Aug 19, 2024 | HR, Management
Why Shouldn’t I use a Recruitment Agency?
What do you think about recruitment agencies? (deep breath)
This question conjures up all kinds of emotional reactions among HR and Line Managers, and attitudes vary massively. Many consider recruitment service suppliers to be a vital component of their hiring strategy while others insist agencies are an overpriced and unnecessary indulgence. In fact, the spectrum of opinion is so wide that it begs the question; are people using agencies in the right way?
To ensure you experience the best possible value for money from your agencies, here are 3 reasons not to use a recruitment agency:
1 – When your own costs are likely to be significantly less than an agency fee
It seems obvious, but you’d be surprised how little people think about the true costs of recruiting. Every hire is different so, to make the right commercial choice, create a list of direct and indirect costs associated with making a new hire and compare it to the cost of outsourcing the recruitment process – Direct costs could include vacancy advertising, social media promotion, job boards, your hourly rate, the hourly rates of anyone else involved in the search and so on. Remember to consider the entire process from job spec to start date and the costs of repeating the whole thing or having to widen the net for harder to fill vacancies.
Meanwhile, indirect costs might include a loss of productivity or the financial impacts on the business while the vacancy remains unfilled and, what higher-value tasks you and your team could be doing instead of focusing on recruitment. In short, hire directly when you’re confident you can do it quickly and efficiently with a minimal impact on your day-to-day business activities. When the impact on your time and your bottom line is too steep, reach out to an agency for support.
2 – When your vacancy requires common skills and broad professional experiences
Imagine a fairway on a golf course leading to the green, with the rough on either side containing all kinds of obstacles; tall grass, rocks, trees and alligators (of course).
Every mainstream vacancy in your business sits on the fairway – think Administrators, Customer Service Reps, Production Operatives, Receptionists, etc. Given the size of the candidate pool, these vacancies can generally be filled directly and relatively quickly using conventional methods such as local/online advertising, word of mouth, social media etc.
Meanwhile, challenging vacancies that call for in-demand industry expertise or niche skills sit squarely in the rough. Candidates here are much harder to attract and even harder to secure, the recruitment process can often be far longer and, as such, will likely cost a great deal more in both time and money. A standard, stand-alone, advert will give you a narrow, limited snapshot of the talent market’s active jobseekers. Candidate choice is likely to be much better with a specialist agency as they spend each and every day of the year searching for passive and active niche candidates, have huge contact databases and far bigger talent attraction budgets.
3 – When you just want to do it yourself
Some hiring managers simply like recruitment, have the time, and genuinely enjoy doing it by themselves. If that’s you, fair enough. Recruitment can indeed be fun, that’s why we do it! You might have proven methods, bigger budgets, internal resources, and a brand that attracts the best talent without much effort. We have several clients who use our services just once a year, at best, for the odd incredibly niche IT vacancy but do 95%+ of their recruiting themselves. In almost every case, their workforces are predominantly made up of the same type of professional and so routinely attract and recruit them directly, often as trainees. If only we could all be so lucky!
Bottom line? Outsource to a professional only when it’s likely to be hard or commercially risky to do it yourself. Remember that recruiting directly isn’t free. Monetary cost and lost time can easily mount up so, make a sensible decision on a case-by-case basis.
You might wonder why we are telling you this – aren’t we talking ourselves out of a job? Perhaps we are, but only for those roles you don’t really need our help with. We want every client we have to truly value our services, and that’s why we routinely encourage people to use us in the right way – outsourcing only when it makes sense to do so.
Aug 18, 2024 | Hiring Resources, Tips
The race to attract IT talent is on! But if you are a company with a smaller budget, paying an increased salary is not always possible. Plus, with the cost of running a business increasing on what seems like a weekly basis, budget pressures are being seen across the board. But it isn’t all bad news. There are ways that you can still attract IT talent without increasing your salaries.
Here’s our thoughts –
Need to attract IT talent? It isn’t all about pay!
Despite what the news is reporting about IT salaries right now, candidates don’t usually accept a job purely based on salary. Great news for companies on a budget! Each and every business is unique. Whether it’s location, office environment, or team members, identifying what makes you different is key when it comes to attracting talent. And if you don’t know the answer to this question, you can ask your team. Do you currently run a company survey? If not, maybe it’s time you did. You can find out a lot about what makes your company special, why people stay, and sometimes why people are looking to leave. Why are you losing staff. If indeed you are? You’ll find that it’s not all pay related. Same applies to attracting candidates.
Take a look at your workplace culture
Diverse workplace cultures are key. In fact, Glassdoor report that 3 in 4 job seekers say that diversity is a key consideration when accepting a position. But it’s not just when it comes to attracting IT talent. A recent report states that companies who focus on diversity in the workplace are 36% more likely to have above average financial returns for their industry. But it’s not just improvements in business performance that you will experience. What about the human element? A diverse and inclusive company atmosphere can help you to attract new talent. Additionally, it can help you to retain the team you have.
Benefits are possible for all
We understand that not all businesses can afford the more traditional benefits like healthcare, contributing to pensions etc. There are other ways to be able to offer benefits to your teams. It’s now common practice for many companies to offer flexible, hybrid or remote working. Things like this will still make a difference. Candidates now expect flexibility. Is this something you are offering? There are also lots of other things you can offer. Candidates are very keen to be able to upskill. Whether that be with official on-the-job training, or external training courses. This doesn’t have to be seen as an extra cost. What skills can your company benefit from. Alternatively, what skills do you have in-house that you can pass on to a new starter?
Are your employee reviews preventing you being able to attract IT talent?
With the number of vacancies in the UK at record highs, the power is well and truly in the hands of the candidate. This means that great candidates are receiving multiple offers at the same time. Therefore, they are likely to do their due diligence before choosing which role to accept. When was the last time you looked at your online reviews. Websites like Glassdoor are a great source of information for any prospective candidate. What does your profile say about you. It’s important to respond to any reviews online – both positive and negative. This shows that as an employer you take your employee satisfaction levels seriously. With more 3 in 4 job seekers saying that culture and diversity are important when choosing a new job, is it time that you made some changes?
Use an IT recruiter
Would you like help to recruit the best IT talent? Is it time to engage with a specialist IT recruiter? Partnering with an agency is a great way to help ensure that you are able to attract the best IT talent in the market. Additionally, someone who fits within your budget. There are many benefits to working with a recruiter –
- Advertise your vacancies across a range of job boards
- A strong database of candidates – built over the last 20 years
- Access to all the CV databases of the major job boards
- Proven shortlisting process to identify top talent
- Advice on the market / salaries / benefits etc
If you would like to know more about how partnering with Langley James can help you recruit someone worth recruiting, get in touch with our team today.
Aug 18, 2024 | IT, Management
When was the last time you reviewed the employment discrimination laws before conducting an interview? Most hiring managers have every intention of complying with employment discrimination laws but find that the time needed to keep abreast of the nuances of employment discrimination in areas such as race, gender, religion, national origin, age, marital status, medical history, physical disability or criminal records hard to find.
Yet failure to properly prepare can lead to questions and conversations that should be avoided, a notion we deem as ‘illegal interview questions’. Generally, asking questions alone is not illegal unless the candidate belongs to a protected class and believes that he or she was rejected due to the information that was gathered. If this happens you will be forced to prove that employment discrimination did not occur. Interviewing with this in mind can be unsettling and it can be hard to proceed confidently during the interview process unless you have a solicitor by your side! But many questions that are necessary to screen for the position can tread on dangerous territory.
For example, if we cannot ask a person’s age, how do we find out if the candidate is above the minimum age requirement? What if it is important to check criminal or credit history due to the type of work involved? What if you want to make sure the candidate is able to work overtime due to the demands of the job? How do you determine a candidate’s citizenship?
To help you avoid common pitfalls and subsequent illegal questions in the interview process that could leave your company exposed to a claim for employment discrimination, begin by sticking to the following two practices:
Only Ask Job-Related Questions
Problems can arise from questions asked before the interview even begins! Innocent conversation on topics used to break the ice and make the candidate more comfortable can cause problems if the candidate is rejected. Go ahead and talk about the news, sports or weather, but stay away from personal topics such as children and spouses. A candidate can naively reveal personal information that you did not ask for. Politely steer the conversation back to job-related questions that you have (hopefully) prepared in advance of the interview!
Subject Each Candidate To The Same Hiring Practices
Keeping the interview fair and equal must start by using a job application that asks the same questions of each candidate. If you require testing, make sure that all candidates applying for the job are tested with the same instrument. In advance of the interview, write a job-related, detailed and validated position description. Based on the job description it is advisable to compile a list of solid interview questions that keep to the qualifications of the job. If possible, familiarise yourself with the laws that apply specifically to discrimination.
Blah blah – so what about these taboo questions I hear you say!? Well, here are a range of questions you might want to think about before inviting your next recruit into the building:
A Candidate’s Age…
The only time that it becomes important to know a person’s age is when you think the candidate may not be of legal working age. This information can be obtained by simply asking the candidate if they can prove that they are over 18 years of age.
A Candidate’s Criminal Record…
If there is a need to know about a candidate’s criminal record simply ask if the candidate has ever been “CONVICTED”. The objective is to steer clear of asking if the candidate was ever arrested, as this question is illegal. The candidate only needs to reveal a conviction. It is best to include this question on the application form.
A Candidate’s Disabilities…
There is a right way (legal) and a wrong way (illegal) to ask questions that are related to physical and mental disabilities. The difference between the two questions is that the illegal question can be construed as an attempt to disqualify a candidate.
A Candidate’s Physical Abilities…
After a thorough job evaluation identifies that the position requires specific physical ability, such as lifting, determine the amount to be lifted (such as 40 pounds) and how far and how often this must be done (such as 25 feet repeatedly during the day.) Then ask EVERY candidate: “This position requires that you lift 40-pound boxes and move them 25 feet repeatedly. Are you able to handle this aspect of the job?”
A Candidate’s Marital & Family Status…
Don’t ask if the candidate is married or if he or she has children. It is not relevant to the job. Sometimes an interviewer will want to find out if the candidate can handle the work schedule that the job requires. It is okay to ask the candidate if he or she is willing to work overtime, travel or relocate. You can also ask if there are any days or times that the candidate will be unable to work. It is not okay to ask if working on a particular religious holiday will be a problem. Don’t ask the candidate if he or she has any children or how childcare will be handled.
A Candidate’s Medical History…
Questions regarding a candidate’s medical history are considered discriminatory. A full medical exam can be part of the hiring process AFTER an offer has been made. Drug screening can be conducted prior to extending an offer. Make sure that your policy states that you do not hire anyone with a positive drug screening result.
A Candidate’s National Origin…
Don’t ask: “Where were you born?” Or “What is your native language?” You CAN ask if the candidate is authorised to work in the UK. You can also ask what languages a person speaks if this information is shown, after a thorough job evaluation, to be a requirement of the job.
The Candidate’s Gender, Sexual Orientation, Race, Religion Or Political Affiliations…
– Just Don’t Ask !!!
These types of questions are strictly taboo and should not be asked or discussed at any time during an interview. Once the applicant becomes an employee, the employer may collect this information for affirmative action programs and government record-keeping and reporting.
Avoid gender-stereotyping questions — sexual harassment suits can be filed no matter how many employees work for your company.
There you have it. A range of advice covering all the major areas of danger. Bottom Line – If in doubt, don’t!
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