We can thank daily updates on apps, new technologies and where people go to find their information – be it on a new job, or the latest music.

Below are some blog posts that are, hopefully, looking slightly outside the box in terms of recruiting. There are some fantastic resources out there and it is a topic that many people seem to be keen to share their thoughts on. So the more reading and information you can gather, the more you can stay ahead of the pack – and snap up that talent before the competition!

Strategic market research: What you don’t know can kill your recruiting

By John Sullivan, on ere.net

Part 1
Why is recruiting like sales and marketing? This post looks at how important it is to know your target market – i.e the top talent, regardless of whether they are currently job hunting or not.

Part 2
The second part of this post goes through the steps of how to address the need for more information, plus examples of what you can implement to make it work. It also pin-points the most important areas to focus on.

Recruitment evolution, not revolution

By Richard Long on jobblog.co.nz

The recruitment landscape is changing and once again it reinforces the importance of communicating your company’s culture to the outside world.

We did something about the candidate experience

By Chad Godhard for ere.net

‘First impressions’ is a two-way street. This post details what one US company did when they realised many good candidates were falling through the recruitment cracks into the ‘black hole’.

Why companies aren’t getting the employees they need

By Peter Cappelli on The Wall Street Journal

This post looks at the importance of hiring companies searching for candidates with potential, rather than trying to find the ‘perfect’ recruit – because chances are, you won’t find them.

Here is proof that social recruiting is right here, right now

By Andy on SironaSays

Know your target talent pool and where they seek their information. This post addresses how to use social media wisely and why one size does not fit all.

Should you block social media access?

Maybe you don’t need a policy says publisher Michael Hyatt in this post on five reasons why your company doesn’t need a social media policy.

But if you do, here’s a round-up of useful blog posts to help you out.

10 must-haves for your social media policy

This post by Sharlyn Lauby outlines 10 things you should consider in your social media policy;

1. Introduce the purpose of social media

2. Be responsible for what you write

3. Be authentic

4. Consider your audience

5. Exercise good judgment

6. Understand the concept of community

7. Respect copyrights and fair use

8. Remember to protect confidential & proprietary info

9. Bring value

10. Productivity matters

Should Your Company Have a Social Media Policy?

Here Sharlyn Lauby covers the need for a social media policy and how to begin.

1. WHY have such a policy?

2. WHAT can social media do for my organization?

3. WHO should the policy cover?

4. WHERE should you let employees know about this policy?

5. WHEN is the right time to implement a policy?

Social Media Policy: Now is the Time

Five more things to consider when developing a social media policy from Paige Fleury at Logical Juice.

1. Start with what employees CAN do versus what they can’t do.

2. Include rules around use of social media during work hours.

3. Remind employees that they are responsible for what they write

4. Start with what you know.

Social Media Policy Examples

This post includes over 123 social media policies examples compiled by Chris Boudreaux.

AND there’s a free report to download – “Analysis of Social Media policies – lessons and best practices.”

And here are some interesting points if you’re debating blocking social media in your organisation, following on from B.L. Ochman’s post on Five Reasons Companies Should Not Block Access to Social Networks

If Your Sky Falls, It Won’t Be Because of Social Media

Why HR shouldn’t fear social media by Lisa Rosendahl.

Twitter and Facebook: The New Tools of Productivity or Distraction

Brian Solis asks: do social networks increase or decrease productivity on the job?

What are your thoughts?

Record Number of Kiwis Seeking New Jobs

The number of New Zealand job seekers reached an all time high in March, with over 940,000 people searching for jobs on seek.co.nz,  throughout the month.

The March SEEK Employment Index (SEI) showed the effects of more people looking for new employment options as the index declined by five percent, driven by the continued growth in applications which grew faster than the number of new job ads.

The SEEK New Job Ad Index remained stable, with only a slight decrease in month on month growth by 0.2% from February to March 2010. The slowing of growth is most evident in Christchurch which declined by 2.5%. Both Auckland and Wellington experienced positive growth of 0.8% and 0.1% respectively.

>>>> Full report here

Professional Contracting Rate Guide

The Professional Contracting Rate Guide reveals average rate expectations in a number of contracting professions (including HR) and looks at how these have fluctuated over the past six months, providing a useful resource for an HR or line manager to consult when planning resource budgets or hiring.
Of note is in HR, Change Management contractors rates have risen significantly over the past six months, which suggests demand for services is rising.

>>>> Source: www.crackerjacks.co.nz

Deloitte NZ Wins International Social Recruiting Award

Deloitte New Zealand has received an international award for their social recruiting initiatives. The 2010 SOCRA award honours excellence in social media and recruiting. Deloitte NZ received over 500 votes from industry professionals, edging out North American heavyweights UPS / TMP with 275 votes and Sodexo with 201 votes.
Deloitte NZ won the award for their Facebook page, which is geared towards graduate and intern recruitment. The company broke new ground by mashing live-streaming video with social networking, directly on their Facebook page. This ‘social videoing’ technique has been successfully used by celebrities like Shakira and Miley Cyrus to engage with their fan bases.

Workplace Bullying

DOL have released a fact sheet on Bullying and it can be found here

In New Zealand at least 10 per cent of the workforce will be dyslexic to some degree.

Dyslexics tend to have unique abilities in higher level thinking processes, learning capacity, creative problem solving and ‘thinking outside the square’

however they also experience real difficulties too that can create challenges.

The Dyslexia Foundation is encouraging employers to understand the new thinking around dyslexia, focusing on noticing the difficulties (or preferences) a staff member has, and adjusting their actions in response.

A new Dyslexia in the Workplace website has been created by the Dyslexia Foundation of NZ – visit: www.4d.org.nz

Employment expectations continue to improve for second quarter of 2010

New Zealand employers’ sentiment has improved to mark the fourth consecutive quarter of rising confidence, according to the latest Hudson Report: Employment Expectations survey. The latest results show that New Zealand employer sentiment has increased by 0.2 percentage points (pp), meaning a net effect of 19.8 per cent of employers report plans to increase their permanent staff levels during the April – June 2010 period. Employer sentiment has now improved by more than 31 pp since the historic lows recorded in March 2009.

There is a continuing strong shift in intentions away from reducing headcount, with the proportion of employers looking to reduce their permanent staff levels decreasing from 8.2% last quarter to 7.8% this quarter. The proportion of employers intending to hold their current staff levels steady rose from 64.1% to 64.7%, while the proportion looking to increase their permanent staff levels edged down slightly, from 27.7% to 27.6%.

>>>> For the full report visit here

The KiwiSaver Sentiment Study, which looks at New Zealanders preparedness for retirement and their attitude toward the KiwiSaver scheme, of 513 working New Zealanders found that 44 per cent of survey respondents participate in the KiwiSaver scheme.

Yet there has been a rise in the number of people who feel that life in retirement would be less comfortable than it is today: 49 per cent feel this way, up from 42 per cent in 2007.

Other findings included;

• Kiwis are reasonably satisfied with KiwiSaver providers; nearly half (49%) said they were either satisfied or very satisfied with their current provider.
• Respondents indicated a strong loyalty to current schemes; very few (5%) anticipated a change in their KiwiSaver provider in twelve months time.
• The main concern Kiwis have about KiwiSaver is the lack of guarantee and specific concern about the future viability of the scheme. Other concerns centered on a lack of understanding of the scheme, poor returns and a preference for greater control over personal finances.
• Kiwis predict they will need between $2,000-$3,000 per month (including NZ Super and after tax) in retirement.
• The introduction of a 2% contribution level has proven popular; 29% indicated they either plan to make or already make contributions at the 2% level (the proportion of these as a result of default selection is not known), while 46% plan to do so at the 4% level.
• Just over half (55%) actively chose their own provider, while two in five (42%) either let the Inland Revenue Department or their employer make the decision on their behalf.

- Mercer

Recent Employment Relations Authority findings

A restaurant worker sacked after being discriminated against because of his sexual orientation has been awarded nearly $15,000. The Employment Relations Authority found that the man, whose name was not disclosed, was unfairly dismissed in July 2009.

>>>> More info here

And the Employment Relations Authority says a firefighter who didn’t tell his employer about his history of treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder was justifiably sacked.

>>>> More info here

Ensure safety of workers

The Department of Labour has urged employers and people in charge of workplaces to take an active and timely approach to their responsibilities under the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 (HSE Act) and to take all practicable steps to ensure the safety of their workers. This follows the sentencing of James Hardie New Zealand Limited on 5 March in the Auckland District Court.

A fine of $54,000 and reparation totalling $76,000 were imposed on James Hardie New Zealand Limited in the Auckland District Court following an accident where an employee died in 2009.

>>>> More info here

Jobs online report

Jobs Online measures changes in job vacancies advertised on the main internet job boards. For the three months to February 2010, this month’s Jobs Online report shows that:

The number of advertisements for skilled jobs increased by 4.6%, with total advertisements increasing by 6.6%.

Skilled vacancies in the North Island have increased strongly – particularly for Wellington (6.2%, compared with a 0.1% decrease in last month’s report).  However, the South Island had a slight decline in skilled vacancies: down 1.1% for Christchurch and down 1.5% for the rest of the South Island.

Most industries (hospitality; accounting, HR, legal and administration; sales, retail, marketing and advertising; and IT) experienced increases in job advertisements of between 2% – 12%.

Education, construction, and engineering vacancies fell by between 2% – 3%. However, the rate of fall appears to be slowing significantly – down from the 9% reported in last month’s report. This may signal a rebound for advertised vacancies in these areas in the near future. Healthcare and medical advertised vacancies experienced stronger decline.

Since June 2009, Jobs Online has highlighted a sustained recovery in advertised vacancies. While encouraging, the number of skilled job advertisements for February 2010 remains 9% lower than in February 2009 and 43% lower than March 2008, when the index was at its peak.

>>>> More info here

Employees more loyal now

A survey of almost 5,000 New Zealanders, conducted between early October 2009 and the end of January 2010, found that 32 percent say the economic downturn has made them more loyal, while 6 percent say it has made them less loyal, and 62 percent say it’s made no difference.

When asked to name the one thing that would make an employee more committed to their job, 46 percent cite ‘more interesting or challenging work’, followed by ‘higher salary or benefits’ and ‘more meaningful responsibility’ (both 15 percent).

-  Kelly Global Workforce Index

Employment optimism

The overall employment optimism across New Zealand continues to improve for the fourth consecutive quarter, with job seekers expected to benefit from a much stronger 2Q hiring pace compared to this time last year.

The survey of over 570 New Zealand employers indicates hiring intentions for the next three months have softened somewhat after notable improvements reported last quarter, with the seasonally adjusted Net Employment Outlook at +14%, up from +13% in the first quarter. This is due to an increase in the proportion of employers planning to hire (23%, up from 20% in Q.1) while there was no change in the number planning to decrease their headcounts (6%).

-  The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey

Same degree – yet women earn less

A recent study by the Ministry of Women’s Affairs has revealed that only one year after entering employment an income gap of up to six percent develops between men and women with a bachelor’s qualification or above.

Women’s Affairs Minister Pansy Wong says the findings of the study have established a clear difference in income between men and women who graduate within the same fields of study after five years, varying from just one percent for graduates in society and culture to 20 percent for graduates in management and commerce.

“The bottom line is that a bachelor’s degree held by a woman should be worth the same in the marketplace as one held by a man.” 

>>>> Full report here

Best Employers in Australia and New Zealand

Dimension Data, Express Data and Microsoft have been named the ‘Best of the Best’ in the Hewitt Best Employers programme.

The Best Employers in ANZ study was re-launched in 2009 as an employer accreditation program. The 2010/11 Hewitt Best Employers in ANZ accreditation program will launch in July 2010.

>>>> Full report here

The Overall Winners for 2009/2010 were announced at a gala dinner on 25th February 2010

Supreme Winners were:

• Overall HR Initiative of the Year – NZSki Limited
• Overall HR Person of the Year- Craig Morris
• Overall Young HR Practitioner of the Year, in association with Wheeler Campbell – Michael Peters
• Overall HR Specialist of the Year, in association with Melbourne Business School – Diane Edwards
• Overall HR Generalist of the Year, in association with Melbourne Business School – Craig Morris
• Southern Cross Wellness Award – NZ Customs Service – Safe, Fit and Well Entry
• State Services Public Sector Award – NZ Customs Service – Leadership Career Path Entry

>>>> More info here

Review of part 9 of the employment relations act 2000: personal grievances

The Department of Labour is seeking submissions to inform a review of the personal grievance system established under the Employment Relations Act 2000. They welcome the views of people who have had either direct or indirect experience of personal grievances.

Submissions close on 31 March 2010.

>>>> More info here

New Zealand workplaces high on international globalisation scale

86 percent of New Zealand employees have worked closely with colleagues from a different country or culture over the past two years, making New Zealand fourth internationally in workplace globalisation.

Amongst the key findings of the survey in New Zealand: 

•           80% of Gen X believe it is important to their career prospects that they become more globally oriented, followed by Gen Y (79%) and baby boomers (73%).

•           In deciding where to work, exposure to a global environment is considered ‘extremely important’ by 29% of Gen Y, 26% of Gen X and 23% of baby boomers.

•           Only 28% of local employees receive formal cross-cultural or language training from their employer

>>>> Kelly Global Workforce Index

Demand still high for skilled IT professionals 

A survey of senior IT decision makers and hiring managers across a range of New Zealand businesses, found over 71 percent of respondents report an increase or no change in demand for skilled IT professionals in their industry.

>>>> Kelly Services full report here

New online therapy – alleviating depression in the internet age

Keeping the black dog at bay may no longer mean visiting a therapist, with the launch this month of an online therapy programme in New Zealand workplaces.

Originally developed in the UK, the treatment, called Beating the Blues, is now the only online tool to treat depression used by the National Health Service. Since launching in the UK the online therapy has proven to be extremely successful with 83 percent of people saying it was as good as, or better than, previous treatment.

Instep, a local behavioural healthcare company, is the first to trial the programme in New Zealand.

>>>> http://www.beatingtheblues.co.uk/