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SBrecruitment

Most people are inherently uncomfortable talking about money, particularly, candidates during an interview situation.  So how should you approach those tricky salary discussions in an interview? Expected salary Candidates may or may not come prepared with a range of numbers they expect. They likely know what they would like to get paid in a perfect world but it can be intimidating to be asked to put out a number – especially if it is for a junior position and they haven’t had a chance to figure out what they are worth. As an employer – be honest. Let them know if they are nowhere near the mark and remember to explain the benefits of the job as well, not just the salary. Candidates can be more likely to accept a lower salary if it comes with the right benefits to make the whole package seem more enticing.  Make sure you have done your research and that the salary matches what the candidate is expected to do in the role. If they are interviewing with more than one company you don’t want to come up short because you didn’t evaluate the current market for the role accurately. What to do if the salary range offered is less than they had anticipated This is interesting, and not as straightforward as you think to deal with.  To start with, don’t let them get..

SBrecruitment

What can we say about time management that you don’t already know? There are volumes of information about this topic available for you to read and forget to implement. You could read books and study the subject until you’re blue in the face, but implement these 5 simple steps and you will be on your way to ACTUALLY making some improvement –  1.     DO NOT DISTURB! – do you need to constantly check your phone/emails? Make a time in the morning and a time in the afternoon where you will check your emails (preferably at the start and end of the workday) DO NOT check them outside these times. Put your “out of office” on or set your phone to do not disturb. Informing people that anything urgent should be phoned through and not emailed will allow the people who want something from you to prioritise before you even see the task. Let them know in an auto-reply when you will be checking your emails and if anything requires urgent attention they should phone your mobile. 2.    Short sharp bursts – don’t think you can concentrate fully for 5 hours, try shorter periods with a walk in between. Committing to concentrate on one thing for 30-40 minutes greatly increases your ability to focus. Let your brain know it only has to focus for shorter periods at a time – in between,..

SBrecruitment

Work/Life Balance You’ve done the hard work, attracted and signed the right employees. You offer attractive remuneration packages and an inspiring workplace. Your employees are hard workers in a very competitive world. Demands on our time and distractions are assaulting us like never before. There are 3 simple steps you (and your employees) can use to tip the balance in your favour. 1.       Time management As much as we like to think we can, human beings were not meant to multi-task. There are slight exceptions, such as listening to classical music to focus, however, for the most part, switching between tasks continuously is distracting and prevents us from using our time in the most efficient manner. If you find it difficult to concentrate for long periods without some distraction then try working in shorter bursts. 25-30 minutes concentrating fully on one task. Once that time has elapsed take a short 5-minute break, but make sure it is a break. Go for a walk and clear your mind. Return then to the task at hand. Concentrating fully on a task for shorter periods of time will enable you to complete the task quicker, meaning you won’t have to spend time at home thinking about work. 2.       Health The advice can be horribly conflicting. Eat less fat, eat more fat, stop eating sugar, go vegan, go vegetarian, follow a keto diet – the list..

SBrecruitment

Keeping your team engaged in a tough environment….. It’s fair to say, working in the credit industry can be a tough gig! Credit professionals not only have to deal with challenging customers but also push back within their own organisation. Couple that with often repetitive tasks and even the most experienced Credit Manager can find it difficult at times to keep their team engaged. Team engagement is more than just a couple of buzz words. Organisations are consistently seeing a correlation between engaged staff and profitability and I have no doubt, you as a Manager’s also see a correlation between your team’s engagement and the outcome of their activity. So, how do you ensure you keep your team engaged during a challenging period? Buy-in To inspire people to give their best they must believe in the cause or direction they’re going in. When team members are united in belief, they will all be on the same page and working with passion. A simple way to achieve buy in is to empower your Credit Team by including them in discussions. Ask for your team’s opinions and ideas on how planned tasks can be accomplished. Have you sat down with each of your team to find out what motivates them and why they come to work each day? Once you’ve been able to ascertain their individual motivators you can align them with..

SBrecruitment

Your valued team member has resigned, what next….. Sooner or later, even the best employer is going to have a staff member resign. There are many situations which are out of an employer’s control – an interstate move, they’ve been tapped on the shoulder for an outstanding job opportunity, they’re no longer passionate about a career in Credit etc. Whatever the reason is that your stellar staff member has decided to move on, this is a great chance for you to develop your Managerial skills. Change is always difficult for a Team. You could have a team who opens their arms to new opportunities, new systems, innovations etc but any team (solid or a little shaky) is going to experience a little hiccup when a staff member resigns. When your staff member leaves their knowledge, skills and business relationships will move on too. So how do you, as a Manager, lead your Credit Division during this period to ensure the culture isn’t rocked too much and that your targets are still being achieved? Stay calm! Resigning is a really difficult thing for most people so the last thing they need is you crumbling into a mess on the floor, begging them not to leave you during a busy period.  Getting angry at the situation won’t help either! You need to remember, just because this staff member is looking to move..

SBrecruitment

BENEFITS OF INSOURCING VS OUTSOURCING We live in a disposable world, where we can get what we want when and where we want it and more and more businesses are outsourcing traditional business functions and roles such as payroll, IT, graphic design, call centre work. By outsourcing you can pay for specialists to run specific functions of your business without the overhead of internal staff departments, training and technology costs. While outsourcing functions of your business can seem very appealing for many reasons there are a number of benefits to insourcing your business requirements as opposed to outsourcing. Less risk. When keeping services in house you have clear visibility of hours being worked, project outcomes and ability to control risk with a mitigation strategy, whereas with outsourced servicing you are reliant on another organisation and carry a large risk of damage to your brand services. Better visibility of the services provided. Take for example an outsourced call centre. While outsourcing services such as these oversees may be a cheaper option with larger volume, there is a lot less vision of how your calls are being answered, what is said and the impression your customers are getting. If your call centre is locally based you can implement the management and supervision of employees to ensure the quality of the customer service your organisation strives for is bring correctly represented at all..

SBrecruitment

TIPS FOR RECRUITING IN A CANDIDATE SHORT MARKET So many jobs, yet it seems harder than ever to fill that position with the right talent, and for some industries it is a never-ending battle. We’ve put together our top tips for recruiting in a candidate short market below. Good luck! Make social media work for you. A targeted LinkedIn recruitment campaign or specialised search can find you exactly the candidate you want. Then it is just about starting the conversation about what it will take to move that person over. Be willing to offer more, and not necessarily in wages. If you have found the candidate you want, but they are happily working for another organisation you have to be willing to think outside the box in terms of how you can secure their employment. For most people in a time short world giving them a non-monetary value is what will cause them to shift. Think more holidays, flexible working conditions or part time hours. If you ask the right questions, you may just be able to secure that super star candidate. 4 day working weeks are on the rise, and with a proven rise in productivity you may just be able to get more for less! Show your heart. Never more than now have workers been more motivated by social causes. You can stand out from competitors by showing..

SBrecruitment

GETTING THE BEST OUT OF YOUR CONTINGENT WORKFORCE More than ever businesses are finding that there are a number of benefits to having a contingent work force. Being able to quickly scale up or down as your business requires a service can provide great savings on a traditional work force model. However, keeping a good quality pool of freelancers, candidates, consultants (and the like) at hand for quick roll out requires preparation to ensure you are getting the best result. See our below tips for getting the most of out of your contingent workforce: Be prepared. Knowing there will be opportunities to use a contingent workforce is one thing, being ready for immediate roll out is another. To make this process as quick as possible we recommend having a good talent pool and network at hand, or a number of people that offer the same service just in case. This involves pre-screening for the type of workforce you need. Having a good database is key here because by doing a large part of the research and on boarding beforehand it will set you up for future successes. Keep in regular contact. Your contingent workforce is only as good as the care they are shown. Despite the casual nature of this type of employment there is still a great opportunity to create loyalty by treating them well. We recommend you keep..

SBrecruitment

Dress Codes for the Modern Office Navigating this area of work can be a nightmare. When is it ok to show a little individuality and flair? When is it appropriate to conform and adopt a more traditional approach? The answer is it depends. (Not very helpful – we know!) Many workplaces are throwing out the rulebooks and allowing employees the freedom to be themselves at work, embracing diversity and potentially unlocking a more comfortable and more creative workforce. In the first instance it is best to approach HR and ask for your workplace’s policy on dress and grooming. Then you will (hopefully) have a clear set of guidelines. In lieu of anything concrete, or if your workplace is modernising and has gotten rid of a dress code altogether then following these tips should balance your personal style with office appropriate attire. Dress for your job type You may have all the flair and colour of a peacock in full display mode but if you are a lawyer it probably wouldn’t be appropriate to turn up to court in your boldest and brightest. Think about first impressions. People will judge a person’s professional ability in part based on their looks and whether they appear to fit the part. If you turned up for surgery and your Doctor was wearing thongs and boardies you might be a little confused. Think about the..

SBrecruitment

Emotional Intelligence (EQ) While not a new term, emotional intelligence is fast becoming a skill you SHOULD be working on. EQ, or emotional maturity used to equate to being stoic, cold, and unfeeling. Someone who could receive terrible news and not cry for example. Fortunately, this has changed recently. Fear not, EQ coming to the fore doesn’t mean that everyone starts bawling at every ad with a puppy in it. What it means is people are now encouraged to acknowledge their feelings instead of burying them. Studies have proven that people who are willing to acknowledge and accept their emotions conquer problems and setbacks faster and are better equipped to help others to do the same. Here are 3 simple ways to begin to improve your EQ right now: Self-awareness Grab a piece of blank paper and a pen. When you experience something negative how do you react? What are the physical symptoms of your anger? Or sadness? Or anxiety? Do you get hot? Does your face go red? Do you cry? Do you get frustrated and find it hard to communicate how you’re feeling and thinking? If you answered yes to any of these questions you are not alone. Examining how you react when you experience negative situations is the first step to changing your behaviour. Once you have examined how you currently react it’s time to write down..