“The start of the year is traditionally a time when the talent pool is at its peak, but coupled with an improving economy and a strong labour market, the recruitment rush will be bigger than ever this year,” Mr Vienet said.  

Unemployment figures for Australia began to fall towards the end of last year and job vacancies have begun to climb, giving rise to a newfound confidence among job-seekers looking to optimise their options and reassess their value.

Mr Vienet said job vacancies continued to grow in January across different sectors of the economy, with the financial services industry re-emerging as a growth area together with the resource sector in Queensland and Western Australia.

According to the WA Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Western Australia is on the verge of another economic boom and has more than $200 billion worth of major investments in the pipeline.

The Chamber also reported that the return in business confidence had resulted in the “dusting down” of expansion and investment projects across the State, job creation and a looming fear of another skills shortage.

Australia-wide, senior business development roles, transactional positions and customer service managers are currently in high demand together with skilled trades people, particularly for the resource sector.

“Employers should be aware that job-seekers greet each new year with a fresh resolve to shift roles, and especially so this year; they are hungry for change and strong candidates will be snapped up quickly,” Mr. Vienet said.

“Now is the time to re-think your workforce requirements for the year ahead and take advantage of the situation. The next step is to review what you can offer, benchmark with competitors and re-evaluate the role to secure the best possible candidate.” 

Remuneration is important; however, applicants today expect far more in terms of workplace terms and conditions that provide lifestyle options such as flexible working arrangements and maternity/paternity leave benefits.

Furthermore, many candidates are likely to focus less on financial reward if they believe they will be given superior training and development, envisage a clear career path with promotional options and have a sense of purpose and belonging.

Candidate interviews are an opportunity to present your company’s vision, values and culture, face-to-face, in a meaningful and engaging way and recruitment specialists at Beilby are trained to provide advice and support throughout the process.

Here are some interview pointers:

• Know the job
  Make sure you know what is required for the role, the key responsibilities, where the position fits into the organisation and what aspects make the job unique or attractive.
  
• Know the important requirements of the job
  Establish what requirements are needed for the job. These may include personal attributes, experience, skills and qualifications. Ensure that these requirements really must be present to perform the task otherwise you may be screening out many suitable applicants. Think of four or five requirements that are absolutely essential to perform the tasks required.
  
• Know what topics you want to cover
  Before the interview you should make sure you know topics you wish to cover and what information you want from the applicant. You need to ensure the questions you ask will help determine the suitability of the potential employee. If you know what you are looking for it will be easier to find whether the applicant has the requirements.
  
• Review the applicant's resume
  It may seem obvious, but make sure you have reviewed the resume and have identified gaps or other information that may be required. This may include vague job titles or job descriptions, and questions left unanswered or only partly answered.
  
• Learn as much as you can from the applicant
  When interviewing, the applicant should do most of the talking. This will ensure you learn as much as possible from the applicant to help determine their suitability for the job. Try to ask questions that require more than a yes /no answer. Never be afraid to ask the applicant to elaborate on an answer or use follow up questions. Try to use open-ended questions such as “Tell me about a time in your previous employment where you were required to lead a multi-disciplined project team. How did you go about it and what was the outcome?”
  
• Explain the job
  Explain exactly what is required in the job and where it fits into the organisation. The applicant needs to know as much as they can about the job to make an informed decision. Give the applicant the opportunity to ask any questions that they may have.