Stop! Read this before accepting a new job!

Many of us have experienced the feeling of utter relief and happiness when after a period of job hunting we are finally offered a position. For many of us, in our desperation for a new position we choose to ignore the red flags our potential employers may be holding up. When offered a new position, it is our natural inclination to accept. Take a step back for just a moment and remind yourself that most of our waking lives are spent at work. Given this, just like you would before investing in a new car or house, we should read the fine print of our work contracts and do some research before signing on the dotted line!

First thing first- ask questions! You are completely entitled to ask important questions such as “what is a typical workday like?” or “do you see any major strategy changes or reporting relationship changes in the near future” and “will I be expected to communicate after hours and on weekends?”

It is for your own benefit to understand what is expected of you before taking a new position. Some people don’t mind working after hours or on weekends and there has been a recent shift from typical ‘nine to five’ work to more flexible working arrangements (and longer hours in some cases!) If you are someone who likes to leave the office at 5pm on the dot, or if you have outside work commitments such as looking after children or parents then be up front with this information so your boss is aware can subsequently make more informed decisions.

Ask how you will meet your new colleagues and work team. This is particularly important if you are taking on a new position as a manager. Establishing rapport with your team is essential to your success in your new position and will make yourself and team members feel more comfortable with the change! It doesn’t need to be an extravagant event; a simple meeting in the conference room over coffee and some biscuits will suffice!

Understand the short-term and long term priorities of the position. By the time you have accepted the job offer, you should be able to set strategic goals to achieve within the first 30 days, as well as the next three months. Once you have an understanding of the high priority tasks and projects, have a conversation with your boss to ensure you are on the right track and get stuck into it! Demonstrating that you have the ability to be organised and strategic and showing that you are committed to producing work aligned with the objectives of your organisation is really important when you are just starting off in a new position.

Make sure all the details are covered. This is your stop and think moment! Sit down with a cup of tea and go over in detail your offer letter, contract and other information regarding your salary, bonus eligibility, benefits and any other significant terms related to your employment. This is the perfect time to ask any questions or clarify information. Or if you are feeling very brave- negotiate your terms!

Last but not least… Ensure your new position meets your needs. Is there room to grow professionally? Will you be eligible for promotions? You do not want to take on a job only to realise that it is stagnant position.

Ultimately, by researching, asking intelligent questions and being curious about your new position you will gain the confidence required when choosing to accept or decline your new position. If you do sign the dotted line- fantastic! You will feel more prepared and understand your working environment to a greater extent which will relieve those first day nerves. 

If you choose to decline- well done! You have clearly taken the time to re-assess your fit within the organisation and by doing the research you have given yourself another fantastic opportunity to find a job that suits your needs and career aspirations!

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities - What is the Difference and is it Important?

Knowledge, skill and abilities are the three essentials to any employee, employer and organisation. Recruiters seek out specific knowledge, skills and abilities during the hiring process, managers consider the knowledge, skills and abilities of certain employees when suggesting individuals suitable for promotion and organisations are constantly referring back to the core knowledge, skills and abilities they believe are necessary to thrive and survive in the business environment.

These three important terms are often used interchangeably. Even though the difference between them can be subtle, it is imperative to know the difference in order to understand what you expect of your current and future employees.

Knowledge is the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject. For example, an employee might have knowledge of a particular model used in instructional design. This doesn’t mean the employee knows how to be an instructional designer. It means they know the model.

Skills are the proficiencies developed through training or experience. Using the model design example, the employee has demonstrated skills in applying the model when designing training programs. Skills are usually something that has been learned. So, we can develop our skills through the transfer of knowledge.

Abilities are the qualities of being able to do something. There is a fine line between skills and abilities. Think of abilities such as organization and prioritization as attributes that can help an employee develop their instructional design skills.

In business we often refer to the ‘skills’ gap and if your organisation is trying to fill this gap, then we must be clear on what exactly needs a solution- is it employees knowledge about a particular product? Or do their skills in how they sell the product need fine tuning? Or do they need to work on their ability to prioritise and better manage their time?  

Understanding the subtle differences between the terms can make obvious improvements to your work force!

Reducing staff turnover by keeping your workers happy

The concept that ‘happy workers are hard workers’ is not a foreign concept in any workplace.


Nevertheless, too many businesses struggle to retain their staff and suffer from high turnover rates. 


Ensuring that your workers are satisfied in the workplace can greatly reduce the costs associated with recruitment, training and reductions in productivity due to introducing new staff into your workplace. 


Here are some simple tips to keep your staff where you want them.

• First understand why staff are leaving and address these issues promptly
•  Assess your staff benefits compared to those offered in different companies. If your staff aren’t receiving a similar package, it’s time to re-evaluate
• Increase the flexibility provided in your workplace, particularly for working parents
• Let staff bring their own devices to work and allow them to access social media while on the job. Believe it or not, flexible IT practices have been associated with  increased job satisfaction and workers who use social media are up to 75% more  productive.
• If your industry can allow it allow options for staff to work from home
• Provide workers with responsibility and allow them to use it
• Show your staff respect

By outlining a clear path to performance growth, job promotion, listening to your staff and responding to issues they raise should enable your staff to feel respected and valued.  All key factors when ensuring your staff are happy!

5 tips for giving feedback to unsuccessful candidates 

A candidate has taken the time to apply for a job advertised at your workplace and perhaps attended an interview but you have decided the person-job fit just wasn't right and they have been unsuccessful.  It's hard to do, but it is common courtesy to let them know the outcome.  But if you do this right it doesn't have to be a negative experience! It can actually have some long term benefits for your business; 

• You can save time later-as you won’t have to take any number of calls from candidates trying to follow up at any given time

• You can establish your employer brand in a positive light 

• You also leave the opportunity open to hire the applicant for the future!

One of the most common mistakes employers make during recruitment is giving out generic or impersonal feedback to unsuccessful candidates or failing to give out feedback altogether, due to the inherent difficulty in organising and delivering such feedback. The following information will make giving interview feedback easier.

5 tips on how ensure you are delivering quality and constructive feedback:

1. The feedback should be delivered by the person who conducted the interview. Show that a serious and adequate amount of time and deliberation went into the decision and that the final answer is coming from the person most involved.
2.  Include specific examples of the candidate’s responses and how these responses lead to your decision. Did they discuss experiences that didn’t show strengths required for the role? Did they seem only somewhat vested in the role’s tasks when you need someone extremely dedicated?
3. Try to tie feedback into the job specification. Feedback certainly shouldn’t only be about how they carried themselves during interview, link what they included in a cover letter or resume to the outcome.
4. Think about your tone of voice and the words you use. This can be the major aspect they take away with them that affects your employer brand and their future opportunities.
5. Be prepared for the candidate to disagree with you, in this case remain calm, polite and stick to the facts. Take notes on your key reasoning. 

As part of the constructive and fair feedback, common reasons candidates are rejected are:

• Preparedness: the applicant did not appear to know much about the company or the position they were applying for
• Punctuality: Arriving late for the interview without a valid reason
• Direction: Having a lack of career goals or career plan
• Motivation: Appearing unenthusiastic due to their vague and unelaborate responses or failing to provide useful information about themselves or their perceptions of the role
• Honesty: Lying or being evasive about qualifications and previous work experience
• Duration: Stating that they are only interested in working in the position for a short period of time
• Qualifications: Being overqualified or under-qualified for the position advertised

By completing this process in a courteous, constructive and positive manner you not only promote positive sentiment towards your company but are also contributing understanding to the applicant about how they may approach the hiring process more effectively.

And who knows? Perhaps in the future, you'll be calling to accept them into a different position they are better suited to!