Do you think employers are not encouraging remote work only so that they can micromanage employees?

Do you believe that some employers are resistant to remote work primarily to maintain control over their employees?

In a remote setting, it’s challenging for employers to monitor every single aspect of their employees’ work. Even if workers feel they’re being closely watched, they can easily disconnect from the internet and take a break, at least for a little while.

Conversely, when employees are in the office, every detail of their work is scrutinized by management. This environment allows employers to dictate not just what gets done, but how it gets done as well!

What’s a managers definition of ’employee productivity’?

What does a manager really mean by ’employee productivity’? Because I’m convinced that the following factors definitely do not contribute to it:

• Overloading employees with excessive work
• Low job satisfaction
• Insufficient support from management
• A poor work environment

It seems like employers either misunderstand the concept entirely or have crafted their own unique definition.

Are these good signs after an interview?

Are these positive indicators following an interview?

If you could start your agency again, what would you do differently?

If you had the chance to restart your agency, what changes would you make?

I’m considering launching my own permanent staffing agency in my early 20s. While I’m thankful for my current employers, I’m eager to become my own boss. I’d love to hear any advice from those who have walked this path—were there things you overlooked or would have approached differently? Any insights for someone just starting out would be greatly appreciated!

What’s the generally accepted CV file format? [UK]

What is the preferred CV file format in the UK?

I initially came here to vent about my lack of interview opportunities and received some helpful feedback that I’ve applied. However, when I ran my CV through CV360, the first piece of negative feedback I encountered was about the CV being in PDF format. Should CVs be submitted as PDFs or DOCX files to be ATS-friendly?

Work culture is not important

The significance of work culture can often eclipse other vital job factors like equitable pay, work-life balance, and chances for personal and professional development. While perks like free snacks and ping pong tables in the office are enjoyable, they don’t guarantee a healthy or rewarding workplace.

Internship exploitation at it’s peek

Internship exploitation at its peak!

If you’re advertising a “long-term internship” lasting over three months without offering a reasonable stipend, you might as well be posting a job description that says, “Seeking to take advantage of someone—apply here.”

What will it take for the industry to embrace fair compensation and establish basic working standards?

Switchboard configuration suggestions?

Suggestions for Switchboard Configuration

Hello everyone!

I’m looking for advice on configuring our switchboard. We’re a small agency with fewer than 10 staff members, and we’re currently using a VoIP system that has a main line number as well as direct lines for each consultant. I’ve noticed that a significant amount of time is wasted fielding calls on the main line, primarily from prospective candidates overseas who are inquiring about work permit sponsorship—something we can’t assist with. Our team often ends up spending several minutes providing guidance to these callers.

I’m considering the option of implementing an answering machine for the main line. Since clients already have their consultant’s direct number, and we have all consultants’ email addresses and direct lines listed on our website, email signatures, LinkedIn profiles, etc., it shouldn’t pose too much of an issue.

Here’s what I’m envisioning for the voicemail system: when someone calls, they would first encounter a menu. If they dial 1, they would hear the info email address (which all staff can access) and then have the option to leave a message. If they dial 2, the system would ask if they are an existing client or a new one. Existing clients would be directed to the main line, while new clients would be sent to our Business Development team. If no one is available, they can leave a message and will be provided with an email to contact us.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. We’re aware of the importance of maintaining a personal touch given our local SME client base, and we want to ensure that this change won’t negatively impact that.

Have any of you implemented a similar system? What was your experience?

I’m also planning to review our call logs to determine the proportion of calls that are genuinely essential to the business—those from existing clients and potential candidates we engage with.

Thanks for your help!

Getting frustrated trying to provide a good candidate experience

Feeling frustrated with the pursuit of a great candidate experience

I’m reaching out to gather insights from in-house recruiters on how you enhance the candidate experience. My team and I dedicate significant effort to this aspect—we provide comprehensive PDFs detailing the company, role, and hiring process. Our screening calls include an extensive introduction to the company and ample time for questions, and we ensure to deliver timely and thorough feedback regardless of the outcome. To measure our efforts, I’m running NPS surveys and gathering direct feedback from candidates. However, I can’t help but feel overwhelmed by the ever-rising expectations from candidates.

I know it sounds like a grumpy old man statement, but based on my own interview experiences, it was often just a generic response or no feedback at all, even after multiple interview stages. I believe we’re doing much better, yet it feels insufficient. How do your teams manage to create a positive candidate experience while juggling multiple responsibilities? What do you consider to be the right amount of time to invest in this area?

Where do recruiters find roles to fill

Where do recruiters discover job openings?

As an IT contractor, I’ve noticed that whenever a position opens up in any government department, recruiters from both Australia and overseas flood my LinkedIn inbox with messages.

I’m interested in starting my own recruitment agency, but I’m curious about how to identify these roles to fill.

Is there a specific website or platform where these government positions are posted?