Rhianne came to the organisation straight out of school after finishing Year 12. With the decision made not to go to ’schoolies’ and to become focussed with starting her career was the perfect start. “… Although the tempation to have a break and go to ’schoolies’ was hard to resist, the benefits of starting the job was always going to outweigh the negatives …”.

Rhianne feels that the completion of Certificate III has set her up for further achieving career goals. When asked what Rhianne would like to aim for, she indicated that running an office would be her dream job.

Rhianne mentioned that the winning formula for making a successful traineeship happen includes:

• Taking your time with understanding the basic elements of the job;
• Be prepared to make coffees and do the tasks that are considered menial or boring;
• Don’t go out partying before the first day of your job. There is nothing cool about smelling of alcohol or having the ‘night club’ stamps on your arms;
• Wear work appropriate clothing. This means no offensive logos or torn pants, midriff showing or tattoos exposed;
• Listen well and if you’re not sure about how to do a task as requested then re-ask the Manager. Rhianne believes there is nothing worse for someone who is starting out in their traineeships to do a task which you didn’t understand in the first place. It leads to you getting into trouble from your Manager and as well it can lead to a major knock to your self-confidence;
• Making time to complete all assignments;
• Don’t be afraid to make suggestions if you think things can be done differently;

With Rhianne moving from Certificate III to Certificate IV in Front-line Management, she is feeling confident and well supported by her workplace to complete it without any problems.

It is important to have good people within the business. Over the years whilst running this business, the amount of issues experienced with firstly attracting the right type of skilled people has been difficult and secondly the effort spent in keeping them for long term is equally as difficult. The realisation of my business needing a good focused young person to come in and learn was vital to the long term viability and with Rhianne’s raw talent and abilities, has in my view, turned out to be mututally beneficial. In short, The Transcription People gained a great young person whilst she continues to gain qualifications and other useful life skills that she can use within other future roles.

The following number of elements are what I consider important for people to have when employed as a trainee:

• Having good interpersonal skills;
• Turning up on time;
• Listening and asking questions when you do not understand and;
• Putting your full effort into tasks – half a job done is as good as not doing the job in the first place.

The Transcription People are always looking for bright and energetic people to join them, especially skilled proof readers and transcriptionists. Send your resume to jobs@ttp.com.au.

This post was originally posted on The Transcription People Blog – You can read the post here.

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Now, as clients, or potential clients reading this, I am sure you are running through a raft of reasons in your mind as to why it is a good idea for you to list your position with several recruiters. I am guessing the following are on
the list:

• to get as many good candidates as possible
• in case one agency has a candidate the other doesn’t
• to keep us on our toes
• to see what else is out there
• am I on the right track, are there any others?

So of course you are thinking I am about to tell you to use one recruiter only, and of course for that to be Footprint Recruitment.

Truth is, yes I do think you should have one recruiter who you have a sound relationship with as a primary contact, if that is Footprint Recruitment – excellent. But fundamentally you need to know your recruiter, feel
comfortable with them, confident in their skills and abilities and assured that they know your business and understand the roles they are recruiting for.

As Mr Savage accurately points out in his article, if you list a role with 4 recruiters, you can not expect 100% commitment and effort from those recruiters in return. What you will get is 25% commitment, because that’s all
you have shown them.

Ask yourself this question, if you were an Accountant, would you complete a full year end on a potential clients accounts, to the most thorough and detailed level possible, if you knew that at the end of the process you would
not be paid for the job, because another accountant who was also working on the same task in competition got chosen instead? Probably not I imagine.

By having a sound relationship with your recruiter, and using this recruiter exclusively for an initial period for each position, you ensure you gain the full commitment from that recruiter, seeing them throw their full range of skills and resources at filling your role with the ideal applicant.

If, after an agreed initial period of time (which will vary depending on the position), your recruiter has not been successful in filling the assignment, and after an open and honest discussion you feel it is appropriate, then it may
be the appropriate time to approach another agent to assist with that assignment.

The final thought to consider is this; here on the Central Coast, as we all know, it’s a small world. Recruiters are effectively all fishing from the same, sometimes limited, talent pool. So by multi listing positions with recruiters you will most often end up with the same list of candidates. How does this end up?

1. With frustrated candidates getting confusing calls about the same role from several sources;
2. With some recruiters resorting to unprofessional and inappropriate screening processes in order to get the candidate in front of you first to try and secure the placement fee, with little regard to the suitability of the candidate for the role; and
3. With you with your time wasted trying to liaise with several recruiters and having resumes put in front of you which don’t fit the brief.

Your time is precious and best spent working on your business, so don’t waste it.

About the Author

Kristy-Lee Johnston is the Director of Footprint Recruitment Pty Ltd, a Central Coast Recruitment and HR Services Agency which is run by locals, for locals. Footprint Recruitment specialises in the temporary and permanent recruitment of office support, accounting and finance and professional services staff whilst providing a range of generalist HR solutions.

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Start by thinking about why you established the business and what your goals are, preferably before the business is launched. You might be on maternity leave and want to see if you can combine working from home with looking after your child. Or, you might have been made redundant and have found there is a gap in the market where your skills lie.

Either way, it is important to have a clear goal when you start your business and this will ensure you are always working towards your desired end result. Put simply, you wouldn’t buy a two-seater convertible car for a family of five, so why invest your valuable time and money into a business without making sure it is sustainable?

Planning a sustainable business is not just about having a great logo or an animated website, but about the business’s structure and direction.

Here are a few tips to consider:

• Create a vision for your business: work out who your customers are, your business values and the role you want to play.
• Build a brand: create a name, logo (symbol) and positioning statement based on the above attributes.
• Get your message out: think about the marketing material you need to speak to your current and potential customers – a savvy email campaign, fridge magnets or brochures.
• Systemise: boring, yes, but have a clear administrative and operative procedure in place for all the tasks so someone else can take over seamlessly.

A key point in creating a sustainable business is to recognise that it needs to grow. So many business people make the mistake of thinking that because they are swamped with work now, it will always be that way. Put together an action plan for when the work dries up because you can’t always guarantee your customers will continue to call you. Consider a new marketing strategy or expanding your service offering.

The other part of this planning exercise is to think about your exit strategy. It may seem strange to think about the end when you are just starting out, but if you have already mapped out your plan – including your retirement or selling up to do something bigger and better – the end won’t traumatic, but more like something to celebrate.

Your planning strategy must be revisited regularly so you can assess whether you are on track and if you need to adjust anything to make sure you reach your goals.

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1. Pay Peanuts – Get Monkeys
   Many employers on the Coast believe it is acceptable to offer below market salaries whilst expecting to attract, engage and retain top quality candidates. The notion that staff are worth less here than they are in Sydney is misconceived. Candidates spend the same amount of time and money gaining skills and experience on the Coast as they would anywhere else, so there is no logical reason to pay them less.
2. How Much Time Do You Have To Spare?
   Recruiting staff will take between 17 and 70 hours to do yourself. Consider whether you have the time, and whether this is the best use of your time. If in doubt, engage a professional.
3. It’s What You Know, Not Who You Know
   Many employers try to combat the ‘time’ factor by recruiting via word of mouth. Whilst this can be a great way to find staff, it is often a shortcut which leads to an unsuitable placement. Hiring candidates who know everything you need them to, rather than everyone in your team, is going to yield better bottom line results for your business.
4. Past Behaviour Predicts Future Behaviour
   Do your background checks! Reference checks are not a waste of time, but to get the most out of them:
   • Speak only to their previous manager
   • Ask questions that are important to you; eg punctuality and reliability
   • Ask specific, position relevant questions
   • Complete at least two reference checks
   • If something from a reference check doesn’t add up, investigate further!
5. What’s Motivating Them?
   In an age where we are no longer legally allowed to ask many of the questions we may like answers to due to privacy and anti-discrimination legislation, understanding a candidates motivation is more important than ever. To get to the bottom of a candidates motivation towards the role:
   • Ask the right questions at interview
   • Complete Psychometric Assessments through an accredited provider
   • Add appropriate questions to your reference checks
   • Do second interviews
6. Advertising – Target the Candidates You Want!
   Successful advertising means you can reduce your recruitment time and target the candidates you want. Making your advertisement clear, easy to read and informative will ensure that you not only have great candidates applying, but it will also help to ‘weed out’ unsuitable ones.
7. ‘Fit’ – Does It Matter?
   Finding the right ‘fit’ for your team and company culture is a critical part of successful recruiting. Ideally, when recruiting staff ‘team fit’ should have equal weighting in your decisions as the candidates skills, experience, qualifications and capability to perform the role.
8. Recruit Staff for a Positive Reflection on Your Business
   Every day people come into contact with others and discuss their employment. With friends, at sporting and social events or in front of customers, when they are talking about their job, they are representing you. We all know in customer service terms that we tell people a bad experience much more willingly than a good one, so why would this scenario be any different? You never know; it could be your biggest potential customer they are talking to.
9. The Cost of a Failed Recruit
   There have been a number of estimates made as to how much a failed recruit costs your business. At the lowest end it equates to 30% of the annual salary, at the other end of the scale, particularly for sales and customer facing roles the cost of a bad hire is estimated to cost closer to 200% of the salary. On a salary of $40 000 this could equate to anywhere between $12 000 and $80 000.
   
   The message: Get it right the first time and save your business tens of thousands of dollars.

10. The Central Coast – A Unique Market
    The Central Coast poses unique challenges in recruiting staff. We are only an hour from both Sydney and Newcastle, areas which are a commutable distance for employees seeking certain career challenges and incentives. This is a contributing factor to the undersupply of candidates in the skilled and qualified areas of the market, which makes it challenging to attract, engage and retain talent. On the flip side the Coast is a haven for those seeking a ‘sea or tree change’. These people bring with them skills and experience which would earn them top remuneration packages in Sydney, but because of their lifestyle change they are happy to consider less senior positions.

In conclusion, when recruiting staff on the Central Coast, know your market and do your research. Gain the

knowledge and skills to do it right yourself, or get an expert to help you –your business will be better for it!

About the Author

Kristy-Lee Johnston is the Director of Footprint Recruitment Pty Ltd, a Central Coast Recruitment and HR Services Agency which is run by locals, for locals. Footprint Recruitment specialises in the temporary and permanent recruitment of office support, accounting and finance and professional services staff whilst providing a range of generalist HR solutions.

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Rule number 1. – Time is a plan’s best friend

Allocate your business time, for a business to become profitable it needs time.

• Set realistic time frames for when you can and will get things done, the quickest way to stop taking action is to set unrealistic timeframes and become overwhelmed when you do not meet them.
• Give an idea an opportunity to work, announcing your business to the world today may not result in a sale immediately, give it time to work and for your customers to get used to seeing your business name and it’s benefits to them.
• Allow time for marketing activity each day. Even when your business is flourishing still allocate time to promotional activities.
• Manage yourself so that you use time productively, notice it is not time that needs to be managed, it is YOU!
• Set schedules, checklists and accountability into your day, if you cannot do it yourself engage a business coach, mentor or manager who can assist you.

Rule number 2. – All Activities must be on the plan

All activities that you undertake for your business must be productive for the business.

• Ensure you are focussed on moving forward and DOLLAR PRODUCTIVE activities, filing and sorting paperwork is for out of dollar productive time or to be outsourced
• Asses each activity for the relevance to getting to your goals, if the activity does not directly relate to you getting your goal do not do it!

Rule number 3. – Don’t over complicate it

Do what works best for you, there are literally thousands of formats you can use to develop plans for your business you need to pick a combination that works best for you.

At a minimum your plan needs to include:

• What you are trying to achieve (or your goals)
• The actions that you need to take to get you there
• Who specifically will do what by when and
• How you will measure and manage your return on investment.

We have a rule of thumb if can’t fit a project on one page, then we have over complicated it!

Sue Henry is a networking expert and author (Network or Perish 7 Accelerate: How to accelerate your business, your networking skills & yourself).  She is in demand as a public speaker, motivator and small business expert. Visit www.suehenry.biz for further information.

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There are a few tricks of the trade I will share that will have you capturing fantastic shots worth blowing up!

1. Natural light works best
   This a general photography tip, but is especially important when you want to capture images that will document your children’s young lives. Try for morning light or late afternoon.
2.  Focus on the eyes
   Again, this is a general tip, but one that makes all the difference. As they say, “Eyes are the windows to the soul”. Focusing on eyes draws attention to the photo immediately.
3. Work at their level
   For babies lay on your tummy if they are on their tummy, for older children sit with them on the ground etc. Not only can you get right up close for some fun shots, but your perspective will be spot on too.
4. Make it fun
   Kids are always more interested in fun activities. Don’t force them to be something they aren’t by making them smile, or pose in uncomfortable positions. Let them play and snap away. The shots you get will be so much more animated than any staged photo.
5. Set the scene
   Take photos at the park on a swing, at the beach building sandcastles, playing in the water or having a giggle. These photos will look natural, but the outdoor props will add something extra.
6. Look at the lighting
   Make sure the child isn’t squinting at you, because this will result in a bad photo of a child with a screwed-up face. If they are squinting change position.
7. Dress in bright fun colours
   Not only do the bright colours add an extra dimension to the photo, but the added colour makes the photo fun and vibrant.
8. Use props
   Chairs, wagons, balloons or lollipops all make great props to help stage a photo. Children are more comfortable when they are doing something, instead of staring blankly at the camera, so using a prop has the advantage of keeping them amused and adding to the depth of the final shot.
9. Think beyond faces
   Taking photos of kids doesn’t always have to include their faces. Little hands holding a shell or tiny toes in the sand are always cute photographic mementos.
10. Keep it short
    Children have very short attention spans and are easily distracted, so try to keep the shoot as short as possible to ensure those beautiful faces are all smiles in your photos.

If you make your photo session fun and follow these tips, you photos will be well worth saving.

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According to www.internetworldstats.com 75 per cent of Australians were online in 2008 and this figure continues to climb. People use the Internet to research products, services and information, shop, bank and much more. It makes sense to communicate online too.

At Big Click Studios we’ve been working on a host of web design projects for communities on the Central Coast, Sydney and Newcastle. One we are particularly pleased with is The Gosford Challenge website, a site devoted to building a link between Gosford Council, developers and the Central Coast community. Working on this project made us think about how communities can benefit from websites, so we came up with this list:

Provides a central communication point for the community
Information can be segmented to provide localised content, as well as general topics
Well-designed and regularly updated sites can really boost the profile of a community or group, as well as build credibility and trust
Keep in touch with existing contacts and meet new ones
Allows visitors to find out what is happening in your community at a time that suits them because the Internet never sleeps
Interactive sites invite – and thrive – on community participation through forums, polls, surveys, blogs, event calendars, directory listings and social media content
Websites are a cost-effective and efficient way to market your community
Sites can be as a voice for the community, rather than a collection of views from different people in different forums.

As web designers obviously we’re all for promoting a community online, but the points above show the value a website can bring.

Big Click Studios is also working on new sites for Central Coast Community Council (CCCC), Kids Day Out, Central Coast Kids and Mountain Connect – the Mangrove Mountain Community Group. All of them are interactive and encourage participation, the ideal building blocks for creating community.

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While working in the very corporate world of American Express, I started my own virtual office business, AMC Professional Office Services, from my dining room table in 1999 with my husband. It was a side business at first, but became much more when I was made redundant. I wanted the opportunity to work from home while I was pregnant with my son, so this seemed like the ideal opportunity for me. Initially AMC offered office services such as typing, resumes and PowerPoint presentations and just grew from there.

I have since had a daughter, and found working from home around two children met my dual aims in work and life. I am stimulated through work and building a business, while at the same time being a great mum. The flexibility of being my own boss means I can drop the kids off at school/day care and pick them up, attend their special events and take time off when they need me.

Like many successful business people I realised I couldn’t be everything to everyone – nor did I want to be – so I created my own niche. AMC’s strongest point was our transcription work, so I decided to concentrate on what we did well and be the best in the marketplace. This made great business sense because we had built up a good network of online typists and a strong client base, so it wasn’t hard at all to do away with all the little things that really were never quoted on.

We decided to rebrand AMC Professional Office Services to The Transcription People and we became a company on July 1, 2007. Now we concentrate on providing high-quality outsourced transcription services from our Australian base to clients throughout the world. The calibre of our clients is growing constantly and our client list includes Ernst & Young, Sony BMG, Tikitiboo, Canon Australia, IBM Australia, Wesley Mission, Macquarie University, KPMG and Sydney Water.

The business has become more than just fulfilling my goal to be a successful businesswoman. As interest in my business grew, I started contracting other work-at-home-mums (WAHM) as typists and proofreaders to cope with the increasing workload. We have now just taken on some on-site typists from our local area to help out with transcription.

Not only am I building a business for myself, but I am helping other female entrepreneurs grow too. It’s the ideal job for a WAHM because they can choose how much work to take on every day, based on how everything is running at home.

This year we took the plunge and moved The Transcription People from our home to office space in a growing business district and haven’t looked back. While it was great to be able to combine home and work, it’s better to be able to switch off, close the office door and go home at the end of the day. Our office space also gives us the room to expand that our home office didn’t, and this is becoming more relevant every day as our staff needs grow.

Running my own business means I now have a great work/life balance and I can guarantee no day is ever the same, like it was when I worked for someone else. This opportunity has shown me what I am capable of and added much more colour to my life – especially bright pink, in our logo and office feature wall!

For more information regarding our transcription service, please visit http://www.thetranscriptionpeople.com.au

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Understanding your networking personality and that of others can be the
key to your success. Attending functions around Australia I have noticed
that there are six distinct styles of networkers.  Identifying these and who
you are dealing with can help you grow your business.  Which one are
you?

The Socialite
Socialites love to attend events and can be relied upon to ‘lighten’ up any
occasion. They seek out the person standing at an event on their own and
include them in their conversations. These are great people to meet if you
are fearful of attending an event on your own. If you are a ‘socialite’ you
run the danger of spending too much time socialising and leave little time
for yourself to do the things you must do, often resulting in time pressure
and unfinished business. Time must become your friend not your enemy.

The Serial
The serial is known to rush around collecting cards and making quick
‘friends’. They rarely give you a chance to talk or catch your breath are a
whirlwind of information and have a database that reads like a business
who’s who directory.  For those that don’t like attending events meeting
the ‘serial’ is their worst nightmare. The serial can appear overbearing and
pushy even though this is not usually the case. Serials – be aware not
everyone is on board as quick as you.

The Initiator
The initiator is well connected, has strong business relationships and will
connect you for a common purpose that benefits all. They see
opportunity and follow up immediately. Their ability to cut through the red
tape, clear the clutter of thinking and to take action assists in initiating
change, action and results.

They are resourceful and if they don’t know it someone they know will.
Take care to not waste their time they become frustrated easily with
people who do not follow through on what they say. They operate with a
‘what you see is what you get’ attitude.

The Occasional
Unfortunately this is the most common type of small business owner. They
network occasionally because they need to, either business is slow or they
feel a need to seek opinion, ideas, social interaction or business.  Typically
they attend an event, make contacts, exchange business cards and not
follow up. They rarely get business from networking so see it as a last resort
rather than a must-do part of their business.

The Balanced
The balanced are consistent with their actions, follow up when they meet
people, see opportunities, connect people and give without expectation.
They understand the true value of networking.  Importantly they plan their
networking activities, they know each day who they will call, each week
what events they will attend and who they will follow up with. They are
never short of business and are happy to refer their ‘networking friends’.

The Inactive
These people think ‘I really should’, networking is a waste of time, are
fearful people will reject them or they are just way too busy or lazy to
network. If this is you and you want to grow your small business…
NETWORK!!! It won’t kill you; in fact you never know what it might bring!

The most important aspect of small business growth is to network – create
connections, build relationships and follow up with the people you meet.
You will come across many people in your lifetime – even if they are not
useful to you at the time you never know what is around the corner or
who they know!

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The consumer will judge you
Type “badly designed websites” into Google and you will understand immediately. There are pages and pages on this subject citing some very worthy examples. A badly designed website can say a lot to the consumer about your business. Potential customers or clients may think a badly structured website means a badly structured business. An unprofessional design could prove exactly that – the consumer may think your business is unprofessional or untrustworthy, especially if your website doesn’t exhibit clear authenticity. Consumer judgement can cost you. Not only could your website be shamed for employing bad design, but you will inevitably lose business as well.

Bad design is bad for business
Websites with bad design will lose hits. Online businesses with bad design will lose customers. Ever logged on to a website which was hard to navigate or was bad on the eyes? Chances are you closed it, frustrated because you couldn’t find what you were looking for. Now imagine how many times that website would have been closed because no one had the patience to find badly placed information or that elusive home button. Or it could have been that the website was just a huge visual turn-off. Whatever the reason, it will not reflect highly on your business. Today’s average person doesn’t have the time or the patience to decipher his or her way through a poor layout. Most likely they will take their business elsewhere.

So how do I know if it’s good?
Good website design is intuitive – it knows where the user wants to go and allows them to get there with ease. It has accessibility for all groups. It’s inoffensive both visually and in content. But most importantly, it doesn’t get in the way of you selling your product.

Graphic designer Robin Williams says contrast, repetition, alignment and proximity are crucial to any good design:

Contrast
Website content needs to be distinct and shouldn’t just blend into the background. Professionals in the design industry are very aware and able in this area, creating websites for you that will meet your criteria, as well as that of your customers.

Repetition
Like store design, where you place items is extremely important. For example, if your company logo is at the top of the page, it needs to be at the top on every page. Design professionals know exactly when and where to repeat important information on your website so that it will successfully promote your business.

Alignment
Every element on the page should be there for a purpose. It can be tricky to figure out what information to include and how it should appear on your website. Again, this is where the professionals can really help.

Proximity
Information that is similar should be grouped together, also like store design. This is good for organisation, and for business. Professionals can design a website for you that looks great and gets you those sales with cleverly placed text, graphics and links.

Without the CRAP principle (bad acronym but good theory) and other design techniques that professionals incorporate into their work, a website will sink, not swim. There is a definite art to website design and getting contrast, repetition, alignment and proximity, as well as other essential design criteria, to all work harmoniously is no easy feat.

Okay, it does matter
Design matters because it’s going to positively promote your business and help you make those all-important sales. Don’t let your website end up on webpagesthatsuck.com and don’t let it drive potential customers and clients away. Leave it to the professionals who know exactly what is good for you and your business.

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