Heather from Flax Floristry School shares her experience about running a small business: “Recently I travelled with Tracey Wildhaber to speak at an MSD Expo called “Helping Yourself Expo” I was asked to speak as an encouragement to those with disabilities, or those going through long term unemployment to look to their hobbies as a potential business opportunity. I suffer with severe early onset Osteo Arthritis which effects my mobility and live with chronic pain every day. I’m also managing 2 herniated discs in my lower back. Without Flax and Fibre and my Flax Floristry School I would be on a disability benefit. I can work and provide for my family because Flax Floristry is so flexible and varied. Even with disabilities and limited finances this career has helped me be Able. I wanted to share this opportunity to others, thats why I started Flax Floristry School. Flax floristry can be a life changing career option, especially for those who can only work 15 hours a week for what ever reason!”
All posts by Ali Brown
Remembering Iwa
We are very sad to advise that our ‘volunteer’ for many years, Iwa, has passed away. For a number of years, Iwa has been coming to work at Catapult with his Mum Vicky, our Office Administrator. Iwa has been a real member of the Catapult family, his friendly presence helping clients to feel comfortable and giving them a welcome to the premises. We miss you Iwa. Thanks for being part of Catapult for so long.
10 tips for employers when hiring staff
These useful tips are from an article in The Conversation, entitled “10 ways New Zealand employers can turn the ‘great resignation’ into a ‘great recruitment’”, December 3, 2021
Here are their top 10 tips:
Choose your words carefully: write inspiring, authentic job advertisements. If your recruitment team can’t do it, get someone who can.
Be realistic: create reasonable candidate specifications – wanting extreme levels of skill, attitude and experience is likely put off good candidates.
Canvas others: when designing employee value propositions, get input from recruiters and current employees.
Remember glass houses: recognise there is no such thing as perfect behaviour when using behavioural-based interview questions, especially given the organisation itself may be questionable in some of its conduct.
Consider the context: give due consideration to reference check results – if a candidate’s last boss says he or she was disconnected in the end, perhaps it’s because they were already in a high state of turnover intention.
Go back to the future: be open to hiring past employees. Initiatives such as alumni programmes can be used to connect with and recruit former employees.
Know your team: be open to conversations about the attributes and attitudes of the person a successful candidate will be reporting to, and the team they will be working with.
Be technology wise: use automated recruitment technology (such as SnapHire, JobAdder or QJumpers) to enhance – not replace – an integrated people-oriented recruitment experience.
Provide clear pay ranges: if an applicant knows what the pay is from the outset, it saves everyone valuable time and energy.
Be gracious: formally thank all candidates for applying – this can help ensure you retain them as future applicants and/or customers.
