January 2010 Newsletter

Beaumont News

Welcome to our first newsletter of the year. It is at this time of year that we reflect on all that has happened over the past year and start to plan and look forward to the new year ahead.

As I sat down to write this newsletter, I thought about how I feel about the challenges we faced here at Beaumont Consulting and the success's we celebrated. I can honestly say that I can look back over the last 12 months and feel extremely proud. I'm proud of the fact that despite a very turbulent time for most recruitment companies, with a 40 - 50% loss of recruiting personnel in our industry, we have not made one single redundancy, in fact we have hired. We're stronger now than we were 12 months ago. We have learnt so much, we have grown in several areas of our business and we've even opened up 3 new divisions, Accounting, IT and Not-for-Profit. What I am most proud of though is the way everyone has really come together, worked as a true team, supporting each other when things have been tough and despite everything, maintained a positive and fun work environment. Everyone has ensured we have kept morale high and maintained a positive outlook with both clients and candidates, and for that we can all be truly grateful.

The year ahead for us looks like it will be one of the most exciting years in our entire history. We have plans to expand both the City and Chatswood office to accommodate larger teams and to expand our new divisions. We also have plans to open two new branches in the West and South of Sydney, which will mean significant growth for us and allow us to service a wider range of clients and candidates needs.

We will continue to offer our clients a range of complimentary events and training which helps us strengthen our relationships as well as grow new ones. Our newly expanded city office will also allow us to hold many of our events in house.

We are also launching a whole new series of complimentary candidate centred events and training to help our candidates develop their skills and their career. This is especially exciting and quite unique to our industry.

These are just a few of the many plans we have. So thank you to everyone who has worked with us this year, thank you to all the clients who have remained loyal and the candidates who we have worked with. Also thank you to the clients who have continued to keep in touch with us despite not being in a position to hire and the candidates we have tried to help but haven't always been able to. We wish you all a successful 2010, but most importantly, a happy and a healthy one.

Nikki Beaumont

Temp

Temp of the month

Our December temp of the month goes to…

Joanne Webb! Joanne has worked with Beaumont Consulting in a number of assignments so far and the feedback has been fantastic. Here’s what one of our valued clients had to say about her…

“Joanne was amazing. She was so helpful. She used every minute to help me. Was great with the staff, on the phone and when I needed my desk back, volunteered to organise the kitchen and stationery cupboards (we moved offices on Friday 27th). If we need a temp again I will be asking for her.”

Detox

Detox Your Work Space!

Apparently, work is bad for you – and not just because it gets in the way of boozy lunches. There are even scare stories that claim your office printer is as dangerous for you as smoking. But Richard Jones of the British Institution of Occupational Safety and Health says, 'Almost all modern printers have ozone filters, so any risk is minimal to none.' So what are the real office health hazards?

BAD AIR DAY
'Air conditioning can cause throat irritation and headaches, but you can counteract the negative effects,' explains Jones.
Detox it: 'Use a fan or open a window,' he says. 'Drink lots of water to offset its dehydrating effects and put a bowl of it on your desk to keep the air around you fresh.'

KEYBOARD CRUMBS
Women's desks can harbour up to four times more germs than their male colleagues'. Ladies, it's time to get cleaning!
Detox it: The people behind Computer Cleaning Week recommend using an air duster to blast crumbs and dirt from between your keyboard keys. 'Then clean them with an antibacterial wipe,' suggests Stewart Anderson of Durable UK. 'Avoid eating at your desk and clean your phone once a day, as it's also a bacteria hot spot.'

TORTURE CHAIR
If you spend hours sitting down, it could spell trouble for your back and shoulders.
Detox it: 'Sitting incorrectly and cradling the phone between your shoulder and neck puts twice as much pressure on your back as standing,' says Tim Hutchful of the British Chiropractic Association. 'Make sure your ears are in line with your shoulders, which should be directly above your hips, and align your knees so they sit below your pelvis to keep your back's natural shape.'

Job

Securing your new job now

Looking for work has been linked to one of the top 10 causes of stress.

When making any foray into the job market it’s important to be well prepared.

First and foremost you need to be able to articulate your career objective. Think of it as your “elevator pitch”, a 10 to 15 second sales spiel delivered to a potential employer that sums you and your skills up and the type of role you are after.

Whether you are sitting in front of a recruitment consultant or a hiring manager, when they ask, “So what exactly are you looking to do now?” you need to be completely prepared.

So think about the following:

What makes you different from everyone else out there looking for a job right now? Seriously, what is the one thing that sets you apart from the others? What makes you good at what you do? What has been your biggest career-related achievement to date? How have your previous managers and colleagues described your strengths? What sort of working environment are you looking for?

Having carefully thought about your answers to these questions, formulate your career objective along the lines of: “My career objective is to work within a professional, supportive and flexible team environment, for an ethical organisation with a strong sense of social responsibility. I see myself in a role where I can deliver to the best of my ability with energy, integrity and professionalism”.

Once you are 100% clear on your career objective, start talking to any leads you may have. Cast the net as wide as possible and speak to as many people as you can. Consider it all part of the information gathering process. (You may even want to set up a LinkedIn™ profile.)

But a career objective is just the beginning.

In order to stand out in the mind of a potential employer or recruiter, demonstrate solid preparation. Have a list of your key skills and competencies in mind, have strong examples to support these during an interview and have your referees briefed at all times for what they may need to say in order to get you across the line.
You should also be clear as to whether you are looking for work or a job – and yes, there is a difference. You see, getting work may not be quite the same as securing your dream job, but it can certainly help pay the bills and keep everything ticking along nicely in the meantime.

Paul Slezak from Talking Trends, a people consulting business for employers.

Recovery

State 'well placed to lead economic recovery'

NSW will emerge from a $1 billion black hole quicker than first forecast, with the state's economy turning the corner after the global financial crisis, the mid-year state Budget review predicts.
The review projects a slightly larger than expected deficit in 2009/10 of $1.02 billion from the $990 million forecast in June.

But, the state will return to surplus in the 2010/11 financial year to the tune of $872 million, the review expects.

The June Budget had the state recording a $116 million deficit for that year.

Treasurer Eric Roozendaal said the NSW economy was now forecast to grow 1.5 per cent, rather than contract 0.5 per cent as was forecast at budget time.

"This is strong indication that NSW is going very well, that our economy is strong and, indeed, we are improving the budget position," Mr Roozendaal said.

"We're seeing stronger growth, lower unemployment and strong budget bottom lines than expected six months ago at budget time."

The mid-year review also revises down forecasts for the state's unemployment rate.

It is now expected to peak at 6.75 per cent next financial year, well down on the 8.5 per cent predicted.

In releasing the review, Premier Kristina Keneally announced "this puts NSW in pole position to lead the nation's recovery form the biggest economic downturn in our lifetime."

The release of the mid-year report came as a NSW Business Chamber survey revealed businesses were more optimistic about economic conditions in the state.

The survey found 36 per cent of businesses believed conditions had improved over the past quarter and 40 per cent expected it to improve in the coming quarter.

Taken from an article by Nick Ralston of AAP, December 09, 2009 5:23PM

Events

What’s On in Jan 2010

Sensory

Living in a sensory world: stories from people with blindness and low vision –
1 January 2009 – 26 January 2010

Book

The Book of Everything
23 December 2009 – 31 January 2010

Wind

The Wind in the Willows
5 January 2010 – 23 January 2010
Dinner

Comedy Dinner Cruise
9 January 2010 – 30 January 2010

Rocks

HMS Discovery at The Rocks Discovery Museum
18 January 2010 – 22 January 2010

Cinema

Australia Day on Sydney Harbour
26 January 2010
Festival
Sydney Festival 2010
9 January - 30 January 2010