Don't forget the clocks are changing soon…..are you ready for change?

Clocks aside; thought it would be good to think about the managing change recruitment. Firefighting, plate spinning....whatever you want to call it. It’s at this time of year when businesses inevitably start to think about next years hiring numbers or even decide to change their hiring targets.  Whether it’s an increase, decrease or reshuffle are you prepared?

We're off to Italy and Germany over the coming months to find those elusive graduate engineers wanting to work in engineering.  Many of you are considering how to best target those unique candidates that have an IT and business knowledge combined which can be rare and highly sought after. Have you been able to find them?

In times of change your recruitment plan must be robust enough to flex.  

Do you need to do more advertising, more interviews etc. Or is it the opposite and you need to stop doing this which then gives you extra time to do next seasons planning.  Time to take stock and plan for 2014.

If we are to be effective recruiters and be able to change with business needs then we should quickly adapt to these new requirements.  Have you already got contingency plans in place, can you go out to the employees in your firm for referrals and are you utilizing your alumni networks to to extend your search.

If the unthinkable happens and we find ourselves in the triple dip recession (as the ONS has today alluded to), then focus perhaps needs to shift to the implications of these changes in the short and long term.  Your planning for the next season could be impacted by this so ideally you don’t want to be still filling this years roles whilst recruiting for the next.  Ongoing recruiting and staggered start dates can impact your recruiting and your business continuity so it’s best to fill those roles now. 

Often attention is given to the tightening of purse strings, but it is important to maintain the strength of your brand in the student space.  

We have found that using our relationships on campus, i.e. through brand ambassadors, and leveraging off them may help target strong candidates who have focused on completing their studies before focusing on their search for a graduate role. 

Also, at a time when you may be feeling the pressure to fill positions quickly it is really important to build your relationships with those targeted candidates to support them through your recruitment process, so that you are providing a high quality of candidate management and getting the right people for the roles.  Definitely looking  or quality and not quantity of applications so you could look at going directly to lecturers and   departments on campus and doing follow up calls to those who have attended your careers fairs and events to remind them of the positions available. 

Are you ready for that early wake-up call?

Strategically you can look at pre-empting such changes and moving swiftly to encompass these.

With Easter upon us students are concentrating on their studies so expect to be creative in how you look at your processes.  If you now have a need to increase hiring in more specialist areas you will need tap into societies and departments and look at directly targeting certain areas. 

If you need any extra assistance then our Brightest Minds team are on hand to help.

With spring in the air this is a time for fresh ideas and adjusting to the new season’s challenges so good luck and Happy Easter!

Faceless recruiters and false promises

In our last blog we discussed the importance of continuous candidate engagement throughout the recruitment process or 'Keeping Them Warm' (urgh!). In this post we thought it would be useful to redress address the impact of the faceless recruiter and false promises.

Without a face does not mean less accountability!

Companies spend a lot of time, manpower and money establishing an often comprehensive  EVP, why would they then run the risk of ignoring the start of the recruitment process as an opportunity to promote them and embed their company values.

We hear that when new joiners leave shortly after joining an organisation (within 12 months) one of the main reasons often cited is that they had been sold told something in their recruitment that simply didn’t reflect reality.

Broken promises are difficult repair!

Too often, and somewhat perplexing, we hear recruiters say that it's the responsibility of the candidate to find this out or that they have to sell the positive parts  of the company for fear of losing good candidates. Nonsense!

How can we make sure that candidates’ expectations are correctly managed and more importantly the right opportunity for both parties to ascertain person / organisation fit exists? 

Each candidate to pass through the recruitment process needs to emerge more determined to want to work for the company. Simple rules of customer service apply to the recruitment process; candidates need to be made to feel like they matter to your ogranisation.

Simple tools such as providing more information and insight into the firm during the interviews. It is too easy for interviewers to simply run interview after interview without emotional involvement given the large volumes involved; without paying too much attention to ensuring the candidates fully understand the operating culture of the organisations to which they are applying and the overarching business focus that they have.

Another relatively easy win would be to offer prospective new joiners the opportunity to speak with people at the coal face. This would give them a solid understanding of the culture they will be entering into.

The level and quality of candidate communication is of high importance, how much and when. The level of steering and coaching candidates received between stages adds to this without impacting the robustness or objectivity of the process.

Let's not forget the social space, where a joined up approach can be embedded in your recruitment campaigns including your website, blogs, facebook and communications.  This can increase the impact of your companies values and beliefs, and should reflect the real you.

Successful recruitment relies on attracting the best candidates for your organisation and engaging them with your organisation and brand from the very start of the recruitment process. Our candidate management process is high touch.

If you want to discuss how we get to know and build relationships with candidates we are recruiting effectively, get in touch with us.

Trust me when I say, it is this personal touch that candidates welcome – the feedback and results speak for themselves!

Contact us for more information on 0207 0961 1905 or by email

Keeping Them Warm...the worst phrase in recruitment

Do you agree? What comes to mind when you hear this....

Me too. But like me I bet you see this as the most important part of candidate management?

At this time of the year everyone is focused on keeping warm…………that is the students warm before they join their training programmes in the autumn. 

Tick, tock, tick, tock, time is passing and it’s important to keep your students engaged! Apply in September, Assessment Centre in December, Offer in January.....'Now what' they say to themselves.

Don’t get the winter blues – this is a key time to keep in touch with your new joiners and to start building firm relationships with them.

Some easy wins...

If students are holding multiple offers how are you going to influence them to join you? 

A number of options are available to you such as  

• introducing buddies
• using online portals and forums 
• social media channels - i.e. Facebook groups
• site visits
• team building days

The personal touch..

The personal touch is an effective way of keeping up communication with these students, your efforts now will be well worthwhile in the long run.

Commit to nurturing the relationship, involving them in your company and welcoming them into your firm before they actually join.  Keep them informed and updated on any interesting news or updates that your company has and embed them in your culture by encouraging them to share their experiences and views.

Daylight savings - summers coming up and your students are likely thinking of taking a break over the summer.  This again holds its own difficulties as they may not be checking their emails regularly whilst they are away.  Before they leave, have you done everything that you can to have persuaded them to join you?

The bain of a recruiters life...

You see the changing of the leaves in the autumn and know that other changes are also coming.  Reneges on offers are the bain of a recruiters life, all that hard work and effort comes to nought.  If you have received reneges previously have you done a complete analysis of why and learn’t from this and what lessons can you envisage as being helpful in future years.

Harvest time - at last you can reap the benefits of your toils and see the new joiners enter into your workplace.  Will your keep warm strategy be a success?

This is something at GTI Recruiting Solutions we take very seriously. Get in touch if you want to discuss how. Contact us

Mobile Recruitment: You can't just ignore it?

This week we discussed the issue of Mobile Recruitment, with particular focus on ensuring our campaigns take account of the role played by mobile devices.

Some interesting stats from the recent Six Revisions infographic reminded us of the need to embrace this or risk missing out on important developments in candidate engagement and attraction.

How many people do you know who do not own a smartphone or tablet? Bet you would be hard pushed to find someone who doesn’t.

What are we using them for?

Full Infograph

Why should recruiters care?

As recruiters we are constantly trying to keep up with the latest trends and in graduate recruitment we seem to encounter these trends ahead of our experienced/direct hire brethren.

Technology and a globalised, mobile workforce has shown that there is a clear and present danger to those who ignore the link between recruitment and mobile technology.

One of the conclusions in the Future of Mobile Recruitment report published in October this year reminded us that...

 “...the immediacy, privacy and convenience offered by a mobile handset is very important to a job seeker. An appetite exists for job search via mobile ...” not to mention actually submitting applications for those jobs.

Therefore, we need to make sure our technology works on mobile devices; these include: Websites, Communication Channels, Application Tracking Systems and so on.. 

With so many online drivers to websites for branding, social media channels for engagement or ATS we need to make sure we are ready.

When ‘mobilising’ we need to ensure that we:

•       Consider the content – long & wordy means sore fingers & thumbs
•       Size matters – small screens
•       Use 3-5 word links  - long links will just run down the screen
•       Use wise content flow

Doubters said the same when social media came around the corner.  After having attended the AGR’s Social Media workshop, mobile recruitment generated useful discussion and it was clear this is a topic still hot with graduate recruiters.

I found the follow image very powerful. Mobile Recruitment is here and this is an example of the speed, the rate at which mobile is overtaking desktop. In India alone this year the mobile over took the desktop for internet traffic.

Don't take our word - check this out for interesting viewing....

Let’s embrace the change! If you want more information on mobile recruiting solutions - get in touch. Our ATS is ready!

Will the UK ever learn, Transnational Graduates are here to stay.

This week the question of workforce mobility is raising its head. Not so much how mobile one is but how far we are prepared to go to get a new job, geographically speaking of course.

 I can’t recall if I read a report or whether it was one of those random conversations....but about 4 years ago I recall being informed that Irish graduates were the most mobile in Europe, I wonder whether this is still the case.

I digress.... we know from a report produced by HESA that  in 2011 more than 2000 graduates from our more established HE institutions have found jobs abroad and a recent article in The Telegraph discussed that the number of graduates, who have decided to leave these shores to find work increased by about 27%.

The days of spending a year working abroad either before going university or as part of a sandwich course seem to be reducing with school leavers wanting to get through the rest of their education and into workplace at a much faster rate. It wasn’t so long ago we were discussing the possible impact of 2-year degrees – as expected we haven’t seen many of them pop up.

I guess that we once referred to organisations as being ‘transnational’ perhaps with globalisation that we see in education as well as the economy and job market we can now start referring to people (and graduates) as ‘transnationals’.

With so many graduates going abroad to find work does this really constitute a brain drain as the same newspaper suggests. I suspect not.

 It would be useful to know, though difficult to measure I suspect, what is the average length of the typical transnational’s absence from their home country and what value they add on their return?

Although there is some fear within the above that graduates are tending to move internationally to develop themselves further, at a personal level this does also develop their awareness of other cultures. Surely in such a diverse environment as the world of work, this must be seen as a plus.

And the UK? In an international marketplace are we really promoting long term opportunities to candidates at the same time as offering so much confusion over visa’s and more recently sponsorship at universities.

Is a transnational workforce practical or is it actually a concept that is flawed.  In banking and accountancy you would be expected to move around and secondments are a natural part of your development. AsiaPac has long offered a range of opportunities to the West.  Where industry hubs have grown up in more regional areas this can have a great impact on the local economy but do graduates stay in these areas for long periods of time or do they then use this experience as a stepping stone?

The value of speaking another Language in today’s workplace for graduates is quickly becoming a necessity and could be seen as a disadvantage to those who do not speak a number of languages or have a limited awareness of other cultures. Is this just referring to the elite? 

It is my feeling that within the UK, we have delayed views on the value of international work experience; for example,  graduates have often thrived to attend UK-based universities and to complete and gain internships and graduates jobs within the UK market. After all we are seeing an increase in the numbers of students looking to study abroad, such the Netherlands.

Are we in the UK only just starting realise the importance of working internationally to compete with the rest of the graduates for Global Jobs?