In what was probably the first truly positive year in terms of business confidence we have seen tremendous growth across many clients and some positive signs going into 2015. This was upheld by the latest Westpac McDermott Miller Employment Confidence Index survey – “New Zealand employment confidence rose to a six-year high in the September quarter”. Having just completed the The Wellington Employers’ Chamber of Commerce Business Confidence Survey and starting to set budgets and plan for 2015 now is the opportune time to look at 5 key lessons from the year:

1) Candidates are getting harder to source. We are moving back towards a skills shortage and the market has swung back in favour of the candidate. Good candidates are receiving multiple offers and have a choice as to their next career move. Good companies are holding onto their key staff as they understand the value associated with their top employees.

2) More candidates are waiting to be found. This may sound like a contradiction of point number one, but given the accessibility of information through the internet and social media – there are actually more candidates available than ever. The skill is finding and attracting them! In addition over 55% of recently surveyed candidates state that they will definitely be looking for a new job over the next 12 months – they are ready and waiting, they might just be too busy to apply to your seek ad.

3) Key reason for candidates leaving their jobs is a lack of challenge. It’s not money, culture or even ‘the boss’ as this writer predicted. The employment market is on the move and now is the time for good candidates to take up a new challenge – is that going to be with you or your competitors?

4) Top five ways candidates search jobs are: seek.co.nz, trademe.co.nz, recruitment consultant, word of mouth and indeed.com. For active job seekers (not always the candidates we are after) the traditional methods of job boards, recruitment consultants and word of mouth still prevail. Will this continue? What about the non-active job seekers? Where do they passively view jobs? Our thoughts: direct emails, LinkedIn updates, LinkedIn Inmails, youtube videos.

5) Social media is important to the job search process. According to a recent 180 survey only 27% of companies have a Facebook page and only 9% have a Twitter account. There is a massive opportunity for proactive companies to increase their online social presence. Throw in the fact that over 50% of surveyed candidates rated social media as important or extremely important in their job search and you can see why having this presence as vital to ongoing successful recruitment campaigns.

So as we head into the final quarter and recruitment plans are in place for 2015 or social media strategy is being set, feel free to have a chat to us here at one eighty about how we might be able to help with those plans.