Niche News

  • Niche March 2012 Newsletter

    To view our March newsletter please click the link below.

    http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=0d91fc32ba02537e1f9cf1101&id=a985f37464

  • Niche December 2011 Newsletter

    Please click the link below to view our December Newsletter.

    http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=0d91fc32ba02537e1f9cf1101&id=fa30a792c2&e=

  • RAMS event, Auckland 2011

    Law Staff would like to say a big 'Thank You' to the Auckland District Law Society for organising the Recently Admitted Members (RAMS) evening at the Pohutukawa bar in Auckland CBD on Thursday 28 April 2011. We would also like to say a huge "Thank You' to all the members who came and spoke to our Law Staff representatives, Vanessa Hopkins and Lindzi Simpson, who graciously manned our stand at the event.

    Vanessa and Lindzi would also like to take his opportunity to congratulate Jamin Tomlinson from McElroys on winning the $100 Red Balloon voucher!

    Don't forget to check out our job search page if you are considering a career move this year!

  • Law Staff announces charity partner relationship with Wellington Free Ambulance

    Law Staff and our sister brand Corporate Staff are delighted to announce our support of Wellington Free Ambulance as a charity partner for 2011. 

    Our sponsorship is in memory of Charlie Temel, the son of Wellington-based Director, Jane Temel. Charlie was aged 9 when he suffered a fatal asthma attack in 2007. 

    “I’m in awe of the staff at Wellington Free Ambulance and the amazing job they do. This is one way we can support the organisation and remember Charlie in a tangible way,” says Jane.

  • The Law Staff International Salary Survey Report 2011 is now available

    As a snapshot of current salary trends in a comprehensive range of private practice firms, we believe our report is essential in assisting you to make informed decisions on your firm's remuneration practices.  

    Each year the number of law firms contributing to the salary survey continues to grow, with 80 firms being involved in this year's survey. We have included employee benefits information for the first time this year. 

    Our report covers a range of positions including: 

    ·         Solicitors

    ·         Legal Executives

    ·         Legal Secretaries

    ·         Administration / Support

    ·         Management 

    Use our report to compare your firm's remuneration levels against the lower, median and upper salary ranges in the market, as well as against regional and national levels. 

    To order your copy of The Law Staff International Salary Survey Report 2011, please contact Christine Leydon 09 377 2248 or reception@nicherecruitment.co.nz.   Reports cost $200.00 plus GST.

  • Jane Temel Joins Law Staff as Director

    Law Staff is delighted to have Jane Temel join the Law Staff team as Director of its Wellington and Christchurch offices.  We have a quick chat with Jane about her background and new role.

    What is your background?

    I went to Victoria University where I completed a Bachelor of Music (Honours) in Performance.  I went to London and continued with my musical training.  I supported myself by working as a temp and then as a recruitment consultant with the Australasian Temp Company.  Over the next decade I progressed to becoming New Zealand Manager for a large global recruitment company in their Professional division.  More recently, I was with a full-service recruitment provider where I led the Southern region branches and managed major client relationships.

    You have been voted by candidates in the Seek Annual Recruitment Awards 2004 as "Favourite Individual Recruiter." What special qualities do you think you have that made you a favourite with candidates?

    I think it’s really important to be honest with your candidates, listen to what’s important to them and keep their best interests at heart.  I may not be able to find everyone a job, but I try to give something of value to every candidate I meet.  That could be advice on their CV, interview techniques, a referral to another consultant or some market information.  I love seeing the positive impact that helping a candidate into a role can have in their lives.

    As a recruitment partner, how do you think your consultant services help to add value to a client's recruitment process and brand?

    Our value is to provide our clients with access to the best talent in the market.  Our services save clients time in their recruitment process while also actively promoting their firm's employment brand.  With our extensive experience we guide clients through the recruitment process and give advice such as market salaries and advertising strategies.  With offices in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, Law Staff is the largest, nationally represented specialist legal recruitment consultancy in New Zealand for both professional and support staff.

    What has been one of your most successful recruitment projects?

    I enjoyed a recent project to recruit a partner for a provincial firm.  For the successful candidate, the role provided him with a career move into partnership while also allowing his family to enjoy a better of quality of life outside of the big city.

    I have also enjoyed being involved with major organisational change projects.  It’s exciting to have input into forming new leadership teams.  It requires you to have a really good understanding of the client’s vision and strategy and ensure the new leaders are suitably skilled and motivated to set the new direction and culture.

    What future plans do you have for growing Law Staff in the Lower North and South Islands?

    I am so lucky to have a terrific team of consultants working with me.  The team has a mix of international recruiting experience from the UK and Australia and experience working in legal firms.  I am also pleased to have recently expanded our Christchurch office.  Together with the team, I am looking forward to meeting new candidates and going out to visit our clients to better understand their business.  My aim is to provide clients and candidates with a highly responsive and enjoyable recruitment experience with Law Staff.

  • Professional CVs Vital in Today’s Job Market

    Professional CVs Vital in Today’s Job Market

    With the number of job vacancies dwindling in the market and the prospect of an increasing unemployment rate, having your CV stand out (for all the right reasons) has become more important than before. 

    A recent New Zealand Herald article (25 February 2009) highlighted concerns with the quality of many CVs being passing over the desks of recruiters.  Spelling mistakes and not being up-to-date with the current style were the two main concerns.

    With two minutes being the average time spent by an employer or recruiter reading a CV, in a few short pages, your CV needs to make an immediate impact and speak volumes about you. 

    A poorly written CV can undermine your efforts in your job search.   While CVs are used to assess your skills and experience, employers are also looking for reasons why NOT to hire you.  If your CV is full of spelling mistakes, then a potential employer may think you’re lazy and careless - not the kind of qualities they are looking for in a potential recruit!

    As recruitment consultants, some of the common mistakes we see in CVs are:

    ·         Poor layout of information.

    ·         Too much information.

    ·         Spelling, typing and grammatical errors.

    ·         CVs that have not been tailored to the position the candidate has applied for.

     

    The trick is to keep your CV simple by providing information in a logical and succinct way.   Make sure you highlight your skills and experience that is relevant to the role and the organisation, and that this information is brought to the reader’s attention early on in your CV.

    Your CV is one of your most important documents and is the tool which opens doors to your future.  It is well worth spending the time, and if necessary, the money, to ensuring the content and layout of your CV is the best and most professional you can make it.

    For more tips on writing a great CV and templates to download, visit our Candidate Resources section of our website.

  • Employment Branding Improves the Effectiveness of Internet Recruitment Advertising

    Employment Branding Improves the Effectiveness of Internet Recruitment Advertising

    The first step to any effective recruitment campaign is to attract the right candidates to the job.  Recent developments in recruitment advertising and the concept of employment branding are set to distinguish firms with marketing flair from the rest.

    Internet Recruitment Advertising

    Tapping into the high tech savvy of Gen X and Y, the Internet in recent years has taken over traditional print media as the preferred source of employment opportunities.  SEEK, one of New Zealand’s leading online job sites, has over 250,000 registered users and sends out three million job alerts each month.

    The advantages of advertising online are both efficiency and economic.  An advertisement posted on a job site will last 30 to 60 days on the website compared to only one day in a newspaper and at a fraction of the cost.  With a job site operating 24/7, resumes can be received at any time and some job sites even allow for a search of posted candidate CVs matching the requirements of a vacancy.

    For the job seeker, the search capabilities on many job sites allow them to review more job opportunities in less time required to scan the employment pages of a newspaper.   From home, or more cheekily from the office, job seekers can apply for jobs online, and receive job alerts on their email when a new job that matches their skills becomes available.

    Employment Branding

    More recently, employers have also started to embrace the marketing concept of employment branding to both attract and retain talent.  An effective employment brand conveys why your firm is a compelling place to work above all others.

    In today’s job market, it is no longer enough to talk only about job responsibilities, salary and benefits.  People also want to know what it means to work for a particular organisation and start to align their own long-term career reputation with the brand of that organisation.  Intangibles such as management style, environment and company culture are all factors that come into play.

    Enhance Your Communication Strategy

    At Law Staff International, we understand recruitment advertising is a primary communication strategy in your employment brand.  In this Internet age, your firm’s online presence is increasingly becoming the candidate’s predominant experience of your firm. 

    We can help to both protect and enhance your employment brand by providing clear and consistent information to potential candidates about your firm, the role on offer, and the intangible aspects of your working environment.

    We manage the process of posting advertisements and receiving resumes from a number of job sites including our own Law Staff website, SEEK, Law Fuel and UK based Totally Legal.  We also ensure recruitment advertisements (including blind advertisements) are consistent on all job sites. 

    A new recruitment advertising product we will be launching is employer branded recruitment video clips.  Our research has shown the use of video clips have been effective in enhancing an organisation’s employment brand, providing compelling information to potential candidates about the vacancy and organisation and attracting a higher calibre and number of applicants.

    A candidate’s recruitment experience impacts on their choice of employer.  As your recruitment partner, Law Staff International is committed to working with you to creating the best recruitment experience for candidates and to support you in your drive for recognition as an employer of choice.

  • Law Staff International Salary Survey 2009 for Private Practice Firms

    Law Staff International Salary Survey 2009 for Private Practice Firms

    As an employer, your firm’s remuneration strategy is a vital key to employee retention and recruitment success. 

     Make sure you have latest market information to help you make informed decisions on your firm’s remuneration practices.  Our Salary Survey Report has recently been completed.

     This year, position summaries have expanded to include reporting remuneration at upper, median and lower quartiles.  With such in-depth information you will be able to compare your firm’s current remuneration practices against regional and national data.

    If you would like a copy of our Salary Survey for 2009, please email reception@lawstaff.co.nz or telephone (09) 377 2248.  Reports cost $165.00 per copy.

  • Recession-Proof Your Employees

    Recession-Proof Your Employees

    With the doom and gloom headlines in the news over the past few months, it is only natural that you and your staff will be feeling the pressure of operating a business in a global recession.  With all that is going on, now is not a good time for your staff to start feeling negative and anxious.  What would be worse is for your clients or customers to start to pick up on this negativity from your staff.

    To prevent your employees’ spirits from taking a beating and to place your firm in an advantageous position for the eventual rebound, here are some ideas on how to recession-proof your employees.

    1.      Communicate Openly and Honestly

    Take an active role in communicating with your staff about what’s going on in the business.  Don’t let your employees assume the worse-case scenario.  If you have to let staff go, explain the reasons why and help your remaining staff to feel secure in their jobs. 

    2.      Share Your Business Vision and Future Direction

    Talk to your staff about the future and let them focus on your achieving your business vision.  Now is a good time to get back to basics with client/customer service.  Have your staff involved in business improvement plans to improve client service, cost saving and revenue generating opportunities.  

    3.      Value Your Employees’ Contributions

    Maintain positive attitudes by acknowledging your employees’ contributions and performance in tough times.

    4.      Build Your Talent

    Take the opportunity to build your firm’s future leadership potential.  Have staff take on new challenges or stretch goals which help to build up their skills and experiences.  Consider outside development opportunities to provide extra training or experiences. 

    5.      Strengthen Relationships

    Build teamwork and respect among your staff.  Invest in low-cost, firm-wide events that help to build teams and strengthen relationships.

    It has always been a challenge for employers to retain good employees, and in a recession, maintaining motivation and productivity can make this task a lot harder.  With great communication and employee involvement, you can help to develop resilient employees who respond to challenges with a positive can-do attitude.   In the end, you can only benefit by retaining your good staff for when the buoyant times eventually return.

  • How to Deal with Interviews After a Redundancy

    How to Deal with Interviews After a Redundancy

    For many people, the experience of being made redundant can be a soul-destroying one, severely knocking one’s confidence and self-esteem.

     

    With downsizing and the current economic recession, redundancy is more common and no longer carries the social stigma it once had.  Luckily these days, being made redundant does not impact on your employability.

     

    It is important to be proactive and positive while job-hunting after redundancy.  How to deal with job interviews about being made redundant may seem a daunting prospect, but the trick is to be honest about the circumstances of your redundancy.  Here are some tips on dealing with interviews.

     

    1.      Before the Interview, Deal with Your Feelings

     

    Deal with any feelings of failure, anger, humiliation, loss or rejection before the interview.   Failure to do so will impact your interview.   Even though you have been affected personally, understand redundancy is not personal.  Move on by focusing on making your skills marketable and current.

     

    2.      Focus on Your Selling Your Skills and Experience

     

    A potential employer is interviewing you for your skills and experience, and this is what you should focus on in the interview.  Otherwise, you would not have got the interview in the first place!  Save any discussion about the circumstances in which you left your previous job for later, after the employer has shown some interest in hiring you.

     

    3.      Be Honest

     

    Be honest answering questions about the circumstances of your redundancy.  Volunteer information and try to explain it in a factual way.  Give reasons such as downsizing, restructuring or a merger.  You may also have to explain what you did after being made redundant.  Focus on what constructive steps you took during this period.

     

    4.      Focus on the Company and the Role on Offer

     

    Don’t focus on being made redundant as the reason why you want the position.  Needing a job to pay the bills won’t impress the interviewer.  Ask questions about the culture of the firm and the responsibilities of the role.  Make sure you have done your interview preparation on finding about the firm and their products and services.

     

    5.      Do Not Criticise Your Ex-Employer

     

    It is best to avoid reflecting any negative feelings about your former employer.  You may come across as being a complainer or someone with a negative attitude.  Try to be objective about the situation your employer was in and the new possibilities that redundancy has opened up for you.

     

    Being prepared for your interview and remaining proactive and positive will give you the confidence you need to succeed in your job-hunt after redundancy.  For more interview tips, visit our Candidate Resources section of our website.


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