blog

Be A Part of a NZ Owned Success Story

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 15:42:24 +1300

Senior HR Recruitment Consultant

Join a NZ owned success story
High Performance Culture

Momentum has been operating in the Auckland market since 2000 and has developed a high performance culture which enables recruiters to realise their full potential. We are in the business of delivering high quality contracting and permanent recruitment solutions to New Zealand’s leading businesses.

We are part of a wider group comprising of Venator, Velocity and 920. This house of brands approach has enabled us to be the Preferred Supplier to a number of Auckland’s corporates. The networks within the group don’t stop there – we have over 20 consultants across our brands who are committed to being successful in their own portfolios as well as cross sell for their colleagues.

We made the decision sometime ago to split our consulting team into specialists. The demands from our clients require us to be able to delve deep into the Auckland’s talent pool so you need to be a specialist in a given field.

Since the employment market is growing from strength to strength and the importance we place in engaging with the HR community, we have decided on hiring a HR Consultant within our team reporting to the GM Auckland. This business is all about connecting within the Auckland employment community, be able to have business conversations with clients plus being able to deliver a high quality recruitment experience to both candidates and clients.

We want to hear from people who are;

Well networked in the Auckland HR community
Able to have business conversations with clients at every level
Able to deliver a high quality recruitment experience to both candidates and clients

I am interested in hearing from people who are well networked in the Auckland HR community whether they have been in recruitment before or not. As a result you will be part of one of the largest NZ owned recruitment firms who are dedicated to being the best we can be plus offer a total remuneration package that is highly motivational.

To apply, please visit www.momentum.co.nz and enter reference number HR29728 on the home page. Alternatively, email your CV to aucklandjobs@momentum.co.nz quoting the reference number. For further information in strict confidence, please contact Howard Ross on (09) 306 5500.

Please note all applications will be acknowledged electronically unless otherwise specified.

Deloitte Annual Online Survey Results

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 15:58:01 +1300

Deloitte - Talent Edge New Zealand 2012

A Paradox of Scarcity Amidst Plenty

To gain insight into talent needs, talent outlook, and talent strategies, Deloitte conducted its second annual online survey of businesses in New Zealand in late 2011. There were 290 responses to the survey, representing a broad cross section of industries and organisation sizes.

As a result of respondents’ answers, we have gained valuable information on:

The nature and extent of skills and talent shortages
Anticipated workforce changes in the next 2-3 years
Key people management strategies among businesses
The types of retention practices most commonly used

Our findings indicate employers now need to review and refresh their talent strategies in the face of the current local and global economic climate. Only those organisations which develop innovative talent strategies that are attractive to critical workforce segments will be able to take advantage of the growth opportunities ahead.

To find out more click here to read the survey report >

Thinking about burning out?

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 11:18:14 +1300

Is Your Next Holiday Destination ‘Chateau Burn Out’?

What is the key to keeping the enthusiasm and drive for your role through the tough times? How do we prevent burn out and keep a level of balance?
I guess first things first; do you recognise that you might possibly lack balance? Are words like burn out, stressed or breaking point common place in your working environment or your home?

Take a look at a couple of bullet points that might just feel like a glimpse in the mirror.

After work, weekends and holidays see you still constantly checking your work related email, phone and social media sites
You have little idea on what your kids are in to or up to or even how old they are, except from what your hear from your partner/spouse
You have nil else to talk about, except work, bottom lines, deadlines or market rates. Which is code for, you are really boring!
Your team is stressed, tired and disengaged – this is contagious stuff!
You believe leisure, pleasure and fun are Apps to be downloaded at a later date

Don’t worry; the first step is recognising the problem! Here are a couple more tips to move on to gaining a little more perspective or even some balance:

Take a look at your priorities – set goals, manage your time and learn when to call it a day....and go home
Going home would mean turning off the mobile and not looking at work email or social media
Stop being a controlling micro manager and delegate smaller projects, realise you are not the only person breathing air who can do things properly. Give yourself the time and the space to focus on the key projects
Continue to build your professional development and while you are at it, maybe a bit of personal development wouldn't hurt either?
Think about what you need to do to take care of yourself, some sort of leisure activity or (god forbid) a hobby or sport...sounds a bit fluffy doesn't it? Well maybe it will sound a bit more realistic when you are lying on the hospital bed with the heart monitor bleeping in the background, various tubes hanging out of your body and all the time in the world to think about what you could have done differently...just saying.

At the end of the day, burn out affects everyone around you, your team, your business, your friends and of course your family. Whatever your business or work environment, you need to know where the boundaries are and learn the fine art of balance.

For more info click here

Three Keys to Retaining High Potential Employees

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 13:15:46 +1300

Retaining high potential employees is the constant challenge of almost every organisation. Is it a challenge we rise to? Possibly not. There is no 'one solution fits all', however, this article, by Joseph A De Feo, has some seriously good ideas. A huge amount comes back to the basics, such as, letting people know they and their contribution is valued, encouraging creativity and mentoring.

This is a pretty good article and worth a read...Click here to read the full article.

Update from ABF Wellington

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 10:29:22 +1200

2011 continues to be a stop - start, start - stop recruitment environment for both contracting and permanent requirements. At Momentum we have a wide range of outstanding candidates looking for new opportunities however, at the moment we are finding a lot of our clients are focusing on restructures, potential restructures, mergers or potential mergers. This means their recruitment needs continue to get pushed to one side or put on hold all together.

There is definite frustration in the Wellington market at present where those who are employed, especially in the Public Sector, are often stressed to the max, not getting the recognition they feel they deserve and not a lot of opportunities to move on from their current employer. Does this create disengagement and under performing? You bet! To make matters worse quality contractors are sitting on the sideline waiting for the restructures and mergers to be completed which often leads to opportunities for them, post restructure, to jump in and help get the organisation on track and heading in the right direction.

All in all it is pretty slow recruitment market being dictated by the public sector in restructure mode or treading water until after the November election. Will it improve in 2012? We can only hope so. Wellington needs some post GFC positivity such as a Public Sector that is hiring, increasing remuneration to those that have earned recognition for their work and effort and government agencies, Departments, SOE's and Crown Entities with very clear mandates on what they want to and need to achieve in the next one to three years. The flow on effect if the Government can get it right means that all the private sector organisations that supply to or service the public sector will start to improve their bottom lines creating even more positivity int he Wellington market in general.

Can this happen? Yes! Will it happen? Here's hoping.

Update from ABF Auckland

Fri, 09 Sep 2011 11:04:28 +1200

After coming off a very busy July where we filled both permanent and contract assignments at all levels within Accounting and Finance we then experienced a steady August. There was a slow down in both the volume of roles coming through and the time taken to fill the role which resulted in a few incidents where our star candidates were left looking at other options.

As for our candidates, I noted with interest an article in the NBR stating that half of the working-age Aucklanders were born overseas. As we know, we operate in an increasingly diverse market place and our attraction strategies ever more so reflect that. http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/half-working-age-aucklanders-born-outside-nz-nk-100115

Overall it does appears that the roles unplaced in August will be placed in the month of September. This suggests that it was more short term market jitters slowing things up than any long term trend, which was backed by a substantial lift in roles coming through from our PSA clients in the very last week of August, again a suggestion that September will be a busy and productive one.

Auckland Contracting

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 14:21:29 +1200

We have come off a very busy July as we launch our new brand, RPM Contracting, giving us a complimentary Contracting Consultancy who have an in depth understanding of the Contracting community.

There has been an upswing in contracting assignments coming through from both our PSA and SME clients. The two main reasons behind the contracts appears to be as a back-fill while the permanent requirement gets underway looking for the right talent, and short to mid-term projects being rolled out.

While we all got a fright from the turmoil in the US and European markets, reassurance (which wasn't there in 2008-09) is being given by our Business leaders and Economists in a variety of our New Zealand sectors. Overall, in RPM we're confident it's going to be a solid August and there will be a strong finish to the calendar year.

Recruitment consultancies are still very relevant

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 14:07:27 +1200

I hear a lot of talk about social sites, media, networks etc being the death knell for the recruitment industry. Bollocks. Why? Because both candidates and clients' need different things and social network comment or 'clouds' do not address or indeed satisfy all their requirements.

Below is a snapshot of considerations.

Candidates need privacy and the opportunity to asess their worth, their desire to move, their appropriateness for a role, their support in finding new roles without exposing themselves on the 'hire' market. If they apply directly to a client they are immediately exposed as a job hunter. Most candidates want their candidature kept confidential and unfortunately this is not always the case when going direct to an employer.
Clients are busy being excellent at what they are employed to do. Even in-house recruiters are flat tack working on multiple jobs and just do not have the time to immerse themselves in multiple sourcing strategies to find great talent. Naturally, they can pick up candidates on the market as well as anyone. However, the consultancies are separated out from the in-house offering by their ability to reach the passive candiates. These are the candidates who are happy to talk to a 'career agent,' to ascertain one or more of the following; what their next move should be, what their worth is or what is on the market. Obviously, the consultancy is able to answer one or all of these types of questions with the knowledge based on a number of clients rather than from the perspective of just one employer as is the case with the in-house recruiter.
Given the talent shortage that we are already re-experiencing, sourcing candidates is the way of the future. The targeted approach strategy is something that consultancies can manage better than anyone. Why? Because consultants tend to work on fewer roles than in-house, so have a lot more time than our in-house colleagues and we are certainly spending way more time (24/7) than an occasional employer on sourcing candiates. It is after all, our life blood so is mission critical to our survival. Kind of sharpens the focus!
Candidates like to review a range of job options when making a shift. We are the only option for a conversation, career advice, a choice of job options in a range of clients and different markets.
Social networking, Linked-in, Facebook, Twitter and other social sites are our friend and the best thing that has happened to the industry for a long time. It means we have multiple channels to source candidates. Social networking will not easily provide the range of choices a consultancy does - not unless you are spending all your time on various channels and if you are employed you just don't have the time.

So instead of consultancies being yesterday's newspapers we are very much tomorrows greatest source of that ever valuable resource - candidates - both gold and silver - and we have the mining ability like no-one else!

Has the contracting market rebounded from the dark days of 2008/09'

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 10:56:16 +1200

We are obviously only one of the many indicators that measure the employment market and it is more difficult to determine trends in contracting than most other markets given the pace it operates at and changes.

Undoubtedly though, there has been an uplift, to the extent that shortages are appearing in disciplines that during the recession seemed doomed for years to come. HR & Communications are examples of this. The former quickly reached critical stage regarding availability of candidates at all levels during the recovery that started to take shape in 2010, however unpredictable that has been. The need for individuals particularly with experience in change processes quickly emptied the market as organisations restructured and government departments started undergoing change, downsizing and realignment programmes. Along with a natural reticence for many individuals to re-enter the less than predictable world of contracting and the resultant reduction in available professionals, this has meant shortages, particularly in the junior to intermediate categories.

Similarly, while the Communications market was absolutely "hammered" with the double hit of election and recession, it has made a quite remarkable recovery, with roles at times outnumbering available candidates. Again, given the battering the contract market took at the time, many took cover/permanent roles to ride out the storm and have not necessarily come out from behind cover. The intermediate level requirments have been particularly difficult to fill.

The Accounting and finance markets have had a real up and down ride, short of people one day and then seeming to have adequate numbers available for less roles. This turnaround can be quite rapid as has been experienced over the last couple of months.

The contract market is a difficult one to pick and with the election now only months away, the lack of surety escalates in Wellington, which can lead to a major slowdown just before the election and prior to a government being formed. Once the latter is achieved, it normally means a rapid return to business as usual...so long as Europe doesn't continue its economic chain reaction and the Americans find some way of managing a rather substantial debt.

I guess that's the risk you take with being a contractor, the major upsides of lifestyle choice and interesting/varied work versus having little or no control over events, internal or external. So, the answer to the question is a very general "yes", but with a wary eye to events in Wellington at the end of the year and those overseas we simply have no control over.

What's keeping us busy?

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 14:07:27 +1200

It's been a good, steady July for the team on the contracting side! What's keeping us busy? Well, along with the placing of some excellent contractors, we had a very enjoyable Contractor function last Thursday that got a great turn out. As always, a most enjoyable night!

The other thing that is keeping us busy is our new brand!!! We all know The Executive Contracting market is changing; we're seeing exciting growth, development and above all the requirment for experienced and commercially-minded consultants to source the best people for the job. Our specialised contracting brand, is our response to meet these new demands; it's about providing the right fit, match fit, right now.

Bede Ashby - Momentum MD

Wed, 18 May 2011 16:22:46 +1200

I've just published a post: About 9 months ago I wrote a blog about how things were showing signs of improving. I was feeling pretty relieved that there was a bit of light at the end of the tunnel. Imagine the feeling now as I report a sensational quarter culminating in the best month ever in the history of Momentum Group. We were established in 1996, so that's best month ever in 14 years!