This Week in Talent (9th December)

It’s my last TWIT of the year!! What a year it’s been – fun but challenging. FUN whilst we all attended virtual networking events, made virtual friends and picked up new hobbies. CHALLENGING in that … the candidate market has gone dry and crumbly.

If you were at our State of Talent Acquisition event last week, you may have seen this quote that was submitted as part of the survey – “it’s not a talent pool, it’s a talent puddle”. I saw that and thought my GOD that’s accurate. Trying to find the right people for the right roles this year has been like dragging a rake through a shallow, muddy puddle. Then trying to squelch that mud into a tiny little hole. It’s been rough.

Anyway – time for a holiday I reckon. I have been preparing to go on holidays for the past 3 months. Every piece of work that I start or that gets pushed back has me mentally factoring in how it might affect or coincide with my leave. THIS has been happening a lot – trying to get to the elusive ‘inbox zero”. I refuse to log on or check emails/messages whilst I’m on leave because even if it’s only 5 minutes of checking … it takes me back into work mode and ruins my 3 week rest and recovery annual leave period. Have a read of this to see all the reasons why it’s a bad idea to log on and do work during your holiday.

To help me prepare, I made a ‘To Do Before You Leave’ list that has helped me focus on the important stuff and not get distracted by the trivial/little things that can wait until I get back, I’ve prepared a handover document that I’ll save into our team folder for easy access in the event something arises, and I’ve also told anyone that will listen that I’m away – setting expectations is also important.

Anyways – thank you to everyone that has taken the time to connect with me this year, and chit-chat about all things talent. I’ve honestly learned so much from you, and there are ideas that I’ve taken away and implemented into the business. It’s been a blast, and has also given me some great street cred at work! I was chatting with a candidate the other day who told me she reads the TWIT every week, and I legit felt like a celebrity. So … thank you!

The legend, Jo Vo, will be taking the TWIT reigns next week for the last TWIT of the year … enjoy y’all, and I’ll see you in the new year!

Desperate company offers new staff a Nintendo and free pizza for a year

Domino’s are offering incentives to simply apply for their roles, with one lucky applicant winning a Nintendo Switch and free pizza for a year. It’s the BATTLEEEEEE of the BENEFITSSSSSSS and it’s getting competitive, my friends.

Boss fires 900 employees on a Zoom call

Ummm … sorry what?!

Flexible working: ‘A system set up for women to fail’

More women than men tend to take up the offer of flexible working, particularly those with child-caring duties. How will this impact women’s career progression if they miss out on the informal “water cooler” chit chats?

8 Go-To Strategies for Sourcing Underrepresented Talent

These are some useful, tangible tips – some of which I hadn’t seen before, to be honest. Adding this article to my “action list” for the new year.

Avoiding Pitfalls When Engaging Candidates With Disabilities

There is a massive wage gap between the able and disabled community, and it’s something that doesn’t always get the attention it deserves. A couple of weeks ago I shared some stats – only 41% of people with a disability in Australia are employed. That’s shocking.

22 Workplace Edits You Need For 2022

If you’re thinking of ways to be more inclusive in the workplace in 2022 (and I hope you are), then download this PDF right now and give it a whirl. With interview question suggestions like “Tell us how you use your power, privilege and influence to benefit others?” it’s a MUST READ.