Today’s guest blogger is Geoff Crews with Forsythes Recruitment in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. Forsythes Recruitment specializes in engineering and technical recruitment; corporate recruitment, including executive, sales, HR, and finance; office support recruitment including admin, accounts, and clerical; trade and industrial recruitment; and organizational consulting including psychometric assessment, outplacement, and OD. Geoff serves on NPA’s Board of Directors where he is a member of the Tools, Knowledge, and Services Committee.
We have decided to unplug the TV at our house recently. A kind of family experiment. We were spending longer in front of it for an ever-decreasing return in entertainment. It was losing its value.
It has opened up a new world of communication with our young kids. Creativity. Paper planes. Uno. Board games. Taking turns. Dice. Encouragement. Strategy. Winning. Losing.
The TV experiment means I miss a lot of advertising. And so this business – www.nimble.com.au – was new to me when I stumbled across it recently.
Nimble is an online business providing simple, short-term loans of less than $600. The online form takes 5 minutes and the money is deposited into your account within the hour.
Nimble launched in 2005 and recently rebranded, incorporating an impressive website. Their journey has been challenging but inspiring.
When did the market emerge for such small loans?
And while we’re retrospecting (spell check likes it, so remain calm), I note 140 characters suddenly became enough to communicate something meaningful.
And putting your resume online, in full view of your employer, even though you actually quite liked your job, became acceptable.
What is Nimble providing that credit cards can’t? Twitter providing that emails can’t? LinkedIn that recruitment agencies and job boards can’t?
Speed?
Simplicity?
Accessibility?
Transparency?
Specialisation?
Authenticity?
Whatever your answer, can you use those same words to describe your industry?
This economy, as frustrating as it is, is an oddly exciting time for recruitment agencies. Fertile ground for experimenting with established markets. Being creative. Putting value under the microscope.
A good time to consider unplugging old habits.
Good perspective for us all. It seems your children are a bit like recruiters in today’s economy…although they did not choose to lose the TV and they may not like the loss of the TV, they are making the best of a tough situation.
Just like the client that has declared they are going to fill all positions with in-house recruiters, you have declared that all entertainment will be delivered by in-house resources….hmmmm. I think you will find TV was an easier solution just as employers will learn the same about independent recruiters.
@Geoff Crews: Loved the analogy. A good wakeup alarm!
Time for all of us to revisit..a lot of things we take for granted!!
Have you listened to this 42 minute webinar on the future of recruitment? Greg Savage has some interesting views to share..goading us to get better at the ‘craft of recruitment’.
Please visit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTjB8j7usRo
AK