Conversation with Ross Clennett - Part One

Ross Clennett has been working with Avant for a number of years now and we are delighted and honoured that he has agreed to share his knowledge with us on his recent visit to the Northern Territory. 

 Ross has been called ‘the recruiters recruiter’, he is not only an expert in this field, he is also a trainer, coach and writer.  He is tech savvy and fully appreciates the challenges for anyone recruiting in today’s ever changing world of work. 

 Here’s a sample of Ross’s expertise and wisdom from a conversation Avant held with Ross recently:

Avant:  What do you believe are the greatest challenges facing employers as they compete for the best candidates in the shallow candidate pool of the Northern Territory?

Ross Clennett:  The main challenge is not paying salaries that will damage business profitability. Business profit is critical in ensuring investments can continue to be made in the business, whether it be capital equipment or training and development. The second challenge is ensuring that staff development is an ongoing part of a company’s culture, not just something done in a reactive way to try and improve underperforming staff. In a place such as the Territory that has a high transient workforce it would very easy to say ‘our staff will leave anyway so why bother investing in them?’ This mindset will become self-fulfilling.

Avant:  Which do you believe is most critical in today’s world for SME employers with regards to employees:  productivity or retention?

Ross Clennett:  Hopefully productivity follows retention. If you retain your good staff and continue to invest in their development as employees, and also as people, that investment should flow through to productivity. Nothing kills productivity faster than high staff turnover.

Avant:  How do you believe the interview process has changed over the last 5 years and why?

Ross Clennett:   I am not sure a lot has changed, unfortunately! I’d like to think that more employers are using structured, evidence –based interview techniques that includes an effective selling of the organisation and the role, followed by thorough reference checking and, if appropriate, some form of skills or motivation third-party assessment. I don’t have much evidence that  this level of thoroughness is increasing in recruitment processes used by organisations. In fact, in the hunt for skilled staff, I think some companies have gone the other way and have a less rigorous interview and assessment process.

 Stay involved, as this conversation will be continuing in Part Two coming soon! 

Don’t hesitate to contact us directly on: 89412299 for more information or head to Ross’s website to learn more about what Ross has to offer:  www.rossclennett.com.au.