It’s looking up though; recruitment and retention is back on the board-level agenda with over a quarter of organisations looking to increase their recruitment budget and over a third increasing their talent management budgets in 2017/18 (CIPD survey in partnership with Hays).

So how can your recruitment strategy stay ahead of the game?

Bring in the experts

This isn’t the hard sell it may seem; if your HR department doesn’t have a dedicated resourcing team then you’re missing out on specialist expertise that is critical to achieving strategic success.

Working in partnership with an expert recruiter on a retained basis brings many benefits. You’ll have access to a wealth of insight, from market intelligence to support with attraction strategies and talent management as well as advice and guidance from a team that wants to help you succeed. The very best partners will not only deliver for you but anticipate your needs, saving you time, headcount and budget.

Make business plans your business

Even the most relaxed of department heads will know what they need to achieve in the next 6-12 months and whether they have the right people to achieve it. Tap into this to understand how it might translate to recruitment needs.

We all know recruitment is admin-heavy and time-intensive so having an ongoing relationship with a recruitment partner who can relieve some of the burden will maximise your ability to respond to your business’s needs whilst ensuring you can remain focused on more strategic issues.
Protect your employer brand

Applicants have access to far more information about a prospective employer than ever before thanks to the web and social media. Add to this a candidate’s ability to post online about their application and interview experience, and all of a sudden your reputation as an employer of choice is out of your hands.

Make sure you review your recruitment process from an applicant perspective and respond appropriately to feedback – are you communicating effectively, is your process timely, are you being consistent? The CIPD/Hays survey shows that 41% of HR professionals believe they have lost good candidates because of the length of their recruitment process – have you, and if so, what are you doing about it?

Use personal development plans to your advantage

Knowing the ambitions of your people can be a significant advantage when resource planning. A culture of sharing future plans and aspirations will allow you greater oversight of what may lie ahead. Whether an individual wishes to upskill, retrain or is simply happy where they are can tell you a lot about their future within your organisation. You can use this insight to help plan where attrition may occur or where support should be provided to make sure you develop your strongest talent.

Create a talent pipeline

We have all come across the ‘right person, wrong role’ scenario. Cultural fit is increasingly as important as ability to do the job so when you find good people during the interview process it can pay to think a little differently about how to manage them.

Whether you use a spreadsheet, software or recruitment partner, finding a way to create a relationship with those candidates who remain of interest to you should the right role come up means you already have a rich pipeline to look at when you need it.

Regardless of how good your plan is, as HR professionals we must accept that elements of recruitment will always be reactive. However, in our experience, finding the best people doesn’t happen by accident so being ahead of the game can only put you at an advantage in a very competitive space.

If you want a chat about accessing our proactive, human recruitment expertise, do give one of the friendly team a call on 01709 717212.

The post Planning for the unplannable – the strategy behind your recruitment strategy appeared first on Human.

We are pleased to be presenting at the next Taylor Bracewell Meet the Expert Event. Based in Fountain Precinct, this is one of a selection of events hosted by Taylor Bracewell in which you can network over lunch then Meet the Experts to understand more about a specific topic.

This event focusses on Recruitment and Apprenticeships and specifically ways to avoid the pitfalls of costly hiring mistakes. If you would like to attend please book here.

We hope to see you there!

The post Taylor Bracewell Meet the Experts, 5th July 2016 appeared first on Human.

For most businesses, recruiting an additional member of staff is an important consideration. It’s one of the most important decisions a business owner or hiring manager has to make. Find the right candidate and your business will flourish, get it wrong and you run the risk of wasting money, time and even alienating existing team members, impacting upon morale.

Many businesses often overlook their existing members of staff when it comes to recruitment. Often businesses already have experienced members of staff who perhaps not only understand how the company operates and work well with the existing team, but also may be ready to take the next step in their career. If this isn’t practical, then the best place to start would be to give consideration to the different skills you need within the business. What characteristics are you looking for in a new team member? Why does your business need them? The right candidate will be able to get the job done whilst also adding value to the business and their team.

The recruitment process can be rewarding, exciting and challenging for both employers and applicants, so, what are the questions you should be asking when conducting an interview? Besides the obvious competency based questions, allowing you to understand their basic skill set, we recommend considering asking the following questions.

1) What is your most significant accomplishment? Give your candidate the opportunity to describe his or her most significant accomplishment within a relevant scenario. Their answers will not only show what they have achieved in previous roles but also their values and what they consider an accomplishment, helping you to understand whether this candidate could accomplish your company objectives alongside the existing team.

2) How would you solve this problem? Asking this question after positioning a scenario gives the applicant chance to show their problem solving skills, creativity and potential. An open question such as “How would you solve a dispute between staff members?” for example, gives you an indication to how they would tackle any issues within their team.

3) Understand the person behind the CV: Asking questions such as “Can you tell me about yourself?” is great but can leave the floor open for an applicant to continue talking about themselves in a purely professional manner. To understand the person behind the CV you need to dig a little deeper. Richard Branson’s favourite interview question is ‘What didn’t you get a chance to include on your CV?’ Asking these kind of questions will uncover more of the applicants’ personality, interests and individuality and will help you to understand the personality behind the professional and how they will fit within your existing team.

4) What question are you hoping we will ask? Ask this at the start of the question section of the interview. The candidate will probably have prepared a solid answer for a certain question they hope you will ask. Asking this question ensures you will be speaking to a relaxed and confident candidate who will give you a better image of how they will fit into your business.

5) What is your passion? This helps you to look past the skills sets of the candidate and focus on what makes them the person they are. Their answer will not only show you how well they will interact with existing staff members, which can improve staff retention, but will also give you an indication into what motivates them.

It is important to consider the image of your brand in the employment market, whether an applicant is successful or not. Failing to respond to applicants, arriving late for the interview and not offering feedback at the end can damage your brand and portrays a negative image for future applicants. Remember, the interview process works two ways and whilst in theory you are interviewing them, the applicants is also interviewing you and your business.

By Amy Stephenson, founder of Human Recruitment

originally published on http://www.freshbusinessthinking.com/business_advice.php?CID=29&AID=15743&PGID=1#.ViZMcX6rSUk 14th October 2015

The post Interviewing techniques for employers: appeared first on Human.

At Human we make a commitment to clients and candidates, we help individuals to stand out in the marketplace. Our aim is to always add value to your business to support growth and longevity. There are four ways we do this:

1. We want to save you money

Getting the right match first time will minimise your recruitment costs. Getting the right match first time, means that candidate will stay on and help develop your business meaning you will recruit to replace less, train less new starters, and have people on board who want to help develop the business. This in turn means increased retention of staff, staff who are motivated, engaged and working hard to achieve your organisational goals. We are proud to shout about our 99.9% candidate retention record. Only 1 client has ever had to utilise our rebate structure meaning your investment is not only protected but with Human but is almost guaranteed to add value to your business in the long term.

Why do we want to minimise your recruit costs?

Sounds like madness, doesn’t it? We want you to spend as little as possible on recruitment. This is not to say that we offer a bargain basement fee structure. We do not. What we do offer is a high quality service and a commitment to finding the right person for the right reason. If our candidates add value to your business and support your growth. Through that growth and a strong working partnership, we also grow.

2. We want to save you time

Our transparent process will keep you updated every step of the way. However, once we have a true picture of your organisation and its requirements all you need do is book out some time to interview and the rest can be left to us.

How do I know the candidate is suitable without reviewing their CV?

At Human we don’t work with CVs, we work with people. We don’t judge candidate suitability based solely on their CV, in much the same way you wouldn’t attract candidates to your business with just a balance sheet. Our clear and thorough process means that through conversations we have, job shadows and a long term partnership we will build a very clear picture of your business goals, culture and values which will enable us not only to find candidates who have the skills you are looking for but also have the vision and values to help your organisation grow. This is not to say we won’t provide you with a CV but we do ask that you don’t judge candidates based purely on their CV.

3. Raise and protect your brand profile in the marketplace

In a period of relatively high unemployment, the marketplace is saturated not necessarily with 1000’s of suitable candidates for your role but certainly 1000’s who will readily apply. If you do not have the time or resources to provide them with a positive recruitment experience, regardless of whether they join the business or not this could have a negative impact on your employer brand in the marketplace.

How do we raise and protect your employer brand?

Our process is clear and transparent for all concerned, meaning that your brand is protected in the marketplace. Candidates are kept updated and will be given constructive feedback meaning before you even offer them the role they are aligned with your vision and values and have a positive view of your organisation. This facilitates a successful on boarding process and in turn saves you both time and money.

4. Help your organisation thrive and survive in the marketplace

If you have the right people on board, adding value to the business from day one, not only will you save money on replacements but those candidates will be up and running and striving for your organisational goals much quicker than any candidate who joined your business to pay the bills. This is our ultimate goal, for you and for us. Without your success, we can’t achieve long term success.

If you would like to hear more about how we can help and why we do what we do, please feel free to contact us on 01143 990085 or 01709 717212

The post Why choose Human – a client guide appeared first on Human.