Recently, I supported a global business in their search for a Business Development Director. It was great. I helped them define the brief, met every single candidate face-to-face, provided feedback and helped them define a shortlist. I was then involved with the final face-to-face meetings as a HR presence. I realised quite quickly that whilst the people conducting the interviews were seasoned experts in their field, they were missing some of the ‘recruitment basics’ I would want to be crystal clear on.

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After the first interview, the advice I gave them was pretty straightforward, and I felt like it really helped to shape the rest of the interviews:

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Firstly, set your stall out and explain to the interviewee what is actually happening. Rather than diving straight into the questions, introduce the people in the room, and let the interviewee know their roles and why they are present. Try to make the candidate feel at ease in the room before jumping in to ask ‘explain to us the complexities of the technology you are involved with?’.

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The next tip I gave them was to focus on understanding the motivations of the candidates. Yes, you can ask all the technical questions under the sun, and the market and product match might be fantastic, but for a long-term hire, motivations and aspirations are key, so don’t let them leave the room without finding out what these are. Find out what makes the candidate tick, what really gets them out of bed in the morning and importantly what their short-term and long-term career goals are. Secondly, ask yourself whether these goals link in with your business objectives and whether you can then use this as leverage to sell your company to the candidates.

Next, box off the candidate’s reason for leaving their current job. I explained that this seems really simple but doing so maintains good practice. Yes, your recruiter will ask this when they interview candidates, but make sure you are happy with the reasoning. Ask yourself does it make sense, do you understand it, and above all else, is it consistent with the reasons I received?

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My final pointer was to leave a great impression to all the candidates who took the time to meet with them. Explain the next steps in the process, ask them to contact the recruiter with any follow up questions they may think of and thank them for their time. Again, it seems really simple but it’s powerful to leave candidates feeling like they have had a great experience with your company.

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So there you have it: whilst your focus may rightly be on typical questions surrounding experience and expertise, to create a fully rounded interview process, you need to start with a great introduction, conclude with a clear next steps for all candidates and focus on understanding motivations and aspirations during the interview. With these tips in mind you should make candidates feel at ease and as a result feel more comfortable giving honest answers to your questions.

​Flexible working and working from home is a real hot topic at the moment. It seems like with millennials and Gen Z entering the workplace, and with an array of images of employees using a Macbook by the sea on social media sites such as Instagram, there is a real drive and desire for flexible working.

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Companies often wrestle with this, especially those who are more mature in their processes and those who want visible presence from their employees. I get why this is this case, but, as a recruitment consultant, I often find brilliant candidates who don’t or can’t meet the location requirements of the role. It really got me thinking about what employers should consider before they allow or reject flexible working requests. Here are some of my ideas:

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1 – Do I trust my employees enough to allow it? Ultimately, it boils down to trust. Sure, the odd person will always be the exception to the rule, but trusting your employees to complete their tasks within times and locations to suit them is where this often falls down. So as a business leader, ask yourself, do you trust your team?

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2 – Do employees need to be present, visible or both? Recently, I spoke to a candidate who rejected a role with a lower salary but greater responsibility purely because it required “visibility”. He explained that he was able to work all sorts of hours to meet the needs of the role, but ultimately his family life was important and the obligation to be in the office 8.00 – 18.30 every day made accepting this role impossible. It wasn’t due to the money, it was a decision which was purely based on this required “visibility”. The business wanted him to be present (i.e. available for calls and meetings), but also visible (i.e. they wanted to see him in the office doing his job).

3 – Will it suit my business? Ultimately, flexible working won’t suit every single business. As an employer it’s critical to consider if allowing flexible working will impact on your customer service and above anything else, on your bottom line. If it will, maybe it’s not the route for you.

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4 – Will I be comfortable with the perceived lack of control? As mentioned above, it is all about control. Will you, as a leader, be comfortable with your employees working from home whilst not being able to physically see the contributions they are making each day.

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5 – How will I measure success? If you go for it, and decide to implement a flexible working or work from home policy, it is worth considering how you will measure success. Will it be day-to-day wins, weekly productivity reports, or monthly project completions for example? Each role may be different, but to really be in tune with how well your work from home strategy is doing, it is worth being on top of what success looks like.

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You could literally write pages and pages of considerations before implementing or removing a flexible working policy. It is really worth sitting back to consider the positive impact this could have on your company as well. Yes, there is a risk, but in equal measure there is reward. Could this type of policy reduce childcare costs, save commuting time and money, allow people to be back home before 7pm, and ultimately, could it result in immeasurable benefits that boost your staff retention in return?

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If you would like to discuss how to implement something like this, or discuss examples of businesses who have implemented or removed flexible working policies, then I would be glad to discuss: [email protected]

​How could more people working from home (WFH) during the COVID-19 pandemic affect the culture and value proposition of your business?

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First of all, let’s look at what WFH means for your employees and business.

–      Working from home is already a fast-growing trend, with 44% growth over the last year and 91% over the last decade.

–      Remote work attracts and retains more talent, with 75% of respondents citing flexible schedules and remote work as the most effective non-monetary employee retention driver.

–      Remote and flexible work is good for business, with 90% of employees saying it would increase morale and 80% saying they are less stressed.

–      Fewer distractions, less disruption, zero commute, minimal office politics and a more personalised work environment lead to 65% of people stating they are more productive when working from home.

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Could the COVID-19 outbreak act as a catalyst for a digitised culture shift in your industry?

With research showing that WFH is a growing trend due to improved employee satisfaction, increased productivity and morale, the question is, will your company be outdated and less attractive once COVID-19 restrictions are lifted if you mandate a return to the office?  

It’s reasonable to suggest that once employees get a taste for the benefits of WFH and your business becomes more profitable as a result, the culture of your business moving forward ought to adopt a more flexible working schedule to compete, as there’s a clear competitive advantage to be had here.  

The reality is that if you do not adapt, your workforce could be more inclined to explore opportunities with your competitors who do promote a flexible working culture and can provide the best technology. Those at the forefront of a new, exciting and rewarding culture will naturally be more attractive the most talented people in your industry.

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How is COVID-19 WFH affecting your ability to access the passive candidate market?

Whilst we’re in the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak, it’s understandable that businesses are having to improvise to keep things running. Supply chains have been affected and markets are suffering which can lead to uncertainty and caution with your hiring plans for 2020.

42% of all hiring managers in our network have stated that being able to engage with the most talented people for their business is the biggest barrier to success with their hiring strategies. The figure is even higher for small- to medium-sized companies who have more niche or expansive role requirements. The second biggest barrier is not being able to compete with salaries offered by larger companies; however, this is where cultural, or non-monetary, benefits are being offered to offset a monetary disadvantage.

With more people in sales and commercial roles being forced to WFH than ever before, there are now more opportunities to market your brand and business. Typically, the most talented people are only available to talk about job opportunities in a confidential environment.

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There’s scope to gain a competitive advantage in a number of ways. Here’s how we could help:

–      Gain more clarity than ever on your desired local and international passive candidate pools.

–      Keep the wheels turning with your hiring plans by staying active in passive candidate pools.

–      Champion your company’s value proposition in a time of uncertainty.

–      Market yourselves as a strong organisation with a flexible working culture.

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Essentially, if you remain proactive with your hiring strategy for 2020 and beyond, you will be in the strongest position to attract the very best people to your business.

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(Sources – https://www.merchantsavvy.co.uk/remote-working-statistics/ , https://www.smallbizgenius.net/by-the-numbers/remote-work-statistics/#gref, https://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/remote-work-statistics/).

Nathan is the only member of the team who lives alone so we asked what might leave him sleeping with the light on as we approach Hallowe’en this weekend:

“Specifically, ghosts and in general, trying to score an actual date via online dating app.”

​We all know that online dating can be terrifying, but has an experience with a recruiter ever left you with the kind of bad aftertaste you might have after a negative dating experience? Have you ever been left not knowing where you stand in the same way as when a romantic interest doesn’t reply to your texts?

“As technology continues to change our attitudes and approach to communication, the likelihood is that you will experience ghosting not only in your personal life but in professional contexts too, and the job seeking and hiring process is no exception.

Increased levels of ghosting have typically been attributed to a candidate-led employment market with high levels of competition for roles. Data indicates that ghosting has ‘become normalised behaviour within the hiring process’, but this doesn’t mean that this behavioural trend is without adverse effects. According to a report by the recruitment software company Tribepad, over two-thirds of job applicants have been ghosted by a recruiter, and of those who responded, 86% were left feeling down or depressed as a result of the experience. Ghosting is having a real impact on jobseekers’ mental health, to such an extent that Tribepad has launched a campaign called End Ghosting to create greater awareness of the problem of ghosting in recruitment.

It’s understandable then that there have been numerous calls on social media for an end to this worrying trend”.

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What’s causing this?

“I know first-hand that people are less likely to respond to my approaches as they either believe the opportunity isn’t genuine and/or the likelihood of being left hanging by a recruiter during the assessment process is too scary a proposition.

This is obviously frustrating as I’m comfortable engaging with people when I don’t have a live vacancy and my Tinder pictures are as real as the come, and I’ll be honest about this. Most of what I do in recruitment is candidate-led and I enjoy building trusted relationships with people. I can empathise with candidates who aren’t always as keen to engage and it’s understandable how this problem manifests itself.Attractive candidates are being super-liked more than ever and the demand for some recruiters to get numbers on the board is high”.

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So how can we stop the ghosting cycle?

“I don’t think there’s a fool-proof solution but as recruiters, we have to commit to putting our best foot forward by taking the time to target the right candidates with the right roles instead of swiping right on every LinkedIn profile with a matching keyword, or penchant for pet pics. Maybe recruiters need to be more transparent about what we’re offering upfront as well, divulging more information about the package and perks from the off, which are usually more like second or third date topics – each to their own”.

How can we move forward?

“I do honestly believe that the role of a recruiter in the matchmaking process can be underrated, overlooked or not understood. I think candidates would agree that the fear of not knowing is worse than finding out you’re not the right fit. I back myself as being more likely to get a response from a hiring manager than if you apply direct and will do my best to outline and manage expectations without making false promises.

 As in our personal lives, ending ghosting in recruitment requires a commitment to honesty, transparency and empathy within relationships. Communication is a key aspect of any good relationship, and better communication throughout the hiring process, both between the employer and recruiter and between the recruiter and candidate, would go a long way to minimise the impact of ghosting in the hiring process”.

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I’d be interested to hear what candidates need to know about an opportunity to initiate engagement – whether positive or negative.

I’d also like to hear what candidates most enjoy about having a recruiter as a wing-person and what they would like to be done differently. ​