This month we find out more about Spencer Jacobs, MD.
“What’s the best thing about your work?”
Finding someone a job and fulfilling client needs. I get a massive buzz out of getting people into the right work.
“Can you give an example of how you’ve fulfilled client needs?”
A Financial Director was looking for an accountant. He’d already been to three or four accountancy recruitment agencies, with no luck. He asked me if I was an accountant. When I said “No”, he asked, “How are you able to interview accountants then?” I explained how we listen to the needs of both sides and find a candidate that doesn’t just suit the role but suits the company as well. He trusted us to proceed and we found him a choice of two ideal people who were both so perfect he had trouble choosing between them.
“And what’s the worst thing about your work?”
It’s frustrating when I know a candidate is perfect but the client says they don’t want to meet them because they don’t look suitable on paper. We may not get it right every time, but we do all the groundwork so I wish all clients would listen to us! That way they would get best value for their money.
“How did you get into recruitment?”
My mother Jacqy started Forties People in 1992. I was working in sales at BMW, and could see a downturn in the motor industry so decided on a change of career. I joined as Operations Manager in 2000, and bought the business when she retired in 2003.
“What changes have you seen since you started?”
Things were tough when I started and they are tough again now. There is never a constant flow of jobs and candidates; it’s always tilted one way or the other.
“So how should New Recruit readers get the best from their recruitment agency?”
Choose Forties People! Make sure your recruitment agency understands your business and the role that you’re recruiting for. I know what it’s like to be an employer. I had a fairly poor experience of recruitment agencies who would send hundreds of CVs and people who weren’t suitable. I found that most recruitment consultants didn’t know enough about the candidates, let alone the company they were recruiting for. We do it differently here. We spend time getting to know you, checking CVs and pre-interviewing candidates on your behalf. You then get a really good shortlist of quality candidates, which saves you a lot of time and hassle.
“So, are you married?”
“And are you planning a family?”
“What is your personal situation?”
You must be extra careful you are not being prejudiced when interviewing. By law, you have to ask everyone the same questions but the above 3 questions are ones that you definitely mustn’t ask!
Closed questions invite a one-word answer so won’t tell you a lot. We recommend you ask open questions – they often start with who, what, when, where, why and how, and can gather much more information.
Here are some classic questions that candidates are often prepared for:
“Where do you want to be in five year’s time?”
“What do you consider to be your greatest strengths and weaknesses?”
“Which accomplishments have given you the greatest satisfaction and why?”
“Why do you want to work here?”
“Give me an example of …” is a good way to uncover transferable skills. For example: “Tell me about a time when you solved a problem”. Or “How have you dealt with a difficult customer?” While “What did you do at work yesterday?” can prompt a specific story from someone who is being vague.
It’s not just about knowing which questions to ask, the real skill is in how you ask them. The best questioning style helps the candidate relax and reveal more about themselves, so you find out whether they have the right skill set and will be a good fit with your organisation.
Remember, it’s OK to probe more deeply into candidates’ CVs. Statistics claim that many people lie to make themselves look good. If you interview our candidates, we will have checked out their CVs before we send them to you. Contact us to find out how we can help with your interviewing process.
Here’s a few stories we’ve heard about interviews by companies that hadn’t used us to screen their candidates…
One candidate told the interviewer he was fired for beating up his last boss.
A candidate for an accounting position said she was a "people person" and not a "numbers person."
Another candidate applied for a technical position repairing computers. Even though he’d clearly had no experience in electronics or computers, he’d made it to interview stage. He was asked if he’d ever taken apart a computer and actually seen inside one. His response was "Are you kidding? It's dangerous!" Needless to say, he did not get the position!
A candidate got a job as the PA to a Chief Executive. On 'handover' day , she discovered that he had changed to a three-day week and was about to take three months off to write a book! She also found she was expected to look after the diary of the Managing Director. The job wasn't as described, she wondered if the role would actually exist long-term, and she turned it down. If the employers had written the job description correctly, this situation would never have arisen.
Our top 10 tips on writing job descriptions
Be clear about what you want the employee to do
List the main responsibilities of the role, without going into too much detail
Think ahead, to make sure there are no nasty surprises
Keep it relevant; don' t ask for things you'd like but don't need
Make sure the specification is within the law. For example, you can't say ' Must be a graduate' or 'Must have A levels' unless it's a specialist role that actually demands those qualifications
Take care when specifying previous experience, as you must be able to justify it. For example, you can say 'Must have experience of working at CEO level' , but you can't say 'Must have five years experience' unless you can prove why
Include the hours and benefits, because if you need someone to start at 8am, that eliminates anyone who has to take their children to school before they can start work
Prepare the job description in advance of briefing us, or invite us to help, we're more than happy to talk through what you are looking for and why, and help you write it
Use the job description to measure applicants against at interview
Get the job description right, and you have a good chance of finding the right candidate. Get it wrong, and you risk wasting everybody's time!
As you know, we're great supporters of diversity in the workplace, and there is a whole raft of legislation governing this area. But it's not just about following the law, it is genuinely in your best interests to recruit and develop people from a wide and diverse pool of talent. It seems obvious to us that diversity should be encouraged and valued, with equal opportunity for all. Your clients probably include a range of age groups doesn't it make sense to employ a wide range of staff too?
Key things to remember about Equality and Diversity
Employers should have a written policy covering equality and diversity, aiming to ensure no discrimination occurs regardless of age, marital status, race, nationality, ethnic or national origin, gender, religion or belief, sexual orientation, disability, domestic circumstances, social and employment status, HIV status, gender reassignment, political affiliation or trade union membership.
So what is discrimination? Any unfair action against an individual or group e.g. through exclusion, verbal comment, denigration, harassment, victimisation, failure to appreciate needs, or assumption of needs without consultation.
Employers should aim to create a culture that positively values and respects differences, promotes dignity, fairness, equality and diversity, and encourages individuals to develop and maximise their potential. This applies to all job applicants and employees, whether full-time, part-time, fixed-term, temporary or voluntary.
Plan ahead
The more notice you can give us, the better job we can do for you. If you have several secretaries all booking holiday at different times, we may be able to find one temp to cover for all of them, which will provide some continuity for you.
Be clear about what you want
We’ll work with you to identify exactly what tasks the temp will be expected to do, and what mindset will fit your organisation. We can then find you the best match of skills and personality.
Prioritise
A temp may take on the main responsibilities of your permanent member of staff, but is unlikely to have the same deep understanding of your business. If the workload is pre-planned properly, the temp can cover essential duties and other work can wait until the staff member returns.
Handover period
It can be useful for the temp to start in advance of the planned absence, so they can become familiar with the role and responsibilities, meet key people and make a seamless transition.
Work as a team
Let colleagues and managers know what service levels they can expect from the temp, to ensure all critical functions are covered and your customers won’t notice any delays.
Relax!
Good temps are responsible, reactive and accountable. With the right preparation in place, you can be confident to delegate full-time responsibilities to them.
Don’t forget to let us know your expected requirements for holiday temps and we’ll give you a shortlist of suitable candidates!
A recent highlight was when Pamela found the perfect job for a great candidate who was difficult to place. “The lady was in her late 50s. She was multi-lingual and had a great amount of skills. She’d covered a variety of jobs but didn’t particularly fit any job specification. Other agencies wouldn’t even interview her. I knew she was of great value and certainly would be of benefit to a busy company. I could see her potential and asked certain local employers to trust my judgement and offer her 10 minutes of their time. I felt confident that they would like her, and even risked them not using me again if I had got it wrong! She was snapped up and actually sobbed with joy. The employer thinks she’s amazing – they told me they never would have picked her CV had it not been for my phone call.”
Pamela is against any form of discrimination, but thinks: “there will always be people who judge a book by its cover and candidates still feel discriminated against because of their age.” At Forties People, we value what’s on the CV and whether candidates can do the job. “We still get a few phone calls saying our company name discriminates against young people, but we’ve never discriminated against people of any age,” Pamela concludes.
Let Pamela help you to find the perfect candidate for your vacancy, by calling her on 020 7329 4044.
As recruitment experts, we have to keep on top of the latest legislation that affects employers.
NEW: Employees’ right to request time off for training
The Government plans to introduce a new ‘right to request time off for training’, modelled on the current ‘right to request flexible working’. Employers will be obliged to consider requests, but will be able to refuse a request where there is a good business reason. There is to be a consultation about the details of the proposal.
EXTENDED: Employees’ right to request flexible working
The Government intends to extend the ‘right to request flexible working’ to parents of children up to age 16. Employees currently able to make flexible working requests include: parents of children under 6 or disabled children under 18; or those with adult dependents. A consultation is due on how to implement the proposals.
NEW: Guidance for employers dealing with the transfer of employee information during a transfer of undertaking
When employees are transferring to another employer under the TUPE rules, the transferor is required to provide certain information about the employees to the transferee. The Information Commissioner’s Office has published new guidance to help both employers comply with their obligations under the Data Protection Act 1998.
AMENDED: Sex Discrimination Act – AML
For women with an expected week of childbirth after 4 October 2008, non-pay terms and conditions will apply during Additional Maternity Leave as already apply to Ordinary Maternity Leave.
AMENDED: Sex Discrimination Act – sexual harassment
The definition is widened to cover harassment ‘related to the claimant’s sex or that of another person’ rather than harassment ‘on the grounds of the claimant’s sex’. This means that if A witnesses B sexually harassing C, A could potentially bring a claim for sexual harassment, even if C doesn’t.
AMENDED: Sex Discrimination Act – third parties
Employers will now be liable for sexual harassment by third parties, such as customers, if they fail to take ‘reasonably practical steps’ to prevent it. There must have been at least two previous occasions when the employee was subjected to harassment, although not necessarily by the same person.
INCREASED: National Minimum Wage
With effect from 1 October 2008, the adult rate will rise to £5.73, the rate for 18-21s will rise to £4.77, and the rate for 16-17s will rise to £3.53.
This month we find out more about Spencer Jacobs, MD.
“So, are you married?”
A candidate got a job as the PA to a Chief Executive. On 'handover' day , she discovered that he had changed to a three-day week and was about to take three months off to write a book! She also found she was expected to look after the diary of the Managing Director. The job wasn't as described, she wondered if the role would actually exist long-term, and she turned it down. If the employers had written the job description correctly, this situation would never have arisen.
As you know, we're great supporters of diversity in the workplace, and there is a whole raft of legislation governing this area. But it's not just about following the law, it is genuinely in your best interests to recruit and develop people from a wide and diverse pool of talent. It seems obvious to us that diversity should be encouraged and valued, with equal opportunity for all. Your clients probably include a range of age groups doesn't it make sense to employ a wide range of staff too?
6 top tips on planning your holiday cover.
Here are some of the things you can do to help the interview process go smoothly.
A recent highlight was when Pamela found the perfect job for a great candidate who was difficult to place. “The lady was in her late 50s. She was multi-lingual and had a great amount of skills. She’d covered a variety of jobs but didn’t particularly fit any job specification. Other agencies wouldn’t even interview her. I knew she was of great value and certainly would be of benefit to a busy company. I could see her potential and asked certain local employers to trust my judgement and offer her 10 minutes of their time. I felt confident that they would like her, and even risked them not using me again if I had got it wrong! She was snapped up and actually sobbed with joy. The employer thinks she’s amazing – they told me they never would have picked her CV had it not been for my phone call.”
© 2008 BBC