The Whiteboard Turns Four

Following on from last week’s scarcely viewed Good Friday blog (just look at the treat you missed out on) I suspect that this week’s blog might fly similarly low beneath the radar.  Thanks to the vagaries of 2014’s calendar this year sees Good Friday followed a week later by ANZAC Day.  With most of our regular readers representing the A and the NZ from that particular acronym you will be enjoying another long weekend and this week’s missive of recruitment goings on won’t feature very high on the list of dawn services, games of two up and afternoon boozing.

One thing that did happen this week was the fourth birthday of this very blog, The Whiteboard.  Bar some Christmas time absences, the blog has been regularly and reliably delivered into the recruitment blogosphere every Friday morning since the first post went up on 22nd April 2010 titled The Whiteboard – The Blog For New Zealand’s Recruiters.

I must say, it’s been a pleasure.  Thanks to everyone who has contributed their voices to the debates, the fights, the love-ins and the general tittle tattle that brings you back each week for more.  And on such a day of remembrance for our corner of the world, perhaps it might be fitting to reflect on my favourite posts in each of the four years this blog has been running:

2010:  Hudson Harness LinkedIn to Put Themselves About Town

Hudson decided to play with their shiny new LinkedIn Recruiter seat to fire out an InMail spam-a-thon to all and sundry in our industry.  The first time the blog really went viral beyond NZ’s shores and brought in a wider audience, some of whom have become great industry friends and compatriots.  The worrying thing is that, apparently, it worked quite well for Hudson who made several hires from it.  I can’t comment on whether they are still there or not though.

2011:  A Candidate’s Ignorant Rant

I still get genuine delight from reading the email that candidate sent.  I just love it.  He has, naturally, been proven quite wrong as LinkedIn has quite probably been the catalyst by which someone has managed to land their dream job.  I wonder whether, 3 years on, with the social networking site now publicly-listed and way more in the public eye, if that way of thinking could still exist.  Thinking about it though, it probably does with a certain Mr David Gordon 😉

2012:  All-of-Government Recruitment A Bitter Pill to Swallow

Still the most widely-read and commented upon blog post so far.  MBIE contrived to set up a recruitment solution for the NZ Government so inadequate, dysfunctional and widely reviled that the entire procurement team responsible have since quit and it’s looking increasingly likely the model will be ditched at the first possible opportunity.

2013:  Return to the Dark Side

From the pen of my colleague Sean Walters came this prescient blog about internal recruiters starting to turn about face and head back into agency land.  It’s a trend that has continued over the past 9 months since.  But, interestingly, so has the desire to shift in-house from agency recruiters, despite recent uplifts in economic activity and agency revenues.  What is really apparent is that there’s not as much difference between agency and internal recruiters as some might have you believe.  Not the decent ones, anyway.

What 2014 might bring is anyone’s guess but every post is made more interesting, more social, and more impactful when you get involved and have a say.  Keep sharing, commenting and suggesting new ideas, but most of all enjoy your bonus Whiteboard reading on this long weekend.

Until next week…. Now who would like a goody bag?