NZ Recruiter

Discover Your Dream Job - Senior Business Analyst, Auckland

Have you outgrown your current job?
What excuses have you been making to yourself about staying there?

How would you like:

1. a stable company that is growing steadily internationally.
2. lots of opportunities to grow personally.
3. close interaction with customers.
4. products that have social value and benefit everyday people, not just businesses.
5. international travel.
6. the opportunity to part of an amazing team changing the world from New Zealand

Our client is only growing bigger and better - join them on the way up and get your chance to dig deep in a broad range of technology with an incredible amount of space for career development and growth. If you have at least 6 years commercial data analysis experience with the following

• Excel
• VBA
• possibly MySQL, R, SAS. 

as well as the following characteristics

• attention to detail
• ability and comfort in communicating and working with others towards common goals
• the ability to do some international travel 

then email me NOW!

Don't miss out on this opportunity. It won't last. Give us a call on 09 306 8950 or send in your CV to steven@searchniche.com, or get in touch on twitter @stevenkempton

Also, if you think I'm some faceless Recruiter who will ignore your application check out some of the quotes from candidates about me:

“I used Steven as my agent to help me find new employment. From the very beginning to the very end I really appreciated Steven's integrity as a recruiter. He really wanted the very best for me. When I am next looking for work I will definitely be speaking with Steven again.”

“Highly recommend Steven as a recruitment agent. Has a much more hands on approached compared to the standard recruitment agent. Can count on him to be there with you each step of the way as a friend and advisor. Very personable, approachable, very honest and forth coming.”

"Steven is a pleasure to deal with and is always ready to listen. If he is unable to help, he will tell you straight up and will endeavour to provide some direction.”

Job hunting doesn't have to be sly - positioning is key

Link: Job hunting on the sly

Interesting opinion on how to sneak in job hunting while you're working. The key though, I think, is that if you really are focused on growing your career, then you can't just "hunt" for a job. It can be time consuming and incredibly difficult  when you're trying to do your real job. Most importantly - it's all about timing - what you want may not necessarily be what the job market has in the timeframe you're looking. So here's what I suggest: Keep an open mind and really position yourself for opportunities. . . continuously. Not just when you get that sinking feeling that you don't want to be at your current job or company anymore.

This isn't traditional active job hunting, but it'll bring you to what's really important - and that's being exposed to opportunities that may or may not be the right ones for you. It's best to have that option to decide and accept or decline, right? So what can you do?

• Be aware and open minded. Listen to what colleagues or business contacts are talking about and who or what they may know. 
• Be accessible. Make yourself easy to be found by people who have opportunities. Be accessible online in some social media or community groups or professional associations
• Let people know that you're open minded to opportunities perhaps not in your company, but outside of your professional circle - in your community, sports clubs, children's school, etc. Contacts are everywhere.
• Help others. If you hear of opportunities that could be useful to someone you know, get them connected. You never know when the favor is returned.
• Keep your CV current... just in case something comes up quickly. It's also a good way to track your achievements and newly developed skills with good detail - often something that's hard to do if you've been somewhere for several years and haven't reflected on what you've accomplished.

Going forward in your career in the IT Market - Podcast with Illegal Argument

I had a good chat with the guys at Illegal Argument , a discussion group on anything Java/JVM with an Auckland/NZ focus.

Are you truly going forward in your career? Thinking of contracting versus perm? Product dev versus services? For some candid insight into the New Zealand IT market and career development from experienced senior IT perspectives along with a recruitment perspective - listen here at Illegal Argument Podcast 59. 

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Are you a software developer in Auckland open to opportunities? Click here

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Contracting vs Permanent Roles - What to do?

There's never an easy answer when it comes to deciding which path to pursue. But at least many highly skilled and experienced professionals have this option - especially in this year. Here's a basic rundown of what to consider. It's all up to your comfort levels in terms of what you define as "security" and how you feel about taking risks.

Permanent Jobs:

Most people, when asked to describe the benefits of a permanent job, would say "secure" or "stable". They see it as a guaranteed paycheck every fortnight or at the end of the month. I'm surprised if people still think this way in this day and age of recessions and live and let die. No job or company is completely 100% secure. Performance is still a condition, and of course the profitability of the company and market climate. But aside from that, sure it's relatively stable compared to contracting.

PROS of Perm Roles:

1. Relatively secure and stable - you can expect a certain amount of pay on a regular basis. Can budget your personal finances much easier. Ease of mind.

2. Depending on the company, certain employee perks and benefits - perhaps in-house training and other employee seminars or programs to take advantage of, health and fitness perks, etc.

3. Paid sick days and paid holidays

4. Kiwi saver or employer pension plan

5. You don't have to deal with tax administration, you receive your wages and your employer reports and deducts taxes for you

6. A sense of belonging to a collective group - camraderie 

 CONS of Perm Roles:

1. Lower pay. You receive significantly less than contracting in terms of hourly wage. As a salaried employee, most often you do overtime which is unpaid and often expected.

2. There is not much room for negotiation in salary once you've taken the job. All you have is your annual appraisal and that is regulated by a certain small percentage.

3. No flexibility in time. You need to also be present during the set work hours, regardless of the situation/workload. No opportunity to take an extended period of time off if needed.

4. You are not completely in control of your own time and efforts.

 

Contracting

The overall advantage of contracting is your independence and higher pay. You are your own boss and can decide where you want to work and command how much. The downside of it is that you are taking on more risks by constantly having to find a role to keep you going, and to be more financially responsible in your own taxation.

PROS of Contracting

1. Independence and flexibility - you can choose projects/contract jobs/companies you want to work for and when (that is, if there is a contract role available). You can make yourself available to all kinds of opportunities since you're not tied down.

2. Higher pay - contractors command a higher per hour wage, and with long projects, this can translate to a high "annual salary".

3. As a contractor, you are your own business. You have tax-deductible advantages and thus, have the ability to use pre-tax dollars to invest in your career/business.

4. Because you're more aware of your financial situation, you can be more savvy in your own financial planning.

5. Because you are more likely very experienced in your area (since you're hired strictly for that expertise), you are more marketable in that industry, anywhere.

 

CONS of Contracting

1. You need to sell yourself in gaining continuous contract roles. You have to be comfortable in networking and applying for new roles more frequently.

2. You have to feel comfortable in not having consistent income in between contracts, and IF that stretches out actually earning LESS MONEY not more.

3. To maintain/upgrade your marketability, you need to invest in your own training in different technologies (rather than having an employer pay for it or provide it)

4. As a business (either as a Sole Trader or Limited Company), you now have tax responsibilities in filing GST returns, provisional taxes and your own end-of-year taxes. 

5. May not get that "sense of belonging " if doing a lot of short-term contracts.

I'm sure there a several more reasons to place on either side of the equation, pro or con, but it boils down to what you value most (security vs. more money/independence), your personal situation (singleton? providing for a family of 5? rent? mortgage? ) and how you feel about your own skills and abilities. If you're thinking about contracting, see here how 2011 will be a bumper year for contractors. And if you're open to opportunities, link with me at LinkedIn.

Will You Be Changing Jobs in 2010?

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Are you a software developer in Auckland who wants to be happier at work? Click here!

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It seems 2010 is going to be a massive year of career shift for many people. Surveys in most developed markets point to massive numbers of skilled candidates intending to change jobs this year. Some of the results include:

• 60% of US Workers intend to leave their jobs in 2010 (link).
• 25% of employees believe organization morale is low (link).
• 20% of workers plan to switch careers and/or industries within two years (link).
• Only 45% of US employers are satisfied with their jobs in 2009 down from 61% in 1987 (link).
• Only 53% of Singapore financial workers are satisfied with their jobs (link).

It makes you wonder what really happened with all these people, what is it that causes them to have so much suffering at work? I talk with a lot of people in regards to their situation at work, most will admit to wanting more of something. Sometimes when we flesh it out their needs are quite realistic. Other times they are looking for an easier path to a better reward, which unfortunately, rarely exists. Meshing reality with what the person wants is often the biggest part of understanding whether someone really needs to make a job change in order to improve their satisfaction.

This can be really difficult to do alone, even for the most experienced candidates. After all, if you're good at your job you are busy doing that, not analyzing the marketplace and/or your skills and abilities to see whether you are ready for a big move. In order to make the decision on whether the time is right I recommend answering a few of the following questions. Be honest with yourself, anything else is pointless.

• What are my biggest achievements in my current position?
• How have I grown in the last 2 years?
• Am I giving 100% of my effort to the work I'm doing?
• If not, why am I holding back?
• If yes, then is the work satisfying me?
• If it's not satisfying me despite my effort, what are the areas that are holding me back?
• Can I improve on those areas in my current position?
• If I made a job change what are all the areas I need fulfilled to make me happy in a new position. 
• Being that nowhere is perfect. What would I be willing to give up/take on to make that move anyway?

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Are you a software developer in Auckland, want to be happier at work? Click here!

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Why You Should Give Referrals

I had an interesting question the other day from a candidate: "Why would anyone give you a referral when you get paid a huge fee and they get nothing?" I thought this was a great question. I actually addressed this in the Annual IT Architectural Summit I spoke at last week, so I thought I'd share my answer here.

Many would be surprised to hear that a lot of people give out referrals. And by far, most referrals I get are from senior candidates. That's right - senior candidates are easily the most open about not only giving referrals of people they know, but also giving what I call "blind referrals". This is when they hand out names of people who they think are reasonably good or worth talking to but aren't necessarily their personal contacts.

For senior candidates I think they see their ability to give referrals as almost an example of their strength and knowledge in their industry. It also shows that in their experience, they realize the importance and value of giving referrals as well as the long-term gains.

But to get down to the reasons why executives should give referrals: It's all about goodwill, reciprocity, and networking.

Goodwill. There's nothing really to explain here. When you help someone, it's a good thing. Becoming a referee for that person, referring that person to a recruiter for an opportunity - in the end, it's all for the benefit of that person - whether or not a new job actually materializes. The person you helped is better off by having had at least a chance to consider an opportunity. Opportunity is always a good thing.

Reciprocity. The Law of Reciprocation is powerful. I got this from Dr. Robert Cialdini, a widely recognized expert in negotiation studies, who said the power of reciprocation is extremely strong and should be used when presented with a moment of power; that is, when you have just done or given something beneficial to someone. When they thank you, it's up to you to seize that moment of power and respond:

"I'm sure you would do the same for me if I needed it."

That's the law of reciprocation. As it turns out from Dr. Cialdini's research, people will reciprocate when receiving a gift, advice, or help from someone, no matter how much time has passed from the initial giving. In what ways? Well, if you helped a colleague or former manager by referring them to a recruiter, or offering to be a referee for a potential employer, they may return the favour by looking out for your best interests as well.

Networking. This widens and the ties strengthen from you giving referrals.

The key is to give to them first. And the easiest way is refer them to a key person, or give them a referral if they need one for a new opportunity.

Hopefully, this answers the question. While it's hard to think past the short-term outcomes, like a referral fee, look to the long-term gains of having a quality relationship with someone in your network who can reciprocate goodwill to you when the time comes. It's an investment.

Giving referrals doesn't happen as much here in New Zealand as it does in larger markets, like the US or Japan. But it's something that I think should happen more often.

 

Why Recruiters Are "Seedy"

A while ago I got asked the following question: "Why is it a good number of your peers are seedy? I'd place most recruitment agent's morals pretty close to used car salesmen." I haven't worked out if the question was really a  hint. But I thought I would give my answer here so anyone else could let me know their thoughts too.

1. There are a lot of recruiters out there - some of them are trouble. There are always some bad apples in any bunch.
   
2. There are also a lot of recruiters who are not particularly experienced and often upset candidates and clients without even knowing it. I have done that, but in my own and their defence, you don't get experience without having experiences.
   
3. There are even more candidates out there who get turned down for positions than there are recruiters. And there is no doubt that rejection is hard to take. No matter how experienced and how thick skinned we may be. Those candidates spread bad stories around about recruiters in online forums and to their friends.
   
4. There are a lot of candidates who can't understand what recruiters do and get upset when they don' t seem to act in the way they think they should. For example, they won't tell them who their clients are before they know them, or they can't seem to get feedback on issues that are important to them. I could write a whole other post on this.

So, there are four reasons. But really, I have one more which I truly believe. Most of my peers aren't seedy. In fact, I have met some of the most intelligent and caring people since I joined the recruitment industry. People who make a difference and who make an effort to go out of their way to help others. So that is my real answer. I feel sorry for my friend who has had a bad experience with whoever he met, but he was wrong to think that the entire industry is full of the same kind of people.

NZ Government Spends $1.15 million on Job Board For 2 Jobs

Link: New Zealand Herald.

Yet another fantastic effort from the govt. in wasting money on a project that really shouldn't be spent on. Have a look and see for yourself at NetworkZonline.govt.nz. Hmm. $1.15 million. Notice the very first line where they misspell their own name "NeworkZ Online". This is followed by two type-o's in the second line (there are only 2 lines of text.) Aside from the fact that there are only 5 current job vacancies listed (3 up since the Herald article!), it really isn't very attractive to jobseekers who are browsing. No job descriptions or any details provided, unless you register. Nor would it be attractive to employers to post their openings - if no one else is on there - there most likely aren't any jobseekers utilising it. And come to think of it, why aren't all government jobs listed in the job board?

Now I'm not putting in a plug for Seek or Trademe or Search4jobs, but hey - these are real online job boards that work. Why "compete" against them - NZ enterprises that employee hundreds or thousands of Kiwis? If the ultimate goal is to attract and recruit skilled migrants - I'm sure the fastest way to put them off NZ is with an interactive jobsite that has 3 jobs and doesn't work. Makes NZ look even smaller!

Recruiting and marketing is all business - and should be run like a business - not like a government expenditure. Business problems should be addressed with business solutions - not just technology solutions, like an online jobsite. Positive and effective policy and procedure changes in Immigration for working visas and family visas as well as changes in taxation or any kind of perks would probably do a lot more to attract skilled migrants than a rate-payer funded job board.

Testing for the Right Candidate

Link: CIO - Testing times.

Interesting article about alternative ways to finding the right talent - esp. for senior roles through psychometric testing (behavioural/personality). While the standard hiring process is through job ads then interviews, companies nowadays need to realize their largest investment is really its people, and so accordingly need to invest more effort in recruiting the right people - those who not just have the "right" technical skills, but also all the soft people skills, flexibility and agility.

They give the example of Fujitsu Services - where they looked internally to fill their senior account management role rather than externally. Their process included various testing for different abilities and behaviours. While their process proved successful for them, I wonder how effective it would be for a much smaller company, or how comparable it is to executive search.

I think psychometric testing is a good and useful tool. However, I find that the big problem with "standard" recruiting is the nature of how we find people. Many recruiters recruit "passively", that is, they put their job ad up and wait for candidates to apply. The most effective way to start a search for a candidate (esp. for senior roles), is first of all to truly understand the needs, skills, desirables, and culture of the company, and then to actively look for people following those parameters. That's through networking, researching, and talking to a lot of people. Not waiting for people to see an ad and apply. What's more, you're already talking with the right kinds of people, who have the kind of technical skills, people skills, and agility/flexibility because of where they are in their career, what they're currently doing, and their performance record.

And another thing to think about - while testing may find out a person's potential or behavioural disposition to certain situations, it doesn't guarantee that that person will be successful at the job and stay with the company over other recruiting methods. Why? Because the success and productivity of that person results from a relationship - between the employee and employer. Between colleagues and team members. Investing in good people and retaining good people needs constant work on the employers part - not just at the beginning.