In an increasingly Candidate driven market, the awareness of bad managers/management and working environments, with their associated impact on Employee wellbeing and engagement, is ever more prevalent and our recent survey has highlighted some key warning signs that Candidates are looking for as they make their assessment of where they want to work next…

We have listed some of the top problems for you to consider during your Recruitment process, helping you to ensure that you maximise the time you invest during interviews & helping you stay one step ahead of your competition in attracting & retaining the very best talent in the market.

 

Company Culture

It not easy for an individual to understand the culture of a Company from initial meetings, particularly when as the Recruiting Manager, you’re assessing them, whilst ‘selling you the dream’. The internet provides Candidates with an increasingly convenient & easy method of checking on Company reviews, by looking at sites such as Glassdoor, Google and Indeed – We advise them to be mindful that often, the only people that post reviews are the disgruntled and not necessarily the happy & satisfied, but we always advise Clients to keep their own observations on such sites to see what ex employees are commenting ?

Watching other Employees

When prospective new Employees meet other members of your existing team, they will pay real attention to certain key areas of interaction;

Are your Staff smiling and what is the initial greeting like at Reception ?

If the meeting is at the start of the day, how do the existing employees seem when they arrive, are they waiting around in the car park?

If it’s at the end of a day, are they in an obvious rush to leave, or at lunch time, are they eating at their desks or going out as a team?

Asking for a tour ?

Whilst there’s real value in proudly walking a prospective new Employee around your office or factory, be mindful that they will be observing the existing staff, equipment, office space, warehouse space, even the Reception and car park for ‘warning signs’. It’s imperative that everywhere is tidy and well-kept in a manner that you, your management and staff are proud to work in ? Even matters such as are employees desks tidy and organised, are machines in good working order with all the correct signage and safety equipment to hand will have a bearing on the impression that is conveyed.

Is there a HR contact ?

Whilst we realise that not all Business’ need/can afford a full time HR member of staff, having a dedicated contact/resource in this position is a positive sign of structure & formality, someone who will take care of process and make sure that things like Contract documentation, Induction process & Developmental assessments/training are planned & monitored.

Staff ‘churn’ ?

Prospective Employees are increasingly looking at resources like LinkedIn, trying to get a feel of whether people stay in your Business for a decent time, or whether they rarely get past their probation ? They want to get a flavour of whether staff are achieving promotions, or whether they are leaving in order to further their career aspirations. This resource can offer a valuable glimpse into what their potential career journey within your Business may realise.

Positive or Negative Recruitment Process

The Recruitment process itself has a real bearing on their perception of you & your Business, from matters such as was everything organised correctly, was all the communication clear and did you manage their expectations professionally & punctually. If they feel like they’ve had to chase at every step, or you make errors in offer letters and contracts, it can ring some very negative alarm bells regarding what’s to come.

Is there a formalised Job Specification ?

This should not always be construed as a key issue, but some people like to receive a formalised job description. Knowing what is expected of them before walking in to their new job is always a good thing and a formalised Role Specification can be a clear demonstration that the Company has put the effort in to actually thinking/defining what they want.  Not having a clear Job Description can sometimes lead to confusion and ‘additional responsibilities’ which may serve to cloud their future appraisals or role direction.

Did they meet the Boss ?

For senior appointments this is critical, but we often recommend that even at the lower level appointments, it is a very positive demonstration when an MD assigns time to meet a prospective new Employee. It shows both professional courtesy & a great deal about how you or the senior management run the Company and how they both engage the staff & get involved with day to day matters.

 

Spotting a ‘bad workplace’ can really make the difference to an individuals career journey, increasingly conscious that whilst you don’t want to invest time & money in individuals that don’t stay with your Business for very long, neither do the Candidates want an array of short term placements on their CV and the inevitable questions that will be raised the next time they decide to move, so whilst we always urge Candidates to take everything on balance and trust their instincts, we also urge our Clients to maximise the investment of their time in presenting a highly positive interface with individuals during their Recruitment process….if you want to recruit the BEST, they’ll want to fel that you are the best option too…

 

All our Consultants @ Blayze Unguem come directly from the Sectors that we recruit into and uniquely, we spend significant time at both our existing & prospective Client sites, getting a real understanding & appreciation of their Business, their Culture & the types of career opportunity that new employees can expect in reward for their commitment, hard work & positive performance. Please speak to one of our Consultants for an in depth & confidential discussion at the early stages of your plans to recruit new staff….we will help, guide & advise on not just the BEST candidates in the market, but also to ensure that you are the best possible new Employer that their skills & aspirations should explore.