9,500 Recruitment Firms in UK...make that 9,501!

Last week I attended the NRF (National Recruitment Federation) conference in Dublin, where guest speaker Ann Swain, CEO of APSCo reported on the global trends in the recruitment industry and the overall state of the recruitment market.  A highly impressive speaker, engaging and very knowledgeable.  

Ann talked about key markets, and new "hot to trot" locations where recruitment is a growth sector.  Her advice was not to set up in the UK.  So what are we doing this week... setting up in the UK.  According to Ann, there are 9,500 recruitment companies in the UK, now with the addition of Expect Talent UK Ltd. make that 9,501...

Before you think we have completely lost the plot, Ann also added, "don't set up in the UK unless you are following a client".  So we are setting up our business in Edinburgh as a result of a 4 year client relationship in Ireland.  This is a very exciting growth phase for Expect Talent and we are delighted that we can start up in the UK with such a high profile recruitment project, which will help us launch our business in the UK in 2011.  

The last 3 weeks have been spent planning with a very short lead time before we go live,  as a key partner for a high-volume recruitment project for a customer service centre which will create 900 jobs in city centre Edinburgh.  Our highly talented team have gone into action to make it all happen, and our networks in Scotland (thanks to BNI) have meant that finding local contacts has been easy. 

My advice for any business looking to start in the UK.  Plan, plan and plan again, whilst  leveraging every key contact you have to help you.  Where possible, help others and give opportunities to local businesses who in turn will help you back.  Hire the best talent to represent you and always have a Plan B, C and D.  I write this blog on a ferry on the way to Scotland.  Ash Clouds won't get in the way of making this happen, so we had a Plan B, go by boat! 

There is no better time to look outside of your local market, wherever you are reading this from.  Small businesses in 2011 should be focused on delivering exceptional customer service, as well as doing things in a unique and engaging way which adds value to the client.  Its all about activity levels, regardless of your industry.  If you triple your activity levels, you will triple your results, and then some!  Far too many people focus on all the negativity, but when you focus on success and positivity you attract more of the same.

I look forward to bringing a new and innovative approach to the UK recruitment market, as we continue to change the way the world does recruitment. I would like to thank everyone who has helped us along the way so far in the UK, and to my team, you are all amazing and I could not drive this business on without you.  UK here we come... Expect Talent UK Ltd. is born!

Tips for Selecting the Right Recruitment Partner

How can you be sure you are working with the right company when it comes to selecting a recruitment partner?  The answer to this question lies in the way in which you qualify and screen the agency to find out how they operate, and how they will add value to your business.  

Expect Talent is a proud member of the NRF, which is a voluntary organisation set up to establish/maintain standards & codes of practice for the Recruitment Industry.  Representing recruitment agencies throughout Ireland, NRF Members communicate their commitment to providing quality service by agreeing to abide by a strict Code of Conduct.   Some key important elements of the NRF Code of Conduct include:

• The agency must have an up to date recruitment agency licence (issued annually) 
• Candidates must be handled with respect, integrity and privacy at all times
• Candidates submitted to clients, must first be interviewed (phone or face-to-face)
• Candidates must be told which clients they have been submitted to
• Full candidate permission sought before submission
• References must not be sought without an applicant's consent
• Absolutely no poaching of placed staff
• Only real jobs should be advertised 

A Membership Ethics Committee ensures that this Code of Conduct is adhered to, so always check that the agency you are considering working with is a member of a professional recruitment body such as the NRF (depending on which location you are reading this).  There are currently 159 agencies who are members of the NRF in Ireland, however there are hundreds more listed in business directories, so make sure you are working with an agency who adheres to the NRF Code of Conduct, where you can be sure the ethics of that agency are in line with what you would expect.  The list above sounds standard to the outsider, but there are many companies out there who don't even do the basics well.

Here is a list of questions you should ask recruitment agencies when meeting with them to decide whether or not to work with them?

1.  Are you a member of the NRF? (or equivalent for your location)

2.  Describe in detail your selection process. (look for a lengthy, structured process)

3.  What checks will be done before submission?  (look for references and full interviews)

4.  What else will you send other than a CV? (look for detailed information)

5.  How many CV's will I receive? (look for quality and not quantity) 

6.  Can you provide written or verbal references from clients you have worked with?

7.  What experience do you have in recruiting for this sector/industry? (look for expertise)

8.  How are recruitment team incentivised? (look for NO commission or low commission)

9.  Where do you source candidates from?  What sourcing methods do you use?

10.When can I expect to see CV's from you? (those who give you short lead times, beware)

Ask to see material to back their answers up, look for a copy of their interview questions, internal processes and forms used throughout the process.  Do your homework, and speak to peers in other companies.  Usually those who are recommended or referred top the list.

I had an interesting call from a new client last week.  An ex-colleague who I worked with 10 years ago, gave me a senior role to work on for his company in the Middle East, and prior to speaking to me, he had spoken to another agency.  The other agency had promised him 20 CV's in an hour!!  What??  Yet another example of the industry being totally commission driven with no consideration for the client. I was amazed at how someone could do this, but it unfortunately happens all the time.  No wonder this industry has a bad reputation.   

We would much rather take 5 working days to interview, select and write up a detailed profile a maximum of 3 of the best candidates in the market, where all 3 are considered strong enough for interview, rather than waste a clients time filling their inbox with irrelevant CV's.  As a result, that client gave us exclusivity on their position and 1 week later is about to receive a small handful of the best talent in the market for their role.

When you have a vacancy for a recruitment agency to work on, make sure that you really drill them on their internal processes, their approach, their experience and philosophy to recruitment.  Contrary to popular belief giving the job to 20 agencies is NOT going to get you the perfect candidate.  You would be much better to select 1 or 2 key recruitment partners based on the above criteria and build a really strong relationship with them so that they get it right every time.  With some of our clients, they just know that when a detailed interview profile and CV hits their inbox from Expect Talent that it will always be good enough for the hiring manager to move to interview.  Establishing that level of trust with your agency is vital.  If you would like help in this area, please contact me and to the NRF, thank you for everything that you do for our industry standards.

Having a Brilliant Team - Hiring Strategies

When I asked my team for ideas on a topic for this week's blog, they suggested I write about our fantastic team!!  Brilliant, what a great idea.  So I started to think about what makes them so brilliant at what they do, and how could the way that we develop our own in-house staff help others who might be reading this. 

1.  Hiring from outside of your Industry

Very often clients ask us to find them candidates with a number of years experience in their industry. However, this is not always the best route to finding the best talent.  All of my recruitment team have previously NEVER worked in recruitment.  Why? As you will know by now, the way we look at the whole industry and work with customers is so different from all other agencies that it would take far too much time to untrain bad habits, and the fact that we do not incentivise our recruitment team with commission does not suit or appeal to people who have already worked in the industry. 

I always look to hire people with a passion for excellence, a high level of customer service and strong account management skills.  Attention to detail and strong multi-tasking and organisational skills are critical.  Attitude, Attitude, Attitude.  Do you need to have industry experience to become an expert recruiter?  With the right training, environment and support of course not.  The same applies to many industries, companies are often missing out on great talent by only sticking to people with their own industry background.  So next time you go to hire, think outside the box.

2.  Win Happy

I heard the theme for 2011 of great Cork PR company this week, it's "Win Happy!", its not just about the revenue its about the happiness and fun factor of the team too.  The happiness factor and the motivation levels of any team are closely linked to productivity.  We have a staff happiness survey each quarter, and we measure our teams happiness factor.  This for me is what makes our team so brilliant, we have fun regardless of how busy we are, its great to be around happy and motivated people who love what they do.

3.  Commitment & Dedication

Over the 5 years we have built up a great team of Talent Managers and Administrators, their commitment to us as a business and their dedication to our candidates and clients is second to none. Without the team we would not be anywhere near as successful and for that I am extremely grateful.  The "above and beyond" mentality of every one in the team, means that we can deliver great results and be very flexible to clients demands.  This attitude is so important to any company and contributes hugely to the business. 

4.  Development Opportunities

A lack of opportunity for progression is often the reason people leave a company, so the development of my team is critical, giving them opportunities to learn, to upskill and to develop on a personal and professional level is vital to retaining the great talent that we have.  I want to help them all achieve their goals in life, and if the business can make that happen then all the better. 

5.  Celebrating Success, Reward & Recognition

Each member of our team has a "Success Diary", they record their successes no matter how big or small and the first item in our team meeting agenda is each person sharing one success from the previous week.  By focusing on the positive, we attract more great successes, and this keeps everyones mindset in a good place.  We recognise and reward in ways other than commission, surprise vouchers, team nights out, our famous "Friday Club" - team lunch on the house every week, and social time together outside of work.  Celebration of Success and feeling part of something special is what helps to make a brilliant team.

So this is my opportunity to recognise and thank all of my amazing team members - Julia, Margaret, Chris, Jackie, Pablo, Mairead, Caitriona, Lucy, Una, thank you for everything that you do, this business would be nowhere without your hard work, commitment, dedication and great talents. 

How do you develop your team and would you ever consider hiring people with no experience in your industry?

"Delivering Happiness" thanks to Smarter Egg

"Delivering Happiness" is one of the best business books I have ever read, for a number of reasons.  It now has us even more focused on delivering happiness to clients and candidates, as well as focusing on the happiness of our own team.  Tony Hsieh who wrote this book is the CEO of Zappos (http://www.zappos.com/) and describes their incredible story, so thanks to Tony for his genius.  I would never have been exposed to this book were it not for Aodan Enright who runs an fantastic business in Cork called Smarter Egg (http://www.smarteregg.com/). 

I have been a Smarter Egg for 2 years exactly to the day, so what better day to focus my blog on this aspect of Expect Talent.  I meet monthly with a fantastic group of 10 people from all walks of life and business to explore ideas and generate discussion around the latest business books.  Thanks to Smarter Egg, this experience has completely transformed the way we think about our approach to the recruitment industry.

In "Delivering Happiness", Tony Hsieh outlines the 10 core values of Zappos:

1.  Deliver WOW through service         
2.  Embrace and Drive Change
3.  Create Fun and a little Weirdness     
4.  Be Adventurous, Creative and Open-Minded
5.  Pursue Growth and Learning             
6.  Build Open and Honest Relationships with Communication
7.  Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit
8.  Do More with Less                          
9.  Be Passionate and Determined
10.Be Humble 

What a great list, but the thing about Zappos is that every single employee commits 100% to these values, and its not just "a meaningless plaque in the lobby" to quote Hsieh.  If you are intrigued by any of these then you should definitely read the book!  The stories are fascinating and now you can even go on tours of the Zappos headquarters.  Some of the great ideas that I implemented from Zappos include:- 

1.  A library of the best business books around, now in the office (complete with beanbag seats!) available to the whole team - everyone reads or listens to a minimum of 1 book per month, upskilling the team and encouraging learning is so important to happiness at work, and the books give us all creative idaeas.

2.  A Culture book, the Expect Talent team recently defined our own core values and wrote about what the culture of our business means to them. I recently heard a great quote "Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast!".  Zappos now publish theirs annually.

3.  We now have a Staff Happiness factor, and ask the team every month to rate how happy they are with different aspects of their job, and we ask them to come up with ideas on how to improve their experience and happiness working for Expect Talent. 

4.  We now hire people based on our own list of core values:  Passionate about WOWing Clients and Candidates, Quality-Focused in Everything we Do, Always Reliable.

I love the hiring process that all Zappos employees go through, everyone has to be a match to their core values regardless of skills and experience.  They even offer to pay every new starter $2000 to quit after their first 2 weeks!! 

The Zappos story, is one of Profits, Passion and Purpose.  I continue to learn all the time through being a Smarter Egg, and I would like to congratulate Aodan on a fantastic two years, I feel very priveleged to have been involved in the first ever Smarter Egg "Tribe" which helped Expect Talent to "Break from the Pack", with "Creative Habit", my "MOJO" firmly back and strong knowledge of "Where Good Ideas Come From", I am confident that I can contribute a huge amount of my success to being a Smarter Egg.