Using Your Company Culture to Your Recruiting Advantage

Dec 1, 2018 | IT

Company culture has increasingly become an important aspect of any organisation. It is more than simply corporate visions or the way the office is decorated, it is the values, beliefs and practices that are woven through everything within the firm.

Assuming you have identified and already have a good idea of what your company culture is and means to everyone involved, using it to your advantage when recruiting could be your secret weapon for finding the right candidates for your empty seats.

Be Open
Many candidates would argue that honesty is what they’re looking for in a company. Of course there is more to it than this, but if you can be as transparent as possible this is the first step. Candidates can the see the organisation for what it is and decide from there whether your values match their own. For example, some individuals may be motivated by money with a bonus or commission lead culture attracting them most, however others may find this threatening or impersonal. If your organisation is this way inclined, you want to attract the first candidate, the latter would not be a good fit for your culture, so being open and honest allows the right candidates to come forward.

Shout About It
If something new or exciting is happening within the organisation, always try and get the word out there, distribute a press release and add it to your newsletter. Maybe you’ve won an award or introduced a new flexible working scheme – let your community know about it. Your website is the obvious place to put everything you’re proud of, and it’s likely to be the first port of call for all potential candidates. Showcase your culture and values in different ways; add a ‘day in the life of’ video, quotes from current employees or a photo gallery from a recent event. Social media is of course the perfect way to share this kind of content and is a great way to showcase your company culture.

Be Consistent
You have promised so much on screen, but you want to make sure each step of the recruitment process is not only true to what you’ve described but true to what day-to-day life is like within your organisation. The interview is probably the first time candidates get a real glimpse of this, so try and create an interview that will give them a taste of what life might be like there. They can get a feel for whether they are likely to enjoy working there, and you can get a feel for whether they’ll fit into the team. Make sure candidates meet key managers and team members, let them have a look around while everything is going on as normal so they can get a real sense of the office ‘vibe’.

Highlighting team bonding and team building activities in the recruitment process and describing what this might involve will also help a candidate to get a feel for what is valued and how things work. Many candidates are looking for a work life balance so they need to know what support is there, and whether there are options for flexible working.

Identifying and cultivating business culture can be an effective way to market your organisation and make it more attractive to potential new employees. If you’re still a little hazy about what your culture really is, speak to your current employees and managers and ask them about the atmosphere, reasons they like working there and what they might find frustrating, then build on that.

Your company is a brand and so should be your company culture, it should encompass everything you stand for and find important, reflecting that of your employees. Many organisations would describe their brand as their people, particularly in the service industry and your internal branding is all about shaping your company culture and a mutual belief in what’s important. Finding the right match is vital for the relationship to work, so use your culture to your advantage.

We’re not going to stalk you! Put your address on your CV

Nov 20, 2018 | IT

So many times candidates fail to put their addresses or postal codes on their CV. For some it’s concerns about security and keeping their personal information safe. But for the majority of people, they simply don’t think it’s important.
Here’s how important it is. Without an address or even a postal code, we as recruiters, have no idea what area you live in and which positions you’d qualify for in terms of the commute. And as a result your CV doesn’t make it to the shortlist to get presented to clients.
The reality is that most people aren’t willing to commute more than 45 minutes each way. In fact, the majority of companies prefer for their employees to live within a 20 minute commute of work.

What’s the big deal with commuting?

It used to be that people would move jobs for more money, flexible work hours or better benefits. Today most people change jobs because of commutable distance.
Long daily commutes contribute to employee fatigue, especially if it’s more than 45 minutes each way. Who’d want to spend 1.5 to 2 hours daily sitting in traffic or on a train? It’s like cancelling two hours of your life every day, when instead you could be spending time with your family, socialising with friends, doing a sport or leisure activity or even just getting an extra half hours sleep.  
Employees that have a shorter commute tend to be more focused and productive at work than those travelling more than 45 minutes daily. And as a result many companies have a radius area from which they’ll employ.

Without an address you’re in no-man’s land

For a recruiter, initially vetting a potential candidate takes at least an hour and one of the first things we look for on a CV is an address. Our database uses postal codes to organise candidates by area, so without an address or even a postal code, your CV gets placed into no-man’s land.
No recruiter wants to spend an hour or more vetting a candidate and shortlisting them for a client, only to discover that they live the other side of London, and most likely won’t take up the position because it’ll involve a long commute.
On the other side of the coin, including your address could move your CV to the top of the shortlist – provided of course you qualify for the position with having the right skills and experience.

But what about keeping personal information secure?

Since the introduction of GDPR, recruitment companies are required by law to keep personal information secure. However, if giving the street name and number is still a concern, be assured, you don’t need to. Including just the area and postal code is enough for recruiters to know where you’ll be commuting from.
Think about it for a minute. There really shouldn’t be a concern for candidates to divulge their full address to recruiters. Recruiters aren’t going to sell your address or send you junk mail. They aren’t going to track you down after an interview and come knocking on your door asking why you haven’t gotten back to them. There are far more efficient ways of doing this – like telephone or email.
The bottom line is that omitting your address from your CV is causing you to lose out on job opportunities. Instead of going to the top of the shortlist pile, you’re going to no-man’s land, just because your CV doesn’t contain a postal code. It seems silly really, but it underlines the importance of getting the details right. A postal code is all it takes to make the difference.

Are you looking for your dream job? Then we’d like to help you. Please email us your CV to langleyjames@langleyjames.com

IT Recruitment helps your business excel

Nov 20, 2018 | IT

How can an IT recruitment agency help your business to excel?

I’ve never really understood it. When I walk into McDonald’s and ask for a burger, the first thing they do is ask me if I want cheese with it. No, then I would have asked for a cheeseburger! But you know what, when I’m not being grumpy, it works. Because statistics show that at least 70% of the time people will say yes. It’s one of fast-food franchises’ most effective upsell strategies.

The point is, just because you haven’t thought of it, doesn’t mean you don’t want it. Sometimes all it takes is for someone to make a suggestion, to make you aware of a need (or in the case of a burger – a want) that you didn’t even know you had.

In recruitment sometimes what you think you want isn’t always the same as what your business needs. Often when a key person leaves the instinct is to replace them with a carbon copy. But maybe there is someone better out there. Someone who can offer something different, someone who has experience in a different industry that can be transferred to make your business more competitive.

But how will you know this unless someone suggests it? This is where a recruitment partner comes in. They have an outside perspective and years of industry experience. At Langley James, we like to work with our clients as their recruitment partner so that we can help them grow their business effectively. Working together we get to know your business as well as you do so that we can help you discern your recruiting needs. So even if you don’t want cheese on your burger today, at least you have it as an option to consider.

If you have questions about recruiting for your IT team call us today Tel: 0207 788 6600. Or even better let’s meet up and discuss it over a burger or two. Let’s see if your business needs some cheese.

Why is food always on my mind?

Nov 12, 2018 | IT

You may recall that we were recently talking about burgers. I don’t know what it is, but there is something about envisioning the taste of food that always comes to mind when I start to talk about recruitment.

Taste is something so personal, what one person loves, another will hate. Take brussel sprouts for example. I can’t think of a single reason why anyone would consider them a food, never mind appetizing but there are people who love them.  Apparently, I don’t personally know any – but I believe they exist.

Recruitment is the same, it’s personal! Well at least it should be, because it’s about people – not employee numbers and job descriptions – but living breathing people that add real value to a business.

And that’s why it’s about taste, or fit, finding the right people that can not only do the job, but also fit the culture of the company. People that will join and grow with the business, yes even if for some strange reason they happen to like brussel sprouts!

So what is the taste of your business? What type of people do you want working for you? And how can you find them?

Let us help you answer those questions, because that’s what we do best at Langley James Recruitment.

Try Before you Buy

Nov 5, 2018 | IT

Avoid ‘Zombie’ Employees: Use Contractors

Confidence is up but where are my team?

Move at lightning speed to secure the permanent candidates you want.  Quality candidates are getting harder to find as demand overtakes supply.

The wrong choice of candidate can manifest as the stuff of nightmares… the ‘zombie’ employee.  Completely disengaged with you and your business and with the motivation and company loyalty of a slug, ‘zombie’ employees can cost you money, time and reputation, not to mention raising your stress to the level of a volcano about to erupt.  

Massive Losses
40% of companies in the UK estimate that a mis-hire has cost them over £16,000 while a quarter estimate the figure at over £30,000.  Even losses of over £100,000 are being reported.

But quality hires are being snapped up as fast as they appear.  What can you do to avoid a potentially professionally fatal ‘zombie’ attack?

Zombie Insurance
You have two choices when it comes to ‘zombie slaying ’.  You can act fast and snatch the talent from above the waiting arms of your competitors… or you can find peace of mind by utilising some of the most flexible and talented of IT professionals: Contractors.

Benefits of utilising a Contractor
– Many may accept a permanent role
– Available on a short or long-term basis – from a few days to 2 or 3 months
– Motivated and inspired by new challenges
– Experience working in many different environments
– Fresh ideas and industry knowledge into your team
– Short-term, low risk commitment
– Utilising a Contractor is a great idea while you make decisions on the future of a role

We can help
Here at Langley James, we know how to find the most vibrant and talented IT professionals available, from Web Developers to IT Managers and everyone in-between.  Many of these candidates are available for short term contract work.

Whatever your requirements, permanent or contract, and up to the highest level of seniority, we can match you with the ideal candidate.

To discuss your IT recruitment needs please call us on 0207 099 4839 or email us at langleyjames@langleyjames.com.

We’d love you to join in the conversation.  Tweet us @ITRecruitment or follow us on Facebook.

Are you holding out for more candy?

Oct 31, 2018 | IT

What are you going to do with your candy? Hoard it, share it or scoff it? Or are you holding out for more?

Many companies delay making a decision to make an offer to qualified candidates, even when they have a shortlist of top talent in their grasp. For some reason they think if they just wait another day a better CV will arrive tomorrow. 

Truth is Halloween has passed, there’ll be no more trick or treating until next year. And if you’re holding out for better prospects you’ll lose the option to the top talent available now. 

Langley James gives you a shortlist of top candidates vetted and summarised to include benefits of hiring. If you want to hire people worth recruiting, decide now.  

What do burgers have to do with recruitment?

Oct 24, 2018 | IT

It’s Burger Day and you know exactly what kind of burger you want; a double patty with melted cheese, caramelized onion and all the fixings! You can almost taste it already, can’t you?

That’s what it’s like when you’re looking for the right person to join your IT team. You know what you want, but finding them, well…isn’t always that easy…unless you have the right recruitment partner.

Someone who uses all their resources to understand exactly what you want. Who takes the time to understand the how, the what and the why of your business, not just the who.

And then sends you a shortlist of candidates summarized by their key attributes and benefits, and why they’d be good for your business, not just a pile of CV’s.

This is Langley James Recruitment and this is what we can do for you. Since 1999 we’ve been recruiting for the London IT industry.

Talk to us, we can help you find the right people for your IT business. Junior, intermediate or senior, our database is extensive and we work until we find the people who match exactly what you have in mind.

Call us on 0207 099 4839 or email langleyjames@langleyjames.com.

And while we’re on the subject of burgers…. Go on order your favourite, you know you want to!

How much is poor connectivity and downtime costing business?

Jan 23, 2018 | IT

There’s no doubt that the internet and emails are an integral part of every day business life, not to mention online banking, cloud-based CRMs, phone systems and card payment devices. So much so that life can simply stop when there are connectivity issues or internet blackouts.

A report by the telecoms firm Daisy Group found that 47% of managers thought they rarely or never suffered from poor connectivity, when in fact companies are experiencing an average of 45 minutes downtime every week.

How much is poor connectivity and downtime costing business?
The report found that this is equal to more than £500 per employee, per year, in lost productivity. A prior study, earlier in the year by OnePoll found that slow internet connections and IT downtime is costing the UK economy £11 billion a year in lost productivity. And a study by Aberdeen Group UK found downtime cost an average of £138,000 per hour, varying across industries from £55,000 per hour in the media sector to £3.91 million per hour for large online brokerages. The costs come from paying employees to simply do nothing, to paying an individual or firm to fix the problem and of course any lost sales. There are also hidden costs such as employee overtime, missed deadlines, damaged reputation and customer dissatisfaction.

What’s the problem?
The problems can often be simple ones such as faulty modems, damaged wires or corrupted profiles. These kind of issues can normally be resolved in a day or so, even a few hours. One survey of UK, US and Canadian firms found that 82% of network downtime problems were caused by IT personnel making errors when configuring changes to the network. An irritating truth, when you know the majority of these kind of errors could have been avoided with more diligence or experience. With the rise of joint space and co-working environments wi-fi connectivity can be an issue. Owen’s Garage is a co-working space in the US and Kurt Rathmann, CEO of ScaleFactor Partners uses it regularly. Inevitably there are connection issues now and again and he eventually calculated that a four hour internet outage could be costing him up to $3000.

What do employees get up to during this downtime?

• 60% – taking care of personal business
• 48% – taking an extra coffee break
• 25% – checking Facebook
• 7% – indulging in a spot of retail therapy
• 9% – looking for a new job
• 30% – swoting up on some work-related reading

What should managers be doing?
The survey also asked managers what they thought they should be doing about such issues. One in eight said they didn’t know, 17% said they’d review things when the contract is due for renewal and another 17% said they would only review things when staff make a complaint. Really, as businesses change and grow, connectivity should be reviewed regularly and in line with these changes to ensure processes aren’t being held back by slow internet connections.

The government have committed to upgrading broadband for many of the UK’s cities and superfast broadband is spreading fast as providers compete. Having a connection that is built with your specific business, users and activity in mind is important to make sure it will work for you. If you need to hire IT professionals to advise or become part of your in-house team, speak to us and see how we can help. 0207 099 4839

About 
Langley James – Leading IT Recruitment Specialists
Here at Langley James we are specialists in IT recruitment and whether you are working with us for the very first time, or you are one of our many loyal clients, we take time to understand exactly what you are looking for.  You will receive the same exceptional level of client care each and every time you return to us.

We have a simple guarantee:  we will deliver a shortlist of between 3 – 5 candidates within 5 working days for permanent staff and within a couple hours for contractors.  Not only will these candidates be qualified to perform the role, we will ensure that they share your company values and ethos.

To discuss your IT recruitment needs and help you find your next superstar.  Call us on 0207 099 4839 or email us at langleyjames@langleyjames.com.

We’d love you to join in the conversation.  Tweet us @ITRecruitment or follow us on Facebook.

Langley James is aiming even higher this year 

We have doubled our candidate attraction advertising budget for this year, these are the job boards and social media, we are continuously advertising building our network of the best candidates rather than just getting a snapshot of those candidates that are looking at that moment in time. We have appointed an in house trainer/coach to further develop our existing staff and ensure a continuity of service is delivered from out new joiners in the Langley James way.

We are having a record breaking January, already exceeding our previous best with 2 role being filled from taking the job spec to the candidate starting with 12 hours

Is Your PSL Working for you?

Jan 17, 2018 | IT

Preferred Supplier Lists – Food for Thought

Implementing a PSL is meant to: –

• Cut down on contact from suppliers
• Save time
• Allow you to build relationships with your suppliers
• Act as a form of quality control
• Allow pre-agreement of terms

So why have 80% of companies operating a PSL had to source from outside their list in the last 12 months?

Is your PSL delivering?

• Are you satisfied with the quality of service you have received?
• Do you have a good relationship with your suppliers?
• Do you wish your suppliers could do more for you?
• Are your suppliers specialists or generalists?
• Do you receive services from outside your PSL?
• Do you struggle with the administration of multiple suppliers for one service?
• Would you offer your supplier repeat business if they were not on your PSL?

How many is too many?
PSL’s containing over 50 or even 100 suppliers for one service are common!  In order to be of any use, a PSL has to incorporate choice, but at what point does the size of your PSL become an administrative nightmare or simply pointless?

PSLs vs Relationships
A supplier having pride of place on your PSL does not guarantee a healthy relationship.  A quality supplier will seek to understand more about your business and your requirements whether it is the 1^st or 40^th time you have worked together.  Beware the complacent supplier who believes your repeat business is guaranteed simply because they are on your PSL.

A question of choice
Is your PSL restricting you from working with the people who are best placed to help you?  In contrast, are you limited to using ineffective suppliers just because they are on the approved list?  No one understands your business better than you and in the ever changing world of business, you deserve the right to be flexible and to tailor your choice.  Why be constrained?

Langley James – Leading IT Recruitment Specialists
Here at Langley James we are specialists in IT recruitment and whether you are working with us for the very first time, or you are one of our many loyal clients, we take time to understand exactly what you are looking for.  You will receive the same exceptional level of client care each and every time you return to us.

We have a simple guarantee:  we will deliver a shortlist of between 3 – 5 candidates within 5 working days for permanent staff and within a couple hours for contractors.  Not only will these candidates be qualified to perform the role, we will ensure that they share your company values and ethos.

To discuss your IT recruitment needs and help you find your next superstar.  Call us on 0207 099 4839 or email us at langleyjames@langleyjames.com.

We’d love you to join in the conversation.  Tweet us @ITRecruitment or follow us on Facebook.

Langley James is aiming even higher this year 

We have doubled our candidate attraction advertising budget for this year, these are the job boards and social media, we are continuously advertising building our network of the best candidates rather than just getting a snapshot of those candidates that are looking at that moment in time. We have appointed an in house trainer/coach to further develop our existing staff and ensure a continuity of service is delivered from out new joiners in the Langley James way.

We are having a record breaking January, already exceeding our previous best with 2 role being filled from taking the job spec to the candidate starting with 12 hours

3 Questions to Ask the Current Jobholder Before You Hire a New One

Oct 17, 2017 | IT

3 questions to ask the current jobholder before you hire a new one 

Before you interview for your IT opening, there’s someone else you need to interview first: the current jobholder. After all, there’s no one who understands the position better than the person who’s currently doing it! Sure, you know what the job involves, and you understand what skills and qualifications are required to do the job successfully. But they know the highlights, the challenges, the most efficient ways to get things done – all of the things you’ll need to make sure the next employee is aware of when they take over. 

Here are 3 simple but insightful questions to ask the current jobholder before you interview the next:

1. What is your typical workday like?

Although you’ll have a fairly good idea of what the current jobholder does on a day-to-day basis, you may not know exactly when they work on each task throughout the day.

Make a note of their answer and work out how much variety there is throughout the day. You can then use this information to help you decide if the candidate is a good match.

For example, if the current jobholder spends half their day on one task and the rest of the day on another, you can ask the candidate if they feel that a lot of variety is important to them in their work. If they say that they are more suited to getting stuck into only one or two projects at a time, then they would likely enjoy and excel in the role.

2. What has been the least enjoyable aspect of the job?

This question will give you valuable insight into what is difficult about the role, what’s confusing, complicated, or even uninteresting.

When you’re interviewing your candidate, ask about what they don’t enjoy about their current job. Needless to say, if their least favourite tasks are similar to your current employees, you’ll need to make sure that the candidate is aware that the job opening involves these aspects.

You may also be able to discover if there are any particular tasks that the current jobholder feels would be more efficient to complete a different way, which is always handy to know.

3. Describe a time where you’ve had a problem to solve specific to your job – what you did you do to fix it?

With this information, you can put together a competency-based interview question where you can describe the same situation to the candidate and ask them to explain what they would do to overcome the problem.

As you know that the problem actually occurred within the role, you can be confident that the answer will be a good indication of how well the candidate would manage if they were hired.

We’re always happy to help you to get the most out of your interview process and find your perfect new IT professional. Give us a call on 0207 788 6600 for advice tailored to you.

Textbook Interview Questions Equal Textbook Answers

Aug 22, 2017 | IT

Ask a silly question, get a silly answer, right? Well perhaps your questions aren’t silly, but if they’re straight out of the textbook, you’re likely to receive the same textbook answers from all of your well prepared candidates. And as a recruiting employer that’s only going to make life more difficult for you. After all the main purpose of interviewing is the get to know each individual candidate and determine who will best suit your role, so it’s down to you to carefully craft some intelligent interview questions that will tease out some interesting and revealing answers.

Who Uses Textbook Interview Questions Anyway?
If you’re part of a well established organisation, you may have interview procedures and guidelines in place, and sometimes a lack of innovation or slight complacency can mean interview questions are rarely updated. Styles change, skills change and candidates expectations change, so it’s always important to refresh and review interview questions. Textbook style questions are often found in technical job interviews, and they’re often genuinely needed to validate a candidate’s skills and knowledge. However, perhaps these kind of questions are best off in an initial screening process, a written or online test if appropriate? They will not reveal the real caliber of your candidates, and that’s exactly what you should be doing in your face to face interview.

What’s Wrong with Textbook Answers?
Those who can give you the perfect definition or theory may be well educated and informed, but how do you know if they’ll fit into your team, how do you know they’ve experienced this theory in action? Anyone can revise, but not everyone has the depth of experience and practical workplace problem solving skills that can only be revealed by asking open-ended and ‘tell me about a time when…’ questions.

Digging a Little Deeper
Chances are many of these textbook interview questions can be answered by looking at a candidates CV, application form or online portfolio. You should of course be up to date with these before the interview, so don’t ask questions you already know the answer to. A key part of your role as interviewer is to listen, and you want your candidate to really feel like you are listening and that you’re genuinely interested. Asking questions about experiences and previous scenarios will open your candidate up and allow them to share stories about how they’ve applied their knowledge, not simply what knowledge they hold.

At Langley James, we’ll work hard to put the right candidate in front of you from the beginning, but once it’s your turn to do the interviewing we’ll be there if you need any further help or ideas. To find out more contact one of our consultants.