Architecture
Firstly, I hope you and your families are all well and safe at home. It as certainly been an unprecedented couple of weeks which has thrown us all a number of different challenges. As a business owner I have spent the majority of the last couple of weeks developing a contingency plan and also ensuring our staff are safe, looked after and supported during this time. I thought it would be worthwhile communicating to our clients what we are seeing in the market from a hiring and employment perspective. As you all are most likely to be based at home I feel it is more important now than ever before that we share the information we garner from both our clients and candidates. I’m sure you will understand that I won’t be too specific so as to preserve confidentiality. I thought it would be worthwhile breaking it down into some generic comments and also industry specific across our specialisms – Construction, Property & Facilities, Architecture, Engineering and Professional Support. General Comments: We have, unsurprisingly, seen a decrease in new permanent jobs, however we are continuing to actively recruit some contract roles. The public sector continues to recruit and is actively trying to contribute to the economy which is good to see. The current state of uncertainty has meant that most private sector firms have put a hold on any recruitment. However some pro-active, forward thinking and well setup businesses are hiring and they are hiring in a different way, which I have outlined below: They are interviewing everyone online. If you haven’t investigated Microsoft Teams, Skype for Business or Zoom then you need to be. They still stick to their standard hiring procedure in terms of interview formats etc – i.e. peer reviews can still be done online. They are also investigating online on boarding platforms or at the very least sending laptops to new starters and engaging with them via video conference tools. I am not familiar with these platforms but I know that large overseas companies use the likes of enboarder.com , hronboard.me , bamboohr.com and onboardexpress.com.au C onstruction Key message we are hearing from main contractor clients is the need to get back on site, most believe that once back on site there will be a return to some form of normality. There may be some additional costs around contract negotiations with regards to the time lost though. Once the sites are back up and running then all the construction advisory consultancies (PM, QS etc) will feel more confident. Having said that a number of our consulting clients are working on pre-construction feasibility projects and this is continuing. Property & Facilities Management The property sector is currently dealing with the ongoing negotiations between landlords and tenants around tenancy agreements. Most of our property clients have never been busier. Architecture We always use architects as the barometer of the wider industry in terms of future growth and optimism. In a positive but surprising way our architectural clients are currently busy as projects continue to go ahead. They are however generally not hiring and understandably are very cautious about the future. Engineering Generally speaking our engineering clients are in the same boat as the construction advisory consultancies and are in a bit of a holding pattern. Professional Support Our support roles have dropped away on a permanent basis, companies are making do with what they have and not investing in new support staff at this time – again totally understandable. However we expect to see an increase in temp requests when we return to some form of normality, this is a great way to ease back into the hiring market with less risk. So we are hopeful, but realistic when it comes to forecasting the next 6-12 months. Having said that we are also not looking too far ahead, the end of the first 4 weeks as mandated by the government will dictate much of what the future may look like. I’d welcome any comments around the challenges your business faces in this uncertain future be it positive or negative – feel free to email me on mike@oneeighty.co.nz or give me a call on 021888907 or even better – let’s setup a zoom chat! Stay safe and stay in touch. We are all in this together.
Market, Salaries and tips on attracting the best candidates in 2019! The job market for 2019 is looking great with many firms in Wellington hiring now or looking to increase their headcount by March. This means finding the right candidate is still challenging and employers need to ensure their employer brand is a strong as ever. Salaries have been steady in the Wellington region over the last 6 months. Salaries did however increase 28.6% over the last 5 years. Candidates are looking for work/life balance, career progression and some variety in project work. Of course, salaries are always an important part of the decision making process. Please see below for salary information based on some of the roles one eighty have recruited in the past 6 months. How do your salaries compare? Architectural Designer $ 85 000 - $90 000 Revit/BIM tech $ 80 000 – $90 000 Senior Architect – $100 000 – $110 000 Revit/BIM Specialist - $65 - $80 per hour Project Architect – $85 000 – $100 000 Recently registered NZ Architect – $78 000 – $88 000 Senior Architectural Technician - $65 000 - $80 000 Intermediate Architectural Technician - $60 000 - $65 000 Architectural designer - $55 000 - $65 000 Attracting the best candidates in 2019 It’s well known that we have a shortage of experienced architectural candidates in Wellington and so the ball is firmly in the candidate’s court right now when it comes to choosing an employer. As a business your brand is a very important piece of your talent attraction strategy and is often the first impression a candidate gets of you. I have no doubt you have worked hard on your brand and spent time and money on getting the right message out to the market. Recruitment consultants work on your behalf and are often the first impression a candidate gets of your business. One of the ways you can control your brand in the job market is by working smarter with recruitment consultants. Why is it important? Controlling your brand in the market allows you to attract top talent and be their first choice. If you are working with too many consultants, you can give off the impression that you are desperate to fill the position. The message potential employees are receiving about your business can be different from different consultants depending on how well the consultant knows your business. It is really important that you trust your consultant and are confident they know enough about your business to excite the right candidates and fairly represent you. What can you do as a client to best manage your brand if you are using a recruitment consultant? Spend the time to meet your consultant in person regularly, ideally in your place of work. So much can be picked up about your business just by the consultant spending time in it. Talk your consultant through your company culture, values, what do you do as a team? What kind of person works well with the current team? What kind of person hasn’t worked well in the past? Ask your consultant questions about how your business fits with candidate’s expectations. Create an action plan with your consultant, generally if you are the one driving this you are working with the wrong consultant. Why would you work with one recruitment consultant exclusively? Personally, when a client works with me exclusively on a role I put all my time and energy into finding a great candidate for them. I will work day and night to make sure I find a great candidate for the role because it’s my personal brand at stake! By working with one consultant you have one consistent message going out to candidates in the job market, top candidates want a clear and succinct explanation about the role, the business and the team they will be working with. Working with one consultant ensures that you will get the message right. Having one point of contact for a role saves a huge amount of time and you do not have to be concerned with which candidate is working with which recruitment consultant. Start by trialing it with one role and enjoy some excellent service and results!