Blog · Aspect

Tips for Starting a New Job with Confidence

To ensure you have a successful start from day one in your new role, here are some tips to guide ...

Why Architectural Practices Should Hire Pre-Christmas, Not Wait Until January

The holiday season is fast approaching, and many businesses tend to put their hiring plans on ho...

5 reasons to hire in December

With twice as many people changing jobs in January than any other time of the year – Christmas t...

5 Reasons to Start Your Job Search in December

It happens every year: people decide that getting a new job is one of their new year’s resolutio...

5 Reasons Now Is the Time to Hire Temps in the Victorian Construction Market

With increasing uncertainty of project pipelines in the Victorian Construction market, Temps can...

How to Navigate Multiple Job Offers with Ease

Over our lifetime, we end up spending more time with coworkers than with family and friends. So,...

Construction Industry Job Market & Workplace Trends

Tom Skevington, Manager of our Construction recruitment team, provides his observations and pre...

Engineering Industry Job Market & Workplace Trends

Adam Brown, Manager of our Engineering recruitment team, provides his observations, predictions...

How To Ask for a Pay Rise

Asking for a pay rise can be daunting as there are many factors to consider from your perspectiv...

Do You Know What the Four Ds of Productivity Are?

Save time and avoid stress by mastering the Four Ds of Productivity: Do, Delegate, Defer and De...

Architecture Industry Job Market & Workplace Trends

Ben Mitchell, Principal Consultant for our Architecture and Design recruitment team, provides hi...

5 Things to Consider Before Accepting a Counter Offer

Being presented with a counter offer from your employer can be likened to a last ditch attempt fr...

What Does a Modern Performance Review Look Like?

In the 2023 PACE Survey, 48% of companies said they conduct performance reviews every 12 months,...

Studying Whilst Working – How to Fit It All In!

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 37% of the 2.1 million people who are study ter...

What Work-Life Balance Looks Like in 2023 According to Victorian Companies

Our 2023 PACE Report, where we survey our clients on workplace and market conditions, is hot off...

Does Music Really Help You Focus While Working?

A study conducted by the University of Birmingham found that background music increases efficie...

Questions to Ask in a Job Interview

We’ve put together a list of questions to ask in an interview. Perhaps choose your favourite tw...

Is Being Too Nice Holding You Back in Your Career?

There’re only positives for being super nice, right? Well, maybe not. In some cases, being too ...

How to Talk About Your Weaknesses in a Professional Setting

If you’re in a job interview or a performance review, there’s a chance you’ll be asked what you...

Active Listening is More Than Nodding Your Head

Active listening is taking onboard what someone is saying mindfully, observing their body langua...

Multitasking VS Monotasking

While there’s not a strict right or wrong time to multitask or monotask, there are benefits for...

6 Predictions for the Job Market in 2023

With 2022 behind us, we’re thinking ahead about what 2023 may bring. Here’s some of our predicti...

Preventing Burnout for the Year Ahead

When we feel burnt out, or are on the edge of it, it might be too late to manage it yourself. He...

Easing Back into the Swing of Work

It’s the first day back after the break. There’s lots of work to do. You’re covering for a colle...

Setting Yourself Up for Success in 2023 (Before You Go on Leave)

December is busy, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed in the lead up to the break. We’ve put togeth...

The Key to a Smooth Leave Handover

Going on holidays is exciting. But coming back to a dumpster fire is not. Here’s how to set you...

Unpacking Workplace Dress Codes

Gone are the days of suits, ties and heels in the office. So, what is the new office dress code...

Recognising Burnout at Work

It can be hard to recognise when you’re burnt out, so we’ve put together some simple tips to id...

How to write your best resume

Here’s our tips on how to write a resume to ensure each part of your CV is professional and effec...

4 Ways to De-Stress at Work

Finding time and ways to relax throughout the workday can help you enjoy your day-to-day and le...

Tips for Effective Collaboration in the Workplace

Knowing how to effectively collaborate can make the experience more efficient, better quality, ...

How to Prepare for an Interview without a Position Description

A position description (or ‘PD’) outlines the tasks and responsibilities that a role entails. W...

How to Find Your Most Productive Time of Day

Everyone is productive at different times and Daniel H. Pink’s theory from his book When (2018) ...

Making the Most of Feedback

While receiving criticism can feel daunting, it’s important to remind yourself that it will onl...

What Are Soft Skills and Why Are They Important for Your Career?

Having good soft skills can lead to high performance, strong working relationships and even save...

Are You a Procrasti-Planner? How To Stop Wasting Time Planning.

Preparation and planning are important to the success of a project or task. But there’s a point ...

Events are back. Do you remember how to network?

It can be daunting entering a room where you don’t know anyone, introducing yourself and getting...

How to Answer ‘Tell Me About Yourself’ in a Job Interview

You may have heard the saying ‘you never get a second chance to make a first impression’. This i...

Aspect Personnel Appoints Recruitment Director

Melbourne-based built environment specialist Aspect Personnel has promoted Mark Parrent to the ...

4 Steps for a Successful Personal Development Plan

We all want to be successful and get to our dream job or lifestyle. But that’s almost impossibl...

Don’t Let Difficult Conversations Turn into Confrontations

There’s no avoiding that you’ll need to have a difficult conversation with a colleague from time...

Forging A Gender Equal Engineering Industry

On International Women In Engineering Day, Shanelle Blanck, acting National Talent Acquisition ...

How To Build Strong Relationships with Colleagues When You’re Working Remotely

Working remotely has its perks, but it has one major downside, it’s harder to build strong relat...

Working From Home or Living at Work? How To Create Boundaries

If you’re thinking about your life admin to-do list while you’re working from home, or thinking ...

Flexibility and Benefits Melbourne Companies Are Offering

Perks and benefits play a huge role in choosing who to work for, and making us feel appreciated ...

What If I’ve Just Started a Job And Don’t Like It?

Starting a new job is an exciting time where we look forward to the new team, new challenges, an...

Making the Most of Your Career in a Booming Job Market

Saying the job market is busy is an understatement. Candidates have the opportunity to be pickie...

How to Prepare for a Performance Review

Reviews are a great opportunity to think about what you want from your career and get some feedba...

8 Takeaways from PACE 2022 You Need to Know

In March, we published the 10th edition of PACE – an annual study of market conditions and salar...

Quick Tips for Successfully Delegating Tasks

Sometimes we take on more tasks than we can successfully complete. When this happens, it’s a go...

How to Investigate a Company Before Joining

In a candidate short market, some companies may be saying what people want to hear in order to a...

The Dos and Don'ts of Negotiating a Salary Increase

The thought of asking for a salary increase can instantly cause stress and hesitation. You may’v...

Marking Woman in Construction Week

Women in Construction Week is this week (6-12 March)Why aren’t we seeing more women in construct...

Attracting and retaining employees in 2022 and how it affects you

Aspect's MD, Matt Sampson, sat down with Paul O’Halloran from law firm Colin Biggers and Paisley,...

PACE community raises $120,000 for charity

Over the past 10 years, Aspect’s annual PACE Survey report has raised well over $100,000 for vari...

7 ways to reduce and manage stress in 2022

The new year has been a rocky start for many Victorians — and caring for your mental health is m...

The great realignment: An alternative to the great resignation

We are now well and truly back into the swing of work for 2022. For many, the festive season prov...

Not looking forward to going back to work? 5 questions to ask yourself to determine if you need a new job

Heading back to work after a break can leave us with different feelings. Some of us may be excite...

10 predictions for the job market in 2022

We've come out the other side of another year of lockdowns and unpredictability. With 2021 now be...

Audit your LinkedIn profile & boost your presence

An effective LinkedIn profile is a great way to expand your professional network, connect with th...

The importance of taking a break from work (and why you need it)

With the end of year break just around the corner, for most of us it means an office shutdown. Ti...

10 things the Aspect team are looking forward to doing this summer

We know that in the last weeks of the year, (especially a busy and tiring year) it’s easy to get...

8 crucial questions to ask when applying for a job

Utilising information gained through asking the right questions is a surefire way to improve any ...

How to make the most of your time between resigning from your current role and starting your new one

Resigning from your role can be challenging. While you are aware of your decision, and have care...

What 5 things can we take away from our experience with online meetings?

We’ve all enjoyed efficiencies we’ve picked up while working from home, with one major one bein...

How a relationship with a recruiter can benefit you over the life of your career

Recruiters aren’t only beneficial when you’re actively on the job hunt, they can assist you thro...

COVID-19 Workplace Vaccinations: Legal considerations, workplace rights, and obligations as an employer in Victoria – Insights from our webinar

With the Victorian state government recently unveiling its roadmap out of lockdown, Victorian bu...

Is it just me or is anyone else sick of working from home all the time?

Remember at the beginning of all this when it was exciting to work from home? Suddenly, we were d...

How to unplug and recharge over a short break during lockdown

While we can’t go on a holiday to a sunny beach or get lost in European cities, taking a couple...

9 tips and tricks to help you be productive and happy while working from home

With snap lockdowns and capacity limits on offices, working from home has become the new norm. I...

Lockdown got you thinking about your career? 5 things to ask yourself before applying for your next job

Lockdown has provided us all the opportunity to reflect on what is important to us — to think de...

The Importance of a Great Portfolio

Anyone who has gone through the process of looking for work should be well and truly across all t...

Peter Michael and Michael Parker continue their rise within Aspect

It is with a great deal of pride that we announce the recent promotions of Peter Michael to As...

3 reasons to participate in market research

With the industry being bombarded with information and requests for your time to fill out a surv...

What to do if you receive an employer counter offer

While you may have spent time considering your resignation, it may come as a shock to your manage...

How to resign the right way

Resigning from a position is often a daunting task. It’s important to know why you’re leaving yo...

How to negotiate a job offer

Offer negotiations are a normal stage in the recruitment process, though they can be uncomfortab...

Interview tips and common questions

Your CV has made its way from the stack on the hiring manager’s desk to the interview stage – ni...

Aspect re-selected as Procurement Australia preferred recruitment supplier

We are extremely proud to announce that we’ve been re-selected as a preferred recruitment suppli...

How to Create a Killer LinkedIn Profile

Creating an effective LinkedIn profile is a great way to expand your professional network, get n...

Tips for conquering the cover letter

The value of a cover letter is an ongoing debate. Even when job descriptions ask for one, there’...

Mastering Your Job Search: Key Steps for Success

Looking for a job can be exciting. It can also be time-consuming and a little laborious if it’s ...

8 questions to ask when applying for a job

This article was curated for The Construction Coach blog by Meghraj Mahida. You’ve found a job a...

The 2020 Federal Budget. What does a trillion-dollar national debt mean for our industry?

For the first time ever, I tuned into ABC last night to watch the federal budget being delivered...

Safe Conversations – Working from home into the future

An interview with Amy Towers, Risk Collective.As the nature of work in modern times has changed ...

2020 PACE sales raise $13,432 for local charity – Syndromes Without A Name

In January we released our newly revamped PACE Survey, with reimagined and updated questions in ...

Safe Conversations – Understanding Workplace Manslaughter

An interview with Mark Mackey, Metro Tunnel ProjectOn 1 July the long awaited Workplace Safety L...

The Victorian architecture and design industry - what was and what lies ahead

In January when we undertook our 2020 PACE survey, we couldn’t have foreseen how events would un...

The Victorian engineering industry - what was and what lies ahead

Last week I hosted our annual PACE Survey and Market Report launch and industry roundtable – my ...

10 silver linings to the dark COVID-19 cloud

COVID-19 has been, and continues to be, nothing short of devastating. While it has interrupted m...

Your job hunt journey: should I stay or should I go?

How to know when it’s time to move on…If you’re sitting in the office at work, and someone was t...

Aspect supports vulnerable kids through Big Group Hug

We’ve been running our Christmas Charity Drive for a number of years, and our amazing community ...

Safe Conversations – Part four

An interview with Kieran Condron, Managing Director of ActivateRailPart four of our National Saf...

Safe Conversations – Part three

An interview with Kelvin Hay, GHD HSE Project ManagerPart three of our National Safe Work Month ...

Safe Conversations – Part two

An interview with John Salter, Level Crossing Removal ProjectPart two of our National Safe Work ...

Safe Conversations – Part one

An interview with Mark Mackey, Metro Tunnel ProjectWe begin the National Safety Month industry c...

Are you nailing your onboarding experience?

I’ve now been working at Aspect for just over 6 months, and as an experienced recruitment consul...

Aspect celebrates our 2019 awards winners

There’s no doubt that the EOFY conference is one of the highlights on the Aspect calendar and th...

Aspect supports the future of STEM careers

In the recruitment industry, we often get asked where the market is at, and where the market is ...

Announcing our most recent promotions (and stories of their Aspect journey)

At Aspect, one of our key values is to develop our people, so it’s always very exciting to annou...

Aspect’s first trainee graduates from our in-house recruitment consultant program Q&A with Elefteria Tharapos

At Aspect, people development is one of our core values and we take it pretty seriously. We’re c...

Aspect wins RCSA CSR Excellence Award

Last Thursday evening, Aspect were thrilled to win the Recruitment, Consulting and Staffing Asso...

Aspect Community rallys and collect 3337 items for Starlight

Every Christmas, Aspect puts out a call to our clients, candidates and suppliers to contribute g...

5 tips to ensure you don’t lose your new hire

The recruitment process can be a bit like dating...Imagine that you’ve been dating someone for a...

Why we sent our team to Bali – the surprise benefits

Last week, we sent four of our consultants on a vacation to Bali for four nights. Why pay for ou...

Building material waste: Proof that one project’s trash can be another project’s treasure

A call to arms from WG Architects’ James BateThe 2018 PACE Survey community successfully raised ...

2018 PACE Survey funds the fit out of a new woodwork shop for disadvantaged & homeless youths through One Voice!

5 years ago, our MD Matt Sampson, recognised an opportunity to add value to organisations operat...

Ensuring confidentiality during your job search

Increasingly I am learning the importance of discussing resume privacy with my network of candid...

Sexual harassment complaints in the workplace: Advice from Paul O’Halloran – Partner at Colin Biggers & Paisley

Advice from Paul O’Halloran – Partner at Colin Biggers & PaisleyWe invited Workplace Relations L...

HR Series: Does your business openly discuss mental health and implement ways to reduce stress?

Sara Fife, our Business Support Manager, hosted a roundtable luncheon today with HR professional...

Aspect turns 10!

We’re celebrating Aspect’s 10th birthday, but what are we actually celebrating?I’ve run some sta...

Aspect's Xmas Charity drive supporting Blessing bags - the results are in!

Christmas is a special time of year, and at Aspect we particularly love the festive season. We d...

Q&A with Eddie Donatti

In 2014, shortly after graduating, Eddie Donatti approached Aspect to assist him with securing h...

Mistakes don’t kill relationships. Handling them badly does.

.I’m feeling fresh after a week’s holiday with my wife and young daughter in New Caledonia. It w...

“It’s just admin”

As a Business Support recruiter of many years, unfortunately “just admin” is a phrase I’ve heard ...

So, you missed out on that candidate? Here’s the real reason why…

Does this story sound familiar?You identified that your business has a recruitment need – this me...

Bacon Wars – Every Office Has One

Last week I attended the 2018 RCSA International Conference, held in Fiji.One of the many brillia...

Is complexity killing my business?

Yesterday I saw ANZ CEO, Shayne Elliot, speak at the Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce Luncheo...

The 2017 PACE Survey funds the building of a classroom for kids in need

Like every other business, Aspect Personnel has a set of corporate values. One of those values i...

Making the most of your performance review

End of financial year: The time of year that can create equal parts stress from the pressures of...

How to network like a pro

This week, I had the pleasure of joining the Property Council of Australia’s Future Directions g...

Aspect are now a preferred recruitment supplier to MAV organisations!

Aspect are extremely proud to announce that we’ve been selected as a preferred recruitment suppl...

Overseas Candidates: Help Me Help You

Each week, I receive at least a dozen CVs from overseas candidates. On paper, the majority of th...

Changing Anna’s life: PACE 2016 update

Meet Anna.Anna is 13 years old. She is charming, charismatic, funny, and infectiously cheerful. S...

Should your engineering “go-to guy” be a woman? A conversation with VicRoads’ Anita Curnow

My introduction with Anita Curnow was far from traditional. Anita, the Executive Director Access...

Here’s how much we collected for Foodbank Victoria!

At Aspect, corporate social responsibility is a huge part of our business. From our weekly soup ...

Tis the season … for temp workers

Something I’ve seen often in my years of recruiting engineers is fear of the word “temporary,” f...

Aspect’s first-ever charity auction raises more than $1,600 for breast cancer research

The Aspect team gathered Friday afternoon for a different kind of happy hour – a charity auction...

How you might be compromising your job search

With more than a decade of recruitment experience under my belt, I’ve worked with many different...

Restoring dignity: Aspect team donate 360 hot showers to Melbourne’s homeless community

Incentives are nothing new for recruitment agencies, with many firms using them to recognise and...

20 ways to avoid hiring a dud

Let’s face it: hiring a bad candidate is often worse than hiring no candidate at all. Having the...

2016 PACE Survey raises $11,315 for children’s charity

A huge “thank you” to our supporters of the 2016 PACE Survey. Because of you, so far we’ve raise...

The Art of Delegating

There’s something that I have never been very good at – delegating! After a recent training ses...

Recycle For Sight – we did it!

In the run up to Christmas, and with the help of some generous clients, Aspect ran a collection ...

So you’ve secured a phone interview – now what?

So your resume is looking snazzy, you’ve put together a killer cover letter and you finally get ...

Volunteering at Variety’s Children’s Christmas Party!

You may have seen the 29th Variety Children’s Christmas party on the news over the weekend? It ...

Aspect announced as the 8th Coolest Company for Women in Australia

We are proud to be announced as the 8th Coolest Company for women in Australia!Job Advisor’s “Co...

Emotional Intelligence: Another Management Buzz Word? Or a Tool to Recognise True Leaders?

Yesterday, I was lucky enough to hear Anna-Lucia Mackay speak at the RCSA’s October breakfast.An...

What to do when a new employee asks “why do we do it that way?” (and you don’t know the answer)

Last week, I was fortunate enough to attend the RCSA International Conference. As always, they h...

The Impact of Good Leadership on Employee Loyalty

Last week, our office received three phone calls from three employees working within the same te...

1555 items for Fitted For Work!

Last year we collected 1154 articles of women’s corporate clothing, and this year we have collect...

Two truly inspirational stories – How Kate and Grayden are celebrating life after living in a nursing home during their 20s & 30s.

This morning we were fortunate enough to be joined by two of The Summer Foundation’s Ambassadors;...

Aspect win “Small Recruitment Agency of the Year” award at the 2014 SARAs