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What to consider when hiring employees

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Finding the right employee is tough. You set the parameters with the job description and person specification, on which you base your interviewing short list.  

You interview, spending only a small portion of time with each candidate and yet, from this process, you have high expectations you will find the right person. There are times when this happens, and it all falls together. 

But there are times when it takes a little more effort to put all the jigsaw piece together.  

It is a critical task

It is after all, not just about time but money too. Recruitment costs are soaring, and thus, making a bad appointment only for it to turn sour within months, can mean that your budget and profit margins, already squeezed, are now faced with another pressure of performing the recruitment process all over again.  

Of course, finding out you have hired the wrong person may not necessarily mean that they leave the post; they may stay and thus you will need to spend time and money on training, providing as much as the taught skills as is possible. 

Some studies have shown that in some industries, poor recruitment decision can cost a company up to £30,000 a day, especially in the financial sector.  

Job descriptions are…

… all well and good and, along with personal specifications, can help you and potential candidates decide if the job on offer is the right one for them. Unfortunately, many companies base everything on these sheaves of paper but, with a little thought and discussion, there is a lot more that you need to be looking for. 

#1 Competency 

You may have asked for a specific set of skills and expertise, and this is something you should look for keenly. This is why it is top of the list!

Check with fine tooth comb is they have what you want on their application form. It may be that you get a good feeling about someone and yet, they lack some of the skill or ability you specifically. Only you can know if you have the time and money to train someone in a taught skill; does the company need a start from someone who already has everything you need?

#2 Capable 

Some tasks are easy but what about the more complex and complicated stuff? Does the person sit in front of you give the impression of being capable? Capability in terms of an employee is about seeing the potential of the person to expand and develop. Willingness to try new things and expand their skill set is important in so many cases.

#3 Fits in 

This can seem shallow but if you have an existing team, is this new person sat in front of you going to fit in? In some cases, you may think that they have the skills, so the team will have to adapt and mould but if you have a super-team that is not broken, why try to break it?

Fitting in is more than just getting on with people; it is also about them fitting in with the ethos and values of the company too.

#4 Long-term plans 

Essentially, you want as happy and stable a workforce as you possibly can, as this is the environment in which the best growth, development and productivity happens. How likely is the person to stay with the company? Is the jog ‘big enough’? What does their CV say – how long do they tend to stay in a job?

#5 Character 

This really is about ethos and values, as well as operating principles. You may be in the type of field where there will be times that the job needs doing – and it may mean working late. And on a Friday night too. Are they going to bid you goodbye as they waltz out the door, or can they see the bigger picture and throw their lot in?

#6 Expectations 

Every company has a culture, borne from a set of expectations, policies and procedures, as well as the values the company and the team has. From these come expectations and they can be incredibly high in some cases. This is an important consideration as someone with opposite values and so on, can be an incredibly disruptive and negative force within a team or business.

#7 Salary 

You really do need to offer the going market rate for the job and its responsibilities. Offering less will not get you the calibre of employee you are looking for, and neither will you get the performance, abilities and skills you need.

If budget is an issue, why not look at a benefits package instead, that would be appealing and attractive to the right people?

 

Of course, you won’t always get it right, but with time and consideration, you will get the right people! 

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The do’s and don’ts for your next hire

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 You got the job. You have accepted. You have written the resignation letter and enjoyed he handshake with the boss. Having worked your notice, you leave your old desk behind, looking forward to pastures new.  

But, the nerves are setting in and, when this happens, we can start to make some rather poor quality judgements. Creating the right impression, fitting in, not making a fool of yourself and so on, are all the things that we think about the night before we start a new role. 

Having a checklist to help you with the do’s and don’ts of you next new job can be helpful in ensuring that it goes swimmingly well, and not a big nose-diving belly flop.  

The do’s or should do…

Be positive in your outlook – it is a new job, a new challenge and you are more than ready for it 

Re-read all the information sent to you both at the time of application and interview, as well as any additional material since you accepted the post. Make sure you are familiar with certain things, making notes of anything that needs clarifying 

Research the company again, and get a handle on who the competitors are and so on; arming yourself with some background knowledge can be incredibly helpful 

Plan your journey to work and if possible, have a dummy run. It may be in the same town, but if it a different bus route, tube stop, different motorway exit and so on, you need to know how long it takes and peak rush hour time 

Find out who you are meeting and reporting too; all this takes is a quick phone call or an email 

Make sure you know your working hours so that childcare and so on is not an immediate issue 

Examine the contract of employment carefully, and make sure you are happy with what you are signing; some people think it is rude to ask the date they are paid but, this is an essential piece of information for you. If the date is not in the contract, ask them 

Take some photo identity on the first day; employers are required to do certain checks on new staff, the most basic of which is that you are who you say you are. Take your passport and your driving licence if you have one, for proof of identity as well as address 

Your mobile phone needs to be off or on silent 

Make sure you stick to timings, and that you are back promptly from breaks and lunch 

Show that you are willing; staying an extra 10 minutes and not running out the door creates a far more favourable impression, especially as you get to know people and settle in 

Be calm, stay focus and socialise – get to know the people you are working with, as this can make the first week pass so much quicker and better. 

However, there are some pitfalls that some people fall into; the first week in important and creating a bad impression during this time can really hurt your prospects at the company.  

What not to do…

Call in sick during your first week, unless the situation is extenuating 

Lateness is also frowned upon, as well as punctuality 

Think before you speak and certainly don’t rubbish your former colleagues or palace of employment; there have been many an embarrassing tale of a new employee bad-mouthing their former line manager only to be told that the person sat in front of them is their spouse/sibling and so on 

Don’t make or take personal calls on your mobile, and texting is also frowned upon. In fact, take your eyes off your mobile, and concentrate on the task in hand 

Don’t struggle, or panic! Ask for help and learn to communicate with new people. There are bound to be moments when you feel adrift and useless but, everything comes with time and experience 

But on the other hand, don’t be a know all; humility is a great characteristic to have. You may have been hired to implement new systems, staffing rotas and so on, but this does not mean you are a knight in shining armour that has carte blanche to do whatever you want on your first day 

A new job is an exciting and challenging time, a situation that everyone has been in. You will hear it said to you many times on your first day and in your first week that ‘I had no idea when I started either’ and so on. Colleagues are more than willing to help out, so relax and enjoy! 

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6 ways to spot bad recruiters

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 There is a heap of advice out there about getting the best from your application form, how to get and interview and how to perform in one.  

All of it sound, noteworthy advice and yet very articles but the boot on the other foot; what about spotting bad recruiters, or a dodgy recruitment process? For potential employees, gut instinct might kick in but there are times when you do need to think carefully, observe what is happening and decide what the people are interviewing you are all about.  

Take note of the following. 

Not understanding the job 

In some companies, the management is responsible for the interviewing and recruitment process. There may be times when this mantel would probably have been best passed to a junior member of staff as they may be the people working directly in the field of work, department and so on.  

Are the people in front of you talking the right ‘language’? Is there a clear understanding of the role? If not, they may not know what they are looking for.  

All talk, no listen 

The best interviews are two-way processes. They are about them meeting you, and you meeting them. The scrutiny should be a two way- process and yet, there are time when the company’s management seems to think that the process is about them talking and selling them, and not really listening to what you have to say.  

Feeding back 

You may have been successful, and you may have accepted the job, but this is one small step. Modern recruiters are providing feedback to ALL candidates, not just those who didn’t make the grade. Asking people why they hired you, the good points and the developmental ones is an insight into their human resources process.  

What training and development have they outlined for you specifically? 

How they decide who to interview 

For some people, not being offered an interview can be a devastating blow, especially when you look down the list of essential and desirable skills and note that you match them all. Not many think to chase this decision but, if you are in this position and have no idea why you were not offered an interview, make contact and ask. 

A polite, well-worded email can not only be the right course of action to find out but can also work wonders in terms of future applications, should you decide to make one.  

Great advice 

When the job isn’t yours, you should be given the courtesy of a phone call and some feedback but, not all recruiters are getting in line for such a policy.  

Assuming that they could come in for some flack, some companies send out ‘thanks, but no thanks’ letters, a poor alternative to a phone call. If you want to know more, always contact them to find out.  

Some really modern recruiters also ask for feedback on the whole process and feeding back honestly but diplomatically is key.  

Spamming 

Some recruiters are third party staffing agencies, tasked with the assignment of finding the latest movers and shakers for their company.  

There are some excellent recruitment agencies out there, who nurture relationships with big companies and agencies, but there are some who think that their main role is to gather CVs and send them to anyone and everyone. 

Large companies and corporations, in particular, have smaller, separate arms to their companies and thus, CV spamming can cause all kinds of embarrassing encounters. Working for a sister organisation and finding your CV on your boss’s desk, as a result, is an embarrassment that has befallen many people.  

And yet, it keeps happening because these agencies are still trolling for CVs and applications from people, with false promises and a scatter gun approach that rarely works.  

Focused on their fee and needs, not yours 

Still with third party recruiters, you need to be aware that they will be paid a fee by the hiring company if you accept a role with them. In some cases, depending on the level of job, as well as whether you were head-hunted or applied to a job vacancy board, the fee can be quite handsome for the agency.  

There are instances where people have been harassed and pressured into taking jobs so that the agency acquires its fee. It is imperative before signing up with a recruiter that you check their reputation, as well as making sure that they work in the area of expertise and skills that you have and want to work in.  

Recruiters are important in finding the right people for the right job, but check that they are centred on your needs and not their own. 

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5 things to consider when accepting a job

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 You have done the hard part – completed the application so that they cannot fail to call you for interview – and you performed well. You decide that maybe, just maybe, if the phone rings and they offer you the job, you will snap their hand off. 

And then, time passes, and you get to thinking.  

You have performed well. You have improved and so much so, in fact, that they have offered you the job. It is you ‘dream’ job, working for the leading company in your field of expertise and skills. 

Surely, it is a forgone conclusion that you will accept. 

In most circumstances, people do; as soon as the phone rings and those words ring out ‘we would like to offer you the position’, people gush they will accept the sentence have been finished. There are times when this is the right decision but, there are other occasions when you need to make careful consideration. 

But, what factors should you use to make your decision? 

#1 The people 

You may be forgiven that money should be in top spot. However when it comes to work, you do need to be uber-confident that the people you will spend the majority of the time with, are the people that you want to spend the majority of the time with.  

Of course, it is hard to form judgements from only meeting people for a few moments but those first impressions count. It takes seconds for our intuition to kick in, telling us when someone is personable and approachable, and when they are not.  

#2 The place of work, environment and atmosphere 

It may be THE place and the next step up, but is it the right place for you. Being offered a job and choosing to accept it is, primarily, a personal decision. As great as the company may be, with an enviable reputation, if it did not feel right, then trust your gut. 

How they work is important. Some offices and businesses opt for an open plan office. This great in so many ways – but, if you are an ordered, ‘need my own space’ kind of person, this will not be the right environment conducive to neither your happiness nor productivity.  

#3 The benefits 

The package of benefits offered should reflect the calibre of candidate that the company wants, and how well they look after them. Employees that are not only appreciated but ‘look after’ tend to remain with an employer for longer. 

Ask them about their benefits package; what perks are they offering staff and new employees? If the money does not quite come up to scratch, you may find that you financial gain in other ways. Anything from private medical care to cut price gym membership is worth looking into.  

#4 Company performance 

Before leaving a sound, stable job (possibly) you need to make sure your next move is to another stable, sound ship. If not, you could be setting yourself up for fall from which it may be hard to bounce back.  

Asking around about the company, and how well they are performing financially is important. The most recession has taken out some big names from various industries, all names and businesses that have survived previous recessions, depressions, world wars and conflicts. Sometimes, the smallest and lightest straw can break the biggest, strongest camel.  

#5 Salary 

Clearly, looking for and getting a new job is about taking a step up, including a step up in the money. 

For many people, this is the driving factor and thus, their decisions are easy to make but, for others, the environment and people are more important.  

Neither does money equal happiness in a role, thus take care when basing your decision solely on the salary. There are two options in terms of finance – one is the amount you need to live on and the other, is the amount of money that would make the job simply irresistible.  

Perhaps seeing the potential of the whole package is more important that just one factor alone  

In summary

Looking for, applying and interviewing for a new job is a high-stress situation, and not one that many people gladly throw themselves into. Unless it is the job, that represents the next logical step up for them.  

On the downside is the fact that many people can be disappointed. This is because they go the place where they think it is all happening, the competitor that they need to be part of and yet, their gut tells them a far different story when they get there. 

And when will you know? The moment you walk out of the interview.