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New UK points-based immigration scheme

Any business that has depended on recruiting from overseas should make sure that they familiarise themselves with the governments new immigration points-based system.

The Home Secretary has announced that a new scheme will take effect from January 2021 that will assign points for specific skills, qualifications, salaries or professions.  Visas will only be awarded for those who gain enough points. In the announcement the Home Secretary made clear the government’s intention to end the reliance on what she described as “cheap, low skilled labour coming in from overseas”.

The new single global system will treat EU and non-EU citizens equally. It will give top priority to those with the highest skills and the greatest talents, including scientists, engineers and academics.

The global talent scheme will also be opened up to EU citizens which will allow highly-skilled scientists and researchers to come to the UK without a job offer.

Minimum salary threshold

The points threshold will be carefully set to attract the talent the UK needs. Skilled workers will need to meet a number of relevant criteria, including specific skills and the ability to speak English, to be able to work in the UK. All applicants will be required to have a job offer and, in line with the Migration Advisory Committee’s (MAC) recommendations, the minimum salary threshold will be set at £25,600.

Those looking to live and work in the UK will now need to be qualified up to A level or equivalent, rather than degree level under the current system.  There will be no specific route for low-skilled workers.  It is estimated 70% of the existing EU workforce would not meet the requirements of the skilled worker route, which will help to bring overall numbers down in future.

Student visa routes will also be points-based and be opened up to EU citizens, ensuring talent from around the globe has access to the UK’s world-class universities.  Those wishing to study in the UK will need to demonstrate that they have an offer from an approved educational institution, that they can support themselves financially and that they speak English.

In addition, the seasonal workers pilot will also be expanded in time for the 2020 harvest from 2,500 to 10,000 places, responding to the specific temporary requirements of the agricultural sector.

EU citizens and other non-visa nationals will not require a visa to enter the UK when visiting the UK for up to 6 months.  However, the use of national identity cards will be phased out for travel to the UK and the Home Office will set out our plans in due course.  Those EU citizens resident in the UK by 31 December 2020 can still apply to settle in the UK through the EU Settlement Scheme until June 2021.

If you would like to find out more about how the new points-based immigration scheme might affect your business and future recruitment needs, contract Tricia Hay at First Base on 01453 755330 or tricia.hay@first-base.co.uk.

 

 

Optimism : How to maintain the drive to succeed and flourish

I’ve asked over 600 groups of managers from all around the world about their personal experience of good management.  In these groups activities I always made it clear I wasn’t looking for ‘text book’ responses about leadership and that I wanted real personal experiences of good management that really made a difference.

Optimism has always featured on the ‘best managers’ list of characteristics and in our experience, the best candidates like to work for great managers.

Optimism lies at the heart of a managers ability to inspire others, particularly in time of change.  Management and leadership is about relationships and the ability to help others remain positive, is key if you want a dynamic culture and want your team to deliver outstanding performance.  It is too easy for a team to default to a pessimistic outlook, particularly in challenging times.   Of course it’s easy to be optimistic on good days.  Managers with the ability to remain optimistic and instill optimism in others on the not so good days are worth their weight in gold.

How do you recognise an optimistic manager?

In my experience they tend to exhibit the following attitudes:

They focus on solutions

Optimistic managers use optimistic language.  Faced with the ‘why does this happen to us’ of pessimism, the optimistic manager always prefers to seek out options or new opportunities that might arise from a particular difficult situation, they are more likely to say ‘how can we find a solution?’.

Optimist managers don’t tend to over analyse or apportion blame for a problem before they get on with finding a way forward.

They seek out quick wins and small victories

Positive mangers keep and eye on the big picture and the organisations ultimate goal – but they never miss a chance to celebrate quick wins and small victories.  They actively seek opportunities to recognise their teams efforts, marking an obstacle overcome, an customer issue resolved, a technical advance or a new client won with praise and celebration.

They seek out what their team does well and they recognise even modest success.

They focus on strengths not weaknesses

Optimistic managers cultivate and strengthen everyone’s strong points, seeking to minimise any weaknesses by using their strengths in order to find ways to improve and progress.

They encourage perseverance and risk

Positive managers understand that failures are part of life and that setbacks can be an opportunity to learn.  They prepare for setbacks and know what they will do if things go wrong – they don’t give up and they don’t give in.  Optimism creates the right environment for perseverance – a dogged determination to succeed.

The mangers in those 600 groups who shared their experience of good managers with me often said about optimistic leaders ‘when the chips were down and we couldn’t see a way forward, they got us to believe in ourselves again’

If you would like to learn more about what makes a great manager and what attracts the best candidates for your job roles, call Tricia Hay on 01453 755330 or email tricia.hay@first-base.co.uk.

What is Integrity?

A recent national news item outlined the story of a senior manager who received a suspended jail sentence because he lied on his CV.  He falsely claimed to have a University Degree (which as it happened was not even required for the post) and the Judge in summing up said that this action brought into question the individuals integrity.  The managers actions certainly brought into question his honesty, but did he really lack integrity?

Integrity is a word that frequently crops up on LinkedIn profiles and on company websites.  In an effort to stand out from the crowd, brands and individuals sometimes feel it necessary to highlight their ‘integrity’.  However it is a word often misunderstood – and sometimes overused by those who lack it.  It is usually associated with being of good character, being honest and being ethical – but it is really more about being consistent.

I experienced a perfect example of integrity at a supermarket checkout.

A young man came back to the store in order to return a small over payment of change from a transaction that had taken place a few minutes earlier.  A customer services manager was called over and she thanked the young man for his ‘unusual’ honesty.  ‘Normally’ she said ‘as a big company our business is seen as fair game and if we make a mistake in the customer’s favour we tend to lose out’.

As he left the store, I managed to speak with the young man and asked him why he returned such a small amount of change – ‘after all’ I said ‘no one would have known if you’d just driven off’.  There was a short pause then he looked me in the eyes and said ‘I would have known’.  He went on to tell me it was about doing the right thing – one of the values he learned as an officer in the Royal Marines. Having spent time studying leadership at the Royal Marine Commando Training Centre at Lympstone in Devon – I knew instantly what he meant.

Not always positive 

The young Royal Marine wasn’t demonstrating integrity because he was being honest.  ‘Integrity’ doesn’t necessarily mean positive characteristics like honesty and trust.  That definition is only relevant in the context of what we might think of as ethical or moral behaviour.

The Latin root of the word integrity is ‘integer’ – to be whole or complete.

Having integrity is about consistency – consistency of values, principles – and more importantly acting in accordance with those values and principles.  The young Royal Marine acted in accordance with his values and principles – even when only he knew he was doing it.

Even street gangs and criminals can have integrity. In terms of ethics it’s just that their values and principles are different from most people in business.  Have no doubt that they do have a ‘code’ – principles and values that they adhere to – and the penalty for lacking integrity can be severe!

“In looking for people to hire, look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence and energy.  If they don’t have the first, the other two will kill you.” – Warren Buffet, CEO Berkshire Hathaway

If any relationship is to thrive, whether internal or external (or personal for that matter) there has to be congruence between the words that set the expectation of certain values and the actions someone demonstrates.  When you actions match you intentions, when others EXPERIENCE that you live your values and stick to your principles, whatever the circumstance, it builds trust and relationships blossom.  Customers, clients, colleagues, suppliers, people who you report to and people who report to you want to know that they can trust you.  People leave an organisation when they don’t trust their manager, employees are fired when trust is lost and customers stop buying from suppliers that fail to deliver on promises.

Integrity in business, based on sound values and principles; trust, honesty, ethics, doing the right thing – builds loyalty, engagement and high performance from individuals and teams. It builds long term profitable relationships with clients and customers that buy and re-buy.

Integrity = Influence

If you want real influence, if you want to lead others or win business; integrity has to be a key characteristic of who you are. You can’t fake integrity (well not for long) and we all know people who don’t live up to the expectations they set – particularly those who push their apparent integrity as a marketing tool.  Successful individuals base the decisions they make on principles. They consistently do the right thing rather than the convenient, easy or popular thing to do. Because they base their actions on values and principles they are trusted to consistently deliver as promised.

“There is no such thing as a minor lapse of integrity”. Tom Peters

Human beings excel when allowed to act in accordance with their personal values. Ultimately people leave organisations where their own values and the values of the organisation differ (or worse – they stay and disengage).  Whilst having integrity doesn’t necessarily mean an individual is a ‘good’ person, it does mean they can be depended on to act in accordance with the values they claim to live by.

Organisations need more people that can be depended on to act in accordance with the values they claim to live by.

David Tovey

Employing staff for the first time – your checklist

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You’ve come to the conclusion that you can’t manage the growth of your business without some help. You’ve been putting off the question of how to hire your first employee and have been trying to juggle all the demands of a small business on your own for too long.  Maybe you need to bring in specialist skills or you’ve discovered that simply putting in more hours produces diminishing returns and you don’t have the human capacity to service new customers or maybe even risk a reduced service to existing clients.

Even if you have managed and recruited people in a previous life with a larger organisation, you may find that how you employ someone in a small business has different challenges.  Hiring your first employee is an exciting time but how you find staff for your business requires serious thought and often means acquiring new knowledge and skills. In our experience, there are no ‘born’ or naturally good recruiters. It takes both an investment of money and time if you are going to find the right staff for your business.

Get recruitment right and the dreams for the future growth of your business can be realised.  Getting it wrong can be a nightmare for you and your employees.  Sadly, too often we see more effort put into selecting a new piece of plant or machinery than employing someone for the first time.

1. Where do I start?

Start with the financials.  This might seem obvious but your new member of staff will be relying on you to pay their salary, on time and in full every month.  Do you have the forecast cash flow to be able to meet all your financial commitments as an employer?  Financial factors to take into consideration include:

• Basic pay
• Commission or bonus
• National Insurance
• Pension contributions
• Training

2. Creating a job description

You might be surprised how often we get feedback from people that the job they thought they were applying for was very different from the requirements made of them once they had started. This mismatch between the expectation of the job and the reality is often why new recruits leave after a few week or months.  It’s an expensive lesson to learn and so easily avoided.

Make sure you are absolutely clear about the job you want your first employee to do,  what type of person you want to hire and what skills are required – but don’t only consider skills.  Think about what type of culture you are trying to develop. What type of behaviours do you want from your first employee?  Getting this right with your first member of staff will make it so much easier to achieve the culture you want when you grow your team.

Right now, we have a high employment economy and many skills are in high demand.  Consider whether recruiting someone with the right attitude and transferable skills will work or whether someone who is fast to learn new skills could be the right fit for your business.

Finally, consider whether the role is full time, part-time or whether a temporary member of staff would work  better for you.

3. Who will do the recruiting?

Do you have the time and experience to carry out all the elements involved in successfully hiring your first member of staff?  Things you need to consider include:

• producing a job description
• creating a person profile
• advertising the role (using on and offline tools)
• communicating with potential candidates
• answering questions about the job and your business
• screening CV’s
• interviewing
• following up
• communicating with unsuccessful candidates

As someone seeking to employ staff for the first time, you may not have an established employer ‘brand’ and good candidates will want to know what it’s like to work for you as an employee.  As you won’t have an existing reputation as an employer it is even more important to get the recruitment stage right.  It’s the only measure that a candidate can use to judge whether you are the right fit for them.  Remember that hiring is a two-way street, a candidate is assessing you, just as much as you are assessing them.

If you don’t have the time or skills to do all of this. It might be more effective to consider outsourcing this to someone you know or to partner with a professional recruitment consultancy.

4. The legal stuff

• Register with HMRC as an employer and set up PAYE
• Take out employer’s liability insurance
• Comply with equal opportunities legislation
• Check employees right to work in the UK
• Is a DBS (criminal background) check needed and do you have an ex-offender’s policy?
• Will the workplace pension scheme be applicable?
• What Health and safety legislation, policy and requirements are applicable?

5. Screening and Interviewing

Once you’ve received some applications, you’ll need to start shortlisting candidates that you’d like to interview.

Out of the initial pool of applicants that you feel have potential, you might want to consider holding telephone interviews before committing to inviting them to a face-to-face interview.

Use this as an opportunity to find out a little more about their experience and why they’re interested in the role.

Next, hold face-to-face interviews with the most promising applicants using a competency-based interviewing style and any appropriate skills testing. Use a broad set of the same questions for all candidates so that it’s easier to compare them against each other.  It will also ensure that your recruitment process is fair and non- discriminatory.

6. Make an offer

Once you have made a decision BE DECISIVE! Good people have options and won’t wait around if you dither about making an offer.  Whether the offer is made face-to-face or over the phone, you will need to confirm details in writing.

Don’t forget to communicate with those candidates that haven’t been successful. Better that they are telling their network of contacts that they were impressed by you and your business than they are glad they weren’t offered a job!

Recruiting good people is key to the future success of any business.  Happy employees lead to happy customers and a healthy growing business. Never be caught in the trap of hiring the best of a bad bunch – take your time and plan to find the best possible fit.

If you would like to know more about how the First Base team can help you to recruit staff for your business call Tricia Hay on 01453 755330 or email tricia.hay@first-base.co.uk

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Management Guide to Employee Experience

Do we have another HR buzzword? Is Employee Experience just another phrase for Employee Engagement? If not, what exactly is it?

Employee Engagement has been on the agenda of forward looking organisations for a number of years. Managers across all sectors and sizes of business appreciate the benefits to the bottom line and their people of an engaged workforce.  So where does Employee Experience play its part?

Inputs and Outputs

We like to think of Employee Engagement as the output that follows the experience employees are exposed to, from recruitment right through to their exit from the organisation.   A bit like customer experience, it includes all the touch points an employee has with their employer; its culture, people and systems.  These touch points can be a positive experience (leading to greater engagement) or a negative experience (leading to reduced engagement).

Starting from their time as applicants and candidates, employees look at everything that happens at work as an integrated experience that impacts daily life in and outside the workplace.  Employee experience includes overall physical, emotional, professional, and financial well-being.  Candidates assess future employers from the very start of the recruitment experience and make quick judgments about what life will be like for them in the organization, based on how they interact with the company throughout the recruitment process

In other words, employee experience is an employee-centric way of thinking about the organisation.  When decisions are made with employee experience in mind, managers and business leaders ask “how will our people perceive this?” and “What impression are we giving our people if we act this way?”  Employee experience takes into consideration how employees see, hear, believe and feel about all aspects of their employment.  These aspects stretch from the recruitment process, through to their last day at your company.

Employee experience encompasses the physical, technological and cultural environment of a business.

For example, during recruitment, managers should be considering:

During induction, managers can ask:

Through the early stages of employment managers will want to know:

As part of their career development:

Finally, at the “exit” phase:

Customers will notice

There are many reasons for an increased focus on employee experience.  Companies are looking to combat the shortage of talent in a high employment economy and want to retain good people.  Another important point to consider is social media’s role when it comes to employer brand, recruitment and retention.  Your reputation as an employer, good or bad, can reach thousands of potential future employees (and customers) in seconds.  Employee experience won’t remain a secret for long as job applicants, staff and ex-employees share their interactions with the organisation.  Poor employee reviews spread quickly and affect whether good people will even apply for a job.  Glowing reviews on the other hand help recruiters like First Base to attract the very best people.

Another vital reason is that employees tend to treat customers as they themselves are treated.  Loyal, engaged staff inevitably results in loyal engaged customers.

Have you taken a look recently at your organisations employee experience?  If you would like to know more about how we can help you create a positive Employee Experience during your recruitment process call Tricia Hay on 01453 755330 or email tricia.hay@first-base.co.uk

Experience isn’t the best predictor of a new recruits’ success

Harvard Business Review recently revealed a review of 81 studies that investigated the link between an employee’s prior work experience and their performance in a new organisation.  The HBR study found no significant correlation. Even when people had completed tasks, held roles, or worked in functions or industries relevant to their current ones, it did not translate into better performance inside a new organisation.

Their conclusion doesn’t surprise us – we know that experience isn’t a great predictor of a new recruits’ success.

It seems counterintuitive

It might seem intuitive that applicants who have general work experience or have already done the job that they’re applying for would be at an advantage.  But when HBR looked at the 81 studies, they discovered a very weak relationship between pre-hire experience and performance, both in training and on the job.  They also found zero correlation between work experience with earlier employers and retention, or the likelihood that a person would stick with their new organization.

Yet job related experience remains one of the top requirements of many employers when recruiting for a role.  Take a look at any job board and you will see that the majority of roles ask for experience even in non-skilled and entry level jobs.  Intuition might say that experience is important – but the evidence (and our experience as recruiters) doesn’t support the idea that candidates with more experience make for better employees.

Why not ‘experience’?

OK, so we haven’t conducted any formal studies – but anecdotal evidence over 22 years and thousands of positions filled suggests that the reason is that many employers measure ‘experience’ using the wrong metrics.  They sift CV’s based on how long an applicant was in a similar role or how many jobs someone has had. Often sifting out those with less or no direct experience.

The problem is that basic metrics like these say nothing about the quality or the significance of any experience gained, things that have more bearing on future performance.  Applicants with ‘experience’ can often impress with the use of industry jargon and what seem like industry related insight that gives the impression that that they will hit the ground running.  But it’s often not the case. Whilst past behaviour is a great predictor of future behaviour – basic metrics based on experience do not measure behaviours.  The applicant might have failed or stagnated in previous role – the key interview skill is to delve into what a candidate has learned from previous experience and how they actually performed.

Employers should also be considering what sort of organisational culture experience was gained in.  Bringing behaviours from an organisation that doesn’t operate in the same way you do can have a seriously negative effect of team dynamics and business performance.

Sadly, when individuals have been screened out because they lack traditional work experience, we lose the opportunity meet candidates who might impress with their answers and we miss the chance to explore behaviours that might be exactly those we want right for the role

What factors should we focus on?

Employers often assume that candidates with experience have gained appropriate knowledge and skills.  They can also think that certain types of previous roles – for instance sales – attract people with particular and much desired personality traits.  Our advice is to focus on knowledge, skills and traits during interview rather than relying on previous experience or even education.

We can understand why so many organisations ask for experience. Experience seems easy to assess. Have they worked in project management for at least five years? Have they managed people before? Have they got sale experience?  The answer is a binary yes or a no.  Past performance and existing knowledge and skills are more difficult to figure out, especially if all you have is an application form or a CV.

The reality is that at this time of high employment and when the best candidates have choices; companies simply can’t afford to select out candidates who would do really well but don’t have the experience that someone decided to put in the job description.  We live in a time when organisations need to expand the pool of people being considered.

If you would like to know more about how the First Base team can help you find the right people for your organisations please call Tricia Hay on 01453 755330 or email tricia.hay@first-base.co.uk.

 

 

 

The Power of Diversity and Inclusion

It hadn’t occurred to me that Diversity and Inclusion could be a sensitive subject until I read a recent report suggesting that many organisations still haven’t got their heads around the obvious benefits. Although we may not have called it D&I 20 years ago, having a genuinely inclusive environment is a natural and normal way for us to operate as a business.

For sure there is legislation that places responsibility on employers in areas such as age, disability, gender, race, religion, belief and sexual orientation. But to slavishly stick to the minimum requirements of the legislation is to miss the real opportunities of an inclusive workplace.  On a personal level it has been a pleasure and massive privilege to work and interact with a diverse range of people. Even when I might not have agreed with them, I’ve always learned something. Different views, experiences and perspectives in the teams I have worked with have made a major contribution to generating new and often innovative ideas.

From a recruitment perspective, don’t underestimate the importance an enlightened D&I environment. Many of the best candidates we see are keen to know about an organisations approach to D&I and it definitely features as part of their decision making.

Defining D&I

There’s the legal definition of course but to reap the full benefits you need to go beyond simple compliance. Fundamentally D&I is about the broad mix of people in your team and inclusion is how you involve them so that everyone is given the opportunity to make a positive contribution.

To be genuinely inclusive means recognising and then setting aside conscious and unconscious bias.  Avoiding assumptions based on differences starts with the example set by management- and starts from the moment a job role is being defined in the recruitment process. Assumptions can lead to discrimination – bad news legally but even worse for individuals and for the business.

The benefits

Taking positive steps to avoid any type of discrimination can lead to real benefits.

Diversity in the workplace can provide:

•  Increased retention and lower employee turnover.
•  Reducing recruitment costs.
•  Greater innovation.
•  Greater employee engagement leading to higher discretionary effort from employees.
•  Increased staff loyalty.
•  Higher staff morale.

Valuing differences

Inclusion is about ensuring everyone feels valued, respected and supported.  It’s about focusing on the needs of every individual and ensuring the right conditions are in place for each person to achieve their full potential.

When we talk about a culture of inclusion, we think about an environment that allows people with multiple backgrounds, mind-sets and ways of thinking to work effectively together and perform to their highest potential in order to achieve organizational objectives. In that type of environment, different voices are respected and heard, diverse viewpoints, perspectives and approaches are valued and everyone is encouraged to make a unique and meaningful contribution.

It starts at the top

The culture of a business is heavily influenced by the support from senior management.  Senior managers should lead from the front to support diversity and inclusion best practices. Workplace diversity initiatives need to receive proactive encouragement from the top, and they should support the ongoing commitment from other people within the workplace.

Dealing with a bad manager

It is often said that people don’t leave their jobs; they leave bad managers.  That is certainly our experience based on feedback from many job seekers.

Depending on which piece of research you read, between 50% and 75% of employees quit their jobs not because of the job itself or because of lack of opportunities, but because of their boss.  Maybe you work for someone who never seems satisfied, shows no appreciation for the work you do or is never around – the list of bad boss behaviours is seemingly endless.  Working with a bad boss is frustrating at best and emotionally draining at worst.  It can impact on work performance, home life, relationships, self- confidence, health and well-being.  A bad boss can make being at work the last place you want to be.  Many do quit a bad boss – but before taking the nuclear option, there are tactics you can adopt to help you and your boss.

An employee’s relationship with their boss is just like any other relationship.  It needs to be nurtured and worked on.  The relationship doesn’t just depend on doing a good job.  Being fully appreciated and treated well can be affected by a miss-match in communication style, personal values or expectations – all things that a boss might not recognise no matter how good you are at your job.
Even if today your boss is a “good” one, you should acknowledge that the future of your work relationship is more about connection, communication and cultural fit than it is about the work itself.  This doesn’t mean you can do a bad job and get away with it – it means doing a good job AND working on the relationship.

Seek first to understand

Try walking in your bosses’ shoes. What targets have they been given? What pressures are they under? What are their goals and objectives?  The more you understand things from their perspective the more you can take these things into account and support them.

What about their communication style? Do they prefer regular updates and let you get on with it or are they sticklers for deadlines? How do they like updates to be delivered, by email, phone or face to face?

Look out for trends in their behaviour.  What seems to upset them and what keeps them off your back or generates a thank you? If you identify themes you begin to understand what is most important to them. It doesn’t mean you have to agree with their aims, just seek to understand them and adapt your behaviour in a way that will give you some influence with them.

Seeking to understand your boss and then adapting your style to meet theirs, could change the workplace dynamic for you.  Maybe you don’t want to use these tactics, and you think it’s up to the boss to change for you – that’s not a wrong perspective; it just might mean that you do need to start looking for that next job.

Before you take that final step, consider the power that you might have to move the entire relationship with your boss to a more positive one.

If you would like to know more about how the First Base team could help you if you decide to make a career change, call Tricia Hay on 01453 755330 or email tricia.hay@first-base.co.uk.

 

How to avoid working for a bad boss

Having a difficult boss is quite often the reason we are given for why some people are looking for a new job.  A manager with poor people skills can easily make a workplace unbearable. 

Some bosses do it without realising it, while others openly manipulate their employees and use them as instruments for their own success.  Regardless of their methods, bad bosses are bad for your well-being, slow down your career progress and can create unnecessary stress. I’ve worked with over 600 management teams all over the world and have found that toxic bosses exist across all sectors.  Public bodies, charities, companies small and large all have their share of managers with poor people skills.

The teams I have worked with worked with often use the same words to describe the bad managers they have worked for.  They include:

•  Self-oriented 

•  Stubborn 

•  Overly demanding 

•  Impulsive 

•  Micro-managing

•  Bullying

In my experience many bosses aren’t surprised by the words used to describe them.  A recent CIM study found that 64% of managers admit that they need to work on their management skills.  When asked where they focus their efforts, managers overwhelmingly say, “Bringing in the numbers”; yet when they are fired, it is often due to their poor people skills.

Avoid working for bad managers

Whilst you might not be able to change your old boss, there are some questions you can ask at interview to ensure you are not about to end up working for the same character with a different name. 

1.  How long has your present team been in place?

You want to find out if there is a high turnover of staff and if possible, why.  If the interviewer avoids being specific it might be a sign that there is more conflict than is healthy. 

2.  How would your team describe your management style?

Difficult bosses will often use this question to tell you about their attitude to managing people.  If the answer is all about their own opinion and ignores the bit about what their team think, it can be a sign that they are overly self-centred. 

3.  Who are your favourite authors on leadership?

Check out what, if any, management books you can see in the interviewer’s office.  Managers who don’t read about leadership may never have been properly trained or potentially think that the know it all.  If their favourite book is “Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun” or “Management and Machiavelli” – be warned!

4.  How would you describe the team culture?

Make sure their reply genuinely makes you a good fit for the organisation. If it makes you feel uncomfortable at interview it will be ten times worse if you join a culture you end up hating. 

5.  How does the appraisal system work here?

If you get a roll of the eyes and a reply that suggests proper feedback is just a paperwork or HR exercise, the manager might not provide the support you need to make progress. If they say that they will make sure you and everybody else will know if are not doing well – take that as a big red flag.

6.  How does the team celebrate success?

Look out for hints about attitudes to work-life balance, culture and rewards other than the usual pay and benefits. “Success will keep me off your back” or lack of a fluent answer might suggest a boss who likes to take all the praise. 

Body language and tone

Non-verbal clues often say more than words so be aware of the interviewer’s body language when you ask a questions.  Do they pause just a bit too long; do they seem uncomfortable or irritated at being asked perfectly reasonable questions?

Know what you want

Every one of those 600+ teams I’ve worked with not only knew about bad bosses, but could also describe the sort of boss that they loved to work with.  Make sure you are clear about what you want in a boss, think about the qualities you have admired in good managers that you have worked for (or would like to work for).  

Finally, ask around about the organisations reputation as an employer.  Do some subtle research personally and on social media. Check out sites such as Glass Door where previous employees leave their views and LinkedIn where you can view the profile of your interviewer.  Do they make comments or write posts that give you clues as to what they really think?

A good employer will never be concerned about being scrutinised and after all, it’s your life.  The better informed you are the easier it is to make the right decision.

If you would like to know more about how to avoid toxic bosses or asking questions at interview, call 01453 755330 or email tricia.hay@first-base.co.uk

First Base – Giving Something Back

“Giving something back” might seem a trite phrase in the hard headed world of business, but at First Base we believe it’s our social duty as well as making sound business sense.

Since founding First Base in 1997, MD Tricia Hay, has supported the aims of ‘Business In The Community” and is a firm believer that the prosperity of business and the local community is inextricably linked.  When a business strives to be the best it can be as a responsible business, there is a positive multiplier effect that benefits society, the economy, the environment and business.

Being a Responsible Business requires purposeful leaders to drive leadership at every level across the business in order to:

As a recruitment business working with hundreds of local companies and thousands of job seekers, we feel particularly well placed to be a positive influence. 

What we do

All of the First Base team gets involved in how our business can act as a force for good by helping to create a skilled, inclusive, diverse workforce and how we contribute to building a thriving local community. 

It starts with a team who love what they do.  Helping employers find the right people and individuals to find their dream job is extremely satisfying work!

First Base Education

We’ve learned a lot over the years about recruiting and retaining the best people as well as how to help job seekers with their career progression.  We freely share that knowledge and other useful  information through our blogs, videos, social media and ‘Insight’ papers.  From job fairs to graduate recruitment events, from mock student interviews to seminars for business owners and active support for National Star College – every week our team is doing something to “give back”. 

Straight Talking Seminars

We’re passionate about building a responsible business and equally passionate about helping other businesses to understand how to build a successful enterprise.

Our Straight Talking Seminar programme goes beyond our core expertise in recruitment to providing world class, no-nonsence and practical seminars on a range of business topics from employee engagement, well-being at work and leadership to marketing and sales. Working with both the Gloucester and Cirencester Growth Hubs we are currently delivering a programme of interactive workshops on social selling – influencing local businesses to grow sales based on a trust based, ethical approach to winning business. 

What do we get out of it?

Fundamentally we commit to playing our part as a responsible business because we believe it is the right thing to do. We sleep well at night and gain enormous personal satisfaction. 

On the other hand we couldn’t invest time, energy and money if we were not a successful business.  A bi-product of that investment is the amazing reciprocity from our own team, individual job seekers, employers and our suppliers. It is their support for First Base that has helps us to continue to grow and play our part in the community.

If you’d like to know more about how giving back can be powerful for the community and your business or how at First Base can help you with your recruitment and job seeking, call 01453 755330 or email tricia.hay@first-base.co.uk