Industry Insights with David Ayre

Industry Insights with

David Ayre Charlotte Flatley

International Recruitment Specialist

The Insider �  Name: David Ayre

�  Position: Director

�  Company: Walker Andersen

�  Website: http://www.walkerandersen.com.au/

Tell us briefly about Walker Andersen and your position as Director of the Perth office.

�  Walker Andersen is part of the Andersen Partnership which was formed in June 2010.

�  As WA Director I am responsible for 3 local Andersen brands in Walker (Accounting & Finance), Sterling (Insurance) and Baker (Engineering, Construction and Resources).

�  We opened in July 2012 and currently employ 14 staff in WA with a projected headcount of 20 by the end of 2014.

�  The Andersen partnership is currently Australia’s fastest growing recruitment company and has plans to open in Singapore and Hong Kong in Q2 this year.

What are the three most important things you look for on a resume & how long do you feel a good resume should be?

The 3 most important things on a CV would be (in no particular order)

�  Key Achievements – Ways in which you have saved your employer time and/or money

�  Qualifications (relevant to the role you are applying for)

�  Detailed bullet points clearly showing what you were responsible for in each of your roles (full CV).

How important do you feel cover letters are?

�  I do not believe that cover letters are that useful if the CV is presented well.

�  Cover letters are useful when people are due to arrive in Australia and they want to notify you of the date and the visa under which they are coming.

�  Apart from that we can see which role you have applied for, we should be able to see your skills in the CV and we can assume that you are really keen on the role.

In your experience what do you see as the most common mistake people make on a resume?

The 2 most common mistakes that spring to mind are:

�  They cut duties and even roles out of the CV to make it fit 2 or 3 pages.

�  They duplicate their career history in a table or a long worded paragraph at the start of the CV.

In interviews, what is the most common mistake you see candidates make& how would you advise them with regards to preparation?

�  They assume that people will know what they did in the previous roles and fail to explain them clearly enough.

�  They also fail to prepare questions to ask at the end that will grab people’s attention.

What would be your advice to prospective candidates on the best way to promote& differentiate themselves in your current market?

�  Stay put for at least 2-3 years (longer if more senior) so that you are seen as stable.

�  Apply for roles where your skills are relevant and where the employer will honestly see you working for the next 3-4 years, not just any role because you are desperate.

How effective do you think LinkedIn is in recruiting and searching for candidates in your market?

�  This has been the stand out difference in the recruitment industry over the past 10 years.

�  It is used in many different ways and as long as it is used for the right reasons it can be very powerful for employers and job seekers.

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