YOUR REGION: United States

Tag: Candidate Experience

Global software consultancy opens Chicago office

Stateside move to provide better service for US-based clients

Software and fintech executive search consultancy Oakstone International has opened an office in Chicago to provide better service for USA-based clients and candidates.

The US operation is led by Arran Campbell, Managing Consultant North America. Campbell has transferred from Oakstone’s Poole headquarters to the Illinois city. The move provides the consultancy with more US working hours and the ability to meet clients and candidates in person.

Campbell has been with Oakstone International for two years. Before Oakstone, he was an award-winning senior manager in the automotive industry for 20 years. He began his recruitment career after selling a vehicle to Paul Rayner, CEO of Oakstone.

Arran Campbell, Oakstone Managing Consultant North America, said: “There is a huge opportunity for Oakstone International here, with the amount of software companies which are looking for assistance and candidates who are seeking to change their lives.

“Oakstone having a greater presence in the USA and really cementing our global status as an international company is nothing but a good thing. It gives us visibility in the US, which is a huge market of clients and candidates.

“I’ve transitioned my workload to the US. I had started doing more and more US projects while I was in the UK – dealing with clients and candidates and doing searches – and found myself dealing almost exclusively with American roles.

“Being in the UK made this challenging – time differences meaning only six hours a day of communications was possible – so when the opportunity came up for my wife and I to move to the US we thought it was perfect timing.”

“One thing I have noticed here in the States, which I have tried to relay to my client managers, is the speed of hiring. People are now going through processes in two weeks. Gone are the days when you might have up to 10 interviews

“People are being hired for high-paid jobs on one or two Zoom interviews. Here, it is generally a two-week notice period, a bit more fluid than much of the rest of the world

Paul Rayner, Oakstone Chief Executive Officer, said: “Arran is an experienced operator whose skill sets make him ideal for this position. I had no hesitation in backing this opportunity

“From a business perspective the benefits for Oakstone having a representative in Chicago is that a lot of the long-term clients he is working with all have their head offices in the city.

“With Arran as a full-time representative we not only have a better chance to communicate with and meet clients and candidates, but we are also better placed to meet existing and future prospects in person.”

“The clients who are flexible in terms of salary and remote working are the ones who are succeeding in winning the talent. Software companies which are stuck in their ways are no longer getting the best people.

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66% of US workers looking for higher paying jobs

75% of employees feel salaries should increase in line with inflation

A recent study by Insight Global, a staffing firm, has revealed that 66% of American workers are concerned they will need to look for a higher paying job in order to keep up with inflation.

The survey took place in March and included 1,005 US workers who are employed full time.

The rise of inflation is also prompting some workers to ask their bosses for flexibility to work from home to save on fuel costs. The survey found that 26% of workers who said they are seriously considering looking for a new job also plan to ask that they be allowed to work from home with 24% of those already working remotely planning to continue doing so most or all of the time until gas prices go down.

Overall, 75% of workers believe employers should increase pay during economic inflation.

Bert Bean, CEO at Insight Global commented: “Leaders need to get ahead of this curve before they see some of their greatest talent leave to explore other career opportunities. The simplest way to ensure your employees are content in their current roles is to ask them. Find out what they need — is it a raise, the ability to work from home or are they feeling disconnected?”

Other findings in the survey included:

  • 56% of American workers feel there are many job openings, but few job opportunities offering pay that can keep up with the rising cost of living.
  • 61% of workers who say they are seriously considering looking for a new job feel there are many job openings, but few job opportunities offering pay that can keep up with the rising cost of living.

Flexible working remains key in navigating the skills shortage crisis as employees will continue to look for roles that offer flexible and support during turbulent economic times.

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Candidate communication crucial as war for talent continues

Skills shortage remains a concern in the market

According to background screening and identity services firm, Sterling, candidate communication needs to move up the priority list as the war for talent rages on.

With the latest labour market data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS),revealing a continued increase in vacancy numbers across the UK and concerns around talent shortages rife, the expert Sterling called on employers and HR teams to prioritise high quality and regular candidate communication.

In a recent Sterling Live discussion, experts discussed how the war for talent can often be won through simply communicating to candidates consistently, from the first engagement right through their first days on the job.

Tom Stokes, Director at Sterling EMEA, explained: “The skills shortage has been a concern for some time now and while there is certainly a need to broaden talent pools, far too often, potential new recruits are exiting hiring processes, due to the process itself. When we consider how tough it is to recruit at the moment, once an offer has been accepted it’s understandable that some hiring teams or managers may breathe a sigh of relief. However, candidates are increasingly disappearing in that crucial timeframe between the offer and the first day, and this is quite often due to a lack of communication.

“Employers need to remember that for an individual, a career move is a life changing event and after the excitement of getting the job offer, they can face a lengthy notice period where they are juggling their current role alongside the administration that comes with a new job, including employment screening checks.

“Communication is key during this time. Candidates need to know what to expect after the job offer is made, otherwise, they can feel lost or alienated, which leaves them open to being lured away by other businesses. Starting a new job and going through an employment screening process can be daunting for anyone. Celebrate your new hire and maintain the excitement of the job offer. The more they are communicated with and the more engaged they feel, the lower the chances of them being enticed elsewhere.”

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42% of employers don’t admit to challenges

Does your company suffer from toxic positivity?

A recent study by Leadership IQ, an employee engagement and leadership training company, found that an organization that pretends everything is fine or sends companywide memos avoiding topics that can’t be positively spun might be suffering from “toxic positivity”.

Toxic positivity in organizations is often seen when leaders avoid sharing or discussing the tough challenges they’re facing. The study showed that only 15% of employees believe that their organization always openly shares the challenges facing it. By contrast, 42% said their company never or rarely shares its challenges.

There’s a long-standing belief among many leaders that talking about tough issues scares people and worsens the situation where the reality is the opposite. The study found that if an employee believes their company openly shares the challenges facing it, they’re about 10 times more likely to recommend it as a great employer.

It’s not just sharing organizational challenges where toxic positivity appears, however.

In a complementary study, The State of Leadership Development, more than 21,000 employees were asked to what extent their leader responded well to hearing about problems. Disturbingly, a mere 26% of employees said that their leader always responds constructively when employees share their work problems.

Developing resilience

The key to developing resilience, optimism, self-efficacy, and a host of other emotional-wellness skills is to acknowledge reality, not to deny, avoid, or dismiss it. Wallowing in misery will, of course, increase negative feelings. But denying misery or tough challenges is even worse.

To avoid toxic positivity, leaders need to accept that their employees are not clueless and can’t handle reality. In fact, ignoring or dismissing reality is one of the fastest ways to undermine employees’ trust in leadership. Instead, leaders should acknowledge reality and then focus their efforts on developing and explaining plans to make that reality better.

“Toxic positivity is an excessive and distorted form of positive thinking. It’s putting a positive spin on all experiences, no matter how dire or tragic,” explains clinical psychologist Dr. Andrea Burgio-Murphy. “For example, you could be experiencing toxic positivity when a friend or boss minimizes or refuses to acknowledge your negative feelings. Or perhaps they go further and try to spin your dire situation in a positive way, like ‘this is a blessing in disguise’ or ‘all things happen for a reason.”

Please share any newsworthy content with debbie@talintpartners.com 

 

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Talent Tech Stars crowned

First in-person TIARA ceremony of 2021 

Winners of the 2021 TIARA Talent Tech Star Awards were revealed at a gala lunch for 120 guests at the Kings Fund in London today, attended by CEOs and founders of some of the UK’s leading HR and Recruitment Technology companies.

“As we emerge to a post-pandemic economy, business model transformation is a given,” said Ken Brotherston, MD of TALiNT Partners. “This, combined with an acute shortage of talent across every area of the job market, including recruitment itself, has created a perfect storm for HR Tech to show its value.” 

“The 35 Talent Tech Stars shortlisted this year are solving the talent challenges that employers and recruiters must address in a constantly evolving market,” added co-host Alex Evans, Programme Director of TALiNT Partners. “The winners demonstrated the value and impact of their solutions to a respected panel of judges, making a TIARA Talent Tech Star Award a powerful endorsement.” 

The judging process for the TIARA Talent Tech Star Awards is designed around the expectations of buyers and investors, based on key performance metrics, case studies and testimonials. An impressive and influential panel of judges from companies including LinkedIn, ManpowerGroup, SThree, Thames Water, AMS and the FCSA was chaired by Martin McCourt, former Dyson CEO and now Chairman and Non-Executive Director of companies including Weber, HeadBox, Lightfoot, FreeFlow Technologies and The learning Curve Group. 

“The 2021 Talent Tech Star Award finalists represent challengers, disruptors and transformers across the spectrum of business growth, from high potential, early-stage start-ups to scaling SMEs,” said Martin McCourt. “What they all have in common is great focus, execution, and ambition. They have also validated game-changing innovation and excellent customer service with some solid case studies and testimonials. 

“It was difficult for the judges to choose winners from such strong shortlists and even harder to choose a Champion of Champions from 13 very strong contenders. It has to be exemplary to inspire others to aspire to greater ambition and impact. That’s what transforms industries.” 

Odro was the biggest winner this year, winning the Talent Tech Customer Service Award, Leader of the Year for CEO Ryan McCabe, and ultimately crowned TIARA Champion of Champions to top a game-changing year for the video tech specialist. 

“It has been a great year for Odro, with big client wins including Hays and a £5m growth investment from BGF,” said Alex Evans. “Winner of this year’s Customer Service and Leader of the Year awards, Odro has demonstrated excellence, leadership, and growth to make it a worthy Champion of Champions for 2021.” 

The TIARA 2021 Talent Tech Star Awards campaign was supported by partners Deloitte, Marriott Harrison and Optima Corporate Finance. 

“Optima Corporate Finance is delighted to sponsor the Talent Tech Leader of the Year Award,” said Optima founder Philip Ellis. “This year more than ever, strong leadership was required as businesses had to combine the implementation of their vision with the challenges of lockdown. All of this year’s finalists demonstrated strong leadership in adapting, transforming and driving growth.”

“Marriott Harrison is delighted to be part of the TIARA Talent Tech Star Awards and to recognise the significant value HR and RecTech solutions bring to the recruitment industry and the wider economy,” said Chris Mooney, Partner at Marriott Harrison. “We commend the innovation and impact shown by this year’s finalists for Candidate Experience Solution of the Year.”

“Achieving scale in a challenging economy is doubly impressive and finalists for this year’s award have adapted and transformed to build strong foundations for growth,” said Kiren Asad, Director, FA – Advisory Corporate Finance, Deloitte LLP. “Deloitte is proud to partner with TALiNT Partners and the TIARA Talent Tech Star Awards to recognise and support scale in HR Tech.” 

The full list of TIARA Talent Tech Star Award winners and highly commended finalists is as follows: 

The Workforce Solution of the Year 

  • Winner: Pixid 
  • Highly Commended: TalismanTech 

The Contractor Solution of the Year 

  • Winner: My Digital 
  • Highly Commended: Parasol Group 

The Candidate Experience Solution of the Year 

  • Winner: 360 Resourcing Solutions 
  • Highly Commended: TribePad 

The Recruitment Marketing Solution of the Year 

  • Winner: Paiger 
  • Highly Commended: TalismanTech 

The D&I Solution of the Year 

  • Winner: Arctic Shores 
  • Highly Commended: Get Optimal 

The Compliance Solution of the Year 

  • Winner: My Digital 
  • Highly Commended: People Group 

The Onboarding Solution of the Year 

  • Winner: CA3 & Eli Onboarding 
  • Highly Commended: LearnAmp 

The Learning Solution of the Year 

  • Winner: Clear Review 
  • Highly Commended: Hoxo Media 

The Talent Tech Customer Service Award 

  • Winner: Odro 
  • Highly Commended: Clear Review 

The Talent Tech Scale Up Award 

  • Winner: Sonovate
  • Highly Commended: Paiger 

The Talent Tech Innovation Award 

  • Winner: Mercury xRM 
  • Highly Commended: Idibu 

The Best Talent Tech Company to Work For  

  • Winner: Firefish Software 
  • Highly Commended: TribePad 

The Optima Talent Tech Leader of the Year 

  • Winner: Ryan McCabe, CEO, Odro 

The Talent Tech Champion of Champions 

  • Winner: Odro 

Register for updates on the TIARA 2022 Talent Tech Star Awards campaign at https://talenttech.tiara.talint.co.uk/register-for-2022-updates/ 

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The importance of customer service within recruitment

A report by McKinsey revealed that 70 per cent of customers reduce their commitment to a sale following a negative customer service experience. But, customer service isn’t just important for the retail sector. Here, Claire Leigh, director of commercial and financial specialist recruitment agency, Brampton Recruitment, explains why good customer service is essential at every interaction for all businesses.

 

Recruitment consultants are in constant contact with both clients and candidates and must be aware of the need to deliver outstanding customer service to both groups.

 

Recruiters often talk about candidate’s communication skills, but it is their own skills that are at the forefront of ensuring customer satisfaction. The importance of managing expectations, alongside staying in touch with clients and candidates, cannot be overestimated. Good customer service doesn’t just have to be a phone call. An email can work just as well in ensuring a customer’s experience is a good one.

 

Brampton Recruitment’s website’s job alert function means candidates can choose to receive updates within 24 hours of a job becoming available, enabling them to be ahead of the crowd when applying for competitive opportunities. A fast turnaround is also advantageous for the client, who often needs the vacancy filled as soon as possible.

 

Experience

Although similar skills are used to ensure clients and candidates have positive experiences, how they are used differs.

 

Excellent client experiences centre on building a relationship with the client to understand their business goals and objectives, which in turn allows us to find the right candidate.

 

Specific ways in which we provide this at Brampton Recruitment include working later on a Tuesday and Wednesday to ensure we are reachable outside of office hours, in addition to consultants being available even when they are out of the office. These tactics mean our clients are confident they can always get in touch with a consultant if they require advice or need to follow up on an interview.

 

 

Candidates

It is not a revelation to suggest the best way to provide exemplary customer service to clients is to provide them with outstanding candidates and vice versa. Building relationships by providing excellent customer service when interacting with candidates is just as important as for clients.

 

Plentiful resources designed to aid job seekers are found on our brand-new website, including dedicated guides to CV writing and interviews, processes we know candidates worry about. Alongside a powerful search function, allowing candidates to see only the jobs which are relevant to them, either by location or skill set, the website gives a complete solution for job seekers.

 

Despite a wealth of information online, some candidates prefer to meet recruiters face to face and so running events such as CV workshops and refer-a-friend events are invaluable as they allow us to build a relationship with the candidate. This means we are able to place the candidate in the ideal role, best suited to their individual needs.

 

Recognising the individuality of each candidate and client is also integral to delivering a positive customer service experience. Some candidates, such as those currently in work, might prefer to carry out as much of their job application online as possible.

 

This is why, in addition to searches, job alerts and online guides, our new website includes an option for online tests. Traditionally, any online tests required by a prospective employer would have to be completed during an interview, or at their recruitment agency’s office.

 

With the online test function on the website, a candidate can securely take a test at their own convenience in their own home, reducing the anxiety and inconvenience often associated with testing.

 

Ensuring both clients and candidates receive a high level of customer service is integral to the success of most businesses, including recruitment agencies.

 

The ultimate goal to find the perfect candidate for the role as quickly and efficiently as possible, is the holy grail of recruitment and centres around customer service. In order to achieve this, agencies and individual consultants need to have customer service at the forefront of their mind.

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Branding and candidate experience key to tackling skills gap

Organisations must enhance their employer brand and candidate experience in order to address the skills gap according to talent management specialists a&dc.

In response to the latest report of global skills shortage a&dc claims that this perception is, in part, down to inefficient attraction and recruitment strategies. Amidst calls to gear recruitment to international candidates, the talent management experts have outlined two key methods to address this issue:

  • Development of stronger employer branding messages that are geared to niche markets
  • An efficient recruitment process that assesses the intangible as well as the tangible and leaves all applicants with a positive view of the business.

Pip Clarke, Business Development Director at a&dc, commented, “The idea that organisations are facing a skills shortage has long been batted about the HR and business community, but there has been little agreement as to how this can be addressed. We are quite simply operating in a different business environment post-recession and the way we access talent must, as a result, adapt. Candidates are much more aware of the options available to them and as confidence in the market increases, they will understandably be harder to attract. However, by developing a strong, tailored employer of choice message, businesses can engage with the best talent.”

Using the right tools is also a must, as Clarke explains, “While the more technical skills of a role can be developed in an individual, there are numerous intangible elements that should play a key part in the assessment process. Often, when we drill down into the real skills gaps in recruitment processes, the key missing ingredient is the behaviour or cultural fit. Resourcing decision makers and line managers need to recognise that the right person for the role doesn’t have to fit all the technical boxes in many cases. With the right attitude, flexibility and ability to learn, an individual can add so much more to the business.”

 

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