Whilst carrying out some research on a number of clients last week, I was surprised by just how much clichéd jargon they had all managed to cram onto their web sites home page. Whilst I do fully appreciate that the web editors want to portray the company in its best light, do they really believe that people these days are impressed by, or even fully understand, phrases such as: “leveraging deep seated industry expertise” or “an enhanced global delivery model” or “an empowered pool of outward thinking individuals who deliver customer centric solutions”
Surely it must actually be simpler and will ultimately deliver a more “customer engaging experience” if they stuck to simple English? A quick snap shot of colleagues and friends on their reaction to these web sites reveals a near unanimous decision to move onto an alternative company. None of these companies offer a product that is unique and so a potential customer has just walked away with a negative impression and taken their potential business elsewhere, knocking onto the sales and profit figures.
This over use of jargon is not exclusive to big conglomerates or to small businesses starting out and trying to make an impact, but still seems wide spread; so whilst I go and re-check our own web site for inappropriate jargon, if you have a few choice examples then please let me know and I’ll write a follow up piece next month.
Wednesday, 30 June 2010
Thursday, 10 June 2010
Culture eats strategy for breakfast
Last weekend I was sitting around with a couple of friends, who all work in a diverse cross section of businesses, discussing the current economic situation and how it impacts upon each of us, when the subject line of this blog was dropped into the conversation.
The instant response from most of us was: no! Or words to that effect.
However, once you actually start to dissect it and think about it, then yes it does make an awful lot of sense. Strategy, as always, comes from the top and really it doesn’t matter how good or how cutting edge your strategy is; if you don’t have the people with the right attitude (culture) the there is little or no chance of the strategy working! Unless you have a massive personnel change first.
Over the years, whilst discussing recruiting for them, I’ve heard an endless number of clients tell me how unique their culture is and I’ve always wondered about it. I vividly recall the consolidation phase that the big accountancy firms went through and the fallout from the ‘mergers’ as the cultures between the firms clashed. I started working with a client when it only had 3 employees and watched it grow to 100+ and helped it develop its own culture from scratch rather than by buying firms to create itself. The MD really did have the opportunity to shape the strategy and culture of that business; but was it unique? Or was he creating a culture that simply mirrored his own personality?
After much discussion and batting ideas back and forth, the majority of us had changed our opinion from a definite no to a fairly clear yes.
So, if you ‘d like to discuss with InterSearch in the UK how we can work with you to help develop your culture and strategy through the recruitment of key personnel, then contact one of the Directors at www.intersearchuk.com
The instant response from most of us was: no! Or words to that effect.
However, once you actually start to dissect it and think about it, then yes it does make an awful lot of sense. Strategy, as always, comes from the top and really it doesn’t matter how good or how cutting edge your strategy is; if you don’t have the people with the right attitude (culture) the there is little or no chance of the strategy working! Unless you have a massive personnel change first.
Over the years, whilst discussing recruiting for them, I’ve heard an endless number of clients tell me how unique their culture is and I’ve always wondered about it. I vividly recall the consolidation phase that the big accountancy firms went through and the fallout from the ‘mergers’ as the cultures between the firms clashed. I started working with a client when it only had 3 employees and watched it grow to 100+ and helped it develop its own culture from scratch rather than by buying firms to create itself. The MD really did have the opportunity to shape the strategy and culture of that business; but was it unique? Or was he creating a culture that simply mirrored his own personality?
After much discussion and batting ideas back and forth, the majority of us had changed our opinion from a definite no to a fairly clear yes.
So, if you ‘d like to discuss with InterSearch in the UK how we can work with you to help develop your culture and strategy through the recruitment of key personnel, then contact one of the Directors at www.intersearchuk.com
Wednesday, 2 June 2010
The ‘Oh no, not another world cup blog’ Blog!
Having absolutely no interest in football (I’m a Leeds fan after all!) I’m already bored with the daily information overload that it’s almost impossible to escape from. With 11 days to go until the start, we’ve gone from drip feeding World Cup News (hereafter known as WC News!) to a veritable cascading torrent of it. I’m dreading what it’s going to be like if we reach the semi and finals.
All of which leaves me to find something else to write about. Have you seen the price of beer these days? When I were a lad…..
In all seriousness there are some key issues floating around that will have a major impact upon our economy and recruitment issues thereafter. The new government(s) has already announced some tough cuts in budgets that are already having an impact upon infrastructure funding and the public sector is now realising that it cannot continue to carry so many employees who for years have been playing the system. Which commercial organisation would have written into an employment contract an allowance of 21 days sick leave?
Fears of a double dip recession are still very real and it places even more importance on ensuring that your business either currently employs or goes out and recruits the best person for the job; whether that’s someone from a competitor or someone who comes in with a fresh perspective.
Whilst we have seen an upturn in assignments won in April and May, we’ve also seen a sharp rise in discussions about interim management as clients discuss holding off permanent recruitment until they are truly confident in their own market economy. Either way, InterSearch in the UK has the consultants with the expertise who can work with you to deliver the best employee to your business.
All of which leaves me to find something else to write about. Have you seen the price of beer these days? When I were a lad…..
In all seriousness there are some key issues floating around that will have a major impact upon our economy and recruitment issues thereafter. The new government(s) has already announced some tough cuts in budgets that are already having an impact upon infrastructure funding and the public sector is now realising that it cannot continue to carry so many employees who for years have been playing the system. Which commercial organisation would have written into an employment contract an allowance of 21 days sick leave?
Fears of a double dip recession are still very real and it places even more importance on ensuring that your business either currently employs or goes out and recruits the best person for the job; whether that’s someone from a competitor or someone who comes in with a fresh perspective.
Whilst we have seen an upturn in assignments won in April and May, we’ve also seen a sharp rise in discussions about interim management as clients discuss holding off permanent recruitment until they are truly confident in their own market economy. Either way, InterSearch in the UK has the consultants with the expertise who can work with you to deliver the best employee to your business.
Thursday, 27 May 2010
It’s good to talk!
There’s little more frustrating than not being able to talk with someone who you really need or want to talk with. The longer that you both go without having that all important conversation, the more the subject matter gains in importance, quite possibly to the extent that it has now grown into a mountain of a problem from what was a little molehill.
No matter who you are or what your job is, at some stage of everyday you will inevitably have to talk with a colleague, a customer or someone who might have an influence on your future. Which is where we come into this blog!
As a search firm we’re proactive and tap candidates on the metaphorical shoulder to discuss our client’s opportunity with them. From there the conversation either comes to a stop as they decide that what we’re offering isn’t for them or we move forward and start discussing CV’s.
Now this is what puzzles me. There are endless web sites and firms who will advise you on how to write and present your CV, usually for a fee, and yet we’re staggered by the number of CV’s which we receive that have no contact details on them. The telephone number might be on the original email (rarely post these days) but equally it’s as likely to not be on it. Our only way of contacting that candidate is through the original email and asking them to call us. Naturally we point this out to candidates and have been told on a number of occasions that they’ve been advised to leave these details off as they might be discriminated against because of their location, which you can tell from the address and dialling code!
Forgive me, but this is simply hokum and exceedingly poor advice. I, along with most clients and fellow recruitment consultants, do not have time to try and track down candidates contact details if they won’t supply them on the original CV. Candidates will miss out on opportunities and discover that when the ‘phone doesn’t ring; silence isn’t golden.
As I said: It’s good to talk.
No matter who you are or what your job is, at some stage of everyday you will inevitably have to talk with a colleague, a customer or someone who might have an influence on your future. Which is where we come into this blog!
As a search firm we’re proactive and tap candidates on the metaphorical shoulder to discuss our client’s opportunity with them. From there the conversation either comes to a stop as they decide that what we’re offering isn’t for them or we move forward and start discussing CV’s.
Now this is what puzzles me. There are endless web sites and firms who will advise you on how to write and present your CV, usually for a fee, and yet we’re staggered by the number of CV’s which we receive that have no contact details on them. The telephone number might be on the original email (rarely post these days) but equally it’s as likely to not be on it. Our only way of contacting that candidate is through the original email and asking them to call us. Naturally we point this out to candidates and have been told on a number of occasions that they’ve been advised to leave these details off as they might be discriminated against because of their location, which you can tell from the address and dialling code!
Forgive me, but this is simply hokum and exceedingly poor advice. I, along with most clients and fellow recruitment consultants, do not have time to try and track down candidates contact details if they won’t supply them on the original CV. Candidates will miss out on opportunities and discover that when the ‘phone doesn’t ring; silence isn’t golden.
As I said: It’s good to talk.
Wednesday, 19 May 2010
Cross border co-operation
As I mentioned in my blog a month ago, the world is getting smaller moment by moment and at the heart of this change has been the continual advancement of technology, enabling you to Skype each other or run live video conferences, rather than conducting all of your communication by email.
However, all of these technologies have a limiting factor and that’s because nothing beats the one to one human contact that meeting in a room together offers.
As companies increasingly spread their global wings, the need to recruit accordingly inevitably rears its head and that’s where InterSearch has a trump card. With offices in 45 countries we can pull together a team wherever you or your needs are. This week we had a classic example of exactly this when I headed out to Paris to meet the HR Director of a client that was moving its Head Office. Putting aside the fact that I turned up an hour late (thanks for that Eyjafjallajökull) my colleagues from the European offices and I have been able to put together a co-ordinated search process that will target candidates in four countries in order to deliver a comprehensive shortlist and the best candidate for the job.
It became apparent that they wouldn’t have trusted the assignment to a firm that didn’t have consultants in situ in their target countries, nor one that couldn’t manage the co-ordination of those consultants to the advantage of the HR Director.
If you would like to discuss what InterSearch can do for you then contact one of our directors on 0203 1300 390 or www.intersearchuk.com
However, all of these technologies have a limiting factor and that’s because nothing beats the one to one human contact that meeting in a room together offers.
As companies increasingly spread their global wings, the need to recruit accordingly inevitably rears its head and that’s where InterSearch has a trump card. With offices in 45 countries we can pull together a team wherever you or your needs are. This week we had a classic example of exactly this when I headed out to Paris to meet the HR Director of a client that was moving its Head Office. Putting aside the fact that I turned up an hour late (thanks for that Eyjafjallajökull) my colleagues from the European offices and I have been able to put together a co-ordinated search process that will target candidates in four countries in order to deliver a comprehensive shortlist and the best candidate for the job.
It became apparent that they wouldn’t have trusted the assignment to a firm that didn’t have consultants in situ in their target countries, nor one that couldn’t manage the co-ordination of those consultants to the advantage of the HR Director.
If you would like to discuss what InterSearch can do for you then contact one of our directors on 0203 1300 390 or www.intersearchuk.com
Tuesday, 11 May 2010
The only decision is indecision.
A week ago we were in the midst of the build up to the first general election that would genuinely be contested since the labour government came to power in 1997. The excitement of having the leadership debates was still fresh in our minds as we all trooped off to the polling stations to mark our X on the local and national ballot papers.
And now here we are a week later and we’re no further closer to knowing which party will be in power and who will be leading us onwards to a brighter economic future.
All of this made me wonder what on earth would happen if we all tried to run our businesses this way? Can you imagine your employees voting on whether the MD or the FD was offering the right pay rise and then when the votes are tied calling in the part time 16 year old trainee post room clerk to make the decision?
Whilst the three parties try and buy the favours of each other in order to either cling onto power or move into the power hot seat; the economy bounces around like an infant on a 1970’s space hopper. As with any business, whether it’s public sector, privately owned or a PLC, decisions and tough decisions at that, have to be made. For all our sakes, let’s hope that this mess is resolved.
And resolved quickly.
And now here we are a week later and we’re no further closer to knowing which party will be in power and who will be leading us onwards to a brighter economic future.
All of this made me wonder what on earth would happen if we all tried to run our businesses this way? Can you imagine your employees voting on whether the MD or the FD was offering the right pay rise and then when the votes are tied calling in the part time 16 year old trainee post room clerk to make the decision?
Whilst the three parties try and buy the favours of each other in order to either cling onto power or move into the power hot seat; the economy bounces around like an infant on a 1970’s space hopper. As with any business, whether it’s public sector, privately owned or a PLC, decisions and tough decisions at that, have to be made. For all our sakes, let’s hope that this mess is resolved.
And resolved quickly.
Thursday, 29 April 2010
It’s all about timing
As any great comic over the centuries will tell you, the secret to great comedy is in the timing. Whether that’s Chaplin or Connolly, it’s usually the pauses and interruptions that make joke or the tall tale work.
In some respects recruitment is no different. It does not matter which side of the table you are on, the ability to hit the perfect moment is an art form, but just as the ability to tell the perfect joke needs planning and practice, so the ability to deliver the perfect candidate needs planning at the outset.
The place to start is the start date! That of course is the day that you want the candidate to start and then to work backwards through the process, ours and yours, until you reach the ideal date to start the assignment. Unfortunately experience over many years tells us that inevitably once you have mapped out that process you will find that you should have started quite a while before you actually did.
We have a number of key client relationships that work because we meet for half an hour three or four times a year, even or especially when they’re not recruiting, for a catch up with their line managers and the HR team. As a consequence, when the client does sign off an assignment we are already ahead of the game because the dialogue has enabled us to update target lists and to understand the ethos behind the recruitment.
If you would like to be one step ahead of the game and more importantly your competitors then please feel free to have an informal discussion with one of our director. www.intersearchuk.com
In some respects recruitment is no different. It does not matter which side of the table you are on, the ability to hit the perfect moment is an art form, but just as the ability to tell the perfect joke needs planning and practice, so the ability to deliver the perfect candidate needs planning at the outset.
The place to start is the start date! That of course is the day that you want the candidate to start and then to work backwards through the process, ours and yours, until you reach the ideal date to start the assignment. Unfortunately experience over many years tells us that inevitably once you have mapped out that process you will find that you should have started quite a while before you actually did.
We have a number of key client relationships that work because we meet for half an hour three or four times a year, even or especially when they’re not recruiting, for a catch up with their line managers and the HR team. As a consequence, when the client does sign off an assignment we are already ahead of the game because the dialogue has enabled us to update target lists and to understand the ethos behind the recruitment.
If you would like to be one step ahead of the game and more importantly your competitors then please feel free to have an informal discussion with one of our director. www.intersearchuk.com
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