February 07 Newsletter

What's new?

Once again, the team at Beaumont is expanding! Meet our new starters...

Janine Runaghan

Janine has recently relocated to Australia to join Beaumont Consulting's Business Support Division having spent the past 4 years specialising in permanent and temporary recruitment for a successful UK based consultancy after graduating university in 2003. She has worked with a variety of businesses developing solid relationships from family owned to multi-national organisations, developing bespoke packages and recruitment drives to minimise the stress that often becomes associated with recruitment process. Janine is passionate about her reputation within the industry as a respected business partner and hopes to successfully apply her expertise and knowledge to the Sydney market.

Lucy Wells

Lucy joined Beaumont consulting in February as the Office manager. She has over 8 years experience in the recruitment industry, both from a back office and a consultant perspective. After graduating with a Masters of Management in 2001, Lucy relocated to Sydney, and has been able to gain local experience. As the main contact for payroll and related issues, Lucy looks forward to building relationships with our temporary workers.

Daisy McInnes

Daisy joins the North Shore as our Receptionist/admin assistant and is dedicated to providing the best possible front desk service to all candidates and clients using a friendly and professional approach. Daisy has spent the last 3 years working in a corporate reception and administration role, whilst simultaneously studying at university. After deciding that her studies we more of an interest for her rather than a career she wanted to pursue, she has now returned to a full time reception role in an customer focused industry where she feels she can grow.

Kate Larkin

Kate has 2½ years experience in permanent recruitment for an owner run consultancy in South Africa. After graduating from university in 2001, she spent time as a Financial Services Consultant before moving into Internal Sales. She spent a year working in Portugal before returning to South Africa and starting her recruitment career. Kate has recruited for a broad spectrum of businesses and industries from entry to executive level. She believes that in order to be successful in the recruitment process, relationship building is key. She relocated to Sydney earlier this month to join Beaumont Consulting in their Chatswood branch.

Interviews...

Interviewing is a two way process, where it is not only the managers who are doing the selecting.

Interviews when conducted badly can turn off good candidates, according to HR expert Dr John Sullivan.

His list of problems highlight areas that interviewers can be aware of so as not to make the same mistakes:

1. Candidates are forced to lie. "Candidates coming to an interview who are currently employed (generally the most desirable) are essentially forced to 'lie' to their current boss as to why they are away from their current job. Forcing them to lie too often can cause them to prematurely drop out of the hiring process. By holding interviews during work hours and requiring candidates to come back for second and third interviews, hiring managers make the problem even worse."

2. Scheduling is difficult. Sullivan says that when multiple candidates are brought in for interviews, the time taken to schedule them can stretch out the hiring process to the point where top candidates can be lost before a final hiring decision is made.

3. Managers do stupid things during interviews. "Sometimes interviewing managers can be the cause of high offer rejection rates. By taking phone calls during interviews, cancelling and rescheduling interviews, appearing disorganised, or even asking illegal or silly questions, interviewers can easily scare away the top candidates."

4. Death by repetition. "When candidates are subjected to multiple interviews at the same firm, it is common for different interviewers to ask similar questions in back-to-back interviews." Sullivan says that when interviews by different managers aren't coordinated, not only is it frustrating for candidates, but employers lose the opportunity to gather information across a broad variety of areas.

5. Being kept in the dark. "Another all-too-common abuse of candidates occurs when managers keep the candidate in the dark about the interview process and what is expected during it." Sullivan says candidates should be told who will be present at the interview and what is being assessed during it. "Failing to educate the candidate may cause them to over-prepare in some unimportant areas and under-prepare in the key ones. Not knowing who will participate in the interview prohibits the candidate from doing research on the background of the interviewers. By telling the candidate more, you can limit their frustration and increase the likelihood that they will provide the information you need to make an accurate hiring decision."

6. One-way conversation. "Unfortunately, most managers spend more time talking than listening during interviews. Most interviewers don't leave equal time for the candidate to ask questions and to present information that they want to present, which can frustrate them. In addition, many interviewers forget that a significant part of the interview should be devoted to 'selling' the candidate on the firm and the job."

7. Losing customers. Sullivan says candidates are unlikely to speak kindly about an employer after an "unfriendly" interview, thus hurting the firm's employer brand. "In addition, if they are or were considering becoming customers, treating them poorly during and after the interview might mean that you lose them permanently as customers."

Sullivan says: "Incidentally, if you want to know of a better way to hire, consider how you would hire a chef (or musician or writer). You certainly wouldn't spend a lot of time talking about knife skills; instead, you would put the candidate in the kitchen and then taste their food... nothing is a better predictor of on-the-job performance than 'putting them in the kitchen', even if it's only for a brief period."

CHANGING YOUR BEHAVIOUR TAKES WORK:

How to Create Lasting Change & Achieve Greater Success
This year, I'm going to get that raise...
I will get my desk organised once and for all...
I'll have better work/life balance...
I'll start that business I've always dreamed about...

At some point we've all vowed to make some big changes similar to the resolutions above. But by the time the rosy blush of good intentions wears off, the resolution gets pushed aside. Not because we don't still long to have what we want, but because we just don't know how to change.
Changing your behaviour takes work.

Our brains have enormous plasticity, meaning they can create new cells and pathways. But our brains create strong tendencies to do the same thing over and over.

Here's why:
The brain cells that fire together wire together. Meaning, they have a strong tendency to run the same program the next time. That's why lasting change takes lots of practice; you've got to create a pathway to the new options.
According to many brain scientists it can take six to nine months to change your behaviour. Yet people continue to waste so much money on those seven-day miracle programs and then wonder why they have not experienced lasting change and greater success at work.

Here are the Top 3 reasons why many business entrepreneurs and executives fail to change their behaviour and achieve greater business success:

1. They've not yet realized that the change process is not about getting rid of bad habits. The pathway to your current behaviour is there for life. Instead you want to focus on creating new, more positive habits that will positively affect your business.

2. They fail to put external reminders in place, at least in the beginning. Unless you have a trigger from the outside like an email reminder, or a buddy it's very likely you'll keep defaulting to the old behaviour because it's automatic.

3. They're not concrete enough about what they want and are unrealistic about what they can reasonably ask themselves to change.

To truly change your behaviour and achieve greater business success requires three things: DESIRE, INTENT AND PERSISTENCE.

Source: M.J. Ryan, author of THIS YEAR I WILL...How to Finally Change a Habit, Keep a Resolution or Make a Dream Come True

Restaurant Review

This month, Michelle heads into Kings Cross to sample the delights of Ju Ju Restaurant.

Gloriously Lost in Translation

What's your idea of the perfect dining experience? A steaming bowl of Bouillabaisse served in a dimly lit bistro with Edith Piaf warbling seductively in the background? Or perhaps tucking into a 100% certified Angus beef Porter steak in a bustling, wood clad restaurant with buxom waitresses serving very cold Australian beer?

For me it's a place where, for a reasonable price, you can sample lots of delicious food, get really comfortable and ...the piece de resistance ...sing! Ok a big ask, "Does such a place exist" I hear you say. Well yes, for those of you who aren't already in the know, I'll let you in on King's Cross' best kept secret (and believe me, there are many). Ju Ju's is a long established, traditional Japanese eatery complete with sunken tables, shoeless entry and ...karaoke!

I went there recently with three of my girlfriends for a night of gossip, good food and copious quantities of sake. I was a complete novice but two of the girls were regulars so with barely a glance at the menu, the fare was decided for the evening.

Japanese food really is a feast for the eyes and fingers as well as your tummy. First up was the mixed tempura. Apart from the prawns which were fairly obvious, I had great fun deciphering if the delicately battered morsels were pieces of Kumara (yum!) or onion (not for me thanks). We ordered another carafe of sake between dishes and whilst waiting, delved into Julie's love life. Julie heaved a sigh relief as the sashimi arrived. This was absolutely delicious - we nibbled on tender, bright pieces of salmon, kingfisher and tuna and cleansed our palates with slivers of ginger, oh and more sake.

I could almost hear a fanfare when our main dish arrived. This is meant to be shared between two people but it's more than enough for the four of us. I watched with wide eyes as a platter laden with udon noodles, Chinese cabbage, mushrooms, carrots, bean sprouts, tofu and an impossibly large pile of thinly shaved strips of bright red beef arrived. Next, the cooking pot was brought out, fired up and filled with a mysterious gloopy brown broth. Finally a bowl with two eggs (??) and some dipping sesame and soy sauce. There was a moment of panic as my eyes darted between this strange array of raw food and the rapidly retreating back of our young pink-haired waitress. Luckily I was with seasoned professionals who showed me how to gradually add the veggies, noodles and strips of beef dipped in egg (ahaaaa) into the steaming broth and careful transfer into our little bowls using chopsticks ... this is not as easy as it may sound. But wow, what a taste sensation! More than that though, the whole ritual of preparing and eating this dish was probably just as satisfying as the eating itself.

So, with distended bellies, fully resolved loves lives and a sake induced wobble, we proceeded to sing our favourite Bon Jovi, Madonna and U2 anthems. Don't worry, you're only allowed to sing after 10pm but be warned, once the bell strikes, you will be 'treated' to a glorious mega-mix of 80's and 90's super pop. What a great night ... Sugoi! Kampai!

Ju Ju's is located in Kingsgate Shopping Centre, on Bayswater Road in Kings Cross, close to the corner of Darlinghurst St (around the corner from the Coca Cola sign). Bookings are recommended as it's a very popular spot, the number is (02) 9357 7100. Our meal cost us $27 each, what a bargain.

Travel

Looking for a special place to stay in Melbourne? Justine has been to just the place!

The Hotel Lindrum is an amazing boutique hotel located on Flinders Street in Melbourne.

www.hotellindrum.com.au

The history of this amazing building is really interesting. It started out as an office for tea merchants in the 1900's and then in the 1960's became the head office for the Herald. In 1973 the building was leased by Dolly Lindrum and her husband and became a billiard and snooker-playing establishment.

In 1990 the hotel was redeveloped and opened its doors as the Hotel Lindrum in 1999. They still have a Snooker table on the ground floor which is adjacent to the bar. It is a great place to relax and test your skills on a full size snooker table. The restaurant on the ground floor serves breakfast and dinner and also delivers room service. I can strongly recommend the Tasmanian Pacific oysters with melon, vodka and lime - at $3.50 each you can not stop at just one!!

The rooms are warm and inviting with comfy beds and fluffy towels. They have a CD and DVD player in the room and complementary movies and CD's that you can borrow with funky tunes from Cafe del Mar and other popular artists. With room rates varying from $290 for a standard room up to $450 for a Superior King, it is well worth spending a bit more for a romantic weekend away or special occasion.

The staff are friendly and the hotel is in walking distance to all the delights that Melbourne has to offer, I would recommend that you look up the Hotel Lindrum for your next visit to Melbourne.

Hotel Lindrum www.hotellindrum.com.au
26 Flinders Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
Tel: +61 3 9668 1111, Fax: +61 3 9668 1199

Views...

It's always nice to get positive feedback, so we thought we would share!!

'IQPC first partnered with Beaumont earlier this year and have being consistently supplied with first class candidates ever since. They were very quick to understand our unique role requirements and organisational culture and clearly work hard to pinpoint candidates with the right 'fit' as well as skill set. Their commitment and enthusiasm to meet our needs have been evident throughout the year and we look forward to working with them as one of our preferred suppliers in 2007'

Graham Moody
Human Resources Manager
IQPC PTY Ltd

Trivial Titbits

Our trivia buff Kathryn shares more of the useless and trivial for your reading pleasure!!

Questions I've never been able to answer....

Why is it that people say they "slept like a baby" when babies wake up every two hours?
Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?
Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?
Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?
Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him on a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?
How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?
Whose idea was it to put an "S" in the word "lisp"?
Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are flat?

Quote of the month...

"I'm a great believer on luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it“ Thomas Jefferson