ADvTECH RESOURCING BRANDS MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

IT EDGEr e c r u i t m e n tthe choice of professionals

Summer Fun

Issue 3: In this issue of Resourceful Chatter, we give you a taste of summer.

Remember to always laugh a bit, it just makes our jobs so much easier. Here’s two of my funniest incidents thus far.

We once represented a very skilled, yet vertically challenged, applicant who was sent to Investec for an interview. At Investec, they follow a process whereby the Receptionist takes a digital photo of the visitor and this is emailed to the person you are meeting. This person then knows who you are, and comes down to meet you at reception.

Due to his height, or lack thereof, a blank photo was all the Receptionist could get without offending this applicant. A blank photo was emailed to the relevant person who must have been very confused and perhaps thought the Receptionist had lost her mind. I bet the interviewer came down to reception with the intention of calling the Receptionist incompetent, but she figured it out after seeing the little person. We laughed a lot when she called to relate the story to me.

Lesson: Take the picture yourself if your applicant is vertically challenged. Real lesson: Tell the client what to expect. Once in a while I come across a “charity case” that I assist in finding a job, without charging my client a fee. I usually get rewarded with a story that can never be forgotten. My last case was an applicant who lived on the not-so-nice side of Turfontein. He was about 30 years old and had good qualifications but never had a formal job in his field of study. He was single and still living with his mom. I asked him to come in for a meeting with me and he said that he does not have his own car but that his mom would bring him. On the day of the interview our Receptionist informed me that my applicant had arrived slightly before his interview time. I went out to meet with him and saw a woman sitting next to him in our reception area. From my conversation with him, I assumed this

to be his mum. No excuse for what I did next, but she looked much older than he was. Not to be rude I introduced myself to this woman, turned to my applicant saying “This must be your mum?” Both of them looked at me with embarrassment and I immediately knew I had put my foot in it. I started turning red myself. The applicant said “No Kobus, this is my girlfriend!”

Lesson: If your applicant lives with his mum, ask him to send you a picture of her. Real lesson: Never assume in recruitment and don’t ask leading questions. Keep it simple, let them do the talking sometimes.

I am sure that we all have some interesting stories to tell from our time in recruitment, so let’s remember them, share them and learn from them.

Kobus Kemp, Senior Consultant, IT Edge

THE PEOPLE’S PAPER

The Funny Game Called reCruITmenTby Kobus Kemp - Senior Consultant - IT Edge

Photo: Kobus Kemp

IT EDGEr e c r u i t m e n tthe choice of professionals

W e ’ r e a l l g o i n g o n a s u m m e r h o l i d a y.T h e c o u n t d o w n h a s b e g u n , f o r l o t s o f f u n i n t h e s u n .

Recipe Monthly YUMMIES

3/4 cup pumpkin2 tablespoons molasses3/4 cup white sugar1/2 teaspoon salt1 1/2 tablespoons flour2 eggs, separatedMilk combined with 1 can of evaporated milk1 teaspoon cinnamon1/4 teaspoon ground ginger2 tablespoons Myers rum

Pie shell

Separate eggs. In a clean bowl beat egg whites only until slightly foamy. In a measuring cup, add 1 can of evaporated milk. Add regular milk until level in measuring cup reaches 1 1/2 cups total. In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except egg whites. Beat one minute. Gently fold in egg whites. Pour into pie shell. Bake at 220°C for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 180°C and continue baking for 30 more minutes.

4 cups cooked, mashed pumpkin 2 eggs 1 cups flour Pinch of salt 1 teaspoon baking powder 30 ml (2 tablespoons heaped) sugar

Combine all ingredients, making a soft batter, and fry spoonfuls in shallow oil till both sides are lightly browned. Drain on paper and serve warm with cinnamon sugar or caramel sauce.

Cinnamon Sugar

Take 30ml of ground cinnamon and mix with 180ml of sugar. Sprinkle over pancakes as much as desired and keep rest in bottle for later use. (Tastes good over sweet potatoes too.)

PumPKIn PIeChaTTer

!

FitnessChaTTer!

PumPKIn FrITTerS

Reebok’s new EasyTone footwear with balance pod technology will forever change the way footwear and exercise are viewed. Now women everywhere can tone key leg muscles while they go about their daily routines.

Holiday

From Cape Town to Maptaland the range of beach and ocean-side destinations in South Africa is quite overwhelming. From the potential for on-road/off-road and self-drive touring, to dive, golf, whale watching, shark diving, beachside spa and wellness, big, small and medium game fishing.If nothing else, the great food and wine culture of the Cape set, against a backdrop of endless temperate coastline that speaks in hushed tones of the elegance and sophistication of Cape society.

10 Cape Vidal

This is part of the Greater St. Lucia Wetlands Park, a complex of unique eco-zones that encompass a UNESCO International Heritage Site. This is South Africa’s tropical coastline, and is situated in the wild and beautiful Maputaland region. South Africa has few coastal regions that can be described as being truly off the beaten trail, but this is one.

9 DurbanA great rarity among African coastal metropolis is a viable and adjacent beach culture, but Durban is the exception. Durban is the sultry port city of KwaZulu-Natal, with all the spice and sophistication to reflect the multi-culturalisim that makes South Africa such a uniquely interesting destination. All of Durban’s beaches are lively, colorful and clean. Most are Blue Flag rated, and although as in most big cities the beachfront can be dangerous after dark, during peak hours the waterfront is packed with entertainments and is a great family destination.

8 Willard Beach, BallitoThis is one of the signature KwaZulu-Natal beaches, set against a backdrop of holiday accommodation and tourist facilities, that has a long sandy beach for a leisurely stroll, or a day or two of family beachside fun. The tourist angle is not overbearing, the sea is warm and the surf mild, with plenty of entertainment options including golf, scuba, microlite flights and a selection of great seafood restaurants.

7 Margate/Ramsgate

The KwaZulu-Natal South Coast is the raucous cousin of the quietly sophisticated Cape and Garden Route coastline. Filled with color and vivacity, and set against a shockingly green backdrop of estuaries and verdant forests and hillsides, this is South Africa’s favorite resort destination, and is packed to the gills with family entertainment. Margate and Ramsgate beaches are within a few miles of each other, and are ringed with holiday accommodation, malls, restaurants and recreational facilities. Light surf, soft sand and great lifeguard facilities make these two the top South Coast beaches.

6 Mdumbe Beach/Wild CoastMdumbe Beach typifies the long expanses of un-trodden beach that so characterize the Wild Coast. Fringed by milkwoods, rolling grassland and rural African homesteads, the Wild Coast is a rare sight in a highly developed region, and is one of the most beautiful and unspoilt regions of a beautiful country.

5 Humewood Beach, Port Elizabeth

As the south coast road drifts south towards Port Elizabeth the texture of the seaboard changes from tropical to temperate, and the more traditional sights and sounds of old South Africa come to the fore. Humewood Beach is a typical Eastern Cape seascape with mild surf and wide expanses of sandy beach. PE is close to the Addo Elephant Park and the famed Cape Garden Route. Port Elizabeth is an historic South African city.

4 Grotto Beach

Grotto beach is the signature white sand Cape seascape set in Hermanus, the signature Cape Coast small town. Hermanus is the whale watching capital of South Africa, besides which it is one of the most sublimely pleasant settlements in the region. With white dunes, a mountain backdrop, easy access to some of the best food and wine purveyors on the coast and with unobtrusive beach facilities, this is one of SA’s top beach spots.

3 Jeffreys Bay

The home to the perfect wave, and the surf capital of SA. Set against a typical East Coast backdrop of sand, dunes and aloes, Jeffreys Bay is home to the annual Billabong Pro WCT surfing event and boasts one of South Africa’s many Blue Flag beaches. It is also famous for seafood, particularly calamari, and for a variety of watersports and venture activities. Jeffreys Bay is definitely one of SA’s premier beach destinations.

2 Gaansbaai

Visitors to Gaansbaai are not usually thinking about the beach. This is the cage diving mecca of South Africa where close encounters with great whites are a daily feauture. Despite this, Gaansbaai is another of those languid stretches of white sandy beach with dunes and mountains to set the soul aslumber. Great food and wine are also a feature of this Cape Coast Wonderland.

1 Cape Town

Cape Town is not a beach but a cluster of beaches, and all rank up there as among the best in the land. Clifton Beach is perhaps the most famous, but others like the nudist Sandy Beach, and Muizenberg, Kalk Bay, Boulders Beach, Noordhoek and Camps Bay all grace this most beautiful of all the worlds graceful cities. Cape Town is a jewel, and as a coastal town one of the choisest in the world. It cannot be beat, so don’t even try.

Beach Facts:

The KwaZulu-Natal South Coast and Maputaland are comfortable all year round, although summertime (October - March) can get very hot and sticky. There is always a Christmas holiday rush at all of South Africa’s holiday destinations, and in particular at beach resorts, so advance booking or avoidance is the key here.The waters of the Atlantic Seaboard – those around Cape Town as far east as Hermanus, and along the coast west of Cape Town, are always cold. This is a summertime destination with sea temperatures in the region of 12C or 13C, while further east, as the Indian Ocean currents appear, water temperatures rise to 21C and 24C on beaches around Durban and north-east, up to Cape Vidal. Summer air temperatures range from a low of 22C in Nature’s Valley, to 28C plus in Camp’s Bay [Cape Town], Durban and up to Cape Town.

http://www.southafricalogue.com/travel-tips/top-ten-south-african-beaches.html

ChaTTer!

ToP 10 beaCheS In SouTh aFrICa

Weekend

JHB Summer Food & Wine FestivalJohannesburg - Food & Drink07 November 09 - 08 November 09Zoo Lake Sports Grounds

2009 sees the first JHB SUMMER FOOD FESTIVAL take place in Park Wood Johannesburg atthe Zoo Lake Sports Fields. The JHB SUMMER FOOD FESTIVAL 2009 is a two day celebration of fabulous food, glorious wines, mellow music and endless fun for the entire family!

R150 per person.t 011 781 5351e brett@aecexpo.co.zaw www.jhbfoodfest.co.za

The Night Before ChristmasCape Town - Family24 November 09 - 24 December 09The New Space Theatre, 44 Long Street

The NewSpace Theatre is pleased to add to its bumper festive line-up the magical musical tale for families and children aged three and up.”THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS” with day-time performances, commencing November 23rd 2009.

This delightful family musical for everyone from 3 years of age and up, was originally created by the founder of the Big Wooden Horse Company, one of the United Kingdom’s finest children’s theatre companies. The show features orginal music and colourful sets and costumes.

DAY TIME PERFORMANCES:Mondays to Saturdays23RD NOVEMBER TO 24TH DECEMBER 2009 11am and 2pm.Tickets are R60. Available at Computicket or through the theatre.

t 021 422 5522w www.newspacetheatre.co.za

Stereo Sushi Ladies NiteDurban09 December 09De La Sol Bar, 258 Florida Road

Stereo Sushi Ladies Nite at De La Sol. Join us for a candle-lit ladies fashion show...

Merchandise on sale after the show! Gents welcome after 10pm!

Starts at 19h00.

t 031 312 9436e byron@delasol.co.za

www.whatson.co.za

ChaTTer!

The name, Scirocco, translates roughly into a hot wind that blows from North Africa across the Mediterranean to Southern Europe. This wind of change also applies to the VW Scirocco, the modern remake of the 1974 classic, as it has changed the local car climate with it’s stylish looks and firebrand performance.

Tech spec Engine: 2.0l TSI DSG Power: 6.46 seconds Cost: R336 500 Fuel: 9.12l/100km Info: www.vw.co.za

The ride: The first thing your mate, uncle, brother-in-law or random car lover will say about this car is that it is simply a dressed-up GTI. The truth? They are very different cars. Yes, they share the same platform and an engine that is a work of mechanical art, but that’s where the similarities end. One look at the Scirocco, and you can see that there has been some serious surgery on the body compared to the GTI. The dimensions are radically different - the most startling being the 95mm nip in height and a 40mm increase in length. These two changes and the lines of the three-door shape combine to create a powerful package of seductive design and tight handling. The front of the car has been widened and along with the sharp angle of the bonnet and windscreen, the car seems to hunker down onto its wheels in a very

menacing pose. It’s like a sprinter at the starting line,

and once you accelerate, the sprinting metaphor

makes all kinds of sense. This triangular,

doorstop-like shape translates into

w i n d - c u t t i n g aerodynamics,

and places m o r e emphasis on the

muscular wheel arches and tight rear with its exposed twin exhausts and seductive spoiler. All of these nip-and-tucks have resulted in a lower, tighter ride that’ll have you depressing the pedals a lot more than you thought you would. Once again, your mate or uncle will cry out that the GTI’s handling and sense of balance can’t be beaten. The truth? The Scirocco’s handling and weight dynamics are slightly better thanks to the lower centre of gravity and reworked shape. The 2.0l engine is the same as in the GTI, but it has been tweaked with some technical modifications to provide torque earlier, and to respond better to high-revving. The suspension is satisfyingly hard, but if you would like a comfier ride, you can choose to pay a little more for the optional Dynamic Chassis Control system. The DSG gearbox is a real treat, and the paddles on the wheel add a new dimension to your drive. Drive in normal mode and it behaves very maturely. Engage the sport mode with a satisfying down click on the gearbox, and it transforms a red-lining monster with delusions of supercar grandeur - all while maintaining a secure sense of safety thanks to a brilliant set of brakes and tight driving dynamics.

The finishes: The low-slung, seductive looks of the car garners more attention than ninety percent of the cars on the road, and in doing that, fulfills its function of providing

something out of the ordinary - just like its famous ancestors. The front of the car has chrome headlamps and a knife-thin grille that emphasizes the VW badge on the bonnet. The pillar-less doors add sports-car status to the car, and once you are seated in the low driving position with the bucket seat and thick steering wheel - you’ll start to believe it is a sports car. Unfortunately, the driving enjoyment won’t be shared by the passengers in the back, as there is very little space (and height) and there’s practically no view through the side windows. Interior-wise, this is pure VW. Understated quality and quiet efficiency rule the cabin, and with the advent of the new touchscreen, the controls are very easy to use. There’s also some decent climate control, and the sound system fulfills its job quite easily. However, there is a small, nagging voice that keeps mentioning the price tag. Considering what you’re paying, you would expect more luxury, or at least some more functionality packed into the interior. Overall though, this car has been crafted with the attention to detail of an obsessive-compulsive. Will I want one? Look past the slightly impractical two-door status and the tiny boot load lip, and you’ll enjoy the Scirocco for its prime function - to provide something out-of-the-ordinary that’ll turn heads for its looks and its performance. We love... The whiplash-inducing looks. The tight handling and balance. We hate... Slightly boring, conservative interior. The boot load lip. The price. Hot on wheels rating… 9/10

http://www.mh.co.za/downtime/1770/Rider-on-the-storm

rIder on The STorm

Company

1. Lara Pienaar from Network IT Recruitment made R128 400 for the month of September!

2. Hanja Els from Network Finance Audit made her biggest placement to date, value R106 000.00 early in October. She then achieved her personal best of R341 000 placed referred for September.

3. Denite van Aardt from Network Engineering Sales has been elected as the Divisional HESIO representative for ADvTECH Resourcing 2009 - 2010. Her contribution to the HESIO committee has been commendable and we want to take this opportunity to wish her success in this term. Congratulations.

4. Tamsin Emmerich from Communicate Personnel Executive IT division made an awesome achievement of R349K for September placed referred!

5. Angie Scaife from IT EDGE made her single biggest placement valued at R130K. We are very proud of you!

6. Andree Luscombe from Communicate Personnel Durban Freight and Logistics was on R237 072 placed referred for September by week 5. 7. Lara Cronje from Communicate Finance: Specialist Resource, has achieved R415 617 placed referred for September 2009.

8. Firdows Suleman from Network Finance CA achieved 18 referrals and R72 000 placed referred, within her 1st month in the CA niche, and this is not all her placed referred yet!

9. Nomonde Tom is back at Insource.ICT! Congratulations on the birth of your baby boy Lenono.

10. Natashya Basson from Network IT Recruitment had a beautiful baby girl, Alney. She weighs 3.05kgs.

11. IT Edge achieved a record sales month for October of R445 000. Well done!

12. Annemie Vermeulen from Network Engineering Sales achieved placements to the value of R136 000 for October! Awesome achievement, well done!

oCTober reCoGnITIonChaTTer!

The traditional job board business model is outdated, making it unable to compete with the innovation and cost savings of search engines and social media. Employers that are exclusively focusing on job boards for recruitment will come up short in the war for talent as generalised job boards are losing their effectiveness.

Traditional job boards are nothing more than digital versions of the old careers sections in newspapers, providing an online view of the printed recruitment classifieds. Built on an outdated business model that charges a fortune for the widest reach possible when, in reality, employers need highly targeted campaigns that can be executed at the best price, the days of the old job board model are numbered.

Compared with the low cost of delivering job alerts via Google Adwords or social networking sites such as Facebook (www.facebook.com), Linkedin (www.linkedin.com) and Twitter (www.twitter.com), job boards cost thousands of rands per month. Additionally, the segmentation and targeting capabilities of Web 2.0 platforms enable employers to attract the cream of the crop while general

job boards yield large amounts of hit-and-miss CVs from general skills candidates.

Job boards offer employers little competitive advantage as everyone posts their jobs to the same audience, and accesses the same bank of CVs. Furthermore, job boards are focused on active job seekers, which typically have non-scarce skills in plentiful supply (a bit like fishing for sardines). Companies that need to attract these hard-to-find skills (a bit more like fishing for marlin) need to extend their recruitment strategies beyond job boards or face losing out on a large portion of top talent.

Niche job portals are a bit more effective as they are able to engage with specific candidates and target job seekers that cannot be reached through general job boards, but it still leaves employers with the mass of sardines in the sector.

The solution for employers is to look at internal job boards or career sites, building up their own private pool of candidates. While these work much the same as an external job board, career sites provide employers with a greater competitive advantage as

only the company itself can access the information. It can be very successful if it’s marketed effectively. This requires every job notice placed on other websites or external platforms to have a call-to-action, redirecting candidates to the company’s own career site where they then have the opportunity to register their details.Advertising on job board aggregators such as CareerJet (www.careerjet.co.za) can also work well, as these provide job seekers with a consolidated view of all the jobs from one sector.

Employers have been sold on the concept that job boards will get them candidates quicker and cheaper. This is no longer true. Employers need to re-evaluate the role of job boards in their recruitment strategies, incorporating them in the online recruitment marketing mix, rather than keeping it a standalone strategy. They also need to develop an understanding of how search engines and social media platforms can complement this process, or get left behind as their competitors snap up all the good people.

http://www.hrfuture.net

GeneralISed onlIne job boardS an exerCISe In FuTIlITy

RecruitmentChaTTer!

Well done to the 3rd Quarter winners,

we are all very proud of you

Angie Scaife(consultant)from IT Edge, received flowers from an

applicant even though she was not able to place her!

“Dear Angie, Thank you for your help during my

search for employment, Kind regards,”

WonderFul exerCISe In Crm!

Company

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why do we save to the “H:” drive and not “My Documents” or my “Desktop”?

A: You should have noticed that your PC does not actually have a default “My Documents” shortcut. Although the folder does still exist we try to force you to save to the H: drive instead. The “My Documents” folder resides on your local PC which does not get backed up. So if your PC had to crash you would lose any information that was on it. This same principle also applies to your Desktop. One last thing to note is that we don’t allow any non business related media files on the servers such as music, movies, etc. We do delete these files if we find them, without notification.

Q: Why do we have to change passwords?

A: Changing passwords for many people is like paying tax. You know you have to do it but you try to avoid the inevitable. From an IT point of view the main reason is security. This is similar to having to change access codes for offices every 6 months or even changing residential complex access codes periodically. If you don’t do this, eventually a lot of people will know the code and have access to the complex even if they do not necessarily know anybody that lives there. Another reason from an IT point of view is people who leave the company. If we forget to disable the user, the password would just expire anyway preventing any future access by that person - should they attempt to do so for any reason.

Q: What happens if I don’t change my password before it expires?

A: This doesn’t happen often but if you do not change your password and it expires there will be one of 2 outcomes. If you haven’t logged on you will be forced to change your password upon logon, no problem. If you were logged in, however, this would result in a denial of service. Essentially your email, shared drives and even internet will stop working. If this happens we recommend you restart your PC and logon again. You will then be asked to change your password.

Q: Why do we have limits on mailbox size?

A: Another common question. There are lots of reasons for this but the main reasons are performance and manageability of Microsoft Exchange. I won’t delve into technical details but the same principle applies to why you shouldn’t open up infinite documents on a PC. Servers have limited resources just as workstations, so we have to keep Exchange running within these limits. If we were to allow unlimited mailbox sizes we would eventually run into a situation where the server would no longer cope and eventually just stop working, which would then result in downtime for everyone. As an aside I have the same limit as everyone else which is 256MB before I get a warning. In the IT TIP below I cover how to check the size of your mailbox.

Standard Mailbox Size Limits:

256MB – You get a warning email overnight which means it’s time to start cleaning up. You can still send and receive email. 288MB – You will no longer be able to send email but you will still receive email. 352MB – You will no longer be able to send or receive email.

IT TIP: How to check your Mailbox Folder Size. Before I get into it lets go over the differences between your “Mailbox” and “Personal Folders” (PST). In the picture below you will see the “Mailbox” (Blue Box) and all of its subfolders which contribute to your size limit. Just below is your Personal Folders (Green Box) or PST for short. This file resides on your “H:” drive and can be used to archive emails that you do not want to delete. We suggest instead of deleting any business related emails, you rather move them here. As an example I created a folder called “IT Support” (Red Box) where I will be able to move any emails related to IT requests.

To check the size of your “Mailbox”.

1. In Outlook, right click on your Mailbox.2. This will bring up a menu, now click on

3. This will bring up a separate window (Below ); now click on the “Folder Size” button.4. Another window called “Folder Size” will show (Below Right); now click on the “Server Data” tab.

In the “Folder Size” window you will see the “Total size (including subfolders):” row with a number on the right, above this is 260530 KB. Our limit is 256 MB before you get a warning. If you lose the last 3 digits on this number you get approx 260 MB which is about our warning limit. In truth the correct calculation would show it to be a bit below, but as a yardstick the above tells me I need to start cleaning up my mailbox. Now if you look at the subfolders section I have highlighted the important folders (Red Boxes) that contribute the most to the mailbox size. These are “Deleted Items”, “Inbox”, “Junk Email” and “Sent Items”. These are the folders that you should cleanup regularly by moving old items to the same folders in your PST. You can of course create customs folders in here such as “IT Support” in my example.

IT FaQ & TIPS

ChaTTer!Your ADvTECH Resourcing IT team has put together some frequently asked questions and tips that can help with some of the most common frustrations experienced every day with your workstations.