Welcome to the July 2008 Newsletter from ICG.

Wow who can believe we are in July already. Well Richard and I have just returned home from a month in Europe. We visited Paris, Rome, St Remy, Venice, Tuscany, Sienna, Athens, Santorini, Naxos & Singapore. What a fabulous trip and did we come back with the need to receive great customer service.

I have to share this with you all, as we were appalled by the levels of service, or lack of in Europe. I can now understand why people like to recruit kiwis for roles overseas. Coming back to New Zealand and to receive a smile and thank you was great. We need to compliment all of you that serve your customers, for the outstanding customer service that you offer and be proud of it.

I know that a lot of you will be like me and have very high expectations when shopping. It is so easy for anyone to give eye contact on arrival, and a smile is always free! As an employer, I am conscious that this standard of service needs to be recognised with staff, and I always aim to do this with the ICG team, as the feedback I get about my team is constant. Too often we take the best levels of service and communication for granted without praising those who make your customers’ day a better one. I enjoy telling employers when I have been treated to fantastic service as this is so easy to do, unfortunately most people don’t take the time to do so. Remember it costs nothing to say thanks for great service if you have enjoyed what you received, and you might make their day as well!

So while we were away what has been happening in the market place here in Christchurch. It appears that we are back in the market where there are more candidates than there are positions available. As an employer this may give you more choices than you have had recently, however as a candidate – make sure you have a CV that’s stands out from the crowd and ensure you communicate well in your interview, as you may have a lot more competition than you previously had. See our special offer for JULY. Open to anyone that requires a CV.

Here at ICG we have just launched a new report for EMPLOYERS titled “The 5 Most Common Mistakes in Recruitment”. We were proud to release this in mid June 2008 and copies are heading out the door fast. We have decided to make a special offer to our “Newsletter” readers that are EMPLOYERS.

Be in the draw to win dinner for two at Christchurch’s famous “Coffee House”, up to the value of $100.00. The Coffee House is located at 290 Montreal Street in the distinctive “yellow house”. A brand new menu for winter has just been unveiled and is sure to delight. The winner will be emailed at the end of the month and also published in next month’s newsletter.