The saying “You only have one chance to make a first impression” holds true in many situations, from job interviews to sales calls. Making initial judgments and forming opinions have evolved over millennia, as our human brains are wired to influence us, to create these feelings for survival. Similarly, first impressions in the workplace can often shape long-term reputations and perceptions quite easily, especially in the first few weeks. So it is important to make sure these encounters are as positive as possible. With the shift to remote work, traditional work cultures are being tested, so creating a remote work sub-culture where employees have an unconditional feeling of connection and support should be a priority, especially in remote on boarding during a lockdown. Without human face-to-face contact, incidental ‘water cooler’ moments and learning through osmosis; remotely onboarding new starters to any business can be disastrous, if it is not implemented correctly. As I have recently remotely onboarded two new recruitment consultants into my team during a lockdown, I’ve jotted down my thoughts on how to be as effective as possible: Technology – 1 week before start date, send out IT hardware, manuals and a welcome pack of company branded merchandise (if available) to the new person. Welcome letter – before the first day, the Manager to send a letter welcoming them to the business. Preboarding – Collaborate with the IT department, remotely set up their home office and IT equipment, making sure all logins are activated and working effectively before their first day. Training program - Create a comprehensive 2-week training schedule with the commitment from the existing team to deliver the training. Tailor the training program depending on the experience for each new position. Share, set up and prioritise all these training sessions and stick to the allocated time slot to create a good impression. Communicate – You can never underestimate the power of communication and making yourself available for a new starter by offering ongoing support. As a minimum, the Manager should check in at the beginning and end of every day to set expectations. Social – Use video to introduce the team and ask existing team members to complete incidental check ins to create personal connections. Start small – Give your new team member small goals to achieve during their first two weeks of training. Do not overwhelm them with large deliverables before they are trained up to do the job. Checklist - Have a checklist of tasks with estimated completion dates and actual completed dates so both the Manager and new team member can both track progress. Feedback – Often training can be one sided, with the trainer talking ‘at’ the new starter when delivering content. Be careful not to fall into this trap. Give the new starter an opportunity to engage, ask questions and ask for feedback. A careless onboarding process creates a negative first impression and overall onboarding should be seen as an investment in the long-term success of new people. Those who have a positive experience whilst being onboarded will have increased tenure, be more productive and collaborative, and have a better impression of the organisation that they have chosen to join.

2021 undoubtedly presents itself as a talent short market, and with many businesses offering similar benefits, flexible working arrangements and salaries, these businesses have to be strategic to attract top talent. One such underutilised tool is the effective use of social media. So, what can employers do to utilise social media to attract talent to their organisation?

In the wise words of Jessie J, it’s not about the money, money, money… . Well at least not in the current employment market in Australia in 2021. You see, the Australian employment landscape is quite unusual, at the moment. The economy is definitely on the up and up; and as conditions continue to improve, the demand for quality job seekers is going through the roof.

I would stating the glaringly obvious if I said that the last 12 months have been incredibly stressful. One would be hard put to find one person in Australia who hasn’t experienced personal or work (or both) stress since the pandemic started. There are hundreds of thousands of people who lost jobs (and many have not been able to return to where they were in terms of working). There are people who have lost family to COVID, or who have family stuck overseas in countries ravaged by the virus. For sure the economy seems to be bouncing back. The job market is hot, and many companies are frantically hiring again. In Australia, vaccinations have started and overall we have done a mighty fine job of protecting the population from the virus. So we should all feel really good and happy now right? The thing about stress is that it builds and you learn to live with it so well, you don’t even know you are stressed anymore. Until some little event tips you over the edge and you find yourself yelling at the kids – a response that is hugely disproportionate to the crime (having said that, leaving Lego on the floor so a parent steps on it when stumbling back from the loo at 2AM should actually be a crime right?). Many of us started working from home in 2020, and many of us still are working at least some days from home. Technology has brought us freedom from the commute and added incredibly valuable time to our ‘outside work’ life. But at the same time, perhaps it has also allowed work and personal stress to cross over in a way that both areas of our lives are affected. If you feel like you are actually working longer hours from home and/or if you feel like you have to prove that you are MORE available to answer questions if you are outside of the office, then your life may feel like it’s blurring into one.

In the mid-eighties, it was perfectly acceptable to advertise for ”Man wanted, aged between 25–32 years for Accounts Manager position…”. It’s fantastic to see todayt that we have come a long way.

​One good thing right now – the employment market is ideal for people of all ages and stages to secure a role to keep earning, learning, focus and enjoy working life. Unfortunately though, we hear from mature candidates that this positivity isn’t shared by all as there is a feeling that the mature workforce is unwanted, and therefore, finding it hard to secure work.

Listening is a key skill in the art of being successful in a sales position. With technology and systems supporting businesses in more ways than ever before, many are (or already have) moved to a sales methodology which encompasses a consultative selling technique. A consultative selling technique is an approach that focuses on creating value and trust with a prospective customer and exploring and establishing their needs, to offer a solution. To be successful at the ‘consultative sell’, it is important to really listen to what the customer needs.

​If recent data that states that 70% of jobseekers are passive, then finding the right person for the job has never been harder. As businesses struggle to be noticed, the key is to stand out, which luckily can be achieved with a little creative thinking.