The Performia Australia Blog

Expert articles, advice and tips in relation to talent attraction, selection, and building productive, safe and fun teams.

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5 things you should do after a training session

We delivered our first Performance Hiring training of the year and after three powerful days, there are always questions about what the next step is. Here are 5 things you should do after completing a training or seminar. 1. Create practice opportunities. [...]

24
Feb
Productive teams and how to get your hiring really working

Have you experienced hiring someone who looked fantastic, said all the right things, had the perfect resume and experience – but later turned out unproductive and even destructive? On the other hand – Have you experienced hiring someone who didn’t [...]

13
Jan
New year tips & tricks | What’s happening this month

Happy new year! We hope you had a lovely Christmas and new year break. We resumed activities this week and we can see that candidate activity and responsiveness is higher than usual. It’s a good time to be hiring and as usual we would [...]

07
Jan
4 factors to consider when deciding when to hire

It’s that time of the year again! There’s about two weeks left before many businesses close off the year for the holiday season. A common question we get is, should I start hiring now or wait till next year, since [...]

10
Dec
TIPS & TRICKS 17: Do you know who holds your company back?

We are here with another tip from the area of building successful teams…… or should we say from the area of taking apart / dismantling successful teams. Do you know who is holding your company back? We have 10 signs that [...]

10
Nov
Take these precautions if using a Recruitment Agent

Many organisations we partner with on their candidate screening process have mixed feelings about using recruitment agencies. We hear instances of being burnt, mistreated in the process, creation of fake opportunities, and even after someone has been hired, contacting the [...]

22
Oct
Improve your hiring and team results

No one can whistle a symphony. It takes an orchestra to play it The quote above is one of my favorite, by H.E. Luccock. Great teams weren’t built in a day and with commitment, the right strategy and steps, every [...]

15
Oct
TIPS & TRICKS 16: Don’t be afraid of candidates from other fields

We are here with another tip from the area of building a team. What is your viewpoint on recruiting candidates from another field? Don’t be afraid of candidates from other fields “He comes from another field; I do not believe that [...]

06
Oct
What we’ve been up to – LIVE and Online right now!

For the last three days we’ve been delivering our Performance Hiring training in a very different way than previous times! Normally this training is live and as in-person group workshop or can be attended as an online self-paced training. As a result of needing to postpone [...]

18
Sep
How to enhance your team’s competitive edge

Have you ever thought about the importance of your team members’ development? Providing training seems to be obvious in an employer/employee relationship. However, we often see that business owners/directors do not promote enough training and education in their companies, or [...]

10
Sep
TIPS & TRICKS 15: Reference? Leave it to the candidates

We have another tip for you from our experience. It is regarding the most underestimated part of the recruitment process – checking the references. Usually, we verify them with the last 3 direct seniors. What is your experience with this? Leave [...]

03
Sep
New hire not what you expected?

Who you hire can be the difference of your vision being on track for execution, or a nightmare about to unravel. People are not as logical and predictable as the printer that has a paper jam and you know immediately how to fix. When you lose sleep at [...]

26
Aug
“The Great Resignation” – truth or myth? Who is protected?

You might have heard recently about “The Great Resignation” as the latest trend that’s about to hit the business world. Some online resources say that millions of Australians are predicted to leave jobs. Is this a myth or is there truth to it? Which businesses will be protected and which won’t be? [...]

18
Aug
How many candidates should your Job Ad attract?

Most managers will look at the number of applicants their job ad has attracted as an important indicator when hiring. Few applicants is usually considered as an indicator of an unsuccessful Job Ad and a lot of applicants is considered to be a great initial start. So, [...]

13
Aug
TIPS & TRICKS 14: 3 warning signs in an interview

Today we want to share with you experience from recruitment. In online conditions, it may be more difficult to decipher the real potential of a candidate. Thus, I have for you one specific example with 3 clear points: 3 warning signs [...]

04
Aug
3 reasons why, despite all efforts, recruiting new people does not work

Have you ever been in a situation where you’ve tried every possible way to get quality staff; you advertised on all possible job portals, collaborated with schools, actively used social networks, for a long time without a proper result of having a new team [...]

29
Jul
Getting the best from your team

Have you ever been in mystery about a person? Why they did what they did? Why they reacted the way they did? How you missed seeing the real person they turned out to be after interview? Personality is quite interesting [...]

21
Jul
Salesperson helping a client over the phone.
Hiring Salespeople – How to, Tips, Q&A with Marten Runow

Hiring Salespeople – How to, Tips, Q&A with Marten Runow The role of salesperson is one of the most hired for and evaluated positions in our Performia system. Here we share more data through a Q&A interview with Marten Runow, [...]

16
Jul
TIPS & TRICKS 13: The three words to remove from your interviews

We’re here with another practical tip that stems from our consultants. Have you noticed this sentence, or maybe you have used it at interviews. You may be wondering why we are going to tell you to not use it in interviews as [...]

07
Jul
Communication with your team

There are instances when you will come across something your team member does that you are not very happy about. It’s not that that this person is doing their job badly, but it’s those various “little things” that you perceive that are not [...]

01
Jul
How to get ahead when you are struggling to hire

Have you ever experienced really needing to hire someone but just not getting enough candidates or the right candidates applying? If yes, did you justify it with one of these thoughts? It’s our industry. It’s a candidate short market. Too [...]

24
Jun
TIPS & TRICKS 12: Who really needs training in your company?

We are here with a new tip, this time it’s about training, qualification and who really is the right person that needs to be most trained in understanding people, and who would be the right ‘candidate’ for any training. Who really [...]

15
Jun
Do you have a productive candidate in front of you?

In the spirit of FIFA World Cup qualifiers, imagine you have a soccer team which concedes lots of unnecessary goals. Now as a result, you need to hire a very good defender! What would a good talent manager do in such circumstances? Would the manager be satisfied with [...]

03
Jun
One common mistake to avoid in hiring

A common mistake is to believe that a test could describe who someone really is because that “someone” is a totally unique being who is capable of thinking, dreaming, visualising, creating, making decisions, planning etc. In any situation when we [...]

28
May
TIPS & TRICKS 11: How to recognise a motivated person fast?

We are back with our regular tips and today it is from the field of motivation. Have you ever tried this during the interview? How did it work for you? How to recognize a hard-core person fast? No matters how [...]

13
May
Hiring in the Current Market

The candidate market has been changing and this stresses the importance of your attraction strategy when hiring. Here are some quick tips: In the current market, the key points to remember are: Do not forget to promote your job opportunity. [...]

07
May
When is it right to make assumptions in hiring?

Let’s look at this. Firstly what is an assumption? It is a thing that is accepted as true or as certain to happen, without proof. Most people have made assumptions somewhere in their life. We are human and most people like to help others, [...]

22
Apr
TIPS & TRICKS 10: Look results in the eyes!

We are back this week with another tip, which is a useful one you can apply at any time. Let’s look at it. Go face to face and look results in the eyes! … Your productive employees will appreciate it! [...]

13
Apr
3 Ways Companies Fail at Recruitment

Not having the right talent, or needing to offer higher salaries to attract and keep talent, could be a sign of a poor (or no) screening system. Hiring managers have one of the most demanding functions in a business and [...]

06
Apr
TIPS & TRICKS 9: Are you looking for an encyclopedia or a committed employee?

We are back as part of our Tips & Tricks with a new tip. Are you looking for an encyclopedia or a high-quality employee? This week we were asked a tricky question from our client: “Where do I constantly find those professionals? We need qualified [...]

19
Mar
How to Never be Surprised by Staff Again

Every business owner and manager needs to know how to hire the right people and build productive teams. It is one of the most important skills that successful leaders have worked out. Click here to read Mark’s story and his [...]

10
Mar
What is the key to hiring?

There is an abundance of articles and books on business, general HR and information that coach candidates on how to navigate the “usual” hiring processes. The issue is with so much information, the basics of hiring is often missed and companies use the same strategies to arrive at the same candidates, and [...]

01
Mar
DISASTER AVERTED! How we saved our client $340K+

You may often hear us talk about the team strategies we provide companies for building productive, safe, and fun to work with teams. But..What do we really mean by “safe“? Being safe is not just about hiring someone who doesn’t have or [...]

22
Feb
TIPS & TRICKS 8: No compromises. No matter how the times are

We are back with another tip from our Tips series! This time it’s a “recurring” tip which emphasis on the basics. We can sometimes even forget the basics right? But they are the most important! No compromises. No matter how [...]

17
Feb
Are you at the mercy of your employees?

It can be quite painful when good staff want to leave. Aside from losing a productive and helpful team member, you also lose the time you invested in that person, not to mention the recruitment costs of hiring a new [...]

08
Feb
Unraveling the first challenge to building productive teams

In the following video I go through the first challenge of building a team that all managers have experienced to a degree. And when you realise this, much of your mystery in hiring and building a team will start to unravel. Watch the below video where I cover the [...]

20
Jan
TIPS & TRICKS 7: Keep your resolutions all year around

I have a first tip for you this year and one big surprise with it. How are you doing? Do you have any resolutions for 2021? Are you among those who keep them all year around or do you forget about them at the end [...]

15
Jan
TIPS & TRICKS 6: Does /When responsibility stops your staff?

Today topic is somehow timeless. It is about RESPONSIBILITY. A trait which affects many situations at work every day. Does / When responsibility stops your staff? You probably heard from us that many people in Australia have low responsibility. When an individual [...]

16
Dec
Why for Some Roles, You Should Never Stop Hiring

Christmas is around the corner and while for some companies hiring never stops, some companies are wondering whether to hold off until the new year to kick off their process. For some roles, you should never stop hiring This might [...]

10
Dec
3 Tips for Hiring and Retaining the Right People

Recruiting and retaining the right team members is often the most challenging – and expensive – undertakings for small businesses. While a great hire moves your business forward, the price of a bad hire can go far beyond the initial [...]

05
Dec
Do You Have Too Much Patience or Not Enough, When Hiring and Growing Your Team?

You may have heard the saying ‘patience is a virtue’, and being tolerant of others is a great trait. Patience is defined as “the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, problems, or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious.” Interestingly the [...]

30
Nov
TIPS & TRICKS 5: How do you rev up an unproductive person?

I’m sharing with you a very short and clear guide on how to get an unproductive person to produce. Hopefully you don’t have many (or any) of these, but if you do, here is an instant guide for you. How [...]

12
Nov
6 reasons why you won’t attract the right people, and how to solve it

You‘re busy, working hard, and you know that to keep on this path you‘re going to need to grow your team. You know that with that right support you‘ll get more freedom to do the things you love and are good at, and taking the business from strength [...]

05
Nov
Behind the Mask | What to expect when you’re not expecting

Have you ever been in a situation where you could not understand how someone you thought would be a great, became so wrong for your team? Or how someone you thought would struggle to make it happen, turned out to [...]

30
Oct
TIPS & TRICKS 4: Nice Personality – is it important or is it a trap?

We have another tip for you today from the area of people and building successful teams – and it’s an important one! NICE PERSONALITY: is it important or is it a Trap? We regularly speak with business owners and managers who [...]

21
Oct
Is It a bit Weird to Test Personality?!

One of the articles we’ve covered in the first issue of the Performia Teams Magazine, is Why should we test personality? Isn’t it a bit weird to test personality? Anyone who has ever thought about what personality is and where [...]

12
Oct
Do this right and your hiring will improve organically

The market is so full of companies hiring right now; 65,467 ads were posted on SEEK alone in the last 14 days. Most likely they’re your competitors. Part of growing your business relies on the critical factor whether those really [...]

07
Oct
If Only I Had The Right People

As David Coulthard, an ex Red Bull and McLaren Formula 1 Driver once said: “Good teamwork can be the difference between triumph or catastrophe”. And I agree 100%. To have GOOD, and effective teamwork, we need a few things to [...]

27
Sep
TIPS & TRICKS 3: How many hidden troublemakers do you have in your team?

Today’s tip is touching a sensitive, but very important area –  it’s about those individuals who work against the company. They stop, and slow down progress and do it in a hidden manner that is hard to detect. Undetected, they can [...]

15
Sep
3 Golden Rules of Successful Interviews

1) Begin the interview with an open mind. Begin the interview with an open mind. Do not let your personal opinions and ideas about the candidate “cloud your judgement” when you start the interview. This is valid for both positive [...]

05
Sep
The Worst Solution to A Critical Situation is to Do Nothing

How do you work with people in times of change? Particularly when a lot of things are changing and you need your team to run fast in one particular direction? The answer is, be easier, simpler. Don’t give them ten [...]

01
Sep
No Or Few of the Right Candidates – The Most Common Hiring Challenge

I bet you or someone you know has been in this situation before, where you really need to hire someone but just not getting enough candidates or the right candidates applying. And you are feeling it is because – It’s [...]

25
Aug
Managers! Let Your Team Do Their Job!

One of the biggest reasons why good people stay with a company, sometimes even when things get really tough, is because of their Managers and leadership style. And, without surprise, one of the biggest reasons people leave, is also for [...]

20
Aug
TIPS & TRICKS 2: Are you waiting for Godot?

Here is another tip from us which is about one basic mistake that happens during the hiring process. We call it, “waiting for Godot” which comes from a play by Samuel Beckett where two characters engage in a variety of discussions and [...]

17
Aug
Use These Tips When Hiring for Sales Roles

Good salespeople are essential for every business – and for buyers. Most people have experienced being on the receiving end of a good or bad salesperson as employers or clients. Whilst money and commissions are an important aspect of sales roles, the most crucial factor should be to [...]

14
Aug
Team of Doers or Performers?

Do you have a team of Doers or Performers? Every team and every organisation will have team members with varying levels of production. If you haven’t already, make sure you watch our “Cart” video, a short film about building a [...]

07
Aug
Can You Even Check Consistency and Accountability, Before Hiring?

Most companies understand the time, effort and cost associated with hiring, training and onboarding new team members. Whilst hiring and developing your team is not cheap, not hiring or not developing your team is more expensive – and what is most [...]

16
Jul
TIPS & TRICKS 1: Do not row with only one hand.

Today I have a hot tip for you. Let’s get straight to it… Do not row with only one hand. Have you ever experienced that you were not completely satisfied with some of your team? Maybe you see the good potential in some and perhaps that [...]

10
Jul
“Feel Good References” – The Horrible Truth

Most likely you have checklists with steps that need to be followed and checked off as they are complete. This helps to ensure nothing is missed whilst successful actions and consistency is maintained. This will also become particularly important as [...]

02
Jul
On the brink of disaster, turns profitable

Have you been in a situation where you felt it was all too late, there was no other solution or you felt the traditional norms had to stay and could not be changed? A $1.7 billion-a-year public enterprise in the [...]

24
Jun
Hiring System Without Resumes

Imagine a hiring system where you don’t even need to look at a resume, but you do get to find out about the return you would get on that investment, and whether it would be a wise decision. Usually when [...]

16
Jun
How Do You Compete With Big Salaries?

Have you ever felt you can’t grow your team because of high salary expectations? Or that you cannot attract the right people because you cannot compete with the companies that can afford to pay higher salaries? One of the key [...]

10
Jun
When it gets vague and confusing – Stop and take these steps

You may find it unpleasant when you cannot get the answers you’re seeking. For one reason or another, you are finding that things are getting vague, indirect, and sometimes this is enough to make someone doubt themselves. When things get [...]

28
May
How to create a high-performance culture

Having a high-performance culture doesn’t mean everything is always happy and rosy and everyone is giving high fives and dancing on tables. (For sure in the right moment all of that can happen!!) I am sure if you have ever [...]

20
May
How to Enhance the Mental Wellbeing of Your Team at Work

When we look at some common denominators that impact our team’s emotional state, mental bandwidth and wellbeing, it is usually related to these three areas: 1) There is something they cannot solve nor put their finger on.2) They are pushing [...]

13
May
How to Handle a Downturn in Sales

There are still a lot of amazing people out there looking for work and if you are still holding off, I urge you to think twice and minimally start advertising to attract these great people. I was speaking with a [...]

04
May
Do You Have a Statistics Reporting System?

I presented a webinar a few days ago on how to stabilise your company through your team. The feedback from attendees was that they now felt more motivated with actions to implement now and in the future to enhance the [...]

29
Apr
Three TIPS When Onboarding A New Team Member

When hiring a new person, usually the goal of a Manager is to set up the new person for success so they can prosper and that in return should allow the company to prosper. Then, the typical things that can happen is providing [...]

21
Apr
What and How to Communicate With Your Team Today

Article by Rastislav Zachar, Co-Founder & Co-Owner of Performia Czech Republic & Owner of Business Success, translated from Czech to English. Just as it is vitally important to remain in communication with our customers or suppliers, it is vitally important [...]

20
Apr
How to attract more of the right people

One of the biggest challenges businesses are having is not enough of the right candidates and no effective way to know before they hire someone – the potential of that person to be productive versus potentially destructive. When you consider [...]

15
Apr
The Power of Your Hiring Strategy

Most business leaders know that their people can make or break a business. But more accurately, it is your “people” strategy. If you have a great product or service, but don’t have the right people who will sell or deliver [...]

08
Apr
Candidate regret is on the rise, and offering higher salary won’t fix it

In a time when candidate regret is on the rise and the costs of hiring the wrong person are increasing, businesses need to improve their strategy for how they screen candidates to stay competitive. Strategies including offering higher salaries to attract candidates are ineffective and a sign of [...]

28
Mar
How to Communicate with Customers in the Current Situation

Article by Rastislav Zachar, Co-Founder of Performia Czech Republic & Owner of Business Success, translated from Czech to English. The old known truth that every organism is alive to the extent that it communicates with its environment is very true [...]

22
Mar
What Takes up Most of Your Time and Attention?

What would you do if you had 15 more hours in a week? Would this extra time help you achieve more results? Would it give you the time you need to prioritse your family and do even more of the [...]

18
Mar
The Most Common Challenges for Growing Businesses

One of the most important traits of successful leaders and managers is their ability to recognise “source”. Source is defined as; “a place, person, or thing from which something originates or can be obtained.” If you can correctly identify the [...]

11
Mar
This Is Why You Need a Contactless Hiring System

Imagine skiing in the Swiss Alps while having professionally and efficiently  completed several candidate interviews and finding the perfect candidate. Imagine spotting a standout productive candidate out of fifty applications, after the most beautiful and fun time with your kids. [...]

04
Mar
Enron and Volkswagen – What’s the Common Denominator?

Most likely you know about the Enron scandal in 2001 that led to the bankruptcy of the Enron Corporation and imprisonment of the former CEO, and more recently the Volkswagen Diesel scandal where it has been found that some of [...]

04
Mar
How to Effectively Use the Probationary Period | What to Do Before Hiring

The probationary period is set by the employer in the employment contract and is usually a 3 or 6 month period in which both the new team member and company can terminate the employment for any reason by providing as [...]

26
Feb
Save Time and Make the Right Choice for Your Hiring

Some companies hiring now will experience higher than usual number of candidates applying. This is in particular the case for roles that are already a bit popular. This has caused some Hiring Managers to switch off their ad after a [...]

19
Feb
When is it wrong to promote someone?

When is it wrong to promote someone? As business owners, executives or leaders of teams, you generally place yourself under the pressure to perform and we know we will get further when we have an effective team who will achieve [...]

12
Feb
Cost of Bad Hiring Decisions Runs High

A Harvard Business Review pointed out that as much as “80% of employee turnover is due to bad hiring decisions”. The article said “It can cost on average one-third of a new hire’s annual salary to replace him or her and those [...]

05
Feb
Brace for Impact! Where did you go wrong?

As a leader, it is important to always recognise the source in good times, and the bad. When everything’s going right and you’re succeeding – what is the cause? and when stats crash – what changed? Where did it go [...]

29
Jan
How long before you spot the bad hire? (and how to find the right fit)

New research has found that half of small or medium-sized Australian businesses are settling for hiring “okay” employees. Industry experts and small-business owners are arguing that it is time to change that. A business can only be as successful as [...]

22
Jan
What is the true cost of taking shortcuts?

What is the true cost of taking shortcuts? Recently I shared with you the disaster that Volkswagen had found itself in. Volkswagen were slow to release details at first but now seem to be telling the full story. The problem [...]

22
Jan
CLASSIFICATION OF PRODUCTIVITY—20% MAKES 80% OF THE PROFIT

If you could hire just the right people, your whole life and role as a manager would probably be like a dream. It is a fabulous difference between being right and wrong in the area of recruitment. If we were [...]

15
Jan
7A
HIRING THE WRONG PERSON CAN HAVE EXTREME CONSEQUENCES

When we first began screening candidates, the biggest shock for me was the realization of that extremely few people had a clear idea of how exactly they contributed to the organization they were working for. Just having a job and [...]

08
Jan
The Art of Building a Team

To really understand how to build a team is probably one of the most crucial abilities of a manager who not only want to but also can create winning and profitable businesses, time after time. “Team-building” is NOT something you [...]

01
Jan
Does Your Team Feel They’re Cutting Stones or Building a Pyramid?

Every year our global Performia team, executives from more than 24 countries come together for an international convention where we discuss new releases, successes and the incredible impact we are having on business growth, profitability and team productivity in our local regions. [...]

19
Oct
Three Things to Check When Hiring (Plus One Bonus Tip)

In a recent interview with SmartCompany, Performia Australia Founder & Director; Gareth was asked about three things small business owners should look for when checking a candidate. The three areas to check for businesses are – 1. Past production record. Ensure [...]

02
Aug