Yes that’s right, a brief piece on that most human of things: hindsight.  On reflection, what I wished I had said in the company of some very talented and amazing minds in Recruitment, Social Media and Business (and @BillBoorman), whilst at #TRUManchester 2010….

 Kicking off at Number 5: 

 ”The Jobsite candidate survey – ‘Recruitment Agency’s get better feedback then Corporate/Internal Recruiters.’  Really?! The track participants all seemed quite surprised, but largely pleased by this.  Surely this is an expectation issue?  As a candidate generally suffering a hideous experience job hunting you expect to be treated like something unpleasant by an agency, so expectation of the agency is so low, the merest glimmer of “service” makes us view it positively.  Conversely as a candidate we expect a better “service” with the corporate recruiter so when we do not get that, it has further to fall from grace. ”

 4

“Gen Y?  Yes I have one of those at home.  An 18 year old step daughter. ‘Global’  for her is a brand of trainers and as for ‘undercover direct action;’ that’s when she has to turn the TV over whilst still being in bed.”

 3

On Blogging and ghost writers.  The day I can employ a quality ghost writer, is the day I won’t need to come to things like #TRUManchester.

 2

Flat fee recruiters.  “If that model (£199) works for your market – great.  When you try it in mine – even better.  Smart clients know what they want and expect, when you cant deliver or the perceived value crashes down around your ears, I will welcome those clients back with a renewed sense of  increased fees, loyalty and open arms.  If they don’t come back, I will find new, smarter clients.  It’s a big world out there and I dont begrudge anyone looking for a bargain.”

 1

Top of the “I wish I had said” chart for TRUManchester 2010 would have been aimed at Mrs Northcolconsulting: “No Darling, I wont be getting the train back, I will stay over.  After all I am bound to meet a load of really interesting people who share the same passions as I do and I will want to spend more time in their combined company, especially over a boozy drink or few” 

More to come on several of the points raised and things learnt at TRU over the next few weeks I think!

STOP!

Slow down!  Resignation is a serious thing.  If you are apprehensive about resigning; due to anticipated reaction, loyalty to colleagues and/or clients: GOOD.  Hold that thought.

 Whatever your motives for leaving, be conscious of the fact you are leaving a hole behind you that will become another’s problem.  Think about speed cameras’, traffic wardens and the like.  If you go causing others problems, even perceived problems: that can cause resentment.  There is no need for that.  Yes you are on your way out – but you might need a detailed reference, you might end up doing business with that firm again, you may even become part of that firm one day (Mergers & Acquisitions anyone?) You may apply for a job in the future to discover your boss at the old place will be your boss at the new place!  Besides, you are a good person, so why rock the boat.  Help them keep a positive memory of you.

 Proceed with caution……

1. Be as honestly sincere and as open as you can with the right people.  Make sure you know who to resign to and do it at the earliest opportunity.  That info is usually in your contract.  If still unsure – resign to your direct line manager. 
2. Preparation is key.  Have it written down in your resignation letter/email but be prepared to discuss the same points verbally either face to face or over the phone if your boss is overseas. 
3. The person you are resigning to is a human being!  (Although some times it might not feel like that, right?!)  They might take your resignation as a personal comment about them, be diplomatic, be the oil on the water.  Start by thanking that person vociferously for your time with them, what they have taught you, the success you have enjoyed or the positive impact your time in their business has had on your career. 
4. Keep it positive about what you are moving to, rather then on the negatives why you are leaving:  It is a great opportunity, what you have wanted to do for a long time, where your career is headed etc. Present this as a fait accompli; you have considered this at great length and you have made up your mind – it will happen. 
5. Acknowledge your contractual obligation and offer reassurance you want to work professionally so no one is left high and dry.  If you do need to get out swiftly, offer a solution to your workload, replacement etc so you are giving your boss answers to the challenges they are about to face.   
6. If looking for a really speedy exit – be ready to negotiate.  Final salary, commissions, annual leave owing are all good collateral.  
7. Be professional.  Avoid the office gossip!  Check with your boss how they want this announced to the team.  Stick to it – its not your business now, you are leaving. 
8. Let your new employer know you have resigned.  They will want to know you are still coming.

Example Resignation letter:

Dear Susan

Please accept this letter as my statement of resignation from my position as <job title> for <Company Name>.

I would like to thank you and the whole <Company Name> team for your valuable input into my career. I have been considering my future career for a number of months now and have decided – after much thought to leave <Company Name>.  I have found a great opportunity that is a step forward in my career and will give me …..<something job related you don’t have: e.g additional responsibility/exposure to new market/technology etc>.

I realise that this is unexpected and will come as a surprise to you. Please, be assured that I want to work professionally and efficiently with you to exit the business without any negative repercussions on <Company Name>.

It is important to me to leave on the best possible terms and at the earliest opportunity. Consequently, I will do whatever I can for a smooth transition to my successor in this position and I am prepared to discuss strategies to this purpose considering I have annual leave outstanding.

Once again let me take this opportunity to thank you and <Company Name> for the fantastic time I have spent here. I will leave with many pleasant memories of my time with the company.

Yours sincerely,

One last thing…

The curveball…. Counter Offer!  You are that seemingly “indispensable” that your boss has been authorised in the strictest confidence to extend an offer of an increase in your salary of…..££££ or increase in your commissions/bonus of ££%%££.   Please do not answer that immediately.  Think.  Why were you looking to leave in the first place?  If head hunted – why are you leaving?  Money very definitely is not the be all and end all of work, yes we all want paying more, but salary tends to figure around the 3rd or 4threason for leaving;  it’s the conditions, atmosphere, opportunity elsewhere that are key.  Think of the figure offered after tax on a monthly basis.  Will £20, £50, £150 make that much difference every month compared to the opportunity you have before you?  Will that extra money be suitable compensation for the real reasons for wanting to leave in the first place?  Finally, if you were that indispensable – why were they not paying you that extra for the last #months/years?  Its usually best to politely decline and re state your desire to leave professionally.

I hope that helps your transition from one business to another, keeping the bridge in good condition behind you.  Good luck!

Employing ex offenders.

It started like this….

A manufacturing employer of unskilled machine operators has a vacancy on the production line.  Essentially warehouse based, working largely alone on a machine and not in anyway customer facing. They have been approached by many applicants (courtesy of the Employment service), but one (the only one of about 40) in particular took the time to physically hand their application form in, follow it up with a polite enquiry as to the progress of their application and has gone so far as to offer their services as an on the job trial for one week for no wage in order to prove their worth.  Sounds great, the perfect applicant maybe? 

The dilemma for the employer was that this particular individual at the first opportunity and on the application forms has advised the potential employer they have recently served 8 years for a violent crime.  First and only offence.

My reaction was simple – give them the interview and provided they are articulate and sound capable get them in for a weeks free labour – if they cut the mustard then offer the job on a strict set of terms/probation period. 

The struggle that individual must be facing is huge, to offer their services for free in my mind must elevate them above some of the reluctant souls which pass through the Job centres of our land.  Think of the loyalty that individual potentially has to offer to the business that “gives them a chance”.

When faced with such stigma, what incentive is there to those that for whatever reason have broken the law, to not break it again in pursuit of a living?  This is surely a basic human right?  If you have served the time following the crime then that is your debt to society paid in full – why do these people meet constantly with such blanket refusal to give them that chance.

Okay its not my business, I haven’t met the person in question and I don’t know the circumstances of the violence. (Does it matter? May be it does? Crime of passion anyone? Mental illness?)  What I do know is that in a society that imprisons people as its most serious form of punishment – the number of ex offenders is only going to go up – we as a society have to give these people a chance to re-engage with society or else the prisons will only ever get more full.

What do you think?

What would you do if it were your business?

You could be the owner of a coffee shop.  You are a plasterer.  You are a web designer.  You are a SMALL, but perfectly formed and profitable business, perhaps so small you even aspire to be the “S” in “SME”!

Whatever your business is, you may have some tough choices to make ahead of you…..  Business is good = a steady flow of custom and clientele….

BUT (and here it comes) you are but one person, or a family operation.  You simply cannot do any more without doing yourself or those closet to you a mischief!  Or, it would be simply wonderful to spend the weekend or the odd evening not working ON/IN the business.

That means quite possibly the prospect of hiring someone has flashed across your mind.  Becoming an employer.  Having to trust a stranger with YOUR business baby.  That is a big step for all but the hardiest entrepreneur.

Recruiting people is a time consuming, potentially costly and risky business process.  It is of course a fairly essential one, as alluded to: with only 24 hours in a day and seven days in a week, one person is indeed limited as to what can be achieved.  With two people the theory says you can increase that by 100%!

The reality?  Well that’s for you and your business to determine, what I want to offer here is some low cost, low time strategies to help you find the people you need to help your business grow without the costs associated with recruitment agencies, job boards, the local papers or the quality issues associated with advertising in the Job Centre.

Some examples:

• You use printed carrier bags/paper bags- can they contain a recruitment message which can be used whenever you need to hire? The same for messages on your receipts or the reverse of those receipts.
• Eye catching signs near your till (rather then shop window – a customer that knows you and your business could well be more committed then a casual passer by)
• Ask your regular/current customers, your friends, your family, your suppliers – Who do they know that’s looking for work?
• Is there a competitor locally who is struggling, can you attract their staff to you?
• Do you market through social networking/your website?  Use these as outlets for a recruitment message, use “interest” forums to reach out to people who share your businesses interests (e.g. coffee shops, pubs, specialist shops like sports, equestrian etc)

 There is clearly a lot more to recruiting then merely finding the person you want to hire.  Some might argue – that’s the easy bit!

 In the weeks to come: more on hiring as a small business:  Minimising the risks of a poor hire, Interviewing for Interviewers, Aptitude versus Attitude are just some of the topics to be covered.

Recruitment is one of, if not THE most vital of business processes. What is a business without its people? An empty warehouse? a pod of desks, blank monitors and silent phones? The main reason I believe people use an agency is to outsource that time consuming and potentially costly process. In the same way that a business may come to you as an expert in Marketing, to seek your support, input or counsel in resolving their percieved business pain people come to a recruiter or agency in order to help them solve the same. The critical word in the question is ’specialist’. A specialist in a market segment or industry profile should be able to understand your ‘pain’ and have an insight in to where to go to source people who can help you soothe the rub. The downside to this frequently is that a “specialist”, in Engineering for instance, may already have agreements and relationships in place which prevent them sourcing from certain quarters of a market – thus reducing the number of potential candidates you have to select from. A good recruitment process (internal, agency or otherwise) should leave you clear that you have sourced the best possible talent from the available candidate pool; those on the market AND those in the market so you are confident about the hiring decision you make. An agency or recruiter will be able to demonstrate the lengths and depth they have gone to in a particular market on your behalf. That is time consuming and resource intensive, a recruiter saves you that time – in order that you might focus on the areas you are expert at.   The theory there is that this enables you to do what you do best; sell, market, advertise, PR, develop, theorise, strategise whatever!

How ever you choose your recruitment partner here are a few things to consider:

1. Credibility.  Whatever they say is it  said well?  Does it make sense in your context.

2. The actions they might commit to; are they measurable – this is after all your recrutment process – you need to be able to control it.

3. The fee negotiation.  This, I believe  is built upon value of actions and time to achieve a result rather then simply a proportion of a transaction.  That tends to make the whole thing a  ‘numbers game’.

There.  Thats better!  The catharsis of the blog.

I guess I could break up the project in to its key parts and use each one as an individual case study, or I could case study using the strategy as the content itself – of course not all of it is “done” or “doing” so its going to be more then a little vague.  Hmmm lots to consider, which I suppose is a nice challenge to have!!

So why is that the case?  At what point did the nation that created some of the most incredible inventions, establishments and empires give birth to a bunch of lazy, work shy lay abouts?  Surely it is wrong for people capable of work to rely upon the efforts of others in order to live comfortably?  Thanks to Mr & Mrs UK taxpayer, this is of course what is happening.  Society is right to want to protect the weak, the vulnerable and look after those who for what ever reason are unable to work and contribute to that society.  But to pay for low aspirations, laziness and even greed seems ridiculous.

The care sector, hospitality and catering, food production all seem particularly at risk.  Without these industries – it is safe to say our way of life would soon crumble around our ears.  That being good, bad or indifferent is another point entirely of course.

http://trcb.com/Employment/Getting-the-Job/13-Reasons-You-Will-Never-Get-a-Job-21926.htm

What great questions!  If everyone in a team asked even just one of those questions of their colleagues once every day and then actioned the response… surely the sky would be the limit?

It is very easy to forget in the cut and thrust of work (or sport. or family!) that as an individual it is very easy to get bogged down in the individual tasks or chores of that job, forgetting that quite often your actions, attitudes and accomplishments have an impact on the rest of the “team” i.e. those around you. 

How often have we interviewed a candidate and asked them about how they work in a team to be told “ I enjoy working with people but am able to work autonomously as well”  A fairly standard sort of answer I am sure you will agree; how much more confident in the candidate would you feel if they responded along the lines of “When meeting individual objectives, I never lose sight of the wider team goal and along the way to reaching my goals I do what I can to help and facilitate my colleagues reaching their objectives to the benefit of the whole team.”

I know who I would want in my team.