Apr 13, 2025 | IT
Here we have listed some common decision making errors people make when interviewing applicants. Rigorous training programs, along with added structure, are important ways of minimizing decision making errors, but understanding the different types of error and recognising when they occur is important.
– This error involves making judgments about a candidate based on broad generalisations, rather than information specific to the candidate. These generalisations typically refer (accurately or inaccurately) to attributes of a larger group to which the candidate belongs, such as gender, age, or racial/ethnic status.
– In some cases, interviewers will display a tendency to attribute some of their own characteristics to candidates. There may be something about a candidate that reminds the interviewer of himself or herself, and this superficial similarity can lead the interviewer to overlook or discount distinguishing details specific to a candidate.
– This one is pretty self-explanatory. It is very unfortunate, but many poorly or inadequately trained interviewers tend to judge a candidate within minutes of beginning the interview. It can be difficult to design an interviewing process with validity matching that of other selection tools. Drawing conclusions based on first impressions makes this task nearly impossible.
– When interviewers commit halo error, they are allowing their evaluation of one characteristic to influence their overall evaluation of the candidate. For example, an interviewer who is very impressed with a candidate’s decision-making skills may perceive other skills, such as communication or persuasiveness, to be at a similar level of proficiency. This can work in the negative direction too.
– Some interviewers tend to be excessively lenient across the board when evaluating candidates, while others may be unfairly critical. These are similar kinds of error, and can be detected readily.
– Lastly, interviewers may hesitate to use the extreme ends of a rating scale when evaluating candidates. Instead, all evaluations tend to be “middle of the road.” This can occur even if you are not using numerical ratings.
Apr 12, 2025 | IT
A recent poll found that only a minority of employers monitor practices for age discrimination. Dealing correctly with ageism in the workplace and particularly in the recruitment process is an important part of organisational diversity, so we look at some of the facts and offer a few suggestions to ensure ageism doesn’t become an issue for your organistion.
Remember it’s not only the older generation that ageism can effect
When we think of ageism at work or in recruitment, it’s often related to older workers, as this is the most reported and perhaps the most common, particularly in the world of technology. Many organisations may feel that recruiting a younger employee is best for their organisation as they are able to offer a lower salary, or because a younger person is less likely to have family commitments and be able to work longer hours, or because a younger person may be seen to have a better ‘cultural fit’ with their hip, fashionable business. The older generation has a lot to offer, and our article ‘Can Older Workers Bridge the Skills Shortage Gap?’ discusses this further.
However, the Guardian reported that “experiences of age discrimination were more common for younger groups, with under-25s at least twice as likely to have experienced it than other age groups” suggesting that employees over 40 had the highest status and “perceptions towards those aged over 70 were more positive than towards those in their 20s”. Respect, experience and maturity come with age, but the younger generation need a chance to develop these attributes so mustn’t be discriminated against either.
Keep pay and progression in mind
A report by XpertHR revealed that; “technology professionals get fewer promotions, lower performance ratings and reduced pay increases once they hit the age of 50.” They found that employees in their 20s got higher pay increases and more regular promotions, decreasing rapidly once they hit 30. The report (which excluded senior management) also revealed that performance rates were higher for those in their 30s, than for those in their 20s, and stayed steady for 40 and 50 years olds before beginning to tail off for those in their 60s. This flags up the issue of whether pay increases and promotion are generally being handed out based on performance or on age.
Incorporate anti-ageism into your overall company culture
Obvious ageism such as compulsory retirement ages or age caps are unacceptable and will end up in court if there are still organisations with these kind of old fashioned and unfair practices in place. However there are many grey areas, particularly in the writing of job adverts and descriptions. It seems that some organisations simply want to find a different way to describe the same thing, without using the latest word or phrase to be struck off the list of acceptable adjectives. For example, following a lawsuit against Facebook for posting a job advert with the phrase ‘class of 2007 or 2008 preferred’ and the since common use of the term ‘new graduate’ Fortune reported that some employers are opting to mask their age bias by advertising for a ‘digital native’. Surely just another way to say ‘young’? The more long-term view is to remove any age expectations from your position and organisation, and adopt a policy that thrives on a number of generations working together.
At Langley James we have a wealth of recruitment and personnel experience and can guide you through the best practice for advertising your job and finding the best candidate. We’ll do the hard work for you! If you’d like more information about diversity or avoiding ageism in your recruitment please get in touch.
Apr 10, 2025 | IT
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.
https://www.gov.uk/employer-preventing-discrimination/recruitment.
https://www.acas.org.uk/hiring-someone.
https://www.CIPD.co.uk
Feb 19, 2025 | IT
Must-have qualities and how to find them
Recruiting the right person into your team can sometimes seem like banging your head against a brick wall. You think you’ve found perfection and then you are let down. They had all the skills, they got on with the team but it didn’t work out and you’re back to square one of a lengthy, painful process.
The great news is that there are 3 traits that all superstars have. And they are easy to spot… if you know how.
1. Integrity/Honesty
No matter how talented an individual is, it means nothing if they are using their skills to work against the company. A superstar candidate is honest about their own abilities: CV embellishment is more common than you think. A solicitor, Dennis O’Riordan, was exposed as lying about most of his achievements, including earning a doctorate at Oxford and attending Harvard. During his career he was Legal Head for many banks across the world. Scary stuff, and a reason to ALWAYS check references.
A superstar candidate will have the integrity to always act in the best interests of the company. If something has gone wrong, they will admit their mistakes as soon as they happen and care enough to produce an action plan to put things right and ensure it doesn’t happen again. Compare this to an employee who hides their mistakes or incompetence until catastrophe strikes and they are found out. You are unlikely to see them for dust while you are left scrambling for answers.
Ideal interview question: Tell me about a time you made a mistake? What happened next?
2. Accountability/Autonomy
A superstar won’t need their lunch breaks monitoring and you won’t need to worry if they will have the correct documents with them at meetings. A superstar is ready to be held accountable and won’t need constant supervision to get the job done.
When superstars take responsibility for a task, you know it will get done in time, and to an excellent standard, and if it doesn’t, you’ll have received a memo in advance with the reason (not an excuse) why and a revised timescale. A superstar can be flexible and prioritise. If their skills can help a team member with something urgent, they will assist, because at that moment it is in the best interests of the company.
Ideal interview question: Describe your preferred relationship with your manager in terms of direction and monitoring.
3. Fearlessness/Ambition
A superstar isn’t afraid to take risks. If their idea doesn’t work they won’t give up: you can expect another well thought out proposal on your desk by the end of the week. They will always be looking for opportunities to prove themselves and will not scrape by doing the bare minimum. An ambitious candidate will be seeking long term professional development in your company and loyalty won’t be a problem for them.
Ideal interview question: How long would it be until you were able to make a serious contribution to your organisation?
We find talent
Here at Langley James we get to know our candidates. We take pride in only selecting people that we are confident suit your company and the opportunity. We place stars in fantastic IT roles every day and we can do the same for your company.
To discuss your IT recruitment needs please call us on 0207 788 6600 or email us at langleyjames@langleyjames.com. We’d love you to join in the conversation. Tweet us @ITRecruitment or follow us on Facebook.
Feb 19, 2025 | IT
“Unleashing Innovation: The Power of an Internal IT Department Over Outsourcing”
Internal IT department being innovative,
In today’s fast-paced business environment, innovation is key to staying ahead of the competition. One area where innovation plays a crucial role is in the realm of IT. Many companies face the decision of whether to have an internal IT department or to outsource their IT needs. While outsourcing may seem like a cost-effective solution in the short term, there are several reasons why having an internal IT department is the best choice when it comes to fostering innovation.
One of the main advantages of having an internal IT department is that the personnel are intimately familiar with the business and its unique needs. Unlike outsourced IT providers who may work with multiple clients and industries, internal IT staff have a deep understanding of the company’s operations, goals, and challenges. This insider knowledge allows them to tailor IT solutions that are specifically designed to meet the company’s needs and drive innovation.
Another key benefit of an internal IT department is that the staff are fully committed to the success of the company. Unlike outsourced providers who may have other clients and competing priorities, internal IT personnel are dedicated solely to the company they work for. This level of commitment and loyalty can lead to greater dedication to finding innovative solutions that drive the business forward.
Additionally, internal IT staff are an integral part of the fabric of the company. They are immersed in the company culture, values, and goals, which allows them to align IT initiatives with the overall strategic direction of the business. This alignment is essential for driving innovation that is in line with the company’s long-term objectives.
When it comes to innovation, having an internal IT department also fosters a culture of collaboration and creativity. Internal IT staff work closely with other departments and teams within the company, allowing for cross-functional collaboration that can lead to breakthrough innovations. This level of integration is difficult to achieve with outsourced IT providers who may not have the same level of interaction with the rest of the company.
In conclusion, when it comes to fostering innovation, having an internal IT department is the best choice for companies looking to stay ahead of the curve. Internal IT personnel bring a deep understanding of the business, a high level of commitment, and a culture of collaboration that is essential for driving innovation. If your company is looking to build a strong internal IT team, consider partnering with Langley James. With over 25 years of experience in assisting companies with the recruitment of permanent IT staff and IT contractors, Langley James can help you find the right talent to drive innovation and success within your organisation.
Jan 27, 2025 | Hiring Resources, IT, Tips
We’ve been in the IT recruitment sector since 1999, so we’ve seen firsthand the impact that a bad hire can have on a business. Hiring the wrong person for an IT position can be costly in more ways than one, and the consequences can last for months or even years. In this blog, we’ll explore the true cost of a bad hire in IT, and offer some tips for avoiding this common pitfall.
The direct costs of a bad hire
One of the most obvious costs of a bad IT hire is the direct financial impact. According to the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC), 85% of organisations admit their company has made a bad hire. Shockingly, the average cost of a mid-manager level with a salary of £42,000 can cost a business more than £132,000. This includes the cost of advertising the job, screening candidates, conducting interviews, and training the new employee. If the employee leaves the company shortly after being hired, the costs can be even higher, as the company may need to start the hiring process all over again.
In addition to the financial costs, a bad hire can also have a negative impact on productivity. What if the new employee is not able to perform their job duties effectively? Other team members may need to pick up the slack, leading to decreased efficiency and potentially missed deadlines.
The indirect costs of a bad hire
Beyond the direct costs, there are also indirect costs associated with a bad IT hire. For example, a bad hire can have a negative impact on team morale. If the new employee is not a good fit for the team, other team members may become frustrated or disengage. This can lead to decreased motivation and productivity.
A bad hire can also damage the reputation of the company, especially if the employee interacts with clients or customers. If the new employee provides poor customer service or makes mistakes on important projects, it can lead to lost business and damage to the company’s brand.
The hidden costs of a bad hire
Finally, there are hidden costs associated with a bad IT hire that may not be immediately apparent. For example, a bad hire can lead to turnover in other areas of the company. If other team members become frustrated with the new employee, they may start looking for new job opportunities, leading to increased turnover and the need to hire and train new employees.
A bad hire can also have a negative impact on the culture of the company. If the new employee is not a good fit for the company culture, it can lead to decreased employee engagement and satisfaction. Potentially this can even lead to increased absenteeism or turnover.
How to avoid a bad hire in IT
Given the many costs associated with a bad IT hire, it’s important to take steps to avoid this common pitfall. Here are a few tips for ensuring that you hire the right person for the job:
- Define the role clearly. Before you start the hiring process, take the time to clearly define the role and its responsibilities. This will help you identify the skills and experience that are required for the job. Additionally it will ensure that you’re able to evaluate candidates effectively.
- Use multiple methods to evaluate candidates. Don’t rely solely on CVs and interviews to evaluate candidates. Consider using other methods, such as skills assessments or personality tests. This will enable you to have a more complete picture of each candidate’s abilities and fit for the role.
- Check references carefully. Don’t skip the reference check stage, even if you think you’ve found the perfect candidate. Be sure to ask for references from previous managers or colleagues. And ask specific questions about the candidate’s strengths and weaknesses, work style, and ability to work well with others.
- Look beyond technical skills. While technical skills are obviously important for an IT role, it’s also important to consider other factors, such as cultural fit and communication skills. Look for candidates who are able to work well with others
In conclusion
The true cost of a bad hire in IT extends far beyond the financial investment required to fill the role. A bad hire can impact team morale, productivity, and reputation. It may even lead to increased turnover and decreased employee engagement. However, by taking steps to define the role clearly, evaluate candidates using multiple methods, check references carefully, and look beyond technical skills, companies can avoid the many costs associated with a bad IT hire.
How Langley James can help you avoid a bad hire
We has extensive experience in helping businesses avoid the costs and headaches associated with a bad IT hire. Here are a few ways in which we can help:
- In-depth candidate evaluation: We use a multi-stage evaluation process to assess candidates’ technical skills, experience, and cultural fit. This includes an in-depth interview, ensuring that we have a complete picture of each candidate’s abilities and fit for the role.
- Industry expertise: Our recruiters have deep industry expertise, with a focus on IT recruitment. This means that we understand the specific skills and experience required for IT roles, and can identify top candidates who may be overlooked by other recruiters.
- Extensive network: We have an extensive network of IT professionals, including both active and passive job seekers. This allows us to quickly identify top talent and connect them with the right job opportunities.
- Ongoing support: We provide ongoing support throughout the hiring process, including reference checking, and negotiation support. This ensures that both employers and candidates are set up for success from the start.
By working with Langley James, businesses can avoid the many costs associated with a bad IT hire and instead find the best talent for your needs. Our experienced recruiters are here to help, whether you’re looking to fill a permanent or contract IT role. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help your business succeed.
Jan 1, 2025 | IT
It’s the beginning of a new year and time for a fresh start! The festive period is officially over and settling back into work after the Christmas break can feel like somewhat of an emotional roller coaster, motivation levels amongst staff can be low and the reality of getting stuck back into office life can feel like a struggle. Now is the time to revitalize the office and give your employees the boost they need. Increase motivation and satisfaction by creating open, two-way conversations and get your employees talking about their targets goals for the year.
Why create open communication?
Human nature motivates us to eliminate the unknown. Working environments have advanced from hierarchy causing a halt in communication between all levels of the ranking. Employees now want to know the processes behind the structure of the organisation and have a greater clarity of the environment they are working in, and who they are working for. The unknown causes uncertainty, impacting on performance levels. Transparency in an organisation will increase performance levels and ultimately improve employee engagement and retention. Read more on employee engagement and retention here. Job security and the ‘job for life’ concept is progressively becoming obsolete. Employees will feel a far greater sense of security and trust in your business if there is an environment of openness. Employees will take comfort when leaders appear ‘more human’.
5 steps to creating open communication
- Commitment to communication from all parties is essential. To ensure a smooth communication procedure can be executed, all members of the team must be willing and committed to the cause. This can only be achieved when all parties understand reasoning and share the same vision as one another.
- Leadership integrity is fundamental in order to execute such a proposal. A filter approach to communication is a necessary step in ensuring that open communication can start to penetrate through the hierarchy. Employees will lead by example, so begin the process by creating an appropriate procedure.
- Procedures and policies will aid in ensuring that your communication plan can be carried out fluidly. Policies such as an ‘open door’ policy, regular performance meetings, and setting key performance indicators for all employee’s will start to form a basis for open communication.
- Disperse negativity and break the cycle of hidden opinions. Encourage employees to discuss with managers any concerns and frustrations they may have. Negativity can impact on the energy and atmosphere and can have a detrimental effect on all parties.
- Respect open communication at all levels. Do not reproach, no matter how critical. Sometimes conflict is an aid in learning and development and creates motivation for change and for bettering one’s self. Unfortunately, conflict is often inevitable and must be viewed as simply detection and correction of error, and dealt with appropriately. Maintain order and respect amongst all parties by ensuring that difference in opinions or heated discussions get resolved effectively and completely.
Nurturing your business starts with developing the health of your organisation. Through open communication you can create a stable and well-constructed working environment. If you need help in implementing a solid communications plan, then contact us today on 0207 788 6600, and we will find you the perfect HR professional who will fulfil all your needs and requirements, and help you to achieve your HR goals.
Dec 6, 2024 | IT, Tips
We are in the middle of a long and sustained talent crisis. Candidate availability is decreasing by the day, and job vacancies continue to rise. Albeit at a slightly slower rate over the last few months. But the success of your business depends on your team. The people you hire have a direct impact on your success. So, when it comes to your next vacancy, you may be asking which is best for you – recruitment agency vs direct hiring.
We’ve asked our expert consultants to share their insight on the pros and cons of both to help you make that all important decision.
Agency vs Direct
We’ve written at length about the benefits of working with a specialised recruitment agency, but let’s compare some key areas when it comes to recruitment agency vs direct hiring.
Writing adverts
This may sound like a simple process, but don’t be fooled. Yes, it’s true that we can all write an advert stating the responsibilities and requirements. However, in the current market, that is not enough! Candidates are less likely to apply for a job with a list of demands. They want the story, the feeling, a sense of what you stand for. They want the benefits, the future opportunities, and a sense of being part of something important in the world.
If you don’t have experience of this, you are likely to find that your advert will be a bit of a ‘damp squid’ and won’t attract the people you need to make your business a continued success. Agencies are writing adverts day in, day out. They know what it takes to get the best response.
Access to candidates
A recruitment agency will have access to many more candidates than you will if you recruit direct. Not only do they have a large database of experienced candidates, but they are also able to advertise in lots of different ways. This means that you don’t just get the best people who are currently on the market. A recruiter will also headhunt suitable candidates for you using a combination of technology and their personal network. This means that your shortlist should be the very best candidates for the job.
Direct hiring tends to be focused on adverts, website pages and the odd social media post. The reach is not as great as that of a recruiter. With direct hiring, you are unlikely to have the tools you need to get your advert out as far as it needs to go. Lots of companies use their own employees to recommend candidates. Whilst this is great in some instances, it can have an impact on your diversity. Something to bear in mind with any employee referral scheme.
Sifting through CV’s – Recruitment Agency vs Direct Hiring
Depending on how much time you have, it could be a benefit for you to read through all the applications you receive if you do decide direct hiring is for you. The advantages are that you see not just shortlisted candidates, but every single response. This will give you a real insight into the market (if your job advert is great!) and may give you insight on what you need to change to attract the best.
You’ve also got to have the technical knowledge when it comes to IT. You may be looking for experience in a particular piece of tech. And unless you’re aware of other technologies where skills can easily transfer, you could be missing out on a great candidate!
Either way, be prepared to spend lots of time looking at unsuitable CVs as the pay-off for direct hiring. However, if you don’t have the extra time needed to go through the process, using a recruitment agency van be a valuable way of finding new talent for your business. Shortlisting is completed on your behalf, and you only have to choose who to interview from a shortlist of CVs.
Employer branding
You’ve probably heard more and more people start to talk about employer branding. It’s a vital part of the direct hiring process. When was the last time you reviewed yours? What does your Glassdoor say about you? How are your Google reviews? There are many things to consider when recruiting direct when it comes to how you are perceived in the market.
However, we know that there are some really great companies to work for our there who don’t have any employer brand at all. And if this is you then using a recruitment agency is the best idea. Recruitment consultants are highly skilled at attracting candidates to opportunities. They sell the opportunity first and the company a very close second. This gives the added benefit that any questions candidates have about your values, culture, and more, can be answered directly. So, whether you have a strong employer brand or not, you’ll still get the best candidates using a recruitment agency.
The same can be said for candidate experience too. If you already have a robust recruitment communication process, great, direct hiring could be for you. But remember that candidates expect a response within 24 hours of their application now. They expect to be kept up to date at every stage in the process. Do you have the time and organisation to do that effectively?
Cost
There’s a general misconception in the market that using recruitment agencies can be costly. But this is usually when it’s looked at in isolation and not compared to direct hiring. If you wanted to do the same work as a recruiter does, it could end up costing you considerably more. And this cost increases if you’re not regularly recruiting. Recruitment agencies spend hundreds of thousands of pounds behind the scenes to make sure that they are providing the best service and the best candidates.
You’d be amazed how much it costs to just advertise a job on one job board, let along over 30! Access to CV databases is also at a great cost, and let’s not get started on the costs associated with LinkedIn! Then there’s the time spent searching out the best candidates. At Langley James, we allocate at least 3 full days just to shortlist candidates for you. And in the current market, this can take longer too.
But there’s one huge benefit when it comes to cost. Recruitment agencies will not charge you a penny until they have been successful, regardless of the time spent on the role. This is something you can’t do with direct hiring. You take a financial risk every time you recruit direct – there are no guarantees of success.
Recruitment Agency Vs Direct Hiring – Summary
If you have lots of time on your hands, and an ‘easy to fill’ role then direct hiring will probably work for you. But, if you have a harder to fill role but you still want the very best candidates, without having to invest your own time, you need the help of a recruitment agency.
About Langley James
We have been helping companies to attract and retain the very best IT talent since 1999. But we don’t just simply find the best candidates. We can advise you on the current jobs market conditions. Share data on average IT salaries. Talk to you about the benefits that candidates are looking for. In fact, we do everything we can to help ensure that you get the very best people for your team. Get in touch with our team to find out how we can help you to recruit the best!
Dec 4, 2024 | IT
How to Create Employee Loyalty
Employees are becoming the competitive advantage for business in the modern world. Bad employees can cause a business to fail; mediocre employees can cause a business to break even. Good employees can make even a business soar.
The key of course is to hire right. At least half of the personnel problems I face with my clients today are caused by poor hiring policies. But just as important as hiring good employees is keeping good employees. Good employees often feel (and with good reasons) that their employers take them for granted. It takes focus, work and commitment to keep good employees. The idea is that the satisfied employee is less likely to search for greener pastures. The following are keys to keeping the best employees in your business:
Pay. Don’t believe the ‘experts’ when they tell you pay is not important. Pay might not be always the most important thing but it always ranks right at the top. Pay is only a non-issue when an employee is not dependent on the paycheck or has another source of income. A general rule is that you must offer a competitive salary/wage for that position. You can offer minimum wage to a journeyman level worker but you will not get journey level skill. If you are offering below market rate you will only attract the worst of the prospective employee pool.
Benefits are similar to pay. If other like businesses are paying certain benefits you will have to also. Health and dental insurance are benefits that better employees are demanding. But you can also offer additional benefits that will attract better employees. Life insurance, 401K plans, sick and holiday days will “sweeten the pot.” Some of these benefits may cost less than you think. The more astute businesses are also offering a ‘cafeteria style’ benefits plan — the employee can pick and choose which benefits are best for them.
Training. Good employees know they must be continually learning and improving their skills. They will search for a ‘home’ that not only encourages but provides regular training. Most businesses concentrate only on direct job-related training. Don’t forget non-business training such as English, foreign languages, computers, etc. Employees also have interests that are not job related. Improving some of these interests may also help improve job performance. Don’t forget to look carefully at cross training so they can learn to do other functions in the business which helps all concerned.
A Learning Environment provides a chance to learn on the job. This not only improves skills, knowledge and performance but keeps the employee’s interest level high. The employee is more eager to go to work if they feel they will learn something new and improve themselves. Hit an interest and loyalty will follow.
A Career Plan will help the employee set their long term goals. If the business can assist the employee in reaching those goals the employee will become more loyal. Most businesses do not help their employees in this way.
Evaluations and Reviews should be held on a regular basis and certainly no longer than three months apart. Problems and concerns can be addressed and progress toward goals monitored. The idea in these reviews is not to build a case to force the employee to improve or to build a case so they can legally be fired. The idea is to focus on the individual as a person and how they fit in the business. Reviews should be used as a way to keep good employees and not weed out bad ones.
Regular Business Meetings are an excellent way to get employee input, make improvements and address concerns before they become problems. Good employees feel they must have input in the workplace. Meetings should be held at least once a month but I advise my clients to have them weekly.
Recognise Good Work with financial and non-financial recognition. Employees often feel management only addresses them when there are problems. Good employees expect to be told when they do good work.
Good Working Conditions are a must. Good employees expect their employer to be making constant improvements so the workplace is not only safe but pleasant.
Have Fun. Good, loyal employees do not want boring, drudgery-filled work. There are many ways employers can make work fun and many of these techniques cost little or nothing. This is not the same kind of fun one has on holiday. But it does add excitement and keeps attitude high and motivation up. Many recent studies are pointing to a labor shortage and a battle for the best employees. One study recently found that only one out of four applicants is actually qualified to do the job. To attract top prospects the business must offer an attractive package. Top prospects must be marketed to in a similar way a sales prospect is marketed to.Those businesses that are lazy and too cheap will have to be satisfied with minimal employees. The long term prospects for these businesses will be poor. The successful business of the future will not only attract the best but will create a loyalty to keep the best. The indicators are suggesting these will be the only businesses that truly succeed.
Dec 4, 2024 | IT
Two simple ways to help overcome the challenges of the IT skills shortage
It is clear that CIO’s are operating in an extremely challenging environment and the role has never been more important than it is right now. IT has a crucial role to play in the UK’s continued growth and with the worst of the budget cuts now behind most IT departments, the focus again is on the IT skills shortage.
We are all so heavily reliant on technology and whilst 80% of IT spend is still focussed on “keeping the lights on” to simply sustain some form of business growth it has been reported by Deloitte that only 58% of budget allocation within IT is for BAU and 42% for change and growth. This is great news for those CIO’s with an appetite to drive this area but with IT project delays frequently reported in the news and IT request backlogs growing at a rate of 10 to 20% per year, having the right team on board to help develop and deliver new capabilities is one of the highest priorities for CIO’s.
The report also highlighted the IT priorities for the next 12-18 months:
– 82% support new business needs
– 56% drive digital strategy
– 56% reduce IT cost
– 53% consolidate infrastructure
– 52% maintain IT operations
– 52% strengthen risk and security
– 49% develop skills
– 44% restructure IT operating model
– 29% develop sourcing strategy
– 12% increase offshoring
The impact of the recession has seen businesses being slow to hire and train and as a result, we are not developing our technical skills at the same pace as pre-recession. Over half of CIO’s are experiencing difficulties when looking for business-centric IT professionals who not only have the necessary skill set but can also think strategically and communicate effectively. According to a recent survey by CBI, 39% of companies are now struggling to attract workers with advanced STEM (science, technology, engineering, maths) skills and 41% expect this issue to continue for the next 3 years. More surprisingly, it also reported that 66% of UK employers are not satisfied with basic IT skills in their workforce. On top of that, the European Commission predicts that the UK will need an additional 500,000 IT professionals by 2015! Recruiting and retaining IT superstars is no easy task for any CIO.
So what can you do about it?
In a reported conducted by City AM, the average salary for technology jobs in the London area rose by a staggering 26% in the last 12 months, with the average topping £48k (£38k nationally) and according to CareerBuilder/EMSI, a third of UK businesses plan to hire full-time employees in 2014, with software professional vacancies expecting to increase by 3.1% to 325,500 jobs and ITC Managers by 3.6% to 326,429 jobs. Are we set to see average salaries rising even further as companies try to attract the talent they need to prosper?
But those of you who read last week’s newsletter will know that attracting and retaining is not all about salary. Over 40% of respondents to the Deloitte survey are redesigning IT roles and structures and providing access to cutting edge IT projects to help make their role the more attractive career choice.
Here at Langley James, we are seeing companies offering profit share, performance related bonus, blue sky thinking time, time for training and development and even “free pizza Friday’s” in an attempt to attract the best of the best.
Personal development with tailored training and project opportunities are key to attracting and retaining the right talent so it’s quite surprising to hear that only 12% of CIO’s are offering opportunities on projects outside the IT function – are you missing an opportunity to attract and retain talent?
Here at Langley James, we are passionate about recruiting – that’s why we do it! We love getting to know you and getting to know our candidates resulting in the right person for the right role; something we have done over 3,000 times in the last 15 years. We are experts at attracting the best calibre of candidate for your role, not just skills wise, but that all important personality and business skills too.
To discuss your IT recruitment needs please call us on 0207 099 4839 or email us: langleyjames@langleyjames.com.
Dec 4, 2024 | IT
As we get closer to the end of the year, and 2025 is almost within sight, it’s a great time to think about building your team and recruiting. Commonly, January, the start of the New Year and its associated fresh starts and resolutions, are perceived to be busy times for recruiting new employees. For many organisations it is, but starting early and preparing yourself now for hiring could be much more efficient and rewarding.
Applications to jobs in November and December are 3% higher than the yearly average.
Now, we don’t know, but this could be affected by the high amount of Christmas positions that are up for grabs in the retail and delivery sectors in the lead up to Christmas, but it does show that the year’s latter months are not a quiet time for recruiters. Hiring from September to December allows your new members of staff to join the team before the chaotic start of the New Year, meaning they’ll already by integrated into the business and their role come January. Having a new employee start in the build up to Christmas is also a great opportunity for them to mix with the team at festive social events.
90% of job seekers are passive.
According to the Office of National Statistics 90% of job seekers are passive, so they’re likely to act on the right opportunity when it’s presented to them. Many organisations push their job ads out in January as a reaction to the busy and chaotic time of meetings, new objectives, goals and budgets. The space is more crowded and there are more options for the candidate. Advertising your job in the months leading up to Christmas and the end of the year mean your potential candidates are more likely to be attracted to your job with less competition. And with less competition you avoid having to pay higher salaries to secure the right candidate.
It takes 6 – 8 weeks to fill a vacancy.
Adequate planning and preparation for your new team members is very sensible. Advertising, interviewing and selection can take months, and that’s without considering notice periods. Getting the process completed or at least under way, will allow your new employee to really hit the ground running in January, already being familiar with your organisation and with induction and training out of the way.
Project management applications rise by an average of 30 responses over the festive period.
Account management, sales and marketing were the other 3 areas to see this rise in response, and trends like that are really useful in giving recruiters a backing and genuine reason to get on with recruiting at that time. Perhaps there’s some of 2024’s budget to use up, so recruiting a new project manager could be a great way to use it up and save on next year’s training and recruitment costs.
Over the 5 days for Christmas, 49% of applications were made on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day or Boxing Day.
Although these guys wouldn’t be starting until the New Year, this is an interesting stat, and shows that during the downtime of the Christmas break, people still have jobs on their minds. Fresh starts and New Years resolutions may be the driving factor, but by getting your vacancy prepared early you’ll be more likely to catch those proactive candidates looking for their next move before the New Year.
If you’d like to speak to one of our experienced Langley James consultants about hiring new employees, get in touch today.
Nov 19, 2024 | IT, Tips
Technical tests are often used in IT recruitment. Technical testing can provide a far greater insight into how the potential employee will perform in your role. Interviewing on gut feeling is not right, and tests can assist in confirming or rejecting those “nice people” that are professional interviewees. Remember, most people have been an interviewee far more than an interviewer! But are your tests preventing you from securing great candidates?
What do technical tests entail?
Technical tests are a more practical way of interviewing a candidate. They are used in order to assess technical ability and knowledge required to be able to fulfil the role. Depending on the technical skills that are required for the role, technical testing methods will vary. Technical tests are a great idea to help your interview process. You can download a multitude of tests to suit your need. There are free ones and there are ones you can pay a fee for. It’s an industry all on its own and some people and companies are making a great living from it, so they must be worthwhile.
Not all questions administered to the candidate are aimed towards testing technical knowledge and ability. Often technical tests also test problem solving skills, personal skills, communication skills and even how their thought process is constructed.
You may already be testing IT candidates as part of your recruitment process. But are your tests right? What are you testing for? Don’t just test for testings sake! Make it a valuable part of your decision making.
How to test more effectively
The best technical tests in our experience are written by someone who knows the role you are recruiting. A person who understands all the necessary technical skills to be a success. But not only this, they will also be able to identify any transferable skills. By testing in this way, you may get a better chance to secure the best person for your role. Testing in this way can help identify those that will perform well at the role, even if they don’t have the tech skills that are on your list.
When using an ‘off-the-shelf’ technical test, you’ll find that some of the questions are not relevant to your role. Whilst they may be valid technical questions, not all will be suitable. This is the feedback we have had from candidates. And in some instances, the suitability of the technical test has even discouraged them from taking the role.
So in short make sure your technical test is relevant to the role you are recruiting, otherwise you may be losing out on some great candidates. However, it’s also important to ask the right questions in interview to help determine someone’s technical ability.
What should technical interview questions entail?
To be able to make a fair decision about the ability of the candidate to perform in the role, it is vital to ensure the questions you ask the candidate will reveal certain key attributes.
Our advice is to ask questions that will:
- Relate to the company’s technical activities and demonstrate a candidate’s knowledge and experience in these activities
- Demonstrate a candidate’s ability to complete technical activities that are required as part of the role
- Demonstrate the candidate’s previous experience, knowledge, or education in a particular field
- Require the candidate to demonstrate their problem-solving skills. This can be done by administering a case study that explains an issue the candidate may come across as part of the role and assessing how they solve the issue and comes to a conclusion.
Are technical tests worth doing?
All in all, technical tests are a great method to use to interview a candidate. They can reveal a lot about the individual’s ability to undertake the role they have applied for. But as well as technical testing, be sure to get to know the candidate on a more personal level to ensure they will be a good fit for your company.
Another key point to remember is to make sure that your testing doesn’t cause delays to the interview process. In the current market it’s important to make sure your process can be quick to secure the best candidates. You may find our blog 3 Simple Ways to Speed Up Your Hiring Process an interesting read.
The interview process can be a stressful time for both the candidate and the interviewee. If you need help recruiting the best IT professionals, our expert consultants are on hand to help you at every step of the recruitment process. Call us on 0207 788 6600.
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