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Sick of calls from recruiters?
Ask any site manager what slows them down, and you’ll hear the same thing: phones ringing off the hook with recruiters looking to tick boxes. Not because there’s a real update, but because consultants at some firms have gnarly KPI targets to hit — 100 calls a week, 50 coffees a month.On paper, it looks like “relationship building.” In practice, it’s constant interruption. Calls come through when you’re in the middle of a toolbox talk, juggling a safety briefing, or trying to get crews out the gate. And too often the question is the same: “Got any jobs to fill?” [...]
From labourer to junior site manager – Jakob’s “Key Skilled” journey.
Jakob came to the site through Key Skills as a lead labourer. He was there to do the usual graft, shifting gear, keeping things moving, but it became clear within days that he had more in him. At Key Skills we’ve got a saying “You got Key Skilled.”It’s what we call it when one of our short term hires gets offered a permanent role. It doesn’t happen by accident, it’s the result of hard mahi, a good fit on site, and a client who sees the value in keeping someone around for the long haul. We get pretty excited when [...]
How Key Skills delivers broader outcomes.
If you’ve looked at a tender lately, you’ve probably seen the words “broader outcomes.” It might be the kind of thing you’d skim past to get to the real job details. But it’s actually asking something important. What else do you bring to the table, apart from just bodies on site? On paper, it’s about social value, community impact, and sustainability. In real life, it’s about whether the project leaves the community better off once the cones are packed away. That’s where Key Skills already plays. It’s not a box we tick at the end, it’s how we work. Economic [...]
From the Beehive to the building site – Josh on taking the local hiring message to the top
One day you’re in steel caps on site. The next, you’re in a suit at the Beehive talking to Ministers about how the country keeps its workforce moving. That was Josh’s week recently when he represented Key Skills at the RCSA’s industry summit in Wellington. Hosted inside ParMattent, the event was all about connecting recruitment leaders directly with Government decision-makers. There was no sitting quietly in the back. Attendees sat down with MPs, Ministers, MBIE, and MSD officials to thrash out the big topics shaping our industries - immigration policy, workforce regulation, digital skills, productivity, AI, and removing barriers for [...]
Why choosing local matters more than ever
Across construction, engineering, and manufacturing, timelines are tighter and margins are thinner. Under pressure, it’s tempting to go with the biggest brand, the lowest price, or whoever can send “a body” quickest. But local, New Zealand-owned businesses offer something different, and in this game, different often means better. They’re serving your community. They’re part of it. Same traffic. Same sports sidelines. Same weather warnings. They know your patch because they work in it too. At Key Skills, we see this every day. When clients choose a locally owned labour hire firm like ours, they’re filling a shift, and they’re also [...]
How to stop wasting money on short-term hires
When it comes to filling short-term roles, most companies move fast. That’s the point. A project’s picked up speed, someone’s called in sick, or you’ve got a backlog to smash through. But in the rush, we’ve seen even the most experienced teams waste money without realising it. Here are three places we regularly see good companies lose money, and what you can do to avoid it. Hiring too late - waiting until the pressure is on before asking for help. We get it. No one wants to overhire. But waiting until the job is on fire means less choice, less [...]
