How SMEs can attract top talent

Posted by Monique Holtman

When you run an SME, it can be difficult to attract top talent. You’re competing with larger organisations who can offer bigger pay cheques and better promotional opportunities so how do you persuade a candidate to choose your organisation instead?

Believe it or not, it is possible. Half the battle is simply realising how many fantastic benefits you can offer potential employees.

Fewer barriers between employees and senior staff

Smaller businesses are typically less bureaucratic and can therefore provide closer relationships between leaders and employees. With better access to more senior level staff who can offer advice and act as a mentor, this provides employees with opportunities they may not otherwise be presented with in a larger company.

More personalised job descriptions 

With larger companies, job roles tend to be more rigid. A smaller company on the other hand can usually provide more flexibility and employees can even tailor their job spec. Whether they want to specialise in something or learn a new skill, this is one of the many perks of working for a smaller company.

There’s a lot more flexibility in SMEs than there is in huge corporations which means that employees are given opportunities which reflect their interests and the career path they wish to go down.

Broadens skillsets 

As tempting as it is to get big names on the CV, emphasise to candidates how beneficial it can be for them to accept a role in a small company where they can practice their skills and increase their responsibilities.

Candidates are likely to be given greater responsibility in a much shorter time frame with a small company. This is far more beneficial than accepting a lower-level role in a big company.

Flexible benefits 

Because of the number of people they have working for them, big companies are limited when it comes to the benefits they can offer. Smaller companies on the other hand often have the ability to be more flexible and can even tailor benefits to suit individual needs.

An employee with children may wish to start early and finish early for example whereas a member of staff who travels long distances to get into work may appreciate being able to work from home one day per week. It simply wouldn’t be practical to offer this in a large company.

Target certain candidates 

Someone who is aggressively trying to climb the career ladder may be more reluctant to accept a role at a smaller company. There are a number of people who could benefit from working in a smaller organisation however:

  • Graduates who have very little or even no work experience
  • People who don’t like the strict rules and procedures that often come with working for a big company
  • Those who want a good work/life balance
  • Part-time workers
  • Contract staff
  • Staff who want more flexibility with their job
  • Candidates who want to work somewhere it feels like they’re part of the family rather than just a number

If you would like help recruiting fantastic candidates, please feel free to contact Choralis Consulting and we will be more than happy to help.

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UK job seekers’ top frustrations revealed

Posted by Monique Holtman

annoyed

 

A recent poll carried out on 1,000 job seekers in the UK has revealed the top frustrations candidates face when looking for a new role.

 

 

These include (multiple answers were allowed):

  • Slow feedback (52%)
  • Poor communication (44%)
  • Delayed decision-making (39%)
  • Doing multiple job interviews with the same employer (35%)
  • Keeping track of multiple job opportunities with different employers (33%)
  • Difficulties scheduling interviews (23%)
  • Lack of transparency on rewards and benefits (19%)
  • Changing role requirements (16%)
  • Disappointment with contractual terms (15%)

With 71% of candidates saying that they regularly receive multiple job offers when searching for a new role, this highlights the importance of offering a positive candidate experience. A recruitment process that’s long, drawn-out and lacks communication, is likely to see top candidates choosing to work for your competitors rather than you.

Aside from losing out on top candidates, a bad recruitment process can also damage your brand. 52% of job seekers surveyed said that they wouldn’t recommend a company as a potential employer if they didn’t receive a timely response about their status. Even more worryingly, they’re then more likely to share their negative experience through word of mouth, on social media or in a Glassdoor review. This puts employers at risk of turning off an entire network of potential candidates and damaging their reputation.

The benefits of offering a positive candidate experience

We know the drawbacks of not taking the time to offer a positive candidate experience but how can re-thinking your employment strategy benefit you?

Firstly, you actually want candidates to do their research about your organisation before they even apply to the role. It’s the job seekers who actually take the time to read interview reviews about your company so that they can decide whether you are the right organisation for them, who turn out to be the best hires. Informed candidates are twice as likely to be hired compared to candidates from other job sites because they’ve done their research and have realistic expectations about your organisation before deciding to apply.

By reducing the number of unqualified CVs to sift through and moving through the funnel faster, informed candidates save you time and money. Not only that, once hired, they onboard faster, exhibit greater productivity, contribute to positive company culture, influence other great hires to come on board and improve employee retention.

Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, the recruitment process doesn’t go according to plan. Perhaps someone who was a key part of the process suddenly left the company or your workload got on top of you so recruitment was no longer a priority. How do you still offer a good candidate experience when you don’t even know what’s going on yourself?

The key is to be as transparent as possible. Don’t just ignore candidates and hope they will still be available when you’re ready because even if they are, it’s unlikely that they’ll be so keen to work with you again.

Be realistic with candidates about how long it will take to get back to them and what the next step is. As long as you keep the channels of communication open, they’re less likely to get frustrated with you.

If you would like help managing your recruitment process or finding your next role, please don’t hesitate to contact Choralis Consulting and we will be more than happy to help.

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How to retain top employees

Posted by Monique Holtman

Staff RetentionFinding top candidates can be a challenge so when you make a great hire, you’re going to want to do everything you can to keep them for as long as possible. How do you strike the right balance between keeping employees happy and productive and engaged and motivated however? Below we reveal some great ways to retain top talent.

Pay them competitively

If a candidate is good, other companies are going to be happy to pay them generously. It’s important to remain competitive or even the most dedicated staff will soon be looking for better paying opportunities.

Check out industry bodies and online resources such as Payscaleto find out average salaries in your industry for your region. As well as actual salary, there are other ways you can bump up your employees’ income through childcare schemes, season ticket loans and reduced gym membership.

Promote a good work-life balance

If you want a happy, motivated and productive workforce, it’s important to promote a good work-life balance. This can be difficult, especially in jobs that are high-pressured but a great place to start with this is to lead by example and ensure that employees see senior members of staff taking time out, leaving on time and having proper lunch breaks.

If there’s a culture of working long, unpaid hours, make it clear that this is not necessary. Speak to individuals if you notice the same faces remaining at their desks when everyone else has gone home and find out if there’s an issue with their workload or time management skills.

Train and develop your staff

Constantly training and developing your staff not only keeps them motivated and constantly striving to better themselves – it also gives you a highly skilled workforce. If you work in an industry without a clearly defined professional development path, speak to staff and find out what they would like to learn.

Even if there aren’t any professional development courses directly related to your area of business, there is always room to improve and develop your team.

Find out exactly what your employees want

 A recent survey carried out by CV Library has revealed what UK workers consider to be the biggest contributing factors towards workplace happiness.

According to the report, our top career priorities include:

  • A good salary – 58.1%
  • Friendly colleagues – 48.2%
  • Great company culture – 40%
  • Room for progression – 33.5%
  • Learning new skills – 28.2%
  • A nice boss – 22.4%
  • Flexible working opportunities – 13.3%
  • Good location close to home – 11.5%
  • Interesting daily responsibilities – 10.9%
  • Good workplace perks – 10.4%

When it comes to what’s likely to make us leave a role, 27% say a bad salary, no benefits package or a lack of future opportunities, 14% say the work itself and 11% don’t like the location or have concerns about job security.

If you would like help finding top talent, please feel free to contact Choralis Consulting and we will be more than happy to help.

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The challenges that recruiters are facing in 2018

Posted by Monique Holtman

recruitment The combination of a skills shortage and workers being increasingly reluctant to move jobs thanks to the uncertainty of Brexit, means that recruiters have their fair share of challenges to face in 2018.

If you’re worried about how you’re going to fill vacancies, you’re not alone. A recent survey carried out by CareerBuilder has highlighted the main concerns expressed by recruiters and below we share the findings.

Talent shortages

Difficulty finding candidates with the right skills has been an ongoing issue for some time now and it’s a problem that looks set to continue to haunt recruiters throughout 2018:

  • 42% of employers are worried that they won’t be able to find the talent they need
  • 8% are struggling to find relevant candidates
  • Perhaps this is because 86% of the most qualified candidates are already employed and aren’t actively looking for a new job
  • Despite this, 40% of employees surveyed said they plan on changing their job this year which means that there are candidates out there, it’s just tough to identify the right ones

It’s a candidate-driven market

Today, candidates have far more power during the job search than ever before. What this means for recruiters is that they have to create a great candidate experience if they want to attract top talent and stand out from the competition.

  • 86% of recruiters and 62% of employers feel the labour market is candidate-driven
  • 8% of recruiters are finding it difficult to deal with candidate demands

Negative employer branding

With the hiring environment being so competitive, it means that employers have to pay special attention to their employer branding. A bad reputation can sabotage your hiring efforts and make it near impossible to attract top talent.

  • 55% of job seekers say they would abandon a job application if they saw a bad review about the company online
  • When making a decision about where to apply for a job, 84% of job seekers say the reputation of a company as an employer is important to them
  • 50% of candidates say they wouldn’t work for a company that had a bad reputation – even if it meant getting a pay increase

Top tips for successful recruitment

With the recruitment industry facing so many challenges, how can you ensure that you attract candidates and make successful hires?

Utilise Talent Relationship Management (TRM)

With the help of proactive sourcing and modern Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), recruiters can greatly improve talent management. By taking the time to nurture relationships with potential future hires, you create a positive candidate experience that’s going to help you attract the best talent.

Social recruitment

More and more companies are using social media to find talent, advertise jobs and communicate with potential candidates.

  • 80% of employers say that social recruiting helps them to find passive candidates
  • 70% of hiring managers say that they’ve made successful hires using social media
  • 89% of companies say that they’re planning to recruit via social media in 2018

Make the process mobile-friendly

Mobile devices play a huge part in our daily lives so it makes sense to reach out to candidates via this medium. In 2018, it’s likely that more and more organisations will adopt mobile-enabled application processes in order to meet candidate expectations.

According to Glassdoor, 89% of job seekers say their mobile device is an important tool for job hunting and 45% use it to search for jobs at least once a day.

If you would like help recruiting top talent into your organisation, contact Choralis Consultingtoday and we’ll be more than happy to help.

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How to create high-performing teams

Posted by Monique Holtman

high performing teamsAlthough individual work has its place and can certainly provide many benefits to an organisation, high-performing teams are also necessary to the successful running of your business.

High-performing teams are made up of individuals who work particularly well together. They excel in accomplishing work-related tasks, they can set and reach goals and they’re free from the conflicts and arguments which can dampen productivity.

Creating high-performing teams within your business can take some time. Nobody can truly anticipate how well employees are going to work together so it’s often a case of trial and error. There are many benefits of taking the time to do this however.

  • Employees can share responsibilities, form relationships with colleagues and strengthen bonds that are already there
  • Customers can receive products or services much quicker and benefit from the fact that all members of the project are on the same page rather than working separately
  • Managers don’t have to spend as much time governing employees
  • High-performing teams tend to be fully engaged and committed because all members share a common vision and values
  • They can successfully deliver clearly defined business results

How exactly do you create high-performing teams?

Model your team on an existing successful team 

If you already have a team that works well together, dedicate some time to figuring out why this is. Do certain personality types work well together? Is the team made up of a mix of abilities? Is there a clear leader in the group who is driving everyone?

Bear in mind that you probably won’t be able to re-create this scenario perfectly but it will give you some great ideas and a good place to start.

Promote risk-taking

One of the biggest challenges businesses face is staying competitive in their marketplace. A surefire way to overcome this is through innovation but this can only be accomplished if you allow your team to take risks.

High-performing teams tend to enjoy taking risks and they don’t want to be limited by an organisation that won’t grow because they’re too afraid to try something new. You’ll win some and you’ll lose some but promoting risk-taking will create a company culture where big things can happen.

Offer rewards

It’s important to reward your team as a group as well as for those extra-special individual efforts. A team lunch, outing or party is a great way to reward everyone when a big project has finished or when they have achieved great results. It’s also important to recognise individual efforts so that others can aspire to be like them and work just as hard.

Recognise your team’s strengths and weaknesses

When you assign tasks to each member of your team, it’s vital to ensure you’re playing to each of their individual strengths. By doing this, your employees will be more productive, you know that tasks will be carried out to a high standard and each individual will feel valued for their input.

Help with the workload

Assisting your team with their workload is beneficial for a number of reasons. Firstly, it shows your employees that you’re not afraid to get stuck in and contribute when needed – this will undoubtedly earn you their respect. Secondly, the last thing you want or need is a situation where one person in the team is doing much more work than everyone else because this will lead to stress and possibly even health issues.

Set expectations

It’s very important that each and every member of your team knows exactly what’s expected of them before you even hire them. This way they know what they’re supposed to be doing on a daily basis and what they should be working towards. There’s nothing worse than an employee who doesn’t understand protocol because they’ll feel lost and confused which will lead to them becoming unproductive and unfocused.

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Five great reasons to work in finance

Posted by Monique Holtman

finance job

Whether you’re a recent graduate or you’re considering a career change, there are many benefits of working in finance. From an impressive starting salary to fantastic career progression opportunities, below we have highlighted just a few great reasons to consider this industry.

 

 

There’s a broad range of roles and specialisations

Businesses will always need finance professionals so there’s no chance of the role becoming obsolete – even as technology continues to advance. This means that there are plenty of opportunities for growth and if you’re willing to put in the work, it’s possible to go from a junior position to an executive in just a few years.

As well as job security, finance is broad and each sector has a range of divisions so it’s not uncommon for those working in the industry to try different specialisms throughout their career or move into other lines of the business. This means that there are plenty of opportunities to expand your skillset and progress your career.

Say for example you start out as a bookkeeper or accounting technician with a Level 4 qualification from the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) or the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers (ICB), it’s often possible to progress to membership of one of the major accounting professional bodies.

This can include the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA). From here, the sky really is the limit. Research does in fact show that 25% of the top 500 companies in the UK have a chartered accountant as their chairman or managing director.

Jobs in finance pay well

According to the Higher Education Statistics Authority (HESA), graduate salaries for those who left university in 2015/16 can be as low as £16,500. Even for those just starting out in finance, jobs across the industry usually pay above average wages (between £21,000 and £24,000).

Those who choose to progress up the ladder and become a qualified accountant can expect to earn significantly more. An experienced chartered accountant can command as much as £250,000 a year.

Travel opportunities

As the world’s economy becomes increasingly integrated and technology makes overseas communication easier than ever, the potential for finance professionals to travel or transfer abroad is huge.

Educational opportunities

Most employers in the finance industry are more than happy for you to continue your education while in employment. They may even fund extra qualifications or specialised training which will enable you to increase your professional worth and develop your existing skills and knowledge.

Accountants are always in demand

All companies, no matter their size, require the knowledge and services of a bookkeeper and accountant. As long as you deliver your work on time and to the required standard, chances are that you will always be in employment.

If you’re considering a career in finance or would like help finding your next accountancy job, get in touch with Choralis Consulting and we will be more than happy to help.

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3 recruitment trends according to experts

Posted by Monique Holtman

recruitment trendsRecruitment is fast-paced and with technology improving and evolving all the time, it means that the industry is subjected to frequent changes. The professional networking site, LinkedIn has for example had a huge impact on how recruiters search for candidates.

Staying on top of these changes is crucial to running successful recruitment drives regardless of whether you’re an agency or a company that manages their hiring in-house. Below we have listed three recruitment trends experts say we can expect to see before the end of 2018.

Artificial Intelligence is on the rise

 Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been a complete game-changer for many different industries and the recruitment sector is set to take full advantage of the use of machine learning in the very near future. Not only can AI help recruiters when it comes to sourcing and screening candidates, it also completely eliminates bias from job applications. Other advantages include:

  • Algorithmic sourcing can predict when passive and active candidates are ready for a new job based on their online activities
  • Text analysis algorithms can identify skills and experience much faster than humans can

While there are many benefits of embracing artificial intelligence, this doesn’t mean that recruiters will be replaced by machines. These tools will merely assist in identifying candidates with the right skills and experience and recruiters will then assess the soft skills of each individual.

Re-designed interview strategies

The interview process is of course a crucial part of recruitment so it makes sense that organisations or looking to invest in this area more. Things we’re likely to see utilised a lot more in 2018 include video interviews for candidates who live far away and using virtual reality technologies to assess skills in simulated work environments.

Why exactly are companies looking to embrace technology such as video assessments?

  • It’s far more cost-effective than inviting every potential candidate you want to see in for an interview
  • It helps recruiters judge soft skills and culture fit
  • It’s less time-consuming than interviewing candidates face-to-face

Improved candidate experience

Providing a positive candidate experience is invaluable to any business. Not only can it have a huge impact on the reputation of your brand, if candidates are subjected to a smooth and efficient hiring process, they’re more likely to accept the job offer.

The top causes of a bad candidate experience are unclear application instructions and a recruitment process which goes on for too long. When questioned about what they really want, candidates said more communication and timely notifications.

If you would like help with any of your recruitment needs, please feel free to contact Choralis Consulting and we will be more than happy to help.

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8 ways to boost workplace productivity

Posted by Monique Holtman
Bored

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New research from totaljobs has revealed that UK workers waste nearly an hour and a half of the working day being unproductive. This is costing British businesses on average, £4,467 per employee every year which equates to an annual cost of a whopping £22 billion.

If you’re worried that your workforce isn’t being as productive as it should, below are some great ways to boost motivation and morale. 

Offer incentives

By offering employees incentives such as bonuses, prizes or a team night out, this helps them to feel valued and far more motivated to reach a specific goal.

Provide a comfortable place to work

If someone finds their workstation uncomfortable, this can have a huge impact on productivity. Good ergonomics and a healthy office environment makes employees happier and less distracted so make sure there are proper procedures in place to ensure that everyone’s desk is set up correctly.

Encourage education and training

No matter how much we love our job, anyone would get bored doing the same thing day in and day out. Having nothing to aspire to can also make us complacent and de-rail motivation. Encourage your employees to continually improve their skills by offering training in both their personal and professional development.

Ask for feedback

Even if an employee is unhappy, chances are they won’t say anything. In fact, managers often don’t know that a member of their team is struggling until they hand in their notice. To prevent this situation arising, ask employees for their feedback on a regular basis, even if it’s done anonymously. As well as making staff feel valued, this also ensures that issues are dealt with before they turn into a big problem.

Promote a healthy work-life balance

Establishing a good balance between work and home prevents employee burnout and the mental and physical consequences that come with this. There are a number of ways you can encourage a healthy work/life balance including:

  • Don’t make employees feel they have to reply to work emails outside of office hours
  • If you notice the same people are regularly doing overtime, find out why this is. If it’s because they’re struggling with their workload, find ways to reduce this
  • Encourage staff to take their allocated holiday allowance
  • If team members have a particularly long commute into the office, consider remote working once or twice a week
  • Introduce flexi-hours so those with children can juggle their home and work commitments

Encourage staff to be healthy

A healthy lifestyle helps us to feel more confident, stay motivated and keeps illness at bay which means fewer sick days. There are a number of ways you can encourage your employees to be healthy such as offering discounted gym memberships, ensuring the canteen always has healthy options and even starting up your very own company teams for activities such as football or endurance events.

Give employees more responsibility

When we’re not being micromanaged, we feel more valued and believe it or not, we’re far more likely to motivate ourselves.

Encourage team-building events

When we’re in the office, we tend to stick to our own team because we work and sit with them every day. By organising company-wide events, this encourages people to mingle with a wider variety of people and helps to foster a sense of community and belonging.

If you’re looking for more great ways to engage your workforce, please feel free to contact Choralis Consulting and we will be more than happy to help.

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4 ways to make the recruitment process less stressful

Posted by Monique Holtman
annoyed at work

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Hiring new employees is an important yet often difficult and time-consuming aspect of running a business.

The responsibilities and challenges that come with ensuring you appoint the right person to the right job can be overwhelming and stressful. If you know you’re going to be responsible for an upcoming recruitment drive, below we have highlighted four great ways to make the process far less taxing.

Plan Ahead

Start by ensuring you know exactly what your new employees’ responsibilities will be, the skills you’re looking for, how much you will be paying them and what benefits they will be entitled to. There are often many different people involved with the recruitment process so a detailed job specification ensures that everyone is on the same page.

Don’t forget to factor in all costs and bear in mind that you will have to start spending money before you’ve even hired someone regardless of whether you manage the process yourself or use an agency. If you’re looking after your own recruitment, be aware that there are strict laws governing what you can and cannot say in employment advertising.

The Interview

Job interviews can be just as nerve-wracking for the interviewer as the interviewee. Going in well-prepared ensures that you know exactly what you’re going to ask, the kind of person you’re looking for and how to answer any questions your candidate may have. Having all this information to hand will really help to alleviate any nerves.

Ensure that your questions are directly related to the position you’re advertising so that you can make a solid and informative decision about whether someone is right for the role or not. Enquiring about previous experience, skills they’ve acquired, their strengths and weaknesses and what their goals for the future are will all help you to make the best possible decision.

Making an offer   

It’s your responsibility to check that an employee has the right to work in the UK before you offer them a job. Don’t just take somebody’s word for it either because if you get caught, you can face a hefty fine even if you genuinely had no idea.

Also bear in mind that even if you make an offer over the phone, your new employee has to receive written confirmation detailing their job title, responsibilities, salary and benefits. If for whatever reason you cannot do this, by law you must provide them with a written statement of employment within the first month of their employment.

Requesting references is a standard but crucial part of employing somebody. Ensuring that the person you’re about to hire is loyal, trustworthy, hard-working and dedicated is the best way to avoid finding yourself facing the recruitment process once again in just a few weeks’ time.

Use a recruitment agency

If you want to ensure that you make a successful hire but don’t have the time or expertise to dedicate to the process, enlisting the help of a recruitment agency offers a number of benefits:

  • Recruiters have a lot of experience and are therefore in a better position to establish whether or not someone would make a good hire. Spotting who will and won’t be the right cultural fit for your company is second nature to a recruiter who has been in the industry for a long time.
  • They often work with candidates on a long-term basis so they have first-hand knowledge of how this person performs in a role and the type of organisation they tend to fit in well with.
  • Because it’s their job, a professional recruiter can dedicate more time to the process, leaving you free to carry on with the day-to-day running of your business.

If you need any help with any aspect of your recruitment process or if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

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Tips to help you get your dream job

Posted by Monique Holtman

The job market remains competitive which means that if you want to secure your dream role, you really need to stand out from other candidates. Here Jack Milgram from Custom-Writing shares some great tips for writing a great CV and landing that job you’ve had your eye on.

find dream job

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