Recruitment is a serious business for any company, particularly in my opinion for SME’s involved in the provision of professional services.
So that will be H2i then.
We are a successful and growing business, this growth has been steady rather than spectacular, but that’s the way we want it, based on a dedication to providing an excellent service, a very impressive client retention rate and some well-considered acquisition of respected brokerages.
Mistakes can be hugely expensive, a recent report from the Recruitment & Employment Confederation demonstrated that the poor recruitment of a mid/senior level manager on a salary of £42,000 pa could cost the company over £130,000 in costs, reputational damage, lost business and further recruitment.
A good friend of mine that owns a flourishing recruitment agency says that ahead of interviewing potential new recruits, it’s best to have a well-defined list of ‘negotiables’ and ‘non-negotiables’, or if you prefer ‘must haves’ and ‘would be nice to haves’.
She also suggests never recruiting somebody based purely on joint interests or personality, she calls this the ‘Arsenal effect’, the choice of football team being irrelevant, the real point is that you should separate personal from professional when it comes to making the right decision.
And, on the subject of making the right decision, meet Jo.
Jo Hudson joined our happy little team in May this year, and notwithstanding the lack of time spent in the office thanks to you-know-what, it’s genuinely a case of ‘however did we manage before?’
With just the 27 years-experience of insurance, it’s fair to say that Jo has put in the hard yards and has the scars from many a battle with insurers and loss adjusters to prove it. We could not be more delighted with our latest recruit, in fact the only thing we could think of as a possible ‘non-negotiable’ is a rather baffling love of the music of Chas and Dave…but then Jo is a Londoner through and through.
So there you have it, a few thoughts about recruitment and a new employee to introduce as an example of getting it right!