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The 5 best things about working in Recruitment and HR on the Central Coast

December 26, 2011 By Kristy-Lee Johnston Leave a Comment

At Footprint Recruitment we are celebrating our 5^th Birthday! It’s been a great time to reflect on some of the things we have learned along the way. Keeping with the theme we have put together what we think are the 5 best things about working in Recruitment here on the Central Coast!

1) The Talent Pool – The Central Coast has a great pool of talent for employers can choose from. It’s a location which many people are relocating t from cities such as Sydney, due to the better affordability and lifestyle the area offers. Despite the increased population, around 30 000 people who live on the Coast commute to work in other regions every day! (as most of us know and have experienced). This means there is huge potential to have the cream of the crop working locally in our community. If we can offer the roles, challenges and remuneration we can attract extremely high quality, skilled and talented individuals to work for our organisations!

2) People talk – Like a small town, but on a bigger scale, people on the Coast aren’t afraid to let others know what they think. We have been truly humbled by the number of clients we have had the opportunity to work with, which has come about via referral from one of our existing clients. We thank those clients so much for their support and look forward to working with you further in the next 5 years.

3) Sense of Community – It is a great feeling to be associated with Central Coast based companies that have a similar views and values to our own. The Central Coast business community is made up of savvy and experienced business professionals and inspiring entrepreneurs, in short they are great to be around and work with

4) Variety + – The diversity of roles and businesses we get to work with is exciting, rewarding and we love it! Unlike big cities like Sydney where you get pigeon holed working within a very specific scope of positions, or with only a handful of businesses, being on the Coast means we get to work on some really varied and interesting recruitment assignments, with a wide variety of clients across all industries. This keeps us enthused, educated and on our toes!

5) Pride, Purpose and Direction – Central Coast businesses take pride in what they do and treat their staff well. Very few times do we see staff treated like ‘just another number’ which makes our job that much more enjoyable! Coast businesses also have clear purpose and direction, which appeals to the best candidates. Employees who are more engaged and involved in the direction and purpose of the organisation tend to be more committed, loyal and productive, so it’s a win / win for all involved.

Filed Under: Central Coast Business, employees, Job seekers, Management, Recruitment Tagged With: Central Coast Business, Community, culture, employment, Footprint Recruitment, hiring, people, recruiting, Recruitment, referrals, Talent, Variety, word of mouth

New Year – New Career?

December 21, 2011 By Kristy-Lee Johnston Leave a Comment

With the Festive Season festivities well and truly in full swing, and staff gearing up to take their annual leave, or prepare for your shut down period, now is the time to start thinking about and planning for any staffing and people changes for 2012!

I know the last thing many people want to do at this time of year is plan ahead and think about work tasks for 2012, but being prepared and organised can really set you up for a successful start to the new year.

A new year can be a hot time for resignations, transfers and staffing changes in any organisation. Many employees who have become disengaged in their workplace, roles, and careers during the year find themselves taking stock of what really matters and what they really want to achieve in the year ahead over the Christmas / New Year period.

As they sit with family and friends, and start discussing New Year’s resolutions, and the achievements of the year just gone, it dawns on many people that they are unhappy in some aspect of their lives, and the quickest fix seems to be to get a new job! They return from their Christmas leave and one of three things will generally happen:

1)    They stay put, waiting for a ‘sign’, some motivation, inspiration or for something to change. These people generally remain disengaged from their responsibilities and do just what’s needed to get through the day flying under the radar.
2)    They promptly hand in their resignation on their first day back and commence job hunting.
3)    They start searching for that great new role, giving little if any focus and commitment to their current workplace until they inevitably resign.

None of these are ideal situations for a business of any size to face at the beginning of the calendar year, but what, if anything, can you do to avoid these times and minimise the impact they have on the operations and profitability of the organisation?

1) Look for the signs of staff who have began to disengage from their roles or the organisation. Use this time to start to open up conversations with the team about taking the time to relax over the break, and set goals as a team now for some of the things you want to do in the new year. The signs you might be looking for generally involve a shift in behaviour and some classics include taking more than the usual amount of sick leave; leaving work right on time every day, when they used to be the sort of person to work back whenever needed; not putting their hands up for those special projects they previously have been dead keen to be involved in; withdrawing from groups within the workplace; taking long lunches and in general being a different person in the office.

2) Don’t wait until after the New Year to start re-engaging these employees. By having regular reviews and appraisal systems in place, you will more easily be able to identify and manage these employees. Also coordinate more casual and off-the-record catch ups with staff to encourage open communication.

3) Keep employees engaged in the vision through regular team and company meetings – sharing with them goals and visions and allowing them the ability to provide ideas as to how they can contribute to the success and achievement of company goals.

4) Reward staff who are doing a great job! It doesn’t have to be grand or expensive, nor does a big fuss have to be made – a small gesture goes a long way.

5) Know what motivates your people – when you understand this you have the best possible chance of keeping them engaged and committed.

6) Plan a day for very early in the new year for planning, team engagement and morale building – and let the team know about it now. Having something fun and interactive planned gives them something to look forward to, and may get the excited about coming back to work, rather than dreading it!

At the end of the day, staff will always leave organisations, and in some cases there is nothing you can do to prevent this, but you can ensure you manage the process to minimise the impact it has on the rest of the team.

If you have open and honest communication channels with your staff, and they feel they can come to you with honest feedback, you will be in the drivers seat when these situations arise. If they come to you indicating they are seeking alternate work, and there is nothing more you can do to keep them should you want to, give them your blessings, help them to find something new and start he replacement process yourself internally straight away.

The longer an unhappy employee stays with you, then more detriment it will have on your team and ultimately your business. Don’t try and delay the inevitable, nip it in the bud and move on.

Filed Under: Associations, Central Coast Business, employees, Interviews, Job seekers, Management, Recruitment, Uncategorized Tagged With: benefits, brand, Candidates, Career, Central Coast Business, Central Coast recruitment, Communication, culture, decisions, employees, employment, employment selection tools, First Impression, Footprint Recruitment, hiring, Interview dress code, Interview Tips, interviewing, Management, motivation, New Year, people, people management, Professional staff, recruiting, Recruitment Specialists, Resumes, rewards, salary, staff, staff retention, team, team fit

Recruitment and Selection Tools – what to use when

December 19, 2011 By Kristy-Lee Johnston Leave a Comment

We all understand the costs, both monetary and otherwise, that a poor hire can have on our business. For small businesses, this impact can be detrimental as an inappropriate hire can have an immeasurable effect on your existing team and ultimately your bottom line results.

There is a huge range of pre employment assessments, tests, and tools which employers can use to help them through the hiring process. Whilst I certainly don’t advocate using all of them (you would be spending much more time and money than is necessary), I do suggest using an appropriate mix of the right tools for your organisation and the specific role. So to ensure that your next hire is the best possible fit for your team, what other tools are available to assist you?

1) Interviews – whilst not always the most reliable, interviews remain the most widely used recruitment and selection tool. Phone interviews and face to face interviews should form some part of your recruitment process. The key to making interviews a success for you is in asking the right questions, keeping the process consistent across all applicants and remaining impartial throughout the process

2) Skills Testing – particularly useful for positions which require a level of competency in any specific software programs, computer operations or ‘testable’ skills such as customer service responses and alike. These assessments are regularly used by Recruiters and are available to you, generally at a fee, through any number of recruitment and HR service providers.

3) Personality / Psychometric Assessments – perfect for assessing team fit, motivation, and work styles around customer service, sales and a range of other industry specific skills. Whilst many employers still see these assessments as unnecessary and unreliable in our experience they can be an excellent tool to help hone your interview questions and assess appropriateness for your current team.

4) Aptitude and competency based assessments – similarly to the two types of testing and assessment listed above these tests are great for industry specific skills. This may include numerical reasoning assessments for accountants.

5) Reference Checks – it’s an oldie but a goodie, past behaviour predicts future behaviour. Ensure you are conducting your reference checks with previous managers who they reported to, and ask specific questions relevant to the skills and attitudes you need in the new recruit

6) Police checks and working with children checks – depending on the industry and role, these checks may be appropriate to have conducted. In many industries these checks are a standard and potentially compulsory check to maintain quality ratings, and for employers they can provide sound peace of mind

7) Don’t forget your network – all of the tools mentioned so far are fairly standard, but don’t forget to think outside the square. If you know previous employers personally, or even colleagues, friends of customers, don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and ask for some general feedback (provided it doesn’t jeopardise their existing employment of course).

There are probably a raft of other tools available which I haven’t mentioned which may be available to you, but this covers the most popular. Before you next recruit think about which tools could be valuable to you in ensuring your hire is the right fit for your organisation, and the specific role.

Filed Under: Interviews, Management, Recruitment Tagged With: Aptitude test, Competency based assessments, employees, employment, employment selection tools, hiring, Pre Employment tests, Psychometric Assessments, recruiting, Recruitment, reference checks, Skills testing

Save Time- Get Help!

December 12, 2011 By Kristy-Lee Johnston Leave a Comment

Spending the time to recruit properly is vital to the long term success of your business. The right staff will enhance your business and the wrong staff can cause irreparable damage to your reputation and productivity.

Recruiting staff will take between 20 and 4 hours – if not longer – to do yourself. Consider whether you have the time and, if you do, whether this is the best use of your time?

If in doubt, engage a professional!

Here is a detailed breakdown of how long recruitment can take with and without the help of a professional:

Task	Your Time Without Help	Your Time If You Have Help
Preparing Position Description	1-2 Hours	30-60 minutes
Researching advertising options	1-2 Hours	Nil
Writing advertisement	1 Hour	Nil
Total screening ad response time	1 Hour per 10 applicants (for the average role of 50 applicants = 5 Hours)	Nil
Short list to Top 10 applicants	1-2 Hours	Nil
Phone screen top 10	1-2 Hours	Nil
Coordinating 6 x 1^st interviews	1 Hour	Nil
Interview 6 candidates	6 Hours	Nil
Short list to top 3	1-2 Hours	Nil
2^nd interviews with top 3	3 Hours	3 hours
Do at least 2 references on top 3	1-2 Hours	Nil
Discuss decision	Up to 1 hour	Up to 1 hour
Offer successful candidate	10 – 30 minutes	10 Minutes
Advise unsuccessful applicants in writing	1 Hour per 10 applicants (for the average role of 50 applicants = 5 Hours)	Nil
TOTAL	21-35 Hours	5-6 hours

Now if you are having any doubts about the value of using a professional to help with your recruiting, think about this – if you had 20-30 hours to spare in your business – how much money could you make if you were doing the things you are great at, and the things that your business is successful for? I am sure your answer is at least twice whatever the cost is to hire some professional help.

Ok, so the numbers stack up, what should you be looking for when seeking help from a professional?

Do they usually recruit for these sorts of positions? If not, what skills, experience and knowledge are they bringing to the table which tells you that they can handle what you need?

Who else uses them? If you know your competitors are getting great staff from a particular supplier, likelihood is they can help you too! Ask for referrals and recommendations from other business that you know, or ask the Recruiter / HR Consultant for some references you can contact to discuss their service.

What service do they offer, does it provide value for money and what’s included? Not all service providers are the same, and there are many out there who promise the world and deliver nothing. Take the time to understand the processes they go through to find you that perfect person, and make sure they follow these processes.

Do they offer to come out and meet with you, to gain an understanding of you and your business needs? If they don’t offer, don’t invite them, and find someone else. A good Recruiter / HR Consultant wants to understand you and your business to ensure they find the right person.

Are they interviewing all candidates face to face? If they aren’t local to you, the answer is probably no – and if that’s the case what else are you paying them to do?

Are they providing copies of the references they have done, the testing the applicants complete and a thorough resume and interview feedback? If not, how can you be sure that they have followed the process they promised?

Do you trust them? Like all things it ultimately comes down to gut feel most of the time. Do you trust the consultant you are dealing with and do you believe they have your interests at heart?

Filed Under: Central Coast Business, Interviews, Management, Recruitment Tagged With: benefits, Central Coast Business, Central Coast recruitment, costs, employment, Footprint Recruitment, help, hiring, HR, Management, Professional staff, recruiting, Recruitment, Recruitment Specialists, staff, Time

The Good, Bad & Ugly of Using Multiple Recruiters

December 5, 2011 By Kristy-Lee Johnston Leave a Comment

In a well read article which I re visit regularly, written by industry expert Greg Savage “Why clients give out orders in competition… and why it’s wrong for everybody!” (www.gregsavge.com.au), the topic of ‘multi listing’ jobs is discussed.

‘Multi-listing jobs’ simply means clients listing the one vacancy with several different recruiters.

After having many conversations with a range of clients in recent months on this very topic, I thought it was time to revisit the reasons clients feel the need to do this – and why it’s not such a great idea!

Now, as clients, or potential clients reading this, I am sure you are running through a raft of reasons in your mind as to why it is a good idea for you to list your position with several recruiters. I am guessing the following are on the list:
- to get as many good candidates as possible
- in case one agency has a candidate the other doesn’t
- to keep us on our toes
- to see what else is out there
- am I on the right track, are there any others?

So of course you are thinking I am about to tell you to use one recruiter only, and of course for that to be Footprint Recruitment!

Truth is, yes I do think you should have one recruiter who you have a sound relationship with as a primary contact, if that is Footprint Recruitment – excellent. But fundamentally you need to know your recruiter, feel comfortable with them, confident in their skills and abilities and assured that they know your business and understand the roles they are recruiting for.

As Mr Savage accurately points out in his article, if you list a role with 4 recruiters, you can not expect 100% commitment and effort from those recruiters in return. What you will get is 25% commitment, because that’s all you have shown them.

Ask yourself this question, if you were an Accountant, would you complete a full year end on a potential clients accounts, to the most thorough and detailed level possible, if you knew that at the end of the process you would not be paid for the job, because another Accountant who was also working on the same task in competition got chosen instead? Probably not I imagine.

By having a sound relationship with your recruiter, and using this recruiter exclusively for an initial period for each position, you ensure you gain the full commitment from that recruiter, seeing them throw their full range of skills and resources at filling your role with the ideal applicant.

If, after an agreed initial period of time (which will vary depending on the position), your recruiter has not been successful in filling the assignment, and after an open and honest discussion you feel it is appropriate, then it may be the appropriate time to approach another agent to assist with that assignment.

The final thought to consider is this; here on the Central Coast, as we all know, it’s a small world. Recruiters are effectively all fishing from the same, sometimes limited, talent pool. So by multi listing positions with recruiters you will most often end up with the same list of candidates. How does this end up?

1. With frustrated candidates getting confusing calls about the same role from several sources;

2. With some recruiters resorting to unprofessional and inappropriate screening processes in order to get the candidate in front of you first to try and secure the placement fee, with little regard to the suitability of the candidate for the role; and

3. With you with your time wasted trying to liaise with several recruiters and having resumes put in front of you which don’t fit the brief.

Your time is precious and best spent working on your business, so don’t waste it.

Filed Under: Central Coast Business, employees, Management, Recruitment Tagged With: Central Coast Business, Central Coast recruitment, Footprint Recruitment, hiring, HR, indecision, Interviews, multiple recruiters, recruiting, Recruitment, Recruitment Specialists

Thinking Outside the Box – how to prosper in a candidate short market

November 30, 2011 By Kristy-Lee Johnston Leave a Comment

I seem to have spent a lot of time lately discussing with clients the pitfalls and frustrations of a marketplace which seems void of quality talent.

Business owners, managers and decision makers have been questioning whether it’s their business, their culture, what they have to offer, their clients, projects, salaries, benefits or any other tiny detail that has caused them to be in a situation where they are finding top quality talent hard to attract.

In most cases, the simple reason is, there are not enough quality candidates in the market to fill available positions.

In our local market place we see this in many technical, specialist and professional areas, such as engineers, chartered accountants and technical managers. But the same situation could apply to any market at any point in time – it’s a matter of pure supply /demand economics.

So how do you attract candidates to your business in this market? In my opinion, there are 2 key things to look at:

1) Rule out the obvious, you need to look really carefully at your business, and attitudes, to make sure it’s not in fact you and your pre set ideas which are excluding your ideal candidate. What I mean by this is:

- are you paying a fair market salary which would attract your ideal candidate?
- are you looking for a candidate with ‘all the bells and whistles’ but in fact are not allowing this applicant to use all of these on the job?
- are you looking for more in a candidate than what the role really needs?
- are you looking for someone who actually doesn’t really exist?

2) Once you have ruled this out – you now need to think about how you can attract the candidates you want in a market which is not on your side. And my simple solution is this – think outside the box.

The reality is it’s not going to be easy, but if you fight on the same grounds as every other employer, you’ll probably lose in one way or another. So think laterally, think like a candidate and think left field!

Like when assessing your sales and marketing mix you look for your Unique Selling Point, do the same as an employer. What can you offer a candidate that’s better, different or more exciting than other employers in your marketplace?

While salary is always important to candidates, it’s often not the deal breaker, and many candidates are happy to ‘trade’ a little on salary if their other desires are met within a role.

So can you offer more exciting projects, creative outlets within work time, other non monetary benefits like flexible work hours or multiple locations? Get creative, think outside the box and get your applicants attention!

Filed Under: Associations, Central Coast Business, employees, Interviews, Job seekers, Management, Recruitment, Uncategorized Tagged With: application letters, Attract candidates, benefits, brand, Candidate short market, Candidates, Career, Central Coast Business, Central Coast recruitment, Communication, culture, decisions, employees, employment, employment selection tools, employment tips, Footprint Recruitment, hiring, HR, indecision, Interview dress code, Interview Tips, interviewing, Management, motivation, people, people management, People Partner, Professional staff, recruiting, Recruitment Specialists, salary, staff, staff retention, team, team fit, Thinking outside the box

Do Your Staff Make Your Business Look Good?

November 28, 2011 By Kristy-Lee Johnston Leave a Comment

Many of us have found ourselves in situation where we have had staff in our teams who, despite how much we like them as people, probably don’t make our business look good. You know who they are, they are the ones that you wouldn’t take to a Trade Show to promote the business, and in fact you probably would rather they didn’t tell the world that they were associated with the company.

Why? Well probably at the heart of if they don’t reflect the true brand and essence of your business. If they are still in your business it’s probably because you have resigned yourself to the fact that they may not be in a customer facing role, and given that they process data all day – maybe it doesn’t really matter.

But does it?

Yes! And here’s why:

Every day your employees come into contact with people; and inevitably their job, workplace and career come up in many conversations.

At a BBQ with friends on the weekend they might be asked about their job; when meeting with their mortgage broker they could be asked about their career path; and refereeing their kids soccer match they might be asked about the products they sell.

Now think about the answers these staff may give. Perhaps they will seem uninterested, unknowledgeable and even worse – negative.

If they do not have a positive attitude towards work and are not engaged towards achieving organisational goals they will be negative in response to these questions prompting a negative business image.

In effect, in perhaps a passive way, these staff are ruining your business brand, and ultimately reputation. We all know in customer service terms that we tell people a bad experience much more willingly than a good one, so why would this scenario be any different? You never know; it could be your biggest potential customer they are talking to.

So what should you do? When you hire staff, ask yourself these questions:
1) Does this person make our business look good?
2) Would I be ‘proud’ to introduce them to anyone as part of our team?
3) Do they represent our core brand and message?

If you can confidently say yes to all of these questions, and they have met all of your other hiring criteria, you are most likely on the right track to hiring people who are good for your business, and reflect positively on your organisation.

Filed Under: Associations, Central Coast Business, employees, Management, Recruitment Tagged With: brand, employment, hiring, Management, people, recruiting, staff

10 Tips for Managing the ‘Silly Season’

November 24, 2011 By Kristy-Lee Johnston Leave a Comment

With the Christmas and New Year celebrations about to kick into full gear, is it time that you planned how you might manage the ‘silly season’ with relation to your staff, specifically their behaviour, attendance and overall frivolity during the coming weeks and months?

Here are my top 10 tips for staff management during the ‘silly season’:

1) Don’t be a bah humbug! There is nothing that will turn people off their work quicker at this time of year than a distinct lack if Christmas cheer! Undoubtedly the lack of focus which often occurs towards the end of each year can be frustrating for managers and business owners, however failing to ‘embrace’ the fun of the season will only amplify the situation.

2) Set clear guidelines for what is ‘acceptable’ and ‘unacceptable’ in the workplace. If the guidelines are set and made clear to all employees, there can be no excuses, and no confusion as to what you will and won’t tolerate at work related functions, and in the workplace.

3) Remind staff of your drug and alcohol policy and sick leave policy. This again encourages awareness and communication, and most importantly clarity.

4) Remind staff of your social media policy and monitor social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. A comment which may seem ‘funny’ to someone late after a night out, may have a detrimental impact on another staff member, or in fact your business as a whole.

5) If you don’t have any of the above policies implement them now! There is no better time than right now to get these in place if you don’t have them. You can download a variety of templates and examples online, or seek help from a HR professional, but the small time spent getting these in place could end up saving you 10 times that in dealing with issues resulting from staff not being ‘clear’ on what is and isn’t appropriate.

6) Organise your Christmas function so that staff can enjoy themselves and have a good time, in an environment which is controlled and safe. This may mean hiring a private room / venue, organising transport to and from for staff, ensuring responsible service of alcohol and making sure there are some ‘responsible’ attendees looking out for those who may be enjoying the event a little ‘too much’.

7) Encourage staff to put in for annual leave for days they know they will want off – this will reduce the number of ‘sickies’ you need to manage, and at least you can prepare ahead if you know about the dates.

8) Make work fun. As the saying goes ‘if you can’t beat them; join them’. Embrace the festive nature of the season and make working fun! Perhaps you can decorate the office, change the way you answer the phones, have daily prizes for achieving goals and targets, encourage staff to dress in Christmas colours / themes or play Christmas carols in the office.

9) Get Flexible – figure out ways to get the work done, but in a way that allows staff some flexibility to enjoy the various events they may have on (or even just the great weather). Perhaps you can change hours for some or all of your staff so that some staff start early and leave early and others do the late start and finish. Another great idea is to work an extra half hour Monday to Thursday, and then allow staff (where possible) to leave 2 or 3 hours early every Friday.

10) Be tolerant of those who don’t celebrate Christmas. Whilst it may be the case that the majority of your staff celebrate Christmas, be aware that not everyone does. If you have staff in your office who don’t observe this celebration, be mindful of their beliefs and include them without making them feel ‘pressured’ to hold the same beliefs as others. This doesn’t mean ‘cancelling Christmas’ or anything like that, it’s just about using common sense and respect.

Filed Under: Central Coast Business, employees, Job seekers, Management, Uncategorized Tagged With: annual leave, Central Coast Business, Cheer, Christmas, Christmas Functions, christmas in the workplace, culture, decisions, employees, Flexibility, Guidelines, hiring, HR, Management, motivation, New Year, people management, Policies, Professional staff, silly season, social Media, staff, team, workplace

It is What They Know, Not Who They Know

November 21, 2011 By Kristy-Lee Johnston Leave a Comment

It is well established that recruiting staff takes time. To combat this, many employers believe that the best way to save time when recruiting candidates is to do so via word of mouth – hiring someone’s sister, cousin, friend or ex-colleague.

Whilst word of mouth referrals can be a great way to find the perfect person, it is often a shortcut which leads to a placement which suits neither the candidate nor the company in the long run and ends up costing you more in training time, loss in productivity and a reduction in team morale.

When hiring staff the most important factors to consider are the skills required for the role, and the overall fit of the candidate into the team. Whilst sometimes a word of mouth candidate may meet all of this, often they are employed as a quick fix, but are not an ideal long term solution.

Let’s look at the most important aspects you need to consider when hiring a new employee:
1. Does this person possess all of the qualifications, certificates and licences needed to do the job?
2. Does this person have the relevant and on the job skills and experience to do the role?
3. Will the person fit in with your existing team?
4. Do they suit your company culture?
5. Are they motivated, for the right reasons, towards taking on this role and committing to it long term?
6. Do they have appropriate work ethic, loyalty, honesty and integrity to do the role and work in the company?

If the candidate you are considering through word of mouth meets all of this without hesitation, then great, they probably are the right person for the role. But there is little if any way to determine this without having considered the market – are there better candidates for this role, and your organisation out there in the marketplace?

There is another thing you need to consider when hiring through word of mouth, and that is the dynamics of the team. What happens if the person who referred you this candidate has a falling out with this person one weekend? Whilst the argument may not be relevant to work, it will undoubtedly affect both of them at work. When they bring this tension into the workplace it then not only affects them individually, but also the entire team around them.

So in the end, through no fault of your own or the company you can end up with disharmony which impacts everyone in the team, no doubt decreasing productivity and negatively impact company performance. Probably just one more issue you would rather not be dealing with when you could be spending time working on improving your business!

Hiring candidates who know everything you need them to, rather than everyone in your team, will undoubtedly yield better results for your business!

Filed Under: Central Coast Business, employees, Job seekers, Management, Recruitment Tagged With: Candidates, Communication, culture, decisions, employment selection tools, employment tips, First Impression, Footprint Recruitment, hiring, HR, indecision, interviewing, knowledge, people management, Professional staff, recruiting, referrals, Resumes, staff retention, team fit, word of mouth

Pay Peanuts – Get Monkeys?

November 14, 2011 By Kristy-Lee Johnston Leave a Comment

It’s a saying we have all heard time and time again, if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys. And yes, in staffing terms it is true; it is near impossible to find, hire and keep quality talent across most industries if you aren’t offering competitive remuneration packages.

So as a small business owner, how you can you possibly compete with the big players in your market who have much deeper pockets and contingency budgets than you can hope for?

For starters, figure out what is important to your applicants. You can do this by asking them targeted questions throughout the interview process, such as asking them to rate the importance of the following factors to them on a scale of 1-10
- Work / life balance
- Flexible hours
- Discounts on company products
- Salary sacrifice / flexibility options
- Proximity of the workplace to their home
- Bonus and incentive schemes
- A social workplace
- Autonomy and variety in their role
- Control over the structure of their day

Another idea is to ask them to rank the things that are important in their next role in priority order including the following:
- Base salary
- Flexibility of hours
- Duties of the role
- Team environment
- Ability to earn commissions / bonuses

Once you have established what is important to your applicants, you will know where your negotiating room lies when it comes to salaries.

If your applicant indicates that salary is their top priority, and you really feel they are the best person for the role, research your data to make sure they are not overpricing themselves for the market. Always ask an applicant what salary they are looking for before discussing your ideal offer with them, and do your research as to whether this is fair and reasonable in the market for similar roles with other organisations.

If your applicant identifies that salary is lower on their importance list, but you can offer more in the way of the things that are important to them, you are in a winning position. To this applicant, things such as flexible hours and a great team are more important than the money they earn, and provided the wages are fair and just they will typically be happy.

As a smaller business you are often in a much better position to offer these flexible options, which larger companies often find it more difficult to manage and implement because of the flow on effect it has on all other staff in the company.

By framing your offer in terms of the things that are most important to that applicant you are addressing the things that they indicated were important to them first, and selling them all the benefits of your offer, before getting to the fact that the salary on offer may be slightly less than they may expect elsewhere.
This may look like:
We would like to offer you the position. As part of your offer we include:
- The ability to chose the nature of your hours within our core business hours
- The ability to earn commissions of X% on all sales you make over your targets
- The ability to work from home when needed
- An extra week annual leave per year
- A salary of $XX XXXX

Now this is not a sure fire fix, applicants in the current job market are not silly, they know their worth and are not afraid to ask for it. They do however appreciate many of those non tangible aspects of the role and organisation and many of them take these into greater consideration.

So, whilst paying peanuts does attract monkeys, you don’t necessarily need to pay in gold bullion to attract the right person for your business.

Filed Under: Central Coast Business, Management, Recruitment Tagged With: benefits, Central Coast Business, Central Coast recruitment, culture, decisions, employment, employment selection tools, employment tips, Footprint Recruitment, hiring, HR, Management, people, recognition, recruiting, Recruitment Specialists, remunerations, rewards, salary, staff