September 2017

Acworth Recruitment supports businesses to find in-house employees without the pain of DIY……but the best resourcing solution is not always an “employee”.  Outsourcing work…..especially to “offshore” set-ups can be risky….and hence, many SME’s aren’t swayed by the cost savings……but I found an option with Simple Support with great foundations…..and WELL WORTH considering……

Ben Casado is the General Manager & Co-Founder of Simple Support – an Australian owned & managed outsourcing company specialising in virtual assistance, transcription, lead generation and engineering back-office support.

The heavy competition in business has always had SMEs scrambling for ways to grow and keep delivering more for their consumers. While the playing field has levelled to an extent between SMEs and bigger corporations (thanks to online marketing), scaling and expansion for the former still comes as a challenge.

Meeting increased consumer demands can be somewhat of a growing pain for many a SME. Generally, one out of three things happen:

1. Business owners hire more staff (casuals or otherwise)
2. Business owners request their existing team to work overtime
3. The business owner him/herself works more than the usual hours

While options #2 and #3 can be implemented immediately, it must be said that these are not always ideal solutions (from a quality perspective, financial and work/life balance) whilst option #1 always appears to be the path of least resistance.

However, in amongst training and retaining casual staff that attract hefty hourly rates……there is a lesser known fourth option SME owners and managers could always “employ.”

These days, marketing isn’t the only thing you can do online. With instant messaging; cloud-based systems; and voice and video calls, working with a virtual or outsourced team is not at all a far-fetched concept. Allow me to enlighten you with a few important points:

• Out-sourced teams are scalable, as required by your business.
• You can find virtual staff equipped with skillsets and expertise you may not yet have.
• You can find virtual staff with a variety of focus or specialisation areas.
• The average hourly rate for even a basic level casual is around $18.29 (plus loading, plus super)[1]. Hourly rates paid for a virtual staffer is considerably more affordable (50% more in many instances) and often there is no need to invest in further plant and equipment.
• Launching is quick, sometimes even immediate. After talking about requirements and standards with your virtual staff, you can start working with them as soon as the next day.
• You can hire project-based virtual staff for either short-term or long-term, depending on your unique requirements.

Many fear quality (or a lack thereof) and yes a virtual assistant should be vetted and scrutinised, as is the case with any team member.

This is where Simple Support steps in and really adds value. Unlike most other VA or offshore service providers, we provide locally based support to project manage your requirements (no matter how big or small). We’ll work closely with you to confirm exactly what work you need done and the skills to carry it out….. we’ll then come back to you with a detailed service blueprint, enabling us to hire, train and quality control the project.

If your business has a back end administrative or repetitive task that you would love to hand over, than feel free to give me a call for an obligation free discussion……..we can even help with drafting, estimating and other technical areas.

[1] Fair Work Ombudsman (Australian Government), “Minimum Wages”, retrieved online 1^st August 2017, https://www.fairwork.gov.au/how-we-will-help/templates-and-guides/fact-sheets/minimum-workplace-entitlements/minimum-wages

As a Professional Finder, I utilise LinkedIn EVERY DAY to research candidates that apply for roles with my clients……and to “Hunt” for people that may not be actively searching for a new role….but open to that great opportunity falling in their lap.

So I’ve asked Kylie Chown to pass on some of her insights and wisdom around LinkedIn Profiles……

I recently worked with a client who was a manager in a professional services business and, although she didn’t have a particular role in mind, her plan was to move to a new role within the next 12 months.

We had talked about her resume and the importance of making it outcomes focused. We were moving on to her LinkedIn profile when she asked:

“But don’t I just upload my resume to my LinkedIn profile?”

I explained that her resume could include more comprehensive details on her past, while her LinkedIn profile was about her future. I explained that if she was to just upload her resume to her profile, she would not be maximising LinkedIn’s capabilities. Her LinkedIn profile was in the public domain, and her resume contained confidential information we couldn’t put on her profile.

Furthermore, Business Insider Australia recently reported:

“Users who simply post a static resume (on LinkedIn) and don’t make an effort to interact with others in their network will not receive as many opportunities.”

When used effectively, LinkedIn can help job seekers to:

• Be found by recruiters for their target role.
• Position themselves as a recruiter’s ideal candidate.
• Support their job applications as a validation tool.
• Nurture and strengthen relationships with recruiters and decision makers.
• Search and identify key contacts within their ideal employer.
• Leverage the job search capabilities of LinkedIn.
• Support face-to-face activities.

 Here are my top tips to ensure that job seekers leverage LinkedIn to its full capabilities:

1. Make sure you are found for your ideal role. Develop your profile around the keywords, skills and abilities for your ideal job moving forward.
2. Ensure that when you are found, you are positioned as the ideal person for the opportunity. This includes have a strong “click through” headline and content that is mapped to your future in the summary and in each of the employment sections.
3. Validate the findings with evidence. Include evidence of statements and skills. You can do this by adding websites and plugins to showcase your work, and fostering trust through targeted recommendations on your profile and reflective skills endorsements.
4. Share content. According to a LinkedIn blog post, users who share content on the professional social network at least once a week are nearly 10 times more likely to be contacted for new opportunities than people who don’t share.

By developing a strategy for her LinkedIn profile, my client was strongly positioned for her next ideal opportunity, without jeopardising her current role.

Written by Kylie Chown, Kylie Chown Consulting