Great news, for all skilled and talented people out there:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10707462 

Falling out of love with your job is very normal, specially if you have been in the same job for a few years. But it doesn't always mean that you should look for another job. 

Here are a few tips on how to fall in love with your job again: http://www.bnet.com/blog/entry-level/lost-your-passion-for-work-3-ways-to-love-your-job-again/4218?tag=drawer-container%3Bload-section-river

Yesterday we were talking about retaining talent.

Today we have a look at the opposite end of the spectrum: what threatens staff retention?

Bad management is one of the reasons, according to this Herald article:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/employment-relations/news/article.cfm?c_id=189&objectid=10706114

Attracting and retaining talent

Commenting on this article: http://www.hcamag.com/news/companies-view-talent-as-biggest-obstacle-to-future-growth/81594

Attracting and retaining talent is a serious concern to many companies around NZ. The job market is inflated with talented and qualified candidates as well as graduates, entry level / school leavers, unqualified candidates and etc.

So how do you measure and attract talent to your company? The "old" tools like Seek, TradeMe Jobs and newspapers result in a huge volume of applicants, but does it result in quality? And by quality, I mean candidates whose skills and experience match the role advertised.

A job ad, like any other ad, needs to communicate to candidates what the job is all about. It needs to reflect the company's culture and environment. It needs to "sell" the role. 

Similarly, as a candidate, it is your duty to carefully read through job ads and only apply if you absolutely 100% positive about that role. And applying for 50 jobs in the one week is not a good look. It's not about quantity, it's also about quality. You may think "the more jobs I apply for, the more chances I have of finding a job", but it doesn't necessarily work that way! Do some work, research the company's you have applied to join. Try to apply for a maximum of 5 roles at a stage. Print the ad and keep a record of any email and phone call made. CALL PEOPLE! Put a voice to a name! Odds are that the job market has an abundance of candidates with a similar or better experience then you. Stand out. Make yourself heard. Be different! After doing your homework, call the company and tell them you pitch. Sell yourself. Make it brief. 

About retaining talent... well, how do you do it? I guess if you have a good work environment and a culture of demonstrating appreciation to employees, you have a good chance of retaining talent. 

From a candidates perspective, what kind of incentives would you want from an employer? What would make you loyal and happy in your work?

Adidas Job Application App

Is this how we are going to be posting / applying for jobs in the future?? 

http://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/pm/articles/2011/02/adidas-recruits-graduates-using-iphone-app.htm?wa_src=email&wa_pub=cipd&wa_crt=news_3&wa_cmp=pmdaily_140211

A little bit more about love....

Sorry, I can't help myself, it is Valentines Day!!! 

http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/3268091/Is-love-just-around-the-cubicle-corner 

Have you ever had a relationship with a work colleague?

Share you thoughts with us, do you think it can affect the quality of your work??

Happy Valentines Day everyone!

Just read this article, and decided to share and ask: 

• Have you ever received a Valentines Day gift in your workplace? What was it? 

• What was the strangest thing you've ever seen one of your colleagues receive? 

 The article mentions someone getting a live gold fish and lemon juicer! I guess it could be worst right?? It could be a Mexican band serenading someone...

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/roses-chocolates-and-a-live-goldfish-valentines-day-at-the-office-2211387.html 

Find your dream job now!

Following up from my last post, here's another article with tips for finding your dream job:

http://www.yourbalance.com.au/3-hot-tips-to-finding-your-dream-job/ 

Changing careers

If there's one piece of advise I can give is to act fairly fast if you're unhappy with your career! 

I read an article today comparing career dissatisfaction with a toothache: it starts with a small nagging pain. If you don't do anything about it, that pain becomes ultimately unbearable. The same can be applied to that little annoyance you might feel towards you job. If you don't do anything about it, it becomes anger and ultimately, you feel like you can't stand one more minute of it! The problem is, you already knew that you were unhappy, and you might have missed out on your dream job because you weren't looking! And worst, because you now feel so miserable, you are likely to rush your job search and accept the first job that's offered to you, instead of waiting to find your real dream job.

So if you're feeling a hint of unhappiness with your career, it doesn't hurt to look around, see what opportunities are available and make make a change before it becomes too much!

Here's an article to support my argument:

http://www.helium.com/items/1882555-how-being-unhappy-at-work-can-be-bad-for-your-career