How to Stop Candidates Dropping out of the Hiring Process
Why do some relationships just not work?
Have you ever had someone back out of a job offer?
Often, you may not discover that your new recruit has dropped out of the hiring process until a couple of weeks before their start date or worse, on their first day, when they just don’t turn up! This can cause all sorts of issues including the time and resources spent on the interview process, discussions with teams surrounding a plan for onboarding and the purchase of tech or a vehicle.
Most candidates will have a notice period and therefore may have a gap of a month or more, between accepting a job offer and their first day in the role. For more senior roles, a realistic notice period could be up to three months.
Keeping in touch with your new recruit is key to ensuing your candidate doesn’t drop out of the recruitment process. Regular communication between making an offer and their start date is often overlooked, but this key strategy can prevent any disappointing news in the future and beginning the process again. We call this maintaining the motivation to move – this can quickly diminish if comms are stopped altogether.
A lot can happen in a month. Think about how quickly things moved in 2020!
People change their minds and sometimes they are just too nervous to let you know. As a recruitment agency we are now finding an increasing trend in candidates declining offers, that they had previously accepted. Applicants may be at risk of redundancy and therefore panicking about both their financial situation. This is resulting in job seekers making quick decisions to accept an offer that may not actually be the right fit for them. An increasing number are being counter offered by their current employer as a result of changes happening fast, or backing out of a role if they accept a better offer.
Working with a good recruitment agency can help prevent candidates dropping out between the offer and start date as, ultimately, good recruiters want to find you the right candidate from the get go – they don’t want to be looking for a replacement a few weeks down the line.
Your recruiter will qualify applicants in a series of communications over time. I recently had an experience where, having spoken to a candidate several times, alarm bells started to ring. I’ve been doing this a long time and my gut instinct is spot on. I spoke to my client to raise my concerns and together, we decided on a course of action which included agreeing on a timescale and keeping other candidates close by should we need them. As it turned out the candidate, as predicted, dropped out and took another job role where, perhaps, no such diligence was applied. We dodged a bullet.
By maintaining contact you really can ascertain any problems early on and protect your business from being on the back foot.
I suggest keeping in touch at least once a week; this could be a courtesy email to check they have received their contract and see if they have any questions, or a video call to explain what their first day will be like. Let’s face it, their first day probably isn’t going to be the same as it would have been this time last year and this will open up a conversation to cover off any concerns or questions. If you don’t receive a response don’t worry initially, however, make sure you follow up and have a plan B just in case.
Once your job offer is accepted don’t just sit back and wait. From my experience, communication with your new recruit, right up to their first day is hugely important.
Lilly Chappell, recruiting into the office environment at all levels.
Why use a recruitment agency? The benefits
“Why do I need to use a recruitment agency when there are plenty of people looking for work?”
It’s a fair question and one that some employers are probably thinking. Even those who have done well throughout the pandemic might be thinking it’s now time to review their recruitment strategy.
It might be true that it’s easy right now to place an ad and get hundreds of applications within a few hours, but here’s why using a good recruitment agency can help you in this new world of continued restrictions and subsequent pressure on businesses.
What are the benefits of using a recruitment agency?
Save time (and possibly lower your blood pressure!)
Ok, so you might get hundreds of applications, but a huge proportion will be generic CV’s from people not right for the role you’ve advertised. It’s difficult enough in ‘normal’ times but the task is now an order of magnitude and hugely time-consuming. When you partner with a recruitment agency, they will make sure that you only have to deal with the candidates suitable for the role you’re looking to fill.
Get on with business
Recruiting the right people takes time and customers still want innovation and high service levels. Your time (rightly so) will be split in dealing with the pandemic and all the HR related issues surrounding this. Normal day to day business is hard enough without recruitment becoming a full-time job. An agency makes sure you only need to be involved in the decision making stage of the process.
Tap into your consultants’ network
Quite often the right person for the job isn’t actually looking for work right now. You might be surprised that agency’s still have daily contact with great people thinking of a career change but not actively applying for anything. Good consultants haven’t stopped networking and building their database. That means agencies can proactively recruit on an employers behalf, reducing the time and effort it takes to find the right candidates to interview – often within a few hours – and reduce the chances of a bad hire.
Manage your employer brand
For even the best employers, the pressure of recruiting can sometimes mean the recruitment experience for candidates is less than satisfactory. Easy and frequent social media access means that, even for the best-intentioned, a bad experience can be shared and widely commented on. Consultants recruit as a full-time job and make sure an employers reputation is protected and promoted.
Companies are still recruiting!
Undoubtedly, it is a tough time for a lot of companies and a lot of people. Never the less, many organisations are still hiring. Many companies are already planning ahead for better times and growth – and they haven’t stopped looking out for good talent.
When you partner with a good recruitment agency, you can not only gain access to the best people, but you can put yourself in pole position when it comes to hiring them, pandemic or no pandemic.
The team at First Base can help you recruit the right quality of people for your team and give you access to the right talent whilst at the same time helping reduce the stresses of these testing times.
If you’d like further info regarding placing a role with First Base click here.
Office management and support
Did you know that we place candidates into HR, Sales, IT, Finance, Marketing and Financial Services roles?
Our commercial team have continued to source, engage, shortlist and propose only the best candidates for any and all office-based roles during lockdown (1.0, 2.0 and 3.0).
Roles recruited to date this year include: Software Developers, HR Managers, Customer Service Administrators, Finance Managers, Mortgage Advisors, Service Desk Technicians, Events and Training Administrators and Marketing Executives, to name a few.
The team have built up a solid reputation in the market place and have a fantastic retention rate, whereby 90% of the candidates placed remain in post at their first years anniversary. Their mission? To offer an exemplary experience to both candidates and employers, an experience that they enjoy from start to finish.
Don’t take our word for it – head on over to google and see what our clients have to say.
Lilly and her team are available on 01453 755330 or by emailing commercial@first-base.co.uk or by utilising our chat box at www.first-base.co.uk
6 Ways to Stay Motivated During Your Job Search
Staying motivated in a frustrating job hunt can be extremely difficult for anyone. How is it though, when faced with a challenge or adversity, that some people seem to get stuck and unable to move on, whilst others seem to bounce back from difficult events much more quickly than others?
Psychologists have long studied the ability to ‘bounce back’ even when the odds seem stacked against us and have come up with a label you may be familiar with: resilience.
Resilience is about knowing how to cope in spite of setbacks, barriers or limited resources. Resilience is a measure of how much you want something and how much you are willing and able, to overcome obstacles to get it. We are all equipped to be resilient, but it is a personal skill that needs to be worked on and developed.
So, what can you do to stay motivated while searching for job?
Develop resilience
There is a tendency to view a job search solely as a means to an end. Conduct a job search, go through an application process and get a job. Landing a job is of course the primary purpose of a job search, but there are a host of benefits that we can gain from facing the challenges of difficult times.
Immersing yourself fully in a job search allows you to develop a range of skills that have the potential to expose you to opportunities you never imagined. Resilience is a skill that comes in handy during a job search as you are pretty much guaranteed to face multiple setbacks. It is also a skill in high demand by employers.
Luckily, the job search process itself can help you develop resilience. Success in a job search, and in day to day life, comes from our ability to pick ourselves up and move quickly past disappointments. This may sound daunting, but there are some simple strategies that you can implement to build on your resilience levels.
Be proactive in your job search
Often it can seem that the much of the job search process is out of your control but being an active participant builds confidence.
Don’t just spend your day hidden behind a keyboard sending out generic CVs. Research employers and the roles they are offering. Tailor your applications.
Get involved in online networking opportunities, webinars and forums where you can build your profile, develop new skills and keep yourself informed.
Stay in touch with the industries, professions and contacts that you know. Research sectors that are still doing well during the pandemic and look for opportunities where your skill set is transferable.
Make sure you keep in touch with your recruitment consultant, build a relationship, comment on their social media posts and blogs. Demonstrate your ability to get past disappointments.
Have a routine
Most jobs have a routine and a job search is no different. Plan your day, dress for work, have a start time, break times and a finish time. If you don’t have a routine you can soon find that days have passed without any real progress.
Whatever you schedule, try to stick to your plan. It is one of the things you can control, it is more productive and helps you move closer to your goal.
Re-energise
Looking for work can be emotionally and physically draining. Find something you enjoy doing and make time every day to do it. Don’t become a ‘couch potato’ or allow you routine to be built around day time TV. Eat well and exercise. Allow your brain some time to switch off, revive itself and get back to the task with more energy.
Watch your language
Our brains are hard-wired to think the worst and to notice the bad. It’s why bad news sells newspapers. Resilient people recognise that the words they use can have a huge impact on their mood, their job hunting productivity and their ability to make the best impression.
It’s too easy to tell yourself that there are no jobs or that ‘I’m not going to get the job” when you make an application or get an interview. The problem is that the words we use are followed by actions, or in the case of negative words, inaction. “I can’t” leads to not trying and becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Changing the words we use can have an immediate and positive effect. Just a simple “I can do this” will have an impact on your actions and performance.
Learn to handle rejection
A job search in normal times can mean you will receive more rejections than offers. Be realistic. If you send out 100 speculative CVs you are likely to receive a very high level of rejection and rejection on that scale can feel demoralising.
Try to apply for roles where you feel you would be a good match with your skills and experience and that you would actually accept if offered.
Remember that job offers are sometimes made on the smallest of details. Failing to get a second interview or a job offered is never a personal attack or a suggestion that you have some fatal flaw. You just didn’t win this time, so dust yourself off and look for the next opportunity.
Ask for feedback
Resilient people are always learning. They want to do better next time so actively seek feedback from interviewers and their recruitment consultants. Rebounding from setbacks isn’t easy even for the most positive of people. Fortunately, resilience is a skill that can be developed and strengthened over time.
Although job searching can seem tough, you can take comfort in the fact that at the end of it, you will not only end up with a job, but you will have developed life skills and skill set that employers value. Overcoming setbacks gives you the confidence needed to pursue alternate avenues, and to open those doors that were temporarily closed to you. We all have something to offer that someone else wants.
The team here at First Base is always here to help. If you want advice or support to help you find the job you are looking or just someone to talk to about finding work, please contact us on 01453 755 330 via enquiries@first-base.co.uk or via our chat function at www.first-base.co.uk.
Adapting to the recruitment processes of 2020
The world has changed in 2020 and there has been a big impact on when, how and if employers recruit. On the upside, many employers are recruiting and some sectors and businesses are thriving, on the downside, some industries have been hit so hard they may take years to recover. The world of work is changing and there is no going back to the old normal.
Employers are having to adapt and change, to innovate and find new markets just to survive. They need good candidates who understand that they too need to respond to today’s reality.
Our recent experience of recruiting for clients and for a new role here at First Base has highlighted the simple truth that many people who say they are looking for work are not demonstrating to potential employers that they are the best people for the job. Just like employers are having to learn fast how to adapt, job seekers are going to have to learn fast too. We are way past the time when you can simply send out dozens of CVs and expect a reply, let alone an interview, face to face or Zoom.
Over the coming weeks, the First Base team will be sharing a series of blogs to help you to prepare for your job search, how to stand out, what you can do when between jobs, how to interview and how to stay positive.
If you have any questions or need help to find a job now or in the near future, contact us on 01453 755330 or get in touch through our FaceBook, Twitter or Instagram accounts. The First Base team is ready and eager to help.
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Keep in touch with the team at First Base if you want help with your future career plans. Call, email or social media!
‘WORKING’ at home
It’s a difficult time for sure. Remote working (sometimes with kids at home) is a new experience and a new challenge for many. Some of us have lived through national crises before and it will pass. In the mean-time we need to ensure our businesses survive during the current emergency and thrive once it passes.
For many of us working remotely or managing remote teams isn’t new. For millions of managers, freelancers and staff, remote working is the usual mode of working. It may worth reflecting on the fact that hundreds of thousands of mums have coped over many decades. Some have gone on to write best-selling novels and build multi £m brands with kids around their feet.
If it’s new to you, here are some tips being put to use right now by organisations determined to keep their teams working productively.
Communication and structure
Firstly, remember it’s WORKING at home. Not a holiday, a jolly or part time. The work might be the same or different from the usual day to day but whatever the work is, it should be approached with discipline and be effective.
For the usually self-motivated, effective team members (you know who they are) checking in daily (not checking up – it’s different) will be enough. They will be as productive, if not more productive than when they are office based. You can depend on them but don’t forget them. My son runs a remote team and they have a virtual coffee break together twice a week – thanks for the idea James!
Others will need structure. The risk is that their effectiveness will fall off the cliff if you fail to keep them accountable for performance.
If remote working is new to you, think about:
Video conferencing and cooperation tools
Clear, consistent communication is key for remote work success. This doesn’t mean you need to be talking to your colleagues all day long, but knowing that everyone has a common tool to brainstorm, ask questions and post notes is crucial.
Being present and seeing each other is an important part of keeping connected. Don’t hide away or do other work during on line meetings.
Agreeing working hours
There is a risk that work will expand to fill the hours available and motivated members of the team end up overworking. We need to keep up effectiveness and productivity over the long term so agree working hours and establish start and finish times. Keep work communications to working hours, everyone has enough to think about right now.
Being disciplined and setting up a routine
Get up and follow a weekday routine, not a weekend routine. Be at your ‘desk’ at the agreed start time. Plan breaks and don’t be use the excuse of the many distractions around the house that might cause you to lose focus.
Dress for work
Another one from my sons list of tips – it is very helpful to prepare yourself for the working day switching from ‘home mode’ to ‘work mode’, even when you are working from home. Don’t be a pyjama sloth. Get out of your PJ’s. Put on other clothes!
Build in breaks
Start and finish the working day just like any office based day. When you do take a break, tear yourself away from your workspace and clear your mind. Don’t take lunch at your desk. If the weather allows and you have one available, get out into your garden for a few minutes. Don’t switch on the TV – you will never recover from the distraction!
Productive use of business social media
Stay away from personal social media distractions during work time (see schedule in socials), it’s a real productivity killer. Using social media to share helpful, informative and useful information on business channels is different. We can all do more to help build our personal and business brand, helping colleagues and customers at the same time, particularly if your normal workload has reduced because of the present circumstances.
Tidy desk, tidy….
Keep your workspace and computer and paper files tidy. Make things easy to access and find help to keep us focused.
Stay positive
Take advantage of working at home to set your own mood and atmosphere. Listen to the music and radio channel YOU like, have the heating set at your own comfort level, burn an incense stick if you like.
Eat, exercise, sleep.
Physical health is intertwined with mental health, make sure you’re getting good rest, eating well, and find exercises you can do from home.
Schedule in socials
Put some time in the day where you’re catching up with others about non-work topics, just as you would as work. Share a cup of tea with someone via a video call, or just pick up the phone, don’t rely upon only typing and texting.
Pick up the phone!
At a time of enforced social isolation remember that not everyone has access to or uses social media or technology. An old fashioned phone call might be a different, kind and thoughtful thing to do.
Maybe even an old fashioned phone call to people you normally only communicate with on social media would be a kind and thoughtful thing to do as well.
You may very well find that your temporary ‘new’ way of working becomes the permanent new way of working. Do it right and the productivity and wellbeing gains can be huge.
The First base team is adopting new ways of working to support colleagues, candidates and clients through these challenging times and beyond. Call us, email us, tweet us if you need extra support, advice or help.
Coronavirus – Employers Liability and Obligations
With thanks to Darren Sherbourne, Employment Solicitor at Sherbourne Solicitors – current advice regarding employer’s liability and obligations relating to issues arising as a result of the spread of Coronavirus.
First of all, we should put this in perspective. The concern around Coronavirus is based on its ability to be passed on from person to person before symptoms show, not the severity of the virus itself. Mortality is so far estimated to be lower than 1%.
NHS medical advice currently remains the same as for ‘normal’ seasonal flu and colds – sneezing or coughing into a tissue and washing hands often.
THE LEGAL QUESTIONS
In the event that this outbreak becomes widespread in the UK, the following issues may be worth considering.
1. Do we as employer have a duty of care to employees to protect them from this virus?
All employers have a duty of care, but it is to take such steps as are reasonable in all of the circumstances. Large employers may have disaster recovery protocols already set out which involve home working for those that do not need to be at work. Small employers may consider issuing advice to employees, such as about washing hands and avoid coughing into the air.
2. Can the government force employers to close?
In extreme circumstances the answer is Yes, but there is absolutely no suggestion that this is envisaged.
3. Can employers force staff to stay away?
Yes, but in many circumstances the employer would have to pay staff if it insisted they stay away from work when they are not ill.
4. If I have two absent staff, one who is very good, and one who is not very good, can I pay one discretionary sick pay and not the other?
You can, but it’s a very risky thing to do and is not recommended.
5. When do absent staff have to be paid?
The following scenarios normally result in the following obligations:
a) The employee follows government advice because symptoms are present and stays off work. This seems to us to be sick leave. The employer may want to relax the need for a doctor’s certificate for the two week duration but SSP would be payable, and any contractual sick pay.
b) The employee stays off work because they have travelled to Italy (for example) in the last week, but is not showing symptoms. The employer would be free to choose to pay sick pay, but it’s not really sick leave so there is no obligation. As government guidance stands, the employer could insist on the employee attending work, but we cannot see why an employer would want to do that.
c) The employer sends an employee home when they are showing no symptoms, because they have travelled to an affected area, then full pay must be paid.
d) The employer sends an employee home who is showing symptoms, and who has travelled to an affected area recently, then this would be sick leave and should be treated accordingly.
e) The employer is unable to provide work to employees because parts have not arrived from China (for example), then this would be a situation where, if the employer had a “Lay off” clause in their contract, they could temporarily send the staff home. If there is no “Lay off” clause, then lay off might also be achieved by agreement with staff, or by having a rolling period during which a small number of staff must take some of their annual holiday. 20% of the workforce for a week at a time achieves a 20% reduction in the workforce for 5 weeks. It could also be a redundancy situation.
f) There is a lack of work due to the public or customers staying at home. It’s the same as (e) above.
g) You have an employee who is unable to return from holiday due to quarantine. This is strictly speaking the employee’s problem, and the employer is not under an obligation to pay for the period of absence.
h) An employee cannot attend work due to childcare as a nursery or school has closed. Again this is the employee’s problem and not the employers. There is an obligation to allow a short period for parents or carers to find alternative care arrangements, but this is unpaid. Note however that continued absence for this reason might in normal circumstances justify dismissal, if a widespread outbreak occurs we suspect the tribunals would be hard on employers who chose to dismiss employees in these circumstances.
GENERAL ADVICE
I. Provide hand sanitiser and remind staff of the importance of hygiene.
II. Consider telling mildly symptomatic staff to stay at home. This is a double edged sword for employers and should be considered carefully. Many clients tell us that if they give such advice, they have staff who may see it as an opportunity for holiday. This should be balanced with the risks to health in a widespread outbreak of staff struggling into work when unwell. If you have 100 staff, statistically, one may die if all contract the virus.
III. Consider disaster recovery measures, such as providing staff with the ability to work from home if appropriate.
IV. Consider risk assessing staff, particularly those with pre-existing medical conditions such as chronic asthma or heart disease for example.
V. Consider increasing the frequency of work place cleaning.
IMPORTANT REMINDERS
· The UK is not yet in the grip of an epidemic and may not ever be so.
· The vast majority of those infected recover fully.
· Employers should remember the message they give to staff as well as what they can avoid paying to those who are absent
· Staff should be treated consistently.
· Employers should remember that this may become an opportunity to show staff what a good employer you are.
If you would like further legal advice you can contact Darren on 01242 250039 or for advice on how this might affect recruitment contact Tricia Hay on 01453 755330
The UK’s unemployment rate has remained at 3.8% – its joint lowest level since early 1975, according to official figures. New figures, released by the Office for National Statistics, reveal UK unemployment fell by 16,000 to 1.29m in the three months to December and the number of people in work rose from 180,000 to 32.93m over the quarter.
Total vacancies rose to 810,000, the highest since the quarter to September 2019, with total earnings growth including rising by 2.9%.
The new figures suggest that we have a UK job market that is growing in confidence, that remains buoyant and is placing record numbers of people in work. Those organisations that took a more cautious approach during the recent years of political and economic uncertainty, are now putting into action ambitious recruiting plans.
A candidate’s market?
Whilst the employment figures tell a good story, 41% of business leaders remain concerned about their ability to attract and retain the best people. Talented candidates are often juggling multiple job offers at a time.
Employers really do need to think differently about how they attract the right people. The best organisations are reviewing remuneration packages, benefits and working environment in order to make sure they attract good candidates. Flexible working, regular high quality training, good working conditions and employee wellbeing benefits are actively being sought by candidate’s keen to bring a more balanced approach to their working lives.
They say there is nothing as constant as change and UK businesses are certainly operating in a new dynamic environment where there is not much certainty around. A more flexible approach around the working environment and employment conditions is fast becoming a vital strategy for UK business.
Speak to the team at First Base if you would like to know more how we can support your recruitment plans and help you attract the right people. Contact Tricia Hay on 01453 755330 or tricia.hay@first-base.co.uk
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.
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.
