23 minute read
The Last Word
According to a survey of 2,000 UK companies most are planning to allow employees greater fl exibility on where and when they do their jobs. CIPD, the professional group for human resources staff , said two-thirds of companies are developing a hybrid work model where people spend only part of the time in the offi ce. So how can recruitment leaders continue to drive productivity with a hybrid team?
“Since COVID, technology has gained a more strategic importance. It’s now a critical part of every business, not just a cost-eff ective solution. It’s become the enabler that connects and allows consultants to work from any location, be it the offi ce, home, or the local coff ee house. Communication tools like Teams, Zoom and WhatsApp have quickly been adopted to become the norm. Remote working on the scale necessitated by the pandemic would simply not have been a viable option only a few years ago before cloud-based technology.
However, there is still a gap for most agencies that needs to be bridged
HOW RECRUITMENT AGENCIES CAN MANAGE HIGH PERFORMING TEAMS IN A HYBRID WORK ENVIRONMENT
Charlie Voller Barnes, Product Manager, Access NorthStar, and Matt Comber, Head of Strategy, explain how to help employees perform at their best now that working from home is here to stay.
between the data that is held in their recruitment CRM and how this is manipulated daily across the business to drive better results. Isn’t it time for recruitment leaders to replace their daily stand ups, whiteboard or notepad scribblings and start to give their teams instant online visibility and transparency of their performance?
Access NorthStar does just that. It’s a productivity and performance tool that empowers individual consultants to become outcome driven, to identify where they are performing well and show areas of specifi c activity for improvement. Scores can be shared across teams to create healthy competition - the driving force for many successful agencies and hard to replicate whilst the majority are now home-based.
Performance dashboards serve up a ready-made appraisal tool for managers to use with their consultants and back-offi ce staff . Th ere will always be consultants who will shout about their successes - but it’s not necessarily the ones who shout the loudest who are truly performing the best. With Access NorthStar, team leaders have an accurate view of who the high performers truly are - and can spot potential superstars who are coming to the fore by visualising activity compared to their KPIs.”
What potential impact is there if consultants continue to work from home full time?
“Th e boundaries between work and home life are increasingly blurred, so that work can creep into every moment and place causing mental health issues and burnout. Whilst some consultants may have a quiet space to work from at home, there are many, especially those starting out on their journey in recruitment, who do not.
Some of our customers have questioned how they can work out employee fl exibility to ensure there are enough experienced consultants in the offi ce to support new staff joining the business. Th is mentorship is essential to help new consultants learn, improve and achieve. At the other end of the spectrum managing and retaining senior consultants can be equally challenging unless they feel engaged with the business.
What has been missing for many is constructive feedback on what they can do to grow in their role, given the lack of in person direction. People are still looking to build their careers and having a platform that guides their development makes it a more level playing fi eld whether they are in the offi ce or not. As Access NorthStar visualises data from within the recruitment CRM it also makes for more objective decision making.”
Top 3 tips to manage a hybrid team
1Invest in technology so your consultants have all the tools to succeed - whether that be cloud-based CRM, video conferencing, or productivity and performance tools.
2Give your consultants full visibility of their goals and empower them to deliver on outcomes. In a self-serve world consultants don’t want to wait for a call from their manager to understand how they are performing.
3Put staff engagement top of the agenda. With a disparate workforce, feedback and growth goals are key to retaining your top performers and developing those with potential.
NorthStar enables better staff performance and engagement by highlighting areas where productivity can be enhanced. For more information visit www. theaccessgroup.com/recruitment or call 0845 345 3300.
recruiters can also better understand whether the technology they use is keeping its promise to search out, handle and process great talent,” she says. “Technology used wisely and in the right stage of the funnel can defi nitely deliver on its aims.”
Mårtenzon identifi es three main ways where AI can bring benefi t to recruiters: collecting objective data for making more informed decisions; creating unique and customised experiences and ensuring applicants get fair and equal treatment; and increasing effi ciency throughout the funnel by relieving them of repetitive tasks.
Predictive Hire’s Hyman believes its tools are of most benefi t “at the
ELIN ÖBERG MÅRTENZON CEO of Tengai top of the funnel” when organisations have thousands of candidates applying for positions. Its Phai machine learning tool allows recruiters to literally interview everyone who has applied for a position via text chat and claims to do so in a fair and equal way to see who is the best fi t, “no matter what age, gender, sexuality, experience, ethnicity”.
“And we can send every one of them personalised feedback. We can understand immediately what soft skills a person has, something you cannot tell from a CV. You can’t do any of this without AI.”
Users include grocery retailer Iceland, which faced huge recruitment challenges in the pandemic. Th e tools helped them to recruit 5,500 new team members in a month even though they had zero capacity for recruitment. It was receiving 50,000 applications a month and Predictive Hire’s mobile-fi rst solution asked candidates fi ve customised questions and gave each one personalised feedback. Th e cost per hire was reportedly £5.
In the short time since Tengai launched, Mårtenzon has seen a shift in both perceptions and use of its platform, partly fuelled by the
KEY RECRUITMENT AI TERMS EXPLAINED
Programmatic advertising: this is where computer algorithms decide where and when to buy and place job advertising and for how much. It makes use of big data to target job ads and real-time bidding to place them. Machine learning: this is a branch of AI where algorithms can be trained to learn by repeatedly accessing data without being programmed. In recruitment, such algorithms can be trained to perform repetitive tasks. Facial recognition soft ware: a system which can match a human face to a digital or video image, which could be stored in a database. When combined with AI, the database can be searched and matches instantly made.
pandemic. Initially, they met resistance for a number of reasons but mainly because recruiters weren’t technically mature enough to insert technology in at the interview-phase and were also afraid that their candidates weren’t technically mature enough.
“Over the past year, we can see that the technology adoption in both recruiters and candidates has skyrocketed and people are now very used to conducting several stages of the funnel with the help of technology,” she says. “Th at said, the need for our product has increased since our initial launch and is now not only focusing on use of technology but around the purpose it serves: for instance to mitigate bias, increase effi ciency, create data-driven processes, secure overall candidate experience and more.
“Since technology development is exponential, it is only natural that the use of technology follows that pattern.” ●
WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN UP TO? GET IN TOUCH!
From climbing Three Peaks, running 100 half marathons and joining 100 other recruiters, you’ve been busy since the last Recruiter…
…AS 100 RECRUITERS IMPACT HOMELESSNESS
BENEFER TAKES UP THE 100 CHALLENGE…
Regular readers of Recruiter and recruiter.co.uk may recognise the name cruiter.co.uk may recognise the name Peter Benefer – champion fundraiser, and chief hedgehog and wildlife supporter. A headhunter for CSG Talent, in the past Benefer has completed half marathons and the Three Peaks Challenge (going round three times, though). He has now decided to accept the challenge of the Captain Tom Foundation and complete the 100 Challenge. Not one to do anything by halves, Benefer is trying to complete 100 consecutive half marathons. He normally runs before work, trying to be out the door at 5.30am and taking 2 to 2.30 hours. “The first 50 were awful,” he told Recruiter. “I had constant aches, which interrupted my sleep. However, the aches are gone and I’m all good now!” By the time Recruiter goes to press, hopefully he would have completed the challenge on behalf of two hedgehog rescue centres – Hog House in Leeds and HERBY in Bingley. If you want to show your admiration, please go to his Justgiving page and donate htt ps://bit.ly/36vQihu Social enterprise Beam has launched the ‘100 Recruiters for Impact’ campaign with the goal of having 100 recruitment and headhunting companies helping homeless people into jobs by the end of this year. Over a dozen companies have already signed up to the initiative, including La Fosse, The Up Group, Ott a, Leathwaite, Founders Keepers, JBM and 3Search. So far, the initiative has supported more than 100 homeless people into stable jobs in careers ranging from construction to healthcare. Recruiters looking to join the campaign can email recruiters@beam.org
MCG GROUP ‘PEAKY MINDERS’ SCALE MCG GROUP ‘PEAKY MINDERS’ SCALE THREE HEIGHTS FOR CHARITY THREE HEIGHTS FOR CHARITY
A team of 13 volunteers from recruitment company At f13 l t f it t The MCG Group have completed the Three Peaks Challenge and raised over £5k for mental health charity, Mind. The ‘Peaky Minders’ scaled the three highest peaks of Scotland, England and Wales within 24 hours, batt ling with harsh weather and tricky terrain. To add your support, visit the fundraising page here htt ps://bit.ly/36uCPqh
MY BRILLIANT
RECRUITMENT CAREER
What was your earliest dream job?
When I was 11, I liked the idea of being a teacher. I loved school and had some great teachers that I really respected.
What was your first job in recruitment and how did you come into it?
Like many people, I hadn’t really considered it as a career path until a good job opportunity came my way. I was in my early 20s when I spotted a job advert for a role at professional services recruiter Badenoch + Clark. I was looking for a new challenge so applied on a whim. I a job ces ed
Who is your role model – in life or in recruitment? or
In recruitment, my role model is my fi rst boss, Robert Dawkins. One of the biggest takeaways from him is while work is really important, it should never overshadow other aspects of your life.
What do you love most about your current role?
JO SELLICK Managing director, Sellick Partnership
JO SELLICK
What would you regard as your signature tune?
One from my university days – Back To Love (Graeme Park Remix) by Th e Brand New Heavies. I might not go clubbing anymore, but I’m still a big clubber at heart.
I love the variety and diversity of my role as managing director. I still work closely with clients and candidates during the recruitment process – it is an aspect of the business I’ve never wanted to give up. I fi nd the challenges of running and growing a business really rewarding.
What would you consider to be the most brilliant moment of your career?
When we sold a majority stake of Sellick Partnership in 2019. It was amazing to see the accumulation of almost two decades of hard work pay off , and I feel incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to refl ect on how far the business has come.
Laugh or cry, what did your most memorable candidate make you want to do and why?
Th ere have been lots of weird and wonderful things but probably my most memorable is the candidate who refused to take a job because there were too many roundabouts between their home and the offi ce. I have no idea why this h was such a deal w breaker, but they were not up for reconsidering or fi nding an alternative route to the offi ce. What was your sanity go-to during Covid-19 and various lockdowns?
Can I say wine? Like everyone, the fi rst lockdown was challenging. I have four children and having us all at home all the time was a massive adjustment.
What did you learn about yourself during the pandemic?
How much I dislike working from home. I’ve always loved the offi ce environment, but never realised the impact remote working would have on me. Th e pandemic reinforced my belief that communication needs to be at the heart of every business decision.
ACORN RECRUITMENT
Multi-specialist recruiter Acorn, part of global recruitment giant Synergie, has appointed Bernard Ward as new managing director, succeeding Matt Southall.
BIE EXECUTIVE
Th e search specialist has promoted Claire Paramo to executive director. Paramo joined BIE in 2019 to help further develop the HR Search practice and has achieved rapid promotion to BIE’s senior leadership team.
CARTER MURRAY
Part of the SR Group, the specialist marketing search and recruitment fi rm has promoted Wendy Gray to partner. Gray has more than 20 years’ experience in marketing, communications and sales recruitment. She leads Carter Murray in the UK, focusing on assignments from management to chief marketing offi cer level.
HEIDRICK & STRUGGLES
Th e global leadership advisory and on-demand talent solutions fi rm has announced four new appointments to its business. Laryssa Topolnytsky has been appointed as partner in its Toronto offi ce. Kelley Brack Jamison has joined as a partner in the Los Angeles offi ce. Marcelo Conteçote has been appointed principal in the São Paulo offi ce and Laura Gironda joins as a principal in the San Francisco offi ce.
Samantha Ramsay
(right) and Rebecca Foden (left)have joined professional services fi rm EY in senior leadership roles. Ramsay is EY’s new head of experienced hire UK&I, joining from the UK head of resourcing role at construction fi rm Balfour Beatty, where she oversaw employment brand, exec search, emerging talent & strategic workforce planning. She was previously head of recruitment and employment brand at House of Fraser.
Foden joins as EY’s new head of student recruitment UK&I from international professional services fi rm Capita, where she was head of resourcing – Government services. Before that, she was head of talent acquisition – D&I & talent directorate at Transport for London.
Matthew Jeff ery (above, middle), director, UKI talent attraction & acquisition (TA2) leader, said: “Both Sam and Becky have built massive reputations in the recruitment industry. Both have appeared on the industry benchmark Recruiter magazine list ‘Most Infl uential Recruiters’ and have won multiple awards with their teams. I cannot wait for them to weave their magic and cast their winning success spells over their respective teams.”
HIGGS & SONS
Th e law fi rm has hired Claire Rankovic in a new in-house specialist role. Rankovic began her career as a solicitor, before moving into legal recruitment. Her new role as in-house recruiter means the fi rm has a dedicated person in place to search for talent.
Email people moves for use online and in print, including a short biography, to recruiter.editorial@redactive.co.uk
INVENTUM GROUP
Russell Th ompson, former CEO of LMA Recruitment, has joined the newly rebranded Inventum Group
(formerly Wells Tobias), as a co-founder, alongside Joe Wells and Adam Tobias. Th e business consultancy delivers inclusion consulting, executive search and recruitment, based in Clerkenwell, London.
METRO BANK
Simi Dubb has been appointed as director of colleague experience and inclusion for the UK bank. In this newly-created role, Dubb will be responsible for continuing to evolve and embed a truly diverse and inclusive colleague experience across the bank.
MM SEARCH
Th e executive search fi rm in Scotland has promoted Rory Cleat to business delivery manager after just nine months in the company.
NEW STREET CONSULTING GROUP
Leadership and people solutions consultancy has appointed Dave Lea as managing partner. Lea will head up the talent acquisition division, leading the executive search, interim management and agile talent solutions teams. He will also take a seat on the board.
NGAGE SPECIALIST RECRUITMENT
Th e specialist recruiter has appointed Louise Hindley as HR director. Most recently, Hindley worked at Cohort, the parent company of six businesses operating in defence and related markets. She has worked both in SME and global companies across a variety of industry sectors.
OYSTER PARTNERSHIP
Th e recruitment agency has promoted Robert Murray to associate director. His latest role has seen him manage a team of property recruitment consultants as divisional manager.
RBW CONSULTING
Th e recruitment consultancy has hired fi ve new team members to its US team. Bianca Bernardo joins the client engagement team and Alexandra Greene joins as general manager, people. Dan Sidell has been appointed as a functional expert in biometrics and Josh Jess in pharmacovigilance and drug safety. Kade Kramer also joins the cross functional team.
SAMUEL KNIGHT INTERNATIONAL
Th e global manpower provider has appointed former UNW corporate fi nance partner, Paul Kaiser, as its new chairman. Kaiser brings more than 30 years of experience having advised on mergers & acquisitions, disposals and private equity sponsored transactions.
STHREE
Th e international specialist STEM staffi ng business has appointed Andrew Beach as chief fi nancial offi cer, with more than 13 years’ experience as CFO in listed fi rms.
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Alan Furley
Recruitment is dead, long live recruitment!
It’s a funny old world, recruitment. Sales, by its very nature, is a very ‘in-the-moment’ experience.
While I’d not go so far as to say it’s exactly mindful, you need to be present in what you’re doing to ensure opportunities are not missed.
But recruitment businesses must stay ahead of the game.
And the job of industry leaders is to look in front and see where the road is heading to help our teams navigate, receive the right information, skills and tools to do their job to the best of their ability.
It feels like we’ve not done too badly so far. In some ways, our industry feels more robust and sure of itself since the pandemic. After all, we’ve weathered a storm that few of us could have predicted or planned for.
Our defi nition of ‘BAU’ (business as usual) has gone through, in some cases, a week-by-week transition. Th is hopefully means we’re more agile, more focused and more aware of what the market and our clients need.
But these changes have led me to look at the world in a diff erent way and realise that, in fact, we don’t want it to go back to the ‘norm’. Instead, I believe looking ahead at diff erent kinds of recruitment models is now business critical.
Th e area we see this most rapidly evolving is in diversity & inclusion. I don’t know of many recruiters that have really, fully grasped what this means and how to properly make the changes many of us are talking about in client pitches and meetings.
Whether it’s lack of talent pool, misunderstanding of what the issues are or mis-matching candidates with roles, it feels we’re still struggling – and indeed could even be going backwards.
I’ve done a lot of work with tech companies recently whose sole purpose is to create a fairer playing fi eld for everyone. Some of these businesses have been started by recruiters and some have come from the D&I or academic side of the issue.
It’s taught me that, while traditional recruitment will always have its place, we are being seriously challenged by innovative thinking that will be less obvious than the damage of a global pandemic, but fairly lethal nonetheless.
Th e reason is that the people behind the tech come at these issues with a completely new perspective, unhampered by years of phone bashing and rejection. And the more I am around it, the more I realise that this is exactly the kind of mindset needed if we are to help business solve today’s biggest problems.
Th is may not be ‘new’ news, but as we do truly emerge from the pandemic the world of innovation and technological advancement has only – and in some cases exponentially – increased the march on our city walls.
Up until the pandemic I think I was, like many other founders and owners of recruitment businesses, pretty confi dent in the level of tech we used as it was mixed with so many traditionally sound and eff ective methods.
Now the phrase ‘evolve or die’ springs to mind.
While that may sound a bit dramatic, we cannot just sit back and celebrate our recent victories too much without moving forward with technological solutions at the forefront of our thinking.
Otherwise, we will indeed be crowning the new kings and queens of tomorrow’s hiring industry – and they won’t be anyone we know. ●
Alan Furley is a director at ISL Recruitment
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