Underwood Executive takes out 9 medals & named Australia’s Executive Recruiter of The Year 2020
At Underwood Executive we are delighted to announce that we have been named Executive Recruiter of the Year 2020 by HRD Magazine for the third year in a row. We have…
Underwood Executive becomes only South Australian member of exclusive global executive search body AESC
Underwood Executive has just been accepted into the Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants (AESC) – a global industry profession that sets the highest quality standards in executive search…
Underwood Executive Named In ANZ’s Most Socially Engaged Search Firms in Australia/NZ 2018 by LinkedIn
Last week, our team travelled to Sydney to be part of LinkedIn’s Most Socially Engaged Staff Agencies awards to celebrate the best in social recruiting. The 2018 Most Socially Engaged…
Underwood Executive named Executive Recruiter of the Year 2018 by HRD Magazine.
At Underwood Executive we are thrilled to announce that we have been named Executive Recruiter of the Year 2018 by HRD Magazine. We have won two gold medals in Australia’s Top…
5 ways to accelerate your career with your personal brand
On Thursday the 24th of May, I was invited to speak at the National Wine Centre in Adelaide for the wine industry’s “women in drinks” event on how to build…
Sourcing and securing high performing talent, those A-class players who are almost always employed, are rarely actively applying for jobs via job boards. Identifying them is a skill that takes…
Are you about to recruit your next Executive? Don’t make this mistake when outsourcing to an external Consultant or Recruiter. There are a number of key factors to ensure the…
I am in the process of coaching an emerging leader in a large service based organisation and this week he had a break through. Leading a team of people, he…
Last month I spoke to an executive networking group about work/life balance. I initially felt some resistance towards the topic. My thoughts went … really? Are we still talking about…
Caution! Why you shouldn’t hand over your referees before interview
A natural step in the recruitment process is for employers to verify your employment history and job performance in previous roles before making you a formal offer of employment. Nothing…
X Factor – A lesson in how NOT to deliver feedback
A few weeks ago I was horrified to watch the two judges on New Zealand’s X factor supposedly giving feedback to one of the contestants during a live show. Did…
Don’t keep your candidate waiting… the only 3 questions to ask before you hire
Top talent can be hard to find and enticing them to consider your role may be even harder. Even though our unemployment rate is at 6.3%, A-class super stars are…
The reason why you may not be getting a job interview
Would you go to a cocktail party in your cycling gear? Would you go to a business networking event in your wedding dress? Would you attend a job interview with…
Rejected because of your email address …….. the harsh reality of selection criteria
It seems everything I read this month features Ruslan Kogan …... At age 31, a ‘rich lister’ worth more than $300 million. He sparked my interest in a recent Financial…
Stop talking! 4 ways to reduce your communication intensity
We are all aware that openness and transparency is on the desirable list for a leader and that employees generally demand even greater communication and honesty in today’s leader. However………..Are…
Stress drowning you out? What I learnt in 7 days of silence ……
Stress is an epidemic in our 21st century – most of us have experienced it or watched those around us suffer with it. It has become part of our modern…
Fear, Lies & Leadership….How to have honest conversations
Wouldn’t leadership be easy if you could just have a frank conversation? Just say what you think and not worry too much about the delivery or consequences? Here it is…
5 ways to manage your on-line image…..BEFORE you hit the job market
In the recruitment industry, it is common knowledge that Consultants will Google you, look at your social media presence – including Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. This is not new and…
Last week my article “3 ways to nail a job interview” was published by Women’s Agenda. 24 hours later I received an email from a frustrated job seeker who after…
The holidays are over, the phone is ringing and the LinkedIn requests are coming in thick and fast as many individuals put the wheels in motion to achieve their New…
Are you ignoring staff issues? 4 ways to get your head out of the sand
This week a friend of mine told me he quit his job after being head hunted for a new opportunity (closer to home, more money, leading a bigger team and…
Offer rejected? 8 ways to increase your acceptance rate
Recruiting successfully is not easy. It can be time consuming, expensive, emotional, distracting from core business activities and ultimately hard work. So imagine after weeks and weeks of searching,…
2 years, 10 reflections….what I’ve learnt from striking out on my own
This month I reached the 2-year milestone of running my own business. The day came and went with a team lunch, congratulatory messages and thoughts of wow that went…
In the current economic climate – just about every candidate we make an offer of employment to is being counter-offered by their current employer. This enticement to stay takes many…
How many times have you hired a dud? How many times have you kicked yourself for not following your gut and made a poor recruitment decision? Was it that they…
Can you give up worry, fill your glass & become an Optimist?
Last week I decided to complete a psychological personality profile. It had been about 10 years and I had asked a leadership team to complete them for a workshop, so…
There is lots of competition for jobs right now. On average, we receive 150 applications per vacancy. There are fewer opportunities available and people are still looking to progress their…
This week was an exciting week for me as I finally saw Richard Branson in the flesh (with over 1,700 others!). After reading his autobiography “Losing My Virginity” in 2000,…
Giddy up …. it’s appraisal time! 3 questions to avoid the annual whipping
Performance reviews….is it that time of year again…..already? Why is it that something that should be an effective tool to motivate your team often turns into that annoying form that…
Winning respect – 10 ways to give up wanting to be liked
I recently read about the upcoming release of Sheryl Sandberg’s new book “Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead”. As the COO of Facebook, she talks about Mark…
Too busy to be the tooth fairy….a lesson in prioritisation
Today I got a reality check when my daughter came into the bedroom crying that the tooth fairy hadn’t visited her in the night. This was a BIG deal and…
How is your work/life pie? 6 essential ingredients for your recipe
Over half of my coaching clients claim they need more time and struggle to find the ‘balance’ to do the things that are important to them. When I ask the…
5 ways to crack the job market when “you don’t have industry experience”
One of the biggest bugbears by job seekers is not winning an interview because they don’t have the industry experience for the role they have applied for. It seems that…
Someone not playing by the rules? How consistency governs success
In my blog post “People leave leaders – the uncomfortable truth” I discussed how changing business culture and my leadership style were two contributing factors to increased business results and…
6 Lessons to Introduce Flexibility in Your Workforce
I have recently returned from speaking at the International Recruitment Conference in Fiji where the theme was “Recruitment at the Speed of Tomorrow”. It was an inspiring couple of days learning about innovative ideas…
Last week I went to a Women in Leadership lunch hosted by CEDA. One of the speakers (Jane Caro) said, “we only change when it is too uncomfortable to stay…
This week I met with a promising new client. They have a handful of vacancies, one position that has been vacant for 3 months and another that they have interviewed…
Over the past few months I have been giving advice on executive CV’s and how to improve them. What I’ve learnt is that just because you earn a six-figure salary…
Does your job spec answer the question “what’s in it for me?”
When was the last time you read a job description that was fresh, dynamic, exciting and evoked an emotional response? Even better – it really made you want the job?…
Reward & recognition – the secret to reducing staff turnover
When one of my Consultants resigned after 7 years I was excited for her. She was taking a leap of faith and pursuing her life long dream of becoming a…
Swamped by your workload? 5 ways to get out of the mess!
This week I met up with a client who had over 150 emails in their inbox waiting for their attention. Just the thought made me squirm with discomfort! How can…
Last week I spoke at the UNSW (The University of New South Wales) AGSM (Australian Graduate School of Management) MBA networking evening “Let’s Connect” on the importance of networking. I…
How to reduce staff turnover with a flexible culture
Staff turnover is an ongoing headache for most businesses. Even booming industries like mining & resources are experiencing their fair share of hurt with 18% of workers leaving within the…
This is a guest post written by Dr Gemma Munro, an Adelaide-based life coach and facilitator and the Director of Inkling Coaching. Gemma has a PhD in performance psychology and extensive…
Beauty vs brains……does it have to be a competition?
The Adelaide Advertiser ran an article on Saturday titled “The Ugly Side of Being Beautiful”. It revealed research stating that 47% of US Recruiters believe women can be penalised for ‘being…
South Australia – the market, the future & the opportunity
I attended the AMCHAM luncheon last week featuring Raymond Spencer, the Chair of the Economic Development Board in South Australia. I was curious to hear his view and outlook as…
Are you busy or just ineffective? 5 ways to create more hours in your week
I need more time with no extra hours,” a friend recently told me. She consistently feels anxious going to work, gets to the end of the day and feels like…
At the end of last term, it was my daughter’s turn to be the VIP for the week in her reception class. This is a confidence building strategy which involves…
“We need to talk”……ensure you are heard as a leader
This week I got a bill from my Accountant – who I’ve had a long term relationship with (nearly 15 years) that got me rather annoyed and frustrated. I had…
“Part-time is a dirty word” & why it needs to change
Last week in Adelaide, there was controversy and speculation after the CEO of the SA Tourism Commission was sacked with 9 months left to go on his contract. This was…
“It’s the vibe of the thing”……can you explain your culture?
Last week I spoke at a boardroom breakfast to a group of leaders from infrastructure, mining, legal and local government. The topic was on my blog “technical competence without people…
Don’t sweat the cold call….how to get your Consultants on the phone & winning business
In my recent blog “head in the sand vs action junkie ….what’s your mantra?” I wrote about a Consultant who worked for me who didn’t enjoy prospecting new business as…
Earth to CEO’s….are you missing the link between talent acquisition & HR process?
The balance between utilising internal HR and external recruiters to find the right person for a vacancy is a fine line. There is a time and place for both in…
Head in the sand or action junkie ….what’s your mantra?
I recently read the book “100 Things What’s on Your List” by Sebastian Terry. I was attracted to the cover initially because I saw the Camp Quality symbol and I…
I recently met an incredibly motivated and driven female leader. She is dedicated, loves the company she works for, thrives on feedback to improve and wants to achieve top performance…
Weekly meetings like groundhog day? 10 tips to spice them up
Running an effective one on one meeting with staff is no easy task. It is a leadership essential that has managers of people second-guessing their importance, relevance and benefit. I…
What I’ve learnt over the years is that there is no one secret ingredient to retaining staff. In my early days of running a business, I had high staff turnover…
Technical competence without people skills – what is it costing you?
A common problem I see in many organisations is that somewhere in their senior management team they have a person with strong technical competence, but who lacks the essential people…
Who will carry your vision? Tips to develop your successor
60% of companies don’t have succession plans in place and yet this article suggests “the most successful CEO’s come from within”. It signals that many businesses take the approach that…
The search for talent is evolving ….are you considering the bigger picture?
Over the past few weeks I have met some amazing talent through my networks. These people are not active job seekers trawling the papers and websites looking for their next…
Quit while you’re ahead…10 tips for going out on top
Entree Super Stars! 4 weeks ago, I made a BIG decision. I decided to leave my job. 10 years after founding Entrée Recruitment and leading the company to it’s most…
Earlier this year I attended a 2-day conference with Dale Beaumont in Melbourne. Apart from an inspiring couple of days that made me think of at least 100 new business ideas…
Over the past few months, I've been speaking to clients about staff retention and specifically what strategies they implement to keep top talent. What I've learnt is that there is…
Taking the ‘sales’ out of salesperson…10 ways to increase performance
“I’m not a sales person” “I don’t like cold calling” “I can’t sell” “sales is not a strength of mine”…are all typical to hear around the Entrée Recruitment office. My…
Relationship on the rocks? How to get what you expect….
This week, a senior HR Manager was telling me about her current job search and about a situation that caught her off guard, unprepared and quite frankly a little cranky. …
Re-igniting the employment spark….or is it time to break up?
This week I caught up with a friend and old colleague who is incredibility dedicated, loyal, hard working and keen to contribute to an organisation. She is a real gem,…
Inspiration: My daughter Charlie This week one of my top performers was having a downday….she’d lost her mojo, was feeling ‘flat’ and told me she was struggling with motivation. “How…
You can’t steer a parked car …… should you manage your under-performer up or out?
Under-performers, bottom quartile performance, staff that cost you money, employees that risk your reputation – those people in your team who just aren’t making the grade. They keep us awake…
Trust ‘ya’ gut! Do you overlook this recruitment tool?
You know that little “something” that niggles at you, the voice in your head or that “thing” you can’t quite put our finger on. "It" often prevents us from making…
From little things big things grow…are you overlooking support staff?
There is nothing that gets me fired up more than a company that ignores the importance of support staff and the role they play in an organisation’s success. I see…
A few weeks ago in my blog Belief Critical to Business Success, I mentioned a business owner had asked for my advice on growing a business. I met her on…
Who’s hot and who’s not…what the perfect resume won’t tell you
Interviewing, recruitment, hiring, finding the right candidate….it’s easy! It’s not rocket science. How hard can it be, get resumes, interview, have a chat, make an offer – done! If only…
Can women successfully return to work after babies?
What a week it has been watching the debate around working women, their choices and when they should return to work after having babies – all thanks to a glamorous…
You could say I’m a control freak….ahhh I mean, was a control freak. Typical Type A personality, my way is best, do it like this, do it now, faster, better…
Why is confidence still an issue for women at work?
Over the years I would have mentored and coached more than 100 women formally and informally in business. It still puzzles mehow many successful women still suffer from both a…
The recruitment industry is notorious for high staff turnover. Statistics range from 43% (Staff Turnover: A Recruitment Industry Crisis) to the average length of service of a new Recruitment Consultant…
Health 1st, Family 2nd & Work 3rd ….What’s Your Order?
Last week a candidate of mine become ill only 2 weeks into her new permanent job. She felt terribly guilty about taking any time off believing that she would not…