RCSA Journal June 2012 by RCSA

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Australia & New Zealand | June 2012

Celebrating the recruitment industry

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2012 RCSA Awards and Gala Ball

In this issue

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Contents THE RECRUITMENT AND CONSULTING SERVICES ASSOCIATION LIMITED

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FOCUS: RECRUITMENT AT THE SPEED OF TOMORROW

The RCSA Journal is published by the Recruitment and Consulting Services Association Limited.

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PRINT GEON Impact Printing The RCSA Journal is printed in Australia on recycled paper. NOTE: All material published in the RCSA Journal is subject to copyright and no part may be republished, photocopied or transmitted electronically in any form without written permission. Opinions expressed by contributors are their own and are not necessarily endorsed by the RCSA or the editor. Advertisers and contributors to the RCSA Journal should be aware of the provisions of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 and the Trade Practices Act 1974 in relation to false and misleading advertisements or statements and other unfair practices. The RCSA and the editor accept no responsibility for such breaches. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this publication, no responsibility is accepted for errors or omissions.

2012 RCSA Awards and Gala Ball Report

4 President’s report: Lincoln Crawley 6 CEO’s report: Steve Granland 8 Celebrating the recruitment industry: RCSA Awards & Gala Ball 12 Recruitment at the Speed of Tomorrow: Order-taker or trusted adviser? Reframing the consultant’s role, by Conference presenter Bridget Beattie 14 Recruitment at the Speed of Tomorrow: How to hire smart people, by Conference presenter Mike Walsh 15 RCSA International Conference: last chance for Early Bird registration! 16 RCSA Awards Special: Young Recruiter of the Year winner

RCSA Conference: Order-taker or trusted adviser? Reframing the consultant’s role, by Conference presenter Bridget Beattie

23 Technology trends at the speed of tomorrow, by Doug Blue 24 Flexibility, change and economic growth 27 Key job hunter trends in 2012 28 Improve your email and free up two-three working weeks a year, by Debbie Mayo-Smith 29 The more things change ... by Andrew Wood 30 Procurement Pressure: Having the courage to say “no”, by Robert van Stokrom ASSOCIATION NEWS 32 Working Groups update 33 In the media 33 Meet your new Board Member 34 Adherence to best practice in service delivery is improving, by Dianne Gibert

INTERNATIONAL COMMENT

36 Special Interest Groups: AANRA

17 Ciett Report from Steve Shepherd: Adapting to Change – the new economic reality

36 Special Interest Groups: AMRANZ

19 My dad is bigger than your dad! The UK recruitment industry

38 RCSA Partners and Premium Supporters

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT ISSUES

40 Life Member Profiles

20 Imagine if … Mark Ashburn looks at the changing workforce

41 RCSA Board, Life Members and Fellows

37 New Zealand: Meet the Minister 38 RCSA Supporter Profiles

42 2012 RCSA CPE & Events Calendar

22 Do you make important purchasing decisions? This one could save you! By Danial Mullin

The Recruitment and Consulting Services Association (RCSA) is the leading industry body for talent management and workforce solutions in Australia and New Zealand. With approximately 4,700 members, Corporate and Individual, the Association sets professional standards, conducts research, educates and develops members’ skills, monitors industry developments and lobbies state and federal governments on issues directly affecting members.

JUNE 2012

PRESIDENT’s REPORT Lincoln Crawley

FRCSA

large part of my role as President is focused on working with stakeholders to further the interests of our industry. And in a tough business environment, as well as an unstable political climate, that focus is more important than ever. We are proud of the progress we have made in increasing the professionalism of the industry and improving the relevance of the RCSA to its members. But I’d like to take a few moments to focus on what is becoming a serious threat to the staffing side of our industry. One of the biggest challenges our industry faces right now is a concerted push, by a small number of union interests, against what they like to call “insecure work”. Their “inquiry” into this issue is purported to be independent – even though it is run by a former senior Labor figure, Brian Howe, and even though RCSA was rejected in our multiple attempts to engage with the inquiry’s organisers. In fact, any engagement with business and employer groups is glaringly absent from the inquiry. Nonetheless, the campaign to which this inquiry is attached – the ACTU’s Secure Work campaign, is concerning for a number of reasons. The ACTU is focused, it says, on the “forty per cent of workers [who] are engaged in insecure work arrangements such as casual work, fixed term work, contracting or labour hire”. And there’s the problem: the union campaign sweeps non-traditional work of every type into one large bundle. It assumes highly-paid IT contractors, for example, are in the same position as minimum-wage casual cleaning staff. The RCSA doesn’t deny that some insecure jobs exist, but labeling all non-traditional work models as “insecure”, is misleading at best. It takes a complex workforce model, then lumps it all under the emotive name of “insecure work”. We, as RCSA members, know the value of the agency work we provide, and the important role it plays in giving both businesses and employees flexibility. But we don’t expect policy makers to simply take our word for it – which is why our global body, Ciett, commissioned a landmark report to demonstrate the economic and social value of agency work. If you attended the RCSA’s launch of the report in April, you would have heard Steve Shepherd,

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Australia’s Ciett Board member, share the highlights of the report. It’s full of great content, but one of the key findings is that private employment agencies deliver decent work to individuals, and help match and develop the skills needed in labour markets. And it provides plenty of data and modeling to prove it. This is the kind of robust and fact-based argument we need to arm ourselves with in the face of criticism from either unions or governments. And while we are engaged with government on both sides of the Tasman, the message from them is clear – in God we trust, all others bring facts. So that we can bring these facts about the Australia and NZ market to our policy makers, I continue to ask you, our members, to make a concerted effort to provide us with data where we need it. Steve Granland will soon share with you our plans for a member research project, which will be facilitated by an independent third party to ensure confidentiality, which I urge you to support. The importance of jobs in both our local and the global economy is paramount. In fact, the latest report from the International Labour Organisation calls on governments to place job creation at the top of the policy agenda. It also calls out the importance of ensuring that unemployed people, especially youth, receive adequate support to find new jobs. That’s what our industry is in the business of doing – finding people jobs. We need to make collaboration and consultation with policymakers a priority not just for our own businesses but for the broader economy as well. We will continue to track these and other important policy issues at RCSA Board level, and will keep you updated on our responses as we create them. What I’d ask you to do, as an industry, is to make yourself acquainted with the Ciett report, and be prepared to act as an advocate for the great work we do and the positive impact it has. And, of course, fill in those surveys when we send them to you! Lincoln Crawley FRCSA RCSA President, Australia and New Zealand

What I’d ask you to do ... is to make yourself acquainted with the Ciett report, and be prepared to act as an advocate for the great work we do and the positive impact it has.

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CEO’s REPORT Steve Granland

n this issue of the RCSA Journal we are looking at the people aspect of our conference theme, Recruitment at the Speed of Tomorrow. Steve Shepherd looks at the Ciett report Adapting to Change and there is a thought-provoking Discussion Paper on flexible agency work. By the time this issue of the RCSA Journal hits the desks of RCSA members we will be into a new financial year. The first half of 2012 has certainly proved to be an interesting journey with global economic challenges continuing to test us all and the Australian political scene adding to a general lack of business confidence which has a flow-on effect for our industry. Over the first half of 2012 I have had many conversations with members who have indicated some clients have held off on hiring decisions until such time as they have a level of confidence around the global economy and domestic politics. At the time of writing, the global economic powerhouses are meeting again to look for solutions to the Euro crisis and the Australian political scene was muddling through yet another challenge – hopefully by the time this hits your desk we have moved on both globally and domestically as we did in 1998. Recently I was reviewing some old RCSA Journal publications and came across the first issue of the Recruitment Journal from May 1998. In this Journal there was a feature article in which RCSA Board members at the time were asked three questions: What do you think are the market trends shaping the industry? How do you think the Asian Economic Crisis will hit Australia and New Zealand? and What factors will shape the industry in 1998? It is very interesting to look back on their responses and see that things haven’t really changed. Many respondents noted the increasing trend towards contracting and agency work to create more efficient workforces with the associated need to increase focus on OH&S. While the Asian Economic Crisis was seen as potentially eroding business confidence and therefore affecting hiring decisions, it was also noted that it may have released skilled labour to assist in offsetting the skills shortage in Australia. The explosion in technology was noted by most as likely to have a significant impact on how the business operated. Fifteen years ago we faced circumstances

RCSA JOURNAL

and challenges which, although different, are not dissimilar to those we face today. Our industry not only survived, it prospered by quickly and efficiently adapting to business needs. In 1997, in Australia our industry generated approximately $5 billion in revenue; today in Australia our industry generates approximately $19 billion. This is not only solid growth, but represents an important and significant part of the economy. Featured in this issue of the RCSA Journal are the RCSA Awards and Gala Ball. I was very proud to be part of the Awards night held on 10 May in Melbourne. This event has quickly cemented itself as the industry “night of nights” – not to be missed. This year we had another record attendance and everyone had a fantastic night! I would like to publicly acknowledge the hard work of the judges and thank all the applicants for ensuring the judges had a very difficult task by providing the highest quality entries. Congratulations to the 2012 winners including Sean Blanche MRCSA, winner of the Young Recruitment Professional Award; Skilled Group, winner of the McLean Award for Workplace Safety; Beaumont Consulting, winner of the new Corporate Social Responsibility Award; and Robert Blanche FRCSA (Life), winner of the Outstanding Contribution Award. I would also like to congratulate Peter Gleeson FRCSA (Life), Executive General Manager Recruitment at Chandler Macleod who was inducted as a RSCA Life Member. A warm welcome to Peter – I look forward to his continuing contribution for many years to come. In closing, I would like to remind all readers that the theme for this year’s conference is Recruitment at the Speed of Tomorrow. The conference will run from 29-31 August at the Sofitel in Fiji. Last year was a great success and the line-up of speakers for 2012 is looking very impressive. Based on registrations we have received to date (running ahead of last year) I urge you to book early to avoid disappointment.

Steve Granland RCSA CEO, Australia and New Zealand

The first half of 2012 has certainly proved to be an interesting journey with global economic challenges continuing to test us all and the Australian political scene adding to a general lack of business confidence which has a flow-on effect for our industry.

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2012 RCSA GALA BALL & Awards

2012 RCSA Gala Ball and Awards At the industry’s “night of nights” on 10 May at the Plaza Ballroom in Melbourne, more than three hundred RCSA members applauded the Award winners for 2012. The Principal Event and Awards sponsor was RecruitmentSuper. RCSA CEO Steve Granland said, “This was the second year of our new Awards program which was even bigger and better than last year with close to fifty submissions. I’d like to congratulate the winners and finalists for their outstanding submissions. There is some great work being done out there and the recruitment industry and the RCSA are very proud of this. The ball was a terrific night for members to catch up with colleagues and friends”. RCSA President Lincoln Crawley FRCSA said, “We are proud of the progress we have made in increasing the professionalism of the industry”.

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The Award winners are: Young Recruitment Professional Award The winner of the Young Recruitment Professional Award was Sean Blanche MRCSA of Bayside Personnel in NSW. Sean is an Executive Director of the Bayside Group of Companies and took the lead over a very tight field of four other state finalists (meet Sean on page 16). The Young Recruitment Professional Award was proudly sponsored by CareerOne.

McLean Award for Workplace Safety There was a very tight finish for the McLean Award for Workplace Safety with Skilled Group Limited named as Award winner. The submission focused on breaking out of the increasing complexity of systems to make safety clear, relevant and simple for their 60,000 employees. The McLean Award for Workplace Safety was proudly sponsored by WorkPro.

Corporate Social Responsibility Award The new Corporate Social Responsibility Award was highly contested with Beaumont Consulting emerging as the winner. Their submission showed strong business leadership in terms of setting up a specific non-profit recruitment division. The Corporate Social Responsibility Award was proudly sponsored by FastTrack.

Outstanding Contribution Award The Outstanding Contribution Award was won by Robert Blanche FRCSA (Life). Director of The Bayside Group of Companies. Robert joins a select group of industry leaders who have been the recipients of this prestigious award. The Outstanding Contribution Award was proudly sponsored by SEEK.

2012 RCSA GALA BALL & Awards

Nick Murray, SEEK, with Robert Blanche FRCSA (Life), the winner of the Outstanding Contribution Award and Lincoln Crawley FRCSA, President RCSA

Dr Stephen Hollings, CareerOne, with Sean Blanche MRCSA, the winner of the Young Recruitment Professional Award and Lincoln Crawley FRCSA, President RCSA

Tania Evans, WorkPro, with Morris Guest Skilled Group Limited, the winner of the McLean Award for Workplace Safety, and Lincoln Crawley FRCSA, President RCSA

Lincoln Crawley FRCSA, President RCSA, with Nikki Beaumont FRCSA, Beaumont Consulting, the winner of the Corporate Social Responsibility Award, and Phil Collins, FastTrack

John Plummer FRCSA (Life) presents Peter Gleeson FRCSA (Life) with his RCSA Life Member Certificate

The RecruitmentSuper team, back from left: Mark Ashburn, Ean Newbold, Charlotte Jones, Liz Hunt, Steven Moad, David Luker, Matthew Ball. Front from left: Gil Sebbag, Ross Fisher FRCSA (Life), Bindi Smith, Anne Cairncross and Megan Bolton (CEO)

JUNE 2012

2012 RCSA GALA BALL & Awards

The Workpac team, from left: Nan Carroll FRCSA (Life), Doug Ventham, Ryan Fibbens, Rachel Finlay, Phil Smart (standing), Elena Moran, Stephen Thomas (standing), Alix Whelan, Amy Bowen and Jon Cremonini

The Programmed Integrated Workforce team, from left: Cassie Chadwick and partner Brendan, Annette Niven, Brian Styles, Tanya Oziel, Nic Fairbank, Paula Fairbank, Tim Merrett and Lisa Merrett

Ryan Leslie (RecruitAdvantage), Vanessa Cox and Jackie Rees (Simply Recruitment), Kathryn O’Brien (JobServe), Damien Chambers and James Macdonald (RecruitAdvantage), Matthew Hobby FRCSA (McArthur) and Evelina Samuels (Slade Group)

The Chandler Macleod team, standing from left: Ian Basser, Alan Bell FRCSA, Ian Stacy FRCSA, and Cameron Judson. Sitting: Denise Loraine, Imogen Studders, Peter Gleeson FRCSA (Life), Demelza Daniel, Owen Jones and Chantal Vallence

The ManpowerGroup team, seated from left: Nikki Grech, Conan Chiles, Nick Rudzki, Sue Howse, Sabrina Rich and Joe Mullan. Standing: Gary Brown, Mark Pengilly, Denis Dadds FRCSA, Mike Sacco MRCSA, Glen McPhee and Chris Riley

RCSA Life Members, back row from left: Robert Blanche FRCSA (Life), Rodney Troian FRCSA (Life), Ruth Levinsohn FRCSA (Life), Ross Fisher FRCSA (Life), Jane Fanselow FRCSA (Life) – New Zealand, Greg Savage FRCSA (Life), Steve Shepherd FRCSA (Life), John Plummer FRCSA (Life). Front row: Julie Sattler OAM FRCSA (Life), Sylvia Moreno FRCSA (Life), Rosemary Scott FRCSA (Life), Nan Carroll FRCSA (Life), Dorothy Caldicott FRCSA (Life) and Kris Hope-Cross FRCSA (Life) – New Zealand.

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Dr Stephen Hollings, Director CareerOne

2012 RCSA GALA BALL & Awards

Standing from left: Jane Devereux, Jade Lawton and Stephanie Portwood (all from Devereux Recruitment Group), Sally Mlikota APRCSA and John Mlikota (CBC Staff Selection), Debbie Simpson (Simpson Personnel). Seated: Shannon Gardner and Stefano Masiello (CXC Global), Vanessa Rifat APRCSA (Mosaic Recruitment) and Bryce Simpson (Simpson Personnel)

Adecco team, from left: Xavier Miller, Rick Khinda, Shaun Alexander, Delain Gunewardena, Victoria Bethlehem FRCSA, Dean Smyth APRCSA (seated), Simon Slagter (standing), Renee Hughes, Prashant Chandra and Susan Beling

Seated from left: Amelia Burnet, James Burnet, Leonie Hill APRCSA, Robert van Stokrom FRCSA (DFP Recruitment), Jane Artico, Adrian Artico. Standing: Dianne Bidese, Eddy Bidese, Kate Coath MRCSA and Glen Harrison

Seated from left: Vicky Alford, Michelle Maye, Rebecca Green, Janine Runaghan, Nikki Beaumont FRCSA (all from Beaumont Consulting), Emma Jones (Human Jigsaw). Standing: Bianca Guest and Christian Walkerden (Selectus), Peter Davis (Frontline Recruitment Group), Di Pass APRCSA and John Pass (360HR)

Lincoln Crawley FRCSA President RCSA, with Steve Granland, CEO RCSA, Smit Granland, Ros Fisher, Ross Fisher FRCSA (Life) (standing), Megan Bolton, CEO RecruitmentSuper and Sylvia Moreno FRCSA (Life)

The Skilled team, from left: Alison Dods, Sam Wilson, Lisa Chivers, Ivan Maloney, Morris Guest, Doug Spahn, Sue Healy FRCSA (Life), Imogen Hopper, Lauren Powell and Jo Moloney

The call for nominations for the 2013 RCSA Awards will open in November 2012. JUNE 2012

focus: RECRUITMENT AT THE SPEED OF TOMORROW

Order-taker or trusted adviser? Reframing the consultant’s role Recruiting at the speed of tomorrow means more than technology – it also means changing your thinking! Conference presenter Bridget Beattie looks at reframing the consultant’s role.

RCSA JOURNAL

o matter what the state of the market, every recruiter comes up against talent shortages at some point. Perhaps it’s a daily occurrence, or perhaps you are one of the lucky ones with a deep talent pool and plenty of great candidates. But regardless of the industry or skill set, sometimes you simply can’t find the right candidate. If it were easy, after all, clients could do their own recruitment! While every recruiter will struggle with hardto-place roles, it’s the way they respond that differentiates the outstanding recruiters from the middle-of-the-road ones. One response is to look further, deeper and wider for candidates. That is always an important part of your job. Clients expect you to be creative in the way you source talent, whether it’s through traditional networking, social media or sophisticated online searches. However, even the most thorough search sometimes fails to produce results. And this is when you have another option: change the brief! But isn’t that at odds with being a “consultant”? Doesn’t it suggest that you can’t meet the needs of your client? Not at all: true consulting is about working with the client to genuinely understand their needs; to get to the bottom of what they need to get the work done. By asking the right questions, you can drill down into the core competencies of a role – the “deal breakers” – as well as identify what can be taught, what is a “nice-to-have” and what the client can live without. The end result is that your B or C candidate can become an A, with the right training and development from their employer. In a world where specialist skills are in demand but hard to find – what we call the “talent mismatch” – finding a seventy per cent fit for a job is still a good outcome. If this is something your business already does – then you can stop reading in a moment. But firstly let me share some statistics from our database of candidates who undertake our career transition programs. Fewer than one in five of these candidates find a job through a recruiter, and one in three finds their job through networking. These are quality

candidates – after participating in our programs, they are job-ready and have a clear understanding of their strengths. Yet recruiters are placing only one-fifth of them. This tells us two things: 1. recruiters are missing out on good candidates by not pushing back on the client brief and 2. candidates are better at selling themselves into clients than their recruiter. Despite the realities of the candidate market, it appears that many recruitment professionals still struggle to sell their less-than-100% candidates to clients – candidates who aren’t lacking in their attitude or ability; but who simply aren’t an exact match to the job specifications provided by the client. It’s a big pool of talent to rule out. If a client is insistent on only hiring someone from their particular industry, for example, they would miss out on around half of our candidates – the proportion who change industries during their career transition process. In fact, roughly the same proportion change functions too. These program participants are successful in making the leap, because they are adept at highlighting their transferable skills to employers. Are you doing the same thing for your candidates?

Setting up for success The challenge here is that getting a result for a client may depend on pushing back on their requests. It’s not something we like to do in professional services – after all, everyone likes making their clients happy. So how do you manage client expectations and move from being an order-taker to a consultant? First of all, reframe your role. You’re not simply here to sell – you’re here to solve problems. That means asking lots of questions, being intellectually curious, understanding root causes and looking for patterns. This is also the point at which you have an opportunity to influence the design of the role, based on what is achievable in the market. Agree with the client upfront what would be appropriate as teachable fit: the core skills tend to be interpersonal – such as communication and problem solving – while the teachable parts are more likely to be hard skills.

focus: RECRUITMENT AT THE SPEED OF TOMORROW

Of course, there needs to be a baseline for skills – but sometimes it’s actually better for employers to develop an individual’s skills to meet the organisation’s own practices and standards, as it avoids them having to “unlearn” old habits. However, understanding which skills are transferable for a particular role isn’t always obvious – this is where you need to have your antenna out, in order to get to the heart of the role and what it requires. It’s likely that the clients know what they need; it just may not be apparent to them yet. If you’re leading a team, you need to embed this process and thinking in all of your team members too, and make it both normal and acceptable to spend time on the brief. However, the common objection to this approach is time – or a lack of it. With sales targets and quotas to fill, how do you find time to have long conversations with clients? The answer is that investing time at the start of the process saves time and tears later on. Getting the brief right, first time, avoids the back-and-forth that happens when candidates aren’t right, because expectations are unclear and wires are crossed. It also takes a lot of frustration out of the process – for both you and the client! Crafting and influencing the brief also means you’ll spend less time looking for “hen’s teeth” – that elusive perfect-fit candidate – because you have set expectations at the outset and have scope to present the seventy per cent fit. This stage of the relationship is also an opportunity to provide input on the client’s selection process overall, and can be a real value-add to the client. If, for instance, you think that a four-stage interview process is going to undermine the client’s best efforts to woo your hard-to-find candidate, then you need to raise it. Work with them to ensure the onboarding process is sound as well: the best employers have a structured “First 90 Days” plan for employees, because that’s when people often make their decisions about an employer.

The candidate is the key To make this approach work, you also need to work with your candidates to bring them on the journey. The individuals who undertake our outplacement programs get an opportunity to step back and see their strengths and achievements. They don’t end up with a shopping list of roles and responsibilities, but a considered summary of their professional profile. We encourage candidates to design their CV afresh for every job application, creating a 1-2 page career summary targeted at the opportunity. The goal is to have an employer say, “this person looks interesting” and start a conversation with them, rather than focusing on where their CV differs from the job brief.

Making change stick Changing the way we work is not always easy. If you want to move away from the “order-taking” mindset into “trusted adviser” territory, you may need to revisit the fundamentals of change management. • Be clear on why you (or your team) should change. What are the benefits in: increased fill rates, more client satisfaction, less stress? • Find someone who does it well, and use them as a role model • Keep the issue top of mind and on the agenda. Are there some successes you can celebrate at team meetings, or obstacles you can workshop? • Survey clients specifically on this to see if it’s working and being embedded • Measure and reward outcomes related to it – for example, the success of applicants in their roles after six months, or the longevity of client relationships. Ultimately, everyone wants to deliver great service to clients. If that means drilling down to what the client genuinely needs, rather than what they think they need, then changing the brief may just change the game altogether.

Bridget Beattie is the Regional General Manager for Right Management in India, Australia and New Zealand, providing talent management and career management consulting to clients across a broad range of sectors.

JUNE 2012

focus: RECRUITMENT AT THE SPEED OF TOMORROW

How to hire smart people B

eing interviewed to work at McKinsey was one of the more interesting experiences of my earlier life. Ten rounds of interviews, rigorous analytical tests, bizarre psychometric probes and a final cup of coffee with a senior partner of the firm that felt like a scene from a John Grisham novel – and voila, I was in. The story about how I never actually turned up for work is one I’ll save for another day. But I do remember one thing from the process – McKinsey were obsessed with finessing their strategy of hiring and retaining “smart people”.

The concept of work has never been more challenging.

After one of the interviews, a manager at the firm described their ideal archetype as a “spiky integrator”. In essence, their perfect candidate was someone who had an extraordinary talent spike (e.g. genius chess skills, Olympian athletic discipline or knowing six languages), but was also capable of integrating that skill across a range of other capabilities and in association with other team mates. Or to put it another way – they wanted freaks with social skills. The only problem with that personality type, as many companies discovered when they put former high flying management consultants into leadership teams – is that spiky integrators need to be surrounded by other super smart people in order to thrive. Out of the fish tank, they don’t survive too long. For companies today, hiring smart people is still a critical priority. And it’s harder than ever. The digital revolution has had two major impacts on the war for talent. Firstly, you are now competing with the fact that the best candidates can earn significant incomes as free agents. With the web offering a global customer base and infinite opportunities for fame, being a digital ronin or an entrepreneur has never been more seductive. But the second impact is just as profound. The concept of work has never been more challenging. Traditional industries are being disrupted, competition more nuanced, and the demands on managers more pronounced. Your old school spiky integrator might be able to draw up some rather pretty strategy slides describing your industry – but will they have the level headed poise to ruthlessly execute and get things done in an increasingly ambiguous and uncertain operating environment? In the future, I think there will be three capability attributes that senior managers will need to look for in their top performers:

1. Super Synthesisers

RCSA Conference presenter Mike Walsh is a futurist, keynote speaker and innovation coach.

RCSA JOURNAL

In the old days, smart employees gathered competitive information in traditional ways – phone interviews, focus groups and industry surveys. Basically – you were clever if you knew how to pick up the phone and make some calls. Now we have the opposite problem – too much information. Super

synthesisers are people with the capability of scanning and processing huge amounts of information. They are like human meta filters. With enough technical savvy and familiarity with blogs, social platforms and search algorithms – they can assess the topography of available data, see patterns and collate them as trends, prioritise and then act.

2. Hyper Connectors One of these days we will laugh about the fact people used to get fired for using Facebook or LinkedIn at work. Hyper Connectors are people who know how to swiftly build and exploit relevant networks to get things done. They won’t necessarily have the largest collection of contacts, but they will know how to use digital platforms to find and nurture just the right set of people to reach their goals. These could be internal networks in a huge enterprise, or external webs of journalists, industry influencers and taste makers. You will recognise them in meetings because they are the first to say in answer to a problem, I think I may know someone who …

3. Change Optimists The final quality of the future super smart might sound a bit soft but in some ways it is the most vital personal attribute – positivity. The pace of change is accelerating and there are people for whom that is good news, and others who, if they are honest with themselves, view that fact with dread. You can reassure the change pessimists about the future all you like but believe me – in the end, when faced with disruptive change, pessimists fight for the status quo not for future growth. Your best performers may not know the future, but they should be happy to meet it head on. What do you think? Are there other attributes of what would make someone “super smart” in the future? You can read more articles on Mike Walsh’s blog at www.mike-walsh.com

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2012 RCSA INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

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Book now! www.rcsa.com.au/conference2012/

29-31 AUGUST 2012 | SOFITEL FIJI

The Speakers 2012 RCSA International Conference – Meet some of our Presenters Mike Walsh Mike Walsh, author of Futuretainment and CEO of innovation research agency Tomorrow is a leading authority on the digital future.

Jeff Doyle Jeff Doyle is the Chief Executive Officer of the Adecco Group Australia and New Zealand. Jeff joined the Adecco Group in 2007 as Chief Operating Officer, and was appointed to the CEO role in 2009. Jeff’s strong strategic and operational direction has resulted in significant growth across the Group that includes the Adecco, Judd Farris, Glotel, Icon, Hyphen, Ajilon and Lee Hecht Harrison brands.

Ngahihi o te ra Bidois Ngahihi o te ra Bidois is the face of New Zealand and an international leadership speaker. He has many years of speaking and leadership experience in the business, education and Maori sectors and has been described as a modern day warrior and a living piece of art and has presented to many organisations worldwide such as Google in New York.

Rachel Botsman Rachel Botsman is a social innovator who writes, consults and speaks on the power of collaboration and sharing through network technologies. She wrote the influential book What’s Mine is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption Is Changing The Way We Live. Her thinking on how technology will change how we work and live has been widely published in WIRED, The Guardian, Harvard Business Review, New York Times, The Economist and Fast Company.

Greg Savage FRCSA (Life) Greg is the founder and driving force behind Firebrand Talent Search. With a career spanning thirty years he is an icon of the Australian recruitment industry and is a regular keynote speaker at staffing and recruitment conferences around the world.

Bridget Beattie Bridget Beattie is the Regional General Manager for Right Management in India, Australia and New Zealand. In 1994 Bridget co-founded the leading New Zealand consultancy that was purchased by Manpower and is now Right Management.

Avril Henry Avril Henry Pty Ltd is a management consulting business established in 2003, focusing on leadership, change and talent management, diversity, recruitment and retention strategies.

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Paul Slezak APRCSA Paul Slezak has seen success in the highly competitive recruitment and advertising industries in Australia and Hong Kong by applying his professionalism, drive and creativity to develop and deliver solutions that exceed business expectations, and push the boundaries to create innovative solutions. Aaron Dodd As Mindset’s Talent Practice Leader, Aaron has been instrumental in developing Mindset’s expertise in new business sectors. Aaron is rigorous in his approach to selecting talent and this approach has seen Mindset successfully differentiate itself in a crowded market.

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EARLY BIRD SPECIAL

Nicole Underwood FRCSA Nicole Underwood has lived and breathed recruitment for the past 15 years. After graduating from the University of South Australia with her marketing and HR degree, Nicole was lured into the industry after attending an interview with a Recruiter for another role.

Special Offer!

The first 20 people to book and quote ‘RCSA Journal Offer’ will receive registration at the special Early Bird rate. Be quick! CK HERE

Meet the Award winners

Young Recruitment Professional 2012: Sean Blanche Sean Blanche MRCSA, MBA, GAICD, BEng, BA, General Manager of Bayside Group, started his career as an engineer in the oil and gas industry before moving into engineering recruitment where he could benefit from his engineering background and fulfil his “passion for people”. Sean has worked in several capital cities around Australia and describes himself as a “driven, make things happen” recruitment leader.

Sean is responsible for the strategic direction and leadership of multiple recruitment teams across Australia. He is also a board member of the Bayside Group, where he shares the responsibility for corporate governance, policy setting and accountability to the stakeholders for organisational performance. In 2011 he was profiled in the book Different Thinking - 20 Inspirational Leaders. An accredited trainer, he also has a passion and skill for communicating and regularly runs development courses. He is frequently invited to speak at industry conferences, universities and TAFEs. Away from work, Sean enjoys basketball, snow skiing, water skiing, scuba diving and “playing with the family in the park in North Sydney”. The Journal asked Sean for his reaction to winning the RCSA Young Recruitment Professional Award: “I was very surprised and really humbled to have been selected as the RCSA’s Young Recruitment Professional of the year,” Sean said. “My colleagues and I have always held the RCSA in such high esteem, so to be selected by my industry’s peak body from among such talented competition across Australia and New Zealand was amazing, and will forever be truly memorable.”

What advice would you give other young recruiters?

Sean Blanche MRCSA, MBA, GAICD, BEng, BA, General Manager of Bayside Group

RCSA JOURNAL

“Working in the recruitment industry has allowed me great opportunities to develop professionally and focus on what I am passionate about – partnering with and empowering people to realise their full potential. “If you are starting your recruitment career or early into it, it is important to realise that recruitment needs your unwavering attention in three areas: 1. wanting the best for your candidates, 2. wanting the best for your customers and 3. wanting to become your best for your employer!

“That usually involves hard work, assertiveness, keeping your word, good questioning and decision-making, speed, resilience and continued improvement on what you know and how you think. I also highly recommend finding a mentor! (See my blog for further elaboration here seangblanche.wordpress.com/)

Having won this award, what are your goals for the future? “Looking forward, I have some very ambitious recruitment goals around growth, succession and development. “Currently, I am growing the size and capability of the recruitment teams I lead, I also intend to continue investing significant time on succession planning and mentoring, and find great joy in seeing future leaders emerge from within our teams. I also have plans to complete some further studies this year, and intend to explore the possibilities of a PhD in the years to come. “I work with great teams of consultants who have helped me throughout my career, and I continue to be inspired by learning what motivates and encourages them – all of which drives me to be a better leader.” Sean concluded: “If I could share a great principle passed to me by my mentor, it would be around a critical business element – succession: ‘Everybody should have their current subordinate happy doing their job, and capable of doing yours’. If you work diligently towards this, your future will be bright. “I am continually amazed at how the recruitment industry has opened up so many opportunities and exciting chapters of my life, however as I like to share with my colleagues, the best is yet to come!”

international comment

Ciett Report

Adapting to change… the new economic reality I

n the March issue I shared with you news that I would be releasing the Boston Consulting Report Adapting to Change which was commissioned by Ciett, at a series of events for RCSA Members in Australia and New Zealand during April and May. This report demonstrates the critical role that private employment agencies play in adapting to the changes that economies around the world are experiencing, the creation of better labour markets and the creation of decent work. The findings of this report are particularly important to ensure there is a balanced debate when the ACTU releases the findings of its enquiry in to what it refers to as “insecure work” at the ACTU Congress in May. Already elements of this report are being leaked in the media and they paint a dim picture of our industry. However, by comparing agency work to all forms of non-permanent employment, the ACTU report fails to recognise the lifestyle choices that many of our temporary workers and contractors are making to gain greater control and flexibility over their lives, the role we play in helping disadvantaged job seekers secure more regular employment, or the impact constantly changing economic dynamics are having on employers. It is clear that economic cycles are becoming more volatile and adapting to these new dynamics is one of the greatest challenges

Steve Shepherd FRCSA (Life) and Immediate Past President, is the RCSA’s representative with Ciett and a member of the Ciett Board.

businesses face today. Economies across the world are experiencing deep structural shifts at sectoral, geographic and demographic levels. Consequently, organisations are struggling with a skills mismatch as business requirements change rapidly. The increased incidence of structural change (globalisation, demographic evolution, sectoral and IT shifts, increased volatility and complexity) in recent years has brought a new set of challenges to the labour market. These include unpredictable and volatile employment markets, persistent high levels of unemployment – particularly among youths – a mismatch between the supply and demand of skills, the increased importance of transitions in the labour market to reduce segmentation, and an increased need for the development of contractual arrangements that are not detrimental to decent work. These are all issues we see in Australia and New Zealand, and our industry is part of the solution, not part of the problem, as we help organisations adapt to the impact that each cycle has on their employment levels. The Ciett Report found that our industry provides innovative and reliable solutions that enable organisations, whether public or private, to manage seasonal fluctuation in demand and adapt their workforce needs accordingly. Cyclical fluctuations, while less predictable, are increasingly a fact of life as economies alternate between periods of positive and negative growth and, as leading service providers, private employment agencies are well placed to enable adaptation to these structural changes. With our international reach and specialised market knowledge, our industry facilitates adaptation to this change. Over the coming months, it will be important that we all continue to deliver this message to governments and employers to ensure we continue to play a role in Australia’s and New Zealand’s economic futures. In order to do this I would like to share with you the key findings of the Ciett Report, Adapting to Change.

Our industry enabled organisations to adapt to new labour market conditions, facilitating transitions for economies, businesses and individuals, and driving social and economic progress. We reduce time lags between recovery and job creation and help companies and economies to adapt better and faster to cyclical and structural changes, and we help economies to adapt to structural shifts by re-skilling and up-skilling workers to match supply and demand within the labour market The report shows that in Germany, companies using agency workers accelerate faster out of a downturn (revenue growth in Germany for companies using PrES is higher than those not using PrES) And 76 per cent of employers cite a quick response to business demands and absorbing activity fluctuations as the main reasons for making greater use of private employment services.

Private employment services ensure better labour markets; providing a stepping stone, creating jobs and increasing participation Our industry increases labour market participation and reduces frictional unemployment by ensuring a better and faster match between supply and demand of work and increasing labour market transparency. A key finding of the report is that 76 per cent of organisations who use private employment services would not consider hiring permanent workers as an alternative to agency workers therefore, private employment services reduce structural unemployment by creating new jobs which, in many cases, would otherwise not exist. This is borne out by the fact that in countries where there is a high private employment services penetration rate there is typically a lower unemployment rate than those with lower agency penetration rates. The report also shows the probability of a worker securing more permanent work is JUNE 2012

international comment

significantly increased if the worker was engaged in agency work. What we know is that our industry is uniquely positioned to balance flexibility with security for organisations and individuals. However, we are also committed to social dialogue and driving social innovation. We recognise that there needs to be a balanced approach to appropriate regulation within the sector to encourage and promote industry standards and facilitate economic and social progress however, the ACTU’s recommendations would not only add greater levels of red tape to RCSA members who already have a code of professional conduct, it would reduce labour market flexibility and disadvantage many of the workers that the ACTU seeks to “protect” by removing the flexibility they currently enjoy and demand in order to meet work life and family life balance. Current perceptions of the industry, including the ACTU’s, are out of date and threaten to hinder increased labour market stability and economic growth, and the existence of unscrupulous and unethical agencies is damaging the image of the

RCSA JOURNAL

whole industry. Now more than ever we need to work together with stakeholders to ensure any regulatory framework is relevant in order to maximise the benefits to the economy, organisations and individuals, while protecting industry and workers alike from rogue traders and unethical practices. This is vital in order to create an environment in which we can act as the bridge between the evolving requirements of business and the capabilities of individuals. We also need to take action to change the perception our industry has in some sectors and demonstrate that the industry can offer tremendous value to government and businesses, facilitating

economic growth by providing training and development in line with economic requirements during a period of structural change. With genuine dialogue between all stakeholders we can work together towards the common goal of increasing labour market participation and productivity in Australia and New Zealand. For a full copy of the Ciett Report go to www.rcsa.com.au>Tools & Resources>Ciett.

international comment

My dad is bigger than your dad! They say size doesn’t matter, however, it seems to me that in the world of recruitment a lot of emphasis is focused on just who is the biggest.

David Head, publisher of Recruitment International magazine

ome 15 years ago Recruitment International published the first of what has now become an annual industry research document; it was called the Top 100 Report. In the publication we decided to try and make a list of all the recruitment companies that had a turnover in the UK in excess of £10 million per annum (AU$15,934,794). In the end we came up with 99 companies; so with true journalistic integrity we made up a bogus entry to get to the magical “100” number! The publication was an amazing success. Those companies that hadn’t necessarily volunteered their numbers, but were included after some research at Companies House, ensured they filed accurate up-to-date figures in Volume 2. Such was the growth of the industry at this stage, that by having figures that were technically a year behind the competition, a company that could have been in the Top 20 were actually listed at number 35. The fascination with who was the biggest flourished and some egos were certainly bruised! The popularity of the publication continued to grow and, as it was also unique at the time, it was soon being posted overseas, in particular to the US, where the Americans were actually using the Report more or less as a shopping list for their UK acquisition targets. The Report has continued to evolve and work is now under way to update and record who has achieved what turnover for inclusion in our 15th issue covering the fiscal year 2011. One aspect of the research has definitely grown and that is in the number of recruitment companies that have made it over the £10 million entry criteria. From its original one hundred companies, the publication is now called the Top 250 Report although it actually contains more than 270 companies. The research has also expanded by breaking down turnover into disciplines, number of offices, employees and contractor numbers. One of the most fascinating aspects of the Report is ownership, which shows that of the largest one hundred recruiters, just over one in five is owned by a company from outside the UK! In fact, there are 78 companies that are actually owned in the UK. There are 12 companies with US parents, with three each from Ireland and France. Then Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Japan each of which have one representative. (The largest recruiter I could place from Australia was Ambition which ranked at number 210).

The Top 10 UK recruitment companies ranked by UK turnover are: 1

Adecco

Hays

Swiss UK

Impellam

Reed

Randstad

ManpowerGroup

Dutch US

Elan IT

Morson Group

Cordant

Pertemps

This got me into thinking that the same must be true for other countries and would the same logic apply to Australia? Who are the biggest recruiters in your country? I thought I would try to find out, which is not that easy at thousands of miles away. However, with the help of the internet I have given it a go. Here’s my Top 10, I would dearly love to think that my research is 100% correct but I await your feedback as to who I’ve left out! Skilled Group

Australian

Adecco

Swiss

ManpowerGroup

Talent2/Allegis

Aus/US

Rubicor

Australian

Randstad

Dutch

Robert Walters

Hays

Michael Page

Peoplebank

Australia

Happy for you all to fill in the ranking order – email me at david@recruitment-international.co.uk. Oh, and my dad is 5 feet 8 inches (172.7 cm) tall.

JUNE 2012

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT ISSUES

Imagine if... New entrants to the workforce didn’t stay in the same company for most of their working life, but instead changed employers every few years.

There was low unemployment and it was hard to find the right candidates for great jobs.

Mark Ashburn, General Manager – Sales, RecruitmentSuper

RCSA JOURNAL

Graduates from university not only changed jobs every few years, but also changed careers several times during their working life.

Employers, even the big ones like banks and accounting firms, didn’t always offer employees the prospect of a long career and the opportunity to progress through the ranks to senior positions.

People entered the workforce with the aspiration of becoming a CEO but had no idea how to get to the top.

Great workers wanted to have career breaks and extended travel breaks and didn’t worry about being able to get a job when they were ready to return to the workforce.

Imagine if the environment changed (again!) and managing careers was more like being a player-manager for elite footballers! Mark Ashburn looks at the things that have changed – and the things that haven’t.

F course, all of these things describe today’s workforce, but it was only a few decades ago that most of them would have sounded far-fetched and fanciful. But despite the rapid pace of change, which has turned the way we work almost on its head, our model for recruitment and career management largely stay the same: recruiters recruit people into roles, and then the candidates manage their own career while they are working. Sure, a lot of people working today have been with one company for years, they have stayed in the same career and worked their way to the top, by planning their career in conjunction with thoughtful employers who had a long term vision for their organisation. But most of these people are in the later stages of their careers, and will be

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT ISSUES

retired in ten or so years (depending on how their super goes, but that’s a story for another day!). Imagine if the environment changed and it was more like being a player manager for elite footballers. Consider how young and talented players are treated when entering the big league for the first time. They haven’t proved themselves but they have the right credentials. With guidance and the right moves they may become legends of the game. Naturally, the club they are drafted to will invest in their training and development. Of course they might move or get drafted to another team one day, but the club accepts this possibility and gets on with building their skills. All the while, in the background, the player manager is staying in touch, caring for and understanding the long term aspirations of their client. While the season is underway and the player is concentrating on the game each week, the manager is testing the future prospects with other clubs, finding endorsements and personal sponsors as well as keeping an eye on the prospects for what their player might do after they retire. It’s easy to draw the parallels with graduates, trainees and apprentices entering the workforce today. But it seems to me that once people are placed in a job they usually spend most of their time managing their own career. It raises some interesting questions. Are employers these days usually focused on the long term future of their organisation, culture and employee development? Do employees see their annual reviews like a contract negotiation? Are some people talented enough to be elsewhere, learning or earning more, but they don’t know how to get there? Would some people really like to get involved in something outside of work to give them more balance but they just don’t have the time to think about it?

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Article by Mark Ashburn, General Manager – Sales, RecruitmentSuper.

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BUSINESS MANAGEMENT ISSUES

Do you make important purchasing decisions? This one could save you! Ever bought a house, or even a car for that matter? Yes, well let’s think about how you went about that important, and costly, purchase. You no doubt started by thinking about your needs, two bedrooms or three, sedan or hatch? This is a critical step in the buying process as it helps you identify what is important to you, the buyer. It also helps narrow down your search by removing any of the unsuitable options that only serve to distract you from your objective.

RCSA JOURNAL

ow you narrow it down further by thinking about the features and benefits. A pool? Yes please! Or maybe that Bluetooth connection you just can’t do without. Thought about price yet? Probably not, because you’re in that blissfully ignorant stage of the process that has you thinking more about what you want rather than what you can afford. Human nature shows us that while price is important, it’s not the be all and end all. Now you’re into the home stretch of the buying process and you’ve got a mental picture of what you want. If you’re like me, that’s a shiny new Range Rover with all the fixins’ probably retailing for $100,000 plus but I’m not in the real world yet, so that’s OK. Nuts and bolts time: while price is definitely a key stage in the buying process, its weight on your decision will very much depend on what you are buying. A litre of milk will see you purchase the cheapest option because all milk is the same right? If you are buying a house or car, your buying price will be much more flexible: $20,000 more for the right choice is not a problem. If you are like me, you love watching those reality property shows, particularly the parts of the show when Mr Smith over there declared, “Not going to buy that for a dollar over $800,000”. Two minutes later, old mate Mr Smith is the proud new owner of a $987,000 four bedroom, two bathroom renovator in the not-so-nice part of town. Why did he do it when the same Mr Smith complained when the local Coles supermarket was out of the home brand margarine? Not sure exactly, but I’m sure it has a lot to do with human nature. Why then do we make important buying decisions for our business by starting at the end, the price, and working from there? Price seems to be the key factor when buying critical services for your business, even though this could see you buying something that does not fit your business needs and potentially be completely useless when needed most. Ever tried eating with a plastic knife and fork? Cheap to buy, looks like a knife and fork, but completely useless.

Moving on to the title of the article, this one could save you! I’m an insurance broker so I can’t show you my face, but I can try and save you from buying that plastic knife and fork. So here it is – five questions that could help save your business (in no particular order): • Identify your risks, ask yourself what it is you are trying to insure against. Insurance is there to help you in the worst case scenario so that should be your starting point. Do you have on-hired workers? If so, you will need cover that extends to covering these workers at their host (vicarious liability) – most policies do not cover this as standard. • Can’t answer the above? That’s OK, that’s what insurance brokers are there for. So question two is, do you have the right insurance partner for your needs? There are many to choose from but you should be focusing on the ones who can serve your business needs the best. Do they understand your industry? Do they have a track record in your industry? Have they heard of the RCSA or have you seen them at RCSA events? If any of the answers are “no”, then maybe you should look around. • My mother used to say “If it looks too good to be true it usually is”. Handy tip that one, Mum. Ask yourself, if I was paying X last year and now it’s Y this year and Y is far cheaper than X, you should be asking why. Now I was never a maths whizz but I know the answer is not stick-my-head-in-thesand. Unfortunately claims can’t be paid against policies written on the back of a beer coaster, those days have long gone. • What do I want to get out of my chosen insurance partner? There are options out there for you to consider. Some will send you the bill when it falls due and chase you up when you don’t pay, but don’t offer much more. If that’s what you want, then fine, but remember there are others that can offer much more: personalised service, insurer contract reviews, and advice that goes beyond the traditional. The choice is yours, so choose wisely.

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT ISSUES

Technology trends at the speed of tomorrow • The most important question and the one question that can save your business is, Will my insurance cover be there for me when I need it? If you don’t have the right cover in place from the start, then unfortunately your business could be at risk. While buying cheap insurance seems like a great idea to cut costs in today’s uncertain financial climate, the true cost to your business could be far worse than any saving made. To find out if you are truly covered, contact OAMPS recruitment insurance on 1800 552 551. We don’t sell plastic knives and forks, just recruitment insurance.

Danial Mullin, Team Leader, Professional Schemes, OAMPS Insurance Brokers Ltd

here are a number of technology trends that have been bubbling for some time, that are now beginning to converge. The adoption of mobile technology, the rise of personal search and the use of web services are likely to transform the recruiting landscape. Mobile is white hot. In Australia, SEEK are now seeing over twenty per cent of our visits coming from mobile devices, with annual growth in visits via mobiles up 169 per cent year on year. Many believed that the mobile user wouldn’t apply for jobs. We are now seeing real proof that they do. On our recently launched SEEK Jobs app for iPhone we’ve seen that jobseekers are starting the application process at almost the same rate as on the desktop site. We expect 30-40 per cent of our usage to come from mobile in the next 12 months. This will have a few impacts on recruiting: • Firstly, employers and recruiters who have job application processes that are not mobile-friendly are going to miss out on relevant candidates. SEEK recognised this issue and we‘ve optimised our application processes for mobile – even allowing candidates to apply with a resume stored on our desktop site. We’re also working hard to help jobseekers “pick up where they left off” across any device. • Secondly, it is likely that the quality of some job applications will reduce – so for hard to fill roles you might start to see some short cover letters and un-tailored CVs! The rise of personal search – enabling jobseekers to tailor their search experience to get exactly what they want – is going to make it easier to find their ideal job. When you look at brands like Amazon and Facebook, your profile, interests and behaviour define the

experience. We are starting an exciting journey at SEEK working towards a more personalised experience. Jobseekers will be able to describe their ideal job, upload a profile and we will deliver them the right results, putting them in front of the right advertisers. This will no doubt open up a number of new targeted advertising options. Web services are being used in a number of industries to help companies collaborate across value chains and to integrate systems between organisations in real time. SEEK has already introduced a couple of web services. The first is SEEK Application Export that allows our advertisers to use the SEEK mobile application process and have these applications delivered straight into their systems. The other integrates Jobseeker Profiles into ATS and Ad loading tools. Over time, SEEK will roll out other real-time services within the recruiting ecosystem. This will make it easier for our clients to interact with and get the most from SEEK. So when you put it all together, SEEK is moving with the times and redefining the job board category – into a more mobile, personal, proactive and integrated service.

Doug Blue – SEEK Product Director.

JUNE 2012

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT ISSUES

Discussion Paper

Flexibility, change and economic growth: the role of on-hire agency work in Australia’s labour market Today’s economy is fastmoving, dynamic and subject to rapid change. The ability of workers and businesses to predict, and respond to, these economic conditions, is increasingly limited. Therefore, both workers and businesses need as much help as possible to rapidly adjust to market conditions and personal circumstances. Recruitment firms play a central role in providing this flexibility to workers and businesses alike.

ustralian workers are adapting to change and are increasingly able to understand that it is not possible for Australia to row against the tide of global economic uncertainty. The concept of a job for life is, to most Australians, unrealistic and, increasingly, undesirable. These are the people who make up the contemporary Australian workforce, where flexibility flows both ways. Despite the important role of adaptive “agency” work, this model of employment is under fire for failing to provide “secure” work. The Australian Council of Trade Unions’ (ACTU) Secure Work campaign seeks to provide protection for the “forty per

RCSA JOURNAL

cent of workers [who] are engaged in insecure work arrangements such as casual work, fixed term work, contracting or labour hire”. And therein lies the problem: the union campaign sweeps non-traditional work of every type into one large bundle. It assumes highly-paid IT contractors, for example, are in the same position as minimum-wage casual cleaning staff. Nobody denies that some insecure jobs exist, and that this form of employment does not suit all individuals involved. But labelling all non-traditional work models as “insecure”, in a negative sense, simplifies the issue until it loses any meaning. It takes a complex and multi-layered workforce model, then lumps it all under the emotive but misleading name of “insecure work”. Adaptive agency work is a valid and important part of the modern economy; rather than pushing for its end, we should be working collaboratively to ensure those who need to adapt to changing personal circumstances and lifestyle needs are able to, and those who genuinely need protection are afforded this. This paper discusses the role of recruitment firms in helping businesses and government to adapt, and provide decent work for individuals, while contributing to economic growth and international competitiveness. It also looks at the role of the recruitment industry in supporting workers in this sector.

An adaptive workforce: key to economic growth The International Confederation of Private Employment Agencies (CIETT) and Boston Consulting Group (BCG) recently launched a global report that shows countries with agile work models and reasonable regulation outperform those with heavy regulation and little flexibility, in terms of both economic and labour market performance. Moreover, it shows that private employment agencies deliver decent work to individuals,

and help match and develop the skills needed in labour markets. For example, one of the largest recruitment agencies in the country is also one of the biggest employers of apprentices.

Almost 1 in 3 Australian employers use temporary staff from recruitment agencies to manage skills shortages Adecco Temporary Labour Report 2012

Flexible work: sorting myth from fact The outcome of an over-regulated, inflexible work model isn’t more secure jobs for people – it’s fewer jobs overall. The use of flexible or contingent workforces is an important part of the modern business landscape, allowing employers to respond to a rapidly changing environment. In fact 76 per cent of employers use recruitment agencies to respond more quickly to business demands. With volatility becoming a fixture of the economic system, employers, therefore, need to remain responsive. This doesn’t spell doom for employees however; they have the ability to remain agile too, building transferable skills that allow them to move when the market does. Ultimately, businesses make a choice about their growth plans, and that often involves a flexible and scalable workforce. For the majority of employers, it’s not a choice of “hire permanent staff or hire temporary staff”. It is, in fact, “hire temporary staff, or don’t hire at all”. RMIT University research found that 51 per cent of organisations using on-hired employees would not necessarily employ an equivalent number of employees directly if they were unable to use on-hired employees. In fact 19 per cent of organisations said they would rarely do so.

74 per cent of employers do not consider hiring permanent workers as an alternative to “agency” work

Ciett

Employers simply cannot afford to be locked into fixed costs when they don’t have certainty about market conditions. Agency or on-hire work, where an individual is engaged by a firm and on-hired or assigned to work for a client, plays a crucial role in supporting economic growth and providing employment opportunities. Union attempts to magnify an issue that affects a small number of workers will have unintended consequences for all employers and the economy as a whole if it is successful.

When is work “secure”? While the use of casual labour has grown in recent decades, so too have the protections afforded to casual employees. In addition to the basic casual loading (additional pay to replace holiday and other statutory leave entitlements) casuals receive the Superannuation Guarantee once they earn a minimum of $450 per month; and after six months working for a business with over 15 staff, casuals qualify for unfair dismissal protection. After 12 months, long-term casuals also gain the ability to request parental leave and flexible work arrangements. While casual work arrangements may not attract all the benefits of permanent roles, these examples demonstrate that there is indeed a safety net for many workers. Moreover, workers who undertake temporary

“The insecure employment campaign is part of a broader union effort to cast commercial decisions in an industrial relations context” Institute of Public Affairs

work through private employment agencies often benefit from a strong pipeline of assignments. RMIT University research found that half of all on-hired casual employees employed by RCSA members are immediately placed in another assignment following the completion of their initial assignment, so that they enjoy back-to-back assignments without having to search for new work Against this background, the notion of “secure” work is more complex than it might seem at first. And in the volatile economic climate we face today, neither employers nor individuals can expect certainty. Unless a business is able to improve productivity, profitability and efficiency – either through its workforce strategy or business processes – then its economic viability is under threat. Ensuring Australia’s labour laws provide the flexibility employers need in order to remain profitable, is a fundamental precondition of providing security to employees. On the other hand, saddling employers with red tape and onerous industrial relations not only increases costs, but increases the risks associated with hiring people and the risk that business simply won’t hire at all.

Flexible and adaptive work is decent work There is an underlying issue about the nature and quality of on-hire work. The union campaign implies that work where an individual is employed by one business, and assigned to work for another business or government, is bad work; and ignores the large number of workers who: • work flexibly in high-skilled areas • earn above average wages • report satisfaction with their jobs and • gain the experience they need to access the job market. Moreover, it ignores the nature and reputation of many organisations that utilise flexible workforces: governments, hospitals

Two-thirds of temporary workers in Australia display high levels of job satisfaction Adecco Temporary Labour Report 2012

What is on-hire/agency work really like? Professor Mark Wooden from the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, is a director of the HILDA* survey, which tracks the economic and subjective well-being, labour market dynamics and family dynamics of over 7,500 households and 19,000 individuals. He says that most people only take on agency (on-hire) work for some of their career; it’s certainly not a career deadend. In fact, he says that for young people or women returning to work, it provides a foothold into the market. HILDA also reveals little difference in levels of career satisfaction for those who identify as having a “labour-hire” job. Over half of all labour hire workers who are still in the workforce ten years later will be in permanent employee jobs by that date. *Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia

and schools are just as likely to engage workers through a recruitment firm as commercial, for-profit organisations. Decent organisations, offering decent work. After all, organisations in every industry sector and of every size need a workforce that can expand at need, adapt to seasonal and economic fluctuations and provide fast replacements for critical staff absences. Flexibility and the capacity to adapt isn’t a one-way demand from businesses and government – 41 per cent of employees wish to work flexibly for a range of lifestyle reasons, from family through to study commitments. In fact, in the age of over-

JUNE 2012

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT ISSUES

working, a large number of individuals choose on-hire work over salaried direct hire work because they know they will be paid for each hour they work. It allows them to tailor their working preferences to their lifestyle needs. The Institute of Public Affairs points out that the age groups with the highest proportion of workers in so-called “insecure” work arrangements are younger workers and older workers, who are often entering the workforce, or beginning their exit from it. RMIT University research found that 67 per cent of on-hired employees chose to work as an on-hired employee and 34 per cent prefer this form of work over permanent employment. The most important reasons for choosing on-hired employment are diversity of work; to screen potential employers; recognition of contribution; and the payment of overtime worked. RMIT University research also found that half of all on-hired casual employees employed by RCSA members are immediately placed in another assignment following the completion of their initial assignment. That is, they enjoy “back to back” assignments without having to search for new work like those engaged in direct hire casual employment.

Labour market efficiency and regulation The RCSA is not making a case against industry or labour market regulation altogether. In fact, the Ciett research shows a clear correlation between strong, efficient labour markets and regulation of private employment agencies. However, this regulation needs to be appropriate, and balance the flexibility

requirements of businesses and government with the need for greater certainty in employment among sections of the Australian workforce. A country’s labour market efficiency is based on its employment and unemployment rates, hours worked and participation rates. Countries such as the UK, USA, Australia and New Zealand have seen private employment agencies develop rapidly, in the context of an open regulatory environment and liberal economy, and labour market efficiency is significantly higher in these countries. This is especially apparent when comparing these countries to highly-regulated countries that favour security over flexibility – particularly Western and Mediterranean Europe. The more liberal employment markets are also more competitive globally, BCG’s analysis reveals. The message here is that labor market regulation needs a balance between both flexibility and security, to ensure that it supports economic growth, rather than hindering it.

What is the recruitment industry’s role? Providers of on-hire or agency work – as represented by the RCSA’s members – already play an important role in providing flexibility and adaptive capacity for both its clients and its workforce. However, the RCSA continues to focus on ways to improve its support of non-traditional workers, and ensure they can, amongst other things, work safely, have opportunities for career advancement and access training and development. The RCSA is also working with members to collect more data on the industry and its

role in the economy, to help inform policy decisions. It needs to educate stakeholders about the true nature of adaptive work, while helping workers to make the most of a flexible career, whatever their reason for undertaking it. A constructive discussion about the role of adaptive and flexible working arrangements in Australia can only be had with unbiased data taken from a genuine sample of the entire Australian workforce.

Conclusion There are two key questions that underlie the Secure Work campaign: do all workers want permanent, full-time jobs? And would businesses hire permanent, full-time employees if on-hire workers weren’t available? The answer to both questions is no. Our economy needs businesses and government to be adaptable through the use of flexible labour, and our workers need a range of options that fit with their increasingly versatile lifestyle needs. Recruitment firms provide businesses and government with fast access to talent, while delivering a broad range of job opportunities to individuals. This is a crucial part of a modern, functioning and competitive economy.

References http://securejobs.org.au/get-the-facts/ Brennan, L. Valos, M. and Hindle, K. (2003) On-hired Workers in Australia: Motivations and Outcomes RMIT Occasional Research Report. School of Applied Communication, RMIT University, Design and Social Context Portfolio Melbourne Australia Brennan, L. Valos, M. and Hindle, K. (2003) ibid. Adecco Temporary Labour Report 2012 Institute of Public Affairs, Insecure Employment Occasional Paper, John Lloyd, March 2012

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Key job hunter trends in 2012 CareerOne’s Hidden Hunters Report, now in its fifth year, identifies trends in job hunting behaviour across industries and key demographics. The main trends this year are:

#3: Decline in Active Job Hunting

#2: Increase in Job Satisfaction

The economic uncertainty and increase in job satisfaction has led to a decline in the number of people actively job hunting. Thirty per cent of workers are actively looking or scanning for new job opportunities, down from 37 per cent in 2011. However, 79 per cent of Australian workers are still open to making a move with almost half (49 per cent) taking a more passive approach. The shift towards passive job hunting highlights the need for companies to be smarter in their recruitment and engage passive job hunters through new interactive media tools such as CareerOne’s Power Resume Search and CareerOne Ad Network. Western Australia is the most active state with 35 per cent of workers actively looking for a new role. South Australian job hunting has increased by seven per cent to 28 per cent. Queensland workers have seen the greatest decline in job hunting activity at 31 per cent, down from 47 per cent in 2011. New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory and Victoria are both down in job hunting activity and reflect the national average.

Job satisfaction has increased across every aspect measured, returning to 2010 levels of 54 per cent. Workers are most satisfied with the team, the work itself, hours worked and flexibility with all experiencing significant increases over the past 12 months.

Another key takeaway from the research is the uplift of Australians using social networking tools and mobile searching to look for job opportunities. In fact, 14 per cent of job

#1: Economic Concern The biggest trend from the 2012 research is the significant increase in economic concern. The number of Australians “very concerned” about the economy nearly doubled, from 11 per cent in 2011 to twenty per cent this year. This concern is impacting all states, but the worst affected are Queensland and South Australia. Interestingly, this concern is not driven by personal financial circumstances with no change in those finding it “difficult” or “very difficult” on their income. Clearly, more macro concerns about the Australian economy and international events are worrying many job hunters this year.

hunters use their mobile phone to browse jobs or receive job related information, up nine per cent since 2008. Over 17 per cent of job hunters use social networking tools to source new opportunities, up seven per cent since 2008. CareerOne’s free social broadcasting tool can help advertisers expand their reach to these candidates by automatically posting CareerOne jobs to their company’s Facebook and Twitter pages. Despite the diversification of job hunting tools, general job websites remain the number one tool job hunters use when searching for new opportunities (61 per cent). For detailed information on your state and industry, download the full report: www.careerone.com.au/ hiddenhunters. To learn more about CareerOne’s sourcing solutions, contact your CareerOne representative or call 1800 555 010.

#4: Uplift in Social Networking and Mobile Usage Dawn Tingwell National Sales Director CareerOne

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To access these courses and more visit: learningseat.com/public/rcsa JUNE 2012

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Improve your email and free up two-three working weeks a year Drowning in emails? Suffering from information overload? Productivity authority Debbie MayoSmith says we can all save weeks of time by following her five simple tips to improve your productivity.

Yes, you read the title correctly. This article will help you free up two to three working weeks a year if you receive a lot of email. If you have responsibility for generating income, these tips can help you sell more, as well as improve communication and workflow. Working in Outlook probably gobbles up several hours of your day and is a major pain point. Right? Unfortunately you can’t ignore it. It’s where you receive work requests. Where you communicate with staff, clients, family. Where you get news. Where you set your appointments and meetings. If that’s not enough, the change to the ribbon format in 2007 and 2010 changed everything that was familiar. Here are five out of hundreds of tips from my new book Conquer Your Email Overload. They’ll help you work more effectively both easing your pain and enhancing your gain.

Begin with these five tips 1. Forget typing details: Drag and Drop You’ll love this tip! Used creatively, drag and drop can replace cut and paste and typing from scratch. Take an email or take incoming emails and drag, then drop into contacts, calendar, or task folders to transform that email into a new item. An email dropped into Contacts creates a new contact for the sender. Take their signature, drag and drop the information into the respective contact fields. Even better, you can highlight text within an email and drag and drop that instead of the entire email. Where: Anywhere within Outlook.

Debbie Mayo-Smith

RCSA JOURNAL

2. Your personal inbox secretary: Rules This function used cleverly can save you at least 15 minutes a day – that’s two weeks a year. It can automatically read your incoming or outgoing emails, then perform the tasks you set. Use Rules to bundle CCs and BCCs. Put emails in a folder, forward, answer, delete. Perform routine responses, sort through irrelevant emails, focus on important ones. Where: 2003-7: Tools > Rules. 2010: Home Ribbon > Move> Rules.

3. Be a Sales/Customer Service Superstar: Tasks Instead of a simple current to-do list, use Tasks to grow sales by reminding yourself to follow up on outstanding proposals. Build relationships using recurring tasks to prompt you to telephone quarterly; to follow up after a certain period of time for customer service. Assign meeting action points to individuals and prompt them. Remind staff of items due like expense or sales reports. Where: Icon under your Sent items folder. 4. Be gracious and save thousands of seconds: Reply Signature Instead of signing off (or not!) each email you forward or reply to, have it done automatically. Add your normal salutation. Set once, then forget. Where: 2003-7: Tools > Mail Format > Signatures > Replies and Forwards. 2010: Open a new message > Message tab > Include group > Signature. Then click Signatures. Click New, and assign it to the Forward & Replies. 5. CRM Tool: People Pane New to 2010. Microsoft has replicated the information you would normally find in a Contact’s Activity tab (2003-7) and placed it in a new pane at the bottom of an email when viewed in the Reading Pane. You see all the activity you have had with that person, including Emails, Tasks, Calendar items and attachments. Where: On the View tab, in the People Pane group, click People Pane and then click Bottom (you must have your Reading Pane turned on). Best-selling author and productivity authority Debbie Mayo-Smith works with businesses that want more effective management and staff. For more free tips or to purchase Conquer Your Email Overload www.debbiespeaks.co.nz

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT ISSUES

The more things change… In all the regulatory and societal changes recently, the RCSA Code for Professional Conduct has remained the same. How can that be? Andrew Wood explains how the Code accommodates all the changes that have taken place and yet remains relevant.

Andrew Wood, Hon FRCSA (Life), Barrister

The more things change … the more some things remain the same. At the time this issue of the RCSA Journal is published, we will be about 18 months out from the expiry date of the current ACCC authorisation of the RCSA Code. That means that it is time to think about how the Code has performed as a guide to the regulation of member conduct and to think about what might be included in its next version (version 3). At the same time, we are beginning to hear murmurings in support of the reintroduction of a national system of employment service supplier (agents) licensing, even though most states, along with New Zealand, dismantled their licensing schemes many years ago as part of a move towards a more competitive marketplace. It is always interesting to reflect upon what could be included in the RCSA Code, what has been left out, and why. The RCSA Code consists of a statement of broad principle that requires members to observe a high standard of ethics, probity and professional conduct which requires not simply compliance with the law, but extends to honesty, equity, integrity, social and environmental responsibility in all dealings and holds up to disclosure and to public scrutiny. To that extent, it answers some of the recent commentary that suggests that industry codes should be about what to do, rather than about what NOT to do. It also contains eight more specific points of guidance covering privacy and confidentiality, honest dealings, respect for work relationships, respect for laws, respect for safety, respect for certainty of engagement, professional knowledge, and good order. These points set out guidance about what members should do as well as what they should avoid. The Code has been modelled along these lines since it was first authorised in 2002. Since that time, the industry has seen many changes in its legal environment. Licensing schemes have gone, discrimination legislation has changed, privacy legislation has been rolled out, competition and consumer laws have undergone significant change, Work Choices and Fair Work

reforms have radically altered the industrial framework in which the industry operates, workplace health and safety reforms – on an unprecedented scale – have been and are being rolled out, migration, tax and superannuation reforms have come into effect or are proposed and more is yet to come. In addition, the courts, Fair Fork Australia and the Employment Relations Authority have continued to make pronouncements on the law that impact daily on the work that recruiters do. Yet the Code has remained the same. How can that be? How can the Code operate so flexibly as to accommodate all the changes that have taken place and yet remain relevant? The answer, I think, lies in its design, which emphasises levels of high principle: social responsibility; respect for privacy, respect for work engagements and so on; as well as in the continued fine-tuning of the Disciplinary & Dispute Resolution Procedures (“D&DRP”) that underpin it. While the Code has not changed, the D&DRP has been fine-tuned on eight separate occasions and continues to undergo review and refinement by the Board, the Professional Practice Council and the Ethics Registrar – all based upon direct experience gained from handling many hundreds of matters and inquiries. The other important element that contributes to the flexibility of the RCSA ethics regime is that RCSA’s Ethics Committees, which determine serious complaints, are made up of industry participants who bring to bear on any question years of experience, industry insights and profound understanding of what is involved in the work of recruitment. These “champions” of the industry are able to identify and state acceptable standards of member conduct in the context of any specific complaint that arises for their consideration. No mere Code – whether a statutory code or voluntary industry code – can do that. The key lies in the people – and that is most appropriate in what is, after all, a people business.

JUNE 2012

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT ISSUES

Procurement pressure

Having the courage to say “no” This last decade has seen significant changes in the recruitment process. A fundamental shift has swept across the industry, writes Robert van Stokrom FRCSA, RCSA Vice President and CEO, DFP Recruitment. In this article, he shares his ideas for members’ consideration.

n days gone by recruitment was largely a process involving a line manager who dealt with the recruitment company (or a short list panel). Input was provided when needed by the line manager’s HR department. As time went on and recruitment was further outsourced, senior managers noticed the increasing cost creeping into their P&Ls. The expense incurred with outsourced recruiting was being seen as a significant cost that needed to be reduced. Enter the procurement manager. Tasked with centralised purchasing for an organisation, the procurement officer/manager to a large extent absorbed the role of recruiting. No longer was the line manager able to freely choose who to deal with for a steady supply of staff.

Robert van Stokrom FRCSA, RCSA Vice President

RCSA JOURNAL

The inevitable result of centralised planning has seen downward pressure on service fees. Procurement managers will freely admit to this. Their very existence is predicated upon this notion. Procurement departments exist to streamline and reduce cost. There is nothing wrong with this, in fact it should be a prime goal of all focused businesses to keep one eye firmly on cost and expenses. Procurement has a vital role to play. Procurement by default has a primary focus on price; secondary to the main focus is quality. Typically, a procurement manager will look to keep downward pressure on price, constantly looking to reduce and minimise. When this occurs, the Business Development Manager (BDM) needs to pose the question: Which part of the service do you not want included? The BDM should look to begin dissecting the deliverable components and ask which are to be removed so that the desired price can be met. The procurement manager will of course want all of the service components included. This is the point where the BDM needs to have the courage (and support from senior management) to say “no, sorry that level of service cannot be achieved at that price”. This can often be a challenge for resultsorientated, driven BDMs. However, attempting to provide the desired level of service at the unrealistic price ultimately is a disservice to all parties involved. At DFP our mission is to work with likeminded clients who appreciate the value of our service. This is the essence and reasoning behind DFP supporting its BDMs in having the courage to say no, should it be required. Senior management need to be cognisant of the downward pressure procurement places on their BDMs. Competition and cost constraint is healthy for all industry sectors; however, it needs to be carefully balanced with the resultant quality. This is where as an industry we have an excellent opportunity to educate our clients in how we can best service their needs. Procurement purchasing when the goods and services in question are commodity-

based provides significant financial benefit to the business. When it comes to recruitment, this approach is not always desirable. Recruitment, fundamentally, is not a commodity business. The many systems and processes built into the industry help to streamline it and make it more effective and efficient. They do not, however, replace the relationship element. This relationship element is perhaps the most critical. Recruitment is inherently a forwardlooking process. Businesses seek to hire new staff not for cost reduction today but for increased profit tomorrow. Procurement managers must ensure they make decisions concerning the recruiting process with a focus on today’s as well as tomorrow’s bottom line. Placing the right person in the right job at a realistic price will ultimately be more beneficial (read: cost effective and profit producing) than simply placing any person in the right job at the lowest cost. Procurement without sufficient focus on the relationship component may save a cents today. However it may end up costing dollars of profit tomorrow because the level of service the cents purchased was not ultimately the standard that was needed. As an industry, we need to have the courage to learn how to say “no”. When we know we are unable to deliver the standard of service desired at the stated price we must be able to say no. Saying no benefits both the recruitment company as well as the client. Delivering substandard service (even at a discounted price) benefits nobody.

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RCSA Working Groups – working for the benefit of all members The RCSA Working Groups have continued to make significant progress in actively campaigning for the benefit of the recruitment sector.

ibby RCSA 210x128 29/02/12 9:44 AM Page 1

The myriad of implementation requirements in the WHS sector has resulted in increased policy, process and implementation requirements for most recruitment agencies, yet positive news out of South Australia with strong lobbying for changes to the WorkCover industry classifications has seen more simplified solution that now means on-hire employers are classified at the same industry standard as their client. Continuing to pressure Fair Work Australia to consider the on-hire sector when undertaking their review of the Fair Work Act and the Modern Awards is a focus for the Workplace Relations Working Group. Ensuring Fair Work Australia Panel members understand the contribution, flexibility and knowledge the recruitment sector provides to business and to on-hire workers is a focus,

as is providing key education and assisting with ensuring laws are considerate of third party employment arrangements. The Independent Contracting Working Group is also looking to make more clear the definition of contractor versus employee, and are currently working to develop a value proposition in regards to the benefits contracting provides and a checklist to assist recruiters and clients better determine who is a contractor and which workers are employees. The Working Groups are also keeping up to date with other industry trends and employee association pressures. Maintaining open communication regarding the impact external decisions have on members keeps the working groups very busy. Report by Wendy Jeffrey-Lonnie, FCB.

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In the media In the last quarter, the RCSA achieved premium coverage with articles in The Australian Financial Review, The Age and HR Monthly. Media releases • Workforce flexibility crucial to economic growth, RCSA • RCSA Award Winners announced at Gala Ball • RCSA – jobs up for auction not the way to go • RCSA Conference keynote says collaboration is the new competitive advantage • World renowned New Zealand Speaker of the Year to present at RCSA Conference • RCSA announces 2012 awards finalists • RCSA welcomes FWA decision • Workforce Participation – Recruitment Industry Calls for National Conversation • Collaborative Approach to Increase Workforce Participation.

Meet your new Board Member

Media coverage • Time to rethink, get workers to mines (Australian Financial Review) • RCSA slams candidate auction website (Shortlist) • Get WHS compliance arrangements in writing, recruiters told (Shortlist) • How to respond to client discount demands Clennett (Shortlist) • Meeting the hiring needs of franchises (The Australian) • RCSA Sydney CEO Breakfast Panel (Shortlist) • Lack of awareness from analysts damaging listed recruitment stocks: (Humanis MD) • L AFHA offsets Australia’s high tax rate image (Shortlist) • RCSA Gala Ball heads to Melbourne (Shortlist) • No contract means no fee (HR Monthly) • Recruiters jostle for advantage (The Australian) • Changing labour market driving increased on-hire use RCSA (Shortlist) • RCSA calls for stakeholder co-operation on mature-aged workforce participation (Shortlist) • Are recruitment agencies worth the trouble? (The Age).

Matthew Hobby FRCSA Matthew Hobby was appointed to the RCSA Board at the recent Annual General Meeting. He is the State Manager (South Australia) for McArthur and this year is his thirteenth year in the recruitment industry, He joined McArthur in March 2010 and joined the RCSA Council in South Australia in November 2010.

More than

7 in 10 online placements C

are made via SEEK

CMY

Making SEEK the single largest source of candidates *Source: The GFK SEEK Job Market Update - Nov 2011 Base: Nationally representative sample of Australians who found their last role online in the last 12 months (n=79) Q: L4: Through which one of these online sources did you find your last role? E1. When did you start your last job?

JUNE 2012

Association news

Adherence to best practice in service delivery is improving The Service Delivery Rating has seen significant and sustained improvement over the past five years. This suggests more agencies are measuring-up better against recruitment industry best practice and statutory compliance. The Service Delivery Rating has been measured on certified RCSA Members since 2004. The rating is a score that can be assessed when agencies are audited in the RCSA Service Delivery Standard (RCSA SDS). The rating takes into account the performance of each agency against a range of measures including recruitment industry best practice and statutory compliance. The maximum rating is 10.0, the minimum acceptable rating is 5.0. A rating of less than 5.0 can be and sometimes is assessed, but such results are not included here.

Current Ratings Profile The rating of all agencies currently certified in the RCSA SDS is shown in Table 1. Of all agencies certified, 22 per cent have scored between 5.0 and 5.9. These are mainly the agencies which have been through their first audit and have just become certified in the RCSA SDS. Agencies usually start at this level and progress upwards, although there is one agency which achieved a rating of over 7.0 in their initial certification. Thirty-two per cent of agencies have scored between 6.0 and 6.9, and a further 32 per cent between 7.0 and 7.9. These are mainly agencies which have been through the initial certification and have undertaken one or more subsequent surveillance audits. At each audit they are presented with a list of suggestions for improvement, which, if implemented effectively, assist them to improve their service delivery and of course their rating.

RCSA JOURNAL

Fourteen per cent of agencies have scored between 8.0 and 8.9. In all cases these are agencies which have been certified in the standard for a number of years – at least three, but more often five or more years. While we have seen a significant increase in the ratings since these measures have been collected we have not yet seen an agency assessed at more than 9.0. However we are hoping that this will happen in the next few years.

How does the rating work? The RCSA SDS was developed by the RCSA in 2004 and 2005. Based on international standards for quality management, it also set a benchmark for recruitment excellence by including recruitment specific items such as checking a candidate’s right to work and complying with candidate privacy requirements. Over the years the assessment process has been updated to reflect emerging best practice around the use of social media, workplace safety management, employee and contractor agreements, and management of candidate “floating” (reverse marketing). The RCSA SDS standard consists of eight broad areas which are then split into 47 sections such as employment screening, placement management and feedback collection. Each section is further detailed in over six hundred individual items. The rating is assessed by an independent auditor during an onsite audit over one or more days. Findings are captured in a report for the agency, and the rating is recorded in our database. Agencies that meet requirements are certified in the standard. Agencies that have been audited and have received a good rating can be proud and

confident that they meet industry best practice, comply with key legislative commitments, and have established strong service delivery systems.

Does size matter? One of the questions we have had is what drives good service delivery? It is easy to assume that the bigger businesses have access to more resources and can therefore put more effort into meeting industry best practice. In fact, size seems to have nothing to do with it.

Table 2 shows a wide spread of average and maximum ratings for different sized agencies, based on the number of staff. The highest average rating is indeed for a larger agency (rating 7.6 for G 66-85 staff), but the maximum rating is for E 26-45 staff (rating 8.7), and the smallest businesses (A 1-5 staff) often outperform the bigger businesses. Then we have asked, (Table 3) if it is not size, then perhaps it is the area of specialisation that makes a difference? For example, one can assume that an agency placing medical doctors, where the risk of a “bad” placement could be very serious, might implement best practice more readily than an agency placing short term blue collar staff, where the consequences of a bad placements may not be so severe.

But again, specialisation seems to have nothing to do with it. Out of the four main

Association news

groups in the chart, the top rating is from a medical agency, but the average rating for medical agencies is exceeded by the average rating for general and nursing agencies.

So what does matter? So what does drive the achievement of a high standard of service delivery? Analysis of the database and our experience has made it clear that, without a doubt, it is the number of years involved in working towards best practice that makes the difference. It is the commitment to improving best practice and service delivery management, and the unwavering focus on getting things done right the first time, that makes the difference.

Table 4 shows a steady increase in average ratings over the number of years that agencies work towards best practice and are involved in the certification program. Interestingly, the performance of the maximum rating does waver a little after the Year 5 mark, but this reflects the performance of individual agencies. In the first year, agencies are required to demonstrate they have a suitable framework in place for management of service delivery, and can show they meet “reasonable” best practice. By the end of Year 2, agencies should have implemented a number of improvements such as clear and precise procedures, risk

management, feedback and issue management. The “quality tools” to measure and improve performance should be established. By the end of Year 3, the agency should have a service delivery system which meets industry best practice, and a quality management system which is effective and sustainable. Improvement after Year 3 is driven by the individual agency’s enthusiasm to meet customer needs and expectations and also for continuous improvement of internal efficiencies.

Who are the best performers? Seven agencies have established themselves as the current top performers with ratings of 8.0 and above. Congratulations to all these agencies as this reflects the effort and the attention they put into achieving industry best practice. Manpower and Placer Management Group were two of the first agencies to take on the RCSA SDS in 2005. A case study on Placer Management Group is available at www.fathombusiness.com.au. Integrity Staffing, Medic Oncall and Wavelength are larger agencies and Stenhouse is a small business based in Brisbane.

League Table (rated 8.0 and above) Effective People, Canberra Integrity Staffing, Perth Manpower Services, Australia & New Zealand Medic Oncall, Melbourne Placer Management Group, Perth

The top ratings by specialisation and by size of business are listed below. Of particular note is Nightingale Nursing, which is the top rated nursing agency, and QPL, which scored an outstanding result of over 7.5 in their first audit. Specialisation

Size of Business

White

Placer Management Group, Perth

General

Manpower Services, Aust and NZ

Nursing

Nightingale Nursing, Sydney

Medical

Medic Oncall, Melbourne

Up to 10 staff Placer Management Group, Perth 11 to 50 staff

Medic Oncall, Melbourne

More than 51 Wavelength, staff Manpower Outstanding

Best Initial Result

QPL, Sydney

Article by Dianne Gibert, the founder of Fathom Business Architects, who established and managed the Service Delivery Standard on behalf of the RCSA. She has more than twenty years’ experience as a management consultant specialising in corporate governance, performance improvement and risk management. Dianne has an MBA, and is a qualified lead auditor in quality, occupational health and safety and environmental management. Fathom Business Architects, through the wholly owned subsidiary, Certex International, provide accredited certification services to the recruitment industry. If you have any questions about the RCSA Service Delivery Standard, or other certification standards relevant to the recruitment industry, please contact Dianne on 03 9585 8241, or email to info@fathombusiness.com.au.

Stenhouse Recruitment Services, Brisbane Wavelength International, Sydney

JUNE 2012

Association news

Special Interest Groups A ANR A AANRA Business Practice Certificate (Quality and Standards at AANRA) AANRA Professional Development Series meetings held in February and May 2012 focused on the areas of quality and standards. As healthcare providers require nursing agency suppliers to meet the highest standards in OHS and all aspects of service delivery, AANRA Council has concentrated on providing members with tools and information to best equip themselves to meet these expectations. The healthcare industry and regulators have identified adherence to standards and an agency’s consistency in implementing these procedures as two areas of concern in their engagement with nursing agencies. AANRA Council is addressing these areas through the development of a Business Practice Certificate that is an undertaking by AANRA members to adhere to the RCSA Code for Professional Conduct and further undertakings specific to the nursing recruitment sector. “The AANRA certification will provide members and their clients with confidence they are dealing with an AANRA member agency that adheres to the highest standards and workplace practices”, said AANRA Chair, Alan Bell.

OHS Harmonisation Working Group As national harmonisation of OHS continues to rollout, AANRA has established a Working Group to provide members with insights and updates. The Working Group is currently liaising with the RCSA to put in place a customised Pre-placement Procedure and Checklist that will assist AANRA Members meet their obligations to ensure a safe working environment for nurses. The Working Group may be contacted via the AANRA Secretariat: aanra@rcsa.com.au

AANRA/ANF Education The AANRA/ANF education program continues to go from strength to strength. More than fifty new modules specific to aged care are now available to AANRA members in the Aged Care Training Room. AANRA Members can access these new modules and other training at: www.onwebfast.com/anf/corp/

RCSA JOURNAL

A mranz Shaun Hughston APRCSA, President AMRANZ, reports: I often hear this question: “Why would anyone want to work in medical recruitment?” It’s a candidate-short market, with complex bureaucratic processes, and sometimes challenging to candidates and clients. The medical recruiters I know would all respond in the same way – we are making sure that the hospitals, medical centres, and remote healthcare facilities are staffed with highly skilled medical professionals. We are making a difference. Our members work with clients in both the private and public sectors. Both of these areas present challenges. In the private sector there are many smaller GP practices which struggle to remain competitive in recruitment, or to engage recruitment agencies to assist them. There are also large private healthcare and government organisations that staff remote areas such as oil rigs and island medical centres – that’s a completely different type of challenge for us as recruiters! By and large though, our best clients are also our greatest challenges. Public hospitals, of course, are where medical recruitment agencies do much of their work. They are filled with intelligent, dedicated administrators and internal recruiters who are passionate about keeping their facilities fully staffed. However, their job and our role are often challenged by government policy. As an example, towards the end of 2011, Queensland Health released a new medical recruitment policy and a recruitment agency contract along with it. In a nutshell, these policies made it the responsibility of medical recruitment agencies not only to recruit, but to manage the medical staff we place. While this may be the norm in other areas of recruitment, it is certainly difficult in our field. AMRANZ has argued that the changes will render the sector uncompetitive against other states. They were made without adequate consultation. They add to the cost of supplying locum medical services and create clinical accountability and control structures that are not demonstrated to have any positive effects on patient outcomes. In addition to this responsibility, the policy and contract gave rise to agencies being responsible for workplace safety, medical indemnity, and performance management. The medical locum model of doctor engagement is well-known and has been well documented. It has been studied and reviewed in other jurisdictions. No other state in Australia has a similar policy. AMRANZ has conveyed the concerns of our members to QLD Health and we look forward to discussing these at the earliest possible time. In the meantime, Queensland could be losing out on qualified medical staff, as alternative locations around Australia are much easier to manage from an administrative point of view. We are concerned that less doctors equals less healthcare. As President of AMRANZ, I am committed, along with our Council and Members, to ensuring that the interests of our industry are represented across Australia and NZ. This issue may be one of our greatest challenges and we are determined to work through it to achieve the best outcome for all involved. We also acknowledge the critical importance of member groups within RCSA.

Association news

New Zealand Update Meet the Minister

The Hon Paula Bennett MP is New Zealand’s Minister for Social Development and Youth Affairs. Minister, could you provide some insight into how your personal background – particularly in juggling family responsibilities, work, education and training for a career – has shaped your views of employment, training and the skills required for success in the New Zealand workforce? We are not one dimensional. As people, and particularly as women, we are a product of our life experiences along the way and we bring that experience to the workplace. An education is absolutely critical for our young people but I think after that the choices are individual. Some find that tertiary education works for them, and for others it’s on-the job training that fits them best. The trick is to maintain flexibility. I am also yet to see any course that replaces life experience and common sense. Prior to entering politics, your career included time in the recruitment industry. What attracted you to the industry, and what can you tell us about your experiences working in the sector? I wanted to work with people and do something that was important to them and also provided reward for the effort. Recruitment fitted the bill. What we do for a living has often been described as the third most

important thing in our lives after family and home. It is a privilege to work with companies and individuals and match them into the right role. I also liked being well remunerated for my success. What insights or experiences from the recruitment industry have assisted you in politics? A lot! It’s all about people and relationships. In both, if you stay focused on your goal, if you have a clear plan and stick to it and if you have a passion for people then you will be successful. Do you see the recruitment industry in New Zealand having a working relationship with government departments, such as WINZ in getting people back into work? If so, do you have a vision of how that relationship might work? Many recruitment companies already have a relationship with Work and Income. Our industry partnerships are very important to our success in helping beneficiaries into work and I understand that ongoing discussions are taking place with the recruitment industry. Should recruitment companies be able to receive subsidies when placing people who are currently on benefits? No, but there may be a subsidy that follows the beneficiary and helps offset their wage while they get up to speed. Do you think recruitment companies in the labour hire sector have a positive impact on reducing the number of people on benefits or are they just “casualising” the workforce?

Hon Paula Bennett MP

I support all types of employment – I believe there is a place for labour hire and temping. Some individuals prefer it because they feel more in control of the hours they work and they like shorter contracts. Labour hire often gives someone a foot in the door and can give them much needed experience. Do you think a “work for the dole” program would be beneficial in New Zealand to assist the long term unemployed to retrain, gain experience and better equip them to get back into the work force? We currently subsidise employment for some groups of beneficiaries. The evidence around ‘work for the dole’ scheme is mixed. At the end of the day you can’t beat a real job for a real employer. The RCSA Journal would like to thank Kris Hope-Cross of Hope-Cross Consulting and Wendy Hewson of Kelly Services who facilitated this interview with the Minister.

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JUNE 2012

Association news

RCSA Partners and Premium Supporters The RCSA Supporters Program, launched in November 2010, provides a tangible and strong connection to the recruitment industry. Becoming a RCSA Supporter sends a message of commitment to the recruitment industry to your existing and prospective clients. You can use the RCSA Supporter program to expand your profile, grow networks and

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Lester Associates Lexin Technologies Pty Ltd Lifestyle Careers LinkedIn LinkMe Pty Ltd Lipman James Logicalis Australia Pty Ltd Matheson Publishing MECA NSW Pty Ltd MemberBenefits Pty Ltd Mindset Group NewsLocal Next Telecom Pty Ltd NFC Global NMIT – Preston Campus – BEC Onetest Pty Ltd Oxford Funding Perry Watson Design Profiles International QualSearch Quinntessential Marketing Consulting Pty Ltd RecruitAdvantage Redmos Sage MicrOpay Pty Ltd Savage Seminars Saxton Corporation Pty Ltd SDP Solutions Pty Ltd

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RCSA Premium Supporters astutepayroll.com CareerOne FastTrack Pty Ltd Learning Seat Pty Ltd MyCareer Pendragon Management Recruitment Systems Pty Ltd SEEK Ltd WorkPro

RCSA Supporters Absolute Immigration Services Advertiser Newspapers Pty Limited Allianz Finance Pty Limited AustJOBS Pty Ltd Bank of Queensland Bibby Financial Services Australia Pty Ltd Blaze Advertising

BSRP Asia Pty Ltd Conference Action Consortio Pty Limited Cordell Information CXC Global – Head Office Dingu Blue EASI Management Services Group Pty Ltd Fathom Business Architects FCB Group Fragomen Geoffrey Nathan Consulting Inc Glimmer Management Consultants Global Virtual Supply Pty Ltd GreenBizCheck Hart Consulting Group HHMC Australia Pty Limited HRO2 Research Pty Ltd IPAR Rehabilitation Pty Ltd IProfile IT Easy Jobmart Australia Pty Ltd Job Capital JobServe Limited JXT Consulting Kandula Pty Ltd Lander & Rogers Lawyers

Selectus Pty Ltd SGMC Australia Pty Ltd Shirlaws Pty Ltd Skillcheck Pacific Pty Ltd Southern Cross University School of Commerce & Management The Canberra Times The EI Group The RIB Report This Planet Pty Ltd Trained UP! Verify Holdings Australia Pty Ltd Voyager Software (Australia) Pty Ltd Workdesk Recruitment Software

NZ RCSA Supporters EEO Trust – Equal Employment Opportunities Trust Employment Today Human Resources Institute of New Zealand – HRI Jobs.co.nz The Dominion Post The Omnia Group Ltd The Press

For information about joining the RCSA Supporters Program, contact Julie Morrison, RCSA Manager Marketing & Communications, Telephone +61 3 9663 0555 or email jmorrison@rcsa.com.au

RCSA Supporter Profiles

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RCSA JOURNAL

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JUNE 2012

Association news

Life member Profile

Life after Recruitment

Peter Gleeson

Dawne Kelleher FRCSA (Life)

FRCSA (Life) Peter Gleeson, Executive General Manager – Recruitment, with Chandler Macleod Group Ltd, was appointed a RCSA Life Member at the recent Gala Ball and Awards night. Peter is well known within the recruitment industry and, like many other industry leaders, had not planned a career in recruitment. Originally an accountant, in the early part of his working life, Peter and his brother established a business supplying the healthcare sector. He joined the recruitment industry in 1990 and over 16 years, Peter was instrumental in the growth of white collar search and selection specialists, Tanner Menzies, from a three person boutique to an international operation. In 2002 he guided the company through its acquisition by Randstad and remained as CEO until end–2005. Joining the RCSA as a Councillor in 1996 he served as Councillor for ten years, working with both the Membership and Ethics portfolios. He was appointed Vice President, then President, of the RCSA in NSW, hosting the International RCSA Conference in Sydney and building a strong and respected council. Peter then took a sabbatical before returning to the industry to head up Australasia’s largest specialist franchise recruitment group, Frontline Recruitment Group as CEO. He joined Chandler Macleod in 2008 and was involved in restructuring the business which resulted in the last financial year being the most successful in the company’s 51-year history. The recruitment business which Peter heads up has a turnover in excess of $640 million of the $1.4 billion group turnover.

RCSA JOURNAL

Dawne Kelleher FRCSA (Life) founded her own company Stafffinders in New Zealand in the 1970s and in the 80s changed the name to Kelleher Consulting Group which she led until her retirement in 2004. This is Dawne’s story … During my years in the industry, I was elected Wellington Chairperson of the RCSA, then had two terms as National President during the formative years of what was first the Federation of Personal Consultants (FPS), then the National Association of Personal Consultants (NAPC), the Institute of Personal Consultants (IPC), and now the prestigious professional body it has become today: the Recruitment & Consulting Services Association Ltd (RCSA). It was on my watch in New Zealand that the Australasian professional ethics became the standard of conduct that it is now. It was no mean feat in those days with some members very nervous and tentative about being given rulings on how they operate their business. My maxim was. “We are only as good as our worst practitioner”. In those days, New Zealand organised our own conferences with great passion and a desire for each one to be better than the last. A small group of business owners and managers spent many hours after productive days in the office, showing a real dedication for the exciting industry we were a part of, working late at night, conceiving and planning keystone events, and loving every minute. One year, the night before the Conference, the highly recommended American keynote speaker had absconded with her company’s funds, including our deposit. Should have known better – she was famous for recommending “taking risks in business”! What a 24 hours that was, everyone looking for a new keynote speaker. We found a good one, too. Another time, the band for the gala evening didn’t turn up so we begged and coerced a local band to step in. Another crisis averted!

What do I do now? It’s very scary when you retire having been an active and proactive part of the workforce for

almost fifty years. To face the day unstructured was a real challenge. My first thoughts were to find other work of some kind, the idea of doing nothing filled me with terror. I helped a colleague with training, until one day, I thought “If I wanted to do this, why did I stop?” So, I finished the task and stopped for good. The last ten years have been really busy, learning to live without a diary, not eating and sleeping “recruitment” 24 hours a day, and finding out exactly who I am if I’m not Dawne Kelleher of Kellehers. I’ve learnt many new skills and found out that the ego is the hardest emotion to harness, but harness it I have. I’ve learnt to be still in my head and heart; I swam in the ocean every day of the year at Palm Beach. I belong to two book clubs and learnt to play Mahjong. I am currently auditioning to sing in a New Zealand gold medal acapella city chorus – and loving every minute of it. I’m reading and assessing movie scripts for my daughter who says I’m a natural. I’ve mentored some interesting people at their request in their ongoing pursuit of better management skills. Travelling has always been of interest, the countries I visited have been fascinating and colourful. I always have my eye on “where to go next?” My people skills have helped me greatly in my own search of absorbing and exciting activities, as has my ability to be strategic and motivate people. I really enjoy entertaining and my dinner party menus are planned with precision. I adore cooking and I enjoy teaching my grandchildren of 10, 21 and 24, how to cook with passion by demonstrating all the skills my mother taught me. She was Lebanese and a renowned cook and my eldest grandson Zac has our cooking gene and is studying to be a chef at TAFE. Now when people ask me what I do all day, I laugh and say “I don’t know how I ever found time to work”. I have two adult children, both at the top of their chosen professions in the world of film and television. They fill me with pride when they say that I am their inspiration ... one can’t do better than that. But I’m trying!

Association news

RCSA Board, Life Members and Fellows

RCSA Board President Lincoln Crawley FRCSA

Vice Presidents Robert van Stokrom FRCSA Helen Olivier FRCSA

Directors Denis Dadds FRCSA Matthew McArthur FRCSA (Life) Jacqui Barratt FRCSA Peter Langford FRCSA Bruce Ranken FRCSA Steve Heather MRCSA Alan Bell FRCSA Matthew Hobby FRCSA

RCSA Life Fellows Pauline Ashleigh-Marum FRCSA (Life) Jim Bailey FRCSA (Life) Robert Blanche FRCSA (Life) Dorothy Caldicott FRCSA (Life) Mike Carroll FRCSA (Life) Nanette Carroll FRCSA (Life) Jane Fanselow FRCSA (Life) Ross Fisher FRCSA (Life) Peter Gleeson FRCSA (Life) Larry Grima FRCSA (Life) Michael Hall FRCSA (Life) Sue Healy FRCSA (Life) Kris Hope-Cross FRCSA (Life) Malcolm Jackman FRCSA (Life) Graham Jenkins FRCSA (Life) Dawne Kelleher FRCSA (Life) Barry T Knight FRCSA (Life) Roger Lampen FRCSA (Life) Ruth Levinsohn FRCSA (Life) Reg Maxwell FRCSA (Life)

John McArthur FRCSA (Life) Matthew McArthur FRCSA (Life) Sylvia Moreno FRCSA (Life) E. Leigh Olson FRCSA (Life) V John Plummer FRCSA (Life) John Plummer FRCSA (Life) Wendy Rae FRCSA (Life) Beryl Rowan FRCSA (Life) Julie Sattler OAM FRCSA (Life) Greg Savage FRCSA (Life) Rosemary Scott FRCSA (Life) David Shave FRCSA (Life) Kim Shearn FRCSA (Life) Stephen Shepherd FRCSA (Life) Geoff Slade FRCSA (Life) Kaye Strain FRCSA (Life) Jean Tait FRCSA (Life) Rodney Troian FRCSA (Life) Janet Vallino FRCSA (Life) Paul Veith FRCSA (Life) Hugh Whan FRCSA (Life) John K Williams FRCSA (Life) George Zammit FRCSA (Life)

RCSA Fellows Julian Azzopardi FRCSA Jacqui Barratt FRCSA Nicholas Beames FRCSA Jane Beaumont FRCSA Alan Bell FRCSA Victoria Bethlehem FRCSA Kevin Blogg FRCSA Lisa Bousfield FRCSA Nicky Brunning FRCSA Sandra Chiles FRCSA Ross Clennett FRCSA Michael Close FRCSA Ron Crause FRCSA

Lincoln Crawley FRCSA Christine Crowe FRCSA Denis Dadds FRCSA Bill Dalby FRCSA James T de Berg FRCSA Pam Dew FRCSA Charlie Duncan FRCSA Jason Elias FRCSA Chelsea Forster FRCSA Ken Fowler FRCSA Norm Geist FRCSA Angela Giacoumis FRCSA Tony Greaves FRCSA Allison Guy-Ritchie FRCSA Ian Hamilton FRCSA Michael Hannaford FRCSA Nick Hays FRCSA Jennifer Hobbs FRCSA Matthew Hobby FRCSA Steve Hoggett FRCSA Alison Hucks FRCSA Phil Isard FRCSA Tim James FRCSA Linda Kemp FRCSA Maria Kourtesis FRCSA Peter Langford FRCSA Colin Levander FRCSA Des Linehan FRCSA Gaynor Lowndes FRCSA Laura Mabikafola FRCSA Ian McPherson FRCSA Annie Milne FRCSA Tracy Morgan FRCSA Stephen Noble FRCSA Helen Olivier FRCSA Kathie Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Malley FRCSA Penny Perkins FRCSA

Rcsa Premium Supporter & Principal Partner

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Stephen Porter FRCSA Bruce Ranken FRCSA Tony Ricketts FRCSA Scott Roberts FRCSA Sophie Robertson FRCSA Deborah Ross FRCSA Courtney Rowe FRCSA Lee-Martin Seymour FRCSA Ian R Stacy FRCSA David Styles FRCSA Lyn Tanner FRCSA Corrine Taylor FRCSA Scott Thomas FRCSA Gayleen Toll FRCSA Nicole Underwood FRCSA Rosemary Urbon FRCSA Scott Van Heurck FRCSA Robert van Stokrom FRCSA Craig Watson FRCSA Paula Watts FRCSA John Wilson FRCSA

RCSA Honorary Fellows Hillard McMullen Hon FRCSA Julie Mills Hon FRCSA (Life) Joan Page Hon FRCSA (Life) Malcolm Riddell Hon FRCSA (Life) Reg Shields Hon FRCSA Jill Skafer Hon FRCSA Andrew Wood Hon FRCSA (Life)

* Correct at time of printing.

Rcsa Premium Supporter & Business Partner

rcsa Australia and New Zealand PO Box 18028, Collins Street East, VIC 8003 Australia Tel: 1300 727 504 Toll Free NZ: 0800 448 299 Fax: 61 3 9663 5099 Email: info@rcsa.com.au Website: www.rcsa.com.au

JUNE 2012

Association news

2012 RCSA CPE & Events Calendar Date

City

Type

Event Name

Date

City

Type

Event Name

All Year

Online

Certificate

Certificate in Recruitment & Selection

27 Jul

Brisbane

Workshop

Brisbane Workshop, Sales & Marketing from the Desk

27 Jul

Melbourne

Workshop

Melbourne Workshop, Sales & Marketing from the Desk

All Year

Online

Certificate

Certificate in Work Health and Safety (On-hired Worker Services)

4 Jul

Melbourne

Workshop

Melbourne Temp Desk Masterclass

5 Jul

Adelaide

Workshop

Adelaide Temp Desk Masterclass

27 Jul

Sydney

Workshop

Sydney Workshop, Sales & Marketing from the Desk

11 Jul

Online

Webinar

CPE Webinar, Telephone Techniques – Making Cold Calls Warmer

31 Jul

Christchurch

Workshop

Christchurch Workshop, Introduction to Recruitment Consulting

13 Jul

Brisbane

Workshop

Brisbane Workshop, Introduction to Recruitment Consulting

31 Jul

Christchurch

Certificate

New Zealand RCSA Recruitment Consulting Certificate (PEARL)

13 Jul

Melbourne

Workshop

Melbourne Workshop, Introduction to Recruitment Consulting

1 Aug

Christchurch

Workshop

Christchurch Workshop, Interviewing Essentials

13 Jul

Sydney

Certificate

RCSA Recruitment Consulting Certificate (PEARL)

2 Aug

Christchurch

Workshop

Christchurch Workshop, Sales & Marketing from the Desk

13 Jul

Melbourne

Certificate

RCSA Recruitment Consulting Certificate (PEARL)

7 Aug

Sydney

Workshop

Sydney Leadership Masterclass

Brisbane

Certificate

RCSA Recruitment Consulting Certificate (PEARL)

21 Aug

Auckland

Workshop

13 Jul

Sydney

Workshop

Sydney Workshop, Introduction to Recruitment Consulting

21 Aug

Auckland

Certificate

New Zealand RCSA Recruitment Consulting Certificate (PEARL)

Auckland

Workshop

Auckland Workshop, Interviewing Essentials

Wellington

Certificate

New Zealand RCSA Recruitment Consulting Certificate

22 Aug

17 Jul 17 Jul

Wellington

Workshop

Wellington Workshop, Introduction to Recruitment Consulting

18 Jul

Wellington

Workshop

Wellington Workshop, Interviewing Essentials

19 Jul

Wellington

Workshop

Wellington Workshop, Sales & Marketing from the Desk

20 Jul

Brisbane

Workshop

Brisbane Workshop, Interviewing Essentials

20 Jul

Melbourne

Workshop

Melbourne Workshop, Interviewing Essentials

20 Jul

Sydney

Workshop

24 Jul

Online

Webinar

sp ac On es ly re a f m ew ai ni ng !

13 Jul

Auckland Workshop, Introduction to Recruitment Consulting

23 Aug

Auckland

Workshop

Auckland Workshop, Sales & Marketing from the Desk

4 Sep

Online

Webinar

Business Solutions Webinar, Document Control – some clever ways to make this simple and effective

13 Sep

Online

Webinar

CPE Webinar, Preventing the road blocks throughout the recruitment process

23 Oct

Online

Webinar

Business Solutions Webinar, Drafting Policies and Procedures – avoid the proverbial rabbit hole

Sydney Workshop, Interviewing Essentials

30 Oct

Sydney

Workshop

Sydney Leadership Masterclass

Business Solutions Webinar, Risk Management – what it is and why it is important

13 Nov

Online

Webinar

CPE Webinar, Becoming a Trusted Advisor

AT THE

2012 Showcase RCSA INTER Nyour A TI Oproduct N A L CO N For E RE N CE 2 9at - 3the 1 A UG US T 2Conference 0 1 2 | S O F IT E L FIJ I service RCSA

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Fiji

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RCSA JOURNAL

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