Saira Mcintosh

We are not sure how we find ourselves in August of 2020 already, but as we reflect on July and some of the HBG Team achievements, one standout day was the opportunity that we had to visit a smoking ceremony in Bonnyrigg, NSW. Read this blog to find out why it was so special to Team HBG and what a smoking ceremony entails.

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Team HBG at Bonnyrigg NSW Smoking Ceremony Venue. Left to right; Andy Hughes (Recruitment Consultant- HBG), Sebastian Harrison- Barratt (Managing Director – HBG), Albert Davies (Traditional Aboriginal Dancer) and Dan Lanigan-Ryan (Recruitment Consultant-HBG).

Smoking ceremonies are an ancient custom among Aboriginal Australians in which native plants are burnt to produce smoke and acknowledge the ancestors and pay respect to the land, waters and sea of the country. The smoke is believed to have healing and cleansing properties and is regularly carried out when new building works are due to commence. This ceremony was a great opportunity for the team to further develop their network within the Indigenous labour-hire market and to further strengthen existing client relationships.

Dan – Recruitment Consultant HBG reflected on his experience at the Smoking Ceremony by saying;

‘It was an interesting insight into another culture and way of thinking. It is absolutely brilliant to pay homage to native landowners and to be invited along to witness the traditions was an absolute pleasure and an experience I will take with me into my own work within the Indigenous Labour sector.’

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HBG Labour Hire Division

‍Harrison Barratt Group is proud to also have an Indigenous Labour Hire division which focuses specifically on placing indigenous candidates into the workplace. Strong partnerships across the indigenous market with the NSWICC and career agencies ensure that HBG is at the forefront of providing Indigenous opportunities across Construction and Infrastructure sites in NSW and ACT predominantly. HBG’s proud partnership with NSWICC ensures that indigenous communities are supported into fulfilling and rewarding work, and that our clients are provided with ‘Superior People and Superior Service’. Not only do we tirelessly work to support indigenous candidates into the workplace, but we also work with clients to support Government requirements across construction sites, making this a collaborative and rewarding programme for all stakeholders.

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If you would like more information on what value HBG – Indigenous Labour Hire can add to your organisation please do not hesitate to get in touch via the below channels;

Phone – 0291686870

Email – info@harrisonbarratt.com.au / saira@harrisonbarratt.com.au

Don’t forget to leave us a comment and tell us what you thought to our blog post or ask any questions you may have about smoking ceremonies or HBG Indigenous Division.

You have worked hard to gain qualifications, skills and / or experience, but you just don’t know how to lay it out and demonstrate that to your prospective employer? Don’t worry, you are not alone! This is very common, especially in the construction and infrastructure industries. This blog has been designed to give you five areas of focus when you’re writing and reviewing your CV so you can make sure it stands out to recruiters and lands you that job you have always wanted!

Opening Statement / Personal Profile

‍On average a recruiter will only look at your CV for between 5 – 7 seconds, so the first impression always counts. Your opening statement should encompass what you can offer an organisation alongside what sort of role you are searching for. It should be short and concise, not exceeding around 4 lines of an A4 page. It is a brief overview of year’s experience, relevant qualifications, desired roles.

Chronology

‍Ensure that your CV demonstrates your most recent experience first as typically this is the most relevant experience to the role you are applying for. This helps a recruiter to review your experience with ease. Remember, your CV should be easy to read and should be answering any questions along the way (e.g. gaps in your working history should always be accounted for).

Key Skills

‍Consider listing a handful of Key Skills which are relevant to your desired job role and which you think you perform to a high standard. For example, if you were applying for a role as a Demolition Labourer, one of your key skills may be ‘Proficient in use of a Jackhammer’. This helps your application stand out to a recruiter, and will allow them to identify that you will be a good fit for a role. Also, more commonly recruiters are doing key-word searches to screen CV’s, making sure you include the ‘buzz-words’ for your industry will help to get you noticed.

Key Achievements

‍Underneath each role you have held consider listing your key achievements, these are less about the tasks you completed and more about how you impacted the role. For example, as a general labourer, a task you may complete is ‘Health and Safety Inspections’. Your key achievement in this area may be ‘Zero accidents during a 10 year career, as a result of 100% completion of safety inspections’. This point helps to expand on why you are of value to the organisation, and how you add your own personality onto tasks that are required of you. However, the key here is to make sure you don’t overcomplicate the point you are trying to make.

Qualifications

‍Any qualifications or tickets you have should always be displayed on your CV to demonstrate there relevance to the role you are applying for. For example, if you have a Masters Degree, it may be less relevant to talk about your school leavers exams. However, if you are just starting your career and you have less experience in the field that you are applying in, but you have relevant qualifications, you need to make these stand out. Do so by demonstrating which areas of the role you are applying for, you learnt during your studies, and whether this was a practical or theoretical application of knowledge. By doing so, you help to show how you can transfer your classroom knowledge into workplace skills.

Finally, don’t forget that the key to a stand-out CV is always your cover letter. Your covering letter is your story, it details more about where you are in your life at the point of applying, and why you are looking for a new role. For example, if you are relocating, returning from maternity leave or recently got made redundant, your cover letter is a good place to explain this in more detail. Alongside this it is your opportunity to show some more of your personality, and to really win round a recruiter, without the formalities of a structured CV. However, be wary on making them too long, a good cover letter should not exceed 1 A4 page, and should still include the formalities of address, contact details and a signature to sign it off.

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Think you have mastered the art of a stand out CV? Send it through to

info@harrisonbarratt.com.au for one of our recruiters to take a look!

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As specialist recruiters we spend lots of time talking to clients about labour requirements, yet far less time talking them through the benefits of the service we offer. Why? Because sometimes labour-hire is seen as a short term solution, something that will plug a hole until a permanent team member can be onboarded, or something that will help meet a deadline. Labour hire is much more than a temporary resource so we are writing today to tell you more about the holistic value it will add to your organisation.

Skill Shortages – no problem!

As a labour-hire company, your skill shortages are our problem. HBG have an extensive book of workers who are highly skilled in multiple fields. Having this means that we are able to source specialisms that fit your requirements with far more ease and pace than you could by going direct. We also guarantee you someone there, no more relying on just one person. If that person let’s you down it is our responsibility to get you someone else there on the same day.

Flexibility Guaranteed

‍If you’re not sure how long the work may take, or COVID and other factors are creating uncertainty in your organisation, then labour-hire can help to absorb the risk of permanent hires. All workers are employed by the labour-hire company through a labour-hire agreement making all employment matters the suppliers responsibility. What’s more, if things change, you can onboard on a temp to perm basis with HBG making this seamless for the worker and you.

Cash Flow Improvements

‍Here at HBG we offer to match your payment terms with your client. In doing so, this means you can manage cash flow more effectively. We also guarantee weekly pay runs for our workers, which means they don’t see any difference to the rest of the industry.

People Matter’s are our matters

‍Many employers resent the time spent on paperwork and managing teams instead of just getting the job done. This is why we recruit, onboard, allocate and pay the workers, meaning all of that paperwork sits on our desk and not yours. HBG are also responsible for Workers Insurance and Claims, which takes another element of risk away from you and onto us.

With offices across Sydney, Canberra and soon to be Melbourne, alongside an Indigenous Labour Hire partner, HBG have your labour-hire requirements fulfilled. If you’re still not convinced, request a copy of our rates to see the true value we add to your organisation.

Contact the team on:Phone: 0291686870
Email: info@harrisonbarratt.com.au