There is something I’ve noticed. As a recruitment agency in the digital and tech space, we get many many (many) CVs and applications every week. Hundreds and hundreds in fact.

So how many phone calls do we get per week about those jobs? How many candidates call us after they have applied?

Maybe 10.

What that shows me is that many candidates are applying for jobs and crossing their fingers and toes hoping someone will call them back about it. And sure, that might happen some of the time, but it will take time and sometimes never happens. All you get is an email reply (sometimes nothing).

Here is a little recruiter secret. If we find someone suitable who applied before you then we will start the process with them and there is a chance you miss out. Because let’s face it, going through hundreds of CVs is a time-consuming process and most people only go through enough until they find the few they want.

We want to find the best person for every role but we also want to find them quickly. I posted a role a day ago and already have more than 100 applications. I got about 3 phone-calls about that role. Guess which candidates I’ve spoken with first? Yep, the ones who called me.

One of them wasn’t suitable for that role but was ideal for another role so after the screening and interview process was complete I submitted him to a more suitable opportunity that he would have never known about had he not been proactive and called me up. He now has a shot at a great role that will grow his career.

Another candidate applied for a different position and then kept calling and calling me and finally managed to reach me (between meetings). He was perfect for the role he had applied for and was submitted after the screening and interview process was complete.

Another candidate also did the same thing and she impressed me even further by coming in for an interview 2 hours later!! That kind of attitude and proactivity translated into every facet of her work and it was clear she was a go-getter. She was submitted and the next day she had a client interview. Wow, what a response time.

Now, some candidates will just ‘machine gun’ applications out to everyone and everywhere, hoping something will stick and someone will call them back. Sure that might happen some of the time and you can try your luck that way.

But if you see a job you LOVE and one you think you’d be PERFECT for then I highly encourage you to pick up that phone and give the recruiter or hiring manager a call and let them know you are there. It’s already a great start because it demonstrates you are proactive, you don’t have to tell them. Tick.

A quick note, please always send your CV or click apply BEFORE you call so you don’t waste your call and we can access your experience immediately and if the fit is good we can move quickly.

If you wonder why you are not getting call-backs to positions you’ve applied to that you think you are perfect for, it could just be that some proactive candidate beat you to it. So next time you see that dream job, apply and then pick up the phone and have a chat!!

Good luck and hope this helps.

Bart

Start the conversation with the best IT recruitment consultants in Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide and Brisbane by emailing office@redwolfrosch.com.au or calling 1300 544 652.

We get asked this question quite often so I wanted to write a short post to help anyone out there who is confused about the difference between PAYG, ABN and PTY LTD and clarify the difference for you in terms of Tax obligations.

PAYG: Standard employee arrangement. Either as a permanent employee or temp where you submit timesheets and get paid regularly, Super is paid quarterly and tax is deducted every pay. You can then claim once a year when you do your tax return.

PTY LTD: Some long term contractors invest in creating a company to contract through. This comes at extra costs and admin overhead but it can have some tax benefits if you are a career contractor. Probably not worth the hassle for shorter-term contracts.

And here is the curly one… ABN Sole Traders

Do you have an ABN and want to do some contract work? Are you an employer looking to engage an ABN contractor?

There are some pretty strict guidelines set out by the ATO regarding ABN Sole Traders so hopefully, this information will help you be compliant and prevent you from getting into hot water with the ATO.

We often get asked the question by contractors that have an ABN and are a Sole Trader why we still have to withhold their tax and pay their Super ourselves.

The simple answer is that ABN Sole Traders that do 9-5 type work are effectively seen as employees in the eyes of the tax office. If you are doing regular work during regular hours and getting paid a regular (daily or hourly rate) then you are not doing ‘contract’ work.

ATO TOOLS

Employee or contractor decision tool: https://t.ly/e9mVk (are you really a contractor?)

Employer tax and super obligations: https://t.ly/WjB7v (if the decision tool decides someone is an employee then it’s against the law to treat them as a contractor)

If your engagement came up as an employee classification. You can still probably claim more via your ABN but it looks like legally your employer will have to treat you as an employee and withhold tax.

The ATO is getting smarter and smarter these days with their Machine Learning and AI and you want to make sure that you can continue contracting and engaging contractors without exposing yourself.

Hope this helps 🙂

Bart

Start the conversation with the best IT recruitment consultants in Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide and Brisbane by emailing office@redwolfrosch.com.au or calling 1300 544 652.

Note: I’m not an accountant so this should not be taken as financial advice.