Diary of a Job Seeker

At the end of last year I resigned from my job; I’d been a recruitment agent for close to 10 years and I felt it was time and appropriate to try my hand on the other side of the fence.   I embarked on a social media campaign to make the transition into an in-house recruitment role.  Having been an active blogger for a few years and coupled with my inability to be self-effacing, I set out to let the world know about my job search by writing a diary of a job seeker.  I feel it is now pertinent to re-visit this diary and provide an update.

Day One

I have spent the last few days asking myself numerous questions to fully understand what I want to do next.  I looked at why I was not fulfilled in my last role; what I had hoped it would be; what I enjoyed about all of my roles to date and many other questions. 

I realised I don’t want to go back into agency recruitment.  I enjoyed my time being a self-employed agency recruiter, however, one of the reasons I chose to move on in the first place is that I am a firm believer there is a smarter way of recruiting.  It is this way of recruiting I want to explore with a move into in-house recruitment.

So my job search starts here;  I started writing, re-writing and re-writing once again my CV.  I feel my experience would be very relevant to an in-house function, the key for me is to be able to highlight this in my CV.  I have also updated my LinkedIn profile to ensure there is a uniformed approach to clearly show what I am looking for.  The key is to load your CV and profile with key words so that when someone is searching your profile is far more likely to be higher up in the search results.

I do not intend to go out to thousands of agents to find me a role, as quite frankly as an experienced agent I feel I can do a better job of it myself!  I am in a fortunate position whereby my network is mainly within the sector that would employ me, namely HR.  So my next step is to go to this network and ask for help, referrals and opportunities.

Day Two

My job hunting continues, but it is certainly gathering real pace.  The support from my network has been overwhelming; I have been given numerous details of opportunities and phone numbers for hiring managers.   Of course I am in the fortunate position as an ex-HR recruiter that I have a number of people to call upon.  However, for all you know your best friend’s sister may be recruiting for a role of interest to you, so make sure you go out and ask.  I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the response.

The key I feel in these situations is to not just ask for whether they are recruiting for roles, but actively seek their advice.  The more 3rd party opinions you can get on your job hunt the better.  It will give you a far clearer idea of what you want and will help highlight how your experience can be viewed by different people.  I had a really good conversation with a very experienced recruiter this week, which really helped focus my CV to highlight the key points. 

The final point is that job hunting is truly a full time occupation (this was part of the reason I resigned prior to finding a role)!  Of course many of you will not be able to be in such a position, so it is vital you allow time to reach out to people.  The harsh reality is that this may have to be a weekend day, or take a day’s leave.  If you are only job seeking at the end of each working day, the chances are you will be far too tired to do this properly or for long enough.

Day Three

I am delighted to say I have 2 interviews organised and I am rather hopeful of a few more to come.

Before I received these interview requests I did receive my first decline.  I have to give full credit to the organisation that did so – despite the fact they have made a dreadful error of judgement! – as not only did I receive an email to notify me how long it would take to receive feedback, but I then actually did receive feedback! 

I received this rejection email minutes after saying to someone that I was really quite confident about my search.  Needless to say this was a bit of a kick in the teeth.  In hindsight I knew that if I were recruiting for the role I would find it difficult to put me through due to a lack of experience in the field, so in some way this was no great surprise.  The key for me here was to compose myself and not take the decision personally.  I would sincerely doubt (and hope) that the decision wasn’t made after the hiring manager looked at my application and said “that Ed Scrivener is a right pain in the wotzits, I’m not taking him forward.”  Far more likely they will have looked at my CV and application answers and seen that I did not match all the criteria.  Whilst my initial reaction to the rejection was disappointment, I very much heeded my own words and didn’t take the decision personally.  Within a short period of time I was back in a confident mood and looking forward to my search. 

Despite all this, I have 2 interviews to look forward to…

Day Four

I have always been an advocate that it is better to regret something you have done rather than something you haven’t, but I am definitely not regretting resigning.  I am pleased to say I have secured more interviews and presently have 5 to attend with more on the way.  All of these have come via my own networking and this truly goes to show the power of your own network.

I have had a number of conversations with companies recently which are looking to release roles at some point in the future.  They may come to nothing, but it’s the old adage you have to be in it to win it!

This week has seen the start of the aforementioned interviews and I was determined to ensure I practiced what I preach when it comes to preparing to interview.  I have done all the hard work of getting in front of the hiring manager and I don’t want to blow it by not preparing!

Day Five                                             

I am interviewing with 8 companies over the next few weeks and so I am very confident that I will find an interesting role in the near future.  I’ve had a number of people comment about the timing of my search, as they felt I couldn’t have chosen a worse time.  The job market in December is never buoyant, however, one fact that is often overlooked is that organisations ramp up recruitment in the first two quarters of the year; many organisations look to appoint to their resourcing teams in December/January in order to be organised in time for the surge in activity.  Whilst my number of interviews is extremely encouraging, it is also a trend of the market and not just a reflection on how great I am!

Day Six

So this likely to be my penultimate entry; the reason being is that I have accepted and start a new role tomorrow!  I shall be working as a Resourcing Project Manager and I am delighted by the mix of transactional recruitment and project work.

The role is initially a short term contract and I see a number of benefits to accepting the role.  The contract will allow me to build experience within an in-house function and importantly it will allow me to continue to look at longer term opportunities.  This is a perfect solution for me as it doesn’t impact upon the roles I am already looking at, but provides me with additional security.

Translating this to broader job seekers it is important not to overlook short term opportunities (clearly if you’re in a permanent position it is unlikely you will consider one) as there can be a number of benefits.  As in my case it provides experience within a new sector, which will reflect well on your CV.  It may lead to other opportunities within the organisation once you’ve shown your ability.

Day Seven

My short term contract proved to be an excellent experience and was longer than expected as I received a significant contract extension.  The role gave me wonderful exposure to leading an in-house function within a competitive market.  I thoroughly enjoyed the role, but I am pleased to say I have now secured a long term contract as the Recruitment Manager for a well-known law firm and I am hugely excited by the remit as it plays to my strengths, but will also help me develop a number of new skills. 

Once again my network came up trumps with this role to make me aware of the opportunity.  However, I do need to eat some humble pie as I secured the role via an agency, so it does go to show you need a balanced approach to job hunting.  I also spent hours preparing for the interviews.  I was very interested prior to the 1^st interview and I knew I really wanted the role come the 2^ndand I wanted to make sure I did everything I could to get the job.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me through my search, you’ve helped me reach a very fruitful conclusion.  Good luck to any of you that are embarking on a search of your own, I do hope this will have been of help to you.

Tips for a job seeker:

• Question yourself, write down your thoughts, and ask friends/colleagues about your strengths and what you enjoy to ensure you are targeting the right role.
• Get your CV in order.  A CV is simply a sales tool to get you an interview.  Make sure the content is relevant to the job in question and preferably submit a bespoke CV for every application.
• If you haven’t already got a LinkedIn profile then get one as it is vital to helping find employment.
• Fill your CV and social media profiles with key words to ensure you can be found by recruiters conducting searches.
• Carefully decide which recruitment agencies you want to use.  If you’re not sure ask for recommendations.
• Ask your network for help.  My experience has been people are always keen to help.
• Be happy to help your network too!
• Give yourself time to reach out to people.
• Whether you’re searching for roles whilst employed or unemployed try and time your search with a busy period in the job market.  You may be up against more competition, but there will be more roles to choose from.
• Ask advice from experts within your field as to when the busy periods are; it may not be that obvious; if you plan to look in these busy periods it is likely you will be better prepared than your competition!
• Unless you are very lucky you will definitely receive a rejection at some point, so be prepared for it, the decision to reject you was not a personal decision.  Review the job description/advert again, were you truly a good fit for the role?
• Be positive! Onwards and upwards is the way to be and those interviews could be round the corner too!
• Don’t forget to prepare for interview! You only get one chance, so don’t intentionally jeopardise your chances!
• Read your CV and the job description; read them again; and again; and again...
• Research the company.  Look at the news section to gauge performance; read the careers page for any insight into the culture; review the company page on LinkedIn to find if you know anyone that works there and ask them questions to help you prepare.
• Research the interviewer to see if you have anything in common; a decision to hire you is more likely to be made on a gut instinct, so building rapport is essential.
• Prepare questions ahead of the interview; don’t be afraid to write these down and bring them to the interview.
• If you prepare properly you are far less likely to be nervous; the old adage fail to prepare, prepare to fail is very true!
• In the words of the late, great Clive Dunn... “Don’t panic!”
• Consider all roles on an individual basis, there may be unique benefits with some roles.
• Don’t rule out short term contracts if you’re immediately available. You may want more security and not want to go through another job search in a few months, but it could yield hidden dividends.

Ed Scrivener

Has this inspired you to discuss HR?  Leave your comments here.

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My top free social recruitment tools

For a number of years I have focused my resourcing activity around social media.  I believe it is a truly fantastic medium that allows a level of engagement that very few other channels can rival.  However, one of the main benefits of social media is the cost.  If you are a large corporate you can spend a fortune on it, but equally if you are a smaller business you can achieve many of the same results for free.  As someone who is often referred to as having short arms and deep pockets it is the low cost or free routes that appeal to me most! 

If you’re reading this you will have come via some social media route, so the chances are you know something about the medium, therefore I am not going to preach to you about the power of LinkedIn or Twitter; instead I want to discuss the tools that make such mediums effective.  Below is a list of the tools I use most frequently to recruit via social media.  It is not intended to be a definitive list, but just my favourites.  If you have any to add please do so; we’re all still learning about social media, so let’s share the knowledge!

• Google – This sounds a rather strange one to start with, but Google (or other search engines) are massively underused.  In particular Google is a wonderful tool to aid your LinkedIn searches.  If you conduct a search in LinkedIn you are limited to the results you receive by the type of account you hold and the number of people you are connected to.  However, if you conduct a search via Google you can gain access to everyone!  If you not sure how to conduct Boolean searches, then an easier option is to use Google’s advanced search tool to avoid having to be too technical.
• TweetDeck & Hootsuite – I personally prefer TweetDeck, but only because I am more used to it.  Both sites provide you with the ability to manage your various social media accounts, so rather than having to log into all of them you can do so in one fail swoop by using these sites.  They also provide an easy method to search Twitter.
• Followerwonk – The names of these sites are truly great!  Followerwonk allows you the ability to search peoples’ biographies on Twitter.  As many people will provide information about their location and career in their bios, this is an invaluable tool to reach out and engage with potential new hires.  You can also pretty much guarantee not many other organisations are doing this.
• TweetLevel – another useful tool to search Twitter, particularly if you are searching for a niche skill. An alternative site is Tweepz (I did say the name’s were great!).
• Socialmention – I have found this site useful if I am searching for a niche skills or trying to research a particular topic.  The site will search all of “the Universe” for mention of the topic.  As a tip, make sure you don’t have too broad a search otherwise you’ll have to wade through lots of unwanted information!
• FindPeopleonPlus – I will admit I am still relatively new to this site, but it is the best tool I have found to date that allows you to search Google+.  It may not need to be your central focus when resourcing, but you shouldn’t ignore Google+ as it has real potential to be an excellent sourcing channel.   But don’t take my word for it, instead you should take the far more credible word of Andy Headworth in this post who explains how to use Google+ and with some insight on Pinterest thrown in for good measure!

You will notice that there is a lack of information about Facebook.  The reason for this is that I have yet to find an app or site that allows you to use it for recruitment purposes that doesn’t charge you.  If you wanted to invest you could use sites such as Bullhorn Reach of BranchOut. 

Finally, there is an app or Google Chrome extension that will be released soon that will be invaluable when using LinkedIn.  Shane McCusker will be releasing an app soon that will allow you to see all the information of a 3rd degree connection on LinkedIn.  So this is definitely one to look out for.

Before you spend a fortune gives these routes a try.  Good luck!

Ed Scrivener

Has this inspired you to discuss HR?  Or actually discuss recruitment! Let us know about your favourite ways of using social media to recruit.

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Oh, to be a Business Partner

Welcome to Discuss HR, the HR blog written by Human Resources UK. 

It is my turn to write again and this time I shall be more serious than my last tongue in cheek post!Instead I have focused on why it is so difficult to develop a career in HR.   (Ed Scrivener)

Oh, to be a Business Partner

I shall start with a small apology; I wrote a similar post 3 years ago, but as I have had a number of conversations relevant to the post I felt it only pertinent to re-visit the point I was making – and as only a handful of people read it first time round I could get away with writing it again!! 

During my career, especially during my time as a recruitment consultant, I have spoken with a plethora of HR professionals.  The group I want to focus on are those in their early stages of their career, typically at the Advisor level.  There is an almost unhealthy obsession amongst this group of wanting to progress to become an HR Business Partner.  I would ask everyone what they thought a Business Partner was and I don’t think I got the same answer twice! – but that is a story for another time.  The one common theme was that it was seen as the role where they could progress from a transactional advisory role into a strategic role.  This in itself is quite natural; someone at the early stages of their career are quite clearly going to want to progress to the higher echelons of the HR world. However, there is a rather large obstruction put in place to hinder this move and it is one that has been initiated by HR itself.

The obsession of becoming a Business Partner is matched only by the obsession of following the teachings of Ulrich – again now is not the time to get into whether this is a model that should be followed.  One of the consequences has been the creation of transactional HR teams that focus purely on operational HR duties whilst others focus on strategic HR.  The HR Advisors in question are firmly within the transactional team and thus gain very little or no exposure to strategic initiatives.  This is then creating a classic catch 22 situation.  In an age where sector and prior experience is so important in the recruitment selection process, it is proving exceptionally difficult for HR Advisors to break into roles of a Business Partner level.  They may be keen, enthusiastic and eager to learn, but without that prior experience of operating at a strategic few are being given the opportunity to show their ability at the higher level.

There will always be exceptions to this rule and there are many organisations that don’t have the obsession to split transactional and strategic work.  More often than not these are small or medium sized organisations.  They can provide the exposure to all aspects of the HR spectrum that is needed to develop an HR professional’s career.  Of course, the issue we then encounter here is that the number of senior HR roles are limited within organisations of this size, so people look to move into a Business Partner role more inherent within larger organisations.  They then find the other catch 22 where their lack of experience working within large organisations comes to the fore!

All in all, it’s a pretty tough ride for someone wanting to move up the HR ladder!  The barriers faced by HR Advisors are invariably placed there by their own profession.  Those that have made the move should be heartily congratulated; but you have to ask the question why a profession, which is in charge of succession planning, has placed some many obstacles on its own progression?

Read about Ed and our other authors here

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Discuss HR is the HR blog written by members of Human Resources UK, the 10,000 member strong LinkedIn group dedicated to the HR professionals in the UK.  Discuss HR is published twice weekly and looks to take an insightful, informative and sometimes irreverent view on the world of HR – all with the purpose of generating a discussion.

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If you would like to be a guest writer for Discuss HR, you can find more information here.  Our next guest writer week is the week commencing 26^th August.

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The Future of Recruitment?

Welcome to Discuss HR, the HR blog written by Human Resources UK. 

I won’t wax lyrical  about today’s writer as it is me! My last post was about how you could improve your chances of finding a role by networking.  This post is about how you can vastly improve you ability t hire into your organisation.  (Ed Scrivener)

The Future of Recruitment?

The technophiles amongst you will not have missed the recent announcement to much fanfare of the latest phone from Samsung which will be controlled by movement of your eye.  However, what is surprising is that another device utilising the same principal has gone completely under the radar, which has the potential to revolutionise the recruitment industry and vastly improve retention rates.

The FES2 is a unique device that could have come straight from Q’s laboratory in James Bond, which measures the accuracy of candidates’ answers when interviewing.  I first came across this several months ago at a recruitment exhibition and I am aware of a number of my contemporaries that use it, however, I have struggled to find any mention of it in anything other than the most obscure trade publications.

In the short period I have been using the FES2 my accuracy in interviews has vastly improved as it easily highlights to me the questions I need to delve deeper with.  However, the real benefits will be long term as the idea of the FES2 is to ensure you’re making the right decision first time.

I appreciate I have been slightly aloof with describing it so far and that is partially because I wanted to express the benefits of it before describing exactly what it does, as this could cause potential ethical concerns.  The FES2 works on the principal of measuring eye movement during questioning and therefore candidates need to be closely scrutinised during interview via video equipment with real time results fed back to what is in essence a tablet.  The basic premise is that the movement of the eye when answering questions will indicate whether the answer is truthful or made up, or somewhere in between.  The natural response of the eye is to look to the right when recalling the truth and to the left when creating an answer – or lying!  Of course where the FES2 comes into its own is that it picks up the microscopic movements of the eye that you wouldn’t see without the aid of technology. 

I made a quip about it being used by Q, but I understand the origin of the machine was used by the military, so in essence the FES2 is an advanced interrogation device.  This in turn creates the ethical concern I alluded to earlier.  You do need to have a candidate sign a waiver before undertaking the interview, but so far less than 5% of the people I have invited to interview have declined the opportunity.  Playing Devil’s advocate you could argue that 95% of people have agreed to be interviewed in this manner due to the economic climate and the lack of opportunities, however, I feel in general this will benefit businesses immensely by ensuring they get the right hire every time – which will hugely reduce the average cost per hire.

I am conscious that this could almost be construed as an advert for the FES2 and I am very much independent of the manufacturer, however, I feel it is just too good not to shout from the roof tops about.  The creator Cal Lightman has stated he intends to develop further versions that will monitor heart rates and body temperature to truly give a fool proof system.  While this may sound like an elaborate interrogation or akin to an episode of Jeremy Kyle, I firmly believe in the long run it will truly revolutionise the way we hire talent into a business despite the potential ethical drawbacks.

You can find further information about the FES2 here.

Read about Ed and our other authors here

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Discuss HR is the HR blog written by members of Human Resources UK, the 10,000 member strong LinkedIn group dedicated to the HR professionals in the UK.  Discuss HR is published twice weekly and looks to take an insightful, informative and sometimes irreverent view on the world of HR – all with the purpose of generating a discussion.

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If you would like to be a guest writer for Discuss HR, you can find more information here.  Our next guest writer week is the week commencing 29^th April.

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Networking & Schmoozing

Welcome to Discuss HR, the HR blog written by Human Resources UK. 

Today’s edition of Discuss HR is by none other than myself, so I’ll get straight to the point! (Ed Scrivener)

Networking & Schmoozing

If you’ve been reading Discuss HR since we started 3 years ago you will know I have written a number of posts relating to networking.  I have commented about how I felt HR could and should do more; I have arranged numerous HR networking events; and I have written how those entering into the world of independent HR consultancy need to appreciate that good sales isn’t phone bashing, but relationship building.  My twitter profile refers to me as a “networker and schmoozer”, the sentiment is sincere albeit expressed in a rather tongue in cheek manner.  In short, or at least short for me, I like networking!

I have spent the bulk of my career as a service provider, so it is easy to suggest my networking was sales focused.  I freely admit that there certainly was an element to that.  I have always believed you need to enter into a networking relationship with the belief that you are looking to help the other person, not just seek their help.  There are so many benefits to good networking; you can learn from your peers; you can find opportunities of all sorts; or you can just make good friends!

I recently benefited from my years of networking.  Late last year I decided it was time for me to make a career change and move away from being a 3^rdparty provider to become an in-house recruiter.  I looked at how I could achieve this move and decided to make a two pronged attack, firstly via social media and secondly via my network.  I reached out to everyone I knew professionally to seek their help and advice about my move and hopefully to hear about suitable opportunities.  To say I was overwhelmed by the response is a huge understatement!  I had numerous conversations with experienced people in the field that were able to advise me as to what information I needed to include in my CV and what approach I needed to take.  I had several referrals from people who flagged roles they had seen advertised.  Probably most valuable of all, I heard about opportunities with organisations where the role has not gone to market yet.  Therefore I wasn’t up against countless other applicants.  I had managed to catch a number of people who were in the process of reviewing their resourcing strategy and so my approach ended up being incredibly timely.  Not every approach resulted in a formal interview, but it would be naive to think it would.  Instead and importantly I become a known quantity within the field for the organisation which should hold me in good stead for the future.  But most importantly of all, these approaches did result in formal interviews (8 in total via networking) and crucially I secured exactly the type of role I wanted.  To further add to the proof that this is the best way to secure a role, I applied for 2 roles via traditional job boards; I wasn’t interviewed for either!

I firmly believe that following my years of taking the effort to go out and meet people both virtually and in real life, coupled with my desire to help them when they needed it resulted in this very positive resolution to my job hunt.  So my advice to anyone, whether you’re looking for work or not, a business owner or employee is to get out and do that networking and schmoozing!

Read about Ed and our other authors here

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Discuss HR is the HR blog written by members of Human Resources UK, the 10,000 member strong LinkedIn group dedicated to the HR professionals in the UK.  Discuss HR is published twice weekly and looks to take an insightful, informative and sometimes irreverent view on the world of HR – all with the purpose of generating a discussion.

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If you would like to be a guest writer for Discuss HR, you can find more information here.  Our next guest writer week is the week commencing 29^th April.

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After the “Battle”

Welcome to Discuss HR, the HR blog written by Human Resources UK. 

This year has heralded a number of changes to Discuss HR, all of which I hope you approve of and are enjoying.  No doubt one of the changes you will love is I will no longer write long winded introductions!  So today’s post is by Susan Popoola.  (Ed Scrivener)

After the “Battle”

The  New Year is often seen as a time for new beginnings – a time for putting the past aside; forgiving those that have wronged us and starting over again – be it a work or at home.  There are, however, people who struggle with this and one reason for this is that no one has acknowledged that they were “wronged” or really spoken to them about the situation.  I believe this occurs as much within the workplace as it does socially.

Take the case of Alison.  Alison was quite content with her job as Administrator, so when the Team Leader vacancy come up, she didn’t give it any thought at first. However when a number of her colleagues asked her whether she was going to apply, telling her that they believed that she would be great for the role she began to think about it.   When she was commended for her work and asked if she was applying for the role by one of the Partners in the firm after a long day’s work she felt as if she had been endorsed for the position. She began to see herself in the role and she applied.

It was a tough selection process, but she was confident, she knew she was good as “did everyone else”.  When Larry was appointed, Alison felt cheated and deceived.  She watched everyone congratulate him and telling him how perfect he was perfect for the job. They mumbled at her and shuffled past her – uncomfortable not knowing what to say.   “I could have done a much better job” she thought.  These thoughts did not abate when she noticed the little mistakes that he made, which if we are to be honest are typical of anyone in a new job.  This wasn’t helped though as Alison was never given any feedback to enable her to put things in context.

It was a bit different in the case of Dean.  As nice as he was, nobody encouraged him to apply for the role of Project Manager – he simply didn’t have the right skillset.  Even though no one had ever said anything to him, there were questions about his capability for his current role.   “He was a nice, hardworking guy” and no one wanted to upset him, so they just worked around him and his capability issues.  It was therefore a shock and a great disappointment to him not to have been made Project Manager. It’s six month’s back now, but in his ignorance, he is still nursing his hurt till today.

It was quite a different scenario with Jeffrey, but the hurt, rejection and feelings of betrayal were the same – if not worse.  Even though as a single man, Jeffrey did not have any children – he loved them to bits.  He therefore relished his job working with young people in a Care Home.  He had worked faithfully with the home for 8 years.   The children absolutely loved him and often came to him with problems that they did not share with other members of staff. At times he brought presents for the children – he saw them as family.

One day he had a misunderstanding with a colleague who he had never really got on with. The colleague reported the incident to Senior Management. In addition to other allegations made, it was alleged that he behaved inappropriately with the young people.  He was immediately suspended (with pay). An investigation took place into the allegations.  During his interview with the investigator, he was asked all sorts of horrible questions. He was so devastated by the thought that anyone would imagine that he could do such things to a child -he broke down weeping. The investigator uncomfortably said he was sorry that Jeffrey felt so upset – but these questions had to be asked.  The conclusion of the investigator was that allegations were unfounded and Jeffrey was allowed to go back to his job..  No one really said anything much to him, except that it was good to have him back.  One or two people added that they never stopped believing in him.  There was, however, no formal counselling or discussion with him about what had taken place.  As is often the case when allegations are made against an individual, the thinking was he had been cleared and therefore things could continue as normal.  For Jeffrey as for many others who have had allegations made against them – it’s not the same though.

They’ve been through a period whereby there has been a cloud hanging over the head – some suspended like Jeffrey, whilst others are expected to continue their job as normal. Through the period of the investigation they often have no one that they feel able to talk to – they’ve found themselves questioning and doubting themselves. Their integrity has been questioned. They come back to work – no one apologises to them and the issues are rarely discussed – at least not from the perspective of the individual that has been accused, but rather from the perspective of making things work better and preventing similar problems from re-occurring.

In HR, we’ve been speaking a lot about employee engagement in recent years.  I believe that the above exemplify some of the reasons why good, hard working employees may at times become disengaged.  A little consideration, open dialogue and support in such situations could, however, make a world of difference to the individuals both as human beings and as employees.

 Susan Popoola 10^th January 2013

Read about Susan and our other authors here

Read Susan’s back catalogue for 2012 here

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Discuss HR is the HR blog written by members of Human Resources UK, the 10,000 member strong LinkedIn group dedicated to the HR professionals in the UK.  Discuss HR is published twice weekly and looks to take an insightful, informative and sometimes irreverent view on the world of HR – all with the purpose of generating a discussion.

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If you would like to be a guest writer for Discuss HR, you can find more information here.  Our next guest writer week is the week commencing 29^th April.

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Stress and the HR Professional

Welcome to Discuss HR, the HR blog written by Human Resources UK. 

Happy New Year!

The New Year has brought some notable changes to the blog.  I have re-designed the blog with the intent of making it more user friendly for you.  I hope I have achieved this and would welcome your feedback.  Secondly and more importantly, I am delighted to welcome a host of new writers to the Discuss HR team.  We have doubled our size and now number 16 HR professionals with some exceptional bloggers to boot.  Finally, we will now publish our posts twice weekly, typically every Monday and Thursday morning.  I hope you enjoy these changes and without further ado one of our new writers, who you may well recognise from prior guest posts, Wendy Mason.  (Ed Scrivener)

Stress and the HR Professional

As you know stress is the body's way of responding to the demands put on it. It can be caused by both good and bad experiences. When people feel stressed at work (and elsewhere) their bodies react by releasing chemicals into the blood. These chemicals give us more energy and strength to deal with immediate pressures. They can give us the strength to deal with an emergency and then, when the pressure disappears, the chemicals just disappear from the body.  

As an HR professional I suspect you can think of lots of times when you have had to react in just this way.  For example, when there is sudden and unpleasant news to be delivered.  But what happens when we are under constant stress – for example, when we have to deal with a complicated and extended down-sizing exercise?  Well, again as you probably know, that same helpful fight or fright response starts to work against us. If we are under constant stress, the chemicals released remain in our bodies causing the more unpleasant symptoms of stress.  These have been associated with things like heart disease, high blood pressure and strokes. Certainly, stress can contribute to alcoholism, obesity, drug addiction, cigarette use and depression.

Why if you know about this already, am I rehearsing here?  Well, for the very good reason that I think we are much better at warning our clients about the effects of stress, than thinking about and managing our own stress.  Why do I think that? Mainly, I’m basing my assumption on my own experience.

I can think of two large tasks in HR which led me to have to deal with my own symptoms of stress. 

The first was major down-sizing exercise I led for a government department which should probably be nameless.  It was a department that traditionally had employed battalions of copy typists. With the advent of word-processing, their work had disappeared and guess who was charged with giving the good news and managing the resulting organizational change.  Unfortunately, at that time, their location and what was happening elsewhere in the department meant there was very little possibility of re-deployment. Many of them I knew personally and I knew how dependent they were on the jobs we provided. It hurt.  It hurt them and it hurt me.  Oh I could rationalise it till the cows came home. We all knew why it was happening, but it still hurt and it went on hurting.  

On the other occasion, I had a complicated and challenging TUPE transfer to manage - 2000 people from 112 different employers all being moved into one new organization. It had to be done quickly and it was full of uncertainty because the organization they were to join didn’t exist yet.  I have never worked so hard.

Somehow both tasks were completed with relative success. Many of the copy typists opted with our support to try completely new things and to be prepared to be flexible in looking for new work.  The TUPE transfer took place as planned with far less hiccups than some had predicted.

But, among others, I paid a price. Stress can affect how you feel, how you think, how you behave and how your body works. I spent much of that time feeling irritable and anxious.  I was not a particularly pleasant colleague and I was certainly not a very pleasant partner at home. I spent quite a lot of time with my thoughts racing, expecting the worst to happen.  Plus, on top of that, I found I was suffering from sinusitis which for me is a stress reaction.  

I was very lucky; I had an understanding and supportive partner at home and a very good team at work.  But had I been more willing to admit to myself that I was showing the signs of stress and then sought help, things might have been a lot more comfortable and, who knows, I might have had an even more successful result.  I might have been able to do even more to ameliorate the negative effects of the changes for others.

If I was facing the same challenges now, I would certainly monitor how I was feeling more closely and take action earlier.  For example, I would certainly have considered working with a counsellor in parallel with my own work.  I have done that since when under unavoidable stress and it can make a huge difference to my own ability to cope.

Only you know how you feel at the moment about the amount of stress you carry.  Have the confidence to take an honest look at yourself and to seek the help you would be so willing provide to others.  I know in HR work you cannot avoid stress but I wish you every success in handling yours well and perhaps a little better than I have done in the past.

Wendy Mason 7th January 2013

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Discuss HR is the HR blog written by members of Human Resources UK, the 10,000 member strong LinkedIn group dedicated to the HR professionals in the UK.  Discuss HR is published twice weekly and looks to take an insightful, informative and sometimes irreverent view on the world of HR – all with the purpose of generating a discussion.

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How HR can support the brand....

Welcome to this week’s Discuss HR, the HR blog written for and by members of Human Resources UK.

Well this year has certainly flown by!  This is the last post for the year and today we welcome our latest guest writer Sarah Ambler who looks at HR helping to support the development of a brand.

Before the end of the year look out for the final few reviews of our panel of writers.  Likewise, next week I shall be making a rather exciting announcement about the future of this blog.  I have taken a lot of feedback on board, so hopefully the blog will be even better very soon!  (Ed Scrivener)

How HR can support the brand....

Every business, from the largest employer to the smallest SME, has a brand whether it is one they have consciously developed or not.  HR has a key role to play in supporting that brand – by building a reputation for the business as an employer of choice and helping to attract and retain the talent that will lead it into the future.

These five tips will help you maintain a positive employer brand and make sure the business is giving out a strong and consistent message to all of its stakeholders.

Define the proposition

Often, HR is not that clear what the company’s employer brand actually is.  The best way to find out how you are currently perceived by employees is to ask.  Do your people feel it’s a fun, relaxed place to work or do they see it as stressful and competitive?  Analysing data about staff retention can also give you some important clues Are levels of employee turnover high, for example, or are staff in certain age groups more likely to leave than others?  If you don’t have this data in house, you may find some useful clues if you look at your company’s profile in LinkedIn.  Once you have a clear picture of what your employees feel about the company- and what they think it stands for, you can start to look at areas you might want to improve or change going forward.

Keep it consistent

The employer brand needs to be congruent with the company’s overall brand.  It’s no good telling customers you are a vibrant, innovative business if internally new ideas and any kind of risk-taking are openly frowned upon.  Equally, you can’t make swathes of staff redundant while at the same time telling the world how well the business is doing.  Make sure you work closely with marketing colleagues to ensure the messages you are conveying both internally and externally are clear and consistent.

Walk the talk

The brand should permeate all parts of the employee life-cycle.  It starts with the moment someone applies for a job with you, continues with the experience they have while working with you and lives on after they’ve left.  The advent of social media has made it more important than ever for companies to walk their own talk.  Employees can and will discuss what it’s like working for you on Twitter, Facebook, Glassdoor and LinkedIn.  The word soon spreads, whether it’s positive or negative.  Depending on the experience they have at your hands, your employees can be your greatest advocates or your worst enemies – and don’t forget that employees and their families and friends are often current or potential customers too.

Take the temperature

You may be clear about your employer brand and what it stands for – but that doesn’t mean you can rest on your laurels.  It’s important to check back regularly to see how employees are feeling and pick up any issues or problems well in advance so that you can adjust your proposition if necessary.  Regular employee surveys or focus groups are a good way to make sure you keep your finger on the pulse – but be aware that if you ask for feedback, you need to be prepared to act or at least respond.

Communicate, communicate, communicate…

Just as marketing people keep up a continuous stream of communication with customers, so HR needs to keep pushing the message home with employees.  Find ways to remind people of what a great place it is to work, perhaps by helping to get an employee newsletter off the ground, encouraging managers to share successes, championing team-building events or introducing quarterly total reward statements that remind them that they benefit from more than just their basic salary. Often employees don’t realise the value of their total package. Keep them up to speed with potential changes and future plans so they feel involved and are not the last to know.

Your employer brand is one of your most valuable assets, so make sure you take every opportunity to reinforce the message.  Some of the latest HR software incorporates social features, such as an HR portal or activity feed, so that employees know where to go to get the latest information or can engage in the conversation. Again, this is a great opportunity for HR and marketing people to join forces to create an internal communications programme that keeps everyone informed, enthused and engaged.

About the author

Sarah Ambler is currently a digital marketer for Cezanne OnDemand HR Software in London. A Business Management graduate of Newcastle University, Sarah is passionate about marketing and HR.

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External Auditing for HRM: Red Tape Crisis?

Welcome to this week’s Discuss HR, the HR blog written for and by members of Human Resources UK.

Today, in our penultimate post of the year, we welcome our latest guest writer Claire Smith.  Claire has written an excellent and well researched article which I’m sure you will find very engaging.  (Ed Scrivener)

External Auditing for HRM: Red Tape Crisis?

Earlier this year a thought provoking article was released by Personnel Today questioning whether HR should be regulated by external auditors.  I can hear the shouts of concern from many HR practitioners even now, but why shouldn’t HR be regulated? As HR professionals, we have a responsibility to add value within our organisations and contribute to organisation success. This covers many HR disciplines, but at the heart of it we are trying to guide the organisation holistically down an ethical and legal path in terms of people management.

If one consults the work of Friedman, it is suggested that organisations should not concern itself with society and considering the effects of people and employees, but simply to make as much money as possible for their shareholders within the parameters of the law. However, times have changed, with society making up the vast consumer base, it is possible to see that where organisations cannot and do not relate to society (including their employees), through their brand and reputation they are unlikely to make the profits as desired. We also saw the fall of great organisations at the start of the 2000’s, where organisations such as Worldcom, Enron, Arthur Andersen, amongst others, had become so focused on the bottom line, they were willing to sacrifice anything to achieve these financial goals.  Although we would hope these days are over, only recently it was highlighted that Starbucks, Google and Amazon alongside the BBC have been in talks regarding tax avoidance in the UK. Although these are not directly related to HR, as owners of performance management tools and often, internal codes of conduct / ethics, surely HR has some accountability. Farrell et al conducted a study, which found that organisations that had a code of ethics in place were found to be breaking these ethics (through whistle blowing), or simply lying about their activities. Kish-Gephart et al follow on from this advising that codes of ethics cannot influence simply through existence. That they need to be effectively enforced through a performance management process, which will discipline for behaviour that is not consistent with the code the organisation sets as expectation. Within this context, it is possible to see the value that may come of external regulation within HR departments.

Although a standard of professionalism is set for HR people, particularly through the CIPD, as HRM strives to add value within its organisation it is possible that HR itself may face some tough decisions in terms of legal interpretation and ethics. Many organisations operate pre employment assessment centres that are held in high regard by practitioners and academics alike. However, the ethical considerations are not without substance, with Pilbeam and Corbridge identifying several unethical practices that can occur; candidates not knowing what to expect thus unable to withdraw in time, observation during informal periods, deprivation of sleep to enable preparation for the following day amongst others. Although not breaking any legal requirement, one might consider why we would wish to undertake these techniques. Alongside a potential unfair disadvantage to those with protected characteristic including, disability, religious or child-care reasons why a candidate may not wish to stay overnight. Further to selection activities, it has been known for employers to dismiss employees then re-hire on a substantially lower package. This follows as another aspect where HR are traditionally in a position of direct influence to ensure the organisation operates within legislative requirements. This practice of dismissal then re-hire could certainly be considered as an opportunity for employees to raise a case for unfair dismissal within the UK. This also does not add up to Ulrich et al comment that HR “represent employee interests…”

As a HR professional, friends have occasionally consulted me for advice when finding themselves in questionable situations at work. These queries are often related to acts of indirect discrimination although some have felt directly discriminated against – a clear legal and ethical issue. Mostly I suggest calling ACAS as a place they can get proper advice (and probably tell some of the things that they would prefer not to tell a friend). However, it is clear that many organisations still have issues operating ethically even in aspects that are covered by effective legislation. Raising an employment tribunal is also costly, especially when the person at detriment – the employee – does not have “hard evidence”. It is a big risk.

So, back to the original question of a red tape crisis if we externally audit HR. Yes, it would probably cause us all a bit more work but less so for those who operate legally. It would also encourage the HR departments who are relying on the grey areas of employment law or employees ignorance to operate more ethical and legal processes.

About the author

I commenced a career in HR over 4 years ago at LG Electronics where I played a key position in operating a complete performance management process, participated as part of a European culture and engagement council and managing diversity. After 3 years, I left LG to complete my MA in HRM full-time at University of Wolverhampton where I am completing my dissertation. In the meantime I have acquired a new position at Allegis Group Service, as HR Advisor for the EMEA region.

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