How good is your gut feel?

Everyone thinks they can spot ‘the one’ when it comes to the perfect employee. But sometimes it doesn’t work out. There are some simple measures you can take to back your gut feel.

A client of mine has a small but growing IT consulting business. I recruited his 3rd employee 9 months ago and we are now working on his 7th employee. Last month, he let an employee go after 3 weeks in the role. The interview process went well and the referee report checked out too. The bit that didn’t check out was the employee’s technical skills. Verbally, they were ticked off, but they were non-existent in reality. The employee had secured a role that was punching way above her weight, when in fact, my client needed someone who was equipped with a specific knowledge base and could learn quickly on the job.

My client is lovely. He wants candidates to feel comfortable and at ease during the interview. But at some point, the hard questions have to kick in. There needs to be more rigor in the recruitment process. 

Skills assessments can provide a more practical insight into the candidate’s knowledge of a particular topic and their aptitude. The key to this type of testing is to make the tests simple, practical and clear.

Methods of assessment can include:
•    Demonstration of techniques (testing thought process and ability)
•    Verbal (testing communication and ability)
•    Written (testing writing skills and ability)

For my client, they should consider three different assessments that test the basic knowledge and requirements of the candidate. For example:

•    You may wish to test the candidate on their experience with administration and support of windows, desktops and servers. Consider three typical scenarios and ask the candidate what they would do – or there might be an opportunity for the candidate to demonstrate their knowledge on a laptop.

•    You may consider a test for a specific programming language. You could devise 3 questions that require a written answer. This question will test their technical ability and writing skills.

These skills assessments may take 20 minutes in total.

The assessments should be outlined in a word document with specific instructions.

Another form of testing is an online cognitive ability test. Cognitive ability tests (aptitude tests, general intelligence assessments) are one of the most powerful predictors of future work performance. Cognitive ability tests measure verbal, numerical and abstract reasoning and the resulting score reflects the person's ability to acquire, retain, organise and apply information. Visit www.onetest.com.au or www.skillcheck.com.au to access simple and effective tests for candidates who have been shortlisted.  These tests can be conducted from the candidate’s home computer. The results and then formulated and provided in a detailed report.

These tests are certainly useful. However, I would encourage you to perform your own specific workplace assessments to get a handle on communication and written skills as well.

If you require cost effective recruitment assistance for your business, get in touch for a chat.

The right to request flexible work arrangements set to become more flexible

The flexible working issue is one again back in the headlines. The Federal Government is proposing to expand the opportunity for employees to request flexibility. It started with parents who have children under school age or a child with a disability under 18 years of age. Now they are proposing to offer it to all caregivers, mature age workers, and people experiencing domestic violence. 

Australia is not a trail blazer; we are simply playing catch up with other countries. For example, The UK brought in their right to request flexibility back in 2003. In 2014, they are working towards offering it to all employees – regardless of whether you are a caregiver or not. And don’t think it is a hard and fast law – in both the UK and Australia, the employer has the opportunity to refuse on reasonable business grounds. It is far better for an employer and an employee to work out a sensible flexible work arrangement that benefits both the employee and the business. Small businesses are particularly good at this. Communication is critical for it to work.

For employers out there, don’t panic. You won’t receive a flood of applications when the law is changed. Australia has a long way to go in terms of changing our workplace culture. Many of us (and our managers) still associate working hard with the number of hours we work as opposed to the quality of work we churn out. There are also managers who have the opinion that once you put your hand up to work flexibly, you are no longer serious about your career. These perceptions will continue to stop workers from asking.

Demographics, technology, traffic, illness, caring responsibilities and an ageing population will continue to challenge all of us to think about the way we work – and how we can work better. I think sometimes we forget that life happens while we are working.

Focus on a practical approach when it comes to receiving flexible work proposals. Rather than just state the flexible work arrangement required and for how long, ask employees to respond to the following questions:

• Ask the employee to clarify their needs. Why do they require flexible arrangements?  You need to understand their reasons for requesting flexibility so you can assess it on a case-by-case basis and identify the most feasible options.

• Ask the employee how they propose working flexibly could work and to provide several options for consideration.

• What flexible working arrangements are they seeking? For example, they may wish to work school hours only. Are they able to suggest other flexible work options for consideration?

• What are the potential positives and downsides of working flexibly for them and the business?

• Ask the employee to review and analyse their job responsibilities to consider what elements of their job will be impacted.

• How do they propose that it will work in terms of their existing workload?

• Can they identify what work can only be done in the office versus what can be done at home/via phone/via email.

 Agree to trial the new working arrangements to assess if it will work. 

CareerMums and WorkLifeBliss run Flexible Work Masterclasses for managers. We do travel.

The road back to work

 By Susan, a CareerMums member, NSW

I decided to put my middle management public sector career 'on ice' after I had my first daughter in 2004. I'd just finished post-grad studies, but wanted to take some time out after working for the past 20 years. With my second child approaching her second year, and 8 years out of the workforce behind me, I decided I would begin my search for work in earnest. My biggest concern was that I had left my re-entry too long; the longer I was out of work, the more de-skilled (and therefore less employable) I would become.

Feeling slightly daunted by the task, I had anticipated doors closing, numerous hurdles and barriers and a general apathy towards return-to-work mums. But I was pleasantly surprised. My initial research project revealed many resources to assist my return to work (e.g. blogs, websites, agencies who focus on mums back to work, media articles, social networking sites). I registered with as many sites with search options as I could find and kept sifting through the possible opportunities that landed in my in-box, with a view of eventually applying for the role that fitted my requirements.

With luck and good fortune, I found a role that suited my background and I believed I would make a strong candidate. On the plus side, it was two day a week job-share position with flexi-time. On the negative side,  the job classification was at the same level that I had began my public sector career in 1993!   But it was the first job that ticked all my boxes - and to my surprise I was offered the first job I applied for.

Whilst I am over qualified and generally under-employed, I view this role as my stepping stone to bigger and better opportunities in the future. The bonus is that my children get to enjoy the benefits of having me at home 3 days per week, and I have the benefit of being able to 'get my foot in the door', build on my work current experience, make new contacts and generally move forward again towards the career I always wanted.

Tips:

• Utilise any experience outside of paid employment to demonstrate reliability, flexibility, initiative, trustworthiness, etc. In particular, volunteer work or involvement in community activities can be used to cite examples of skills and attributes that suit the role being applied for.

• Research and then research more; the internet is your job search friend and there are thousands of sites, articles and blogs dedicated to the topic of those who want return to work.

• Familiarise yourself with the challenges and create strategies to tackle them. Enrol and register for email notifications that suit your criteria and the roles will come to you.

• Make sure you have all your family responsibilities and obligations sorted out before you approach an employer (which daycare/preschool days, drop offs, pick ups, before and after school care, school holidays, sick days, etc.) so that if you're asked about your availability, you can be confident that you can advise accordingly.

Considerations when hiring your next employee

When you are a new or growing business, there is guaranteed to be one business function that is non-existent and that is Human Resources. To help you in your recruitment, attraction and retention process, here are some key items to consider when hiring your next employee:

• Personalities: When it is a small office and you can’t hide from each other, you really need to consider the personality type you want to inject into your company. Consider the role and the type of personality this role requires. Also consider a personality type that you get on with. For example, if you require an accounts person to chase invoices and deal with suppliers, you want someone who is patient, polite, excellent phone manner and tenacious. Also, make it a habit not to hire friends. It makes if difficult if things don’t work out.

• Skills: Sometimes you don’t have the time or resources to train someone for a critical role in your business. I recently recruited for a financial planning firm. They were looking for someone to fast-track to a financial planner within three years. The final two candidates were very different. The first had strong communication skills with a strong background in finance but no qualifications. The second candidate had financial planning qualifications, a strong desire to move into financial planning, experience in selling banking products, and reasonable communication skills. It was a tough decision for them but they chose candidate two in the end because it was a safer choice in theory. Training time won’t be as long and they won’t need to invest time in this person completing their qualifications.  
• Mental health: Many people in our society are affected by depression and other forms of mental health so it is no surprise that we work side by side with people who are mentally unwell. In a recruitment situation, asking about depression is not a typical or appropriate interview question. Depression, if untreated, can have an impact on a person’s productivity and their attendance.  If you want more information about mental health awareness, beyondblue has a free Workplace Mental Health Awareness e-learning Program that examines myths and misconceptions about depression and anxiety disorders and aims to increase awareness and understanding. It is a stand-alone resource specifically designed for workplaces. www.beyondblue.org.au

• Contract to permanent: Consider trialling someone first before committing them to the status of permanent employee – and all the benefits that come with that. One option is to offer the person a 3-6 month contract with a view to the position going permanent. Always consult the National Employment Standards if you require more further information on employment law – www.fairwork.gov.au.

If you require recruitment assistance, I work with SMEs on a fee for service basis so you get the service you need without paying an excessive fee at the end. Visit my recruitment arm of the business - www.liftrecruitment.com.au

Retaining Staff in a Small Business

As a small business, you are forever competing with employee benefits offered by larger organisations – not to mention brand prestige, greater opportunities for career progression, travel, bonuses… the list goes on.

There are a few small businesses I know that can teach the larger organisations a thing or two about human nature, nurturing talents and retaining employees.

One of these businesses is a client of mine. They are a growing ISP. Over the past 18 months, I have recruited four IT professionals, bringing their head count to ten employees in total to date.

At a recent meeting with the Director, John, we spoke about the issue of staff retention in a small business. He mentioned that a senior developer had recently been approached by a worldwide search engine to come and work for them. He declined. I was surprised and pressed John on the reasons for why he stayed.

The senior developer is a typical IT geek. He rarely speaks to anyone, wears headphones all day, and probably has a touch of Asperger Syndrome or Autism. But when it comes to programming, which is what he is hired for, he is a gun. John mentioned that if he had ten times this guy, he would already be a multi-millionaire. So what is John’s secret to making them stay? His office is modern and simple. Nothing special. There is no ‘break-out room’ where the staff can play pool, watch TV, listen to music, and relax in ergonomic furniture.

John quite simply understands the needs of his staff. For this senior developer, all he requires is a beer and the ability to play computer games around 4pm each day for half an hour. Then it is back to work. John has another developer who enjoys going to a local take-away for a chicken roll and Pepsi with John once every two weeks. They talk about IT stuff and this makes him happy.

John’s ‘HR strategy’ is listening to the needs of his employees and acting on them.

Without a doubt, there are other factors that come into play to retain staff such as remuneration, working in a challenging and stimulating environment, and workplace culture.  But if business owners like John start practising this type of leadership in the early stages of business to keep good staff, there is no doubt that his business will flourish.

Use training as a retention and growth strategy tool in SMEs

Training and education opportunities are typically offered in larger organisations. They often have Learning and Development Managers who organise training budgets and requirements for all staff. Training is just as critical in SMEs but is often overlooked due to the perceived costs, the organisation of training requirements, and the valuable time that may not be spent on the business.

For SMEs, it is a matter of approaching training opportunities in a practical way. The first step is to analyse the skill gaps in your business. It can be an exercise for all staff in your business to analyse their existing role and consider what skills they would like to improve on to benefit the business. For example, the office manager may require MYOB training, or the marketing manager may require training in social media. All training options must be relevant to the employee’s role. You may find that rather than hiring another employee due to a skill gap, you could train up an existing employee. This training analysis not only engages your employees, but also creates a sense of loyalty because you are investing in their skills. After training is completed, you and your employee should be able to identify how the business will benefit from the new skills that have been developed. 

Once you have decided on the appropriate type of training, you could create a simple training agreement that covers the following:

• Type of training
• Justification for training
• Learning objectives to be achieved
• How training will be evaluated (e.g. changes anticipated, performance standards to be met)
• Cost of training
• Date of training

The next step is to identify training and education opportunities that fit your budget. For some professionals, professional development (PD) must be completed every year. The professional associations tend to offer a range of courses to build up PD hours.

Other cost effective training options can be sourced via the following channels:

• Your local TAFE, CIT or University
• Locate Registered Training Organisations in your area and ask if there are any Government subsidies currently being offered to up-skill employees. Visit www.training.gov.au for more information 
• Free webinars offered on business websites such as www.smartcompany.com.au. 
• CareerMums training website has a range of learning options including online, distance learning, face-to-face, and short courses. http://careermums.comparecourses.com.au/

Training is a risk management tool that builds human assets in your business, opens up new opportunities for your business, and engenders a loyal workforce.

Engendering customer loyalty in a B2B environment

We all want to be heard. It is simply human nature. At home, my kids often say ‘mum, are you listening to me!?’ My three year old has a habit of pulling my face to his and letting me know what he has to say – eyeball to eyeball – just to make sure.

In business, it is no different. Your customers expect to be heard. The more you listen, the more likely that you will provide a better customer experience that will lead to repeat business.

Here are some ideas to engender customer loyalty in a B2B environment:

·         Response times: How soon do you get back to your customers or potential customers when they make contact with you? In general, I respond within 24 hours. In reality, it is within three hours unless it is overnight.

·         Contact information: Is it easy for customers to locate your contact information? Do you have a standard contact form on your website? If you don’t have a receptionist, do you use a messaging service so someone can leave a message with a person rather than a voice recording? A messaging service can also give customers a sense that your business is bigger than it really is.

·         Complaints resolution: Do you have a policy when it comes to handling complaints? Is there someone in your business who is trained to handle difficult customers? Complaints can either be nipped in the bud or escalated quickly. Excellent customer skills combined with conflict resolution skills are excellent attributes to have in an employee and should be highly sought after in any business.

·         Provide value all the time: Part of my service offering is providing recruitment services. Everyone loves to hate recruiters so I need to add value from the start. I deal mostly with SMEs. I am a small business myself so I understand their challenges and needs. Recently, I assisted a client in finding some quality candidates to be interviewed for a job share role. The night before the interview, I designed an interview run-sheet that included appropriate interview questions for the role on offer. My client responded immediately letting me know that they were extremely grateful for this information as they were starting to stress about how to run the interviews the following day. 

·         Follow-up: After you have delivered your work, find out how you performed. What did they like and what could be improved? You have to be resilient enough to accept constructive criticism from time-to-time.

·         Consider how you are treated by your service providers: What do you like and what would you change? The adapt or adopt the best parts to suit your business.