Big Pay Gap in HR Salaries Across England: East Tops the Charts
Big Pay Gap in HR Salaries Across England: East Tops the Charts
New data reveals a surprising gap in HR salaries across England. While London might be known for its high cost of living, it’s actually the East of England that boasts the highest average salary for HR managers and directors at a whopping £67,172!
Here’s a breakdown:
East of England: £67,172 (7% higher than London, 12% higher than South East)
London: £62,788
South East: £60,198
The Rest of the Pack:
Salaries drop significantly in other regions, with the North East and West Midlands coming in at the lowest, at £44,158 and £47,037 respectively. Here’s a full list for reference:
East – £67,172
London – £62,788
South East – £60,198
South West – £56,357
North West – £50,615
East Midlands – £49,679
Yorkshire and The Humber – £47,442
West Midlands – £47,037
North East – £44,158
What This Means for HR Professionals:
This data highlights the significant difference in earning potential for HR professionals depending on location. While London might offer a bustling work environment, the East could be a lucrative option for those seeking a higher salary.
But It’s Not All About Money:
Claire Williams, Chief People and Operating Officer at HR software provider Ciphr, emphasises that salary isn’t the only factor. HR professionals play a crucial role in an organization’s success, and their compensation reflects that. Additionally, some argue that high salaries don’t necessarily create a disconnect with employees, as HR’s value is based on their expertise and the impact they bring.
The Takeaway:
This data is a valuable resource for HR professionals considering a job change. While location plays a role in salary, factors like specialisation and industry demand also influence compensation. Ultimately, the best fit will depend on individual priorities and career goals.
We’d love to discuss your IT recruitment needs and help you find your next superstar. Please call us on 0207 788 6600 or email us at langleyjames@langleyjames.com and one of our consultants will be happy to advise you. You can also follow us on Facebook.
Loneliness at Work: A Growing Threat to UK Employee Mental Health
A recent report by Telus Health has revealed a troubling trend: loneliness is a significant risk factor for mental health issues among UK workers. One-third of employees surveyed reported a high risk of mental health problems, directly linked to feelings of isolation and a lack of connection at work.
Younger Workers Hit Hardest
The report highlights a concerning disparity between age groups. Workers under 40 are 80% more likely to lack trusted work relationships compared to their older counterparts. This lack of trust and social support can lead to anxiety, stress, and ultimately, feelings of loneliness, even for those who have frequent social interaction outside of work.
The Cost of Loneliness
The consequences of loneliness at work extend beyond emotional well-being. Studies have shown a strong correlation between workplace loneliness and:Lower job performance
Reduced job satisfaction
Increased burnout
Strained relationships with managers
What Can Employers Do?
These findings emphasize the crucial role employers play in fostering a healthy and supportive work environment. Here are some key takeaways for businesses:
Prioritise social connection: Encourage team-building activities, casual social interaction, and opportunities for colleagues to connect.
Promote open communication: Create a safe space for employees to discuss their concerns and feelings, including loneliness.
Offer mental health resources: Provide access to Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) or other mental health resources to support employees struggling with loneliness and its effects.
Be mindful of work arrangements: Consider the impact of remote work policies on social interaction and offer solutions like virtual team-building activities or co-working spaces.
It’s a Shared Responsibility
Building a workplace that combats loneliness requires a collaborative effort. By acknowledging the issue, fostering connections, and offering support, employers can create a thriving work environment where employees feel valued, respected, and less susceptible to the negative effects of loneliness.
Taking Action for Employee Wellbeing
Loneliness is a serious issue with significant consequences for both employees and businesses. By prioritising mental health and fostering a culture of connection, employers can create a win-win situation for everyone.
We’d love to discuss your IT recruitment needs and help you find your next superstar. Please call us on 0207 788 6600 or email us at langleyjames@langleyjames.com and one of our consultants will be happy to advise you. You can also follow us on Facebook.
The way we work has undergone a dramatic shift. Gone are the days of strict office routines, with many employees now embracing flexible work arrangements. However, this newfound freedom has sparked a new trend: “coffee badging.”
What is Coffee Badging?
Coffee badging involves employees swiping into the office, grabbing a coffee, and then heading home to work remotely. It’s a response to companies mandating a return to the office (RTO) despite employee preferences for flexibility.
Why Does Coffee Badging Happen?
Resistance to RTO: Many workers value the work-life balance and productivity they gained through remote work. RTO mandates can feel restrictive.
Lack of Trust: Coffee badging can be a sign that employees feel a lack of trust from their employers, who prioritize physical presence over results.
Desire for Connection: While remote work offers flexibility, some employees still value in-person interaction with colleagues. Coffee badging allows them to check in briefly.
The Real Problem: A Disconnect Between Employers and Employees
Coffee badging isn’t the real issue; it’s a symptom of a deeper disconnect. Here’s what employers can do:
Embrace Flexibility: Employees value flexibility. Offering hybrid models, flexible hours, or remote work options can address the root cause of coffee badging.
Open Communication: Transparency and responsiveness are key. Create channels for honest feedback and understand employee needs and preferences.
Focus on Outcomes: Shift the focus from physical presence to quality and timeliness of work. Set clear goals, expectations, and metrics based on results.
Moving Forward: Collaboration, not Control
Coffee badging highlights the need for a more collaborative approach to work. By fostering trust, embracing flexibility, and focusing on outcomes, employers can create a work environment that benefits both employees and the organisation.
Additional Points:
Studies show a significant portion of employees (around 60%) have engaged in coffee badging.
Experts advise against coffee badging, particularly for new employees, due to potential consequences.
Some argue that free coffee could be an incentive to lure workers back to the office for genuine interaction.
Remember: Coffee badging is a sign, not the problem itself. By addressing the underlying issues and working together, employers and employees can create a win-win situation.
We’d love to discuss your IT recruitment needs and help you find your next superstar. Please call us on 0207 788 6600 or email us at langleyjames@langleyjames.com and one of our consultants will be happy to advise you. You can also follow us on Facebook.
Employees now have greater rights to flexible working arrangements, with changes coming into effect on April 6th, 2024
New Flexible Working Law: A Must-Know for Employers
Employees now have greater rights to flexible working arrangements, with changes coming into effect on April 6th, 2024
This blog explores what employers need to know about these changes, including grounds for refusal and potential penalties.
Key Changes:
Day-one right: Employees can request flexible working from their first day of employment, eliminating the previous 26-week service requirement.
Two requests per year: Employees can now make two requests for flexible working within a 12-month period, compared to the previous limit of one.
Faster response time: Employers must respond to requests within two months (previously three months).
Consultation mandatory: Employers must consult with employees before rejecting a request.
No need to justify request: Employees no longer need to explain the impact of their request on the business.
Possible Reasons for Refusal:
Negative business impact: Extra costs, difficulty in reorganizing work, or inability to recruit staff due to the requested flexibility.
Performance or quality concerns: Flexible working might negatively affect performance or quality of work delivered.
Customer demand: Inability to meet customer needs due to the requested schedule.
Lack of work: There might not be enough work available during the requested hours.
Planned workforce changes: The employer might be planning changes that conflict with the request.
Penalties for Non-Compliance:
While there are no direct financial penalties for employers who don’t follow the process, there are significant risks:
Employment tribunals: Employees can claim compensation (up to eight weeks’ pay) for failure to follow the proper procedure.
Discrimination claims: Refusing a request based on factors like gender or disability could lead to discrimination claims with potentially hefty compensation.
Recruitment and retention issues: A reputation for inflexibility can make it harder to attract and retain talent.
Conclusion:
Employers should adapt to the new regulations by:
Updating internal policies: Ensure policies reflect the new right-to-request process.
Training managers: Train managers on handling flexible working requests fairly and consistently.
Considering alternatives: Explore alternative arrangements if a request can’t be fully granted.
By embracing flexible working, employers can benefit from a happier, more productive workforce and a wider talent pool.
We’d love to discuss your IT recruitment needs and help you find your next superstar. Please call us on 0207 788 6600 or email us at langleyjames@langleyjames.com and one of our consultants will be happy to advise you. You can also follow us on Facebook.
Just Tell Us Exactly What You Want – What you really, really want -Detailed Job Vacancy Descriptions
In today’s competitive job market, attracting the right talent is tougher than ever. A well-written job description is your secret weapon. It’s the first impression you make on potential hires, and it can make or break your chances of landing the perfect candidate and can save you valauble time and money.
Why Ditch the Vague Job Description?
Imagine this: someone reads your job description and thinks, “That sounds interesting, but what exactly would I be doing?” Vague descriptions lead to a flood of unqualified applications, wasting your time and theirs. Worse yet, it can lead to high turnover from frustrated employees who end up in the wrong role.
Crafting a Description That Gets Noticed
So, how do you write a job description that pops? Here’s a blueprint:
Headline that Hooks: Start with a clear, attention-grabbing title that accurately reflects the role.
Summary Sells the Dream: Write a concise but engaging overview of the position and what it entails.
Responsibilities: Show, Don’t Tell: Don’t just list duties. Use action verbs and specific examples to showcase what a typical day might look like.
Qualifications: Must-Haves and Bonus Points: Outline the essential skills and experience needed, and don’t forget to mention any perks like software experience or preferred certifications.
Culture Counts: Give candidates a glimpse into your company culture. Are you a fun, fast-paced startup or a collaborative, established organization?
Be Transparent: Salary & Benefits: Show you value your employees by including a salary range and highlighting your benefits package.
Tailor It to Shine
A one-size-fits-all approach won’t cut it. Adapt your description to fit the specific role, industry standards, and seniority level.
Keep it Legal, Keep it Honest
Stay away from discriminatory language and ensure your description accurately reflects the job’s demands.
Keep it Fresh
The world of work changes fast. Regularly review and update your descriptions to reflect current needs and your evolving company culture.
Bonus Tip: Get Insider Input
Ask current employees in the role for their perspective on the responsibilities and skills required. This can help ensure your description is accurate and reflects the day-to-day reality of the job.
Ready to Write that Winning Description?
By following these tips, you can craft job descriptions that attract the best and brightest talent. Remember, a well-written description is an investment in your company’s future. It saves time and money by streamlining the hiring process, and it sets the stage for a successful and productive working relationship.
Jason holds a strong technical support background, and his most recent role provides VIP Support on a fast paced agile environment for hardware and software faults, network cabling, and support for various systems and applications.Jason’s key achievement was as a Team Lead in a previous role, mentoring a small team and becoming the primary escalation point for service desk issues. He would also conduct one-to-one performance reviews with the Service Desk Manager.
Skills: Azure Active Directory/Entra, ServiceNow, BitLocker, MDM, OneDrive, Citrix, Group Policy
2nd line IT & AV Support EngineerDennis’s proactive and forward-thinking mentality serves as a valuable asset to any employer. He embraces every opportunity presented to him and welcomes assistance and feedback, recognising their significant contributions to his ongoing learning and growth.
Throughout his previous positions, he consistently not only met but exceeded the ‘ticket resolved’ targets.
Sills: AV Equipment, VoIP, Projectors, Zoom, Teams
Industries: Legal Conferencing, Hospitality, Managed Service Provider
4 weeks
Jack
£70k
or
£685
per day
Cloud DevOps EngineerJack is a DevOps Engineer with over five years of experience. He is skilled in infrastructure design, implementation, management, CI/CD tools, containerisation, and automation. Jack is also confident working with servers, networking devices, and storage systems to ensure optimal performance and availability.
His key successes is taking ownership and leading the migration project from on-prem to the cloud, collaborating with cross-functional teams to optimise application performance, security, and cost efficiency.
Industries: Professional Services, Insurance, Construction
4 weeks
Sonia
£55k
or
£550 per day
Data AnalystSonia is an immediately available Data Analyst with over five years of experience in Analysis, Reporting, Application development and Testing.
In her most recent role, she was responsible for developing databases, maintaining servers, generating reports, and automating processes
Skills: Power BI, Tableau, Oracle, SSIS, SSRS, SSAS, PL/SQL, Jira, T-SQL, ETL, and AWS
Lead Data Scientist – Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning
Gabi is a Data Scientist with over ten years of experience in data access, management, analysis, and presentation and expertise in statistical packages and software.Gabi has applied a variety of statistical and machine learning techniques (multivariate regression algorithms (linear and polynomial), decision tree, bagging modelling, random forest, extra tree, gradient boosting KNN and Artificial Neutral Network) to develop a sustainable solution that predicts the probability of accident occurring.
Skills: ML, AI, Testing, Deep Learning, Testing, Python, Azure, BI, Oracle, SAS Tools
Industries: Market Research, Automotive, Public Sector, Law, Healthcare
Immediate
John
90k
or
£745
per day
CyberSecurity ManagerJohn is an experienced CISM-accredited Cyber Security professional with ten years experience. He is experienced in managing cyber threats, vulnerability detections, risk assessments, and security analysis. Skilled in security architecture design, policy creation, and implementing cloud technology stack.
John Spearheaded Cyber-attacks and fraud prevention within the enterprise ecosystem by stating and executing a holistic alignment to the cybersecurity strategy, mission, and vision on Data Loss Prevention & endpoint security solutions. John was the single point of escalation to executive mgt. on CyberSecurity controls.
Skills: PCI-DSS, ISO27001, OWASP, MS Azure Security Compliance Centre, O365 Defender
Lateness – The demands on management to take action!
Repeated staff lateness is detrimental to your company brand, disrespectful, ignorant and just plain RUDE!!!! .
In today’s world, it has become increasingly difficult to keep up with a countless array of commitments, time limits, and appointments.
It can be draining both physically and emotionally to manage all these tasks in a timely manner. Therefore, it is important to take action on lateness in order to foster better relationships, better time management, and increased productivity.
Necessity of Taking Action on Lateness
Taking action on lateness can also improve relationships. Being punctual helps to improve the trust we have in each other and can lead to more success in collaborative projects such as work, presentations, competitions, and other endeavours. Friends, family, and work colleagues are more likely to have a more positive opinion of someone who takes timely action on commitments.
In order for your team to be punctual, it’s critical that you set the standard. It starts with you – if you arrive to work late and or leave early, it can set the wrong tone for the whole team. When employees see their manager arriving late and leaving early, it can affect their own punctuality in subtle ways. In turn, you’ll need to keep track of working hours monitor and evaluate the attendance, and stick to the rules that you set.
How to Handle Latecomers
People can be late for various reasons, but you can’t let repeated occasions slide. To ensure good performance and commitment, you should address the issue promptly. Don’t show favoritism and don’t allow anyone to get away with it, even your top performers or longest-serving employees. This is the only way to ensure that the rules are followed by everyone equally.
Figure out the reason for a team member’s lateness, there might be genuine underlying issues. It could be a legitimate reason such as commuting difficulties, or it could be a sign of a deeper underlying issue. If it’s a legitimate issue, provide support and offer advice on how they can better manage their time or find solutions to the problem.
If a team member is frequently late and fails to meet deadlines, then you need to take a firmer approach. You should communicate your expectations to the employee and highlight the damaging effect of their tardiness. Agree on solutions or corrective actions going forward, such as introducing a latecomers or punctuality log.
How to Manage a Team Working Remotely
Managing a team that works remotely can prove difficult if you don’t have the correct tools or strategies in place. To manage a remote team effectively, it’s important to set deadlines and communicate regularly. Make sure your team knows what needs to be done and when – let them know that they are expected to submit each task by a certain date and time.
For remote teams, set shorter deadlines than if the team were working from the same office. That way, any unfinished business can be addressed before the final hour and still meet the deadline. It’s important to remind your team of these expectations and deadlines regularly while they work from home.
Communication is key for remote team success. Make sure to communicate with your team on a daily basis, whether that’s through video calls, direct messages on Slack or email. Monitor your team’s progress and offer regular feedback. This way, if anything is going wrong, you can act swiftly to fix any issues and get back on track.
Hold everyone in your team accountable for their tasks and goals. Use tools like Asana, Trello or a project tracking tool to keep track of progress. This also helps to ensure that the whole team is on the same page and that no tasks are overlooked.
Conclusion
Overall, it’s important to lead by example when it comes to punctuality and ensure that your team is meeting deadlines and sticking to agreed timelines. Setting clear rules, expectations, and guidelines, while rewarding outstanding punctuality and offering incentives can help enhance punctuality amongst your team.
In addition, to ensure that any latecomers get back on track, address the issue promptly and fairly without favouritism. Lastly, when managing remote teams, make sure to communicate frequently, set deadlines, monitor progress, and ensure that everyone is held to the same standards and expectations.
We hope this article has highlighted the importance of punctuality in the workplace. If you have any strategies for effectively managing punctuality and attendance amongst your team, we’d love to hear them in the comments. Good luck!
Love it or hate it, most of us engage in banter’s gentle conversational teasing in some form be it with friends, family or colleagues. Exchanging personal digs and satirical jibes has long been a staple form of social communication and when used correctly it has the power to raise a smile, defuse tension, ease confrontation and even forge friendships.
By its very nature banter walks a fine line between playfulness and insult so small wonder it can easily result in conflict. In most cases, light-hearted, playful mickey-taking between friends and colleagues is taken in good humor however, these remarks are highly subjective and open to wide-ranging interpretation. After all, a joke at someone’s expense will always have the potential to deeply offend.
So how do we know when it’s gone too far? Well, banter can start to become bullying when both parties no longer engage equally. At best, a well-intended comment can backfire and insult forcing an apology. At worst, the intention behind the comment may be hostile signaling a deeper issue. Frequency and repetition can worsen things and magnify them even further should a complaint fail to stop it.
The darkest side of banter occurs when the offending party uses it to justify aggressive behavior often involving innuendo, prejudice or humiliation. For example, a tribunal, during the Minto v Wernick Event Hire Ltd case, found a man guilty of sex discrimination and harassment. He tried to brush off his derogatory and sexually driven comments as “only banter” when in fact the complainant was so appalled she took him to court.
So how risky is banter and as concerned Managers, what can we do about it?
Here are 5 ideas we believe will help:
Policies
Easily the first port of call. It should go without saying that your company will have staff behavior, anti-bullying, equality and diversity policies but are you familiar with them? Have a good read and arm yourself with the rules to help you identify dangerous or discriminatory behavior and structure any informal or formal conversations.
Education & Consequence, Not Control
You will never control people or the impulsive comments they make so don’t even try. Becoming a dystopian-style anti-banter cop will cause more problems than it’ll solve and cause stress and hypersensitivity all over the place. Instead, focus on regular staff education sessions to help people understand company policy, the impact of ‘banter gone wrong’, bullying, and the consequences of failing to adhere to the rules.
Cultivate A Culture of Respect, Fairness, Ethics & Diversity
In your department, though ideally the entire company, establish a philosophy of trust. Trust will form a cultural foundation to encourage people to listen, help, and above all care for each other. There are so many benefits to this approach (totally another blog) but of course this includes lowering the chances of banter becoming bullying.
Preemptive Strikes
Don’t wait for a complaint. If you spot someone suffering a disproportionate stick for something try to stamp it out. Most people will tolerate a great deal before they make a complaint but that doesn’t mean they’re enjoying it. Not only will you earn their respect by delicately intervening but you’ll almost certainly see their mood and performance improve too.
Sheriffs & Deputies
Empower junior managers, team leaders and senior staff to reinforce the rules, spot risky banter and support anyone on the receiving end of any negativity. They can choose to escalate it if necessary but in most cases the issues will fizzle out. Most importantly, the more people banging the drum, the quicker your culture will change.
In conclusion, most of the time banter is harmless however, to avoid any problems we need to be proactively aware of what people are saying to each other and be ready to step in when needed with quiet words or disciplinary action. Focus on education and develop a positive culture of trust and respect to encourage better communication and empathetic decision-making.
To find out why so many companies turn to Langley James for support in fulfilling their IT recruitment needs, call and speak to one of our specialist consultants today on 0207 788 6600.
Langley James IT Recruitment – Helping businesses recruit someone worth recruiting.
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!
Is it time that you chose experience over qualifications when looking to secure your next IT hire? We look at the facts.
A 1st Class degree: the hallmark of the ideal candidate… or is it? It’s true that a strong qualification does give candidates a good grounding to build from. And it seems that lots of people still agree with this. The number of people applying to study computer science degrees rose by 13% last year. That’s the biggest increase of any UK university subject!
But is it the right choice for your company. In a market where, when star candidates are available, they are being snapped up fast, it may to time to change your approach.
Why let your competitors snap up all the talent? Could it be time to broaden your search by taking experience into account over and above formal qualifications?
Experience over qualifications?
Which is better? Three years working in the IT industry? Gaining in-depth experience in a real-world situation but with no immediately measurable way of proving a level of knowledge? Or three years studying? Gaining tested and proven knowledge of a wide range of systems but with less time for practical application of that knowledge. And what about those candidates who have no formal degree. But years of experience through which they have gained many ‘non-university level’ qualifications in various systems and skills?
It’s believed that more than half of employers still use degree to screen job applicants. But this can mean that they are often overlooking candidates with relevant skills and experience. But there’s something else to consider too. A third of employers agree that university candidates are either ‘fairly’ or ‘very poorly’ prepared for the workplace.
Lizzie Crowley, skills adviser at the CIPD, said employers must stop thinking that university degrees were always the best indicator of a person’s potential at work: “They [employers] think they’re getting ‘off the shelf’ capability rather than assessing the specific skills needed for roles, then wondering why they have ongoing skills gaps.
Does this mean that academic qualifications have no place in candidate selection? Not in our opinion. Qualifications remain a measurable indicator of the quality of a candidate. Additionally, they are certainly a sign of commitment to the industry, as well as ambition. But they are not the only measure. To be sure of finding the ideal candidate for your IT role it is becoming more and more necessary to broaden search criteria.
As you know, IT is a uniquely fast-moving industry. Systems that were in place a decade ago are often unrecognisable. It could be argued that the content of a ten-year-old degree is now largely irrelevant. That the knowledge gained through experience since earning that degree has become more important than the degree itself.
Broaden your criteria
So, how can you broaden your criteria for the perfect candidate without opening the floodgates to unsuitable candidates? After all, for a candidate to list a skill on a CV tells you very little about their level of expertise. There are several things to look for when shortlisting for a position:
– Look for candidates who have listed their achievements on their CV’s. This will give you an idea of the level of experience they have a particular area.
– Look for projects that the candidate has led or been involved in.
– If you are looking at a Web Developer’s CV, take time to examine the sample URL’s they have provided.
– Most importantly, we can help you find a candidate who is the best fit for your company and individual role. We will know what you are looking for and will ensure that all the information you need to know about each candidate is provided in addition to the CV.
Of course, formal qualifications will always remain a valuable asset to any candidate. Completing a degree or other qualification takes dedication, an aptitude for the subject and plenty of fresh industry knowledge. However, with dropping numbers of IT graduates (The University and College Union (UCU) report, stated that only 169 computer science courses were available in 2012, down 18% from 2006), and university applications down for a second year running in 2013 according to UCAS, combined with a marked growth in IT vacancies, perhaps it’s time for a change in the criteria by which the ideal candidate is chosen, without having to compromise on quality.
We can help
Here at Langley James, we know our candidates. We have in-depth knowledge of their experience, down to the individual projects they have worked on, their strengths (and their weaknesses). We have access to those details that you just can’t get from a CV alone. Our talented and specialised consultants work hard to ensure that any candidates we send you are not only a perfect match for the role but your business. To discuss your IT recruitment needs please call us on 0207 099 4839 or email us: langleyjames@langleyjames.com.
We’d love to hear your views on this. Do you rate qualifications over experience or vice versa? Tweet us @ITRecruitment, or follow us on Facebook or LinkedIn
Questions Never to Ask When Interviewing in IT Recruitment
If you are given the task of interviewing you should ensure you make yourself aware of up-to-date employment law and that all the questions you plan to ask are compliant, legal, and non-discriminatory. There are often ‘grey’ areas and some questions within a role interview that may seem harmless but are in fact discriminatory and therefore illegal. The questions below may seem stark, however when interviewing a candidate, often they may open and talk freely about themselves and their personal life. Be aware of what is discriminatory and avoid asking some of the questions below:
Sexual Discrimination
This area of discrimination is usually more targeted towards women, but male applicants can also be discriminated against. Interviewers should not make any reference to a person’s marital status, children they may have now or in the future or their sexual preference. All could be grounds for discrimination as your organisation might be deemed to view a person being married as either favourably in that they may see an applicant as being more stable or, perhaps, unfavourably in that they may see a conflict of interest between a single person having more time to devote to the role over a married person who might have to juggle family commitments.
Do you have children?
Are you planning on extending your family?
Are you Married or Single?
How old are your children?
Do you live on your own?
Will childcare work for you having to work these hours?
Will these shifts clash with your family commitments?
Disability Discrimination
As an employer during an interview, it is generally unadvisable to ask a candidate about their health or disability until they have been offered employment with your organisation. Some candidates will offer details of their health and disability voluntarily. The Equality Act 2010 places some limits on questions an employer can rightfully ask. Questions that should be avoided:
How did you acquire your disability?
Do you think it would be difficult to do this role with your disability?
Some reasonable questions could be:
Are there any adjustments we would need to make to accommodate your disability?
How might you be able to carry out XXX function of the role?
A candidate at interview would only need to briefly describe the nature of their disability if any adjustments they would be required to make – it may help to clarify how a previous employer made those adjustments (if applicable). Fundamentally, what is most important is the ability of the candidate to do the role once any reasonable adjustments have been made.
Racial discrimination
The Equality Act 2010 makes it unlawful for an employer to discriminate against candidates because of race. Race includes:
Colour
Nationality
Ethnic or national origins
Under this Act, it does not have any significance as to whether the discrimination was made on purpose or not. What counts is whether (as a result of an employer’s actions) you treat one candidate less favourably than another candidate because of their race.
What is your native tongue?
Where were you born?
How long have you lived here?
Are you a UK citizen?
Although this last question may seem like the simplest and direct method to find out if a candidate is legally able to work in the UK, it remains unlawful to ask this question. As an employer you can have a right to ask whether the candidate is legally entitled to work in the UK.
Age Discrimination
People are working differently in 2021, and dor different reasons and this should always be considered, Age discrimination is based on stereotyped prejudices such as “younger workers being less committed” and “older workers are more loyal” would be construed as ageist. Similarly, older people may become more tired and younger people work better with technology, are both ageist statements.
At both ends of the age range employees are applying for roles for different reasons and employers should not consider the age of a prospective candidate as a reason not to recruit them. Interviewers need to consider their own bias and avoid any casual comments.
How do you feel about working with a team much younger than you?
Aren’t you too young to manage this team?
Would this salary be enough for you at your stage in life?
How have you kept your skills fresh over the years?
What year did you leave University?
For further advice on Discrimination when planning interviews.
Assessing a candidate’s professional or ‘hard’ skill proficiency, such as technical skills, Active Directory or SQL, etc, is pretty straight forward, especially if the interviewer is experienced in the same thing. However, digging deeper into how a person ticks as a human being can be tricky for most managers if unprepared…
The concepts behind the modern terms ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ skills are far from new. In fact, for as long as people have been employing other people, soft skills, such as social ability, aptitude, behaviour and ethics, have always been key considerations alongside practical, hard skills. In relatively recent years, as recruiting practices and processes have become more sophisticated, skills have been categorised in various ways to help employers devise more effective methods of assessment.
However, according to an extensive survey conducted by LinkedIn, over 60% of recruiting managers agreed that exploring soft skills in an interview is difficult. In our experience as IT recruiters, the majority of clients state early on what soft skills they need, however, few seem to have robust strategies in place to assess beyond the core, hard skill requirements, acting largely on gut feeling and assumption.
Furthermore, in the post COVID-19 world, soft skill assessment during remote interviewing is proving especially difficult for many clients. Several managers have recently reported to us at Langley James IT Recruitment, an extra level of disconnect while interviewing online, perhaps stemming from reduced body language opportunities.
In this blog, we will explore the nature of hard and soft skills along with useful ideas, tips and advice on how to gain better soft skill insight from your next interview, significantly raising your chances of recruiting success.
What is the difference between a soft skill and a hard skill?
Put simply, a hard skill is a practical, measurable ability that can be learned by a person irrespective of their character traits and cognitive talent. The overwhelming majority of IT Recruitment job descriptions are dominated by hard skill requirements. Candidates in the IT sector are often judged almost exclusively on their hard skills such as programming languages, operating software experience, infrastructure implementation, etc.
Soft skills, on the other hand, are orientated around human characteristics. For example, problem-solving, emotional intelligence, communication, crisis management, etc. As such, these skills are far harder to investigate during a short interview and can be easily misjudged or misinterpreted.
The Goal
Before creating lists of criteria and questions, start at the very beginning by asking this question:
“What soft skills do I need candidates to demonstrate for this vacancy, and to work with me, my team, and my company?”
It is important to consider the whole picture including your company’s culture, values, standards and style in addition to your own departmental and personal staff expectations. When these elements are bolted to the list of soft skills required for the vacancy itself, you should be left with a comprehensive list.
Categories
Now we have a good idea of what soft skills need to be investigated, separate your list and look for opportunities to merge. For example, culture fit questions may encompass the company, the department and your own needs that perhaps can be amalgamated.
Next, identify any categories that may require deeper investigation, for example ‘leadership’ might include motivation, teamwork, delegation, etc, as subheadings.
It is important not to lose sight of context, especially when looking into soft skills with broad terms such as communication. After all, someone’s communication skills may vary greatly depending on the scenario from delegating to a subordinate to presenting to a board of directors.
Keep in mind that unless you intend to interview someone for hours, you will have limited time. This means prioritising essential soft skills, with a view to perhaps further explore the remainder in the next stages.
Here is an example of how to apply this method:
An IT Manager working for a reputable legal firm is looking to recruit a 2nd Line IT Engineer to support the company’s 300 users, ranging from admin staff right up to board level. In no time at all, the manager identifies a range of hard skill requirements including windows, Microsoft Office 365, Azure, etc.
However, historically IT staff have struggled to inspire confidence with several senior people, one being the CEO. The IT Manager really wants the new IT engineer to be a great communicator with strong rapport-building skills, capable of managing user expectations and solving problems without baffling people with technical jargon. Furthermore, she wants the IT Engineer to be experienced enough to mentor junior members of the team and share their wisdom in how to get the best from stakeholder management.
The IT Manager creates a list of soft skills she would like to explore during an interview:
Communication
Relationship building
Empathy
Patience
Leadership
Adaptability
Culture fit
Organisation including how to prioritise
Questions
Someone once said “the answers we get are only as good as the questions we ask” which in the case of soft skill exploration could not be more correct. To properly explore a candidate’s soft skill, exclusively ask open-ended questions to encourage full and complete answers and be interested in conversationally exploring their answers. (click here to learn more about open questions and demands) *
The two main soft skill question types are behavioural and situational. a behavioural interview question explores the person’s experience such as, “tell me about a time when you successfully overcame a difficult relationship…” Whereas, a situational interview question is a strictly hypothetical question. For example, “imagine you’re under a desk fixing a cabling issue when a director calls because they can’t remember their password, what would you do?”
The great thing about soft skills is that they apply to all aspects of life. How a person might support a loved one at a time of crisis, how a person might react to personal bad news while at work, how a person might feel if a colleague were promoted above them etc. All of this will give you useful insight into how a person engages with the world and other people. So, be creative with your questions and don’t feel restricted to situations and behaviours found only in the workplace.
Communication
How do you explain complex IT solutions to non-technical people? Give an example where you failed to achieve that and what was the outcome
What did you learn?
Tell me about an occasion where your manager or colleague fundamentally disagreed with your opinion or chosen course of action.
How did that make you feel?
What was the outcome
Describe a complex project you were involved in dealing with multiple stakeholders. How did you keep everyone happy and engaged?
Relationship building
Give me examples of personalities you’ve encountered supporting IT at the senior level.
Describe the problems you encountered with them.
What solutions did you come up with?
What was the outcome?
Tell me about a time when you’ve needed to make a good impression and how did you do it?
How did that make you feel?
When supporting 300 users, pleasing everyone is hard. How do ensure people are happy with your service delivery?
Empathy
What would you do if a senior ranking member of staff shouted at you down the phone because their computer was failing to perform?
Tell me about your relationships with colleagues in your last job
Give me an example of a time when you had to inspire others to achieve a common goal
Tips
Ask for examples every time. Understanding context is critical in assessing experience suitability. Follow up with gentle demands for more information such a “tell me more about… ” or “elaborate on…”
Explore the candidate’s soft skills before discussing the company brand and your own values etc. You don’t want to give them the answers before you ask!
Try and keep this section of the interview conversational in an effort to draw out the candidates true personality.
Try sharing some of your own anecdotal tales to give the candidate confidence in giving less guarded answers.
If you don’t get the answer you expect, be mindful but the candidate may not have understood the question correctly. Consider asking the same question in a different way.
Try partnering hard and soft questioning by asking follow up questions. That way the interview will less disjointed, more conversational, and directly related how a person felt or behaved at the time. For example, while exploring Excel skill, ask for an example of a project involving Excel and perhaps explore decisions made along the way, people they worked with, decisions made above, how they communicated problems, etc
Don’t restrict yourself to the job requirements. Gain valuable insight in to their way of thinking by asking questions surrounding their hobbies, interests and personal life.
Summary
Soft skill questioning is no different to asking anything else in the interview process. A well thought out set of requirements coupled with deliberately prepared questions will set you on the right track for gaining that elusive insight.
Questions can be reused as a future interviews but we would recommend that Recruiters draft up a fresh set of questions for every role. Experiment with your questions and style to figure out what works for you. As described in our previous blog on ‘candidate pre-employment testing’, there are software solutions designed to yield soft skill insight however in our experience, person to person, relatable questioning and conversation yields better, more convincing results. All it takes is the confidence to try.
If the majority of your recruitment interviewing is done online, you might feeling a lack of body language assessment is holding you back from identifying softskills however, as demonstrated in this blog, you need not rely on body language and gut feel to explore these key vacancy requirements.
Have you considered your Recruitment Consultant to be part of your candidate interview process?
This is the first stage of the interview process.
When you outsource your recruitment to Langley James IT Recruitment, you are outsourcing the early stages of your usual recruitment process which generally includes your 1st Stage Interview.
Our Recruitment Consultants will act on your behalf, to meet, interview and qualify candidates that may be employed by your competitors in line with the job description you provide, we will make recruitment decisions based on the knowledge we have of for your requirements. Our Recruitment Consultant will represent you and your company.
With that in mind, let us clarify how you can optimise this stage of recruitment to ensure your company is properly represented and your shortlist thoroughly vetted before you meet a single candidate.
Share your company knowledge!
If you attempted to recruit directly you might buy some recruitment advertising, sift through the applicants, and select a shortlist using your qualification information. Then, you would invite them to attend an interview where you would explore their suitability against your job description with key questions and explain to them what the job is. If you like them, you will probably enthusiastically describe the business and all the reasons why they should join you, you have that knowledge.
Using Langley James IT Recruitment, you will save time as we will be responsible for most of the process allowing you to focus on other business challenges. The information you provide us with at this early stage is crucial to conduct your 1st stage interview, to a standard that meets your own.
Qualification
Pass on all your early-stage qualification questions to your Recruitment Consultant. Provide examples of the best possible answers so they can match candidate responses accordingly. Context is important here as you might want specific experience and skill application. For example, when you say Advanced Excel skills, what does that really mean?
Describe examples of how the desired skill might be exercised so our Recruitment Consultants can explore a candidate’s experience with more confidence. Be very clear on what is essential and what is desirable so we can prioritise.
We are part of your team!
By giving us as much information as possible it will help Our Recruitment Consultants to feel included and will ensure they represent you and your company in the best possible way. The more information we have the more efficiently we can find you the right people.
Interview Feedback
Do ensure that you gain feedback from our Recruitment Consultants, before setting up your own interview, part of our process is to produce a report when we shortlist, ask for our interview report detailing the reasons why they feel a candidate is suitable. Review the evidence gained from the qualification questions you gave them and build their findings into your own interview plan.
Our Recruitment Partnership
At Langley James IT Recruitment we aim to keep in touch with you throughout the recruitment process, we send out a standard weekly report to update you on our progress, however do feel free to contact us at any time. We understand that things can change, and you may need to refine or change your recruitment priorities and regularly ask for feedback.
Sometimes roles are harder to fill if the salary is not sufficient, the location is non-traditional, or the specification does not sell the benefits of the role. Whatever the problem, do not wait to find out weeks later. Do whatever you can to influence the recruiter interview process and identify changes early.
Successful recruitment relies on consistent and concise communication, speed, and decisive action from all stakeholders. The more people involved in a recruitment project, the more complicated it becomes to avoid conflicts of interest that may delay or halt the recruitment process.
The challenge at this time is to act with speed. Having overly cautious organisations with multi-signature-signoff in a highly competitive and fast-moving talent market may result in missed opportunities.
While it is impossible to control everything, stakeholder management can be controlled to avoid losing the best candidate to a competitor when a ‘stakeholder stalemate’ occurs.
To clarify a stakeholder in terms of recruitment will probably be a mixture of Department Managers, Directors, and HR, on occasion it may involve a supplier or client.
The primary stakeholders will likely be the Line Manager, the Recruiter, and the Candidate. Secondary stakeholders may include senior management or directors, senior team members, HR, key client or customer contacts, or anyone who needs to be considered or consulted with before offering a job.
Motivations, Perspective, and Impact
Disagreement, indecision, and delay, can result in the best candidate for your IT Recruitment role accepting another position. “If only the HR manager and Directors could agree!”. If it were your decision, you would have offered the candidate the job weeks ago. All those hours, all that effort, means repeating the process again.
This scenario may sound familiar to you and is a situation we are often exposed to at Langley James IT Recruitment. Stakeholders often believe and tell us “Candidates who really want to work here will wait”, which doesn’t always end in the best result for an organisation.
To minimise the impact of delay, we recommend that when you have written your amazing job description, ask yourself, who will be impacted by this recruit? Who will benefit? Who will risk failure? Who will make the final decision? Why?
Questioning the recruitment process and the stakeholder’s motivations behind their recruitment decision making will greatly improve your understanding and your ability to manage expectations.
Talk with each stakeholder early in the process, especially the decision-makers and those in the interviewing team, to discover what they believe makes a good candidate. Explore the reasons why and try to guide them away from emotive, personal beliefs, and, instead, towards the actual needs of the business. Importantly, seek clarity on what they believe separates truly essential and desirable skills, experiences, and traits. In our experience at Langley James IT Recruitment, this is at the core of most disagreements and recruitment failures.
Next, we recommend getting them all together in a meeting. Present your findings to the group and share a discussion with the aim of forming a unified, aligned, and realistic candidate profile. The idea here is simple. Pre-empt conflict by seeking agreement early on. You will not regret it.
Too Many Chefs
Multiple stakeholders are commonplace, however, when some or all of them believe their opinion is final, your recruitment plans are destined for problems.
Senior people naturally assume a decision-making role, so to avoid conflicting opinions, we would recommend the best approach is to tackle decision making power and process early on with the backing of a senior-level colleague. Establish ‘roles’ for each stakeholder and make it clear what is expected of them before any interviews take place.
Ideally, the Line Manager should have the final decision, supported by the advice and views of those around and above them. However, in many instances, the final decision tends to lie with the most senior member of the recruitment process. If that is the case, try to drill down to fully uncover the decision maker’s recruiting style, system, and, critically, what they believe will make a good candidate.
Remember, your goal here is to achieve a system of decisions, not endless debate.
Same Page Communication
Unity and agreement are aimed squarely at a solid communication strategy. By getting it right, everyone involved will describe the job opportunity to prospective candidates in the same way, it will reduce the chances of underselling, over-promising, and misunderstanding. Internally, you will feel confident being aware of each stakeholders’ opinions.
Nothing disappoints candidates more than a well-pitched job with an underwhelming reality. Instead, with a strong, well thought out brief, Langley James IT Recruitment can go out to market pitching your job opportunity with accuracy. This means those shortlisted will be well-matched, committed, and more likely to last the distance as they satisfy the considered stakeholders.
Stakeholder Management requires preparation, time, patience, and a lot of listening. Ask the right questions and you will soon be well on the way to achieving a solid recruitment process culture.
Matrix
Langley James IT recruitment recommends that the business produces a recruitment Matrix that lists the required skills and experience from each stakeholder, many of these will overlap and it can be reduced to a shortlist, each skill and attribute should then be given priority status and also weighted as to which skill or attribute is the most important. This Matrix can be then used when interviewing to avoid any bias.
How to Write a High-Performance IT Recruitment Job Description
The Job Description is the cornerstone of every effective recruitment process. It serves as a blueprint for every role in your business and collectively, they form a complete operational architecture of your entire organisation. It is that important and an IT Recruitment Job Description requires more detail than others with technical objectives as well as broader commercial role objectives.
It is common for historic job descriptions to be passed on and reused resulting in something that is out of date from the start of the process.
The value to your business of having properly defined job descriptions is huge; by offering comprehensive, organised, and easily understood parameters in the form of a job description to guide the candidate and their line managers clarity for the candidate’s responsibilities and accountabilities. To improve on this, a ‘High Performance’ job description will in addition help to inspire a potential candidate to want the role and to understand how they can enjoy it by mapping out career progression and opportunities
In this blog by Langley James IT Recruitment we will present the essentials required to create a “high-performance job description” designed to increase recruitment results and help with the interview process and employee achievement.
What is a Job Description and What Value Does it Offer?
Put simply, the Job Description, or JD, is the foundation upon which your entire recruitment and subsequent management process is built. It is an extremely important document and well worth significant investment from you in both time and resources to get right.
Recruitment
A properly written JD clearly describes the role’s purpose, context, core and secondary role responsibilities, and the skills, experiences and attributes required. IT Recruitment requires more specific technical skill and experience requirement.
A good JD will help Langley James to write an advert and it will attract far more relevant candidates.
Interviewing
A quality JD gives a clear structure for your candidate interviews and will keep the process honest, it will assist in structuring the questions to help you and Langley James to recruit the best people for your role and help you to focus on what is important giving you a ready made script to how present the job and opportunity.
Management
When a new recruit starts the JD will form the backbone of your management plan. Appraisals, KPIs, objectives, goals, training, and progression all stem from an accurate JD to match your expectations with their performance. Getting it right will ensure it serves as a reminder to help you deliver on the promises made during the interview.
Purpose & Goals
The JD should be designed to attract candidates, the initial purpose of the JD is to pitch the opportunity to prospective candidates in a way that clearly communicates your needs while inspiring them to commit to an application, interview or job offer with a compelling and interesting presentation.
The goal is to create as much candidate interest as possible to ensure your vacancy is high on their wish list of applications.
Knowing that, do you think a job title, a list of responsibilities, and skill requirements is enough to compete with other companies fighting to secure the same talent?
The Opportunity
The best way to achieve candidate interest is to sell them the benefits of joining your business focusing on what they will get out of the deal. This is what ‘The Opportunity’ really is. The trick is to focus on the likely motivators of your ideal candidate and speak to them directly, matching their needs to your offering, reinforcing it all with your brand values, culture and company story to convince them of your sincerity and authenticity.
Most candidates are looking for the following from their role
Life and Career Fulfilment
Power, Advancement, and Responsibility
Respect (friends, family, colleagues, management, other professionals)
Good Health (reasonable stress, positive experience, regular/quality breaks)
Personal Development (new skills and experiences)
Family (to look after or to start one)
Wealth (salary, bonus, benefits)
Social Interactions (learning opportunities, friends, career advancement, etc)
This is the “what’s in it for me” piece, ensure you review your company and departmental culture and work out how you can deliver on each of these points.
Tone & Style
Getting the tone right is fundamental when you speak to the candidate you want, in the first person, and appeal to their nature. You will be interested in what happen, rather than passive applications, it is more likely to attract applicants who want the job for the right reasons. Global taxi giant Uber absolutely nail this approach:
Uber Needs Partners like you.
Drive with Uber and earn great money as an independent contractor. Get paid weekly just for helping our community of riders get rides around town. Be your own boss and get pad in fares for driving on your own schedule.
Nowhere does the initial JD statement mention anything about Uber as a business or attempts to offer a list of requirements. Instead, it speaks directly to the people they want and clearly tells them what the basic life benefits are in taking the job.
Key Role Responsibilities & Objectives
This section is simple but very important to get right. Accuracy and concise language it essential, focusing on the core objectives and tasks only. Be sure not to go off on tangents detailing the skills and requirements.
Start with the key objective(s). For example, The IT Support Engineer will deliver first class IT services to all users in the business ensuring BAU continuity, reliability, and fast action.
Then list the most important, day to day tasks that will add up to meet the objectives. Outline the most important responsibilities of the job first.
Qualification
With the opportunity piece completed and a well-described vacancy, your interested candidate should be keen to read on and find out if they have the ‘right stuff’ to get the job that they are attracted to. To ensure maximum interest, clarity is key.
Understand the difference between what you want and what you need and stick to the latter. The easiest way to get this right is to write a list and split it into two, detailing what is truly essential (needs) and what is desirable (wants). Then, split the list again into the following categories:
Skills
Experience
Qualifications
Attributes
This action is key to ensure candidates can accurately self-assess their suitability while also giving you valuable insight into specific candidate strengths and development areas.
Other Parts of the Job Description Process to Get Right
Job Titles
Use the most common, universally recognised job title possible and keep it short. Anything less and you run the risk of confusion at the first hurdle. Avoid unique, playful job titles at all costs. Not only are they often judged negatively, but they completely fail to perform online. Data is searched with common keywords, not your own invention.
Location
We advise that you are very clear on where the role is based, what flexibility exists for remote working, and, if appropriate, where else the candidate may need to travel and if those expenses will be covered by the company.
Eg. IT Managers will be based in our Head Office in Manchester but can work from home up to 3 days per week, expenses are not paid by the company for attending meetings at Head Office as this is not a home-based role.
Remuneration
We advise that companies are completely open about the salary. Believing vague detail will somehow broaden the number of applicants is a common and costly mistake. In reality, candidates are likely to assume the salary to be low. Further, list every single benefit on offer. If you are unsure on details, find out. These details really do and will make a huge difference and form a key part of “The Opportunity” piece. (Follow our IT salary guides for more information)
Organisation
Describe where the role features in the company organisational structure, who the role reports to, and other key interactions or stakeholders. This helps the candidate imagine being in the role and suggests the job’s importance.
A Few Final Tips…
Ensure all stakeholders have some input into your JD, especially if they are part of the interview process and management setup. Failing to do so may result in conflicts of interest and disagreements that will hinder your recruiting process.
For obvious reasons – Do not use internal terminology or acronyms.
Be realistic in your people expectations think what you need and be specific on IT skills and experience but some things will need to be compromised Langley James will always aim to find you the best person available at the time you are recruiting. Being inflexible will reduce your options and delay your recruitment success.
Where possible get a colleague to assess the JD before using it to ensure it is compliant with the law. Check for discrimination, gender biases, prejudice, employee rights and employment law and remember this is continually changing. Use a reputable source such as The Chartered Institute of Personnel Development CIPD for up to date advice.
Reduce the language complexity to make it fast and easy to read.
Be clear, open and honest
A powerful, multi-functional job description will help you at every stage of your talent attraction, recruitment and management processes. Langley James IT Recruitment can help you form your Job description, give Langley James a call today to help you find someone worth recruiting for your next IT vacancy.
Once completed, it will pave the way towards the next step: The Agency Vacancy Briefing
An economic boom is on the horizon. Don’t delay your recruiting plans – act now or risk being left behind.
A little direct? Perhaps, but it is all too common at this time of year for businesses to start planning for the New Year, instead, take action now and start your recruitment campaigns now putting you ahead in January when many more businesses will then begin their recruitment campaigns.
2021 is set to be one of, if not, the most competitive years, when many projects that had been delayed will be caught up with. Morgan Stanley projects strong global GDP growth of 6.4% for 2021 while the excitable mainstream media predicts the start of a “roaring twenties” era for us all. With so many sectors expected to rebound at the same time, never, in modern times at least, has the commercial playing field been so level for so many. Titans will fall and minnows will rise as our riled and turbulent economy starts to settle into a fresh new order.
The question is, are you ready for the most aggressive commercial race of our age?
A Level Playing Field Means Fierce Competition for Talent and Resources
If most markets are set for simultaneous phases of rapid growth – being first having never mattered more. In critical areas of the IT recruitment market, COVID-19 has had little effect on talent shortages and so, come 2021, after the initial feeding frenzy is over, do not expect IT recruitment to be easy or less time-consuming. The best advice is to act now and get in touch with us before the frenzy begins.
Rising National Unemployment Rates Won’t Mean More IT Candidates
Don’t be lulled into a false sense of security believing that rising unemployment means it’s a talent buyers’ market. Sure, if you are recruiting a team of production operatives or account managers, then yes, you’ll be able to simply post an advert and watch the CVs flood in. However, if you are chasing a first-class .Net Developer, BI Analyst, or Cloud Infrastructure Engineer you’re in for a shock. In 2021, demand for niche talent will rise sharply making it even harder to attract and secure the best people. Even if you are not quite ready to recruit, act now, and start the process. Contact Langley James in advance to start building talent pools and setup some early conversations to get ahead of the game.
Review Your Recruitment Process ASAP
2020 has caused hiring freezes, multi-signature procurement decisions, and cautious, fear-driven process extensions. In short, current business action is slow. Most recruitment assignments that do make it past the ‘sign-off’ stage are faced with increased process stakeholders, extended candidate interview hurdles, and general hesitation. Given what we have discussed above, how competitive do you think your recruitment process is?
Let’s be clear – you are competing with Hiring Managers with flexible budgets and the power to offer a candidate a job during or immediately after an interview. In talent, short areas such as IT, skill assessments, psychometric testing, and 3+ interview stages are luxuries that will slow you down and significantly reduce your chances of securing your candidate. We’re not saying make knee-jerk, ill-informed decisions. Far from it. Instead, be very clear on what you need, what you’re able to compromise on, invest time into creating a robust, high value but lean interview plan, and prepare to make offers quickly should you need to.
Plan for Competition with a Strong Offer Strategy
Before the sign off stage, talk to us at Langley James about the market and local talent competition. In skill short, high demand niche areas, failing to plan for recruitment competition is foolish. Assuming that going back to your management team, post-signoff, for more money is undesirable, pre-empt the inevitable with an offer strategy that includes an ability to negotiate and raise offers. In 2021, competition is going to be fierce.
To ensure your salary budget is in line with the market have a look at our salary guide which we publish monthly, these are the average salaries of what candidates are seeking and roles are advertised, you may need to consider paying more that the average, but we understand that is easier said than done as it may knock out the whole IT department salary budget.
Expect Attack
While you read this, your employment competitors are already plotting to attack the talent market, which will include them trying to entice your staff. They too have powerful recruitment partners with extensive candidate networks and persuasive pitches. Putting off your battle plans until the new year gives them the advantage. By the time you’re ready to hire, they will have already engaged the market and may have already met many candidates some of which may be your own staff. Our advice is to start planning today and start taking decisive action.
Bottom Line – It’s December 2020 right now with plenty of working days until the 24th so, get ahead of the rat race and meet some candidates while they are available. With digital interviewing, it has never been so easy to put an hour aside to talk, so call Langley James and make a start. You will not regret it.
Give real thought to your existing processes and talk to us about them. They are meant to make your business run smoothly and efficiently so if your recruiting process is slowing you down causing a commercial disadvantage, consider changing it. The process is not law and is yours to change!
The Difference Between an IT Contractor Interview Vs Permanent Employee Interview
IT Contractor interviews are different than interviews held for a permanent employee. Generally, line managers will not be carrying out psychometric tests, or second and third interviews. As a line manager, you may only have an hour to assess whether to hire the contractor.
In the interview, the IT contractor is likely to sell their skills, professional contractors are normally well prepared, knowing they have about an hour to win the contract.
As a line manager, you will be analysing if the IT contractor has the right skills, experience, attitude and personality to fit with the existing team and whether they have sufficient skills and experience to warrant their fee.
If a line manager invests time in getting the most out of the contractor interview, and remember that they are not recruiting an employee, they are probably more liking to make more effective contractor recruiting decisions.
Before the interview – preparation
The IT contractor has been invited to interview because their CV ticked all the boxes, but CV’s can be misleading by asking the right questions a line manager can identify if the IT Contractor is right for the project, recruiting the wrong IT Contractor can be an expensive mistake.
IT contractor interview Questions
Line Managers should consider asking the following questions during an interview with an IT Contractor
Talk to me about when you have used these skills in another project, what went right and what could have gone better
Give me an example of when you have used your own initiative to make a different to a previous project?
How do you feel about working alone or with a team?
What is your expectation on being managed?
Talk to me about different business cultures you have worked in during previous contracts and what have you done to ensure that you fitted in to the team.
Tell me how you ensure you achieve your deadlines
How have you made a difference to a project you have previously worked on.
How do you ensure you understand the projects requirements fully?
Tell me about a time when a project you have worked on has gone wrong and how you have overcome it.
What do you know about this organisation?
What do you know about this project?
Do you have any evidence of your impact on a previous projects profitability and how it impacted on the business.
IT Contractor and their Communication Skills
During the interview, a line manager will also establish if the IT Contractor has strong communication skills. The main factors they will look for include;
Do they have good eye contact?
Do they answer the question that was asked or do they go off on a tangent?
Do they listen or do they justify what they want to say?
What is their body language saying?
Do they ask questions that are relevant?
Do they use silence?
Is the contractor skilled for the position? Can they achieve what we need them to?
Can they work on their own and use their initiative?
Are they likeable and will fit into our organisation’s culture?
Are they clearly focused on project delivery?
Do they have good communicate skills?
Can they offer some added value, more than the other candidates, which could help give the organisation an edge?
Do they try hard to understand the project requirements, by asking lots of questions?
Do they seem keen and a hard worker and prepared to get really stuck in?
Do they appear to be genuinely interested in the project?
Are they a positive person who will motivate others or a negative merchant of doom?
Are they a good listener?
Do they know anything about our business/organisation and the market sector?
Is the contractor commercially aware?
A good IT contractor will have the same checklist to work through from their perspective and will be trying to reassure the interviewer that they are the best person for the job.
What sends alarm bells ringing?
As a line manager, you will be likely to recognise during the interview that the contractor might not be the right person for this particular contract, or that they might not fit in with your organisational culture. Common warning signs include:
The IT contractor focuses too much on how the role would be good for them rather than the client
The IT contractor does not really address the organisations problems or explain how their skills and experience will solve them
The IT contractor may exaggerate or boast.
The IT contractor is a bad listener, talks too much, and doesn’t directly answer questions
The IT contractor interrupts the interviewer
The IT contractor has obviously not prepared for the interview and lacks understanding
The IT contractor demonstrates a lack of commercial awareness
The IT contractor lacks interest in the organisation and project and demonstrates poor knowledge.
Making your IT Contract Recruitment decision
IT contractors that have long term successful contracting careers will also have good selling skills in addition to their core expertise.
At the end of the interview, an experienced and prepared IT contractor will normally ask for the business and attempt to close the deal, assuming of course that they want to work on the project.
As a line manager if you are not ready to make a decision at the interview you can schedule a time to get back to the, however, remember that a good contractor, even in depressed market conditions, will almost certainly have other options. So, do take time to deliberate over the decision, but do not prevaricate.
Once the contract offer has been made, the negotiation stage begins once again preparation is very important.
Langley James IT Recruitment has been established since 1999 and specialises in recruiting IT Contractors throughout the UK across all business sectors contact Langley James on 0207 788 6600
Act Now to Retain Your IT Staff Before its Too Late
As we race towards the end of a somewhat eventful 2020, we’ll soon be bracing ourselves for the annual surge in people all over the country reflecting and deciding to change jobs. Twice a year, in January and September (ish), people return to work following a break with new-found and ambitious plans to further themselves and their careers. With less than a month to go before Christmas, here are some immediately actionable IT staff retention ideas highlighting what to address before it’s too late.
Job Role Growth and Progression
It is human nature that we want to better ourselves. The strive for growth is a natural progression all employees go through during their careers. It would be unrealistic to expect an employee not to toy with the idea of moving on to a better position, whether it be within your company, or elsewhere, no matter how loyal they are. Internal flexibility is a favorable attribute that, if you have the means to implement, is likely to enhance employee retention.
This is the idea of being open to moving employees around and letting them find their talents and discover what they are best at. You may find that an employee you originally placed in one role, finds their niche and performs to a higher standard elsewhere just by giving them some flexibility to try their hand at new projects. Obviously, it is not always possible to offer that level of flexibility to employees, depending on the size and scale of the business. In this case, challenge your staff, and provide them with a higher level of responsibility. This will alleviate the tedium and create a feeling of purpose and worth.
Work-Life balance
Although it may be frowned upon by some employers, it should come as no surprise when people say they would prefer to work only standard or flexible hours so that they can spend more time focused on other commitments.
It can be easy for employers to overlook the bigger picture – a poor work-life balance will not only impact employee but their spouse, family and many other aspects of their life. According to the Mental Health Foundation, over a quarter of employees in the UK feel depressed due to their work-load, and a further 58% feel irritable because they struggle to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Workload plays a significant part in employee satisfaction and ultimately can influence an employee’s decision on whether they stay or leave. Projects are often time-oriented, do not assume that if an employee continues on with tasks beyond scheduled working hours that it is because they love their job and want to be there, which of course can be the case, but not in all instances. A feeling of pressure will profoundly impact upon an individual and force them into working beyond their contentment. If an employee is showing signs of stress and continue working beyond what is expected of them, then perhaps it is time to discuss with the individual ways to manage their time more effectively.
Lack of Recognition
Measuring how appreciated an employee feels is one of the most difficult things to gauge, but one of the most important. According to a recruitment survey conducted a few years back, a simple “thank you” to your employees is worth £1,608 a year. Lack of recognition or appreciation can cause an employee to feel undervalued and unsure of how they are performing, which can ultimately lead to anxiety and stress. People perform to a much higher standard when they feel valued and a boost in confidence can have a staggering impact on the standard of work produced by your employees. If you are finding that employees are disengaged, yearly appraisals simply will not suffice. Higher engagement levels will greatly benefit both you and your employees. Making small alterations such as implementing an open door policy, and setting goals and targets for your staff to reach, will get conversation flowing, and feedback and recognition can be easily carried out.
“The Job wasn’t what I expected”
This is the age-old tale of someone who has taken a job with certain expectations, and has been left feeling disappointed, or worse, misled when the role they undertook was not as it was expected to be.
As a recruitment agency, when we ask why people are looking to move, a large number respond with “the job didn’t meet my expectations”. Often the problem is that the job description that was presented to the employee doesn’t match the role. The ambiguity of a role prior to an employee starting with your company can be far more critical than you would anticipate. People place a large amount of trust in the employer to provide them with the most accurate depiction of what they will be undertaking as part of their new role. Often it can simply be that the employee has misunderstood the job role, however, sometimes the employer has deliberately misled them into a job.
To prevent your employees from making a move, take measures to ensure that they have a clear picture of what is expected of them. If you have a resentful employee, address it now before the situation becomes irreversibly toxic.
Training and Development
If someone is feeling dissatisfied with their ability to complete their duties due to lack of knowledge, satisfaction levels will suffer and you are likely to lose them from your team. Providing training and development at work poses great benefits to both you and the employee. It is crucial in keeping your employees engaged while, at the same time, benefiting you with duties and tasks being completed to a greater standard. Enhancing knowledge through the appropriate training will increase confidence, and ultimately help you to retain staff. It will give the employee the opportunity to address weaknesses and to improve on those weaknesses before they make the decision to leave on their own accord.
The bottom line – ignore these things at your peril. It can be easy to miss the red flags, especially if you have a large team, however, staff job satisfaction is an emotional issue and requires an emotional, empathic response. Best advice would be to assume that everyone might be dissatisfied and to explore everyone’s situation equally. Tackle it now and you stand a good chance of cooling your staff’s motivations to leave.
IT Recruitment experts have been persuading employers to weigh a candidate’s soft skills over their hard skills when recruiting. Employees can learn technical skills on the job, while things like collaboration or creativity are often more challenging to nurture.
Until recently, there has been little focus on soft skills. Plus, in a pre- Covid candidate-driven market, it was difficult to find good candidates without adding more requirements
Now mid pandemic, the stakes could not be higher. In no time at all, the lowest unemployment rate in recent history transform into one of the highest as the pandemic runs rampant through the economy.
The impact on recruiting has been high. Most companies are recruiting on more restricted budgets with fewer resources. Suddenly, a soft skill like adaptability is one of the best qualities a candidate can have.
Employers’ priorities have changed. Maybe it took a pandemic to finally prioritize soft skills.
Leading up to the pandemic, soft skills were always a factor for recruiting decisions, but they were not essential requirements. Traits like adaptability and flexibility have always been requested in a candidate, but not necessarily compulsory.
In this current market, employees who are not adaptable or flexible, open to frequent changes in priorities, and can demonstrate a history of that, are not being offered the job!
So what does adaptability look like?
Willing to help with tasks as needed, even if someone was hired for something different
Taking over a colleague’s role
Working on a different project than qualified for.
In today’s new paradigm, flexibility, strong communication skills, and the ability to adapt as working conditions evolve are the most important qualities a candidate can have. This is a shift in priorities that we at Langley James IT Recruitment are seeing across many sectors.
A survey carried out in July 2020 of 700+ recruiters on everything from how they were using their time during COVID-19, to whether or not they were on a hiring freeze. The results demonstrated a resilient picture during this crisis. When it came to skills prioritised in recruiting, over 60% of respondents agreed that they will need to recruit employees with skills that were not necessary pre-pandemic. These included:
Adaptability (68%)
Communication (60%)
Technology proficiency (58%)
Resilience (47%)
Change management (28%)
Why are these skills considered “new” by recruiters in 2020? Experts have been practically screaming this to employers for years to prioritise such skills.
Maybe it took extreme external pressure to change old habits and priorities. With Businesses across all sectors are facing new levels of uncertainty, we are seeing soft skills come into their own. The challenge going forward, though, will be how to screen for them.
The Impact on Screening
Perhaps another reason why recruiters have been slow to prioritise soft skills is that these skills can be tricky to measure. Employers need to standardise screening for soft skills through a mixture of behavioral interviewing and automated assessments during their hiring process to help recruit managers address and measure capabilities accordingly. Here are three best practices we at Langley James IT Recruitment have found can help:
Apply empathy. It’s important to screen for adaptability, but you also have to show candidates your business is adaptable and empathetic, too. While the pandemic has resulted in a plethora of candidates to the market, that doesn’t mean recruiting will be easy. Most employees want to feel safe in their place of work and know that their employer will look after them if they get sick.
Apply behavioral interviews. Communication is part of daily work, and the best way to know if a candidate has good communication skills is to understand how they handled situations in the past. Behavioral interviewing allows you to do just that and role-play to understand those experiences.
Apply automation. Automated assessments allow for reduced bias and the ability for recruiters to cast a wider net.
It is difficult to predict whether the prioritisation of soft skills will become normalised after COVID-19, . The workplace is changing and the things that make people human — empathy, creativity, resilience, and emotional intelligence — will always remain the greatest assets as employees.
Jobs Market Remains Resilient Despite an Inconsistent Economy.
We will look back on this time with curiosity post-pandemic when future economists tell their children’s children about a time when there was a 15% rise in GDP (Gross Domestic Product). They will also remember the quarter before when there was a massive 19.8% drop inconsistency, however, this is not a common occurrence and for that we are grateful.
While it’s fair to say that our economy has been erratic recently, there are some positive elements to take from the pandemic. For one, the job market itself has remained fairly resilient.
Despite the fact that official unemployment figures have risen by 4.8%, which represents a total of 1,620,000 individuals, peak unemployment records are predicted to be lower than that of previous recessions Britain has endured. This may be attributed to Britain’s ‘flexible’ job market; particularly when compared to its European counterparts. To put this into perspective, unemployment in the UK peaked at 11.9% throughout the 1980s, 10.7% in 1990’s and 8.4% in 2010 following the financial crash.
So why the optimism regarding Job Market Resilience?
It’s true the news surrounding the 95% ‘effective’ vaccine has had a huge impact on businesses’ confidence, which, combined with the UK’s flexible labour market, is reassuring signs that a bounce-back post-Covid-19 will see Recruitment levels recuperate quicker than other decades.
Other examples of the resilience of the job market are the number of jobs currently being advertised. The ONS showed a 146,000 vacancy rise during August-October, and CV-Library found that job postings in this 2nd English Lockdown (November 2020) were 88% up on the levels of job vacancies advertised in March 2020.
More businesses are learning to work differently and are now recruiting remotely, interviewing virtually, and onboarding new employees without meeting them. Some say the “new normal?”
At Langley James, we have experienced a steady and increasing flow of vacancies since June, despite local and national lockdowns. Indeed, savvy employers are aware this is a good time to find new blood for the IT projects.
IT professionals are also keen to see what opportunities are out there without jeopardising their current job security. They will contact us to discuss what roles we have and may not necessarily always apply for IT roles in the traditional manner.
To Conclude
In summary, despite the current spike in unemployment, good candidates, especially highly skilled IT candidates, are not necessarily easy to find. Advertise your role directly and you will be inundated with responses, and most likely not the candidates that you are looking for. As an established IT Recruitment Agency, Langley James can find you your next employee that may not be responding to adverts.
Langley James specialises in IT Recruitment throughout the UK our specialist teams cover IT Infrastructure, IT Development, IT Contracting roles, Cybersecurity, Data Analysts, IT Managers, IT CIO’s and IT CITO’s contact Langley James to deliver your next IT vacancy or IT Contract Recruitment Vacancy. We can help you to recruit someone worth recruiting.
Unquestionably, the coronavirus crisis has dramatically shifted the way society functions on a global scale. The undue stress and anxiety caused as a result of the virus have had a profound impact on the world – a notion exacerbated by the increasing toll of lives lost from this disease.
Naturally, as social distancing measures are implemented in order to keep the public safe, humanity – and businesses as a whole – have relied heavily upon technology. Consequently, tech companies have experienced some major positives in the age of COVID-19.
Langley James has looked to find the positives that came from a very bad negative. These findings are summarised below;
Remote Work Success
The move from office to remote work has surprisingly revealed to businesses the effectiveness and potential of a primarily remote workforce. A study found that 82% of business leaders say their organisations plan to let employees continue to work from home at least some of the time, while 47% plan to allow employees to do so permanently.
The transition to working from home to both business hardware, specialists software, and cycle security has demonstrated the ability to work flexibly and subsequently save employers money on office rental, heating, and supplies. Most employee have found that they are financially better off with less money being spent on fuel, luches and clothes and having the flexibility to walk their dog, particpate in the school run and spend more time on domestic projects.
Pandemic Entrepreneurs
The pandemic has been a catalyst for many silver linings, one of which is the emergence of new entrepreneurs. Around a quarter of those who were made redundant due to COVID-19 were starting their own businesses. In the survey, Those who said they didn’t have plans to start a business pre-pandemic, do now; 51% said they identified new business opportunities due to the crisis.
The majority of sectors these entrepreneurs were venturing into mainly involved the hospitality, arts, and entertainment industries – a surprising finding considering these occupational spheres have been one of the worst affected as a result of the virus.
Increase in IT Monitoring Tools
Every day this pandemic is driving customers to think and work differently.
In light of the current climate, there has been a much-needed interest and increase of production tools across a variety of businesses.
Productivity is typically one of the most difficult things to measure. Striking a balance between monitoring employee productivity and allowing them space to be autonomous can be challenging. For example, financial giants Deliottes have published a report detailing their extensive implementation of online collaboration tools (such as a virtual KANBAN* board, virtual task list, etc.) to keep track of tasks that are outstanding, in progress, and completed across the team. These technological tools are now more important than ever with a limitation of social contact, facilitating team and individual productivity within the workplace.
Cybersecurity Increases
Another major finding is the increased and independent distribution of cybersecurity for insurance coverage to small and midsize businesses “at speed”. This speedy rotation may be attributable to the 100% move to online, as opposed to the traditional paper-based model.
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many organizations had to rapidly pivot from work in the office to a fully remote structure. While some were well prepared and able to accommodate such a shift, others were scrambling, increasing cybersecurity risk. The concern for insurance companies was how easily these companies were able to transition and whether they were able to do it securely.
Consequently, it seems the COVID-19 pandemic may prompt a lightbulb moment for a lot of organizations that cybersecurity risks should be front and center. As companies become increasingly reliant on technology to run their business, it should raise questions as to what happens if that technology fails. Cyber insurance acts as a backstop to be able to protect organisations from a system failure standpoint, yet less than half purchase a standalone cyber policy. Overall, this is accelerating the adoption of cyber insurance.
Enhanced digital interactions between companies and stakeholders
There has been a need for “accelerating digital interactions”. What this means is that in order to effectively communicate and interact online, companies have needed to open their data and services to their stakeholders through the medium of integration technologies.
Indeed, recent data highlight how consumer and business digital adoption has accelerated 5 years forward in a matter of around eight weeks in sectors such as Banking, who have transitioned to remote sales and service teams, and launched digital outreach to customers to make flexible payment arrangements for loans and mortgages.
Increasing consumer transparency.
Continuing the theme of openness, surprisingly, consumers have been more willing to share their data during the pandemic, to provide companies with vital information about their gender, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, post code, tv channels watched, and specific programs they watch. All this data has been obtained from the “Privacy + Privacy” study regarding consumers’ concerns about gathering data. The findings are summarised below;
For instance, a majority are somewhat or completely willing to share data on each of the following:
Gender (68%),
Ethnicity/Race (65%),
Age (62%),
Sexual orientation (61%),
Postcode (55%),
TV channels watched (54%),
Specific programs watched (53%), or
What they buy at the supermarket (50%)
It seems that we have been able to cultivate some major technological advancements within the business sphere as a result of COVID, which is likely only to accelerate as we adapt to our “new normal”.
Employees leave managers, not companies. At least that’s what they say but is it true?
Perhaps. What is certain, however, is that of many of the reasons cited by people leaving their jobs, the vast majority stem from issues concerning the management, be it directly or indirectly. Money, benefits, training, technology, processes, progression, culture, and so on, are all in the hands of managers to influence or change. However, these are relatively easy things to improve upon, if motivated to do so.
Worse offenders are the common management behavioral traits that frequently cause people to update their CVs.
Pulling insight from all corners of our candidate interviewing experience, here are 3 classic managerial approaches that routinely upset team members and sometimes cause them to seek alternative employment.
Unfulfilled Promises
When people join a company, they do so fully believing the dream sold by the hiring manager during the interview and offer stage. Naturally, plans change and unforeseen events occur which can hinder a manager’s ability to make good on their promises, but all too often senior dreamers get carried away in interviews, appraisals and other meetings with a lot of promising, exciting talk without any real ability or intention to follow through.
Guess what? People don’t like to be let down and when it happens, they talk about it. Not just internally either! To their friends, family and worse, their next series of competitor interviewers and later, with their new boss and colleagues, eager to hear the gossip from a rival. Times that by the number of people a manager has disappointed and, over time, the numbers really add up. Before you know it, the company has a reputation for making false promises making it hard to attract and retain staff.
Credit Where Credit Isn’t Due
A manager stealing an idea or taking unearned credit is a low, selfish and shameless punch below the belt for anyone to experience and yet, its surprisingly common. Victims are left helpless, often unable to prove otherwise, and even if they can, what further suffering would lay in wait for them if they dare make a challenge? So, they back down, lick their wounds, update their CV and leave.
So, now the short sighted, glory hunting manager has lost yet another valuable, creative professional capable of innovation good enough to impress the brass. Well done!
Are We There Yet? Are We There Yet?
Most managers are impatient, especially those in charge of other managers, and are tolerated because often their impatience breeds pace and often returns results. However, the line is thin. Should they push their staff too far, they quickly become an over-communicating pest seemingly hell-bent on hourly distraction, like an overly enthusiastic back seat toddler. The stress this causes can quickly become intolerable and will, 100%, result in resignations. Management isn’t about head pecking. If it were, they’d be called Head Peckers, and aptly so.
The bottom line: Management styles vary greatly, each with their own set of pros and cons, however, how a person responds to lies, aggression, manipulation and disrespect is universal. Seems so simple! Ironically, many managers are blissfully unaware of the damage they’re causing to their own success by subjecting their own staff to these kind of behaviours.
Pro Tips for Ensuring Your New Hire Starts and Stays
She accepted! Slumping into your chair with a grin and a sigh you realise you’ve beaten the competition, filled a critical vacancy and above all, landed the talent you wanted. Fears of restarting the search begin to fade. No more remote interviews, tactical conversations, decisions, or pressure. It’s Easy Street’ from this point on. Job done. Just sit back, relax and wait for the new superstar to arrive.
Sorry to burst your celebratory bubble but the game is still on! Research by The Wynhurst Group found that a staggering 22% of staff turnover occurs within the first 45 days of employment. To make matters worse, those stats don’t include candidates dropping out before their start dates. Shut the front door I hear you say!
Eager as you may be to move on, the period between the candidate’s acceptance and start date is fraught with peril. Avoid an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ attitude and plan to avoid the predictable risks of inaction.
Here are a few of the major pitfalls and some ideas to help avoid them.
Time Kills all Deals
If you think your chosen candidate is great, so too will other people including current bosses, recruiters, ex colleagues, network connections and of course, other rival employers. Even the candidate’s own sense of entrepreneurialism can derail your plans. With so many people working from home now, in the daily habit of job searching, the threat of losing them is very real.
Your best weapon against all of them is speed. On the day of offer, strike while the iron is hot by having the offer letter and contracts ready to send, ideally by both email and post. Help them to feel part of the team at this early stage by ensuring the letter contains warm, welcoming details describing the plan, before and after, their start date, including any special instructions for remote working if appropriate.
Encourage them to resign at the first opportunity by asking for a start date commitment and keep in touch throughout their notice period. If you’re using an agency, check the consultant is in touch with the candidate too.
Counter Offers
Your desirable candidate is good and will likely be offered more money to stay with their current employer. Remember your own recruiting headaches – Even if the company is upset by the resignation, it is often cheaper and easier to increase a salary instead of the expense and effort of recruiting someone new. Expect counteroffers.
Counteroffers can generally be beaten simply by making a good offer in the first place combined with a challenging and exciting career opportunity. Generally, people move for emotional, career-focused reasons and not for money however, the salary is still important. Offering someone a like for like salary leaves you wide open for a challenge. Ensure the whole package is appealing to ensure your candidate won’t be talked into staying. Wise employers keep some of the recruiting budgets aside just in case they need to increase the offer.
Make a plan, work the plan
Before starting a recruitment campaign, think about the end and map the process journey in between. The end, by the way, is when a happily inducted, settled and well performing employee successfully passes their contracted probation period. Depending on your contracts, this may be up to 6 months. Plan events for every stage from casual team introductions to more involved professional meetings during the notice period, first day induction, job objective setting, reviews and appraisals. Stick to the plan and pay attention to red flag signals of discontent. Addressing issues quickly will help to overcome any risk.
First (Day) Impressions Count
For a new starter, there is nothing worse than feeling like an afterthought on day one. Book time to properly prepare for your candidate’s first day and ensure all required personnel is informed and equally prepared ahead of time. Ideally, include an induction timetable in the welcome letter with clear instructions on what to expect. Remote starters are more challenging, so ensure they are made to feel welcome. We have seen companies set up a ‘buddy’ system rota with a select group of colleagues who can help and guide your newbie through their early days. WhatsApp groups, teams, etc are just some of the digital solutions you might consider.
Avoid the classic unprepared faux pas by arranging for all equipment including pens, phones, computers, etc are with them, ready to use before the candidate sits down on day one.
If they are working on-site, don’t let them loose at midday to find their own way. During the morning, invite them to join you and/or members of the team for lunch to immediately build rapport and allay any social fears.
Be imaginative with your welcome approach. Google search some ideas of what others have done. You might be surprised!
16.45% of all candidates leave their job within the first week due to a ‘bad’ first impression.
Assumption is someone’s mother
During the first 45 days, your new employee is constantly assessing, comparing, and judging the reality of the job versus the dream-like picture painted during the interview process. Don’t allow their polite reluctance to complain to lull you into a false sense of security. Find out.
Create opportunities for open conversation and encourage honest feedback throughout the induction process and beyond. Address issues as they arise and take immediate action where possible to demonstrate your desire to support them.
And Finally…
Manage expectations. It’s the secret to the whole show. Meet commitments, be honest about the job and company culture, and stay in touch with them as much as possible.
Some of the biggest challenges for employers managing remote teams, often for the first time, include workers struggling with loneliness, managing their time, and communication among staff members.
What’s more, as the government starts to impose tougher restrictions ahead of the ‘second wave’, companies may be forcing their staff back to the remote environment.
While this all can be tough, finding a practical strategy that works can help you and your team make it through these trying times. Here are a few points that some of our homeworking managers have shared with us that might offer some much-needed wisdom!
Set Clear Expectations
While many of us may have acclimatized to the remote working lifestyle by now, a large proportion of the job market have been trust back into the office environment again after following government orders. Consequently, transitioning back into remote working is a difficult pill to swallow for managers and employees alike.
Make no mistake, inexperienced remote workers have been suddenly thrust into unfamiliar working environments and their daily routines are all over the place. With that in mind, ensure you give your team crystal clear expectations of what you want them to achieve. Clear direction from you takes the pressure off them and helps everyone to know what success looks like to you. It may be worthwhile weighting their job descriptions if the balance has shifted due to home working so your team understands what aspects of their role takes priority.
Treat Homeworkers as though they were in the office
If your team were in the office, would they have regular access to you? If that is the case, things should not change for them when working from home.
At the start of working from home, you may have had to contact your staff on a regular basis to avoid any feelings of loneliness/isolation, until things settled down. While you and your staff may be in the swing of things, it’s still extremely important that a clear line of communication is continued and you manage your staff as if they were in close proximity to you.
People need to feel part of the team, now more than ever.
Regular Contact
We’re probably all sick of the thought of Zoom meetings (both in a professional and personal capacity), but truly, what would we do without it?
We are very lucky nowadays to have so many communication options available to us. Using video conferencing is a really inclusive way of holding a meeting with your team Microsoft 365’s Team, Zoom, and Google Meet amongst many others are great ways of very easily holding a face to face team meeting. Telephone Conference calls, Facetime and Skype are other ways to keep in touch when you can’t physically meet with your team. Whatever you choose, try to forge an inclusive contact plan that offers everyone consistency, routine and the chance to be heard.
Video-Based Coaching
Notice one of your team is not themselves? Follow up with a call and use Video-Based Coaching to help them, regular contact will help you spot such issues. Working alone from home is not for everyone. For some, being alone all day is their idea of hell while others are more than happy in their own company. Keep in mind that everyone tends to offer a brave face – be careful not to ignore the signs.
A particularly useful method we have employed here at Langley James is employing a ‘buddy-up’ system, whereby two employees maintain regular contact and catch-up with one another.
Monitor Progress
Maintain focus by setting objectives and use a progress monitoring system to keep people on track. It’s vital your team understands why you need to follow their progress to avoid feelings of distrust. Instead, this is about the business remaining on course for success while helping you to foresee any issues, offer extra support or opportunities to improve the process.
Trust Your Team
You might feel unsure as to whether the work will get done to the same standard as if they were in the office. To cope with this, set up work-from-home guidelines, e.g. emails must be responded to within 24 hours e.g. use text for urgent matters, e.g. no calls between certain hours to make sure teammates are not working around the clock e.g. limiting social media usage etc. Set the rules and trust the team to follow them. If they don’t, it’s easy to refer to the rule and avoid conflict and negativity.
With this being said, the same rules apply for employees who are working overtime. Indeed, many employers are finding that their staff cannot switch ‘work mode’ off after hours. It’s hard when your computer is just sitting there. The temptation to answer emails and calls on a Sunday evening has become a frequent occurrence for many of the working-from-home army in recent months.
With no-scheduled holidays to look forward to and an impending second lockdown on the horizon, it’s important to remind your staff that they need to avoid those feelings of ‘burning out’ and ultimately ‘switching off’ when the day is done.
Make It Feel Inclusive
Ensure that any news in the business is always circulated to home workers at the same time that the rest of the team are being made aware. There is nothing quite as demotivating as finding out a business critical decision from someone else in the business who was made aware before you – frankly it just makes people feel second class.
Remember, this peculiar remote environment employees have been thrusted into will have mental implications for many – with feelings of anxiety, stress and loneliness at its highest. This is only exacerbated by the economic effects as a result of the virus, with many employees fearing that they may be made redundant. The remote work is likely to make staff overthink about their position within the company, so being as open and transparent as possible will be crucial for work productivity and morale.
Remember the Company Vision
Ensure that home workers still feel part of the overall company vision and how they fit in. To work productively people need to know that their efforts are contributing towards the overall goal. Yes, this crisis might have thrown a cat amongst the pigeons and changed the short/medium term vision, however that change needs to be properly communicated to maintain motivation and focus.
Have Reliable Tools First
Ensure your team has the tools to do the job. Broadband is absolutely critical for most of us however, connection reliability may be an issue, especially in more rural areas. Suggest alternative venues for employees struggling with this issue such as working with other colleagues, friends or family. Look for alternatives like Dongles, mobile phone hotspots, etc and try to offer solutions instead of problems for your staff to solve.
Create A Team-to-Manager and Visa Versa Communication Strategy
Managing a productive team remotely begins with a strategy for communication. Be aware of how disruptive ‘over-communication’ can be to your day and set out a process so your team knows when it’s appropriate to call you. First, arrange for the appropriate number of weekly formal “report-ins.” Second, set guidelines about daily needs. Some people work better with a shopping list of questions and thoughts while others like a trickle. An understanding of what is urgent will further mitigate inefficiency, allowing ultimate productivity, maybe asking team members to question “ Is it Urgent?” or can it wait. Encourage email or instant messages for less urgent issues reserving phone call interruptions for the meaningful stuff. That all said, be aware that some of your team may need reassurance or guidance to be productive so assess on a case by case basis.
Establish Close Bonds, Help And Support Frequently
Empathise and appreciate your team member’s life by discussing family, commonalities and shared beliefs you employees would normally discuss this in the office with their colleagues, its worthwhile investing this time in getting to know them. Show you are supportive of their success by using inquiry to help them achieve their goals rather than check on their progress and numbers. Avoid closed questions like, have you done X?, or did you manage to call Y? You have no idea what they have had to deal with and so, if something has interfered with the plan, the only answer they can give is negative resulting in humiliation and defensive confrontation. Instead ask, What progress have you made on X? or, How’s your morning been? Qualify the situation first and then ask more detailed questions.
Share Team Success
Ensure that everyone gets to know about achievements and make a real fuss, it will create a team feel good factor and let us face it we all need some good news at this unusual time!
So, there you have it. Some really useful advice from people who’ve been through the highs and lows of remote working before. Welcome to the new normal!
Our expert IT recruitment consultants are here to take the pressure off you when recruiting someone new, permanent or contract. We liaise with candidates with the utmost care to ensure that their candidate experience is a positive one. Call us on 0207 788 6600 and let us help you Recruit Someone Worth Recruiting.
COVID-19 has caused a major shift in the working landscape, causing thousands of employees to work from home. Indeed, businesses have embraced a flexible working life to encourage a smooth transition to full-time remote working.
With this being said, the function of businesses needs to reconvene as usual. Businesses still need to interview and onboard candidates. Although, for the safety of both candidates and employees, this will be done remotely.
Besides getting over a few technical glitches and frozen faces on video conferencing calls, businesses need to consider how they can appropriately interview candidates in the most effective and efficient way. Whether it’s establishing clear communication channels, being extra prepared for the interviews or keeping in close contact with candidates throughout the remote interview stages, there’s a few things businesses should implement when interviewing remotely. To help, we have compiled a list of the top tips for remote interviews.
Establish appropriate communication channels
When interviewing candidates face-to-face, employees will be able to quickly gauge the individual’s personality based on first impressions. Unfortunately, remote interviews can form a barrier and prevent companies from gaining an understanding as to whether this candidate is desirable for the job role itself. Social cues such as body language and facial expressions are hindered during remote interviews, which can typically make or break a candidate under normal face-to-face interviews, making the remote hiring process that bit more difficult to narrow down.
Consequently, establishing a clear line of communication is integral for a successful remote interview. A company should consider the different types of remote tools they should use to hire candidates at the different interview stages. For example, a phone interview could be a great hiring communication tool at the first stage, to quickly narrow the candidate pool down. For the later stages of the interviewing process, technological tools that facilitate video conferences with multiple people may be your best option. Platforms such as Zoom or Microsoft teams are useful for this, as you will be able to see the candidates facial expressions and hand gestures as well as having a few members of your team on the call too to help interview the candidate.
Wondering how to conduct a remote interview?
Be prepared and plan your interview meticulously
As with anything, planning is key to a successful interview. Structuring your interview with the main objective and key questions is important for remote interviews. Not being able to see the candidates and freely speak to them in an unscripted and naturalistic way can be hard for both college and candidates alike. Consequently, having a template of questions to ask can ensure that the conversation runs smoothly and avoids awkward delays, whilst still being able to assess whether the individual has the necessary skillset and experience to fill the job role.
Top tip: start with the more simple and friendly questions to allow the candidate to open up and feel at ease. This will allow you to establish a rapport and bridge that gap that is prototypical of remote interviewing.
At this stage, it is also really important to be prepared with who you want in the interview too. Now that you have to onboard remotely, you have to be selective about who can join the call/ meeting with you. It’s no longer the case that one of your colleagues joins mid-interview. Most platforms facilitate 4 people max (unless you pay for pro), so pick the best colleagues based on the job role.
In light of this, the interview team should be prepared about who is asking what questions and in what order. It can be very easy to talk over one another when on conference lines, which can cause confusion and disrupt the flow of communication. Make sure you all have a structure and attempt to stick to it as much as possible. Obviously, there will be deviations, but having a structure in place can help facilitate a smooth remote interview process.
Keep in contact with your candidates
Working, interviewing, or even living remotely has its challenges. It can be very isolating (pardon the pun) to be stuck at home. This is only exacerbated by the current job market, which carries with it much uncertainty for candidates.
Consequently, it is important for you as an employer to stay in contact with your candidates and update them about the interviewing process. Let them know when they should expect a callback, or when the next stage of the interviews will be held. Keeping them in the dark can sometimes cause more damage than necessary, planting a seed of doubt in their minds – a damaging proposition if that candidate was someone you really liked!
Be communicative and provide feedback. If there is a delay for any reason, check in with your candidate to let them know you are interested but need some more time and give them a realistic time frame.
In light of this, it may be useful to create a pre-onboarding process for your new starter, presenting them with a digital welcome package that can be easily circulated via email or host on a shared digital drive. Do this a few weeks before they are due to start. This may seem self-explanatory, however, there is a large proportion of companies that do not have these facilities in place. While 63% of employers have staff working remotely due to COVID-19, only 43% have remote company policies in place. In order to facilitate the changing work landscape, you should prioritize creating one.
The welcome packages should cover your companies policies and guidelines, so they know what is expected from them within their new role, allowing them to digest key information about your business. You should also set out an itinerary for them for the first few weeks, with each day broken down and structured into morning and afternoon tasks.
The welcome packages should also contain a main point of contact. If your company facilitates a ‘work buddy’ or mentoring process, make sure to include this within the welcome package too, so that they can reach out to the prospective person prior to starting.
The pre-onboarding stage is also a key opportunity to ensure all the tech requirements are in place. If the employee requires a work laptop, phone or various office equipment, make sure to send this over with ample time to set up their remote workplace. Given the nature of the government guidelines concerning COVID-19, deliveries may take longer than usual, so preparing in advance safeguards you from delayed delivery slots.
Set up all the necessary technology
Once the pre-onboarding process is complete, it is essential that your new starter has the necessary technological requirements expected to do the job role itself.
A desk, chair and computer is a prerequisite for most office employees when they join a new company. However, those candidates working remotely may not have this in their home. The pre-onboarding process should clarify what the new starter has and doesn’t have, which is then the responsibility of the employer to complete an ergonomic check and accommodate their technological needs.
It may be useful to set a budget for each remote worker when setting up a new home office. Present them with a list of office essentials.
Additionally, if you have a dedicated software specific to your company, make sure the candidate has access to a person who can set this up for them, as well as assist them in navigating the software. This can be organised as a set of meetings or in the shape of a dedicated online portal. Zoom / ringcentral or Microsoft team meetings are useful platforms to do this, as they have a function where you can share your desktop screen. It’s also free, saving your company money!
Set up an onboarding buddy/ mentor
As aforementioned, if your company facilitates a ‘mentoring’ style of learning, then this can be an extremely useful way of onboarding a client remotely. In addition to providing extensive knowledge of the company, mentors can assist in facilitating the integration of a new starter within the company. They can act as a first-line of communication and can help with providing answers to the new employees’ questions.
Unlike office culture, working from home can be lonely and in some cases (pardon the pun) an isolating experience. A work buddy / mentor can act as that friendly face and help the new starter be immersed within the business culture.
Set up a clear line of communication
By now, for those employees working remotely, your company will have established a line of communication to keep each worker connected. Skype, Zoom and Microsoft Teams have been integral platforms for a number of businesses to stay in touch and maintain usual business practice expected within the usual office environment.
While a new starter should have received a number of a specific person (i.e., HR manager) to contact during the onboarding process, other means of communication with a range of individuals within the company should be provided too. Setting up video conference calls with key members of the business is a priority during the onboarding process, as a way of decreasing any feelings of isolation. This will also help them understand the company ethos and gain a better feel of the company – understanding their brand values and how their role fits into the wider business strategies. They can also help build relationships with colleagues during various skype / zoom / microsoft teams conference calls.
It is always good business practice to schedule check ins with the new starter on a regular basis. A tip would be to get a member of the team / manager / buddy to pencil time aside to communicate with the employees, to ensure they are clear on the tasks at hand. This also provides a perfect opportunity to assign tasks and give feedback on the work the new starter has completed.
Make a memorable and lasting first impression as a business
While it is essential that an employee makes a great first impression, it is just as important for this to be reciprocated by the company. Indeed, 11 percent of individuals have changed their minds on a job role after being onboarded. Sending a warm welcome is essential to encourage and motivate your employers that they have made the right decision working for your company. Let them know how excited you are for them to join the company and reinforce this with regular contact from a multitude of individuals.
Over 17% of employees quit after their job after the first week. Therefore, it’s important to make the employee feel relaxed and at ease when joining your company
Set up training programs
Finally, make sure you set up a training program that will facilitate remote working.
It is important that induction training is varied to keep your new starter entertained and motivated. Endless days of compliance training, for example, will not be motivating! Ensure that your company’s employee value proposition is central to your training and do your best to bring it to life and make it relevant to the individual.
Make your training adaptable to the remote workplace. This could involve introductory videos about your business, team diagrams and short introductions to key personnel. The top tip would be to keep it varied and entertaining – refraining from a stagnant onboarding process.
Final thoughts…
Employers on a global scale are now seeing the huge benefits of a remote workforce. Despite the current pandemic forcing employees to stay within the confinement of their own home, it is predicted that nearly 40% of employees will continue remote work even after the pandemic is over. And we can see why! Companies are saving money exponentially on business premises and can recruit on a national scale – particularly those employees who have had previous experience working from home. They do not need to focus on candidates in the locality, as remote work facilitates onboarding on a global scale.
However, the trick is to ensure that your company is prepared for this. Being prepared and ready for remote working is essential to the functioning of your business. Follow these tips and you will be on the right tracks to onboarding amazing talent for your workplace. This is an investment that will surely pay off!
Concise communication can help technical teams clearly relay complex information, a crucial collaborative element as the workforce shifts online.
To enhance effective communication in-house, employers across industries are increasingly seeking soft skills during the recruiting and hiring process. In the remote work era, organisations are often compartmentalised, siloed into specific departments with minimal overlap between teams, however, developers, programmers, and IT professionals routinely must collaborate across the business structure to achieve common objectives.
Effective communication requires a host of considerations including the ability to clearly and concisely relay technical information. Mastering the art of brevity in communication is a helpful way to further boost one’s soft skill set.
“Soft skills are critically important for all professionals, especially those in a supportive function. IT professionals and programmers tend to be linear thinkers and goal-focused, but also, they have their own vernacular and their own technical language, pun not intended, that may not be easily understood by the people that they’re working with or serving,” said Cheryl Dixon, communications executive and adjunct professor, Columbia University.
To learn more about ways to deliver crisp, compact language we sought advice from a number of organizations across the communications and tech sector. Here are seven tips to help technical members of the workforce streamline collaboration and boost their soft skills.
Define key terms
As teams continue to work remotely during the coronavirus pandemic, many organisations are leveraging a spectrum of communication tools such as Teams, Slack, Zoom, and more. These tools lack the richness inherent in face-to-face communication further increasing the risk of indeterminacy. That said, one of the most imperative aspects of succinct communication is reducing the risk of miscommunication.
“Define your terms. Miscommunications often occur when people think that they’re talking about the same thing, but are talking about different things. By defining your terms, it can help ensure that everybody is on the same page when they’re talking about something,” said Max Boyd, data science lead at Kaskada.
Similarly, by defining key terms, you are able to more succinctly carry on a conversation without long explanatory parentheticals peppered into discourse. Additionally, if terms are defined on Slack, for example, the end-user now also has a ledger and reference point if they need clarification down the road.
Be concise, not quick
Remember there is a difference between brevity and expeditiousness; haste may eventually require further remediation. Remember, with concise communication, each word carries tremendous weight, so make them count and consider their impact in advance. As mentioned, limited messenger platforms are prone to misinterpretations. Concise communication may require more forethought than a traditional in-person conversation.
“‘Concise’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘quick.’ Taking a little bit of extra time to read and clarify what you wrote before hitting send—and understanding your objectives—will cost you a bit of time in the short term, but will pay back large returns on investment in terms of time spent reading and talking,” Boyd said.
Ask questions
At times, concise communication functions optimally with redundancy built-in. To do so, it’s imperative to routinely check in with your audience during the conversation. Before taking the next step, first make sure everyone is one the same page. Similar to defining terms, regular inquiry and mindfulness can decrease the risk of confusion.
“Ask questions to check in for understanding. When working with IT partners, people might feel intimidated or feel foolish if they don’t understand some of the technology — so they may not ask the questions they need to. So, checking in for understanding and comprehension as you go along is going to be key,” Dixon said.
Remember to take pause
Effective communication involves active listening and planning. Rather than waiting for your turn to talk or present a set of ideas, it’s important to listen carefully, keeping in mind the ideas presented during fluid conversations. Before stating a particular point, take pause to ensure you’re approaching the next step in a way that takes into account the other person’s points, while also moving toward the common objective.
Put the audience in the picture
In the age of daily video conferences and Zoom Fatigue, it’s imperative to engage the audience. An actively involved, attentive audience is more likely to be aware of the points being discussed and retain this information moving forward. Maintaining the listener’s attention will reduce the risk of needing to backtrack later in the conversation. Illustrating the various ways in which the ideas presented will directly impact a person is an easy way to accomplish engagement.
“Humans are innately biased towards ideas and activities that have a direct impact on them,” said Patrick Ward, director of marketing at Rootstrap.
“Rather than communicating every aspect of a particular issue, a better strategy is to identify the other person’s motivations and share information that is specifically relevant to that motivation and nothing else,” Ward continued. “This is not dishonest, and the other person is not awful for not caring: It’s simply a case that humans, especially within the tech industry, have an enormous cognitive overload and therefore must prioritise what they focus their attention on at any given point in time.”
Incorporate abstract concepts and metaphors
Programming, development, and IT are hinged on discernible, duplicatable processes and strategies. While this concrete realm of standard operating procedures may not readily lend itself to the use of abstractions, the use of these devices and metaphors may help others understand complex material. The use of everyday examples can help technical teams break down complex information into more digestible portions. These concise communicative segments can illustrate a larger framework in a more approachable way.
“While a non-engineer might not understand what a SQL database is, we might still communicate salient points about the size or structure of our data by using concepts familiar to anyone who has used Excel. Similarly, we might compare full-stack feature development to the construction of a physical house, or we might compare a code review conversation to the process of editing a Google Document,” said Lusen Mendel, Karat director of Developer Relations.
Think about your communication profile
Overall, organisations are a patchwork of departments brimming with various personality types. As a result, concise communication will need to be tailored for a particular audience. The communicative equation that works for one person may not necessarily work with another.
CEO of Avantra John Appleby brought up the DISC personality assessment tool. This system looks at communication in terms of Dominance, Influence, Conscientiousness, and Steadiness. These tests build a communication profile of sorts, enabling enhanced collaboration between different DISC “types.”
“If you’re having a conversation with someone who demonstrates ‘C’ style communication traits, be super precise in your ask, set clear expectations and lay out the deadlines. But, remember, this doesn’t define personality. It’s simply someone’s default communication style. A comfortable exchange would be one that’s structured and backed by facts,” Appleby said.
Our expert IT recruitment consultants are here to take the pressure off you when recruiting someone new, permanent or contract. We liaise with candidates with the utmost care to ensure that their candidate experience is a positive one. Call us on 0207 788 6600 and let us help you Recruit Someone Worth Recruiting.
Brevity is a lost art in this age of data overload, but there are three tips you can master in order to improve your communication skills.
People are inundated with information, and their brains have reached a saturation point. If you want to get someone’s attention, you must be brief, according to Joe McCormack.
There are three tendencies that keep most people from being brief:
The tendency of overexplaining
The tendency of under preparing
The tendency to completely miss the point
“If we can overcome those tendencies we can get to the point and we have so much to gain,” said McCormack, who is the author of Brief: Make a Bigger Impact by Saying Less.
People spend about 8 hours a day consuming media. “By that I mean it could be television, radio, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook. It’s a constant consumption of information. We’re drinking from a proverbial fire hose. So when you look at the world around you, the mind is really, really burdened,” McCormack said.
This means that people have low attention spans, and their brains are weakening because they’re consuming so much information. As a result, everyone must adapt to that and learn how to be brief, he said.
It’s possible to overcome the three tendencies that keep people from being brief. And people will hear your message if you say less. They will be able to focus on your point and the message.
Tendency #1: Over explaining
Many people overexplain. To overcome this, think about all of the things you can talk about on a topic. Trim the less essential information, and keep only the essential components.
People speak 150 words a minute, but people can process 750 words a minute. This means if your presentation isn’t on target, people’s minds have 600 leftover words floating around their brain, and typically they will start to think about other things. “You’re hearing what he’s saying but you’re thinking other things. You’re thinking ‘he’s an idiot, where did he go to school?'” McCormack said, calling those 600 words the “elusive 600.”
Tendency #2: Under preparing
“To be concise and clear, it’s a balance of being clear and concise. You can be too brief,” McCormack said, quoting the French philosopher Blaise Pascal, who said, “I would have written you a shorter letter if I had more time.”
If you don’t prepare, you cannot be brief, because you don’t know what the key points are. This is useful in job interviews, for instance, when you’re asked to tell a little about yourself, and why you want to work at a company. One way to prepare is to create a mind map, which is a visible outline on paper to help organize your thoughts. Assemble your thoughts in advance and be prepared, he said.
Tendency #3: Completely missing the point
“You’re at work, and it’s late in the afternoon, and somebody knocks on your door and they say, ‘have you got a minute?’ Nobody is so busy that they don’t have a minute. And the person starts talking and talking and talking and you start thinking, ‘what is their point?’ And they don’t even know. They think the more they talk the point will emerge. At some point your elusive 600 occurs and you get annoyed,” he said.
“That point is a headline,” he said. “Think and speak in headlines.”
If the same person had walked into the room and said, “the project that I’m working on, it’s behind schedule but I have a fix for it,” then the person listening would pay more attention and actually hear the trimmed down version of the information,” he said.
It’s essential to start your communication, whether it’s an email, a conversation, a speech or a meeting, with a headline. Sum up the topic concisely. If it’s an email, don’t write “update” in the subject line. Put the headline in the subject line, he said.
McCormack’s 3 suggestions
McCormack offered three suggestions to improve brevity:
Map your message first
Lead with a headline
Trim away excess detail
“If I say 150 words a minute, and you can hear 750 words a minute, the less I say, the more you hear. The more you say, the less they’re going to hear,” he said.
Our expert IT recruitment consultants are here to take the pressure off you when recruiting someone new, permanent or contract. We liaise with candidates with the utmost care to ensure that their candidate experience is a positive one. Call us on 0207 788 6600 and let us help you Recruit Someone Worth Recruiting.
Want to learn the most essential IT Manager interview questions? This article aims to give you an overview of what the IT manager role entails and what you should be asking candidates when applying to become one, in order to assess whether they are the right fit for your company. Equally, if you are wanting to become an IT manager, this article gives insight into the types of questions will be asked during the interview process.
What is an IT manager?
IT teams are no longer workers consigned out of sight, out of mind in a company’s lower floors. Technology has taken over and assumed a greater part in the business world and as such, IT workers are now more important than ever. This has placed a greater responsibility on their leaders – the IT manager.
Not only do they IT managers have to ensure they’re capable of fixing a wide variety of tech problems, but they must also make sure the same is true of their team. This is not just fixing phones and laptops, it’s upgrading software, connecting whole departments to apps like Microsoft Teams, making sure they can connect with international clients and partners. This is just a tiny segment of what’s now involved within the job role.
Given the huge responsibility placed on the IT managers themselves, it is now more important than ever that when businesses hire candidates for the job role, they assess whether the individual has the exact skill set required of an IT manager. In order to assist businesses with the recruitment process, we have collated a top 3 list of interview questions to ask IT managers.
Explain the steps for recommending new software for an organisation as an IT manager
This is a very important IT manager interview question.
An IT manager conducts reviews of the current software used by an organisation and how it’s used.
They are also responsible for coordinating, planning and leading computer-related activities in an organisation. They help determine the IT needs of an organisation and are responsible for implementing computer systems to fulfil the organisations information systems requirements.
Consequently, this question is extremely important for businesses who are interviewing a new IT manager to assess their experience in evaluating IT systems and services, their understanding of when upgrades or changes are feasible and their commitment to staying abreast of the latest business software.
2. Why is it important to create a training program for staff when new systems are integrated?
As aforementioned, IT managers work in close proximity to IT teams who develop new systems and software. Each service or system requires a training program for their staff members that shows them how to use the new technology correctly.
The prime motivator for employee training is to improve productivity and performance. It is extremely advantageous from an employers perspective to provide employers with the expertise they need to fulfil their role and make a positive impact on your business to help the company avoid delays in service and save time. You can also track the training your employees have taken, which, through insightful reports, you know if your employees are up to date with their training regimes.
For this question, employers have the ability to acknowledge a candidate’s experience designing training programs for new systems as well as their aptness to coordinate with clients to train employees. An IT manager should be comfortable with setting up training programs and regimes, regardless of the size. They should also understand the vast benefits associated with said training from a company perspective – highlighting any internal weaknesses, consistency within the teams as well as a positive team dynamic – all of which translate into productive and efficient output.
3. How did you allocate budgets for past projects?
This question is integral for employers when interviewing an IT manager candidate.
A solid budget service serves as a road map for a business owner to ensure they are on track to meet their goals as they navigate through each month, quarter and year. This curbs unbridled spending – saving the company money and keeps stakeholders on the same page.
Within their job description, it is an IT managers responsibility to review the requirements for the projects and allocate funds appropriately so they do not overspend and equally distribute money to the necessary departments for the project to function appropriately.
An employer should analyse the candidates knowledge about defining what a project budget actually entails. They should reflect on their experiences dealing with budget allocation – providing specific examples backed with sufficient justification as to why they managed the budget in this manner. It is important that the ideal candidate shows efficiency at answering how they manage budgets in line with the budgetary constraints in place, otherwise they could cost the company money and time!
For more information regarding IT managers, view our job searchers now. Our updated salary guide also highlights their current average salary across the country for August.
With working from home looking more like a long-term reality than a short-term solution, Jenny Perkins explains how employers can keep workers engaged
The UK government is now letting employers decide if the time is right to bring office-based staff back to work. So far, many have decided not to. In fact, British Chamber of Commerce research found that 62 per cent of employers expect some or all of their staff to remain working remotely at least for the next 12 months. Health secretary Matt Hancock has suggested that the right to work from home could be more strongly enshrined in law as it becomes “the norm”. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has also said employees can carry on working from home “forever”.
When it comes to the future of work, there is no shortage of views on what the ‘new normal’ will entail. But one thing that researchers and commentators everywhere agree on is that remote working will become a lot more prevalent.
So, what have we learned since we went into lockdown in March that could help us make remote working work well for employers and employees alike?
Although working from home has become increasingly widespread in recent years, not every employer actively supported it. Many felt that for employees to be really productive, they needed to be in the office. All too often, this stemmed from a lack of trust. Many managers like to see where their teams are and what they’re doing. Lockdown forced a sudden and seismic change as more managers had to let go and become more flexible.
Trust and flexibility are key as we take tentative steps back towards the office. It looks like many organisations will adopt a hybrid model, combining that time in the office with more remote working. As we enter this period of transition, leaders and managers have a critical role to play.
When planning for the future, we need to ask employees what they want. We are going to see an increase in formal requests for flexible working, so be proactive about offering flexibility and choice. We can keep this conversation alive as guidelines and circumstances change. The future is uncertain, but if employees feel they are listened to, they are more likely to feel an active part of that future.
Every manager is now faced with challenges they have never had to deal with before. Many who have previously had a strong preference for sitting in a shared office space with their teams have had to make changes to their leadership style. This isn’t always easy, and organisations can provide valuable support. Virtual learning offers opportunities for development that can be implemented quickly. You may benefit from building skills such as virtual leadership and managing remote workers across your organisation. This learning can cover specific areas such as listening skills to help managers build that all-important trust. Coaching can also be invaluable during periods of transition, helping managers to reflect on their behavior and find new ways to deal with issues.
A positive and supportive culture is of course key to building trust and keeping people engaged in our virtual world. And often getting together face-to-face helps us to build that company culture. Again, managers have a critical role to play in building this culture. Virtual coffees, quizzes and online events all help. However, ultimately great cultures come from employees feeling valued and trusted. Informal conversations, support networks, and a focus on wellbeing and work/life balance are important. Rewards and recognition help, too. Some big corporates, such as Citigroup and RB, have given all employees a day off as a thank you for going the extra mile during the Covid crisis.
The role of the manager as a coach has really come to the fore in recent months. Many have found new ways of building relationships of trust as we support employees to adopt healthy and productive new ways of working. As ‘new’ becomes ‘normal’ we all need to keep building that trust and create the future of work together.
Our expert IT recruitment consultants are here to take the pressure off you when recruiting someone new, permanent or contract. We liaise with candidates with the utmost care to ensure that their candidate experience is a positive one. Call us on 0207 788 6600 and let us help you Recruit Someone Worth Recruiting.
IT professionals work in a field that is inherently susceptible to change. While bedrock concepts such as software development, administration of networks or operating systems and security requirements have been in place for decades, infrastructural evolution is a factor that has grown more prevalent in recent years. In the 1990s many system administrators got Novell CNE (Certified Novell Engineer) or Microsoft MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer) certifications and then dwelt fairly predictably within those realms. Now, however, mobile and cloud computing, the rise of big data and the importance of business continuity/disaster recovery have made today’s tech landscape a very different place from the almost quaint era of desktop client/server management and exclusively in-house systems.
This evolution had a significant impact on information technology employment and the available career options therein. Many types of jobs can now be performed remotely (or overseas, provoking more global competition), physical systems are being replaced by virtualized editions and entire data centers are moving up to the cloud, endangering certain traditional roles – while also laying the groundwork for new opportunities.
It’s been said for years now that IT workers would benefit from stronger business knowledge in order to remain competitive. This factor is undoubtedly important as occupational lines are blurring – the system administrator parked in the server room fixing problems while avoiding human contact is being replaced by the technology and communications expert well-versed in training and project management, offering face-to-face solutions geared towards meeting company needs rather than establishing them.
However, it’s important to keep in mind that while business skills come in handy to establish relevance and prove one’s value, focusing on the right technologies is an even bigger part of the picture – it represents the foundation of the trade. Business skills are only useful when they are wedded to meaningful technology to capitalize upon them.
Our expert IT recruitment consultants are here to take the pressure off you when recruiting someone new, permanent or contract. We liaise with candidates with the utmost care to ensure that their candidate experience is a positive one. Call us on 0207 788 6600 and let us help you Recruit Someone Worth Recruiting.
A new report from Kudelski Security provides companies tips for how to recruit and retain talent up for the digital challenges of tomorrow.
The market for top cybersecurity talent will remain competitive in the years ahead, as this first-line network defense is prioritised and buttressed for the rigors of tomorrow. Gartner estimates that nearly two million security positions will remain vacant through 2022. To provide organisations with insights to identify, recruit, and train premium cybersecurity professionals, Kudelski Security released a report titled “Cyber Business Executive Research: Building the Future of Security Leadership.”
The report was created in partnership with the firm’s Client Advisory Council and utilises information gleaned from surveys and interviews with more than 100 American and European CISOs.
Key findings: The importance of CISO soft skills
On the security leader side, the report highlights the invaluable need for soft skills such as strong communication and team-building capabilities alongside technical know-how. Interestingly enough, 82% of CISOs interviewed believed these communication skills to be critical. This compared to about half (52%) of individuals who believed hands-on technology experience to be critical.
Interpersonal talents will provide the CISO with the communication skills required to aptly manage emergent organisational models featuring increased telecommuting in the years ahead. Specifically, the report notes that ideal CISOs will have a 50/50 balance of both technical knowledge and this increasingly prioritised soft skill set, as this combination of talent both is currently rather rare among these professionals.
Insights for security leaders, and recruiters
Overall, the report details the principle difficulties surrounding hiring and retaining well-equipped security leaders. To assist, the report also provides insights to aspiring security leaders and executive recruiters, ranging from brand building and advice for building a network of future talent to protocols for handling the often lengthy CISO recruiting process.
Executive recruiters
Kudelski Security details protocols for talent acquisition to ensure long-term company health, especially in the event of CISO vacancies in-house. The respondent CISOs recommend that executive recruiters look across industries to find premium candidates, especially if their specific industry is known to be lagging in modern cybersecurity measures.
Approximately half of American CISOs and more than 90% of European respondents reported that the average recruiting time to bring in a new CISO is between six months to a year. As a result of these lengthy vacancy periods, it’s recommended that executive recruiters utilise an interim virtual CISO during the search for the ideal candidate.
It’s also recommended that companies start to consider “nurturing a talent pipeline” of candidates in the military, universities, and technical schools. Similarly, the report also reiterates the importance of identifying current employees with industry knowledge, the aforementioned soft skills, and “some ambition for career growth” as these individuals can eventually helm leading security positions with adequate training and mentorship.
Security leaders
For those security leaders with CISO aspirations, it’s suggested that these individuals begin to build key relationships in their industry and use social media platforms to increase their visibility and build their brand. Nearly one-third (29%) of those interviewed believed that risk management and compliance as well as governance positions are the “best pre-CISO” roles for aspiring security leaders.
Our expert IT recruitment consultants are here to take the pressure off you when recruiting someone new, permanent or contract. We liaise with candidates with the utmost care to ensure that their candidate experience is a positive one. Call us on 0207 788 6600 and let us help you Recruit Someone Worth Recruiting.
Top 3 Chief Technology Officer Interview Questions
What is the Chief Technology Officer?
A Chief Technology Officer (CTO), sometimes known as a chief technical officer or chief technologist, is an executive-level position in a company or other entity whose occupation is focused on the scientific and technological issues within an organisation.
Salary research specialist PayScale says popular skills for Chief technical officers, include expertise in software architecture, leadership, IT management, product development, and project management. However, Chief technical officers are increasingly praised for their knowledge of pioneering areas of technology, such as digital products, technical vision, and research and development (R&D).
Indeed, most hiring managers know they have to look beyond a job candidate’s technical qualifications when staffing for a Chief technical officer role. To get this kind of insight, businesses need to come up with a set of thoughtful interview questions to ask top candidates. Likewise, candidates need to understand what types of questions will be expected of them when they apply for a Chief Technical officer job role.
In order to help provide insight into the types of questions which will determine whether a candidate has the appropriate skills and knowledge for your business, here is a list of the top 3 must ask Chief Technology interview questions.
1) What experience do you have working with developers?
When Contrary to popular beliefs, not all Chief technology officer candidates have a working knowledge of managing software development projects, and those that do will have their own personal styles and approaches to overseeing team operations – whether it be from a distance or having a hands-on approach.
Answers to this question will provide the company with insights into your management styles and how this accordingly fits with their expectations. As for the company hiring, this interview question is extremely important to render whether this candidate’s style of management fits in with the existing practices and norms in place within the business.
For the Employer:
Analyse their previous work managing development teams and the specific examples of leading successful development projects.
For the Candidate:
In order to answer this common interview question accordingly, it is advantageous to cite your previous role and experience managing development teams. Provide specific examples and the overall outcome of these projects in order for them to gauge your approach. You should consider what skills you have brought to the table and how effectively you managed the team to stay on task and get the job complete. Do you have a developing background, if so, did you actively participate in the developing process?
Example: “I come from a web-developing background, so I like to take a hands-on approach with my development team managers to stay in the loop with the ongoings of the project and provide assistance when required”.
2) What experience do you have with software development or programming languages?
The role of a Chief Technical officer differs from company to company. There are several types of Chief Technical officers and typically, the software development companies choose the one that perfectly aligns with their business needs and objectives. The most dominant Chief Technical officers in the field are technical and operational.
Technical Chief Technical officers are considered to be programmers. They will have a vast knowledge of software development and experience knowledge in programming, software architecture design and cloud-based infrastructure configuration.
Operational Chief Technical officers are those who do not have any coding background knowledge or experience. Their skills revolve around finance, mentoring, project management and so forth.
Consequently, candidates who are from a technical Chief technical offices background will most likely have had experience managing their IT departments and take a more hands-on approach. A Chief technical officer from management or operational background will often leave details to their managers. Thus, asking this interview question enables you to gauge these issues.
For the Employer:
Look for their interests in the technical details of information technology and the candidate’s ability to articulate and confidently respond to the question. Personal side projects with appropriate examples are also important responses to suss whether their skills and experience is admirable for your business practices.
For the Candidate:
If you have taken a technical leadership type of approach in your previous job role, discuss your appreciation of utilising tools and technologies. Usually a software development company requires the CTO to have appropriate knowledge of creating an MVP which is expected to roll out in the target market. Discuss your ability to coach, mentor, train and support your staff in previous projects, sharing your experience knowledge to help those novices in the team easily adopt company culture.
Answering from an operational perspective, mention distinct examples of when you have worked with teams using software development or programming languages, establishing a strategy and managing the development process in the best possible way.
Example: ‘I come from an operational background, so I’m not an expert in programming. Although, I have first-hand experience in understanding how good managers leader developer teams by working closely with them to achieve a common goal”.
3) How will you keep up to date with current trends in technology?
Technology is an ever-changing industry. It is therefore vital for companies to employee someone who recognises the need to stay up to date on the technical developments within the industry. Thus, this interview question investigates whether the candidate is a suitable fit with an organisation. They should choose examples that relate to managing a business, especially an IT department.
For the employer:
Analyse their interest in continuing education in addition to their knowledge of current technology trends. Explore their management philosophy and whether they are a “cultural fit” to the organisation.
For the Candidate:
One of the responsibilities as a technical CTO is selecting the appropriate mobile or web development stack. They should easily identify the best technologies that have a great influence on project stability, scalability, and maintainability. Consequently, researching trends and products within the IT sphere is vital for this job role to ensure the company is adapting to the newest innovations – a landscape that is dramatically changing on a continuous basis.
Even if you do not maintain the necessary skills to put these technological innovations into practice, it is still extremely vital that you are aware of the current technological flow. A CTO needs to follow all critical trends that bombard the IT sphere and you will have to consider what the competitors do in order not to miss out on something essential. Having knowledge of existing and current trends and confidently articulating this will demonstrate to a company your ability to research as well as your genuine interest in this field of work.
Example: “This year I enjoyed reading ABC Technology Trends. It opened my eyes to the need to adopt proven technologies and the risks of buying into the leading edge too soon.”
Are You Getting the Most from Azure DevOps’ capabilities?
Join us and Luke Miles, CIPFA’s Development Manager, for a live webinar on Thursday 30th July 2020 at 7pm to learn:
The What and Why of Continuous Integration and Deployment (CI/CD)
Simple strategies to get up and running quickly with Azure DevOps
Key feature highlights of Microsoft’s Azure DevOps tooling
Register your interest by emailing Richard Jones at richard@langleyjames.com who’ll send you a Zoom invite.
Background:
Continuous Integration and Deployment have been long-standing practices within our industry. Teams large and small have leveraged these practices to improve how they deliver solutions to their users. With the emergence of DevOps, tooling has only improved, allowing teams to quickly adopt these practices without the need for weeks of manual scripting or long procurement processes holding it up.
Azure DevOps is one of Microsoft’s offerings to teams looking to leverage these practices. Azure DevOps provides developer services help teams plan work, collaborate on code development, and build/deploy applications.
Register interest today and hear Luke Miles explain his experiences with Microsoft’s Azure DevOps tooling and how it can help streamline your software development processes.
Expected Duration: 1 hour (40 min presentation & 20 min Q&A)
Our expert IT recruitment consultants are here to take the pressure off you when recruiting someone new, permanent or contract. We liaise with candidates with the utmost care to ensure that their candidate experience is a positive one. Call us on 0207 788 6600 and let us help you Recruit Someone Worth Recruiting.
How can you help support employees leaving your business
Possibly looking to downsize your workforce. So, what can you do as an employer to support those leaving your business?
Making people redundant is never easy, and when you have loyal individuals who have been with you for a long time, you probably want to give them as much help as you can.
One way to do this is to provide them with outplacement support – help in the form of CV writing, job hunting, interview guidance, self-employment, or even retirement planning. You may be experienced in these areas and want to provide this help yourself, but the uneasiness of the situation means few employees will take up your offer as they feel uncomfortable over the situation.
Kubler-Ross Change Curve in Business
Employees feel a range of emotions, plotted out by Kubler-Ross – an American psychologist. She highlighted the changes in emotions and the rollercoaster of feelings they may be experiencing, with at the very worst apathy and depression creeping in.
Self-doubt is often the route cause of this most extreme feeling. When an employee sends out a CV to over 50 companies and they do not even get a reply from any, they lose self-confidence and feel as if they have no future. But the reality is that their CV is not highlighting what an employer is looking for or they are not up to speed on modern job-hunting techniques. Consequently, they need professional guidance.
Outplacement Providers To Support Employees
Modern job hunters often do not realise that recruiters in 2020 spend as little as 15 seconds reading a CV. A survey conducted by ‘The Times’ highlighted for school leavers is even less: 8.8 seconds.
Also, candidates found on CV databases (including LinkedIn) fill over 60% of the vacancies with only 20% of jobs these days being commercially advertised.
Going back 15 years we talked about the ‘hidden job market’. 25% of jobs were being filled by speculative approaches, 25% of vacancies through networking. There is a new hidden job market that modern-day job hunters need to guide through.
To really help employees who are exiting your business, it is often best to bring in independent but qualified individuals to; work with your existing staff, listen to their fears, be non-judgemental, and above all, be supportive and practical.
Langley James has recently teamed up with an established outplacement provider who has supported several thousand job hunters back into work and can now provide your staff with the support they need to move forward. Their practical and straight forward approach quickly focuses on job hunt activity, with their consultants taking a very ‘hands-on’ approach, rewriting or even writing from scratch a CV, optimising CV for CV sifting software used on CV databases.
In a recent CIPD survey, it highlighted that over 60% of employers now use interview competency (behavioural) based questions. Their consultants are all highly experienced interviewers and able to help individuals build up scenario-based answers prior to interviews, feeding back on both content and structure of S.T.A.R. based answers.
Operating both the UK and the Republic of Ireland, they are currently providing their support online using screen-sharing technology. The level of online support they are giving is as good as their consultant sitting beside an individual, but a lot safer for both concerned. If you would like more information please get in contact by filling in your personal details in our form below and our team will be happy to help…
Remote workers all over the world are climatising to the new way of life, settling into newly forged daily routines, and getting to grips with the clever technologies that make it all possible. Online video software has allowed us all to not only replicate our old office ways but vastly improve how our meetings work using combinations of an ever-growing number of handy tools and content options. But are you using it appropriately when conducting interviews?
When it comes to meeting prospective new hires online, there are big differences between interviews and our in-house meetings. Put yourself in the shoes of the remote candidate: You’ve read the company website, some press releases and the job description, and been told to attend an online meeting with two people you’ve never met on a laptop, sat in your second bedroom. Sounds cold right? As a Hiring Manager, how are you going to replace the shiny branded signage, the welcoming receptionist, and the touchy-feely, face to face interview experience?
Here is some experienced advice from the Langley James recruitment team to help you get the most from your online interviews.
1 – Test the Tech
The backbone of any successful online meeting is reliable technology. Preventative action and an awareness of the variables that threaten success is key, and never assume people know your tech.
Check your own equipment including software updates, speakers, microphones, headgear, batteries, internet connection, and be certain of your own login credentials. Map the meeting process from invite to close and look for ways it could go wrong. For example, if the candidate hasn’t used your meeting platform before they’ll be invited as a guest. Using an off-network computer and a personal email address, pretend to be a candidate and follow the steps from their side, then write instructions and an equipment checklist that can form part of your interview invitation. This may seem like hard work, but you’ll only need to do it once and will give you the confidence that it’ll work every time.
2 – Have a Plan B
Despite rigorous testing and avid preparation, it might all go horribly wrong. Fear not! Providing you’ve planned ahead and obtained the candidate’s phone number and/or email address you can simply perform a telephone interview.
Sometimes it’s not that serious and the meeting can indeed be salvaged. Build a troubleshooting checklist featuring found and personal experiences so you can take action or offer advice on the spot. For example, in the event of glitchy video, simply switching off other bandwidth-hungry devices on your or their network might help. If not, switching off the camera may result in improved audio. Whatever the problem, try to preempt a workaround.
3 – Be Organised and Leave Nothing to Chance
Having an organised agenda and a planned format should be a standard requirement for all interviews but for online meetings, it is nothing short of essential.
You might want to consider giving candidates the same professional experience you would give a new client. Send out an ‘interview pack’ containing dates and times, an informal statement describing the role and why its important, some company info, the job description, a clear meeting agenda, a list of the interviewers and their roles in the process, and above all, crystal clear instructions on how to attend and what to do if they experience problems. Ask yourself, would you be impressed or bewildered? If its the latter, there’s more work to be done.
4 – Block Out the Time and Avoid Distractions
Remember, you’re trying to simulate a face to face interview. With that in mind, visualise your old interview environment and take note. You probably didn’t have your computer with you and your phone was set to silent, you were somewhere quiet, away from distractions and you looked at the candidate in the eye while talking, aware that you needed to appear alert, interested and engaged at all times.
Being online, you’ll be sat at your computer so, apply the above to the new scenario. Turn off notifications, minimise your email and other message systems, select ‘do not disturb’ on your online meeting software, and put your phone on silent. Remember, this is a live meeting so apply all your usual social graces, look out for facial expressions and signs of engagement, and keep still where possible.
5 – Be Ready
Many Hiring Managers have an intention to plan but often, simply turn up to an interview with a pen, paper, and a largely unread CV, still warm from the printer. Instead, decide to deliver a professional interview. Read your own job description and prepare the questions. Remind yourself of the key skills, traits, and experiences required for the vacancy and read the candidate’s CV making note of any areas to explore. Decide on how you want the interview structured and stick to it. It’s not hard and will yield better results, but it won’t create itself. Book a specific time in your diary to do it.
6 Look the Part
Yes, we’re working from home and yes, many of us have ditched the suits or smart casual gear in favour of jeans and t-shirts. While this may be an accepted, unspoken theme of today’s remote workforce, its important to remember that as a Hiring Manager you are responsible for giving the best possible first impression of your company. As such, dress accordingly. Presumably, you’re expecting the candidate to be well presented so why shouldn’t you?
7 Prepare a Quality Outro
Interested or not, always leave a good taste at the end of the interview. Explain what will happen next and offer some feedback if appropriate. Ask them if they have any questions and take the time to answer them properly. Be certain to thank them for their time and interest in the company.
There you have it. 7 vital tips on how to conduct a good online video interview designed to improve your selection choices and impress the socks off your candidates. Remember, you are likely to be the only person the candidate has ever spoken with from your company so, their impression of the business relies entirely on you. Happy interviewing!
Our expert IT recruitment consultants are here to take the pressure off you when recruiting someone new, permanent or contract. We liaise with candidates with the utmost care to ensure that their candidate experience is a positive one. Call us on 0207 788 6600 and let us help you Recruit Someone Worth Recruiting.
Declines in consumer confidence and decreased sales can threaten all businesses, but small businesses can be particularly vulnerable. They often don’t have reserves to help them weather difficult times. From protecting your cash flow to building your customer base, implementing a few practices in advance can help recession-proof your business so it survives and even thrives during economic downturns.
Protect Your Cash Flow
Cash flow is the lifeblood of your business. Money must continue inflowing and outflowing for optimum business health, with the obvious goal being that you bring in more income than you must spend on expenses. You’ll have expenses as long as your business exists.
Note: Admittedly, it can be hard to keep the cash flowing in. Recession-proof your business by implementing strategies to keep the cash flow moving, from increasing sales or billable services to trimming unnecessary expenses.
Review Inventory Management
See if anything can be done to reduce your inventory costs without sacrificing the quality of goods sold or inconveniencing your customers. Maybe you’re ordering too many of particular items, or something can be sourced somewhere else at a better price. Is there a drop-shipping alternative that will work for you so you can eliminate shipping and warehousing costs?
Note: Just because you’ve always ordered something from a particular supplier or done things in a particular way doesn’t mean that you have to keep doing things that way, especially when other ways can save you money.
Focus on Core Competencies
Small business owners often simplify the concept of “diversification,” translating it to simply “different.”
Simply adding other products or services to your offerings isn’t diversification. At best, it’s a waste of time and money. Worse, it can damage your core business by taking your time and your money away from what you do best, damaging your brand and reputation.
Note: Drop the extras and focus on what you do best that’s most profitable.
Win the Competition’s Customers
You must continue to expand your customer/client base if your small business is going to prosper in tough times. This means drawing customers from your competition.
Offer something more or different than what the other guy does. Research your competition and see what you can do to entice their customers into becoming your customers. How are your competitors advertising? Visit their business locations. Ask consumers what they like or don’t like about those companies, then tweak your own business practices accordingly.
Make the Most of Current Customers
We’ve all heard the old adage that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. The bird in the hand is your customer or client, and they’re an opportunity to make more sales without incurring the costs of finding new customers.
Even better, they might be loyal customers, giving you many more sales opportunities. You can’t afford to ignore the potential profits of shifting your sales focus to include established customers if you want to recession-proof your business.
The key here is excellent customer service. Ensure that your customers or clients love what you do or sell, and keep them happy. Yes, that means the customer is always right. Identify their needs, then meet them. You want to retain their business all costs. This is more important during a recession than at any other time.2
Don’t Cut Back on Marketing
Many small businesses make the mistake of cutting their marketing budget to the bone in lean times, or even eliminating it entirely, but this is exactly when your small business needs marketing the most.
Consumers are restless. They’re always looking to make changes in their buying decisions. Help them find your products and services and to choose them rather than others by getting your name out there. Don’t quit marketing. Step up your marketing efforts.
Watch Your Credit Scores
Hard times make it harder to borrow, and small business loans are often among the first to feel the squeeze, particularly for businesses with iffy credit ratings. Monitor yours frequently and keep on top of them. There are three major business credit bureaus and each assesses your business’s creditworthiness differently:
– Experian
– Equifax
– Dunn & Bradstreet3
Note: Keep tabs on your personal credit rating as well and do whatever is necessary to keep both in good shape.
You’ll stand a much better chance of being able to borrow the money you need to keep your business afloat if you have good personal credit as well. And keep in mind that the U.S. Small Business Administration makes easy-qualifying loans available during times of national economic crisis, in addition to its usual funding programs.
The Bottom Line
Nothing will make your small business 100% recession-proof, but implementing these can help ensure that your business survives tough times and possibly even profits from them. It all begins with analyzing how you’re doing things now and looking for ways to improve.
86% of people working from home in the US, Canada, and the UK don’t think it’s time to head back, according to a new survey.
The coronavirus pandemic has officially transformed the workplace, as many governments and companies shifted employees to working from home during the global health crisis. According to a recent survey by Gartner, more than half of organisations surveyed said that at least 81% of their employees are working remotely during COVID-19—and even after the crisis subsides, working from home may be here to stay.
Still, the economic toll of the pandemic, and its disruptions to daily life, are causing many to consider how—and when––companies can bring employees back to the office. President Trump, for instance, recently tweeted that he is focusing on “getting America back to work.”
Still, the uncertainty of the situation and the broad lack of testing are cause for concern for many workers. During a phone call with Trump, a group of business executives told the president that more testing was required before Americans “would be confident enough to return to work, eat at restaurants or shop in retail establishments.”
A whopping 86% of workers say it’s too soon to go back to the office, according to a new survey by O.C. Tanner of 1,581 employees in the US, Canada, and the UK.
“As part of our survey, we asked employees why it was too early to return to work,” said Alexander Lovell, director of research and assessment at O.C. Tanner. “The most common answer? ‘People are still getting sick.’ The virus is still spreading, and employees are monitoring these developments closely. They point to the evidence that people can be asymptomatic and continue to spread the virus. As one employee related, ‘What if I killed my 58-year-old co-worker? I might have it and simply not know.'”
As for when, exactly, workers should consider returning to work, the survey, taken April 19 and 20, shows:
4% — this week
5% — next week
19% — in 2-4 weeks
26% — in one month
34% — 2-3 months from now
13% — longer than three months from now
Some employees did not believe that it was too soon to return to work. Workers who did not live alone—they had a spouse, partner, or roommate—were three times more likely to fall in this category, suggesting that working from home with others might take a deeper toll or impact productivity.
Additionally, employees with school-age children who must now be taught from home were two and a half times more likely to fall in the camp of thinking it was not too soon to consider going back to work, according to the study. This also suggested that the office environment might be a welcome relief from a new life of working and home-schooling.
The fourth COVID-19 Pulse Survey also revealed that 77% of US CFOs are planning to change workplace safety measures and that 2020 is a “lost year.”
Some 32% of US chief financial officers are anticipating layoffs in the next six months—up from 26% two weeks ago—and 49% are planning to make remote work a permanent option for roles that allow it, according to PwC’s fourth COVID-19 Pulse Survey released Monday.
Layoffs in traditional manufacturing are expected to be higher and lower in financial services, where roles tend to lend themselves to remote work, PwC officials said during a noontime conference call to discuss the latest survey results.
Additional findings are that 77% of US CFOs anticipate changing workplace safety measures upon returning to on-site work, as employers focus on protecting employees, 65% anticipate reconfiguring work sites to promote physical distancing, and 52% anticipate changing and/or alternating shifts to reduce exposure, the survey found.
In talks with dozens of CFOs in the past couple of weeks, foremost on their minds is not just the question of how to get people safely back to physical offices but “what does work look like going forward,” in light of the fact that remote work is proving effective, said PwC Chair Tim Ryan. Other questions Ryan said he’s hearing are about how companies should be managing costs and productivity needs.
But consistently, the “main theme” is about employee safety, he said.
“Virtually every company we speak with is putting the health and well-being of employees as a top priority and as they think about coming back to work, that’s first and foremost on their minds,” Ryan added.
“Lost year”
Over 300 CFOs responded to the most recent survey, which PwC conducts every two weeks, the firm said. The key themes where responses have changed between this survey and the last one reveal differences from a sector perspective, said Amity Millhiser, PwC’s chief clients officer. The biggest sentiments are around businesses returning to the workplace and the effect on the workforce, especially in furloughs and layoffs and impact on revenue and earnings, Millhiser said.
On the return to the workplace, 65% of CFOs said their companies will reconfigure worksites to promote physical distance, and “companies will increasingly look to digital solutions to adapt to physical distancing,” she said.
Some will do some contact tracing and there will be a greater emphasis on “that kind of technology” as opposed to manual workarounds as technology becomes available and the new normal for how companies work in offices, Millhiser said.
Workforce health and safety will also become “a critical job benefit” and more technologies will be leveraged in traditional offices and increasing remote workforces, she added.
As they were two weeks ago, CFOs remain pretty evenly split on how long it will be to get “back to normal,” Millhiser said.
Protecting cash and liquidity positions is paramount for CFOs, the survey found. “Financial impacts of COVID-19, including effects on liquidity and capital resources, remain the top concern of CFOs (71%). Over half (56%) say they are changing company financing plans, up from 46% two weeks ago,” the survey said.
Approaches they’re taking include hiring freezes and tightening controls on discretionary costs, such as ending travel and the use of contractors, according to the survey. At the same time, investments are being made in areas that are considered important to companies’ future growth, including digital transformation, customer experience, and cybersecurity and privacy initiatives, the survey said.
More than half (53%) said they are projecting losses to be greater than 10% this year. While experiences and changes differ by sector, the combination of the increased negative impact on earnings and revenue and the longer time to come back to normal is leading many CFOs to conclude that 2020 is “a lost year for them,” Millhiser said.
As states start to lift stay-at-home orders and reopen local economies, 52% of CFO respondents said their businesses could return to normal in less than three months if COVID-19 were to end immediately, the survey said.
New insight from survey data shows that less than a quarter of respondents (22%) indicate they plan to implement contact tracing as part of their plan to reopen their workplaces.
PwC also announced it has created a Check-In with Automatic Contact Tracing tool that allows companies to help quickly identify and alert employees who may have come into contact with a co-worker who has tested positive for COVID-19.
Additional survey results
The top concern of CFOs:
71% of respondents indicate that financial impacts remain a top concern.
Revenue:
80% of respondents expect that COVID-19 will decrease their company’s revenue and/or profits this year.
12% of respondents report that COVID-19’s impact on revenue and/or profits is still too difficult to assess at present.
5% of respondents expect a decrease in revenue of over 50%.
Financial actions:
86% are considering implementing cost containment (up 4 percentage points).
70% are considering deferring or canceling planned investments. Of these respondents, 80% are considering delaying or canceling facilities/general CapEx, 62% considering workforce, and 48% considering IT.
40% of CFOs are indicating no change to their strategies (up 6 percentage points) while 15% indicated an increased appetite for M&A.
91% plan to include a discussion of COVID-19 in upcoming external reporting.
50% plan to include discussion around COVID-19 in financial statements.
Supply chains:
56% are planning to develop additional, alternate sourcing options for their supply chains.
54% are planning to understand the financial and operational health of their suppliers.
“We are seeing many geographies being considered [for additional sourcing], not just domestically—and frankly, there’s a lot of excitement about that,” Ryan said. Stressing that “there’s a long tail” with adding additional suppliers, he said areas besides the US that can expect to see an uptick in sourcing include Vietnam and Malaysia, as well as Mexico and Canada.
“If you were to unplug with China completely, it’s a firehose,” Ryan added. “You’ll see many geographies benefit, all in the name of diversification.”
Whether due to budget cuts or performance, letting staff go is sometimes a necessity, even during a pandemic. Here’s how to best handle the sensitive situation.
The coronavirus pandemic has sent shock waves through the enterprise forcing companies to make tough employment decisions with their staff. While the virus has directly resulted in layoffs and furloughs, some companies may have needed to terminate employee contracts before the disease’s outbreak, putting them in a particularly difficult position given the current economic climate.
Those who have been laid off or furloughed are flocking to apply for unemployment benefits: More than 26 million unemployment claims have been made since the start of the coronavirus-related shutdowns, so supervisors that are considering letting an employee go need to think long and hard about the timing, experts say.
“[Companies and HR professionals] should consider whether the reason is one for which they would have terminated the employee had we not been in this COVID-19 environment,” said Kelly Charles-Collins, unconscious bias expert at HR Legally Speaking.
“Tensions are high and patience is low. Perhaps things that an employee would not have been terminated for if we were in our regular workplaces may trigger a different reaction in this remote working environment,” Charles-Collins said.
However, companies also shouldn’t feel guilty if they ultimately decide to let someone go, said Neal Taparia, co-founder of SOTA Partners.
“It’s very easy to feel bad about it, but at the end of the day, you’re running a business, and other people are dependent on you,” Taparia said. “It’s a situation where you have to think about the greater good and be financially disciplined about it.”
Terminating an employee during the coronavirus pandemic is undoubtedly delicate, as the disease has impacted people mentally and economically. HR managers and supervisors may also have difficulty letting remote employees go, as remote work could be a new way of work for the company.
How to terminate an employee during COVID-19
The following steps and considerations can help HR managers appropriately navigate employment termination during the unprecedented time of COVID-19.
Maintain transparency
If you think your company might need to make layoffs, Taparia said to be open about that from the start.
“We’ve been trying to be as transparent and communicative as possible about what’s going on.” Taparia said. “This also means trying to be more transparent on how we’re trying to plan our company out financially.
“We’ve explained to them that there’s certain milestones that we need to hit, and within different periods of time we’ll continually evaluate the business,” Taparia said. “Not being transparent is even worse because they’re left into this world of uncertainty.”
Consider making the termination discussion impromptu
Notifying the company layoffs or terminations may be coming is important, but the actual conversation shouldn’t necessarily be expected, according to Taparia.
Taparia has run a few businesses. During an employment termination at one of his businesses, Taparia said there was an incident with the employee having known the difficult conversation was coming.
“In one instance, this employee became suspicious [of termination] because our HR lead was going to be in the meeting with myself,” Taparia said. “After we had that hard conversation, terminated the employee, and cut off access to email, when we looked through the email, the employee had sent himself a bunch of proprietary files from our company.
Upon suspecting the meeting was coming, the employee sent I private business information. Ever since that incident, Taparia said they have kept termination meetings as impromptu as possible, for the sake of security.
“It’s a ‘Hey, I need to talk to you,’ situation,” Taparia said. “Try not to mention that an HR professional will be in the meeting. That tends to be a surprise. But to me, that surprise is well worth it to prevent any type of IP loss.”
Have the conversation face-to-face
These conversations are ideally done in person, but a remote work environment doesn’t allow for that capability. HR managers should do the next best thing and have the conversation face-to-face over video, Charles-Collins said.
“We have access to technology that makes these types of face-to-face” meetings possible. Make sure that the meeting is not broadcast to anyone that should not have access,” Charles-Collins said. “If they are using technology like Zoom, they can require a password.
“Conduct the meeting just as if they would if they were in the office,” Charles-Collins said. “If they would not regularly record the meeting, I would recommend not doing so or allowing the employee to do so. This will require disabling the recording feature. Make the meeting short and respectful.”
Take care of the employee
Employment termination is a devastating blow in any scenario, but can be especially harmful during a worldwide crisis.
“Terminating an employee is never easy, but it should be humane,” Charles-Collins said. “Someone is losing their livelihood and people are not their best behavior. So, while their misconduct may be against company policy or even in violation of the law, our humanity should not be discounted or disregarded.”
To help during this time, Taparia said he offers to act as a reference for the terminated employee, whether it be via phone or recommendation letter. He said he has also pointed terminated workers toward platforms such as Upwork or Textbroker for easy contract jobs.
“We do give some small severance,” Taparia said. “We want to do what we can so they land on their feet. I even told them that I would try to think of contracting jobs, too, to help them in the meantime.”
“You have to go above and beyond to think about how you can take care of your employees. It’s not a ‘cut the cord and forget it’ situation, which some companies normally do during general business times,” Taparia said. “In my experience, you want to look after people.”
Postpone exit interviews
Exit interviews are a critical step for companies in the employment termination process, however, Taparia recommended letting the employee settle down first. He said that is what his company recently did with a former employee.
“The reason we decided not to [immediately have the interview] was it just felt awkward doing it, given all the circumstances, and we didn’t want this person to continue to feel anxiety around everything going on,” Taparia said.
“We plan on, in the next month or two, touching base with this employee every single week to see how it’s going. When things have cooled down, I’d like to send them a survey on what they think we could do better,” Taparia said. “[This would] give us some authentic feedback, as opposed to feedback that’s very emotionally driven, because everything happened so sudden.”
If an employee decides to pursue another job during the coronavirus pandemic, organizations must be prepared to keep proprietary data and company technology safe.
With COVID-19 shaking up employment, many teams are facing furloughs and layoffs. Some employees, however, are also opting to leave their jobs during this chaotic time. No matter the reason, companies must have the proper plans and security in place for an employee’s departure.
Companies have been forced to quickly adapt to remote work because of the coronavirus, many of which have never worked entirely remotely previously.
“Organizations are frantically trying to enable existing workforces to become full-time remote workforces,” said Arun Kothanath, chief security strategist at Clango, an identity and access management (IAM) consultancy. “This requires organizations to rapidly roll out VPNs and authentication technologies, such as multi-factor authentication, while enabling employees to be able to connect to mission-critical assets from their remote workstations.”
While equipping employees with secure connections is one of the crucial first steps to launching a remote workforce, businesses must also consider how to rescind such access upon employee termination or departure.
“The only way to secure critical business data is to control the access to it,” Kothanath said. “When an employee is terminated or informs the organization they are leaving for another company, there must be a way for an IT manager to immediately revoke the employee’s access.”
Neal Taparia, co-founder of SOTA Partners, said he once experienced an employee send themselves sensitive business information upon figuring out their employment would be terminated.
To help prevent other organizations from facing similar situations, Taparia and other experts outlined the following best practices for keeping company information and hardware secure in the event of an employee leaving.
IT’s responsibility for when an employee departs the company
Remove email access
After Taparia’s bad experience, he said the first thing his company does is shut off access to the employee’s email, that way the employee can’t send themselves items.
“We’ll also quickly peruse the type of activity they’ve had in their Google accounts. We use the Google Apps Productivity Suite, and it gives you some administrative abilities to see what’s going on,” Taparia said.
“We’ll look for any type of suspicious behavior, and we’ll try not to signal to [employee] that we’re going to have this tough conversation so they have time to [transmit sensitive files],” he added.
Confiscate company hardware
One problem employers might run into is how to retrieve company hardware from its remote workers.
Taparia said companies should make this process easy. His organization provides a box with a shipping label for the worker to send their items. He also said to guarantee the employee sends hardware back, his organization leverages severance.
“We try to get them a box with a shipping label as fast as possible, and we’ll tell them, ‘We want to give you the severance, but we do need that equipment back as soon as possible. If you want full severance, we need that back ASAP, and we’re going to make it as easy for you as it is possible to put it in the box and put the shipping label on it and just get it back to us,'” Taparia said.
Return in-office items
Since many companies were forced into remote work with COVID-19, employees may still have belongings in the office they need upon termination or departure.
“We told the employee we let go that we’d return their personal items via Fedex when we deemed it safe to return to the office again,” Taparia said.
“If it’s urgent, I still wouldn’t recommend compromising any of your staff to go to the office to return personal items. Right now, risking your health is outside of anyone’s responsibilities,” Taparia added.
Eliminate all digital accounts
The last component to consider is the employee’s various digital accounts. Just because they leave your organization, that doesn’t mean they may not try to access various accounts from personal devices.
“You need to consider all the digital assets they have remote access to as well,” said Finn Faldi, president at TeamViewer Americas, an enterprise remote access and support provider.
“Single-sign on and conditional access tools can provide you with one of the most secure environments to help you manage who gets access to what digital assets,” Faldi said. “If you have these tools in place as part of your remote connectivity solution, you can turn off all access to all company systems in real time as individual employees are off-boarded.”
Additionally, organizations that have an IAM program in place can easily revoke employee access to critical business data and assets, from anywhere, Kothanath added.
Lock down. Home Bound. Stuck. For many of us, life looks completely different to how it was just a few weeks ago. Home working or furloughed, being sat on a sofa isn’t exactly brilliant for our health. It’s hard too – Surrounded by creature comforts, unending visual entertainment, apps, food and drink, we can all be forgiven for taking a little time to relax and indulge in the face of stress.
But what happens if we’re at
home for weeks, months even? What price will we pay for overindulging?
It’s important we do what we
can to replace or improve body movement or face an inevitable dip both in mental
and physical health. In short, doing nothing for a sustained period of time
will make us sad, fat and prone to new health concerns.
We asked our colleague and
former Manager of Beth Tweddle Gymnastics, Lauren Caldwell, what 5 things we
can do to stay fit at home and make the most of our daily exercise allowance.
Here’s what she had to say:
Couch to 5K
Often when trying to get into
exercise, we can overdo it, feel defeated and give up when we’re just getting
started. Couch
to 5K works because it starts with a mix of running and walking
that gradually builds up your fitness and stamina. You can follow the programme
through a podcast that talks you through each run as you go, or use their
clever app that tracks your progress, coaches you through each run and allows
you to listen to your own music while you do it.
Already a major hit in the UK,
the Couch to 5K plan involves 3 runs a week, with a rest day in between and
different schedule for each of the 9 weeks. It’s a really good place to start
if you’re not used to running and want to make the most of getting outside once
a day!
NOTE: Remember to maintain
social distancing rules when outside.
HIIT (High Intensity Interval
Training)
This type of training can be
done with little to no equipment and you only need a small space – ideal for a
lockdown!
HIIT is a cardio session split
into short bursts of focused hard work. The simple idea of high-intensity
training is to raise the intensity of your cardio.
The great thing about HIIT is
that it will only take up a small amount of your time, just 30 minutes max. It
is recommended to have a day’s rest in between each HIIT workout to avoid
overtraining which can result in injury.
There are hundreds of personal
trainers on Instagram and YouTube posting HIIT workouts that you can try. Take
a look!
ZUMBA
Zumba is a well-known fitness program that combines Latin and international music with dance moves aimed at improving cardiovascular fitness. This is seriously fun and wonderfully entertaining. If you’re into dance – and even if you’re not – you will have a lot of fun with Zumba. You’ll find vast libraries of Zumba instruction videos on YouTube and other streaming sites, so find one for beginners and give it a try!
Yoga
If you’re looking to add a bit
of zen to your social distancing, yoga is a great way to reduce stress and calm
the nervous system while improving flexibility and helping to maintain a
balanced metabolism.
The fundamental purpose of
yoga is to foster harmony in the body, mind, and environment. Yoga claims to
offer a complete system of physical, mental, social, and spiritual development.
Again, there are loads of video
tutorials online to suit your ability, from beginners to advanced. If you can, you
should use a yoga mat (or something similar) to avoid any carpet burns. If you have
one, you could use a camping mat instead!
10K Step Challenge
Fun fact: The idea that humans
must take 10,000 steps a day came from a marketing campaign.
In 1965, a Japanese company chose
to name their pedometer ‘the 10,000-step meter’. It’s widely believed this name
was chosen because the Japanese character for 10,000 (万) looks sort of like a man walking. There was no science
behind it, just a great gimmick.
That being said, it is still
true that taking 10,000 steps a day will help you burn an extra 2,000-3,500
calories per week. To put that into perspective, 1 lb of fat equates to around
3500 calories so this could be a good way to help keep the weight off whilst we
are under these Covid-19 restrictions!
10K sounds like a lot, but you’d be amazed at how many steps you will clock up in a short space of time – even just walking around your house while you’re on the phone will make a dent in that total. You can use your phone to track your steps, and there are number of fitness trackers you can buy online for relatively little money. We wouldn’t recommend manually tracking your steps though; you mind find it somewhat stressful! 1…2…3…4…
So, there you go. 5 ways to
stay fit, have fun and keep occupied at home. When you’re done, by all means,
fire up Netflix and melt back into your sofa… mmm boxsets…
Langley James offers a range of programmes to help you find your next role. We can provide advice across all employment sectors. Working on a one to one basis with one of our experienced career coaches, your coaching programme will be tailored around your specific needs but typically includes the following:
Assessing your career capital, key skills, experience, etc
Exploring career options and alternative ways of working
Making informed decisions about your next career move
Devising a career action plan
Locating advertised and unadvertised jobs
Improving CV’s, cover letters, application forms to get you shortlisted
Increasing your visibility to employers through your on-line profile
Managing agency and head-hunter relationships
Interviews tactics, advice for presentations and networking
Organising your job search campaign
Salary negotiation and settling into the new job
The consultation will take place via the telephone, Skype or similar agreed medium and will take 1 hour. Follow-up calls included in 7, 14 and 28 days to provide you with support and feedback during what can be a difficult and challenging time. Cost per consultation is just £199 which includes both follow up calls and online support.
To arrange a consultation or to ask more about this service call 0207 788 6600.
The Government has announced a last-minute postponement to the implementation of the Off-Payroll Tax to the private sector in light of the recent Covid-19 outbreak, with the legislation now due to be reintroduced in April 2021.
The decision was taken following significant pressure from contractors and campaigners – and indeed from within the House of Lords – who warned that the inevitable loss of work due to the virus for contractors deemed ‘inside IR35’ and effectively forced into ‘zero rights employment’ would prove catastrophic.
“This is a deferral in response to the ongoing spread of Covid-19 to help businesses and individuals,” announced Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Steve Barclay MP to the House of Commons.
“This is a deferral and not a cancellation, and the Government remains committed to reintroducing this policy to ensure people working like employees but through their own limited company pay broadly the same amount of tax as those employed directly.”
Reaction: Delay Presents Opportunity to Overhaul Off-Payroll
Though Government has stated its intentions to legislate next year, contractors, clients and industry stakeholders will no doubt welcome the valuable time granted by the tragic circumstances. The announcement presents significant scope for greater consideration of the ill-considered measures, and further discussion over the alignment of employment status for tax and employment rights purposes, to combat the issue of ‘zero rights employment’ that Off-Payroll threatens to escalate.
“We warmly welcome the announcement that the Government has seen sense and delayed the damaging IR35 Off-Payroll Tax roll-out for a year,” says ContractorCalculator CEO Dave Chaplin. “With contractors facing the prospect of losing work with no sick pay, it was clearly the right and sensible thing to do.We thank our 2,600 campaigners for their excellent work, and we thank all the MPs who raised their concerns with the Treasury and opposed the flawed policy.
“We now must keep pushing for changes to outlaw the disgrace that is ‘zero rights employment’, and to make it illegal for firms to push employer’s taxation onto contractors. We also must push for the genuine review of IR35 legislation promised by the previous Chancellor, as part of the Conservatives’ planned review into self-employment.”
Chaplin adds: “Over the next year, it’s time to finally overhaul the discredited IR35 legislation, which everyone knows doesn’t work. Instead, we must come up with a way to properly recognise contracting and freelancing in the tax system and ensure people are either classed as self-employed or as employees with full rights and benefits”.
(SOURCE: contractorcalculator.co.uk)
Our expert IT recruitment consultants are here to take the pressure off you when recruiting someone new, permanent or contract. We liaise with candidates with the utmost care to ensure that their candidate experience is a positive one. Call us on 0207 788 6600 and let us help you Recruit Someone Worth Recruiting.
With the IR35 tax changes coming into play in 2020, the status of ‘self-employment’ may begin to seriously lose its appeal. Contractors around the country will be starting to consider moving over to the dark side of permanent employment, boxing up their idealistic counterculture, badging it a distant memory of a ‘young man’s game’.
So, as an employer, at last (it would seem) all our dreams have come true. There’s an influx of new talent seeking permanent employment pouring into the marketplace and the war for talent can finally become a thing of the past.
But beware…
The truth is there are necessary and overdue changes coming to the temporary contractor marketplace, if it were property, they’d call it market correction. But the reality is that in spite of IR35 contractors will always be paid a premium over and above their permanent counterparts. They simply had it even better because they were paying a more preferential tax rate which thanks to IR35 will no longer be the case.
So, here’s the thing. If you’re interviewing a contractor for a permanent role, keep in mind the old saying, once a c**t*****r always a c**t*****r. There’s a real risk they’re reverting to ‘temporary’ type, ‘temporarily’ abandoning the apparently sinking ship to join the good ship permanent employment to weather the storm.
Self-employment is so much more than an effective and (soon to be illegal) way to pay less tax. It is in part a lifestyle choice. Freedom, flexibility, more control over your work-life balance. At worst, possibly driven by them being unable to work for or with other people. But the multi-faceted advantages are something you need to consider.
Don’t get me wrong, if you do find yourself interviewing a contractor for a permanent role in your business you must give them real consideration. They bring a really unique breadth of experience, quite possibly amongst your competitors. They’ve also got the ability to problem-solve, work independently and think creatively. You just need to take additional measures to ensure they’re really serious about going permanent.
Prepare yourself by making the following checks at interview stage and if you hire them, post their employment:
At interview stage:
Find out whether or not they have had contracts extended and whether there are many instances of them not completing a contract. Seek the reasons why and if possible, contact their previous employer for more information
Be direct, ask them why they’re now considering the move from temp to perm
Set your boundaries from the outset. Have the conversation about your expectations regarding flexibility, discuss your policies and procedures with them in detail and gauge their reaction
Ask them about their expectations, it may be that they are looking for a more flexible role than the one you’re offering, but if they’re the right person for the job it may be worth finding a compromise
Develop a specific set of competency questions around their ability to work in a team environment and their ability to take direct orders from senior colleagues
As a contractor they may have become involved in providing support to other companies. This may not be an issue, but better they lay their cards on the table honestly at the outset.
Post-employment:
A perk of contracting is the flexibility to enjoy more holidays and long weekends. Ensure you keep an eye on their attendance
Timekeeping can become an issue if not managed correctly, they’re used to coming and going as they please, so be sure to check they’re adhering to the contractual agreements you made at the outset
For the first 6 months, stay in semi-regular contact with their line manager and keep an eye on how they’re working with the team.
Having said all that, the war for talent isn’t just about hiring great permanent employees. There are still huge advantages to the temporary workforce and very good reasons for people to remain self-employed. Contractors can be significantly more cost effective; you can call on them as and when there’s a business need and you don’t have the additional duty of care when it comes to personal issues or benefits packages.
The bottom line is the right balance of temporary and permanent staff will be unique to each organisation. Langley James has over 20 years experience in exceptional IT Recruitment. We’re connected with some of the best talent and employers in the sector. If you need help with your resourcing strategy, or you have a business need for either temp or perm IT talent get in touch.
Recent Comments