Safeguarding your employer brand
throughout the recruitment process and clearly communicating your
organisation’s values to both existing and potential employees is key to shaping
the overall perception of your company in the marketplace. This can have a huge
impact on your ability to attract and retain the very best talent.
The experience of a candidate
before, during and after the recruitment process can play a significant part in
how your business is perceived externally.
The best talent is always highly
sought after, whether the employment market is flat or buoyant, so it is vital
that your organisation provides a positive experience for candidates who are applying
for roles and throughout the entire recruitment process. This is the best way
you can ensure that you secure the right people for your organisation.
Job advertisements
Where you place your job ad and how
it is presented plays a critical role in attracting the right talent. There is
nothing worse than a vague job spec that is littered with typos. Indeed the
description of the role is the biggest influencer on a candidate’s decision as
to whether to apply.
Most organisations use jobs boards
and LinkedIn, but experienced recruitment consultancies are still regarded as
the most useful source of vacancies by professionals seeking new roles. It is
important to choose your recruiter wisely – and preferably choose one that has
genuine expertise in your sector, so they will be able to handpick the
outstanding candidates and really test their knowledge in a preliminary
interview.
Responding to applicants
It can be tempting to get your
vacancy advertised on LinkedIn as soon as that resignation letter hits your
desk. But it is a waste of everyone’s time to advertise your position and
encourage applicants if you don’t have the capacity to respond to applications.
It doesn’t look good if you don’t get back to them at all.
Indeed responding quickly to job
applications is incredibly important, because candidates will look upon tardy
responses as an indication of a lack of interest or just general disorganisation.
Worse still, you could miss out on the best candidates if other companies are
moving more quickly.
Equally not letting unsuccessful
candidates know that you’ll not be taking things further is both impolite and
detrimental to your reputation. And it’s much better to send an automated
rejection letter for unsuccessful applicants than no response at all.
The hiring process
We’ve all heard the horror stories
of candidates being kept waiting for ages without explanation, interviewers
being distracted by their phone or even leaving an interview for a length of
time without any explanation or apology. What a company must realise is that a
potential employee is interviewing them too – it’s not a one-way street.
There’s nothing worse than taking
the time to go to an interview and finding that the interviewer is unprepared.
Furthermore a lengthy process can be off-putting and a lack of feedback when a
candidate has made the effort to come in for an interview (or several) and then
hears nothing at all does not put your company in a good light.
Do give feedback, do be prepared
for the interview and do keep the process short, snappy and thorough. That way,
you’ll secure top-flight candidates and retain them. The interview process is
often a very good indication of how a company views its staff.
And
finally, it is essential to note that the majority of job seekers discuss their
experiences during a hiring process – be it with their friends, colleagues and
acquaintances or online. This clearly shows how employers’ interactions with
candidates – from communication, organisation and speed of the recruitment
process to their experiences when being interviewed – can impact their brand,
in both a positive or negative way. Word of mouth is one of the most powerful
communication channels. You would be foolish to ignore this.
How to present and protect your brand throughout the recruitment process
Safeguarding your employer brand throughout the recruitment process and clearly communicating your organisation’s values to both existing and potential employees is key to shaping the overall perception of your company in the marketplace. This can have a huge impact on your ability to attract and retain the very best talent.
The experience of a candidate before, during and after the recruitment process can play a significant part in how your business is perceived externally.
The best talent is always highly sought after, whether the employment market is flat or buoyant, so it is vital that your organisation provides a positive experience for candidates who are applying for roles and throughout the entire recruitment process. This is the best way you can ensure that you secure the right people for your organisation.
Job advertisements
Where you place your job ad and how it is presented plays a critical role in attracting the right talent. There is nothing worse than a vague job spec that is littered with typos. Indeed the description of the role is the biggest influencer on a candidate’s decision as to whether to apply.
Most organisations use jobs boards and LinkedIn, but experienced recruitment consultancies are still regarded as the most useful source of vacancies by professionals seeking new roles. It is important to choose your recruiter wisely – and preferably choose one that has genuine expertise in your sector, so they will be able to handpick the outstanding candidates and really test their knowledge in a preliminary interview.
Responding to applicants
It can be tempting to get your vacancy advertised on LinkedIn as soon as that resignation letter hits your desk. But it is a waste of everyone’s time to advertise your position and encourage applicants if you don’t have the capacity to respond to applications. It doesn’t look good if you don’t get back to them at all.
Indeed responding quickly to job applications is incredibly important, because candidates will look upon tardy responses as an indication of a lack of interest or just general disorganisation. Worse still, you could miss out on the best candidates if other companies are moving more quickly.
Equally not letting unsuccessful candidates know that you’ll not be taking things further is both impolite and detrimental to your reputation. And it’s much better to send an automated rejection letter for unsuccessful applicants than no response at all.
The hiring process
We’ve all heard the horror stories of candidates being kept waiting for ages without explanation, interviewers being distracted by their phone or even leaving an interview for a length of time without any explanation or apology. What a company must realise is that a potential employee is interviewing them too – it’s not a one-way street.
There’s nothing worse than taking the time to go to an interview and finding that the interviewer is unprepared. Furthermore a lengthy process can be off-putting and a lack of feedback when a candidate has made the effort to come in for an interview (or several) and then hears nothing at all does not put your company in a good light.
Do give feedback, do be prepared for the interview and do keep the process short, snappy and thorough. That way, you’ll secure top-flight candidates and retain them. The interview process is often a very good indication of how a company views its staff.
And finally, it is essential to note that the majority of job seekers discuss their experiences during a hiring process – be it with their friends, colleagues and acquaintances or online. This clearly shows how employers’ interactions with candidates – from communication, organisation and speed of the recruitment process to their experiences when being interviewed – can impact their brand, in both a positive or negative way. Word of mouth is one of the most powerful communication channels. You would be foolish to ignore this.
Six top tips to keep you positive at interview
We all know that interviews can sometimes be daunting, particularly if you’ve been looking for a while and just haven’t quite found a role where there’s a perfect fit.
So how do you stay positive and motivated to ensure that you get the job of your dreams?
Here are our top tips to help you.
The team at Direct Recruitment have the experience and know how to offer you the advice that can make all the difference to your interview. Why not get in touch and let us demonstrate what a difference we can make for you.
6 top tips to make sure you’re on top form whilst looking for a new job
How to make sure you’re on top form whilst looking for your new job – 6 top tips
If you’re not working and you’re looking for a new job in marketing, staying positive and motivated is especially important. The longer it takes and the more knock-backs you receive, the harder it can become. But with perseverance comes reward – and maybe the job of your dreams!
Use these tips to help you stay confident and motivated in your job search.
Ultimately, your perseverance and positivity are the most important factors that will help you find the perfect new job. The more motivated you are, the more productive you’ll be and the more opportunities will come your way as a result. Motivation also breeds enthusiasm and this will come across in interviews. Do what you can to help yourself stay motivated and remember, at Direct Recruitment we’re here to help.
How to minimise stress in the workplace
A degree of stress can be extremely useful, allowing us to perform at our optimum. Unfortunately, however, excess stress dents productivity and engenders a negative working environment. In order to access your full potential, you first need to be in a positive mental space that’s conducive to success.
Now that we in the UK are clocking longer office hours than the vast majority of our European counterparts, with stress levels at a maximum, all senior management teams should be prioritising ways of working smarter, not harder. Contrary to popular belief, being productive is not the same as being busy!
Feelings of being anxious and strained can arise from a huge range of concerns; from the fear of being made redundant to nerves over an upcoming presentation. Thankfully, there are a number of steps you can take to help manage these emotions and improve your job satisfaction and general well-being – here are five of them: Read more
7 ways to boost your work place productivity
By Sarah Bloomfield on 09.11.17 in Your Career
Whether caused by a seven-year itch or a 3pm slump, the truth is that all of our productivity wanes at some point. The key to maximising your output in the workplace is understanding that it’s not about working harder, but working smarter. It’s about adopting certain practices and sticking with them until they become habit – I’ve listed seven of these which have helped me over the years below.
1.Create a conducive working environment
Considering most of us spend the majority of our week days at our place of work, it should come as no surprise that your office environment has a great effect on your mood and subsequent ability to perform to a high standard. There are many different factors which could affect your happiness in the workplace, from sufficient shrubbery to congenial colleagues. Conduct a full review of your space and, where possible, make recommendations to your human resources/office support team on how to improve conditions. Read more
Are you more suited to a larger or smaller business?
When it comes to making your next career move, big doesn’t necessarily mean better. The truth is that different sized businesses have a multitude of varying benefits, and it’s not until you’ve considered these benefits that you’ll know what size company you should be working at.
Size matters – understanding the benefits
Larger companies are often able to offer a better overall bonus package (including budget for learning and development, health insurance, bonus pay and so on), better opportunities for networking, greater job security, greater options for global mobility and more established ways of working (e.g. company expenses, new business processes etc.). Smaller businesses, on the other hand, are likely to offer more regular promotions, greater professional responsibility, more access to senior personnel and, a lot of the time, a more congenial atmosphere.
Which of these benefits most appeal to you? Consider the below five questions to help prioritise these benefits and, subsequently, bring some clarity to your career planning. Some of these questions are introspective, but those that aren’t should be central to the structuring of your job interview; while you should also weave in these killer questions my colleague wrote about previously. Read more
5 obstacles you’ll face as a new starter and how to overcome them
Most us experience nerves before starting at a new company, even those who have been a part of the working world for decades. Nerves are necessary to help you perform at your peak and in this instance are a positive force for making sure you’re fully prepared and alert on your first day.
Most of the obstacles you’ll encounter at your new job will in some way relate to time management. Your biggest quandary, and the one that feeds most into the below five points, is how to effectively balance learning as much as possible with getting stuck in and showing your new colleagues your worth. By addressing the specific obstacles listed below, I’ve broken down how you should manage your time; making sure you’re adequately prepared to not just survive in your first few months, but thrive. Read more
Make campaigning great again
Most of us have been involved with our fair share of bad campaigns. A few people would argue that there’s a couple taking place right now, concluding with the general election this Thursday.
Often, however, there’s not enough reflection done after a bad campaign and the same mistakes are made again the next time round. We’re all quite quick to pat ourselves on the back once one has been executed successfully, but when the opposite happens there’s a lot of finger pointing and shirking responsibility. One campaign should always help inform the next one; there are always lessons to be learned.
Use the below six pointers as an action plan to ensure your campaign runs smoothly – helping to avoid any Dianne Abott-type gaffes along the way. Read more
5 personality traits that will get you hired
Building a team that gels together is a tricky task which eludes many business leaders and managers. It’s relatively easy to recruit and throw together a bunch of high-performing individuals without regard to their different personality types, but this can often lead to internal discord and division later down the line.
That’s why many managers now prioritise personality in the hiring process, often over the candidate’s skillset and past accomplishments. All of your research, interview prep and written documents (CV and cover letter) could amount to nothing if you haven’t given proper consideration to the type of personality the employer will be looking for.
Not everything that a hiring manager needs to know can be communicated on two pages of A4, which is why it’s so important that you convey your full personality during interview. You can certainly hint at the below character traits on all your written documents, but it’s in a face-to-face environment that you’re really given the opportunity to bring them to life. Read more
Does self-promotion have to be shameless?
Shouting about your own success is uncomfortable for most of us, and understandably so. There is a fine line between being proud of your accomplishments and being brash and boastful, but it’s worth working on because it’s integral to your career progression.
It’s your responsibility to keep your boss updated with your ongoing projects and recent accomplishments; many managers are too busy to appreciate the minutiae of your day-to-day schedule and achievements. Also, if you don’t toot your own horn then who will?
Incorporating a few of these tips into your self-promotion strategy should help you get recognised Read more