Do you waste your time and your staff's time at Meetings?

Have you ever attended a meeting and instantly come out frustrated at the time that has been wasted?  This will be a good read for anyone who has, or for anyone who has ever caused an employee to feel this way.

The general goal of a business meeting should be to address current issues and updates within the company in an informative way, and notify colleagues of any future plans of action.

Think about who your audience is.  Everyone in attendance should benefit from being at the meeting.   For some reason, many companies get a bit too excited when sending meeting invites out to employees and instead click ‘send to all.’ All of a sudden the manager of the sales department suddenly finds himself in a meeting that is concerned with the creative advertising of the company.  Although it may be an interesting meeting, where biscuits and tea are on sight (if you’re lucky!), it is important to remember that a meeting should never be called if the decision can be made by an individual or a selective few.  Be specific and only invite key people.

The Success team attended the Chelmsford City Showcase for Businesses late last year where we were giving a talk by communication speaker Nick Looby on how meetings should resemble hyper-efficient pit stops, which are designed to make both a worker’s job and the outcome of the business better.  The pit-stops should contain a high level of productivity and instructions should be clarified.  Everything spoken about within the meeting should also be agreed on with a key focus placed on the new call for action; this is where people are told what to do with the information they now have. 

Nick stressed that the power of knowledge can only be exploited once the power of action is discovered.   And when it comes to meetings, we couldn’t agree more!

Why it’s important to meet your recruiter

As recruiters, we can only step into the shoes of match-maker once we know who we’re dealing with, right? Offering a service that is tailored to a candidate or client requires us to listen and learn about what your requirements are and from there we can begin to discover the best for you. This can only be achieved by gaining information that is more insightful than a phone conversation could ever offer (or a CV).

An informal discussion with candidates will allow our experienced recruitment consultants to understand your short and long term goals that could subsequently affect the jobs we short-list for you, making the pursuit for your dream job more precise.

A large majority of employers prioritise the culture fit between their company and employees highly. This is why we jump at the opportunity to go down and visit our clients at their place of business. It allows us to see how you operate and the style in which an employee is expected to work. From the perspective of a candidate, meeting with you will give us the chance to explore your personality- something that is hard to do when relying solely on a black and white document.  From there, we can pair you up with a job that is compatible and refer you to clients because we know you.

Building a relationship with our candidates and clients is not a chance for us to escape our desk duties, if anything; it’s an opportunity to make what we do at the desk even better! 

Do you have a lucky mascot?? We do!

“Holly the Lucky Mascot”

If you follow us on Twitter or Facebook, then this little face should be quite familiar! It’s Holly, our lucky mascot! And also our famous team member who earns quite a living racking up Facebook likes.

It’s a great feeling walking into the office and seeing a jumpy cheerful dog, and I guess we’re not the only ones that enjoy some canine company on a Monday afternoon; research has proven that employees are happier when there’s a wagging tail in the office, and employee stress levels are often reduced.

If you have a pet at home, why not bring him or her into work? (With your manager’s approval, of course!) and embrace the happiness that your hairy friend will bring!

Are you prepared for job interview success?

Is your alarm clock set…and the snooze button deactivated?  Things to do before an interview:

·         Re-read over your CV to familiarise yourself with what you have noted down as achievements and valuable experiences.  It would be very unprofessional to be offering answers that do not correspond with your CV. 

·         Dress for success.  You would be surprised at how much the way we dress speaks volumes and influences the opinions of others.  In most cases, an interview outfit should be smart from head to toe.

·         There will not even be an interview if you don’t turn up! Set your alarm clock nice and early, giving yourself enough time for last minute preparation and to reach your destination.  Always consider traffic, as well as the possibility of public transport delays.

·         Catch yourself 50 winks.  The night before your interview, make sure that you allow yourself a nice long sleep so that you are refreshed and on best form for your interview.

·         Most interviews allow for a role reversal, which gives you the chance to ask the interviewer questions.  This is where most candidates get stuck and decline the opportunity.  But it is always best to have a relevant question at hand.  It shows that you are excited at the prospect of working for the company and take a keen interest in what they do.  You could perhaps enquire about the history of the company or the team that work there.  Just be careful not to ask anything that you should already know.  So check out the company’s website and social media networks beforehand!

·         Interviewers love asking their candidates what their Strengths and weaknesses are. This is your time to boast (tastefully) and share with them what qualities you have that would benefit the company- try to back up statements with examples.  When it comes to discussing your weaknesses, speak of them in a positive light.  For example, if you take pride in attention to detail which subsequently means that you can sometimes spend a lot of time on one task, say how you take great care in the quality of your work and how you are unhappy submitting work that is not of a high standard.  Never go in to an interview and say that you have no weaknesses, because everyone does.

·         Mock interviews are essential in the preparation of an interview.  Ask a family member or friend if they could ask you questions that are likely to be asked in the interview so that you can get used to answering them and build up your confidence.  Don’t make yourself a script to memorise because you want your answers to come across natural on the day, but the extra practice will help you.

·         Research. Going into an interview should be seen as a school project, in which you hope to be awarded an A+. With every great essay comes thorough background research.  Before you get into the interview, you should already know key facts about the company- when were they established? What is their mission statement?   It would be advisable to study their website to have a general impression of the company.  It may also be worth researching the job sector they operate in and where they stand in regards to competitors. Linked in is also a great chance to see your interviewer’s background and again mention you have looked at their profile during the interview.

·         It’s okay to ask ‘what happens next?’  If the interviewer doesn’t inform you of the next steps within the recruitment process, ask whether all candidates, whether successful or unsuccessful can expect to hear from the company at a later date.

·         Last but definitely not least, turn off your phone!  Having your phone ring in an interview will definitely not make a good impression. Make sure any electrical devices are switched off, and if possible, left in a different room.

When 9am meetings become an all-day event

Stand out from the crowd

Once being offered your new job, if you continue to work as hard as you can, then there is not much that could go wrong.  Show your employer that you are dedicated to your work and can produce results.  On completing all of your tasks, why not ask those around you if they need any help.  It’s not about being people’s ‘skivvy’ but it just shows that you are capable of being a team member and you are willing to contribute to the success of your team.

I started my career within recruitment over 10 years ago now and started as a Trainee which involved making cups of tea, keeping the office clean and tidy and answering all the telephones but having the passion as I do to ensure everything I do is to a high standard it was soon discovered I could offer more to the business! I was promoted several times within 3 years and eventually promoted to a Branch Manager which made me the youngest manager in the business! What a great achievement for someone who had no experience of the industry some years back!!

Hard work and dedication goes a long way and now as a business owner myself, employees that go the extra mile will be remembered at times of promotion, salary reviews etc! We have a number of candidates that look for jobs because they feel undervalued so a word of advice would be that you look after your employees that work hard! Why lose someone who is a hard worker to a competitor in the future?

#NEWSFLASH: Award Ceremony Announcement!!

Having won the title of ‘Highly Commended New Business’ last year, we are proud to announce that Essex Business Awards have shortlisted us to represent the following categories this year:

• Small Business of the Year- An award open to small businesses, including sole traders who employ fewer than 11 people.

•  New Company- Companies who have started operating in the last 1-3 years, and who shown significant progress and evidence of success against targets set.

The Success team are honored

to be considered for both awards, and we have our glam dresses at the ready for what we’re sure will be an evening full of celebrations!

We look forward to keeping you all updated on the night’s event.

All you need to do is ASK!

Ask, ask, ask!

It is important to understand that your employer won’t expect you to know everything, so if a situation arises where you are confused or need guidance, ASK!  Asking questions on your first day will help you to familiarise yourself with the company and help you to understand what is required of you. Every company is different, with varying cultures so make sure you're observing and asking the right questions so that you can tailor your methods to suit them.  However, make sure you’re also listening! Asking a lot of questions is understandable when starting a new job but you won’t make a good impression if colleagues have to keep repeating things to you. It’s a great idea to write things down so invest in a good pen and pad!!

As a business owner, I would rather an employee ask than to ever guess, get it wrong and have a detrimental impact to the business. From training various employers in the past the most frustrating thing is when someone says Yes, Yes to everything you tell them and within an hour they are asking the same question – remember everyone’s time is important within a business and to ensure everyone works well having an open door policy for questions is great, at the same time having the initiative to write things down when you are told is even better and trying to remember J