Posts Tagged ‘HR’
Thursday, April 3rd, 2008
Interview Preparation – An employers guide
If you are a jobseeker and want information on interview preparation visit this post BUT if you are an employer read this article.
Interview preparation is essential for interviewee but equally for the interviewer. I find that many interviewees cut corners in their interview preparation – the result is that it costs them the job. But I also come across many employers who cut corners with their interview preparation and this has huge costs both in time and financially. There are a number of key points to consider.
Interview Preparation – Identify what you want
This is the foundations of any good interview process. Employers need to sit down and identify exactly what it is they are looking for in the new hire. Ideally you will being doing a competency based interview so this will involve selection of key behaviours and competencies. Typically around six competencies are found to be essential for a given job.
Interview Preparation – Identify and select interview questions
It is important to plan your interview and the questions to gain the information you need. Too many employers “go with the flow”. This results in lack of focus. But more importantly – how can you compare applicants for decision-making. If you are doing a competency interview then choose appropriate questions focused on the key competencies you selected.
Interview Preparation – Logistics & organisation
Ensure you have all necessary documentation in advance. This includes a copy of the job spec and information about the candidate including – CV, application form and personality reports if completed. You will also need general information on the recruitment process such as the next step after interview. Other considerations include logistics on the day. Has an interview room been booked, who will meet the applicants and who will be doing the interviews.
Interview Preparation – Review applicant information beforehand
It is essential to review all documentation including CV, application form and any psychometric testing results. Sounds obvious advice but believe me I have seen it all from both sides of the interview table.
Research has indicated that the best form of selection is a combination of competency based interview and objective assessment (psychometric testing). If you need help assessing and selecting candidates visit www.measurability.ie or read this post.
Jobseekers Tips – Interview Questions & Answers —- Interview Tips, Skills & Techniques
Tags: Competency Based Interviews, Employers, HR, Interview Preparation, Psychometric Testing, Recruiters, Recruitment
Posted in HR, Interview Preparation, Psychometric Testing | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, March 19th, 2008
There have been quite a few new kids on the block in Ireland over the last decade and many of these have taken awards at the SFA awards.
This year Aran Candy took the top award at the SFA National Small Business Award 2008. Aran Candy is a Dublin based gourmet jelly beans producer and a good one at that (Tested the products!!). The company is aka The Jelly Bean Factory and it has manufacturing premises in Blanchardstown.
Aran Candy received a 15k cash prize and a lifetime membership of the SFA. I certainly know which of the prizes appeals more to me – 15k to spend on Jelly Beans.
Aran Candy is a great success story founded by a father and son. They are now one of the largest producers globally with 10 key customers in Ireland and 120 further customers globally.
The full list of winners in SFA Awards 2008:
INNOVATOR: (up to 50 employees): Easy Fix Rubber Products
MANUFACTURING: Ecocem Ireland
FOOD & DRINK: Aran Candy
SERVICES: Home Instead Senior Care
OUTSTANDING SMALL BUSINESS (up to five employees): Atomic Sports
BEST IN HR DEVELOPMENT AWARD (up to 50 employees): CCP Recruitment
Tags: Aran Candy, Atomic Sport, CCP Recruitment, Drink, Easy Fix Rubber Products, Ecocem Ireland, Food, Home Instead Senior Care, HR, Manufacturing, Services, SFA, SME
Posted in HR, Jobs, News | No Comments »
Wednesday, March 5th, 2008
Is this a change of Business in Ireland as we know it.
I could never see the attraction of firms locating in central Dublin. High costs, congestion, expensive sarnies and coffee. Do they pay for expensive offices in city center Dublin to get the staff??
Hmmmmmmm
I though most employees were living in Navan, Cavan, Kinnegad, Drogheda, Dundalk, Naas, Newbridge, Wicklow, Gorey, Bray ….. basically everywhere except Dublin.
Looks like there is even more incentive for firms to locate outside the capital as survey today announced that most commuters from Wicklow would be willing to take a paycut to work closer to home. This means that all commuters would be willing to do so.
Commuters spend on average 2hrs per day on trains planes and automobiles. I guess the penny has actually dropped that the extra 10k for working in Dublin is not worth 10-15 hours a week.
I am going to start a bring the jobs to the people campaign encouraging employers to relocated to the leafy suburbs cutting stress, traffic congestion, costs and improving life for us all.
Tags: Arklow, Bray, Careers, Carlow, Cavan, Commuters, Congestion, Drogheda, Dundalk, Gorey, HR, Jobs, Kildare, Kilkenny, Kinnegad, M50, Meath, Naas, Navan, Newbridge, Newry, Offaly, Travel, Westmeath, Wicklow, WLB, Worklife Balance
Posted in HR, Jobs, News, Work-life Balance | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 12th, 2008
50 Best Companies To Work For in Ireland is a yearly award which generates much interest and prestige in Ireland. Organisations who go to great lengths to achieve employee satisfaction will register on this list. Happy employees are great BUT happy customers are just as important. What about an award where customers rate companies? (If there already is such and award – excuse my ignorance).
I am very quick to complain but slow to compliment – so here goes. I just had a great customer experience with Statcounter. When an organisation is led by an individual (Aodhán Cullen) who takes time out of his busy schedule to resolve your issue it leaves a lasting impression. I guess this is related to the above award as I am certain a company that looks after its customers will surely look after its staff.
For those who have not seen the 2007 Results – 50 Best Companies To Work For in Ireland
Airtricity was 2007 overall winner and the following companies ranked this year Abbott Laboratories Ireland Ltd, Accenture, AOL Europe Operations Ltd, AXA Insurance Ltd, BDO Simpson Xavier, Brightwater, BUPA Ireland, CB Richard Ellis Ireland, Children’s University Hospital Temple Street, Clontarf Castle Hotel, CPL Resources, Crowne Plaza Dublin Airport Hotel, Deloitte, Diageo Ireland, eBay, Euro Car Parks, FedEx Express, GE Commercial Aviation Services, GlaxoSmithKline Ireland, Globoforce, Google Ireland Ltd, GTECH Ireland Operations Ltd, Halifax Insurance Ireland Ltd, Hibernian Group, Hooke & MacDonald, Irish Life Corporate Business, Irish Stock Exchange, KPMG, Man Investments, Marathon Oil Ireland Ltd, Matheson Ormsby Prentice, McDonald’s, Mellon Ireland, Microsoft Ireland, O’Mahony Pike Architects, PEI, Philips Electronics Ireland, PM Group, Pramerica Systems Ireland, Premier Group, Public Appointments Service, Quintiles and Innovex, Radisson SAS Hotel & Resorts, RCI, SAP SSC (Ireland) Ltd, Sherry Fitzgerald Group, Sigmar Recruitment, Tourism Ireland Ltd, Unicare Pharmacy Ltd
Tags: Abbott Laboratories Ireland Ltd, Accenture, Aodhan Cullen, AOL Europe Operations Ltd, AXA Insurance Ltd, BDO Simpson Xavier, Best Place To Work, Brightwater, BUPA Ireland, CB Richard Ellis Ireland, Children's University Hospital Temple Street, Clontarf Castle Hotel, CPL Resources, Crowne Plaza Dublin Airport Hotel, Deloitte, Diageo Ireland, eBay, Euro Car Parks, FedEx Express, GE Commercial Aviation Services, GlaxoSmithKline Ireland, Globoforce, Google Ireland Ltd, GTECH Ireland Operations Ltd, Halifax Insurance Ireland Ltd, Hibernian Group, Hooke & MacDonald, HR, Ireland, Irish Life Corporate Business, Irish Stock Exchange, KPMG, Man Investments, Marathon Oil Ireland Ltd, Matheson Ormsby Prentice, McDonald's, Mellon Ireland, Microsoft Ireland, O'Mahony Pike Architects, PEI, Philips Electronics Ireland, PM Group, Pramerica Systems Ireland, Premier Group, Public Appointments Service, Quintiles and Innovex, Radisson SAS Hotel & Resorts, RCI, SAP SSC (Ireland) Ltd, Sherry Fitzgerald Group, Sigmar Recruitment, Statcounter, Tourism Ireland Ltd, Unicare Pharmacy
Posted in HR, Staff Retention, Work-life Balance | No Comments »
Sunday, February 10th, 2008
Employers love to complain about Recruitment Agencies. I agree that there are cowboys out there BUT agencies do have and always will have an important role to play in recruiting staff.
I help clients to assess and select applicants BUT I do not help them attract or source candidates. I am often asked what agencies I recommend. I have many great contacts in the industry but I tend to let clients make their own decisions. The advice I give to clients is somewhat similar to that that is given to jobseekers.
For employers not familiar with the recruitment agency market or employers recruiting in Ireland for the first I have identified agencies under a number of categories. I would point out that there are over 500 recruitment agencies registered in Ireland so the list below is a short summary to point you in the right direction.
General Recruitment Agencies
These agencies have divisions to cater for most roles including Sales, Technical, IT, Administration, Pharmaceutical, HR, Banking & Finance, Construction and Hotel & Catering.
Eden Recruitment
CPL Recruitment
Brightwater Recruitment
HRM Recruitment
Premier Group
Manpower
Grafton Recruitment
Hudson
Sigmar Recruitment
Hunter Marshal
Qualitas
Ormond Recruitment
Specialist Recruiters
The list below is agencies that are specialist generally focusing on a particular sector or function.
Sales Recruiters
BMS
Sales Placement
School of Sales
Berkley Sales & Marketing
IT Recruiters.
Rescon
Computer Futures
Elan IT
Enterprise People
Banking & Finance Recruiters
Executive Connections
Delta Resource
Accountancy Solutions
Q.E.D
FH Recruitment
Hotel & Catering Recruiters
Noel Recruitment
Caterassist
Maria Logan Recruitment
Administration & HR Recruiters
Maryb Recruitment
Capital Recruitment
La Crème
Office Angels
Pharmaceutical Recruiters
Kingsley Recruitment
Life Science Recuitment
Brunel Recruitment
Construction Recruiters
ICDS
Atlanco
Matrix
Tags: Accountancy Solutions, Administration, Atlanco, Banking & Finance, Berkley Sales & Marketing, BMS, Brightwater, Brunel Recruitment, Capital Recruitment, Caterassist, Computer Futures, CPL Recruitment, Delta Resource, Eden Recruitment, Elan IT, Enterprise People, Executive Connections, FH Recruitment, Grafton Recruitment, Hotel & Catering, HR, HRM, Hudson, Hunter Marshal, ICDS, IT, Kingsley, La Crème, Life Science, Manpower, Maria Logan, Maryb, Matrix, Noel Recruitment, Office Angels, Ormond, Pharmaceutical, Premier Group, Q.E.D, Qualitas, Recruitment Agencies, Rescon, Sales, Sales Placement, School of Sales, Sigmar Recruitment, Technical
Posted in Jobs, Recruitment Agencies | 1 Comment »
Saturday, February 2nd, 2008
www.worklifebalance.ie
The above link is an Irish focused work life balance website with useful information for employers. I believe a panel of consultants has been formed and funding made available to assist employers who want assistance developing Work Life Balance initiative. It would be worth checking out – hopefully there will be more duvet day initiatives launching shortly.
Tags: HR, Ireland, Managers, Website, Work-life Balance
Posted in Staff Retention, Work-life Balance | 2 Comments »
Saturday, February 2nd, 2008
Ask your typical worker at 6.00pm on a Monday evening what do they value most – money or work-life balance and you will get the similar response – easy!! Why do so many organisations focus on salary when attempting to attract new staff? If you are an employer and you don’t already know money is no longer the most import factor in career or job decisions (in fact it never really was). If your emphasis is on salary when recruiting you are missing a trick. Progressive organisations have departed from traditional packages and are now offering creative options to attract and retain good staff.
These include;
Compact working week – Thank crunchie it’s Thursday. Some organisations are letting staff work 4 longer days and to get the fifth day off. I never liked Friday’s so I love this option.
Flexi-time – M50, M50, M50. Do I have to say any more?
Job sharing – Been around for a while but increasing in popularity.
Remote working or Tele-working – The biggest fear employers have is control of productivity. FACT: Research has proven that remote workers actually work harder and longer.
Duvet days – No matter how much your staff love their job they will have a day when they just can’t be bothered. Duvet days provide the option to call in and say – not today thanks.
Note: Work-Balance issues affect existing staff. If you are not currently recruiting staff you soon could be if you do not put some focus on this area. Embracing work-life balance will complement attraction and retention strategies.
Tags: Attraction, Employers, Flexi-time, HR, Job Sharing, Recruiting, Retention, Staff, Work-life Balance
Posted in Recruitment, Staff Retention, Work-life Balance | 1 Comment »
Friday, February 1st, 2008
Rising inflation, poor exchange rates and rising costs are making survival difficult for many companies in Ireland. But just when you thought that things can’t get any worse, the latest research has indicated that staff misuse of office technology such as internet and email is costing a fortune. Staff using networking sites during work is costing companies about 700m annually. It is estimated that workers are logging on for 30 minutes a day which works out at about 3 weeks a year per employee at a cost of 700m. Internet abuse is now a huge problem for employers but what is the solution.
I was discussing this topic with my neighbor (he works in IT) and he informed me how his company combats internet abuse. It was the old reliable name and shame. If organisations want a potential fix to the problem they might consider this option. Produce a daily or weekly internet usage report and email it to all employees. I might add the report is not on what sites they are visiting but how long they are using the internet. This will be one league table your employees will not want to be top off. Alternatively you could hire people like me – I don’t see the attraction with these networking sites.
Tags: Bebo, Employees, Facebook, HR, Internet, IT, Jobs, Networking Sites, Staff
Posted in Recruitment | 1 Comment »
Friday, January 25th, 2008
The working environment is continually changing as is the language we use during the working day. Management need to stay on top of these new terms to really know what is happening. I have identified some new terms below that managers and HR professionals should be aware of to keep ahead of the game.
“Workspace-specific perceptual abstraction” – Most HR or managers will not want this creeping into the organisation as it can often lead to reduced production and may be the result of an employee not in the right role. So what is it? Daydreaming.
“Boss–spasm” – Ever wonder why sales and performance is dropping but whenever you are among your staff or in the office that there is a flurry of activity. Perhaps your staff are suffering from boss-spasm. So what is it? Staff suddenly looking busy when the boss enters the room.
“Blame-storming” – This is an off shoot from the term brainstorming. So what is it? Basically instead of your staff investing energies on identifying ways to improve performance they are now debating and identifying ideas to cover their backs.
“Interdepartmental liaison facilitation” – So what is it? A more complex term for lunch.
Tags: Employees, HR, Jargon, Management, Office, Staff
Posted in HR, Jobs, Recruitment | 2 Comments »
