Recruitment Matters International April Newsletter
Hello from the team at Recruitment Matters International!
When it comes to hiring graduates, employers say they favour work ethic over work experience when looking for their next student recruit. 69% of respondents to a poll conducted by Anne Corder Recruitment said work ethic and personal ability ranked way above work experience (0%) when it came to offering the job.
Perhaps similar emphasis could increasingly apply in more senior appointment situations and be a flexible, creative approach when job-specific candidate skills are in short supply as is often the case in the current market?
Certainly training, both internal and external can help accelerate the learning curve and, therefore, productivity of new employees at all levels. Have a peek at our latest 2022 training schedule to see if we can help upskill your new recruits or recent internal promotions.
In this month's newsletter:-
Warren provides the second of several articles he is planning on mental health, this time on the potential benefits of "New Learnings."
Ideal Marketing Company MD Jess Shailes explains why it is essential to develop a Unique Selling Benefit (USB) that will instil brand loyalty in your clients.
We have a very pracital feature on some dos and don'ts of networking questions from networking guru, Will Kintish.
JMW's Simon Bloch and Shelby Munn provide a legal update on menopause and the workplace.
Lastly for news of our full range of recruitment services, including upcoming training courses, check out "What's new?"
New Learnings
Contributor: Warren Kemp, CEO and Trainer, Recruitment Matters International. Warren is also a qualified Mental Health First Aid Instructor
Last month I wrote about there being no quick fixes for ill mental health. Mental health is a journey not a destination. It's about adapting and coping with being human. And that we are all different. What works for one person might not work for another.
On that occasion I spoke about the ‘Helpers High’ that comes from doing good deeds, helping out and helping others.
This time it’s about ‘New Learnings.’
Well-meaning people talk about “Getting the old you back” and “You’ll soon feel like yourself again” and “Remember when you used to do X” and “Why don’t you go for a long walk, you used to like that?”
I’ve got news – you are not going to bounce back and be your old self again. Everything you are going through, every high and low shapes the you that you are today and future experiences shape the future you. And that’s not just true for people with ill mental health; it’s true for every human being.
When you are experiencing a period of mental ill health, doing things you usually do, have done regularly, or used to do, can feel like pushing a boulder up a hill. Going a 4 hour hike when you honestly don’t feel like leaving the house can compound the low or stressed state you are in.
One idea is to experience new learnings. Doing something you haven’t done before has no comparisons to beat yourself up about. If you don’t want there to be, you don’t have to do it in a certain time scale or certain pace either. And while mental health and physical health are joined at the hip, gaining a new insight doesn’t have to mean physical activity either.
Some things to consider:
- Listen to a style of music you haven’t tried before and investigate the top ten of that style of songs.
- Watch a TV programme or a genre of TV programme you wouldn’t normally watch
- YouTube “learn to speak a language in 30 days” and remember, it’s not about how long it takes, or even if you continue the second lesson!
- Go to a charity shop or visit eBay and buy a musical instrument
- Talk to someone who has a different type of mental ill health to you
Go on…. Get some new learnings under your belt.
Warren Kemp is CEO and trainer with Recruitment Matters International. For more tips, advice and information on RMI, visit https://recruitmentmatters.com/ telephone 0800 0749 289/ +44 (0)1529 410375 or email info@recruitmentmatters.com.
What is your USB?
Contributor: Ideal Marketing Company MD Jess Shailes explains why it’s essential to develop a Unique Selling Benefit (USB) that will instil brand loyalty in your clients.
Do you want happy clients? That may seem like a silly question, but in order to get them you need to remember that people buy benefits not features. This is why it’s essential to develop a Unique Selling Benefit (USB) that will instil brand loyalty and keep your clients coming back for more!
This may seem like a very basic bit of marketing advice but actually, people forget it all the time. However, rather than dismissing the concept of USB as mere marketing jargon, developing this simple yet effective concept can have a hugely positive effect on your ROI.
The limits of a Unique Selling Point
Unique Selling Point (USP) is probably a better known phrase which relates to a simple point of reference as to what makes what you are selling different from what is available from the competition. For example, you could be a crisp manufacturer who puts a blue sachet of salt inside your crisps. Or you could be a footwear manufacturer who only sells black shoes. Or perhaps you produce ready-sweetened tea?
These USPs are all well and good but none of them will be of any great interest to potential customers because unless they are specifically looking for a bag of crisps with a blue salt sachet, why should this point of difference excite them in comparison to other brands?
The value of a Unique Selling Benefit
It’s far better to go a step further and create a Unique Selling Benefit (USB).
So rather than just offering something different, make sure that this difference also provides a benefit to the customer. For example, in the case of the bag of salt it could be the opportunity for the consumer to control their salt intake as they enjoy their snack, or even just the fun of adding the salt to crisps and mixing it around.
Or it could be that the shoes are made in black because your company has a particular skill in producing the highest quality artisan black leather.
With the pre-sweetened tea, it could be that you were keen to develop a way for people to regulate their sweetener intake and save time when making a cuppa.
All these examples show benefits of time, health, comfort and quality.
However, unless you as a company clearly spell out what the benefits are, people won’t realise that you can solve a problem for them and therefore they will be less inclined to buy from you.
The secret is to uncover the hidden benefit of your product/service and shout about it loud and clear!
For a free consultation about your marketing needs, from branding to PR to digital marketing, visit idealmarketingcompany.co.uk or call 01858 44 55 43.
Networking questions - some dos and don'ts
Contributor: Will Kintish, Networking guru
The key to effective networking is to ask insightful and intelligent questions. When we do, we:
- Make the other person feel special
- Show we are interested in the other person
- We often learn something new or are reminded of past facts
- We can help others with our knowledge, expertise and experiences
Questions I suggest you avoid
Family
This can be great topic to start a relationship BUT when we ask the wrong person the wrong question at the wrong moment you (and I) can cause upset and embarrassment. So never ask ‘Are you married/ have a partner?’ or ‘Do you have children?’ when you meet someone new.
Try questions like ‘What do you do when you’re not working?’ or ‘What are doing this coming weekend?’. When people have a significant other or children they will more often than not include them in their answer.
I recently met someone and asked what she did at weekends. She told me she and her husband did a lot of cycling. That told me there were no children.
“How’s business?”
That question or ‘Are you busy? should be avoided. Why? Because many people don’t like to admit that business is bad, or they are not busy. Try ‘How has the year started?’ or ’How’s the year going?’ I call those “trend(y)” questions and gives the person answering a far wider choice of answer.
“What do you do?”
I guess everyone asks this at a business event and there’s not thing wrong with that. However, consider not asking it as an ice-breaker. I do believe it is the non-business talk, commonly known as small talk, which binds a relationship, so why not start with that? After you have made the introductions try:
- ‘Where have you travelled from?’
- ‘What made you attend this event?’
- ‘Do you know anyone here?’
Start with topics you have in common. I like to ask the last question to ascertain if they are well-connected at the event or, if they are nervous and know no-one, I will do my best to support them ‘working the room’.
Rather than asking people what they do, I often ask ‘So, what keeps you busy all day?’
“Would you like to buy?”
That has to be the worst question. People never ask with those actual words but the question can be phrased in a way suggesting the other person doesn’t understand the fundamental difference between networking and selling.
Great questions to ask people starting in business
1. When did your business start?
2. How did you get the idea/vision for your business and what sort of research did you do before moving forward?
3. Did you have somebody to bounce ideas off? If so, was it family, friends, business associates?
4. How important was professional advice in guiding you?
5. Did you have a plan B if things went wrong?
6. What lessons did you learn on the way?
7. Did you ever feel it was too hard or want to give up?
8. How important do you think it is to have a website and engage with social media?
9. How did you handle critics or negative comments?
10. With the benefit of hindsight, what would you do differently, if anything?
For more information on Will’s networking services, visit https://www.kintish.co.uk , call +44 (0)7939 205719 or email will@kintish.co.uk.
A legal update on menopause and the workplace
Contributors: Simon Bloch, who is a Partner at JMW Solicitors LLP and Shelby Munn, Trainee Solicitor
Summary: Claims for disability discrimination
Where an employee is bringing a disability discrimination claim, they must show that they have a mental or physical condition which has a substantial and long-term effect on their ability to perform their ordinary day to day activities. Such activities are not limited to those that are carried out in the workplace and could include the employee having difficulty sleeping or concentrating, for example.
In determining whether the condition has a substantial effect on an employee’s ability to carry out a certain task, it must be more than trivial. In determining whether the condition has a long-term effect on the individual’s ability, it must have had, or is likely to have, an impact on them for over 12 months.
Recent case study: Disability discrimination and the menopause
Towards the end of 2021, in Rooney v Leicester City Council, the Employment Appeal Tribunal held that Leicester Employment Tribunal had wrongly decided that a woman who was suffering with severe menopausal symptoms was not disabled. Amongst other symptoms, Ms Rooney had suffered with depression, anxiety, insomnia, stress, migraines, hot flushes and memory loss as a result of the menopause. These symptoms had a profoundly negative impact on Ms Rooney’s life and caused her to spend prolonged periods of time in bed due to the level of exhaustion she was experiencing.
In considering the matter, the Employment Appeal Tribunal ruled that Leicester Employment Tribunal had erred in focusing on what Ms Rooney could do as opposed to what she could not do when determining whether the impact of her impairment was substantial. As a result, the Employment Appeal Tribunal held that the tribunal had wrongly concluded that Ms Rooney’s symptoms did not have a substantial adverse effect on her ability to carry out her normal daily activities.
Why does it matter?
Women now make up over 49% of the workforce and outnumber men in numerous sectors including public administration, IT and communications and professional services. Moreover, women aged 50 to 64 are the fastest-growing economically active group in the UK, and it is within this age bracket that individuals are most likely to be affected by menopausal symptoms.
That being said, more women than ever before will go through the menopause whilst being in employment. Employers are at risk of losing valuable employees and being subject to claims within the employment tribunal if they do not offer adequate support during this time.
Moreover, women within this age bracket are likely to be eligible for more senior roles and so their exit from employment could lead to less diversity at executive levels whilst also contributing to the gender-pay gap and a disparity in pensions.
What developments should employers be aware of and what can employers do to support individuals who are going through the menopause?
The Menopause Workplace Pledge is part of a campaign led by Wellbeing of Women and more than 600 employers (including the likes of the BBC, Co-op, AstraZeneca, Royal Mail and TSB) have signed the pledge to date.
By signing the pledge, employers are acknowledging that issues can arise for employees who are experiencing menopausal symptoms and are committing to encouraging open and positive conversations around the menopause. Not only this, but signatories are committing to being proactive in taking steps to support employees affected by the menopause and are committing to ensure that they inform the workforce of the support that is on offer.
The Women and Equalities Committee found that almost a million women in the UK left employment as a result of suffering menopausal symptoms and has launched an inquiry into menopause and the workplace. The results of the inquiry are expected to be published this spring and will shed light on the extent of discrimination faced by those who are experiencing menopausal symptoms as well as what the Government and workplaces can do to offer better support to these individuals.
Additionally, there have been calls made for further legislation to be implemented requiring that employers put in place menopause policies to ensure that those who are suffering with menopausal symptoms are protected against discrimination whilst at work.
Employers need to recognise that the law in this area is developing and ensure that they keep abreast of judicial, legislative and social changes and act accordingly in light of these. Doing so will allow employers to adequately address any areas of concern in relation to the support that should be available for individuals whose mental and physical wellbeing are being negatively impacted as a result of the menopause.
Employers should also recognise that there are steps they can take to show that support is on hand, such as becoming a signatory to the Menopause Workplace Pledge and putting in place an informative and robust menopause policy.
In addition, more practical steps could include ensuring that individuals who are going through the menopause have access to a comfortable working space close to windows, doors or fans and are offered flexibility in terms of longer or more frequent break times.
This article is for general guidance only and should not be used for any other purpose. It does not constitute, and should not be relied upon as legal advice.
If you would like to discuss this article or any recent recruitment issue in more detail, please contact Simon Bloch of JMW Solicitors LLP either by email at simon.bloch@jmw.co.uk or by telephone on 0161 838 2628.
What's new?
Interactive online open courses to look forward to in the next few weeks include:-
Candidate Control, Screening & Interview Techniques
The Billing Manager
Become An Exceptional Temp/Contract Recruiter
Head-Hunting As A Solution/Service
Become A Mental Health First Aider - two day course
FREE Mental Health Awareness - one hour session
Mental Health First Aid Champion - one day course
Remember that we can come in-house to you via Zoom or visit your offices to deliver face-to-face training in a Covid-secure environment. It just needs a bit of forward planning, so do contact us as soon as possible to discuss your potential requirements.
We continue to welcome subscribers to our FREE pre-recorded online training programme ku.dos to help provide further support for you in your recruitment career.
If you think that mentoring or consultation via telephone, Skype or video conferencing could work for you, please contact us to have a chat about your options.
Looking to hire? If you have any recruitment requirements, check out our RPO and RPR services.
For more information on all our courses and our other services and products, visit www.recruitmentmatters.com, email info@recruitmentmatters.com or call Ken on 0800 0749289 or, if you’re overseas, 0044 1529 410375.
Contact us
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Tel: 0800 0749289 / +44 (0)1529 410375
Email: info@recruitmentmatters.com
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