Thursday 11 June 2015

Tick Tock! The Right Time for Interviews

At a job interview:
"What are your strengths?"
"I'm an optimist and a positive thinker."
"Can you give me an example?"
"Yes. When do I start?"

Timing. Good comedians wouldn't be without it.

The importance of good timing spans more than a good stand up routine though.

Feedback from our candidates regarding the timing of interviews is an issue that seems to be coming up more and more in recent months. The traditional idea that job seekers should be prepared to take time out of work to interview if they are serious about a role holds some truth -however, if they're an outstanding candidate, with more options they'll have to choose far more carefully who they do or don't meet - especially if the interview has to be in work hours.

Firms who are serious about recruiting need to provide far more flexibility for out of hours interview slots. One Head of Business Development at a Global legal firm recently commented "We’ve realised we’ve got to make it as easy as possible for good candidates to come to us; we needed to be far more accommodating." He continues, "By giving far more options for interview times it shows our potential employee we value them, we want them as much as they want us - and we're prepared to go the extra mile to get them on board". 

By creating an 8am or 6pm interview slot, we're seeing first hand that professional services firms are profiting from this kind of approach. Feedback from our candidates says they need a better range of times for their interviews and are choosing who they interview or don't interview with very carefully as a result. Once again, this can mean competitive advantage for the firm that has a more progressive approach to the recruitment process.

Maybe firms who offer a wider range of interview slots might be having the last laugh after all...

Colette Norfolk

Friday 30 January 2015

January - What a Rush!

We're only a few weeks into the new year, but having just sat down with the other consultants at Leighton Taylor to review the month so far, we've all said that we can't remember a busier January (and we have been recruiting in the professional services sector for nearly 20 years!).

It was similar to the start of 2014 (where January just kept on going from a very busy December), but this has moved up a notch. From Day 1 after the holiday break, the demand from our clients to recruit just hit us like a train and hasn't subsided! From a candidate perspective, this is fantastic news because it means there are plenty of roles out there at all levels. (It's key to point out too, that these are covering multiple disciplines, and are across all types of partnership - legal, accountancy, property, construction, and management consultancy). So this buoyant market results in good candidates having more choice.
But from a client perspective, what does this mean for your firm? How will your firm recruit the better candidates out there before someone else does? (see our last blog: Rules of BD Attraction )

One of the main things about firms who are managing to recruit the best candidates is that they are still the ones that are more flexible in their approach, who move really quickly (without multiple procedures) and who, if they see someone they like, make their move with minimum delay.

Many firms are realising this and altering their procedures accordingly, but we're finding some of our clients are still missing out on even meeting outstanding candidates because they've taken too long to react. Firms must realise that it's essential to move as fast as possible because even delaying by a single day, coming back on a candidate later than another firm will give them a disadvantage - and probably mean the difference between landing that person and missing out completely.

So our early 2015 message is that the market is buoyant and feels good - very good - and from what we've seen so far it's a truly excellent time to be looking for a role. From an employers' perspective, the competition for outstanding marketing and BD talent is at its most intense and this is unlikely to change soon, so don't delay if a good candidate comes your way.

Giles Taylor