Australian Professional Recruiters Group

The inaugural "APRG Local Business Leaders Forum" was held on the 25th of November, 2005.

APRG hosted a luncheon at Customs House with 50 client guests. Professor Evan Douglas, Head of QUT's Brisbane Graduate School of Business presented at the lunch on "Developing High Performance Cultures".

Moving forward, this will be an annual event aimed at adding value to our clients, through offering topical management development opportunities.

100 people have now been placed into jobs since the 1st of February 2005.

Congratulations to the Brisbane Banking team on a great effort and thank you to all those who have supported us.

APRG turns One!

APRG commenced operations on the 1st of November 2004. Well done to the team who have seen us through the first twelve months of business. We now have a fantastic business, systems, procedures and financial platform from which to continue our expansion into the market.

APRG welcomes our new local recruitment specialist, Gavin Stutz to the Brisbane Banking practice.

Gavin has over 20 years retail banking experience including branch and area management with ANZ Bank. His banking career included leadership and management, training and development, business and consumer lending and recruiting his own staff. At APRG Gavin is focusing on candidate resourcing, service and management.

APRG welcomes our new local recruitment specialist, Annette O'Regan to the Brisbane Banking practice.

Annette has 10 years experience in human resources, management, consulting and recruitment, all within banking and finance in Brisbane. She has worked with a global recruitment company in banking, accounting support and office support divisions and has recently focused on recruiting temporary banking and finance professionals with a niche specialist agency. At APRG her main focus is on the supply of efficient and effective temporary staff within the financial services industry.

The Brisbane Banking practice commenced trading on the 1st of February 2005.

The experienced team made up of Robert Bromage (Practice Director) and Sally Roper is to focus on recruiting within the banking and finance industry, covering executive, temporary and permanent placements within the Queensland marketplace.

Robert has over eight years recruitment experience in banking and financial services at all levels (including executive) in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. Robert's career highlights include establishment and management of the Brisbane banking division of a global recruitment company and recently the general management of a niche specialist employing 35 staff. Prior to recruitment, Robert had eight years banking experience including branch management with a Queensland based regional bank.

Sally has over seven years hands on experience within the recruitment industry in Brisbane, Sydney, and the UK. She has worked with a global recruitment company in both accountancy and banking divisions and has recently focused on banking and finance exclusively with a niche specialist agency, in Brisbane for the last three years. Prior to recruitment, Sally had two years experience with Colonial Bank in Queensland.

Courtesy of the Brisbane Courier Mail
Written by Mark Bretherton

Taking Steps to get the most out of a job

EMPLOYEES are often given directions on how to do their job right or be more productive, but very rarely are they schooled in how to get the most out of their job.

According to Robert Bromage, the Managing Director and founder of new recruitment franchise company Australian Professional Recruiters Group, there are some simple steps people can take to stay happy at work for longer.

"Many people who are looking to change jobs may not know how to make the most of the job they have," Mr Bromage said.
"Communication is one of the biggest issues.
"A lot of problems stem from a lack of communication between team members or a lack of communication with management.
"Making an effort to build good relationships with other team members can contribute greatly to long-term job satisfaction.
"Close personal relationships make it easier for people to share their ideas and achievements and create a positive work environment.
"If a problem arises, employees need to talk to their Manager before it escalates too far. Managers can help to resolve conflict in the workplace, but if they don't know there's an issue they can't help you.

Mr Bromage said that setting clear goals enabled employees to crystallise what they wanted to achieve within an organisation.

"If your goal is to learn new tasks and take on more responsibility, these kinds of things need to be discussed with your supervisor," he said.
"When they're doing their business planning, they will then keep you in mind for such opportunities and can also work with you to help you reach your goal.
"I think education in line with your job is also very important.
"Try exploring the possibility of additional training so that you have more to offer the organisation you work for, while progressing yourself at the same time"

According to Mr Bromage, knowing when to go home was a simple yet important factor in avoiding burn-out over the long term.

"Put in a solid day's work rather than trying to cram a day and a half into each working day.
"People work better when they're fresh, and they make fewer mistakes.
"When people are fresh they also tend to be more enthusiastic and motivated in the workplace.
"Very few jobs are exciting all of the time, so find out what you enjoy most about your role and have fun with it as much as possible.
"When I was starting out in the workforce I worked as a bank teller.
"If there was a long queue, I'd often start up a pop quiz with the people who were lined up.
"Customers never seemed to mind, as they were just waiting in a queue with nothing else to do, and it made it entertaining for them and for me.
"Working as a teller could be a bit dry at times, but there are always ways of having fun at work, provided it is within the acceptable boundaries."

Mr Bromage said it was also important for people to have a clear understanding of their manager's expectations and what the company is trying to achieve.

"Often some businesses don't have specific job descriptions. It is important people understand what is expected of them so they can live up to those expectations.
"If you're unsure, talk to your manager and make sure you understand what your daily routine should involve and what you contribute to the company.
"If you can do your job and then a little bit extra that helps the company progress, this will help to give you greater job satisfaction, because you can see that you are making a valuable contribution."

At the end of the day, everyone spends a significant amount of time at work each week, so it is important for you to feel that you are contributing, are valued and most importantly, feel happy in your role and place of work.