The recruitment market has come back at least in part this year after the doldrums of 2009. Whilst some companies still report difficulties commercially; and are either down sizing or not recruiting; others are growing again.
But what is going on with candidates?
We have a very different view of the world from different parts of the candidate pool.
Many are still staying put with the view that they are better off where they are, perhaps with some security of tenure under employment law.
Those without work are actively seeking a new role and some very good people are available. In a normal recruitment market they would have been snapped up quickly; but anyone who had the misfortune to have lost their role in late 2008 / early 2009 when there were precious few vacancies out there could now be dealing with the stigma of long term unemployment.
It is interesting to see how people have reacted to this. Some have been very pro-active and even entrepreneurial. I spoke recently with someone (with a previous strong sales track record) who has developed new income streams by taking in students, collecting money for finance companies, bar work, cleaning and then training to be a driving instructor - all in an attempt to minimise the drain on savings and pay those monthly bills.
Personally I think any employer who may consider this person for a job should appreciate the fact that they have been pro-active and not let the recession get them down. Isn't a pro-active and entrepreneurial salesperson just the right type to tough it out in the uncertain times ahead?
As the market picks up then with a bit of luck this person (and those like her as she is not alone) can get back into their preferred profession - that of selling to specifiers in the building trade.
A final thought - if you had the misfortune to lose your job in the depths of the worst recession in a lifetime - what would you have done?
How would you have coped?
How would you feel if now an employer was saying that they wouldn't consider you because you were "out of the swim?"
Wouldn't you be prepared to work your little butt off if someone gave you a break?
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Monday, January 4, 2010
What are the implcations for the recruitment and retention of staff as we start the new decade?
In the last couple of months of 2009 I contacted several hundred decision makers in the Interiors and building products sectors to see how they had found 2009, and what their plans were for 2010. Although this was initially an internal exercise it became apparent that there were some clear trends emerging and a consensus developing around what the implications are for organisations competing as we (hopefully!) emerge from this tough recession!
I also got in touch with David Smith (Economics Editor for the Sunday Times) to ask his opinion on the prospects for our market. His answer is contained in the report that I have compiled for you.
If you would like a copy of this report just let me know by either calling on 01295 720365 or emailing me on jerrywood@beaumontwood.com
Good luck for this year!
Jerry
I also got in touch with David Smith (Economics Editor for the Sunday Times) to ask his opinion on the prospects for our market. His answer is contained in the report that I have compiled for you.
If you would like a copy of this report just let me know by either calling on 01295 720365 or emailing me on jerrywood@beaumontwood.com
Good luck for this year!
Jerry
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Why using Executive Search in a Recession is Justified
By spelling out what a good executive research firm offers this article can provide the arguments to convince a prospective client why they should use the search services of Beaumont Wood.
The Executive Search business is often misunderstood and somewhat maligned as being expensive and unnecessary - especially in a downturn.
For a senior or specialist appointment, whether in a downturn or not, Executive Search is the way forward and the headhunter has to front and lead the assignment at every stage to add real value to the process.
Recent research states that over 60% of companies still use Executive search to recruit at the management level and here are some of the reasons why:
The qualification process
If you are in a senior role and you are approached by the researcher (quite normal) or headhunter, you are “qualified” professionally as to your interest in and suitability to the opportunity. You are subsequently sent a first rate briefing document about the company and the role, giving you a positive impression about the seriousness of the client and the professionalism of the search firm, before you have walked through the door of either. As a result you are potentially more interested in the opportunity.
The qualification process is an inexact science, even when supported with psychometric testing. I have seen candidates with first rate tests offered the job and fail in it and candidates with poor psychometric tests do exceptionally well in the role. Therefore, much is based on the skill, experience and intuition of the headhunter.
Understanding the client
Good headhunters understand their client and the company they are representing in some detail, from the products and services offered through to the cultural fit of the organisation as well as the personality of the future boss. Most good headhunters also have a strong intuition and can pick up on any aspect of strength or weakness and drill down accordingly. They can summarise the opportunity succinctly and sell candidates on the real benefits. They will be direct, honest and open with the candidates interviewed and keep them fully informed at every stage of the process. These people are, after all, our future clients too.
Keeping to timescales
Timeframes can be managed more effectively than an ongoing interview situation based on candidates from various sources.
Search firms like Beaumont Wood have specialist industry knowledge with principals and researchers having worked full time on each and every search until the shortlist is presented – often in as little as 4-6 weeks.
Companies using networks such as LinkedIn, Plaxo, Word-of-mouth etc may get lucky and find a suitable candidate quickly but it takes application and tenacity and it could be several months before you have anything near an acceptable shortlist. We are all in information overload with data coming at us from every angle and it is the search firm’s focus and persistence in drilling down on all of this information that creates a first rate shortlist of the best talent available at that time.
Managing a variety of sources to produce a first rate shortlist
Some headhunters claim that pure headhunting is “the only way” as companies do not make good people redundant and advertising only attracts people that are available and desperate for a job.
It should, however, be of no consequence where the shortlist emanates from, so long as it is always first rate.
In current times, redundancy is no longer a stigma. If a specific assignment exists where we are looking for a “square peg for a square hole” and that square peg happens to be redundant at that moment, then so be it.
Equally, with high level recruitment advertising, our “square peg“ candidate may have previously been in exactly the role we are looking for but as he/she is not currently in that capacity, they are unlikely to be headhunted. It does not devalue their ability to do an excellent job in the role in question. Advertising responses inevitably mean more data to work through but if the role is not confidential then utilising this medium ensures that the client has had the opportunity to meet the best available talent.
And, yes, search firms do also use LinkedIn and Plaxo and that has limitless possibilities but also takes a huge amount of time and application.
It is only by combining these methods that it is possible to bring together a fully researched and well balanced shortlist of highly qualified individuals in only 4-6 weeks.
Candidates there are many but a first-class shortlist is a much bigger challenge. Executive Search ensures the quality and speed of delivery that organisations need in current times.
Jerry Wood is Founder and Director of Beaumont Wood Executive Search - committed to performance, quality of delivery and results in the Interiors and Building Products sector. Jerry and his team provide clients with strong consultancy skills based on a sound methodology and have access to an enormous pool of several thousand sales & mid-to-senior management professionals.
The Executive Search business is often misunderstood and somewhat maligned as being expensive and unnecessary - especially in a downturn.
For a senior or specialist appointment, whether in a downturn or not, Executive Search is the way forward and the headhunter has to front and lead the assignment at every stage to add real value to the process.
Recent research states that over 60% of companies still use Executive search to recruit at the management level and here are some of the reasons why:
The qualification process
If you are in a senior role and you are approached by the researcher (quite normal) or headhunter, you are “qualified” professionally as to your interest in and suitability to the opportunity. You are subsequently sent a first rate briefing document about the company and the role, giving you a positive impression about the seriousness of the client and the professionalism of the search firm, before you have walked through the door of either. As a result you are potentially more interested in the opportunity.
The qualification process is an inexact science, even when supported with psychometric testing. I have seen candidates with first rate tests offered the job and fail in it and candidates with poor psychometric tests do exceptionally well in the role. Therefore, much is based on the skill, experience and intuition of the headhunter.
Understanding the client
Good headhunters understand their client and the company they are representing in some detail, from the products and services offered through to the cultural fit of the organisation as well as the personality of the future boss. Most good headhunters also have a strong intuition and can pick up on any aspect of strength or weakness and drill down accordingly. They can summarise the opportunity succinctly and sell candidates on the real benefits. They will be direct, honest and open with the candidates interviewed and keep them fully informed at every stage of the process. These people are, after all, our future clients too.
Keeping to timescales
Timeframes can be managed more effectively than an ongoing interview situation based on candidates from various sources.
Search firms like Beaumont Wood have specialist industry knowledge with principals and researchers having worked full time on each and every search until the shortlist is presented – often in as little as 4-6 weeks.
Companies using networks such as LinkedIn, Plaxo, Word-of-mouth etc may get lucky and find a suitable candidate quickly but it takes application and tenacity and it could be several months before you have anything near an acceptable shortlist. We are all in information overload with data coming at us from every angle and it is the search firm’s focus and persistence in drilling down on all of this information that creates a first rate shortlist of the best talent available at that time.
Managing a variety of sources to produce a first rate shortlist
Some headhunters claim that pure headhunting is “the only way” as companies do not make good people redundant and advertising only attracts people that are available and desperate for a job.
It should, however, be of no consequence where the shortlist emanates from, so long as it is always first rate.
In current times, redundancy is no longer a stigma. If a specific assignment exists where we are looking for a “square peg for a square hole” and that square peg happens to be redundant at that moment, then so be it.
Equally, with high level recruitment advertising, our “square peg“ candidate may have previously been in exactly the role we are looking for but as he/she is not currently in that capacity, they are unlikely to be headhunted. It does not devalue their ability to do an excellent job in the role in question. Advertising responses inevitably mean more data to work through but if the role is not confidential then utilising this medium ensures that the client has had the opportunity to meet the best available talent.
And, yes, search firms do also use LinkedIn and Plaxo and that has limitless possibilities but also takes a huge amount of time and application.
It is only by combining these methods that it is possible to bring together a fully researched and well balanced shortlist of highly qualified individuals in only 4-6 weeks.
Candidates there are many but a first-class shortlist is a much bigger challenge. Executive Search ensures the quality and speed of delivery that organisations need in current times.
Jerry Wood is Founder and Director of Beaumont Wood Executive Search - committed to performance, quality of delivery and results in the Interiors and Building Products sector. Jerry and his team provide clients with strong consultancy skills based on a sound methodology and have access to an enormous pool of several thousand sales & mid-to-senior management professionals.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Brave new world!
Some ideas reflecting the way in which the whole interiors market has changed in the last year with major implications for the recruitment, motivation and management of staff.
For the past 10 years I have offered recruitment services to the Interiors market. Demand for good people has always exceeded supply – until now. It was possible to make recruitment mistakes and “get away with it” – until now.
In the “brave new world” facing us all I have thought about how we can best support our clients and conclude the following:
1. When the time comes to recruit there will be better people available (at possibly lower salaries) than hitherto. However many good people are staying put rather than move in these uncertain times. The market dynamics have thus shifted. This needs thought as to how and where to secure the best available talent.
2. Many organisations are focussing hard on productivity right now and (in the nicest possible way!) making the most of the personnel they currently have. There are ways to improve performance for a modest outlay with terrific return on investment. I can explain why some staff perform beyond expectations and some disappoint.
3. There are rapidly growing ways to “do business”. Social networks are coming of age and will be a key part of all aspects of business from prospecting, working with existing customers right through to sourcing new staff.
For the past 10 years I have offered recruitment services to the Interiors market. Demand for good people has always exceeded supply – until now. It was possible to make recruitment mistakes and “get away with it” – until now.
In the “brave new world” facing us all I have thought about how we can best support our clients and conclude the following:
1. When the time comes to recruit there will be better people available (at possibly lower salaries) than hitherto. However many good people are staying put rather than move in these uncertain times. The market dynamics have thus shifted. This needs thought as to how and where to secure the best available talent.
2. Many organisations are focussing hard on productivity right now and (in the nicest possible way!) making the most of the personnel they currently have. There are ways to improve performance for a modest outlay with terrific return on investment. I can explain why some staff perform beyond expectations and some disappoint.
3. There are rapidly growing ways to “do business”. Social networks are coming of age and will be a key part of all aspects of business from prospecting, working with existing customers right through to sourcing new staff.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
October newsletter
Beaumont Wood Newsletter
October 2008
This is the Beaumont Wood newsletter published for Directors & Managers within the interiors and building product markets.
Current state of the market!
We live in interesting times (to say the least!). So how do I see the prospects for the recruitment market in our sector after all the high profile shocks in the Banking & Finance sectors; with knock on expectations about possibly serious downturn for the overall economy?
Well at the micro-level I have had one assignment postponed (not due to any downturn in that companies sales but due to concern about what might happen) and one client where I placed a good guy in January that has just made 50 % (yes HALF!) of their entire staff redundant.
So you picture your correspondent panicking and about to leap off a high ledge do you?
Not a bit of it!
One candidate started his new role last week after a successful and short recruitment campaign using Beaumont Wood. I have had several enquiries about brand new recruitment in the past two weeks.
Also I think the supply / demand balance of vacancies to candidates over the past 10 years has been much skewed with a shortage of good candidates. As more people come onto the job market it should ease this position. If a company feels comfortable to invest in new or replacement staff they may be pleasantly surprised at the level of talent and experience now becoming available.
Clearly it would be naïve, and perhaps insensitive, of me to portray things as overly positive; but I don’t think it’s quite as bad as the media are portraying.
What is evident is that it all depends which sector of the economy you feed off. House builders and those who supply this sector are seemingly in big trouble. The education sector is buoyant and seems set fair to stay that way. Luxury interior finishes seem to be doing well too. The Commercial Office market is patchy and depends on who the end use client / occupier is.
Behind all this come the Olympic Games which simply have to happen along with all the attendant infrastructure work. The fact that the Government may well decide to invest heavily in public sector projects to help keep the economy going is a possibility too.
So what about the “pool of talent” that you may wish to hire from?
Well obviously, like the rest of us, they are somewhat nervous!
However whilst some are going to stay put ‘till things get better some are open to a move. These guys will be cautious, but if they see a chance to move to a secure and dynamic company with a “step up” in their career they could well change jobs. Also if they see your role as more stable than their own (perhaps shaky) employer then that too could precipitate a move.
One interesting area that crops up regularly is the area of specialisation (or not) needed in ones choice of candidates for a given role.
The question is: to find the best staff, is it better to specialise within your own narrow product area, or to broaden out and consider people from new product groups occasionally?
Before analysing this within the context of our industry, let’s consider examples from other walks of life where people have taken on radically different careers.
Comedian Bill Oddie is now an ornithologist; Blackadder’s Tony Robinson is now an archaeologist; ex-footballer Gary Lineker is now a TV anchorman and so on. All of these people have started out in one field and then moved when opportunity knocked into other fields. Their careers have been extended, rejuvenated, and prolonged as a result. Their employers have found successful staff by thinking “outside the box”.
In business, Richard Branson doesn’t seem to have suffered too much by moving on from selling records!!
Frequently I hear those recruiting within the interiors and building products industry telling me that they could not hire someone experienced in say broadloom carpet as they “must have staff with narrow loom experience”, or they could “only really ever hire a vinyl flooring specialist”, rather than other types of contract flooring or products!
The same applies for within the glass, furniture, fabric and wall coverings markets etc!
Frankly this astonishes me! It seems so insular and restrictive. Consider this as an example - dial in geography for a given sales position, and then you may have a total prospective candidate pool of perhaps only 10 people maximum. Of these ten, 3 are very happy where they are now; one retires in 6 months; one only started last week; one is pregnant and another hates your company because you (quite rightly) fired his mate! That leaves 3 people as the entire possible candidate pool on the entire planet!
There are, actually, rather more people out there:
http://www.internetgeographer.co.uk/popnclock.html
I do concede that specialising within your own market can be a good idea – obviously people need to understand the technicalities and market dynamics wherever they work. But these things can be trained and learnt! Surely you are better off having a very sound individual with a positive attitude to learning rather than a bit of a duffer with a bad attitude who has been in the trade for 15 years (same one years experience repeated 15 times perhaps?)
I guess it’s all a matter of balance where you need to have sufficiently expert staff plus fresh blood with new ideas too.
Don’t get me wrong – this is not a one sided issue because employees can be just as bad – “We only want to work within our own industry” they cry!
So how does my service work?
I specialise in search. My methodology targets not just the c.10% of people who are actively looking for a new job at any one time but also the c.90% that are not actively looking. Usually you will get a better candidate(s) from this method and you can relax knowing that I am completely committed to finding the “best available” people for you! I have a 95% success rate. For the 5% where there simply is not a suitable candidate to meet your initial parameters then you will get very valuable feedback and good, practical ideas for a new plan to achieve success.
So finally, if you are recruiting or planning to please call me for a discussion about how I can help.
I hope you have found this useful & thought provoking.
I’m off to the Bank now to make sure it’s still got my cash in it; I may make an offer to buy it for a tenner! This weekend I’m grubbing up the lawn to plant carrots – just in case!
Kind regards
Jerry Wood
jerrywood@beaumontwood.com
Please forward this newsletter to anyone who you think may find it interesting.
Tel: 01295 720365
October 2008
This is the Beaumont Wood newsletter published for Directors & Managers within the interiors and building product markets.
Current state of the market!
We live in interesting times (to say the least!). So how do I see the prospects for the recruitment market in our sector after all the high profile shocks in the Banking & Finance sectors; with knock on expectations about possibly serious downturn for the overall economy?
Well at the micro-level I have had one assignment postponed (not due to any downturn in that companies sales but due to concern about what might happen) and one client where I placed a good guy in January that has just made 50 % (yes HALF!) of their entire staff redundant.
So you picture your correspondent panicking and about to leap off a high ledge do you?
Not a bit of it!
One candidate started his new role last week after a successful and short recruitment campaign using Beaumont Wood. I have had several enquiries about brand new recruitment in the past two weeks.
Also I think the supply / demand balance of vacancies to candidates over the past 10 years has been much skewed with a shortage of good candidates. As more people come onto the job market it should ease this position. If a company feels comfortable to invest in new or replacement staff they may be pleasantly surprised at the level of talent and experience now becoming available.
Clearly it would be naïve, and perhaps insensitive, of me to portray things as overly positive; but I don’t think it’s quite as bad as the media are portraying.
What is evident is that it all depends which sector of the economy you feed off. House builders and those who supply this sector are seemingly in big trouble. The education sector is buoyant and seems set fair to stay that way. Luxury interior finishes seem to be doing well too. The Commercial Office market is patchy and depends on who the end use client / occupier is.
Behind all this come the Olympic Games which simply have to happen along with all the attendant infrastructure work. The fact that the Government may well decide to invest heavily in public sector projects to help keep the economy going is a possibility too.
So what about the “pool of talent” that you may wish to hire from?
Well obviously, like the rest of us, they are somewhat nervous!
However whilst some are going to stay put ‘till things get better some are open to a move. These guys will be cautious, but if they see a chance to move to a secure and dynamic company with a “step up” in their career they could well change jobs. Also if they see your role as more stable than their own (perhaps shaky) employer then that too could precipitate a move.
One interesting area that crops up regularly is the area of specialisation (or not) needed in ones choice of candidates for a given role.
The question is: to find the best staff, is it better to specialise within your own narrow product area, or to broaden out and consider people from new product groups occasionally?
Before analysing this within the context of our industry, let’s consider examples from other walks of life where people have taken on radically different careers.
Comedian Bill Oddie is now an ornithologist; Blackadder’s Tony Robinson is now an archaeologist; ex-footballer Gary Lineker is now a TV anchorman and so on. All of these people have started out in one field and then moved when opportunity knocked into other fields. Their careers have been extended, rejuvenated, and prolonged as a result. Their employers have found successful staff by thinking “outside the box”.
In business, Richard Branson doesn’t seem to have suffered too much by moving on from selling records!!
Frequently I hear those recruiting within the interiors and building products industry telling me that they could not hire someone experienced in say broadloom carpet as they “must have staff with narrow loom experience”, or they could “only really ever hire a vinyl flooring specialist”, rather than other types of contract flooring or products!
The same applies for within the glass, furniture, fabric and wall coverings markets etc!
Frankly this astonishes me! It seems so insular and restrictive. Consider this as an example - dial in geography for a given sales position, and then you may have a total prospective candidate pool of perhaps only 10 people maximum. Of these ten, 3 are very happy where they are now; one retires in 6 months; one only started last week; one is pregnant and another hates your company because you (quite rightly) fired his mate! That leaves 3 people as the entire possible candidate pool on the entire planet!
There are, actually, rather more people out there:
http://www.internetgeographer.co.uk/popnclock.html
I do concede that specialising within your own market can be a good idea – obviously people need to understand the technicalities and market dynamics wherever they work. But these things can be trained and learnt! Surely you are better off having a very sound individual with a positive attitude to learning rather than a bit of a duffer with a bad attitude who has been in the trade for 15 years (same one years experience repeated 15 times perhaps?)
I guess it’s all a matter of balance where you need to have sufficiently expert staff plus fresh blood with new ideas too.
Don’t get me wrong – this is not a one sided issue because employees can be just as bad – “We only want to work within our own industry” they cry!
So how does my service work?
I specialise in search. My methodology targets not just the c.10% of people who are actively looking for a new job at any one time but also the c.90% that are not actively looking. Usually you will get a better candidate(s) from this method and you can relax knowing that I am completely committed to finding the “best available” people for you! I have a 95% success rate. For the 5% where there simply is not a suitable candidate to meet your initial parameters then you will get very valuable feedback and good, practical ideas for a new plan to achieve success.
So finally, if you are recruiting or planning to please call me for a discussion about how I can help.
I hope you have found this useful & thought provoking.
I’m off to the Bank now to make sure it’s still got my cash in it; I may make an offer to buy it for a tenner! This weekend I’m grubbing up the lawn to plant carrots – just in case!
Kind regards
Jerry Wood
jerrywood@beaumontwood.com
Please forward this newsletter to anyone who you think may find it interesting.
Tel: 01295 720365
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