Our team philosophy

What our clients and candidates are saying about us

"Overall experience was 5 out of 5. I was approached by referral and was contacted swiftly by the consultant, interviewed immediately and had a client meeting within days. Highly recommended."

- Snr Contracts Administrator - Leading EPCM Project
"Overall rating was excellent. Initial contact was in a timely manner. Constant feedback on how the process was moving forward was excellent. When the consultant committed to calling back she did. Understanding the Client’s needs and being able to match them was good."

- Technical Trainer – Leading EPCM
Rate Peopleconnexion Recruitment 5 out of 5. Highly recommend them, if I come across someone looking for a job I would send them to Peopleconnexion Recruitment without a doubt”

- Mechanical Engineer - Design House
"Recruitment Process with Peopleconnexion Recruitment was easy and simple. I would rate them 5 out of 5. Very good candidate proposed for the required role (Estimating Manager). Very professional and reasonable negotiations for direct engagement appreciated."

- PCM, Owners Team on Coal Steam Gas Project
"The overall experience with Peopleconnexion Recruitment was excellent. The consultant approach and continuous contact (email/phone) through the recruitment process was brilliant. No answers waiting for replies, always on top of the subject and ready to help."

- Marine Engineer, Engineering Consultancy
“What a refreshing experience, the recruiter understands the EPCM business and that is more than half the battle for me. Best communicating agent I have dealt with in the last 10 years. Highly recommended”

- Procurement Manager $800 mill EPCM Project
"Your performance has been exemplary with and excellent level of support. To be honest we would not have taken the move if it was not for your dedication and approach. Thank you very much."

- International placement Principal Maritime Engineer
"Initially I was referred to Peopleconnexion Recruitment as a specialist recruiter to assist in finding a new job and found to be contacted immediately and then interviewed straight away. My overall rating of this recruitment company would be 4.5 out of 5. Excellent experience as a contractor, very responsive consultants."

- Site Contracts Administrator.
"The overall recruitment experience with Peopleconnexion Recruitment was refreshing, the recruiter understands the EPCM business and that is more than half the battle for me. Very good to deal with."

- Procurement Manager on large Greenfield and Brownfield Mining Metal EPCM Project
"I found Peopleconnexion Recruitment to be well organized, continually kept me informed on status, provided clear job description, and supported through the process with information that focused my performance at interviews. Good job. "

- Principal Mechanical Engineer, Leading EPCM
"I do thank you for the extremely professional service that you provided and I would definitely recommend your company to both clients and candidates."

- Project Controls Manager Oil and Gas
"Good job. Talented team of recruiters that are well advanced in global HR practices and procedures. Very structured. I felt like they both strongly supported my application. It will be good to keep in touch and introduce more colleagues to your agency. "

- Project Controls Specialist - Implementation Co-coordinator International EPCM
"Consultants at Peopleconnexion Recruitment are interested in the welfare of the individual before meeting the professional needs. They are possibly the best recruitment group I have worked with in the past 22 years since relocating back to Australia from overseas.”

- Lead Civil Designer – Contractor
"Kristine's knowledge and skill in the area of executive recruitment are exceptional. Her service offering extends well beyond that of the majority of her peers, as she is a constant source of market information and knowledge. ”

- HR/Recruitment Specialist Leading Design and EPCM Company

our heart conneXion conneXion - peopleconneXion recruitment

Our Connexion

Salary Survey - Resources Sector Queensland

Role	Mean/hr (Low)	Mean/hr (High)	Quartile 1	Quartile 4	Median (Annual Salary)
Document Controller	$55	$65	$82,500 - $87,500	$101,000 - $110,400	$90,000
Senior Document Controller	$65	$75	$103,500 - $115,500	$130,000 - $140,000	$130,000
Cost Officer/Controller	$75	$90	$101,200 - $132,500	$155,500 - $202,400	$140,000
Senior Cost Controller/Eng	$90	$105	$136,130 - $162,500	$179,000 - $225,400	$167,000
Lead Cost Controller/Eng	$120	$130	$166,250 - $222,500	$241, 500 - $310,500	$220,800
Planner/Scheduler	$80	$90	$90,000 - $141, 500	$155,000 - $266,800	$143,500
Senior Planner/Scheduler	$105	$115	$140,000 - $187,500	$203,000 - $349,600	$196,000
Lead Planner/Scheduler	$130	$140	$180,150 - $230,000	$255,000 - $333,500	$220,800
Senior Project Controls	$95	$115	$153,500 - $187,500	$203,000 - $294,400	$215,000
Project Controls Manager	$140	$155	$170,000 - $251,500	$273,500 - $391,000	$259,900
Senior Engineer	$90	$105	$142,000 - $167,500	$188,500 - $211,600	$174,800
Lead Engineer	$110	$120	$190,000 - $201,000	$221,000 - $239,200	$210,000
Principal Engineer	$120	$135	$185,000 - $219,000	$243,500 - $276,000	$239,200
Study Manager	$150	$175	$22,870 - $266,500	$315,000 - $368,928	$261,600
Project Manager	$130	$145	$185,000 - $235,000	$261,500 - $320,000	$250,000
Senior Project Manager	$150	$165	$210,000 - $271,000	$293,000 - $350,000	$286,400
Project Director	$200	$210	$320,000 - $356,000	$378,000 - $455,000	$331,200
Engineering Manager	$125	$135	$170,000 - $225,500	$245,000 - $276,000	$240,000

Helping Us to Help You Secure the Job of your Dreams

Do you know where your CV is being sent and who is seeing it? If the answer is no, then your chances of securing a suitable position are being harmed and perhaps even ruined.

Unfortunately, in the recruitment industry as with any other industry, there are those who do the wrong thing by their customers. As your recruitment agency, we need to contact you and obtain your permission for us to send your CV for each and every opening. Many recruitment agencies send your CV out willy-nilly, without your permission, which may result in disastrous circumstances. For example, what if it ends up in the hands of somebody that you don’t necessarily want to know that you are on the job market? Furthermore, if a firm has received your CV from another recruitment agency before they receive it from us; we are legally not able to represent you and your professional interests. It may even be a recruitment agency you dealt with ten months ago and you didn’t realise they still had you on file…!

At Peopleconnexion, we build a trusting relationship with you, so that you are able to manage where your CV is sent, as well as the response that was received from each and every organisation. Our experienced consultants take time to interview, career coach) and advise in order to gain the best knowledge base to work from to help you achieve your career goals. You will receive honest feedback on your resume and be provided with a tool kit if needed. We follow a 30 step process to ensure we achieve the best result for you.

Contact us today for a confidential chat if you would like further information on how we can place you in your perfect job.

Today’s Candidate Selection – What are they searching for?

The selection of candidates that we are representing today varies greatly from that of last year and the year before. As the economy in Australia stabilises and interest rates increase, candidates are starting to feel more confident in their ability to secure alternate employment and are now looking at their options.

The Global Financial Crisis saw many firms last year forced to make staff redundant, often in great numbers at a time. Unfortunately, though, some companies were not equipped, trained or inclined to do so in an appropriately sensitive manner, and we have heard cases of contractors being given their notice via email. It goes without saying that these circumstances make a lasting impression on people, and can harm their reputation in the market when hiring new employees as word spreads easily.. Another disadvantage for these particular firms is that, as revenue increases and a need arises to re-fill these position, those employees who were treated insensitively during their redundancy are refusing offers to return to their original place of employment.

Those employees who were made unfulfilled bonus promises or who haven’t received increases in the last 2 years are also on the job market. These people don’t necessarily want more in terms of remuneration; they have just had enough of constant disappointments and are ready for a fresh start. The type of project opportunity for professional growth and team culture are the deciding factors at the top of their shopping lists.

Melani Coetzee Joins Peopleconnexion Recruitment

A recovering economy resulting in greater activity among Queensland engineering and design consultancy management has resulted in the growth of Brisbane-based engineering and project management recruitment firm, Peopleconnexion Recruitment.

Director Kristie Berry has expanded her team to include experienced recruitment professional, Melani Coetzee, to assist with providing personalised service to her growing client and candidate base.

“This year we have been actively recruiting for a large number of new roles that have become vacant, with between 5-10 new project-based positions at a time coming in to us at the moment, particularly in infrastructure, such as rail, roads, marine and related industries,” Ms Berry said.

“The companies that we work in partnership with require exceptional, professional service in placing the best suited candidates with them, which is why Melani has joined our team. Already we have a key client commenting on the fact that Melani has become a well respected agent in a very short period of time.”

Ms Coetzee brings an extensive professional background in recruitment to her role as Senior Client Relationship Manager with Peopleconnexion Recruitment. She worked her way to Branch Manager with one of South Africa’s most reputable recruitment agencies over a period of nine years, which also included being promoted to Divisional Leader.

After relocating to Australia and taking some time off to raise her young family, Ms Coetzee joined Nayler Recruitment, specialising in engineering and construction industry recruitment, and achieved great success with client placement prior to joining Peopleconnexion Recruitment.

“Kristine and I, having started our careers at the same firm in South Africa, share identical values in providing transparent and ethical service” Ms Coetzee said.

Peopleconnexion Recruitment is a Brisbane-based recruitment organisation that works in partnership with fortune 500 international and Australian companies; the providers of engineering, project management, EPCM (Engineering, Procurement and Construction Management) and operation solutions for the global resources, infrastructure and energy sectors. Many of their clients have expertly and successfully delivered on several of the most complex and challenging projects around the world.

How to win an interview - STAR

How to Prepare for Interviews – Behavioural Competency

Interviews for engineering roles most commonly contain a series of questions that are looking for specific examples of situations you have been in or things you have achieved.

The questions will not be asking for how you would theoretically handle situations, or what you might do when faced with a certain challenge. They will be looking for you to give examples from your past experience (at work or outside of work), which demonstrate that you already have the qualities and attributes which the interviewers are looking for.

Some of the questions you can expect to hear in a job interview might include:

Tell us about a time when you faced a particularly difficult team member? How did you handle the situation, and what was the outcome?
Has there been a time when you saw someone doing something unsafe? What did you do?
Tell us about a time when you had to work alone on a project? How did you manage your time to stay on track? What we the outcome of the project?
Tell us about a time when you had to make a change? How did you go about it and what was the result?
Have you ever had to deal with conflicting deadlines? How did you decide what to prioritize?

Note the consistent question format:

Tell us about…
What did you do…
What was the outcome…

Sometimes each of these elements will not specifically be asked, but this is always what they are looking for.

The STAR Approach

We tackle these questions using the STAR approach – situation, task, action, result. When you answer the question, go through each of these in turn and you will be sure to have covered everything:

Situation – What was the role you were in and the job you were doing? A couple of sentences to set the context and the situation you were in.

Task – What was the specific challenge, task or job that you faced?

Action – What did you do? Note: you always need to say what you did. The interviewers are much less interested in what the team or group did. They want to hear about your actions.

Result – What was the outcome? What was the situation like after you took action? This step is often missed, but is the most important in showing what you achieved through your actions. And even if what you did didn’t entirely work, this is the place to describe what you learnt.

Example

For example, I might get asked – “Tell us about a time when you found it difficult to work with someone else in a team?”

I would form my answer in line with the STAR approach:

“When I started working as Cost Engineer on the $500 mill Very Deep Mine Project (Situation),

I found I got a bit of a cold shoulder from the Project Control Management. I think it was a hangover from the previous person in my role, but none the less it was now my problem (Task).

So I decided to arrange a meeting to talk one-on-one with the PCM. I didn’t approach the problem head on. I was more interested in developing the relationship and finding out where he was coming from (Action).

It turned out that he was getting a lot of pressure from above, and felt that management didn’t care about his team or their priorities. We agreed to meet every Monday morning, where he would share his plans for the week, and I would share my goals. We ended up developing a good working relationship. (Result)”

Tips for Preparation

Before your interview, try to think of situations which fit the points below:

Achievements you are particularly proud of
Situations where you felt you handled yourself well
Situations where you were uncomfortable or challenged
Situations when you had conflict with a peer, report, or manager
Work challenges where you thought outside the box or were innovative
Situations where you were pressed for time or stretched in your abilities
Times when you went above and beyond your role requirements

The more useful examples you can recall and run through in your head in the days and hours before the interview, the more likely you are to remember a good one when you are put on the spot. You should also do as much research as possible on the company, division, and if possible the role that you will be interviewed for. Not only does this arm you with knowledge in case they ask what you know about the company (which they probably will), but it also shows that you have a genuine interest in the company and the role.

Finally, there are a few other common questions you will encounter that don’t require the STAR approach, but that you should put some thought and preparation into:

Tell us about yourself.
What do you consider your strengths / weaknesses?
Why did you leave your last job?
Why do you want to work at this company / in this role?
What would you do in your first three months in this role?
How long do you see yourself staying in this role?
What are your career goals?
How much would you like to get paid?
Do you have any questions for us?

Good luck in your next interview, whether it is with a new company or just a new role. The more preparation and thought you can put in before-hand, the more relaxed and confident you will be in the interview and this will show through to your advantage.

Job Shock for Gen Y Nov 09

Gen Y is the Technology Generation segment and they have grown up without ever knowing hard economic times. But for this generation, the employment market has changed rapidly. Michael Emerson (spokesperson for the The Age Employment Forecasts) says: “Not having a large choice of jobs in a more challenging environment is a shock to this segment. Traditionally, this has been a very mobile segment, easily moving jobs (three in three years is not unusual) as they have sought career advancement opportunities. Even though times are tougher, they still expect rapid advancement. This will result in a clash of cultures within organisations as the days of rapid promotions are a distant memory.

“On top of the challenge of slower promotions, their desire to organise their work to accommodate their other lifestyle goals rather than focusing one- eyed on the employer’s goals, will also prove much more challenging to manage as business comes under pressure to deliver profits in more difficult economic times’

The analysis in the The Age Employment Forecast shows that this generation is not immune and would be wise to adapt to the changing job market as they did experience a big decline in jobs in the last recession. The job market for this segment is falling as organisations concentrate on keeping generally older and more experienced staff who also exhibits more loyalty.

In fact, the fastest growing segment of the workforce is “twilight career” workers (aged 63+). This is due to the recent falls in their retirement savings thanks to the stock market crash encouraging them to work longer. They also have a desire to stay “engaged” and “active”. This segment works mainly in part-time roles.

Other generational segments are adjusting differently to the workplace.

Generation X are more realistic than their Gen Y counterparts, and carefully consider before moving, although their confidence is growing as the economic outlook improves.

Among the Roomers, the “faraway beach and walking-in-Europe early retirement lifestyle” has faded somewhat under the weight of disappearing superannuation balances. Many have had the benefit of living through hard times before, and can make the necessary adjustments to their Lifestyles, knowing that the good times will come around again. This segment is also planning to delay retirement – even into their 70’s – to keep funding their lifestyles” says Emerson.

Recruitment extra November 2009 pge 17

Skilled Labour s Market stabilising Nov 09

After free-falling for two quarters, the skilled labour market is finally starting to benefit from the federal government’s stimulus package, according to the latest Clarius Skills Index.

The main beneficiaries have been in the building and construction sectors and associated occupation categories where the downturn has stowed the rate of job losses and appears to be bottoming out.
Building and engineering professionals dropped 4.7 points from the September quarter last year but slipped only 0.4 compared to last quarter. And Index figures for construction tradespersons dropped 6.4 points from the September quarter last year but moved down only by 0.8 when compared to the June quarter.

For the September quarter 2009, the index is currently viewed as being moderate, at 98.2, seasonally adjusted. At this level, the index is 0.6% lower than the 98.8 recorded in the previous June 2009 quarter, and 4.7% lower than the 103.0 registered at the same time last year.
A score of 100 in the Clarius Skills Index indicates equal tension between labour supply and demand. Anything greater than 105 on the skills shortage side of the Index is regarded as extreme shortage. A score of 95 to 98 is moderate; 95 or less is considered low.
The index is now at its lowest level since 2001 when it dropped 97.6. However, the latest labour force data indicates that this should now stabilise then recover in coming months.

However, the indications of a stimulus-led recovery across board appear to be limited to a handful of occupational categories and may be short term at best in some.
“The government has always claimed the stimulus package were specifically targeted. And this quarter’s Clarius Skills In provides a good indication of where it is starting to have some impact. But our feedback is that companies are still cautious”, Clarius Group Executive Manager, Kym Quick, said. “The building and construction industries are not yet seeing a lengthening pipeline of projects becoming available. But there are certainly pockets of activity. In sectors like health, there is increase in demand.”

The Index, the only measure of underlying demand and supply of skilled labour, reported a surplus across 20 skilled occupation categories of approximately 45,000 in the September quarter, from 37,000 skilled workers in the June quarter.

November 2009 Recruitment Extra

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