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Last week I launched the first in my “Y” Gen blog series…. “Y” The Bad Rap. Well now I’m putting myself in the hot seat by saying that I firmly believe that parents are to blame for the attitudes and motivations of the Y Generation…… both the good and the bad.

Mum and Dad do not do their children any long term favours by paying for everything, having them live at home as adults- rent free, still doing their washing and cooking their food, and not actively encouraging them to get a job…. let alone to stick with it.

The ultimate goal as a parent is to raise our children to be able to lead happy, successful and fulfilling lives as adults. So you need to be looking at your actions and behaviours that will influence this outcome.

Will your child lead a happy, successful and fulfilling life without stable employment? I strongly doubt it.

Does a business owner want to employ someone who is always on their phone with Facebook and Instagram….or uses up their sick leave at the first sign of a sniffle or a head ache….. or has to be told what to do next every time they’ve finished a task????? This is a definite NO!!!

Employers are frustrated and annoyed by what they describe as the self-righteous attitude of the Y Generation. The common place is for these employees to be clock watchers, unreliable, lack initiative and expect to work their way into the Manager’s seat within 12 months…..or at least to be earning their salary.

As I mentioned last week, I have found a revitalised faith that there are still some exceptional Y Generation people that will and do make great employees….. the unpaid university Interns that have come to work with me have been completing full-time University studies (often double degrees) while working casual paid jobs… and still finding the time to do industry work experience.

I can guarantee you that these people will be at the top of any employers shortlist compared to someone who has completed their degree without ever having held a job or even completed an industry experience placement.

So back to you as a parent….. it is your responsibility to prepare your teenagers and young adults for the workforce….. and the sooner you instil those “employer desirable qualities” the better they will be.

This means stop mollycoddling your kids and have them undertake casual jobs while finishing high school, Tafe and University….. McDonalds, Hungry Jacks, Woolworths etc all teach them about the value of a pay packet (well that’s what it was once called), being punctual and reliable and dealing with customers.

I’ll be posting some tips and tricks for parents later in the week……so keep your eye out.

Make sure you’re following on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/RecruitLoop-Kim-Acworth-185674054963527/?fref=ts) as I’ll share some other great tips and information.

What is your position?

I am a Careers and Employability Specialist within the Student Employability team at UQ. We service the Business, Economic and Law Faculty.

How long have you been in the position?

12 Months

What’s your favourite part of the job?

Seeing the students gain confidence in their ability and applications which then leads them to successfully gaining the work experience or graduate position that they wanted.

What were you doing prior?

I have spent the last 8 years working within Human Resources and Agency Recruitment. My most recent position was Agency Recruitment for the Oil and Gas industry.

What is the BEL Student Employability Team?

The BEL Student Employability Team (SET) is dedicated to assisting students from the Faculty of Business, Economics and Law (BEL) to increase their employability, access opportunities and manage their careers. BEL SET’s services are supplementary to the Careers Service offered by UQ Advantage.

How do you help students?

SET is dedicated to helping you increase you employability, access opportunities and help them to manage their career. Through our dedicated programs the students learn and practice employability skills that give you the potential to stand out from the crowd in a highly-competitive job market.

Tell us more about the team.

My colleagues and I all have extensive recruitment and industry experience and networks which help us to offer the students more exposure the Brisbane market and allows us to give the students ‘behind the scenes’ coaching, insight and practical tips for recruitment campaigns.

How do you involve organisations?

We partner with external, alumni, businesses, government and community organisations to develop opportunities for student work experience opportunities, vacation and internships, graduate career placements, learning and engagement.

Most recently we have been running a series of workshops that have seen organisation talking to students about different aspects of the recruitment process to ensure that students are well informed when applying for graduate positions.

How we can organisations get involved with you?

We are always encouraging organisations to connect with us and allow us to help organisations engage better with students.

Some ways BEL SET can help you include:

• Raise your company brand on campus by profiling your initiatives and opportunities through social media and by participating in our events
• Connect with students through advertising paid employment opportunities
• Connect with our students for unpaid work experience and volunteering opportunities
• Expand your understanding of ways to better connect with graduates
• Work opportunities

We can help you to connect with students in relation to your paid work opportunities. Offering unpaid work experience to students can also provide extra resources and skills for your business and the chance to raise your profile among a student audience.

Organisations often find that they benefit from the up-to-date knowledge and skills and the enthusiasm that a student brings. From the student’s point of view paid work or unpaid work experience allows them to explore career options, gain hands-on experience in their field of choice, and achieve competitive advantage in an employment market that values work-ready graduates.

The BEL SET Consultants are happy to be contacted about paid work and unpaid work experience or volunteer opportunities, and can walk you through the process.

How do organisations contact you?

We can be contacted via our website: https://bel.uq.edu.au/information-employers

Having worked as a Professional Recruitment Consultant for more than 15 years across a broad range of industries – and for roles at all levels – I’ve seen and heard many stories.

Until recently, I too had almost completely lost faith in our young Y Gens as employees and our futures. Personally over the last few years I’ve experienced the difficulties in finding “quality” entry level or graduate employees to fit roles……

Candidate A had applied for an entry level IT role. He was a grade 12 school leaver from the previous year and wasn’t working….not even a casual weekend job. He withdrew from the role via email, saying “I don’t think working for a small business will be the best for my career”……What career kid? You don’t even have a job!!!

Candidate B just didn’t show up for the interview….and didn’t return my calls when I tried to follow up.

Candidate C didn’t even make it to the interview shortlist after I checked out her Facebook page (Yes I check your Facebook page!!!). Drunken party photos and attire that leaves little to the imagination is not a good impression!

However, I have discovered that there is hope!!! Over the past year I’ve had a trail of 6 University Students complete “unpaid” Internships with me in an effort to gain industry experience. Nearly all of those students were completing double degrees while working casual paid jobs…and still finding the time to do “industry work experience”.

While not being paid, each of the students were ALWAYS punctual, reliable, enthusiastic, positive and extremely capable…to be honest, I feel privileged to have had them work with me.

So why the polar differences? Well I firmly point the finger in the direction of parents!!! Stay tuned for my next blog where I elaborate on this…

First up to the plate, 19 year old Keely Thurecht, our newest marketing intern.

What do you study?

I’m partway through a dual degree in commerce and business management at the University of Queensland.

My focus is human resources, marketing, and accounting. While I don’t plan on pursuing a career in accounting, I think financial literacy is a vital skill everyone should have.

Why did you decide to intern with RecruitLoop?

For the real world experience.  To see how my studies would translate to a day-to-day position in HR. Knowing why you’re studying and what you’re working towards is seriously motivating!

What are your duties at RecruitLoop?

Marketing – think blog posts, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Kim is clued in on what her clients want to see and hear – the only issue is time. My goal is to make Kim’s social media ideas come to life. We already have a bunch of cool projects in the works.

Stay in the ‘loop’ (haha) and follow us on Instagram (@kimacworth_recruitloop), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/RecruitLoop-Kim-Acworth-185674054963527) and LinkedIn (http://au.linkedin.com/in/kim-acworth-13b05737).

Do you work part-time?

It’s the barista life for me. I spend a few full days each week in a laid back espresso bar chatting with regulars and keeping Brisbane caffeinated.

Are you heavily involved in uni life?

I get involved in Oxfam and the Business Association, but I would like to have more of a presence on campus. The more people you know the better!

What do you get up to on the weekend?

Sailboarding, rock-climbing, hiking – anything that gets me out in nature.

Many business owners start out in business where they’re fulfilling all the roles in the business, the ‘one man band’.  They bring that business to a certain level and then realise they are not as free as they thought they would be, that they have ended up suffering from, as Michael Gerber described it ‘entrepreneurial seizure’.

To get over this they then decide to hire some other people to help them with different parts of the business.  In many cases this is where the trouble starts when they find they are unable to get on with the person that they hired.  This comes about because they are of a different behavioural style to the person they have engaged, and after an initial honeymoon period the frustrations set in.  If it is not dealt with they can end up with a revolving door where people are coming and going all the time.

Many people are attracted to a business because of the success of the business, the brand or the style of the business owner.  They then become disenchanted with the clash in personalities and look to move on.  This falls under the description of ‘people are attracted to the business because of the business but leave because of the manager.’ The 2015 Interact/Harris Poll as detailed in the Harvard Business Review says “91% of employees say communication issues can drag executives down”.

The answer to this challenge is for people to learn about the different behavioural styles such as DISC and gain awareness of themselves and others.

If you want to grow your business bring it to the next level it is essential that you acquire the skill of understanding yourself, reading others, and adjusting YOUR behaviour for the individuals that you are working with.  Those business owners, executives and managers who learn and practice this skill are able to get others to help them bring everything to the next level. A side benefit is that everyone can also then relate better to people outside the business – like clients or family!

Acknowledgement to Bryan Worn “The Clarity Coach”

Are you planning on advertising in early January for the new employee that you NEED to start at the end of January/ early February because you think it’s too early to start looking now…….then it’s time for you to rethink your concept of timing!!!

FACTS to Consider:
• Employees that are planning on changing jobs for a Fresh Start in 2015, have already made that decision now!! ……they’re just holding off so they can take their annual leave over Xmas/ New Year.
• The number of Roles being advertised in Mid January demonstrates a peak in the market…..You’ll be competing against an increased volume of similar vacancies.
• There is a significant increase in professionals relocating over the Xmas/ New Year period as it is perfect timing with School and University holidays….Again, they have already made that decision now!!

ADVERTISE NOW:
With a well structured recruitment campaign and advertisement targeting job seekers wanting a start in 2015 – you will be able to appoint that perfect employee before Xmas and have them locked in to start at the end of January…….You and your new employer will then be able to enjoy the holidays and festive season knowing that you have the Fresh Start for 2015 locked in and ready to go!!

For assistance to source great staff without outrageous fees, please contact me to see how RecruitLoop’s recruitment model can be tailored to your individual needs. I provide a genuine professional outsource option that won’t break the bank (average cost for my placements in 2014 has been $1,000 – $2,000 including advertising)!!

GET EXPERT SUPPORT ON-DEMAND

phone 0411 278 281
email kim.acworth@au.recruitloop.com
web:http://kimacworth-recruitloop.com.au/

This is The RecruitLoop Recruiter Manifesto … Our 10 promises to you.