Partnering with companies, understanding their business and putting candidates into good jobs with a matching cultural fit, are the keys to a successful employer/employee relationship says Mark Lee, managing director of Lee Recruitment Ltd.
Lee Recruitment Ltd offers services to a broad range of trade, administrative and professional occupations, including accounting, project management and general management on both a ‘Temp’ and permanent basis.
Although based in Invercargill, Mark says he regularly operates throughout Central Otago, Dunedin and Christchurch matching people with jobs that will fulfill their career objectives.
“I like to partner with companies, establishing a strong relationship with them to really understand their business and what their needs are as far as recruitment and staff are concerned,” says Mark.
“I do this by getting on site and talking to the different people within the business, not just the owners.”
He says spending time on the shop floor enables him to talk to foremen, supervisors and those closest to the floor to really understand the job, the business and its natural culture. Having a clear understanding of the culture enables him to make a good employer/employee match.
“It is about what their skills are but there is also that personal side. For example, there is the person who likes working alone, likes to self manage, knows what they’re doing and likes to get it done.
“They don’t want to go to a company where micro management is the norm. Whereas that might suit a younger, more inexperienced candidate.”
Originally trained and qualified as a fitter/welder, working within New Zealand and Australia, Mark sought a different direction when he returned to New Zealand, accepting a role recruiting engineering apprentices and managing their training.
“What I enjoyed about that was the people side of things, rather than the pure technical environment of engineering. “I was dealing with people rather than steel and welding rods.”
That step led to accepting a role working for a general recruitment business, before succumbing to an ambition to be self employed, establishing Lee Recruitment in 2013.
When interviewing candidates Mark looks for honesty, motivation and a good work history, if previously employed. It’s about finding that good attitude. Mark works with a number of young people, coaching them with interviewing techniques and CV composition to help them through the employment process.
“A lot of the younger ones struggle with communication skills -I’m seeing more of that. There’s nothing wrong with them it’s just that they can easily appear disinterested in the interview. It’s not that they are disinterested it’s that they struggle with self-confidence and communication skills.”
When working with businesses, Mark is able to tailor a recruitment package to meet its needs. That might include providing the business with Temp staff in a trial basis.
“The temporary staff, which are not always that temporary, are always employed by Lee Recruitment and some of those can go for years. There is a convenience of me being the employer rather than the business.”
This article was brought to you in association with the following businesses…
- 4NES
- Finlander Sawmilling
- Malloch McClean
