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Episode 147 - What are your candidate red flags?
84 Plays9 days ago
RNA episode 147 has news for 10 February 2026 featuring the GoFundME page for xrecruiter cofounder Declan Kluver, Q4 2025 results from Manpower, Robert Half and LinkedIn. Also results from a survey about how employers determine salaries for new roles. Question of the Week is "What are your candidate red flags"
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Transcript
Wingman Recruitment's Offshoring Solutions
00:00:09
Speaker
This episode is made possible by Wingman Recruitment, an offshoring solution that delivers impact on both sides. They help Australian recruitment agencies scale efficiently by embedding fully trained remote professionals into their teams, while also creating meaningful long-term careers for people in the Philippines.
00:00:27
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Smart growth done the right way. Visit wingmangroup.com.au and head to the services tab to learn more.
Content Warning and Business Breakdown
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This is the news for the 10th of February, 2026. I'm Adele Last.
00:00:41
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And I'm Ross Clennett. Before we get into the first item, quick heads up for listeners. This first conversation touches on mental health and suicide. Please be advised.
Declan Kluver's Story and Support
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This is one of those stories that really stops you in your tracks and highlights the human cost behind the breakdown of the business relationship between ex-recruiter co-founders, Blake Thompson and Declan Kluver.
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A GoFundMe page set up last week by a close friend of the Kluvers, Angela Smith, details the tragic story. In mid-2025, during a period of deep depression and hopelessness, Declan attempted to take his own life. In the early hours of the morning, while out on a run, he stepped off a 25-metre cliff. Declan survived.
00:01:23
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but with catastrophic life-altering injuries, including a fractured pelvis, spine injuries, broken ribs, broken ankles, and significant nerve damage.
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Declan spent over six months in hospital and rehabilitation. and Adele, what makes this hit even harder is the contrast. Just over a year earlier, ex-recruiter was flying, number one on the AFR 2024 fast starters list, explosive growth, industry awards. On paper, it was a dream run.
00:01:54
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Yes, Ross, but behind the scenes, Declan's mental health was deteriorating. He was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder, sought professional help, And during that period, he's removed from the business he'd built and he lost his main source of income.
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So you've got severe mental illness, sudden exit from the company, an ongoing legal dispute, all colliding at once. It's a brutal reminder that success metrics don't protect people from breaking. The GoFundMe isn't just about medical bills. It's about helping a young family financially while Declan focuses on recovery.
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It's been really heartening to see the industry ah response, Adele. Nearly $30,000, obviously not just people from the industry, but $30,000 raised in only 48 hours.
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And that tells you how many people are putting their hands in their pockets when it really matters. If you are in a position to help the Kluver family financially, go to GoFundMe.com and search the word Declan. You'll see the post by Angela Smith in the results.
Australian Labor Market Update
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And of course, if you are struggling yourself, please know that you're not alone and support is available through organisations like Lifeline on 13 11 14 or find a similar organisation in your location. According to a statement released by the Reserve Bank of Australia last week, the labour market is expected to remain relatively tight over the next few years, even as wage growth continues to slow.
00:03:16
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The central bank is relying on higher interest rates to cool demand enough to bring inflation back towards target without triggering a sharp rise in unemployment. On wages, the ah RBA notes the wage price index was 3.4% in the December quarter and is forecast to ease gradually to around 3% by mid-2028. That indicates a steady moderation in wage pressures rather than a sudden drop.
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An ABS data shows wage growth peaked at 4.3% the December quarter, and has since declined, with annual growth sitting at 3.4% in the September 2025 quarter.
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The RBA expects unemployment to remain broadly stable in the near term before gradually rising to around 4.6% low by historical standards.
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While job ads and vacancies suggest labour demand may ease, stronger than expected private sector activity is helping to offset that slowdown. Overall, the Reserve Bank believes labour market conditions will soften gradually, not deteriorate quickly. And for now, that suggests the economy is absorbing higher interest rates without major damage to jobs.
Financial Results from Manpower and Robert Half
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And on to company results. Manpower Group reported revenue rose 1.3% in constant currency year over year in the fourth quarter of 2025 $4.7 billion. dollars Gross profit dropped 3.5% in constant currency, while operating profit rose 23% to million. dollars Revenue for the Manpower brand rose 5% year over year on an organic constant currency basis in Q4, while Xperia's revenue fell 6% and Talent Solutions revenue fell 4%.
Influences on Salary Decisions
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Manpower Group ANZ results were not specified. Robert Half reported positive momentum in its fourth quarter earnings announcement, though revenue fell 6.6% year over year to $1.3 billion, dollars adjusted for currency and billing day effects. Operating profit dropped 41.5%.
00:05:19
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The company noted fourth quarter results reflect a return to sequential growth on a same-day, constant currency basis for the first time since early 2022. And revenue at LinkedIn, the world's largest provider of online jobs, rose 11% to just over $5 billion dollars in parent company Microsoft's fiscal second quarter ended 31 December 2025. The increase was 10% on a constant currency basis.
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CFO Amy Hood said LinkedIn's marketing solutions drove its revenue increase. Hood also forecast LinkedIn revenue growth to be in the low double digits for the third quarter.
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The New Zealand unemployment rate increased by 0.1% to reach 5.4% in the December quarter, according to the latest labour market update from Statistics New Zealand. The unemployment rate in December 2024 was 5.1%. The seasonally ah adjusted number of unemployed people increased 3.5% in the quarter to The participation rate rose to to $43.99, up 3.3% December 2024.
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in the year to the end of december twenty twenty five average ordinary time hourly earnings increased up to forty three dollars and ninety nine cents up three point three per percent from december twenty twenty four Adele, some new research. Robert Half Australia, they're always pumping out research. And this bit shows, this recent research shows that company performance and profitability remain the dominant factors in how Australian employees set salaries for regularly hired roles.
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This survey, which polled 500 Australian employers, found that 50% of those employers base salaries primarily on company performance and profitability.
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Beyond financial performance, employers also rely heavily on internal reference points. 47% say salary decisions are guided by HR teams or internal salary benchmarks, while 38% use fixed salary scales. Industry benchmarking tools are used by 36% of employers and 34% rely on recommendations from the direct manager.
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According to Nicole Gorton, Director for Sydney and Strategic Accounts Asia Pacific at Robert Half, the findings suggest many organisations continue to prioritise internal financial realities when setting pay for familiar roles.
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She notes that while profitability is an important consideration, relying on it alone can leave businesses misaligned with a broader labour market. Don't we know that? Gorton says salary expectations are increasingly shaped by factors such as skills scarcity, role complexity and external demand, particularly in sectors where pay expectations can move quickly.
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As a result, organisations that balance internal performance with up-to-date market data are ah better positioned to attract and retain in-demand professionals.
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The approach shifts when employers set salaries for newly created or unfamiliar roles. In those cases, external market data plays a larger role in decision making. The most commonly used approach is industry benchmarking tools cited by 39% of employers, followed by guidance from ah HR or internal benchmarks at 37%.
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This suggests that while internal structures still matter, employers are more willing to look outward when there's less historical data to rely on. According to Robert Half, this reflects broader changes in job design and workforce planning as organisations adapt to evolving skill requirements and emerging roles.
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the The broader takeaway is that salary setting in Australia is becoming more data-driven and more flexible, particularly for new roles. even as profitability remains a key anchor for pay decisions in established positions.
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And that's your news for the 10th of February, 2026.
Recruitment Red Flags Discussion
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Stay tuned now for question of the week.
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Question of the week. What are your candidate Red flags. Great question, Adele. And we've pinched this idea from Sean Walters from New Zealand. Fabulous post on LinkedIn last week, or actually the week before. It's entitled Red Flags, a recruiter's guide. We're going to go through these and add our own comments. So Sean starts with people who don't drink hot drinks. This one, he'll laugh for us. Okay, well, this is what he says. Meet for a coffee. Watch them awkwardly sip a Bundaberg ginger beer. These men, women, children should always be eyed with a level of suspicion. Who in the first place can get through a working day without caffeine? I'll tell you who, people who don't work hard.
00:10:14
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I'm laughing very hard because this is me. I don't drink coffee. I've never drunk coffee in my life. and as No way. yeah Really? You don't drink coffee, Adele? don't drink coffee. My God. barely drink tea. And so as a recruiter, I have struggled with the, hey, let's meet for coffee. And then what do you drink without looking like a 12-year-old child?
00:10:34
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He's quite right. Come on, Adele. You're an Anglo-Indian. If anyone should be drinking tea, it's you. What's going on? What sort of household were you raised in? gotten older, I do definitely drink tea and I will have a chai and I will um sometimes have um ah just a regular tea. But I hate to think how many candidates sat across from me as the recruiter and looked at me strangely while while I drank orange juice and I had a hot chocolate. And the most embarrassing is when they bring a marshmallow with it. Oh, right.
00:11:08
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So I have to agree with him with this one. I would be suspicious of people like me who don't drink hot drinks either. And he's been generous in saying hot drinks and what he really means is coffee. He does really mean coffee. Well, I love my coffee. So i think my position on point number one is well established. Okay. Why don't you go to the next one?
00:11:26
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ah He says people that show up incredibly early for interviews. And I like this one because obviously there's that ah whole advice around obviously don't be late. But there is similar advice to say don't show up too early. Five minutes max is fine. Any earlier um and you'll be pacing around or you should be pacing around the block. Showing up too early is just not good for time management for the person that's interviewing you as well. So, I do agree with this one. Yep. Agree. I disliked it.
00:11:57
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I felt like the candidate was putting pressure on me to see them earlier. So my tactic was always to go out and greet them and say, thanks, I will be ready at the appointed time. you're welcome to sit in reception. But if you want to go and when i wander around the shops for 10 minutes, you're welcome to do that. Ouch.
00:12:21
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Yeah, because frankly, I mean, yeah sure, if I had time to see them earlier, like if it didn't inconvenience me, no problem. But by and large, I didn't welcome people who were really, really early.
00:12:35
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I hate to say this, but I think it's because as recruiters, we are sometimes... reviewing the resume right before the interview. Yes. Not for the first time, but often, you know, yes we're doing it last minute and we we've not had that time to do it when that's occurred. Yes, that is true. All right, next one. And I love this one. Like, I so agree with Sean.
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people who ring up about a job but don't have any pre-prepared questions you advertise a role you try and put as much information on the advert as possible you purposefully don't add your phone number of course the number is easy to find the following exchange commences hi i saw your ad on seek for the role of lamplighter of old london town i wanted to find out more information of course what would you like to know pause well uh about the job. I want to know about the job. It's like, yes, yes. I used to have a ah question. I used to have an answer to this. So when a candidate would ring with this one, I would say, tell me what specific questions you have about the role.
00:13:38
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What do you specifically need to know before you apply? And usually that got them off the hook. They say, oh, actually not that much. I think I'm ready to apply. Great. Go ahead then. i look forward to your application. That's good. I like that tactic. Yes. Yeah. yeah But it it certainly is frustrating. What would you like to know? And they go, ah well, tell me about the job. Yes.
00:13:57
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But what specifically would you like to know? So, Sean, right on the money there. And then one of the last ones he mentions is a red flag. It's multifaceted, this one, but it is ah comical role and job titles. He mentioned specifically LinkedIn, but comical roles and job titles that candidates put on their LinkedIn profile or on their resume um to explain things like full-time parenting, travelling or being unemployed. And references the CEO of laundry um or someone saying between gigs, you know, just strange titles for unusual positions. Yes, I've got to say I didn't come across that a lot. It's sort of the humour of that wears off pretty pretty quickly.
00:14:39
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Yeah, I think honesty is best there and um trying not to be too comical is probably best in that situation. He mentions also um hobbies. Hobbies used to be normal on a resume. For younger people, they might find that a bit strange. ah It was a common thing that you know started conversations in an interview essentially, but people putting strange things like, taxidermy, specifically collecting Nazi memorabilia, hydrox. I don't even know what that is. I don't know. And, you know, going to wellness retreats, these kind of things that, you know, yes, they're conversations sparking, but they're not your everyday hobbies.
00:15:15
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Well, I think people choose things that they attempt to make themselves look more interesting than they probably are. And so I was always slightly suspicious. And certainly one of my favourites, if people put scuba diving, because that was something to make them look adventurous, then being a scuba diver myself, I'd say, oh, so where did you get your open water licence? Or, you know, what's your favourite dive? And then...
00:15:41
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Either you get the enthusiastic diver that could give you all the answers or the person that goes, oh, I just did a resort dive of course three years ago. And it's like, yeah, right. As if scuba diving is a hobby if you've not done it since. All right. He also mentions another ah one being people who answer their phones when they shouldn't. And he's specifically referring to when you call someone and they answer the phone and then tell you that they can't speak or it's clear that they're in a situation where they can't speak to you. They're either screaming, you know, they're in a busy location, a loud location, that kind of thing. They're answering a number that they don't know. you know, it seems it seems a little strange, particularly if you're applying for jobs.
00:16:21
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Completely. It's like, what's the point of a candidate having a conversation in a physical environment that's clearly not suitable to a conversation with someone you've never spoken to before about something as important as a job. It does seem ludicrous. And as most recruiters would say, is now a good time? We usually say that when we ring somebody that, took you know, from a candidate perspective, we're expecting them to bow out. No, it's not a good time. I'll call you back in 10 minutes. but But a lot of candidates don't and scream at you and say, yes, now is a good time. And it's clearly not.
00:16:53
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Well, they're so terrified that if they um say it's not a good time, they'll never get the call back or they'll miss each they and the recruiter will miss each other and then they'll lose their opportunity. So, like, I do get it, but you do have to exercise some good judgment there. ah The final one, we all love this as recruiters, having lots and lots and lots and lots of jobs.
00:17:16
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And Sean goes on to say, as much as those with lots and lots and lots of jobs always have a reason for having lots and lots and lots of jobs, there is never a real reason that deviates from the following four.
00:17:26
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They are terrible at judging people, businesses and roles. They are not very nice to work with. They are not good at what they do. They have untreated ADHD.
00:17:38
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um Harsh, but perhaps ah true as well. Have you got any others you would add to that list, Ross? Well, certainly as someone who recruited in the accounting space, I did find, not that often, but often enough, candidates who had lots of qualifications but very little experience insisting that those lots of qualifications were equal to or better than real experience in doing accounting work. So typically this was someone who'd completed a Bachelor of Commerce, just then did a Master's of Accounting. And then they were attempting to apply for a financial accounting job, insisting that their three weeks work experience in their ah uncle's bakery doing accounts was the ah perfect springboard to then being a financial accountant for Lend-Lease or something like that. And those people were very difficult to talk some sense um into, shall I say.
00:18:34
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I've got a really obvious one to close us out. um People that have their family members or partners involved in the recruitment process. So showing up with mum, you know, calling your wife or your husband in the midst of the offer situation. People obviously refer to their family and get advice, all of those kind of things as part of a job process. But having them involved with the recruiter, big red flag for me. I don't want to see your mum at the interview.
00:18:59
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Well, that reminds me of one particularly memorable phone call I received from a temp who was calling to say she couldn't go to work that day. And I said, ah couldn't do her assignment and that day. And I said, oh, what's what's the problem? She said, it's raining and my husband won't let me leave the house.
00:19:20
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And I like, I didn't know what to say to that. Many questions. That's right. Many, many questions. so it's like, Okay, then. The forecast is fine for tomorrow, so you'll be back at the assignment tomorrow. Okay. I think our listeners would have many more and we'd love to hear about them. So if you've got a candidate red flag story you want to share with us, feel free to reach out to Ross or I on LinkedIn.
00:19:47
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We look forward to hearing your favourite candidate red flag.