Archives: Recruitment of team leaders

Executive Search - the benefits of hiring a recruitment agency

by Tom Bozyczko | December 8, 2020 | For the Employer, Recruitment

Why do companies hire external executive search agencies? Organizations should have an effective human resource recruitment process. This process must be cost-effective - and also time-effective. An effective recruitment process will not only reduce the cost of hiring employees, but also reduce employee turnover. Consulting firms have played a key role in the development of the Executive Search market in Europe and Poland, bringing in both international and Polish firms that have contributed to its growth over the years.

The Executive Search method has many advantages, such as effective Direct Search, the use of additional selection tools by specialized headhunting companies, and maintaining full confidentiality of the recruitment project.

The recruitment process should result in hiring personnel who meet the required skills and complement the organization's culture and values. In addition, the process should result in hiring top performers. This is important because, according to McKinsey & Co. top performers are about 400 percent more productive than average performers.

Did you know that the cost of a bad recruitment, especially at managerial level, is around 200,000 PLN?

Costs include:

Training
Reduced efficiency
Announcements for new position
Hours spent vetting every candidate who applies for the position
Interviewing potential candidates for the post
Shorten the list and re-review potential candidates for the position
Correct verification of employment history

Companies that screen and interview every potential candidate for management positions within a company can receive hundreds of resumes for a vacant position. Recruitment processes for these positions require a high level of accountability and confidentiality, which is crucial when recruiting top management candidates. Sifting through each candidate takes a significant amount of time. Let's do some math here:

You need to hire 10 employees.
You get about 30 CVs for each position, which equals 300 CVs.
You spend 5 minutes going through each CV and cover letter.
That's more than 25 hours spent just reviewing resumes.

Executive search firms may be paid based on whether a candidate is hired by a client.

78% of internal recruiters said that half of the resumes they received belonged to unqualified candidates.

Instead of wasting valuable hours screening qualified candidates for interviews, consider hiring an executive search recruitment agency. They can reduce the workload associated with the recruitment process, allowing your company's HR staff to spend their time managing other important functions, such as creating effective policies to reduce employee turnover. A headhunter will search for the best candidate on behalf of your company and provide you with a list of the most qualified candidates for the position you want to fill.

When it comes to headhunting, companies of all types and sizes can benefit from Executive Search or Direct Search. Experienced consultants and a well-developed networking approach are key to conducting effective recruitment processes.

Filling vacancies quickly

The typical protracted process of hiring in-house can lead to reduced revenues. This is because vacancies have a negative impact on a company's net productivity. Some managers mistakenly believe that keeping positions vacant for an extended period of time will result in labour cost savings.

What's more, you should know that qualified candidates have been on the market for a while. According to a study conducted by Office Vibe, the best candidates stay on the market for about 10 days. So, you need to hire quickly especially for positions that require technical skills. Convincing passive candidates to consider a job change is a challenge that requires extensive market knowledge and strong interpersonal skills.

Another cost of vacant posts for companies is that it creates a burden on existing staff. Until the position is filled, employees must take on additional responsibilities. This, combined with excess overtime, can lead to employee burnout and performance issues.

Experienced headhunting companies focus on recruiting the best talent in the shortest possible time. They know the techniques to find qualified people for a position in a short period of time. The companies screen candidates en masse and pin down the right candidates for the job.

Employ experienced staff

Finding the best candidates for a position is not only a time-consuming but also a costly process. Hiring managers must assess the functions of the position, audit internal talent and search for the right candidate for the job, while creating a competency profile in the context of the job requirements. These tasks place an additional burden on human resources staff.

All the effort and money involved in recruiting employees will go to waste if inexperienced candidates are hired for the jobs. The cost of hiring the wrong people will be high for the company due to the additional training required to perform the tasks.

Enlisting the help of an executive search firm will increase the chances of hiring the right person for the job. An experienced recruitment firm will actively search for talented individuals for your company, conducting tests according to the chosen methodology and supporting its clients in preparing and presenting offers to selected candidates. Hiring an executive search firm will result in time and cost savings compared to in-house recruitment efforts.

Reaching out to passive candidates using the Direct Search method

Passive candidates are those who are not actively looking for a job because they already hold senior positions in a reputable company. Companies need to look for these candidates, but it takes time, effort, resources and skills. They have to invest resources in convincing a passive candidate to switch jobs. The Direct Search method, which recruits potential candidates who are currently working in similar positions, offers high efficiency, the possibility of using additional selection tools and full confidentiality of the recruitment project.

In the recruitment process, it is also important to meet with selected candidates to assess their competence and fit with the requirements of the position and the organization.

For this reason, consider hiring executive search and direct search agencies to attract top-notch passive candidates. Make them aware of the opportunity and convince them to join the company. Companies can trust an Executive Search agency to filter out candidates, both active and passive, and arrange interviews with the company.

executive search

Filling roles for specialized positions that require specific technical skills

Companies with specific technical requirements for a position may find it difficult to hire a candidate who meets all their requirements. For specialized positions, recruiting candidates requires a precise analysis of the candidate's profile in terms of knowledge and personality. If they do this through an executive search agency, it will increase the chances of getting a qualified candidate in a shorter period of time.

The executive search firm will compile a list of candidates suitable for a position that requires technical skills and help the company quickly fill the vacancy.

Ensure transparency in the recruitment process by an external executive search firm

Another key advantage of hiring an executive search firm to fill vacancies is that it will lead to a transparent recruitment process. This will prevent your company from having to be held responsible for any biases during the recruitment process. In addition, the chosen methodology in conducting tests and providing reports is an integral part of evaluating candidates.

Professional search firms treat every application with equal attention. No candidate is rejected because of the aforementioned protected characteristics. They follow a strict procedure to ensure a level playing field in the search process. Thus, enlisting the help of an executive search firm to fill staffing gaps will avoid liabilities arising from discrimination during the recruitment process.

executive-search-warsaw

Executive search firm's efforts to vet candidate

An experienced executive search firm can schedule suitable candidates for interviews after comprehensive preparation. The headhunting firm will verify the information in the resume to ensure that it is accurate and does not contain any factual inaccuracies. Managers with extensive experience in handling demanding recruitment projects discuss the needs and profile of the candidate sought before the project begins.

The Executive Search Agency will conduct a background check on the candidate to verify the degrees listed on the resume. In addition, the company will confirm information about the work experience listed in the job application. This is an invaluable service, since a survey showed that about 46 percent of resumes submitted for a position contained some false information. What's more, nearly 85 percent of employers caught candidates lying on their applications or resumes, according to the 2017 Employment Benchmarking Report.

These checks will not only make sure the right candidate is hired, but also prevent liability issues for some companies. For example, a public transportation company will be held liable if it hires a driver who has been convicted of multiple driving under the influence (DUI) or has a poor safety record. Enlisting the help of a professional headhunting firm will prevent costly lawsuits for failing to perform a background check when hiring.

job candidate verification

Preventing the downgrading of the corporate brand image

Relying on internal recruiters generally results in slow hiring. According to LinkedIn's 2020 Global Hiring Outlook Report, the hiring process can take up to four months. In addition to the costs associated with the aforementioned protracted recruitment processes, such as lost productivity, increased employee stress and reduced profitability, this can also have a negative impact on a company's image. In an executive environment, good relations and discretion are crucial to a successful recruitment process.

When a position remains unfilled for a long time and appears repeatedly in search results on job sites, it will present a negative image of the company. Potential employees will think that the company is not an attractive place to work.

A positive company image is important for effective hiring. You lose the chance to hire the best candidates because of a negative company image. This will result in fewer quality applications for the position.

In today's digital world of social media and review sites, your company cannot afford a long hiring process. A long hiring process will also frustrate potential candidates who have applied for a job with your company. They may leave negative comments on job review sites or social media, reducing your chances of attracting top talent.

Other benefits of using an Executive Search Agency

Here are some other benefits of using a recruitment agency for all your recruitment needs:

No need to search through countless job applications
External recruitment firm, thanks to its high level of confidentiality, can carry out "secret" projects for the Board of Directors
There is no need to deal with administrative issues such as communication with potential candidates, including informing unsuccessful candidates and offering feedback and confirming candidate information such as references and qualifications.
Eliminates costs associated with posting jobs on the Internet in various media
Eliminates the impact on internal staff who can fulfil their roles, duties and responsibilities more effectively.
Eliminates overtime costs associated with employing an internal team to conduct direct searches for a position, especially during busy periods.
Eliminates the likelihood of costs such as poor performance, re-employment and training.
It eliminates training costs because candidates will already have the skills and requirements necessary for the job.

In addition, offering personalized recruitment services tailored to the client's wishes, such as conducting tests, collecting references, supporting the client in candidate integration and creating competency profiles based on the client's needs, is crucial to recruitment success.

Applications

Companies that do not hire through recruitment agencies face various risks. These can include prolonging the recruitment process or hiring the wrong candidate for the job. If companies hire through an executive search agency, they will benefit from the employee's ability to successfully complete projects, tasks, projects and other duties. In short, an executive recruitment agency can help companies make the "right choice" every time. It is important to understand the client's needs and create a detailed profile of the candidate sought before starting the recruitment process.

Fast Forward Solutions is a specialized Executive Search agency that through the Direct Search method and helps companies to get the best talent. We deprive you of the risk and reduce the costs associated with finding the right employees for various positions with full confidentiality.

Our corporate clients are at the center of what we do. We actively seek out the best talent, engage with them and present a list of potential candidates who are ideal for the position. Our staff first learns about your industry, company and its culture, and then recommends a range of candidates who best fit your needs. We provide executive search services for companies belonging to various sectors, including IT, finance, venture capital, renewable energy, and sales and marketing.

See how we recruited a CMO, read the Case Study

Remote leader recruitment. Effective execution of onboarding.

by Tom Bozyczko | December 6, 2020 | For the Employer, Recruitment

Imagine that the remote recruitment was successful. As of next week, you have a new leader on board. You hired her/him to lead the transformation before the crisis began. But now she/he joins remotely after a successful recruitment process and inherits a remote team. Her/his short-term urgent priorities are very different from what they seemed to be before the Covid-19 pandemic. How can you make her/his onboarding productive as her/his manager? What can you do to support her and make her a success rather than a failure

Be crystal clear about short-term goals.

Like any leader in transition, he or she must learn quickly how to create value, and this is even more important in times of crisis. In particular, make sure the candidate's role and goals are clear from the start. For example, if you were recruiting online to find someone specifically to help with crisis management - let them know that this will include downsizing. But if you hired someone before the crisis, as in the case of a new supply chain leader, they need to understand their role at a much faster pace. Continuing with this example, make it clear in the onboarding process what aspects of the original role are a priority and what has changed due to the need to deal with immediate disruptions - preferably before the new leader starts.

Ensure a structured learning process.

To accelerate the learning process in a virtual context, you need to provide information in a more structured manner. This requires paying more attention to what you put in your initial "document dump": organizational charts, financial statements, strategic and project documentation, and an up-to-date crisis response plan. In a recent Savannah Group survey of 200 senior managers, 95% said that having access to this information made them more effective in the first few weeks, especially if the organization asked them in advance what would be most valuable. Beyond that, you need to help new employees get a broader and deeper picture of the organization and their role within it. Virtual briefings can be scheduled for the new supply chain leader on critical issues with the existing system and its challenges, as well as on culture, planning and decision-making processes. When remote recruitment takes place - all subsequent processes should already be planned.

Onboarding - a remote process - build a (more) robust stakeholder engagement plan.

Remote recruitment passed, what's next? The next step and the next priority is to help new employees identify, understand and build relationships with key stakeholders. When onboarding is virtual, it's important to be even more detailed and structured here as well. Start by having a conversation, an internal consensus on who the new leader's key stakeholders are and, most importantly, the order in which the new leader should meet with them; these things are often not apparent to new employees themselves. For the new leader, there may be single-level people in finance and operations whose support will be crucial. Once the key stakeholders have been identified, reach out to them and align them with the goals you have set for the new leader; this will maximize the value of their meetings.

Assign a virtual buddy on board.

Quite a few companies have built buddy systems (buddies) into their pre-crisis processes related to the "onboarding" issue. And for new managers entering remote work organizations, a buddy is essential.

Good buddies play four key roles. (1) They help orient new employees to the business and its context. (2) They facilitate connections with people whose support is essential or helpful. (3) They help navigate processes and systems. (4) They accelerate acculturation by providing insight into "how things are done here."

Of course, you must take care to select buddies who have the time, skills and inclination to help, and you must let them know how they can be most helpful. Typically, they should not be in the new leader's chain of command. This means they should be peers or others who have the understanding of the "big picture" necessary to be able to really help. For a new leader emerging from remote recruitment in the supply chain, a peer in operations may be a good choice.

Facilitating virtual team building.

Helpful in face-to-face situations, the process of assimilating a new leader is essential. When remote onboarding takes place, it's another huge challenge - just like remote recruitment before it. It is a structured process of compliance and connection between the leader and the team he or she inherits. The facilitator asks the leader and team members questions to discover what they would most like to share and learn about each other. The facilitator summarizes the insights gained and uses them to guide the conversation between the leader and the team. The good news is that this process can be done effectively via video conferencing.

Remote trainer recruitment - a step to think about.

Long before the crisis, studies showed that coaching with transition acceleration cuts time in half. What kind of time? Obviously, the time needed for new executives to become fully effective in their roles. In fact - you, your team and the new leader's team are coping with the stress of responding to new challenges. For example: remote recruitment, onboarding or crisis. Transition coaches can be especially important now. They are especially helpful when they understand the organization, company culture and stakeholder environment. Associates and coaches play a complementary role. That is, they advise new leaders on the challenges they face and provide a safe space in which to discuss them.

While following these guidelines, it is important to remember that remote recruitment alone is not enough. In truth, effective virtual onboarding does not just mean helping external employees. Remote recruiting, remote working, onboarding - these issues are huge challenges for employees at both the lower and top levels. Employees making internal moves in an organization working remotely can face challenges. Against the odds that are just as difficult if not more difficult than those faced by new leaders.

Remote management - sales team and recruitment

by Tom Bozyczko | Sep 28, 2020 | For Employer, Recruitment

Remote management of a complex of salespeople and sales support is not an easy task. Yes it is more difficult to do it remotely. Your employees may be selling by phone, online, face-to-face, among others - regardless of the method of selling, you need to work out a universal way to manage this team, verify the results, and carry out a satisfactory hiring process for the employee every time. How to do this effectively? Read this article and find out what to do to make remote management successful.

Recruiting managers - reducing the number of responsibilities

If you manage a group of many salespeople, you will have a hard time reviewing the work of each of them. A much easier and more efficient way will be to recruit managers or team leaders. Actually, each of them can monitor and verify the work of a smaller group of salesmen, and you will only keep in touch with managers or team leaders. This way you can focus on other priorities. For example, take care of market analysis, developing effective methods. This will make it much easier to conduct video calls over the Internet, during which you will discuss each problem, stage, marketing strategy. Managers will be responsible for motivating the salespeople they manage, checking and consulting on results, conducting training. The smaller the groups you manage remotely, the easier it is to communicate effectively. Think about change, build smaller teams. Their greater efficiency will turn into real profits, much greater than if you managed all the salespeople alone. If you are looking for managers, also applying remote team management - contact us.

New reporting systems - IT recruitment

A great way to communicate with the team, assign tasks and create projects is to use IT systems. In this case, it is best to carry out IT specialist recruitment. That is, hiring a person responsible for selecting CRM systems, testing, customizing and managing them will ease your burden considerably. The IT specialist will select the solution best suited to the nature of your company's operations and train your employees. Without buying several systems, as you can have your own systems. First think about what kind of solutions you are looking for. Do you only want to verify working hours, or maybe implement more projects and run reporting by each salesman? Then you can review the solutions available on the market yourself, or you can decide to hire a specialist to choose the best one, train your employees, implement the system and manage it. If you are looking for employees and your intention is future IT recruitment, then be sure to take advantage of our recruitment assistance offer. In summary, we will help you find employees who meet your requirements, and remote management of your sales team will be much easier for you.

Remote management is also a development

The current pandemic situation has made it increasingly difficult to sell. That's why it's a good idea to focus on business development and introduce new services or improve current ones. A good way to do this is to manage remotely, i.e. move to e-commerce and develop your business online. During the pandemic, many customers have increased confidence in online shopping. Both those for services and products. If you decide to expand your business, not only will you need to develop a new strategy, introduce products or services tailored to the needs of the market, but you will also need to recruit new employees who are perfectly comfortable working remotely. If you want recruitment to go smoothly and identify the best candidates, don't go it alone. Enlist the help of specialists to assist you throughout the process.

Effective remote management and recruitment

This is a complicated process that requires several verification steps. Therefore, it is much more beneficial to use the offer of professionals with experience. FFS will help you at all stages of remote recruitment. First we will get to know your needs, ask pertinent questions in order to find out who you want to hire and for what purpose. Then we will create a strategy, review the candidates' offers verifying their knowledge. The effective recruitment we offer also includes video meetings with candidates, during which we will check their knowledge and whether they fit the candidate profile and the business model you are working in. Later, we will introduce you to a few finalists, present them, and you will make a decision. We will not leave you once you are hired, we will contact you after a week, a month and a quarter. Assistance in building a remote operation? Remote management will be much easier with our support. You can use our services whether you are looking for multiple employees or just one. See our offer and use our services and you will improve remote operation with your sales team.

How to prepare an attractive job description?

by Tom Bozyczko | Sep 11, 2020 | Recruitment

When preparing a job description, do you simply copy and paste one template into another, or can you take the time to promote the position you are looking to fill? Retaining top talent is increasingly challenging and organisations are looking for new ways to build momentum and attract candidates. More creative, conversational and unconventional approaches to the job description yield better quality candidates and greater success in filling emerging vacancies. So what should a job description contain?

Job description example for IT positions

Firstly: background information

Job background information is essential both for people in personnel management departments and for those applying for a position within the job. Providing basic data will show the impact of the position on the organisational structure.

The main details of the job should include information such as the full name of the job, the purpose of the job, the working conditions, the location of the job and the level of classification in the organisation. It's important that this information is given in a simple way so that it's clear to both HR and other employees and job applicants. In the case of IT positions, it would be good to clearly state whether it is front end or back end.

Second: experience and qualifications required

The work experience and qualifications required for the job should be known to applicants in the recruitment process and to current employees. It is on the basis of qualifications and experience that applicants determine whether they meet the employer's requirements, and the employer can make a selection among applicants. A description of the experience and qualifications required for the job is also essential for current employees to plan their career path and development within the company.

Among the qualifications that are specified in the job description, there should be elements such as the required education, knowledge of foreign languages, skills, completed courses or indicated seniority in a similar position.

Third: Entitlements

Every employee should have clearly defined powers and additional authorisations. This ensures that the person in post is clear about what they are entitled to and personally responsible for.

Job authorisations may include, among other things, the power to make decisions on behalf of the company, to dispose of its finances and to sign documents on its behalf.

Fourth: tasks and competences

At this point, it should be made clear what the employer expects from the person hired for the position - after all, every applicant or employee wants to know what tasks their job entails.

The employer should therefore define what the employee is responsible for to his/her superiors, and what all the tasks and responsibilities are that he/she has to carry out during the employment relationship on the job. The definition of the terms of reference is crucial for both the employer and the employee - the supervisor knows on what basis he or she assesses the mentee and can determine whether the mentee is fulfilling his or her duties, while the employee can refer to the document when the tasks ordered by the supervisor go beyond the scope of activities stated in the job description.

Fifth: conciseness and specificity

Cut out the general stuff, be critical and ask yourself what is really necessary. Identify your needs, put it all down on paper and shave it down to the core competencies and tasks of the candidate. Try to challenge the typical description and "cut out the generic descriptions, be critical and ask yourself what is really essential".

Consider your list of 4-5 competencies, 4-5 required expectations and commit to them. Because you may be tempted to add lines like "detail-oriented" or "adaptable to change," be aware that such general points don't really differentiate candidates or have any real impact on your message.

Companies are also becoming more open to show earnings directly in the job advert. Doing so strikes a balance between employers and candidates, alleviating the stress of the dreaded salary interview. While employers may lose the upper hand in the discussion by using this method, they also avoid wasting the time of a candidate who may be applying for a job below the salary amount. An attractive job description is a key element of success, which is also rewarded by Google for Jobs, which indexes such a job ad higher.

It job descriptions as a marketing element

The classic job description is no longer sufficient. Instead, companies need to improve their advertising game and consider their job descriptions and job performance as advertising content. Such a description should be branded, catchy and engaging enough to make someone want to move on from their current employer to a new one.

For example, Monster has discovered a new way to interact with candidates by developing a program that allows people to embed videos directly into job descriptions! Skill Scout can also help companies tell their story with a platform that allows organisations to create their own videos that can be used in job descriptions. All of these companies are leveraging humanity, as job descriptions with video ads are viewed 46 percent more than written ones, and jobs receive 36 percent more indexing when accompanied by video.

What can be taken into account:

Prepare a 30-second video on why a potential candidate should join your team
Share stories about former employees in comparable roles and their increase in salary and competence levels
Include LinkedIn profiles / communities of this team
Upload videos or photos from your workplace
Upload infographics and other visual media to show the uniqueness of this job offer
Create job description text more dynamically by adding hyperlinks to more articles (media, awards, employee blogs, multimedia, business social links, etc.).

The usual job description is no longer enough in today's market, and companies will need to think more cheaply about how they interact and participate in the talent development process. Let them know what really awaits them when they are a new employee and don't be afraid to let your true colours shine! Also remember on your careers page about your privacy and cookies policy....