A recruiter is tempting jobseekers with six weeks of paid leave ... before the work even begins

THE battle for top talent has reached a new level, with one recruiter offering new consultants six weeks of paid holiday leave before they even start their job.

THE battle for top talent has reached a new level, with one recruiter offering new consultants six weeks of paid holiday leave before they even start their job.

HorizonOne Recruitment is looking for five new recruitment consultants to join its Canberra office and has thrown the doors open to interstate applicants with the tempting offer.

The paid leave is not only an appealing perk but allows new workers time to relocate and settle in before starting their role.

Simon Cox, co-director of HorizonOne, says talented recruitment consultants are incredibly hard to find despite the rapid growth of the industry.

HorizonOne Recruitment co-director Simon Cox. Picture: Supplied

“The irony is not lost on us. It is the classic ‘plumber with the leaky taps’ situation,” he says.

“There is a serious under supply problem that is getting worse. Canberra is particularly problematic, as it can take more than nine months to source a talented consultant.”

ABS figures show there are 68,300 human resources professionals in Australia and just 1000 of these are based in the ACT.

Most are in New South Wales (28,100) and Victoria (16,000).

Cox says high performing recruiters are busy and don’t have time to entertain the idea of moving to a new city.

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HorizonOne co-director David Harrington empathises as he relocated his family from London to Canberra eight years ago.

“The logistics were difficult enough, and that’s not to mention settling my daughter into a new school and finding our groove in a new city,” Harrington says.

“The six-weeks paid leave offering is drawn from my experience. It will give our new employees the time they need to get settled into their new life.”

Once the holiday is over, the roles are full-time consultant positions specialising in recruiting for accounting and finance, administration and office support, government, human resources, marketing and sales, senior executives, project managers and business analysts, property and procurement, and independent consultants.

Salaries are $60,000 to $90,000 a year plus super and workers can take advantage of sponsored external learning opportunities, free on-site parking, an extra week of loyalty leave after being with the company for two years, and Culture Club activities such as laser tag, karting and Friday drinks.

The HorizonOne team at Mt Kosciuszko. Picture: Supplied

So what does it take to land a role?

Cox says great recruiters come from a wide variety of professional backgrounds but typically are naturally curious, are resilient, can solve problems, have strong emotional intelligence and easily engage and communicate with people.

The advertisement asks for “people that see recruitment as their chosen career” and “who are passionate about working hard and making a real impact on people’s lives”.

OTHER PERKS USED TO ATTRACT WORKERS

Unlimited annual leave

Companies such as eHarmony, Virgin and Netflix have got on this bandwagon. With many roles no longer conforming to the traditional nine-to-five and many workers remaining connected to communications even when on holidays, it doesn’t make much difference if they are in the office or on a beach as long as work is being done on time.

Star-studded overseas trips

Recognition of performance has moved beyond the humble “Employee of the Month” awards to include prizes from traditional monetary bonuses to tickets to off-site events. Flight Centre’s top performers are sent on annual overseas Global Gathering conferences in locations such as Macau, Cancun and Las Vegas, with celebrity guests such as Fatboy Slim and Michael J Fox.

Gym memberships

Free or subsidised on-site gyms are not only a perk for workers but improve health and wellbeing which in turn reduces sick leave for the company.

Food and drinks

Whether it’s a fridge full of beer and wine or unlimited lattes or free fruit and biscuits for snack breaks, appealing to workers appetites is increasingly common. It’s a relatively inexpensive way to boost company culture and attract top candidates.

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