FINANCE RECRUITMENT BY PROFESSIONALS FOR PROFESSIONALS
​SINCE 1992

In 2019 it's all about the candidate!

If there is one key trend that companies will have to worry about in the forthcoming year ( apart from Brexit!) , it's the growing shortage of quality candidates for their roles. This is applicable, not just in finance departments but across all job roles. This is partly being driven by a buoyant economy, particularly in the Cambridgeshire region but there appear to be signs that a considerable number of EU citizens have also left the UK labour market to return home. The implications of this shortage mean that if companies want to recruit, they need to learn to sell themselves and manage the candidate experience so that candidates want to accept their roles. Here are a few do's and don'ts concerning how you treat a candidate: 1) Don't keep a candidate hanging on. - It is extremely offputting for a candidate to be called for interview and then to find themselves waiting for weeks in some cases for feedback or a result. If you're not keen on them, why should they be keen on you. 2) Don't think you can offer less than what you have advertised the role for. You wouldn't accept a role at less money than you thought it was paying, so why should they. 3) Don't go in with a low offer, hoping they'll accept and you'll save yourself the odd thousand pounds. You are basically saying to the candidate that you don't value them and in 2019, someone else will. 4) Give them your best offer first time round. If you up the offer after they have said no to your first offer, they will know that you have tried to get them on the cheap and so may well say no again. It will cost you far more to go back to the beginning of the recruitment process, than to give them an extra thousand. 5) Think about your brand and values as a company. Find out what your candidates values are and what type of things they like about working for a company. If you have values or elements of your brand that match what they are saying, sell those things to them. 6) Don't do interminable interviews - two should be enough if done well. Too many interviews makes the process slow and can be offputting as it looks as if you can't make a decision. 7) If you can offer some form of flexible working amongst your benefits, do. It has huge pulling power. 8) Try and avoid overautomating your recruitment process. Automating recruitment processes is fashionable but it does make people feel as if they are "things" rather than human beings and they are far more likely to accept a job from a company, which makes them feel like a valued person. 9) And finally - if you see someone impressive, move as fast as you can to secure that person for yourself. If you don't, in 2019, someone else will. Happy recruiting. Jeanette Robinson FREC (Hon)

The Good Work Plan - Modern Day Working Practices Reform

Following on from recommendations made in the Matthew Taylor Report, which the government commissioned as an independent report looking into modern day working practices, the government has recently annnounced an ambitious package of workplace reforms called The Good Work Plan. Its intention is to upgrade workers' rights, specifically those who are atypical workers such as those on zero hour contracts, temp staff, those on contracts or casual contracts.At the moment there is no timetable to implement the plan but these are the key changes that at some stage will be implemented. Firms will have to provide a "statement of rights" on day one of a person's employment - this will include all casual workers and those on zero hour contracts. The statement will set out employee rights and pay, as well as any leave entitlements such as holiday pay, sick pay, maternity and paternity leave Removing the so called Swedish Derogation, which currently allows fims to pay agency staff cheaper rates than permanent staff doing the same work. A proposal to give those working variable hours/zero hours the right to request a fixed working pattern after 26 weeks' continuous service A proposal to change the rules on continuity of employment by increasing the break of one week to four weeks between contracts before continuity of contracts is interrupted. A commitment to legislation to streamline the employment status tests so that they are the same for employment and tax purpoases and to avoid employers misclassifying employees/workers as self employed The holiday pay reference period will be extended from 12 to 52 weeks to ensure that seasonal workers acquire the appropriate amount of paid time off when averaging pay A ban on employers making deductions from staff tips Quadrupling the maximum fine at an employment tribunal from £5,000 to £20,000 if an employer is deemed to have shown malice, spite or gross oversight Whilst these reforms are to be welcomed, I am not convinced that the reforms go far enough in managing the abuse that happens in the "gig" economy but it is at least a step in the right direction. Jeanette Robinson FREC(Hon) Write something here...

Happy New Year

I hope you all had a great Christmas and enjoyed the New Year celebrations. It is a time when many people review their life and career and decide this is the time to move. That decision can last as long as a New Year's resolution. That is to say, not very long at all! If I am going to be messed around by candidates, it happens in January as people look for a new job enthusiastically until they settle back into their normal work pattern and decide that actually, they are fine where they are. By this stage, we as recruiters, have done lots of work for them, which turns into wasted time which we could have used on people who are serious about their job hunt. We are delighted to help anyone who really is serious about their job change but please, please think through your reasons for wanting to leave your current company before approaching us. If you think those reasons will disappear as soon as the Christmas celebrations have faded, then it may be better to wait until you have solid reasons for moving. Have a great week and look out for my new series of blogs for the older job seeker starting next week. Jeanette Robinson FREC (Hon)