In this blog, we are going to turn our attention to work life – and look at some of the things to think about whether you are looking for a new job, want to improve your CV, do well at an interview or you may be an employer and find it difficult to recruit.
This blog will be a little different to the previous. We had Joanne Finnerty at JFRecruitment in the studio, and we had a chat about the topics listed above.
Here’s what Joanne had to say…
How does JFRecruitment approach work on a day-to-day basis?
“On a daily basis, we get about 400 cv’s a day for all the positions we recruit for. Our team will look through those cv’s regards to the vacancies we’ve got, schedule those interviews and see what the candidates are looking for in a job.
Sometimes, the job they’re looking for isn’t actually the right job for them after we’ve assessed their needs. We like to meet with our clients, so we know what personalities/ skill sets would fit that business.
So, our day involves – Speaking to candidates, visiting clients (businesses) and basically matching the two together.
- Like finding a life partner!”
Values clashing – Making sure your values align with the business
“It might be a case of a management change. New members coming in and changing the company’s ethos. It might be good for the business but not for the good of the employees. It might be hard to leave that environment if you’ve worked for that company for many years. But a negative change can affect your home life, personality, everything!
If you don’t feel valued, you may not feel that you can add value to the company or elsewhere. This can be a hard place to be, you may think ‘what have I got to offer my next employer’. By doing something that makes you happy, even if it means less money or a lower position than you previously had, that’s what’s important.”
When someone is looking for a new job, what is it they need to be doing first?
“First thing, I always recommend a for & against list for their current job. Why they love working there and why they don’t. That’ll give them the reasons why they might be looking for a new role. Also, what is important to them – Salary, location, culture fit, employee benefits or flexibility.
Then starting to apply, the most popular place is Indeed. Indeed ultimately has the majority of vacancies available. Filter your location and just search for local jobs, you would be surprised at how many new jobs there are now that weren’t a thing a few years ago. It’s always good to see what is about and there’s lots of jobs out there!
My piece of advice would be to ring the company you’ve applied for and mention you’ve applied, you’re interested and when you might hear back from them. Show you’re eager, it might just put your cv ahead of the pile.”
What tips can you give someone that wants to apply for a job but can see they don’t have all the skills listed for the job.
“A covering letter with the cv can highlight everything the employer wants and what you have as an employee to add value to that company and role, everything is transferable. Even though a company has a wish list of skills, 9 times out of 10 the person they recruit hasn’t got everything ticked off that list and it will be a case of a culture fit and eagerness/interest to be a part of that business. They may not have all the skills, but training can be given, so still apply!”
Thoughts on interviewing the business before applying?
“There’s lots of research you can do. What’s happening is people will apply for a job, they’ll look at the companies and then go straight to their website to see if that company is impressionable. Are they involved in charities, do they testimonials of people that have worked for or with them.”
From an employer’s perspective, why should people leave their current jobs to work for you?
“Some advice, you need your website looking great. Having an employee’s benefits list, or creating an anonymous survey to see what you can do differently to make the employees happy.
Once your staff are happy, they really can sell your company for you and essentially advertise what it’s like working for you. This could potentially attract more CVs coming in.”
To hear more information, listen to the full episode here
