Recruitment and jobs blog

At Ignite, supporting our candidates by optimising their experience is one of our key priorities. Not only do we connect talent with fantastic employers and job opportunities, we also ensure they are equipped with the skills, knowledge and tools to thrive in their respective careers. One way we do this is through Ignite's candidate meetups. These sessions, led by our consultants, are designed to improve the overall capability and employability of our candidates as they navigate the increasingly complex and competitive jobs market. One such consultant at Ignite who has pioneered these sessions is our VIC-based senior IT recruiter Harry Wade, who recently hosted his 13th candidate meetup. Harry’s sessions are geared towards candidates within the IT and technology space, and have become must-attend events for relevant talent. According to Harry, “the meetups are a great opportunity for us to engage with jobseekers and support them in their careers. We discuss key trends in the employment market and prepare them for all aspects of the recruitment and hiring process”. On average, about 30 candidates attend Harry’s sessions, hungry for insights and tips that can set them apart in the eyes of employers. Harry says, “many candidates are facing similar obstacles and simply looking for confidence and reassurance that they’re doing the right things when looking for work.” We identify where they can improve and then equip them with the skills and knowledge they need to thrive in their respective careers”. Like in all things, Information is power when it comes to job search. Our candidate sessions provide candidates with the latest and most relevant information to help them understand hiring processes and secure employment. According to Harry, content in his meetups vary but they typically include the following staples to support IT talent: Market insights and key employment trends Recruitment process tips including interviewing and assessments Personal branding tips including LinkedIn profile building, CV/Resume tips Available job opportunities       One of the most common pain points for candidates is the lack of feedback and support they receive through the recruitment process, particularly following unsuccessful applications. Ignite’s candidate meetups address these issues by ensuring all candidates are given the guidance they need to build their capabilities and ultimately become successful ones. Harry says, “in my experience, success or failure in recruitment can often come down to very minor adjustments, from body position in an interview to adjusting the formatting of a CV. We know how hiring managers think and operate, and share this knowledge to show candidates how they can achieve better outcomes”. Thirteen sessions in and candidate feedback has been extremely positive about Harry's meetups so far, with attendance gradually growing each time. One candidate left a Google review saying, “the meetup was very interesting and helped be build and update my CV to be job ready”. Another candidate said, “the session was very informative with a great overview of the jobs market and trends relating to IT”. Harry's response to this feedback is “I enjoy offering advice and am passionate about helping my candidates find employment. I hope everyone that attends my sessions can take at least one pearl of wisdom to help them in their career journey”. Ignite’s candidate meetups are extremely valuable because they help build relationships between our consultants and our candidates, driving engagement and trust. By investing in talent through these sessions, we're able to build the employability of candidates and generate stronger talent pools to present to employers including our clients. According to Harry, "contributing to the development of a candidate to help them be successful is why I became a recruiter". As the market becomes increasingly flooded with candidates looking for work, this development can be critical to securing employment. Ignite’s candidate meetups are held regularly throughout the calendar year, designed with insightful material relevant for all. Like Harry, all our consultants are passionate about supporting their candidates. So, If you’re interested in attending future sessions, keep an eye out in 2021 on our social media and website for future instalments. Harry and the broader Ignite team can’t wait to meet you!

I’m okay. Societal convention says that the answer to the question ‘how are you?’ is always two words and in the affirmative; acceptable answers include ‘going great!’, ‘yeah good’ and ‘I’m okay’. Whether out of politeness, indoctrination or just not wanting to cause a fuss, the respondent is painted into a conversational corner. So even when ‘how are you?’ is offered up as a genuine question rather than a proxy greeting, and even when a person is feeling far from fine, the answer remains the same. Good thanks. Checking in on their workers was already a challenge for business leaders, but remote work has added yet another layer of complexity to the act. Sure, Zoom is a handy substitute for in-person communication, but it’s not an equivalent. What then can a manager of a remote team do when they sense that something isn’t quite right with one of their workers? How do you uncover issues and help to ensure employee morale, motivation, satisfaction and engagement remain high? Build meaningful rapport Feeling pressure from above, many managers intentionally hold their team at arm’s length and keep it all business. But taking the humanity from your team dynamic is a recipe for low morale – if your team doesn’t feel like you care about them or understand what motivates them, they’re unlikely to want to work hard for you. What’s more, they’re guaranteed to avoid opening up about issues. Rapport is vital. Building it takes time, but the process is incredibly rewarding. Break up your team’s day with digital watercooler conversations – what they did last night or over the weekend, family life, their hopes and dreams. Establish a relationship that goes beyond that of a traditional employer and employee. Take opportunities to lighten the mood with a dedicated banter channel on Slack, Friday Zoom drinks or friendly intra-team virtual competitions. The strongest relationships are built on understanding and trust; one where employees feel they can reply with something more earnest than I’m okay. Ask the right questions An employee won’t open up instantly, so it’s vital that you not only ask the right questions, but you ask them frequently. These questions will change with the audience, but no matter who you’re speaking to, they should be relevant, unique and open, designed to elicit a more detailed response than ‘yes’ or ‘good’. Examples include: What challenges are you currently facing? What wins – no matter how big or small – did you have last week? What part of your role is the most purposeful, the most energising, the most draining? Asking similar questions regularly, say at the end of every week, will give you a more detailed view of a team member, and will allow them to gradually build trust and expand on their answers over time. It’s also important to note that while asking questions is important, listening and showing empathy is perhaps even more so. Maintain regular check-ins Checking in regularly with your team is so much easier when there’s a structure in place. Routine digital catch-ups, whether one-on-one or encompassing the entire team, are vital in maintaining connection and communication in remote work situations. These catch-ups grant you the opportunity to ask the questions mentioned above, while also helping you monitor employee moods and identify signs of trouble; ideally you’ll catch small issues before they become larger ones. Lead by example What’s good for the goose is good for the gander. A good manager leads not through words, but through actions, and by showing yourself to be open and even somewhat vulnerable, you’ll encourage your team to be the same. Let your team members know how you’re feeling. If you’re stressed, say that you’re stressed. If working from home is proving a challenge, outline that challenge. If you’re feeling down for no apparent reason, there’s no harm in saying so. It’s every bit as important to highlight the positives. Celebrate every individual and group win. If you’re proud of your team, make sure they know you are. Explaining how you overcame a remote working challenge may help a team member to do the same. An atmosphere of openness will generate a real sense of unity, trust and cohesion driving improved performance of your team. Reading between the lines I’m okay. These two words are seldom a sign that an employee is feelin’ fine. In fact, by surveying the limited batch of socially acceptable responses and choosing the least upbeat, they’re more likely telling you that they’re anything but. As remote working evolves from emergency fix to new long-term workplace reality, it’s imperative that business leaders find ways to create an atmosphere of clear communication, trust and openness. Doing so will ensure the health and happiness not just of your team members, but of your organisation as a whole. And for those looking to build such a team, Ignite is ready to help.  

“Cut costs, but also grow revenue, while keeping everything perfectly stable.” Most will assume the role of a Chief Financial Officer is a challenging one – they are an integral part of the C-suite, after all – but few realise exactly how challenging. Today the scrutiny on CFOs is arguably greater than it’s ever been, and turnover in the role has never been higher. Tasked with doing more and more with less and less, and this during a global pandemic and economic recession, the CFO must become a chameleon, wearing a range of different hats. Two of these headpieces – Steward and Operator – have always been part of the role, while the remaining two – Strategist and Catalyst – are more recent additions. These are however increasingly expected to form part of a modern and dynamic CFO’s wardrobe. But what exactly do these four hats represent? And why are they important? Let’s take a closer look. Steward: the protector The Steward hat is one of control and protection. A CFO must work to protect the company’s assets through compliance to financial regulations, thorough accounting and auditing practices, and communicating potential issues clearly to the board and investors. This hat is about monitoring performance, mitigating risk and maintaining control. It’s about securing that which the company has already worked hard to earn and achieve. Unlike other hats, the ROI of this work can be difficult to quantify: rather than bigger numbers on the balance sheet, the pay-off of good stewardship will be things like minimising regulatory offences, enhancing process transparency and granting access to reliable data. In some ways the Steward is like a football referee: the less they are noticed, the better they are doing. Operator: the driver The Operator hat is the financial driver of the organisation. The modus operandi is financial efficiency and effectiveness, which is achieved through a variety of strategies including tax reduction, financial analysis and planning, and any number of other finance-specific operations. In order to position the organisation on the leading edge of financial strategy, the Operator must themselves stay on the leading edge of technology and innovation. Process automation, digital transformation, business intelligence and other technologies are becoming less of a plus and more of a must for the modern CFO if they are to help their organisation stay ahead of the competition. While the Operator doesn’t drive the growth of the company – that is the responsibility of others in the C-suite – they do drive the financial team’s efforts to streamline and maximise that growth. Strategist: the forward thinker The Strategist is one of the newer caps on the hatstand, but one that is increasingly being chosen to accessorise a CFO’s outfit. This hat sees the CFO taking a seat at the strategic table to influence the direction of the company. It makes sense for a forward-thinking organisation to seek the sage advice of a financial expert when plotting its next move, so in some ways it’s a surprise that this hat wasn’t worn sooner. Aligning finance and business strategy, directing merger and acquisition activity, developing capital market financing strategies, supporting long-term investments; the Strategist tackles a diverse range of problems, making it an exciting hat to wear. This is also a CFO’s greatest opportunity to directly affect the ongoing growth of their organisation. Catalyst: the stimulator Like the Strategist, the Catalyst wasn’t always a hat that a CFO was expected to wear, but is increasingly being worn by top talent in the profession. This is about shrewdly driving change: knowing what to do and when to do it. Using their control over the coffers, the Catalyst carefully selects business improvement initiatives (cost reduction measures, pricing execution, enhanced procurement, etc.) that will add value to the organisation, and works hard to efficiently and effectively enact them. This hat combines innovation, evaluation and execution in equal measure, and is increasingly important as the business landscape becomes ever more dynamic. Multi-faceted, challenging, rewarding Looking at the depth and breadth of responsibility that now sits on a CFO’s shoulders – or perhaps more pertinently, their head – it’s little wonder that the role now sees such a high churn rate. In a market that has become used to exponential growth since the GFC, bearing witness to dipping graphs creates discomfort for both CFO and employer. Add in the pace of innovation that we’ve also come to expect in the last decade, and both pressure to and difficulty of maintaining the rage has never been greater. But whether you’re a company or a CFO, you can be confident that the right match is out there somewhere. And it’s these mutually beneficial relationships that Ignite are the experts at forming. Ready to cover your financial head? Get in touch with our team today.

“Woke up, fell out of bed, dragged a comb across my head. Found my way downstairs and drank a cup, and looking up I noticed I was late. Found my coat and grabbed my hat, made the bus in seconds flat. Made my way upstairs and had a smoke, and everybody spoke and I went into a dream…” As outlined by The Beatles in A Day in the Life, travelling to the office every day is at best inefficient, and at worst a total waste of time. Happily we now know that there’s an alternative way. Remote teams: the new management frontier Say what you will about COVID-19, it has made us realise the value of working remotely. Wake up, fall out of bed, open your laptop and start typing - not a particularly catchy song, sure, but it is a great way to work, as demonstrated by the sustained uptake even after the worst of the pandemic has passed. The question then is not if you should offer remote work, but how you should manage it. A lack of in-person contact makes the successful management of remote workers a unique challenge: do it wrong and you risk demotivating, fragmenting and neglecting your team. Do it well, you provide flexibility and convenience that could greatly empower your workforce. However, there’s no need to fret. Today we’ll take a look at five rules that will ensure you don’t just avoid potential remote working disasters, but create an environment that could well be more supportive, collaborative and productive than the one found in-office. Rule 1: Give your team the tools they need It’s been a business truism since the dawn of time: give your team the tools they need to succeed. For remote workers that means providing the software, hardware and support that allows them to create an office wherever they please. They need a computer and smartphone that’s up to the task, the software and cloud service subscriptions that allow them to do their jobs, and any peripherals that are deemed necessary, from printers to office chairs. Rule 2: Secure your systems One of the greatest challenges of managing a team of remote workers is maintaining the integrity of your business systems. By giving your workers remote access, your systems are now only as secure as the worker’s laptop, phone or WiFi password… unless you set your own protocols that they must adhere to. The greater prevalence of remote work has shone a spotlight on the potential risks. A recent Apricorn survey found that in April 2020, 57% of IT decision makers believe remote workers increased their exposure to cyber-security breaches, up from 44% in 2018. This jump isn’t to say that the threats are greater now than they were, but rather that companies are more aware of them, which is an exceedingly good thing. Rule 3: Establish a remote working culture As much as a business might hate to admit it, in-office workers enjoy a lot of downtime between the hours of nine and five; the watercooler chats, the cubicle visits (of either type), the browsing of not quite business-related articles. These mini-breaks are incredibly important for productivity, revitalising an employee as they navigate the typical working day. It’s vital then, that you make time for similar non-work activities while working remotely as well. Encourage brunch catch-ups or Friday knock-offs over Zoom. Devote a room in Slack or Microsoft Teams to chit-chat and banter. Run footy tips or another form of friendly competition. Make your digital space feel as much like a physical space as possible. Rule 4: Regular, transparent and effective communication Sure, banter is important, but clear and consistent work communication is even more so. Choose a platform that will serve as the hub for all communications. Conduct a morning scrum to ensure that everyone is on the same page. Establish simple and well-defined ways for team members to ask for extra support. Do all that you can to elevate any voices that could potentially be drowned out. Rule 5: Build an invested team and lead from the front Remote working isn’t for everyone. Some people prefer to keep their personal and professional lives separate. Many simply don’t have a space or situation at home that is conducive to work. These people shouldn’t be forced to work remotely, as they’re destined to fail. Instead, you should build a team of talented individuals who are excited about the opportunity to work remotely, because, as this Gallup study found, engaged teams are 21% more profitable. While an invested team makes your job as a leader easier, you should still be conscious of leading by example. Be sure to practice what you preach, while providing levels of support that more than make up for the lack of face-to-face contact. While the humble work commute may well have inspired The Beatles to write one of their finest songs, these isolated times have shown us that an office is far from a necessity for many businesses. Adapting to a remote working world will be a challenge for managers, but by following the rules above, you can be confident of taking a step in the right direction. If you’re looking for committed workers to go on the journey with you, we at Ignite are ready to help you find them.

An odd year has birthed an odd IT talent market - one with fewer candidates than usual and in which recruiting budgets are strained. Trying to rebound during what is now officially a recession, businesses find themselves in a difficult spot: they need to invest in recruiting that rare top talent, but may not have the resources to do so. With both the candidate count and recruiting resources low, the ability to efficiently and effectively attract IT talent has never been more valuable. So how do you go about doing just that? Today we’ll take a look at a few strategies that will not only help you attract the cream of the available IT crop, but perhaps a few drops of dairy that aren’t even looking for new opportunities. Invest in your internal tech Just as the first accountant to use a calculator was never going back to an office of abacuses, top tech talent won’t be keen to join a company that doesn’t invest in its internal technology. Adopting new and improved processes and technologies makes your employees’ jobs easier, while also making your business more efficient and competitive—a classic win-win. Turn employees into brand ambassadors With utilities like Glassdoor laying your workplace cards on the table, candidates now have more insight than ever into whether they’ll enjoy working within your four walls. Building a strong company culture and spreading the good word about it is therefore critical. Google is the oft-cited employer brand archetype. They offer great salaries, a transparent, strong and supportive culture, and cool benefits that’ll get employees talking - the ping pong tables, the in-house chef and the scooters in the hallway. Word of mouth remains the most effective form of marketing, so building a workplace that your workers will want to tell their networks about is amongst the most effective ways to attract top tech talent, particularly for hard-to-find IT talent in niche sub-sectors where everyone knows everyone. Find your unique What do you offer that your competitors don’t? Identifying your unique selling position (USP) is the key step in developing your employer brand, as it allows you to set yourself apart. Perhaps you offer particularly flexible work arrangements, unmatched autonomy, or the ability for employees to bring their pets to work. USP identified, your employee value proposition (EVP) should be built around it. This is the complete package that you offer your employees - the value they gain from you in exchange for the value you gain from them. Put your name up in lights “Did I mention I did some work for Canva?” “Yeah, I spent a few months at Slack.” There’s no two ways about it, some workplaces are more brag-about-able than others. While you might not necessarily be the disruptive upstart or the Fortune 500 company, there are still a myriad of ways that you can get people to both know and care who you are. Position yourself as a thought leader by publishing insightful articles on LinkedIn. Get involved in tech conferences and industry events, even if they’re currently remote or online. Better yet, host your own virtual or in-person meet-up, bringing together industry players and talent. At Ignite we recently hosted a virtual event focusing on women in tech, She’ll Have What He’s Having. UberEats was delivered to each of the attendees so they could have breakfast together. Unique events like these build your reputation while being fun, memorable and perfectly shareable. In short, you should do all that you can to establish your brand in the broader tech community. Be prepared to be flexible If a global pandemic has been good for anything, it has opened our collective eyes to the possibilities of remote work. In the tech sphere in particular working flexibility is no longer seen as a plus, but a must. The tech giants have been quick to extend their remote working arrangements long-term (e.g. Microsoft) or have even made the offering permanent (e.g. Atlassian). Not only does offering remote work enhance your EVP, it also grants you access to a veritable and borderless world of talent! Geography becomes less relevant in hiring when every candidate  is only a Zoom call away. Promote your career pathways According to this Linkedin study, 59% of candidates' primary motivator for a new role were career growth opportunities. Top talent is often characterised by an inherent interest in professional development; it’s no doubt how they became top talent in the first place. Furthermore, the technology sector is a highly dynamic environment requiring constant upskilling by talent to maintain relevant skill sets of value to employers. By showing that you’re prepared to nurture professional development and career pathways, whether through external or internal programs, you’ll be positioning yourself as an employer of choice. While 2020 continues to deliver its share of challenges, it’s also offering up a healthy dose of opportunity. Demand for data and strain on IT systems amid remote working has never been greater. Many technology companies find themselves in the same situation - in need of top talent, but seemingly lacking the resources to obtain it. Your ability to rise above the noise will determine your success next year and beyond. Securing the best workers needn’t be about spending big. Standing out from the crowd is often a matter of working smarter. With years of experience recruiting for the IT and digital spheres, we at Ignite are ready to help you do just that. Get in touch with the team today!

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