Category: Recruitment

In our recent survey of those currently working in startups, we found that 34% of all employers found that the biggest challenge they faced was a lack of technical skills amongst potential employees. 

While Covid-19 has forced a lot of us indoors, it’s the perfect time to take the initiative and use your spare time to upskill and add some great certifications and new skills to that resume. 

We’ve put together some of the best places online that we’ve found to upskill in order to help improve your employability and set you apart from the competition when going after a promotion or new role. 

Best Ways to Upskill

Google Digital Courses

Google’s Digital Garage has some fantastic free courses you can do at your own pace to upskill in some in-demand digital areas. From mastering and becoming certified in their own range of core products, to learning about Online Strategy, SEO and Time Management, their courses are a fantastic free way to upskill in your downtime. View their full range of courses here. 

Facebook Blueprint

Social Media is a skill that’s becoming rapidly more in demand by more and more employers. Explore self-paced and step-by-step tutorials by Facebook that can help you build your digital marketing knowledge and bring your business online. Facebook Blueprint has free training and certifications for their suite of products and services. 

Twitter Flight School

Master your use of Twitter with their free online training portal. Like Facebook and Linkedin, Twitter offers a range of free online courses that not only cover their own product, but also a range of other useful topics. These include things like campaign reporting, managing agencies and creatives, to advertising strategy. You can view their whole range of courses here. 

LinkedIn Learning

Acquired from educational platform Lynda.com several years ago, LinkedIn Learning and now have a huge range of courses available for anybody with a LinkedIn profile to learn from. LinkedIn Learning has relevant courses available across business, creative and technology fields that give you a certification upon completion. So whether you want to learn about SEO, Cryptocurrency or Data Analytics, there’s something for you on LinkedIn Learning. 

Harvard University Free Courses

Learn from one of the most renowned and respected Universities in the world. Harvard Online has 100+ free courses you can complete ranging from Game Design to Python and Javascript. With free courses ranging from 1 week to 24 weeks long, there’s something for everyone available here. 

TAFE NSW Free & Subsidised Courses

Earlier this year TAFE NSW started offering free online courses for Australians to upskill during the pandemic. Depending on the individual, they’re offering a wide range of industry recognised free and subsidised courses. Browse the available courses and subsidies here. 

Get a Diploma or Masters Degree Online

If you’ve ever thought about getting a Postgrad certification, now could be the perfect time. While it can be a big commitment, education is always a good investment for your career. You can choose between single subjects, a graduate diploma or Masters degree from a range of universities around Australia. Browse all the Universities in Australia offering online education through Open Universities. 

 

Looking for your next employee with great technical skills? Get in touch with the Discovered People team here for a chat. 

 

Written by Ebony McCabe for Discovered People

 

These days it’s pretty fair to say that everybody at some point in their lives has taken a personality test, either just for personal knowledge or when employed with a new company.  

In a workplace environment, it’s common for many companies to look at these different personality types within a team to help support and embrace how they all work, learn and communicate together. While this is still useful in a team setting, when recruiting it’s important to look far beyond just personality types and to create teams built with broader diversity.

Compared to teams that are made from similar types of people, teams that are built from a varying mix of genders, races, ages and nationalities are often higher achieving. This is for two main reasons. We’ve highlighted just why it’s proven that your team and wider company will benefit from diversifying your staff when hiring below. 

Innovation

Try and name a company that doesn’t want to be more innovative. We’re not sure that one exists. It can be really easy to hire people that you think will instantly match your existing team or wider company. Whether it’s a friend of a friend, a relative, or Karen from Finance’s niece. While hiring these types of people you already know can and often do work out, by not hiring outside of this group you miss the opportunity to enrich your employees with the opportunity to work directly with people who will think differently, work differently and challenge them intellectually. In fact, hiring people that are all very similar is proven to actually discourage innovative thinking. 

As discussed and shown in research by Rock & Grant in the Harvard Business Review, making sure your talent pool includes a wide mix of different genders, nationalities, ages and races plays directly into your companies joint intellectual potential and the overall ability they have to achieve as a team. 

Teams rich with diversity are far more likely to be critical and double check the work of their peers. This keeps everybody accountable for their own actions and ultimately makes sure they each produce their best work. By hiring diverse people you’ll be helping your team to work with those from a background they may not have worked with before. Additionally giving them the opportunity to become more aware of their own potential biases while looking at how they work in a team, finding opportunities for them to grow individually. 

Creativity

Creativity is one of the most valued and sought after skills in many employees. Several companies will go out of their way to create an environment where teams can think openly and creatively in order to do their everyday jobs better.

When you bring together a group of people from varied backgrounds and experiences, everyone will have their own unique way of thinking about your company’s products or services. By sharing past knowledge and working with a diverse group of people, it’s been proven again and again that it improves creativity amongst teams.

Rampton from Entrepreneur Magazine found this when speaking to Duke Energy Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Joni Davis, with her clearly stating ‘The main reasons you’ll gain productivity and a boost in creativity is that you’re bringing together individuals from different walks of life.’ 

 

All in all, by looking outside your existing talent pool and diversifying your hiring process, you’ll do nothing but benefit your employees, help them work better, expand their knowledge and produce more innovative, creative work. 

Looking to diversify your team and hire your next employee? Get in touch with the Discovered People team here for a chat to find out more. 

 

Written by Ebony McCabe for Discovered People

 

We recently conducted a survey consisting of those currently working in startups to get their takes on the current state of recruitment in 2020.

With COVID-19, market and industry challenges it’s been a rough year for both startups and recruiters. See the key takeaways and insights we found below.

Be sure to follow our blog for more information like this and other helpful tips for both candidates and employers.

 

  • All data shown is the property and findings of Discovered People and is not permitted for reuse by third parties. 

Telephone interviews were once used as a way to speed up the hiring process. Now we’re all for that, but with the rise of video interviewing platforms we believe that telephone interviews are a thing of the past. Here’s our three main reasons why.

Never Miss a Candidate 

First off, we’re all super busy. Which means it’s not always possible to find half an hour or more to have a conversation with a candidate over the phone or in person. It becomes even more difficult if the candidate is still in a different role or interviewing at multiple places. 

This is where video interviews can allow flexibility for both parties via a link for candidates to answer at a time that suits them. It also means that you’re able to screen a higher volume of candidates in a shorter timeframe.  

Improved Screening

Next up, there’s the added advantage of being able to actually see shortlisted candidates over video before deciding whether to progress them to the next stage or not. Unlike with phone interviews, video will give you a much better indication of the candidate’s fit. 

You’ll be able to assess their mannerisms and gauge how confident they are, or if they’re struggling to make eye contact. You can see how they’re dressed and if they’re smiling or not, none of which can be done by phone. Yes, in a phone interview candidates will answer your questions and it can help speed things up, but the added advantage video offers takes the screening process to a whole new level. 

More Control, Less Investment 

With video interviews you have complete visibility and greater control of the entire interviewing process. At Discovered People we use software that can easily record and create a shortlist of candidates that have been through our video screening and best meet your criteria. You don’t have to take our word for it that the candidate is a good fit for the role, you can see for yourself through recorded video interviews. 

The shortlisted candidate videos will appear in your own dashboard, with their CVs and any other documents you’ve requested attached. You can then watch their videos and read all accompanying documents at a time that suits you. By the time you’re ready to meet the candidate yourself, you’re already way ahead of the game. Which means avoiding spending an hour with a candidate who you’ve discounted in the first five minutes, but feel obliged to meet.

Don’t Get Hung Up

So when weighing up the pros and cons, it’s clear phone interviews have had their day. Video interviewing allows us to provide a much better service to you, plus it gives your candidates a better experience too.

 

Looking to hire? Get in touch with our team here. 

 

 

With the new norm of self-isolating and non-essential travel in place, remote recruiting, hiring and onboarding is the only way to go for non-essential workers to carry on business as usual.  

As recruitment experts we’ve pulled together some tips and tricks below on how to best help your new staff get onboarded.

 

  • Set Expectations from the Interview Process

The recruitment process is the beginning of the onboarding experience for the candidate, especially for remote employees. It’s really important that expectations are set from the interview stage. 

Be aware of the common struggles for remote workers and share your ideas for solutions to these problems. Managing workloads, ill-defined hours of work, and lack of accountability are always amongst remote workers’ top negative feedback. 

Be transparent and honest about workload, hours of work, and any key performance goals for their role. Defining these at an early stage will help you avoid confusion or conflict further down the line. 

  • Create a Process

Take some time to create a foolproof remote onboarding checklist. While you may already have one for new hires, be sure you have a seperate one for remote hires. While some points may remain the same, others won’t be relevant and others will have to be created especially.

You always want new staff to feel comfortable as soon as possible, so think about what tools and information they’ll need to get up to speed and always be as detailed as possible. If your office manager, or the employee themselves are responsible for fulfilling a checkpoint, they should know exactly what they need to do. Be clear about this so your employee can have a much better experience as a new-starter.

  • Make Them Feel Welcome

While some things like your company handbook, offer letter and contract can be sent digitally, others need some advanced planning. This is a great opportunity to also send a welcome package in the mail. Little things non-remote employees would have, such as branded hoodies, notepads and pens will help them feel appreciated in their new role from day one. It doesn’t have to be huge, but something a little extra that says ‘Welcome to the team!’ will make them feel included with your company.

  • Connect Your Team

Helping your new employee meet the team is easy when they’re in the office. This definitely is a little trickier with remote workers, but don’t let that be a reason to not do it. It’s a better experience for them to do this over video, so the new starter can still put faces to names. This will also help curb the feelings of isolation and nervousness about reaching out to others with questions, while also helping them get a sense of the company’s culture. 

Not feeling properly part of the business can be really disheartening for a new start, which in turn is likely to hinder their performance. So make sure they know the social calendar so they can join in on events, even if it is just on a video platform.

  • Ask what works for them, accommodate and adapt 

Take the time to ask your new hires about their preferences for things you are prepared to be flexible on as a company. This can be things from how they’d prefer to hear feedback, take meetings, or be issued tasks. Taking the time to hear their thoughts gives them confidence that as a company you’re prepared to listen to them and consider their specific needs. 

  • Keep Learning

Since remote onboarding is looking like it will become the new norm, make sure you continually nail your onboarding process. A great way to do this is by asking your new starters for feedback on how they found the onboarding process and if they have any suggestions on how to improve for future remote employees.

 

Looking for more tips and tricks on hiring new staff? Be sure to stay tuned and check in with the Discovered People blog.

If you need help finding new staff, be sure to contact us here. 

There are a lot of stressful things to consider when starting a small business. From finding people who care about your vision as much as you do, to making sure you’ve got the right internal skillset, the recruitment process is definitely one of the most difficult and time consuming parts.

Anybody that’s gone through this process will confirm just how important it is to build a team with the same values, ethics, drive as you do.

Helping numerous startups and small businesses form their teams has allowed us to make some recommendations to help you build yours. Here’s four of our top tips to do just that.

 

  • Think carefully before hiring friends or family

While it’s easy to turn to friends and family when starting a company as there’s existing relationships and trust, think very carefully before going ahead with employing a friend or family member.

Be sure that you’ve considered how your existing relationship may change when bringing them in as an employee. Make sure you’ve both set clear boundaries within a contract just like any other employee so there’s clear expectations made for both sides.

There are many famous companies throughout history which started based as either a family or friend collaboration that didn’t  work out, so take this as a warning that it can happen to any company. While this may not be the case for everyone, be sure that you’ve properly thought out the situation and all possible outcomes prior to going ahead with hiring anybody.

 

  • Write a good job description

To make things easier for you and the person you’re searching for, it’s really important to make sure that you write a detailed and accurate job description. This will help you find the exact person that you’re looking for, as well as help them find you.

Make sure that you include all responsibilities and desired skills for the role and think in detail about how this person will fit in with the wider team. It’s much easier to make sure that you’re 100% across this before hiring them, rather than figuring it out once they start.

 

  • Culture

Culture is what truly defines a company and sets them apart from their competitors. How your employees and customers view the business will become a large part of how and what your company grows into over time.

While skills can always be taught, personality and culture fit can’t be learnt or changed. Make sure you hire people with the same values and enthusiasm as you to make sure they will always be an asset to your business no matter what the skills that may have.

A great example of this in practice is Apple Retail. They hire their technical staff based on their personality and ability to be compassionate, enthusiastic and explain things to customers without jargon. They intentionally don’t hire overly technical or IT qualified staff in their retail teams and instead train them on everything they need to know once they start. As one of the most successful companies in the world, this is a clear indication that culture is often far more important than experience or skills.

 

  • Look for those not looking

When hiring for a small team or startup, it’s really important that you find the best people to help build your company. Often the best candidates aren’t actually looking for jobs, so you have to go and find them rather than letting them come to you. It’s helpful to look beyond the obvious talent pools in order to find that dream candidate that fits in perfectly with your team and has the same vision and goals to align with your brand.

This is where we come in at Discovered People. We’re experts at finding those unicorn candidates that perfectly match into the role you’re hiring for.

 

Looking for a recruitment agency to help you hire for your startup? As Tank Stream Labs recruitment partner we know exactly how important it is to find the best person for your company. Get in touch with us here.

2020 has certainly turned out to be a year that nobody could have predicted. One of the few positives brought on by COVID-19 has been the downtime we’ve all inevitably had while in lockdown, which has given many of us the chance to refocus and reprioritise things.

If you’ve spent any of that time either job hunting or reconsidering the job you’re in, now could be the perfect time to consider a career change. We’ve pulled together our top tips to help you brush up on your skills and make sure you’re putting your best foot forward when it comes to securing a new role.

  • Fix Your Resume – if it’s been a while since you last updated your CV, now’s the time for a refresh. Be sure to include the four key elements recruiters and employers look for too; a personal statement, up-to-date work experience, a skills section (which should always be tailored to the role you’re applying for) and details of your educational or training qualifications.
  • Let your network know you’re available – update your LinkedIn profile and put up a post letting people know you’re looking for a new opportunity.
  • Use your free time to strengthen your skills – look back through your job reviews to see what has been highlighted as areas for improvement. Or, compare your skill set against the skills mentioned in job descriptions you’re interested in to see what you’re missing. Find an online course or resource to help strengthen that skill.
  • Research sectors that are hiring – while hiring has slowed down across many industries but there are some sectors on the rise.

Focus on Transferable Skills

Transferable skills are those that can be applied across different roles. They may be personal attributes that you’ve developed over time, or they could be skills you’ve acquired through training.

While the range of skills an employer or recruiter will be looking for depends on the role, there are some fundamental transferable skills that will help you stand out.  Why not take the time now, while you have it, to think of some really good, real-life, examples that demonstrate the transferable skills you have. Spend time planning out the best way to talk through your background and experience, and prepare and practice giving answers to commonly asked questions that demonstrates your skills in the following five areas.

  • Communication – Express yourself clearly and with confidence. Demonstrating proficiency in written and verbal communication is a sure-fire way to impress an interviewer.
  • Listening – Answer the question asked. Listening is more than hearing what is being said, it’s about being able to interpret the message and act accordingly.
  • Teamwork – Teams that work well together, achieve more. Employers are typically looking for people who work well and get along with others.
  • Organisation – Demonstrate that you’re able to organise your own work schedule and can adapt to and deal with unexpected issues that arise.
  • Leadership – Leadership is a skill that most employers look for in all employees, regardless of seniority.

The amount of time you have in an interview is limited, so make sure you prepare to give yourself the best possible chance of success.

Identify what skills you have; you might even ask friends or colleagues for their input. Then determine what skills the recruiter or employer is looking for.

Finally think of examples that show how the transferable skills you have will add value to their business.

Good luck!

 

If you’re actively looking for a role, get in touch with our team to see how we can help you find your dream role here.

 

Written by Ebony McCabe for Discovered People

 

Video interviewing is by no means a new concept, however since COVID-19 they’ve become far more popular amongst hiring managers and recruitment agents. While more traditional face-to-face interviews are not possible right now, many companies have now realised just how convenient and time saving video interviewing is. 

We use industry-leading video software to make sure you have the best experience, but still know it can be a little intimidating to have your first interview over video. We’ve pulled together our top tips and a bit of background information on how to ensure you’re putting your best foot forward when the time comes for that first video interview!

Why is it so popular?

Video interviews are far more flexible than a typical on-site, face-to-face. There’s no traveling to and from involved and no time off work required. Simply open a link and you’re good to go. This means you can complete the video interview anywhere, anytime and on any device.

Types of Video Interviewing

There are a few different ways of conducting video interviews. The most common is a live, two-way video call. In this case, you’ll likely be sent a link which you simply click on to enter an online ‘interview room’. There you’ll come face-to-face with the interviewer(s) via a split-screen. The process of a live interview thereafter is exactly the same as it would be in person, only you’ve got a screen between you.

Another less common but increasingly popular method of video interviewing is known as a Solo Interview. The main difference is that instead of coming face-to-face when you enter the virtual room, you’ll be taken on a journey through a number of questions. The questions appear on screen for you to answer one by one and you’ll be able to review your finished responses before submitting it for the recruiter and client to watch back. 

While you can start over if you feel you didn’t give your best answers, we’d recommend keeping the attempts to a minimum as the more versions you do, the less natural you’ll come across. Also avoid writing all your answers out and reading them, as you’d never attend a face-to-face interview and read off answers.  


Preparing for an Interview 

Prepare for your video interview in the exact same way you would for a face-to-face interview. Think of quality answers for any and all situations, do your background research on the company and compile some questions to ask the interviewer at the end. 

Specifically for video, here’s some last minute checks to do beforehand. 

  • Set up – test that your microphone, speakers and camera all work properly.
  • Connection – check your internet connection, close-down unnecessary programs and web pages and make sure you aren’t downloading, installing or about to run updates.  
  • Surroundings – be mindful of your backdrop in terms of what’s in the frame. Consider your position and check your lighting. A plain background is ideal. 
  • Where to look – This can be a bit awkward, but look into your camera, rather than at the interviewer. This way it’ll appear like you are looking at them. 
  • Do not disturb – unlike in a face-to-face interview, you’ll likely be at home or even on your lunch break at work. It may seem obvious, but make sure people around you know not to disturb you. Ideally, find a place where you feel completely at ease and where you can speak freely and comfortably without fear of interruptions or distractions. 
  • Appearance – just because you’re at home doesn’t mean you don’t need to look the part. You should dress exactly as you would for an in-person interview. Psychologically, you’ll feel more ready too. 
  • Stay focused – Because you’re not face-to-face, it can be easier to become distracted and do things you wouldn’t do in a face-to-face setting. 
  • Notes – avoid reading off notes. It’s okay to refer to notes but don’t try to be sneaky about it. Equally, avoid taking excessive notes. And definitely do not try to Google during the interview, no matter how subtle you think you’re being they’ll definitely be able to see. 
  • Smile and engage – a tendency on video versus face-to-face is that candidates are less focused on being engaging and less aware of ensuring their personality comes across. Avoid falling into this trap and bring as much to the video as you would if you were sitting across from the interviewer. 

While video interviewing may be new to you, try and treat it like every other interview you’ve done before. While you may feel a little unnatural and out of your comfort zone, with these quick tips we’re sure it’s nothing you can’t overcome. 

Just like any normal interview, practice with friends and family or even just record yourself and rewatch it to get a feel for how you come across on video. As with anything else, the usual combination of research and advance prep will go a long way.  

Good luck! 

 

Since the start of this global pandemic many of us questioned whether it was safe to continue working, whether it was from an office, warehouse, shopping centre or cafe. Since March thousands of workers had to switch over from commuting to work, to then working from home. 

Some would say they have struggled to find the balance, especially when juggling children at home, making business calls without interruption and ensuring their productivity levels didn’t decline. But, in recent findings,Technology Connected found that 42% of businesses felt they were already fully prepared for remote working once the pandemic began.

In saying this, there are proven benefits as to why you should consider switching over to remote work.

Here’s our top five tips:

  1. Since the pandemic began, 94% of businesses felt they were able to adapt to remote working; all thanks to technology. For example, emails, video calls, integrated software platforms, electronic diaries and wireless Internet have all been able to assist remote workers during this time. 
  2. A record figure of 65% of businesses found they weren’t seeing a drop-off rate in productivity since the rise of the crisis. In fact, almost a fifth of businesses felt their staff had actually become more productive. 
  3. When we talk about the importance of mental health, 10% of businesses are now actively introducing mental health measures for staff, whilst 52% have said this is something they’re looking to implement. This demonstrates that businesses can switch over to remote work as long as they are willing to put in place OH&S procedures and mental health check-ins. 
  4. The hiring process has shortened with remote working as more recruiters and candidates are using video interviewing. No need to bring your candidates to the office, all that’s required is a laptop/tablet/phone and a video conferencing setup. Still not convinced? Here at Discovered People we believe in using this method of video interviewing so much, that even once the pandemic has subsided we’ll keep using video interviewing.
  5. Worried about the future of recruitment? Despite the now more common practice of remote working, 59% of businesses are optimistic about recruitment for the rest of 2020, and with that, 21% are even considering hiring remote workers even after restrictions have been lifted. 

Seeing the changes we’ve had to experience in our daily working lives have been eye-opening and challenging. As for the future of companies, businesses and individuals, remote working can be the answer if you’re willing to try it for yourself. Switching over from something you’re so used to can feel foreign and unsettling, but the figures speak for themselves, and without making this change or slight adjustment, you may fall behind. 

From the above points mentioned, it looks like the shift in people’s thoughts on remote working could be one of the best things to come from this current situation. Remote working has the potential to open doors for employers, employees and candidates. 

 

How many times have you had the exact same first interview? Explaining over and over what’s on your resume, some generic situation based questions and your career motivators. Depending on how long your job search is, it can get pretty repetitive. 

Rather than having this same first interview again and again, video interviewing is an increasingly popular way to showcase yourself as a candidate and skip this first interview step. 

With the rapid changes to how businesses use technology since COVID-19, it’s shown that video interviewing is just as effective, if not more effective than in-person interviewing. Given how much easier it is for both employers and candidates to now connect, we should really be questioning anybody who now insists on meeting in-person for a first interview. 

For any candidates searching for jobs, heres 5 reasons why video interviewing software is a huge benefit (and time saver!) for you. 

 

  • Interview From Anywhere

Apart from the obvious reason of minimising your risk of exposure to COVID-19, the fact is that taking the time to meet for interviews as a candidate can be difficult. Having to take time off work, schedule a fake doctors appointment or take leave can be frustrating, especially if you don’t get the role. 

Recruiting hasn’t stopped over this pandemic, it’s just changed to video interviews. This is really proved there’s no real need for face-to-face interviews anymore, which will ultimately save both the candidate and employer time.

  • Use Any Device

Not everyone owns a laptop, or only has access to a work device which may be a little awkward to use for an interview. With video interviewing you can easily meet and interview through your mobile phone or tablet, without any hindrance to the process.

  • Get Real Feedback 

Whether or not you get the first job you apply for, that interview can be used as an opportunity to give you valuable feedback to put you ahead of the competition next time. You can rewatch how you did, learn your strengths and improve where you need to next time. 

  • One Interview, Multiple Opportunities

Your one interview can be used multiple times for many different roles. Rather than waiting to hear if your CV made it to the top of the applicant pile, with video interviewing you either get an interview or valuable feedback to put you ahead of the competition next time. 

  • Skip the First Interview

With so many redundancies lately, it means there are hundreds of candidates’ CVs landing on recruiters desks. As some jobs are advertised by more than one recruitment agency and the client themselves, your CV can end up showing up on the hiring manager’s desk more than once.

If you’re successful, your video will be sent to top clients so you can skip that first interview stage. You can be moved to the second or even the final stage of the interview process. 

Sounds great right?

 

Looking for your next role? Get in contact with the Discovered team here.