"I actually think that Kiwis in general still have a sense of pride in workmanship. I'm not saying nobody else does, but I think that is quite a strong attribute among Kiwis".
So spoke the British owner of 'Salperton IV', as quoted in Boating New Zealand, when asked about why he came back to NZ for his latest super yacht.
It also echoes a key goal of marinejobs: the sense of pride derives from doing the spadework honestly and diligently and marrying up a great employer with a loyal and productive team member, which is a huge source of job satisfaction.
There is also no doubt at all that New Zealand has a special combination of environment, skills, resources and ambitions for sustained growth that makes it a force to be reckoned with in the global marine market.
Too many times, recruiters have earned a shoddy reputation for simply pushing the first body through the door forward for the role and taking a fat fee for little apparent effort(in other words, 'throw enough mud and some of it will stick somewhere'). That can understandably cause companies to prefer to go it alone when recruiting new staff.
The global slump has changed all of that, with many agencies falling by the wayside and we believe that the recruitment model has probably changed for better. Companies have had to learn new methods to find staff and will not willingly return to the 'old' days.
A valued client recently remarked to me that he continued to consult with us because we came at his challenges from the 'left field', offering up potential staff members who might otherwise have been overlooked through his own screening processes, as well as enriching the overall selection process.
Remember also that when using our services you are paying for a lot of 'behind-the-scenes' effort which you will never see - advertising, screening CV's, interviewing potential candidates - which of course leaves you free to concentrate on your core business until you are ready to meet with the short-listed hopefuls.
We sometimes explain that you are paying for an iceberg, but all you actually want to see or know about, frankly, is the candidate population above the waterline, leaving you free to do more productive things inyour business.
Any candidate on teh final shortlist should fulfil the majority of your role brief, and so all you have to do is to decide who you think is the very best for your requirements, and whose personality will meld the best.
Helping us to help you... a little effort up front will reap dividends
The single best thing you can do is to set a little time aside and write down exactly what you require from the new person, in the form of a Job Description or briefing document, talk it through in a kick-off meeting and then leave the rest to us.
If such does not already exist, and you need assistance in pulling something appropriate together, we're happy to assist, as it makes the work downstream so much easier and increases the chances of a succesful outcome to your search.
This would apply equally to a permanent or a contract/temporary role.
Remember also that timely feedback once we are rolling is helpful for us and for the candidate, who may be weighing up other opportunities of equal merit to yours and will not be prepared to hang around unduly for a decision.
One size does not fit all...
There is no one recruitment approach that fits every customer's needs and budget, and so we will adapt the job to be done in line with your requirements.
If you want to be involved in the search and selection process or have some of the work done at your site, that is fine.
If you wish the advertising to bear your company brand and have all enquiries channelled to us, no problem at all.
Call us today for a chat about what you need to achieve.
There are some simple personal values at the core of what we do:
> Founded on relationships - we do not do the 'hard sell' and push, and indeed, we look for evidence of your own motivation and commitment before taking on a new placement.
It is important that the right person is located for your requirements, because we're here for the long-term - but we will also ensure that you do not overlook genuine potential when it is staring you in the face
> Doing the right thing - a work ethos built on integrity and trust, where a handshake is as good as a contract
> Focus on results - we have to deliver what you need at the right price, and the right result often takes determination and resilience to deliver
> Practical 'can do' attitude - pragmatic and positive
> Professional - we use ears and mouth in the correct proportions, listening to customer needs before we decide how best to fulfil them at a sensible price
The bottom line is that we are here to deliver outstanding customer service - because we care.
Our approach to recruitment is geared to leaving you to get on with running your company whilst we do the hard work.
We first come and visit every new client site, in order that we can get to know you and your business better and to talk about the most appropriate approach. We will also be talking about you to people, so we need to gather information about their potential future working environment.
Once commissioned, we will normally check our known contacts first and, if there are no potential candidates available, we will advertise, normally on the internet.
We look carefully at the whole picture, because we want to introduce high-calibre people to you who will fit in with the personality of your own team, and so all candidates who potentially fit the bill will be interviewed by us (unless offshore when applying, in which case we will await their arrival but get a lot of background work accomplished up front).
We will also take up verbal work references with previous employers to make sure that the candidate really is as good as they say they are - how many times have you found the contrary to be true to your cost?
Some companies like to see candidate CV's early in the process and do some preliminary qualification on paper for themselves to fine-tune the rough-cut shortlist quickly. Others prefer to see a summary 'beauty parade', where we get together and review up to a dozen potential candidates on paper, and whittle them down for a more in-depth examination of the best three or four to make the cut. After submission of a detailed profile on each, you may then select those you'd like to interview yourself.
Early success is not guaranteed, but we will keep on searching until the job is done and the right person is on the payroll.
We will do whatever is necessary to facilitate your final choice candidate into the new role, and this can also include working with people as they prepare their documentation for a work permit application (although please note that we are not licensed to provide Immigration advice, and so our support is necessarily limited in scope to ensuring that people have access to all information in the public domain and that they know where to look and who they need to speak to).
All successful placements come with a simple three month 'no quibble' guarantee (or, where the role is contracted, a guarantee geared appropriately to that particular set of work circumstances and time scales). This means that we have a very real stake in making sure that the most appropriate person is ultimately selected.
Call us today for a chat about how we can assist you - remember, we specialise in marine sector recruitment and so we should be able to get the job done more quickly and effectively than other generalist recruiters because we are working on the inside of the marine community.
There is no one recruitment approach that fits every customer's needs and budget, and so we will adapt the job to be done in line with your requirements. 
