Moir Recruitment News

31 Not Out!”

Last month, Steve Rowe General Manager Human Capital gave us his perspective on 31 years at senior levels in HR. He discussed how the Human Resources function has developed over this time and the challenges and opportunities it faces going forward. Steve has worked both in Australia and the UK and across multi nationals and privately owned businesses as well as his own Consulting business. We also had a really interesting conversation across the room about where HR currently sits and its future. 

There were a number of key themes coming from the session.

• Change is everywhere and HR is and should be a key part in managing this change well
• There is lots to learn from the manufacturing sector, especially around processes
• Always put your hand up to take on new challenges
• HR professionals should be asking themselves what does success mean in their roles? What does it look like?
• When “you are in flow”, HR is the best job in the world”. When not, the opposite probably applies
• If yourself and the business are in flow, things can change very quickly
• In Japan, experienced and high profile people in a business are rotated into HR and this gives HR a very good profile in the business
• It is important to have a finance colleague with you i.e have business partners
• HR can and should be doing really good non finance reviews of the business
• Not all goals fit into a 12 month timeframe
• Don’t spend too much time on budgets, they often get in the way
• The people and cultural piece needs depth and rigour

Finally Steve talked about HR’s mission and he drew the diagram below.

In summary I took away that HR is a critical role in any business, however it is also being fundamentally challenged at present. My personal viewpoint is that it needs to attract outstanding leaders in numbers and that this will make a big difference.

Thank you to everyone who came along to this event, if you would like more information on upcoming events please head to our Events Page and join our community by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter and connect with us on LinkedIn to stay up to date.

  

How often does the interviewer ask the job applicant "tell me what your career aspirations are for the next 3-5 years? 

In asking the question what does the interviewer really want to hear?

And in answering the question does the applicant close off their mind to possible opportunities by being too prescriptive in their career planning? 

Pat will share some of his career choices and planning, to stimulate some thoughts and conversation that has seen him work in a number of finance and operational roles across a range of industries over the last 30 plus years.

For more details head to our Events Page

A winning résumé follows a very simple but effective outline. It should be clear and highlight you, your strengths, current work place and work place achievements. Your résumé may be the document that helps you to progress your career within your current organisation or it may be required to introduce you to a new organisation and career path. Ultimately it becomes the document that sells you, so it is very important that your résumé is a winning résumé!

How long should my résumé be?

Depending on the length of your career it should be between 2 and 4 pages. This includes 3 – 4 key strengths on the front sheet, backed up by tangible achievements.

Is there a particular look for current résumés?

It is important to choose a font style that is easy to read. Calibri or Arial are good choices. Try to avoid using Times New Roman. Ensure as much white space as possible so your résumé is easy to read. Highlight company names and clearly label the years or timeframes you have worked. Make it easy to digest, don’t ask people to read between the lines.

Responsibilities vs Achievements

A good résumé needs both, but should be heavily weighted to tangible achievements, as this showcases your own specific skills and abilities. Examples include ‘Reduced reporting time from 5 to 2 days’ or ‘Undertook specific initiative which saved company $2m’.

Cultural Fit

Cultural fit is vital. Nothing replaces meeting your contacts and networks face to face. Your network should include 2 – 3 recruiters with whom you feel an empathy. Keep in touch with them through your career. They are an important part of your network. As your career develops, technical skills become a given. It is the cultural fit with the organisation and its values which becomes the key deciding factor in getting the job – which is right for the company and right for you.

Should I prepare a one page summary ? 

A one page summary can be an extremely valuable tool for informal situations and networking. Your one page summary should detail your achievements, your strengths and most importantly what you are looking for in your next role. 

Steps to find and win the right role

Identify the types of roles and organisations that interest you. Be frank with yourself and consider your own strengths and weaknesses. Play to your strengths and undertake specific training to address any important gaps. Prepare a career plan and remember – Stay positive and enthusiastic!

31 Not Out! 

Are people truly your organisation’s most important asset as it says in your annual report?

Or are they simply “human resources” to be consumed on the path to maximising shareholder return.

As many organisations ditch their much-loathed performance review processes in favour of a more flexible model, do Australia’s leaders have the maturity to manage in ambiguity?

Is Diversity & Inclusion an optional extra or a business pre-requisite?

What is HR’s role in the modern organisation and is it being fulfilled?

HR and Finance – a match made in heaven or daggers drawn?

Steve Rowe will share his thoughts on these questions and more in his reflections on a long career in HR.

For more details head to our Events Page

"Leading In The New Normal" A Post Event Summary on Julie Birtles' Presentation by Stephen Moir, Director Moir Group 

 

It is hard to dispute that we are living through a time of rapid change, and that many of our existing systems and ways of working are suddenly very out of date.

When Julie Birtles, Founder of Beyond Excellence spoke at our event last month, she highlighted some of the great challenges facing our leaders during these uncertain times. 

As I reflect on her presentation, one of the messages that resonated most with me was around the need for organisations to embrace “catalysts”, those leaders who see the world differently, who see the whole system and are able to transform how we work and live in big ‘step change’ ways.   

Not everyone is a catalytic leader.  Perhaps you are more of an innovator, an achiever, a strategist or an alchemist.  Julie argues there is a role for all these types of leaders, but that in times of change catalytic leaders are vital to organisations, and that we need to embrace catalysts and to encourage rather than stifle them.  Identifying and nurturing these big picture leaders can be a particular challenge for larger organisations.

I believe Moir Group’s role as recruiters goes far beyond filling jobs.  Partnership is one of our core values and we can therefore make a big contribution in supporting both organisations and individuals to nurture those leaders who have the vision and ability to lead the type of large-scale transformation needed for future prosperity.

If you missed Julie’s presentation, you can view highlights or access her presentation from the day, and to find out about our upcoming events, please head to our Events page

Interview with Julie Birtles, Founder Beyond Excellence and Stephen Moir, Director Moir Group

Are you a leader of today?  Find out how to be a leader of today and about the challenges we are facing as leaders.

    

 

Please go to our events page to see our other upcoming events.

 

Professor Stephanie Fahey, Lead Partner for Education, Oceania, EY on 

"The Changing Global Education Landscape: Where will Australia be in 5 years time". 

"My presentation focuses on the drivers of change in the global tertiary sector (vocation education and higher education) and how these will impact on the future of Australia’s tertiary sector.  The specific profile of education in 2020 is unknown i.e which if any universities will close or amalgamate with other universities or TAFEs, which overseas universities will establish in Australia, and how a degree will be delivered and defined.  

What is certain is that it will look very different to what we see today. Australian education will be buffeted by the global drivers of change: increasing global mobility of both students and staff, the changing demand for skills, how education will be delivered, the structure of courses, and who will be the accreditation “gate keepers” – educational institutions or industry. Closer to home, the Australian education industry will be subjected to ongoing policy changes in education, immigration and industry which will guarantee the need for ongoing adjustment of the sector."

For more details head to our Events Page

At our recent lunchtime event we were delighted to have guest speaker Sean Spence speak to our candidate community. Sean’s topic was “how do you stay positive when you are going through a career transition?” What things do you need to do every day that will keep you positive?

Asking yourself “How am I going?” is an important first step. Sean then uses a framework he calls FEROCITY, which is shorthand for considering 8 possible strategies that really can work for you.

Focused – You must have a target or targets, think about how you choose them and what works for you. For example, Sean will retreat to a coffee shop, where everything is taken care of for him and there is no interruptions from family or friends. This enables him to be in the moment and stay focused on his target for the day

Energised – What do you do about your energy? Think about your physical, mental, emotional and also spiritual energy. Reflect on what is your meaning and purpose in life, what is it about your whole being that keeps you on “song”

Respected – Respect yourself! What are you good at? Find the most influential person you know and catch up with them and ask their opinion and feedback of you. Be vulnerable, trust them and really listen to their feedback

Organised – It not about time management but more about rhythms and pacing yourself. Think about your circadian rhythms, what parts of the day do you work best? Are you a morning person or an evening person? Understand your own rhythm and make your day work according to this

Caring – Without caring about people and issues, you’ll have no followers and your leadership and impact will be diminished. On the flip side, you also need to be cared about and include your family, friends and colleagues in this. Empathy is a very powerful force to create engagement with others.

Innovate – To innovate you need a target, a process and a reason. You can only actually innovate on “something”. Know what you need in terms of the rate of change you can tolerate

Timeframe – When your timeframe is out of whack, when you are buried in fighting fires and seem to have no connection to your future and cannot look ahead. Are you trying to just exist and get through day to day?

Youthful Passion – When you are in touch with your youthful passion there is something very charismatic about this. People will follow you, your impact is enhanced and this makes your career more sustainable. When you are attached to your passions you are also a lot happier in yourself. During career transition you can tend to lose your passion and feel lost and adrift. As you are changing and going through this transition, allow the idea that your passion will return

You can also use the FEROCITY strategies to lead your team, monitor and sustain their focus and also re-energise them.

So when you are feeling fragile, flat and stale and wondering how to LIFT yourself. Then stop and RESET and use even just one of these buttons……..FEROCITY   

To find out more about Sean visit www.seanspence.com.au and head to our events page to see details about all our upcoming events. 

    

We are looking forward to Jeevan’s discussion around how corporations have adapted to the digital world, and in particular, whether HR have taken the journey adequately too.  You will be introduced to the subject of MOOCS (if you are not already familiar with it), and may consider online corporate learning in a whole new light.   Some may find this discussion confronting, and others may be in full support of the idea of digital HR. Jeevan is an experienced practitioner of this concept and I am sure you will find his presentation starts and interesting professional discussion.

The rapid development and adoption of technology is forcing organisations to adopt new business models and approaches .A week ago Commonwealth Bank chief Ian Narev talked about banks "needing to get comfortable with saying they don't know what technology will do to their business models, but be ready to change quickly when it shifts consumer behavior ". (full story).

The four trends that Ian highlighted were:

• the proliferation of fast mobile broadband;
• rapid innovation in devices that access broadband;
• fast changes in the applications being used on the internet, including search, social media, peer-to-peer lending and blogging;
• and a big reduction in the cost of storing and analysing data.

Some industries are such as Banking and  Healthcare have had the most visible change in business models. Remember the time when you had to go to the teller for most banking transactions. Now most transactions can be done via online banking. Going to the doctors practice may a thing in the past. Soon  you will be able to consult with your doctor over webcams.

All functions of the organisation have been impacted by this change to different degrees. Marketing is moving away from print advertisements and spending more time and money on social media. IT are moving from a in-house resourcing model to one that sources the best and cost effective talent from anywhere. Customer service is taking enquiries via social media.

HR needs to revisit its own business model to adapt to changing expectations of value add and delivery of HR service using approaches from the digital world including agile design, crowdsourcing and social networks.

The summary video of the Learning Cafe UnConference  reflects some of these digital themes impacting learning and performance at work including social media, crowdsourcing,

One example of such an opportunity is the use of Massively Online Open Courses (MOOCs) for employee learning. It challenges the way we think about delivering employee development. A working group of 22 organisations explored using MOOCs to deliver more employee learning at lower costs and developed a draft white paper which is available here.

One of the framework to understand business model is the Business Model Canvas. We will be discussing the current and future HR business model in the session. Watch this video for an quick overview of Business Model Canvas.

You can check Jeevan out on Knowledge Working also see details of our upcoming events  Moir Group Events.