Taking on new staff

[cardiaccomputers]

Well the last few weeks have been hectic to say the least.

Moved into brand new offices, and its taken a while to get everything up and running.

I am now at the point that I need two extra people to help me.

What methods of advertising for staff have you found work the best?

 

[YODspica]

jobcentreplus

 

[Zeno]

The job centre involves a huge amount of time commitment as you will likely receive a huge number of applicants of whom only a fraction are actually interested in getting a job.

Expect much time to be wasted in sorting them from the geniune applications from suitable candidates.

 

[jazzydan58]

the job centre.....

I remember asking for someone who must have good maths skills, first 5 people could not even do a simple 2 digit plus 2 digit sum, that was the last time I asked for help form the job centre!

 

[cardiaccomputers]

I worked for the job centre many years ago installing them stupid computers, hence why I am in two minds to go down that route as I know I going to get 25+ bad applications for every good one.

Has anyone got experience with job agency's?

 

[Connexions]

try the local newpaper?

 

[mountrecruitment]

Hi Cardiac

Take a look at http://www.ukbusinessforums.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?p=756363#post756363

There are a few ideas there.

I would also say that if you need two staff and are short on time it may be more cost effective to use an agency of some sort. Just to clarify I AM NOT ADVERTISING as you may well want admin staff which is not my area of expertise!!

Best of luck and i am actually in the process of writing a guide to DIY recruitment for my website! I will let you know when it is done.

 

[TotallySport]

If you don't need specially trained staff the job center is free and does alot of free advertsing for you, but you do receive alot of unappropriate candidates, but it is a little funny and frustrating looking through them, we had 70 CV's in 3 days through them for one general job.

But for a specific / techincal job they don't do very well, after 2 weeks for a techincal job we had 12 CV's 9 of which were from people living overseas and the other were unsuitable for other reasons, but then again other job sites didn't turn up trumps either after paying.

No matter where you go it will take and need time, if it's free us it IMO, a quick email to the job center will place or cancel the add and you will loose nothing.

 

[AdamJ]

Jobcetre if you have time to sort through the copious dross.

Agency if you can swallow the fees.

Last two I hired I did by keeping my eyes open when out and about. One was a waiter in a pub who struck me as having particularly good customer service skills and as being articulate, while another was an aquaintance of a friend who came up as looking for work in conversation. The job is quite technical but we provided the necessary training and eased them into it and both have proved to be very good.

 

[PaddyPawsPetServices]

try the free local sites ( gumtree springs to mind ) or maybe the local newspaper

 

[serendipitybusiness]

What type of skill sets are you looking for? IT, admin etc?

 

[diver32]

we had 70 CV's in 3 days through them for one general job.

Apparently that is the going rate, I applied for a job the other week got an interview only to find there were another 11 people out of the 75 who applied, we all had a few numeracy type tests to do and all had exactly a 10 minute interview.

There are a lot of us looking for work at the moment, so expect a lot of responses.

 

[cardiaccomputers]

Looking for one IT trainee position, considering researching about a 'YTS' and one admin job to take care of manning the phones, paper work etc.

 

[serendipitybusiness]

Okay thanks. the reason I asked is that I have been looking for a new contract for my fiancé as his current one ends at the end of march. He is in information/data/business systems analysis/It Procurement, so in IT as well.

A few agencies have contacted him through Monster after seeing his CV so this must be a popular site to get staff. Sites I have noted down are

http://www.monster.co.uk
http://www.careerbuilder.co.uk
http://www.check4jobs.com/
http://jobs.guardian.co.uk/
http://www.inqjobs.co.uk
http://www.hotrecruit.com
http://www.cv-library.co.uk
http://www.totaljobs.com
http://www.jobserve.com
http://www.exec-appointments.com
www.fish4jobs.co.uk
http://www.theitjobboard.co.uk
http://www.jobsite.co.uk
http://www.thejobsmine.co.uk
http://www.gumtree.com

To be honest the jobsite didn't have any quality suitable jobs when I looked for James, however, it did have a few entry level jobs so it may be worth it for any entry level positions. However if I was to go and get a job now and didn't have any industry contacts my first stop would be monster followed by jobserve.

Hope this helps

 

[cardiaccomputers]

I set up 4 meetings with different agency's today.

Advert went on the job centre plus website last night and I already have 45 CV's emailed to me.

Going to have a quick flick though but will not have time to look at them in depth, really shows how many people are looking for work I guess

 

[mountrecruitment]

Sorry if this sounds patronising but if you want to give me a bell and let me know which agencies you have contacted i may know a little about them. I may be able to offer some, free and unbiased, advice generally to be honest!

 

[EcoCentric]

We have found that listing the job on relevant forums have given the most tarketed responses.
As we are a sustainable company so we list on Arts Council and yahoo group CSR chicks

I dont know if you have to pay, but GRB (Graduate recruitment bureau) could be good as many recent graduates are looking for entry level jobs and universities plug this to their graduating students.

 

[Jayne Johnson]

Well the last few weeks have been hectic to say the least.

Moved into brand new offices, and its taken a while to get everything up and running.

I am now at the point that I need two extra people to help me.

What methods of advertising for staff have you found work the best?

If you do not want to use the Job Centre then really you have 2 choices, advertise or use an agency. Have a phone round of some agencies to find out their fees. We advertise our fees on our website so everyone can see there are "no hidden catches".

But first of all decide what roles you want to fill and draw up a job description including skills that you will require.

Let me know if you need further assistance with this - my advice is free!
(although I will accept payment for it in bounty bars!)
Kind regards
Jayne

 

[kirstie]

Finding the most effective way to take on new staff depends on your budget and time you can dedicate to reviewing CVs.

Agencies can be good if you are constrained with time and don't know the market too well for the particular vacancy you have. There are some charlatans out there but if you set out your terms with them and define expectations up front you can build really useful relationships. Expect to pay around 15% of basic salary for admin, junior posts and around 20-25% for more senior, depending on your location.

If you want to recruit direct there are some cheap options out there. I've had recent success for a client using reed.co.uk which is only £50 to post a vacancy. Had to wade through a lot of irrelevant CVs though but was worth it in the end. (Time taken to review and cost of post was still cheaper than agency fee) Totaljobs, Fish4jobs, Monster have varying degrees of success. One of my clients swears by Monster for techy jobs but Monster is expensive
Gumtree is also good, you can get a lot of irrelevant CVs too though so you need time for wading! Jobcentre plus, like other members, I've mainly had frustrating times although I think its worth posting your vacancy there from a more social/ethical point of view. Especially the way the market is going you could find some hidden gems...

The most important thing is to be specific. Know what you want. Know the tasks/responsibilities you will be allocating to the successful candidate in as much detail as possible which will help you work out exactly what skills, knowledge and attitudes you want.

Good luck with your recruitment!
Kirstie

Kirstie Quinnin MCIPD

 

[sandie]

I've had the same issues for years - what works well for us is:

Putting an ad on your website - a lot of people are looking and a good ad can bring the right person to you for little cost. Agencies will also pick up and start contacting you about the role so you need to watch this method as you will get inundated with calls and they will add you to their mailing lists.

Some online boards offer a free cv search from their existing database. CV library do this - have a look at their website.

If all else fails.....small agencies I have found will work to an 8 - 10% fee with up to a few months rebate of a high percentage of the fee should the person not work out.

Good Luck!

 

[stephen-atbs]

Well, we have always used the jobcentre - and they have offered to shortlist condidates and provide an interview room too. No problems with them at all. Yes, I would use them again.

 

[Jayne Johnson]

Expect to pay around 15% of basic salary for admin, junior posts and around 20-25% for more senior, depending on your location.


Kirstie Quinnin MCIPD

Hi Kirstie - I agree - some agencies do charge an arm and a leg!

We work to fixed fees - our lowest fee being £250 and our highest £2000 and we do this UK wide... revolutionary I know .. but it works!

 

[geester]

I tried the jobcenter, selected 7 applicants for interviews out of 30 and only 2 turned up - I chased the others and I was told they could get more in benefits than I was offering, the basic wage £24,000, ote £60,000. Not bad salary for the North of England!!

I then tried the Manchester Evening News and got lots of applicants form people with little or no relevant experience and the same went for advertising on Gumtree.

I resolved myself to the fact that my business development will have to be a slow one.

I personally found the majority of people who are out of work don't want to work...

We are then subsidising them with our profits via the government.

 

[spritch]

I don't understand why people are hiring in this environment - OUTSOURCE!!

 

[geester]

if you want loyal staff, you hire - if you don't want loyalty outsource...

I don't understand why people are hiring in this environment - OUTSOURCE!!

 

[stevenberkshire]

Hiring is about continuity really. Outsource can take up large amount of time briefing them what to do.

And of course, there is this whether they care bits. Employee are likely to care a little more than a contractor, epsecially if that during the his/her last days of the contract.

 

[cardiaccomputers]

I don't understand why people are hiring in this environment - OUTSOURCE!!

I am an outsourcing company.

 

[the famous bully wee]

Remember good candidates will also look in on the jobcentre website as they have nothing to lose! Yes, most of the enquiries you get are cack but there's always the odd one worth pursuing and it's free!

Agencies I find to be a waste of space and expensive too - unless you have a good relationship with someone in their office and badger them they quickly forget you unless you want something that exactly fits what is on their books.....either that or they will try and foist less than ideal people on to you in order to get their fee. If you go down this route you really ought to ensure the agency concentrates on your profession.

If you are a new business try to get some PR and free advertising with local papers where you can make it clear you are looking for staff. Gives you a chance to get those who live locally, are scouring the local press for jobs and will be attracted to a feature about a new employer in their chosen field.

 

[clee]

Have you tried the local colleges? They are bound to have students wanting to move into IT and admin and often have schemes that help businesses take students on with financial support to cover some wage costs and/or training needs.

 

[mountrecruitment]

Remember good candidates will also look in on the jobcentre website as they have nothing to lose! Yes, most of the enquiries you get are cack but there's always the odd one worth pursuing and it's free!

Agencies I find to be a waste of space and expensive too - unless you have a good relationship with someone in their office and badger them they quickly forget you unless you want something that exactly fits what is on their books.....either that or they will try and foist less than ideal people on to you in order to get their fee. If you go down this route you really ought to ensure the agency concentrates on your profession.

If you are a new business try to get some PR and free advertising with local papers where you can make it clear you are looking for staff. Gives you a chance to get those who live locally, are scouring the local press for jobs and will be attracted to a feature about a new employer in their chosen field.

the famous bully wee - I agree with the first Paragraph about trying the Jobcentre but even if you have had bad experiences with agencies do you have to make such sweeping generalisations? As a recruiter i take a real pride in my work and as i have contributed to this thread already i wouldn't want to be associated with any of the bad practices you just mentioned. There are plenty of good recruiters out there as well so please don't tar us all with the same brush!

 

[betterlanguages]

We're in the same situation. Starting to think about recruitment because we are growing fast. I don't think there is a "one size fits all" for recruitment, as it depends what your needs are. I suspect Job Centres are useful for less skilled jobs, but agencies can be expensive and don't always deliver. I used to do a lot of recruitment for senior managers, and in those days local press + specialist trade press worked very well. It wasn't cheap, but then you probably need to think of the cost relative to salary. We used to spend a maximum of around 10% of annual salary on advertising.

Hope this helps.

Mike
translation services you can trust

 

[sm1]

Gumtree got a great response for me

 

[IRMcAllister]

Let us assume that you are adding new staff with similar skills to those you already have, in similar posts.

The first thing to do is get a job description together. If your existing staff don't have them, that's illegal under HR law (you wouldn't be the first SME business not to have employment contracts/JD's). I can recommend a great HR lawyer who can get that done in a day, your problem then will be negotiating with your staff for all the unofficial stuff you have had them doing!

JobCentre+ can help you create a JD for a new post, but they will then want to advertise the job. Honestly, much as though they have great backend staff dealing with employers, their front end staff leave a lot to be desired/don't care about your brief! The front end are simply targeted with getting people off Job Seekers allowance, and if the candidate express a slightest bit of interest they will send them over

Most recruitment agencies can also help you create a JD, but expect to pay for this service, either as a lump sum up front or an extended percentage fee.

Assuming that this is for extra staff under existing posts with JD's, go on to one of the big jobs boards and tap in the top three skills under a search. How many people come back nationally with those skills? Less than 50 and you have a problem, and are best using an agency. More than 1000 and you can stick an advert in the local newspaper, or use JC+

In between - depends how much of an HR department/process you have, and whether they are busy on existing issues. Most HR departments love getting away from the grind of people missing work, falling over, injuring themselves with pencils, etc. However, they have limited skills in finding staff, particularly in specialist areas where most of the ideal candidates will be off the market/hard to find.

I would also recommend you ask your existing operations staff for recommendations, and also bonus them for always be looking around for great talent. They will always be your best source of staff, as they will have checked out their technical skills and social fit before even thinking of possibly recommending them.

The other issue you have as a small company is attracting talent, and particuarly so in these dark economic climates. Most of the well trained people will come from corporate backgrounds, and jumping to a small company from a safe "with BMW and pension" corporate will be a hard sell. Agencies are used to this problem, and should sell this for you.

If you choose an agency, choose a specialist - three sectors at maximum, not someone who started out doing secretaries and now does head hunting! Most agencies will be flexible on fee's at present, expect to pay 15% upwards for standard skills and 30% upwards for specialist skills - could be 200% for recent technology skills. I would avoid the high street brands, as they charge high, and most are a Walls prime pork sausage machine as opposed to JC+'s Tesco own brand.

If you need any help, drop me a message.

 

[cardiaccomputers]

Well as an update, i got 7 interviews for next week, 2 where recommended by one of the companies in the same building as unforuntetly they had to down size and lay people off at Christmas.

And looking at their CV's they look perfect, the other are from the from both the job centre and a agency who offer no fee until I have the perfect person.

 

[Blush]

Agencies advertise the vacancies through the jobcentre also.
The staff can't stop people applying either as they can access vacancies online and also all other 'agencies' ie shaw trust and other private organisations who try to help people back into work use the jobcentres website too!
Just ask them to do the sift for you.They will sift through the applications /cvs for you using whatever criteria you ask for.You can even ask them to use Jobcentre application forms if you don't have your own devised.
They will also be able to tell all the other help they can offer you as an employer ie new deal subsidies, job introduciton scheme and worktrials.
Good Luck

 

[needhelp112]

Well the last few weeks have been hectic to say the least.

Moved into brand new offices, and its taken a while to get everything up and running.

I am now at the point that I need two extra people to help me.

What methods of advertising for staff have you found work the best?

erm I'm looking for a job if that helps, What experience/qualifications are you looking for?