internally and they can be onboarded and removed quickly. Particularly in recent times, flexibility has been crucial for organisations to stay afloat increasing the demand for contractors. Less management: Experienced contractors require less management than permanent employees. In most cases, a quick role briefing and project deadline is all they need to get the job done. Hiring top contractors avoids the HR headache of permanent employees allowing you more time to focus on other demands of your business. The cons Less loyalty: Contractors could be described as mercenaries of the working world. They can work for many businesses simultaneously and tend to report to the highest bidder. This means there’s no guarantee that you’ll be their number one priority, nor that they will be as invested and engaged to perform at the same level as a more accountable permanent employee might.  Less authority and control: Sure, you can set guidelines, requirements and deadlines to try and manage your contractors. However, because they are more autonomous, and can work independently using their own tools, systems and resources, inevitably you will have less control. As employers grow increasingly concerned with such things as cyber-security and competition, retaining this control is a detractor for hiring contractors.  Permanent employees Traditionally, jobseekers have preferred permanent work, buoyed by the sense of belonging and stability such employment provides. However, taking on full-time or part-time employees is a big commitment and responsibility for organisations, who are required to support this person professionally and financially throughout their tenure. This makes the decision whether to hire permanent employees or not critical. Let's look at the pros and cons.  The pros More stability: By hiring full-time employees you’re able to build a strong and loyal team that works well together. You can mould them into your preferred shape, and ensure that they are invested and engaged to ensure business success. Conversely, an over reliance on contractors can be disruptive to team cohesion which can impact performance. More control: Hiring permanent employees grants you greater control over your organisation. Everything is kept in-house, making it easier to lead staff, manage workloads and keep private information secure. Permanent employees tend to be more invested and focused on organisational objectives whereas contractors can have divided loyalties.                                                                                                                                                          More organisational knowledge: Over time a permanent employee will build up a deep well of knowledge about your business and its stakeholders. This knowledge becomes invaluable over time and helps businesses run efficiently, effectively and smoothly. Contractors often aren’t within organisations long enough to grasp such knowledge, and if by chance they are, they are likely to take this confidential knowledge elsewhere.  The cons A significant investment: Hiring, onboarding, training and retaining permanent staff are costly exercises. Add in paying salaries, taxes, insurances, office costs, ongoing mentoring, professional development and performance review programs and you're looking at a big bill. In an ideal world, these costs are an investment and will be paid back with interest, but it’s not guaranteed. If a permanent employee leaves, that’s a lot of sunk costs. Hiring the wrong person: Permanently hiring a bad fit for your business is costly. Bad people decisions can impact culture, engagement, performance and productivity, which all cost time, money and resources. Once a permanent employee passes probation, removing them can be challenging (and expensive if done incorrectly). In these situations, you are forced to restart the recruitment process from square one.  Contract or permanent employee? As with so many questions in business, there’s no right or wrong answer here. Both have pros and cons, and the answer lies in truly understanding your business and its needs. Do you want flexibility or stability? Do you need a quick fix or a long-term solution? Grasping these needs will (hopefully) make your decision far clearer.  Whatever you decide, the Ignite team can assist providing both permanent and contract recruitment services. 

Most of us have a resume (CV). A list of our experiences, qualifications and personal information to impress a prospective employer. Some spend hours writing theirs, others get it professionally done to try and stand out from the increasingly competitive crowd. Yet, despite this effort, so laborious and monotonous is the process of reviewing resumes, that a recruiter will devote on average only 6-7 seconds to the task. You may be wondering how 6-7 seconds is enough time to fairly identify the best talent. The secret is the ability of recruitment professionals to see past what’s written on the page and read between the lines. This skill, learned by mass repetition, allows them to quickly identify subtle clues that can make an otherwise average CV stand out, or see an otherwise outstanding CV fall down. Why is this important? Because reading between the lines of a resume helps you build a far clearer picture of the person it represents, and saves you time and money in finding your next hire by helping you settle quicker on the best option available. In this blog, we reveal what clues you should look for when reviewing resumes to help you identify the best talent. 1. Errors Does the resume have lots of spelling mistakes or grammatical errors? Does their work history have incorrect dates? Is there missing information, or holding text that hasn’t been replaced? CVs are important documents, often the first stepping stone to a new job. If a candidate can’t take the time to check their errors, either they lack attention to detail, have limited interest in the role or could be lazy, all of which are traits worth avoiding when selecting a new hire. 2. Formatting Does the resume follow a logical structure? Does it look nice? Does everything fit well within the lines? Does it have a consistent font? Does it reflect the role at hand? Formatting tells you a lot about a candidate including their technical proficiency and ability to present information. If a marketing professional has a poorly designed CV, or a data scientist uses a non-logical structure, they’re red flags to a recruiter. CV formatting will vary per role-type, but each hints something about the candidate’s ability to perform in a particular role. 3. Writing The purpose of a resume is to communicate a candidate’s relevance to an open role as succinctly and compellingly as possible. A candidate is selling themself to you through their writing. So how did they do? Good writing won’t necessarily mean you’re the best candidate for a role, unless it’s a writing job. However, it does confirm to an employer that you can communicate well which is a critical soft skill in almost all jobs. 4. Personality All information presented in a resume is fair game for analysis and helps recruiters paint a comprehensive picture of a candidates personality. From employment history to personal information, rightly or wrongly, employers will attribute particular information on a CV to the attitudes, behaviours and traits an individual may have to better understand who they are. A candidate with many jobs is less likely to be loyal. A candidate who leaves an organisation after a merger is less likely to be adaptable to change. A candidate who has worked in multiple countries may value adventure and stimulating work more than job security and stability. By reading through the lines of information presented in CVs, you can better understand the personality a candidate is likely to bring to your business. Information is power in the eyes of the recruiter. 5. Motivation Do they get promoted or stay where they are? Have they undertaken additional training? Who are there referees? How old are they and what was their last position? Do they name mentors? Answering these questions will help you understand if a candidate is ambitious and motivated. Someone with back-to-back promotions are likely to be highly proficient Conversely, someone in the same role for many years may be content with their position in the corporate ladder. A motivated candidate is typically a more valuable asset, likely to work hard to continue their progression and development. In some cases, you may not want an ambitious employee, particularly if you're offering a role with limited opportunities for upward movement. 6. The prominence of ‘fluff’ Does the CV include hobbies, interests and school achievement? How much information is irrelevant to the job they are applying for? Fearing their CV is too short, candidates often use ‘fluff’ to bolster the length of their CV. While it might be a useful conversation starter in an interview, in most cases, the truth is that they are of limited value and relevance when deciding the appropriateness of a candidate to a job. Too much fluff comes across as a lack of substance in work-related information. This might be understandable for entry-level jobseekers, but is a significant red flag for older candidates; Your time is valuable, and so is that of your candidates.Don’t waste time spending hours reviewing CV’s when you can use the 6 tips above to efficiently and effectively understand who the document represents. By reading between the lines, you will interview higher quality candidates, and make better hiring decisions to help your business thrive. At Ignite, we review thousands of CVs everyday to find the best candidates for our clients. If you need support, our team is ready to assist.