GRAPEVINE: NRF urges dithering employers not to miss out on top talent; plus other business news
Lengthy hiring processes deter job candidates who are increasingly in the ascendant position, recruitment experts said at the National Recruitment Federation 2020 annual conference in Dublin.
The NRFâs executives declared 2020 to be âthe Year of the Candidateâ and urged employers to speed up their selection processes. The NRF cited a recent survey of Irish candidates in which more than a quarter of job seekers said they experienced a lengthy interview process of between two to five months, with a further 3% involved in processes taking more than five months to complete.
Geraldine King, CEO at the NRF, said: âA quick but informed recruitment and selection process is required. Counter offers with better salaries and perks typifies the marketplace, as organisations seek to attract the best talent. Top people donât hang around, and lengthy hiring processes can mean employers lose the best candidates.â
The NRF offered employers a number of key pointers to speed up their processes: Define the role; Craft the job description; Put all approvals on salary range etc in place before interviewing candidates; Set deadlines for advertising, assessing candidates, interviews, offers and a start date; Be consistent, objective and realistic in assessing each candidate; Check references; Get back to candidates within a set timeframe; and, finally, make a verbal offer pending any reference checks before you negotiate an offer package.
âA bad recruitment experience can cost a business, not just the hire, but potentially custom or even damaging feedback on social media and other public forums,â said Geraldine King.
âSlow lengthy processes will make comparisons difficult. When you are interviewing multiple candidates over a long time period, it is harder to make side by side comparisons, which can mean costly mistakes.
âAlso, with a long drawn-out process, hiring managers are more likely to make a hasty decision, settling for any candidate, just to put an end to a frustrating task and fulfil a staffing need,â King says.
The NRF chief says she understands that making the right recruitment choice every time is critical to a company.
However, she also warns that in an employment era where competitiveness and expansion is very seriously impacted by the tightening labour market, a timely and efficient recruitment process is essential.
Talented candidates are in high demand and short supply in todayâs labour market.
David Walsh, director of Osborne Recruitment, added that losing top talent to a business competitor because of slow hiring can also be costly.
âYour competitor can benefit if you fail to hire quickly when a top candidate has applied to your firm. So too, the longer a strong candidate is on the job market, the more expensive they become. Theyâve had time to look elsewhere and itâs likely multiple firms will be bidding on them,â Mr Walsh said.
Candidates routinely view their experience with the recruiting process as a reflection of how a firm operates. Slow hiring decisions and protracted processes are discouraging and can damage an employer brand image and affect future applications, the NRF experts maintain.
Week of top LEO events
Keep an eye out for the 300+ nationwide events being hosted next week in Local Enterprise Week.
The events are hosted by the countryâs 31 Local Enterprise Offices and offer small business leaders insights into how to avail of low-cost training and networking opportunities that have been delivering huge results for participants in recent years.
For example, an event entitled âFood Sustainability - Dilemma or Opportunity?â takes place in Cork next Monday, March 2. For food manufacturers and foodservice operators attending, this will be the perfect opportunity to develop their thinking and explore opportunities for their business.
Grant Thornton adds five partners
Professional services firm Grant Thornton Ireland has named five new partners, one external and four internal promotions.
The appointments are across its advisory, audit and assurance, financial services advisory and financial tax practices. The firm now employees over 1,450 people in seven offices across Ireland.
Michael McAteer, managing partner at Grant Thornton, said: âWe have experienced amazing growth in the demand for our services over the past decade and our new partners have ambitious plans to continue to grow the business by expanding their portfolios.â
Trevor Dunne, partner and head of technology consulting, will lead the firmâs all-Ireland technology practice. For the past 20 years, he has worked with business and IT leaders to develop digital strategies and operating models, implementing new technology.
David Lynch is partner in financial services, asset management. He joined the firm in 2006 as a trainee. He works with global asset managers, providing audit and assurance services to the financial services industry, particularly in the areas of banking, capital markets and asset management.
Tracey Sullivan has bee named as partner in audit and assurance. She joined the firm in 2012. She works with clients in hospitality and tourism, retail, technology, professional services and recruitment. She has 20 yearsâ experience providing audit and accountancy services.
Tim OâConnell has been named as partner and head of aviation advisory. He joined Grant Thornton in 2016, and has provided services to the worldâs largest aircraft leasing companies and airlines.
Brian Murphy has been named as partner and head of financial services tax. He leads teams providing both compliance and advisory tax services to businesses in each of the financial services sub sectors.
Brian has spent significant time working in the US, an experience which informs the advice he gives to the businesses he advises.
Brewer joins Wisetek
Stephen Brewer has joined Wisetek with immediate effect as the firmâs new commercial director, with responsibility for new business development, sales and marketing.
Wisetek which was founded by CEO, Sean Sheehan in 2007, has had meteoric growth throughout Europe, the Middle and Far East and in particular the USA. The company now has revenues approaching âŹ80 million in electronic recycling and employs 450 people.
âWisetek is in its next phase of growth and Stephen brings with him a wealth of unique international experience in both sales and marketing, as well as the energy to move the needle at the pace we need, in the rapidly expanding worldwide market for IT asset disposition,â said Sean Sheehan.
Stephen said: âI am excited about the opportunities at Wisetek at both home and abroad. The company has a great team and I trust that my ideas and experience will further help accelerate its already impressive growth.â
Brewer recently stepped down as managing director of Magnet Networks, although he continues to work with Magnet to target developers by leveraging the companyâs international smart buildings experience in the home market.
Wisetek, headquartered in Cork, was recently chosen as winner of the Business & Finance Elevation Company Award.
Aurivo Co-Op unveils two senior executives
Aurivo, the agribusiness based in the North West, has named Eithne Niland as group CFO and Etienne Gerard as group head of operations, effective from March 1.
A native of Co Sligo, Eithne joined Aurivo in 2005 and most recently worked as group financial controller. She has a wealth of experience in business, finance and strategy. She qualified as a chartered accountant with Deloitte, and previously held key finance roles within Grafton Group plc.
Eithne holds a Bachelor of Commerce from National University of Ireland Galway and Masters in Accounting from UCD.
A native of Paris in France, Etienne joined Aurivo in 2005 as operations manager in consumer foods, overseeing manufacturing of fresh milk and retail butter. He has led projects on transport, sustainability and risk management, as well as having overall responsibility for Aurivoâs health and safety strategy. He was previously a production and logistics manager with Kerry Group in the UK, Ireland and France.
He studied Agri and Food Science in SupAgro, Montpellier (France). He holds as MBA with the Open University and holds a diploma from the Institute of Risk Management.
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