Tag: recruitment advice

1. The Hidden Costs Of Not Recruiting

   March 18, 2025 9:19 am

   

   Hidden Costs of Leaving a Vacancy Unfilled in Your Business

   Recruiting the right talent is a key driver of business success, but what happens when an organisation delays or fails to fill a vacant role? Many UK businesses underestimate the true cost of an unfilled position, yet the impact can be substantial, affecting productivity, revenue, employee morale, customer satisfaction and overall business performance.

    

   The True Cost of a Vacancy

   Lost Productivity

   When a role remains unfilled, its workload often falls on existing employees. This can lead to inefficiencies, delays, and an overall decline in productivity. In cases where the role is highly specialised, the lack of expertise can create bottlenecks, slowing down project delivery and strategic initiatives.

   Financial Losses

   The financial impact of a vacancy varies depending on the role and industry, but it is often higher than many businesses anticipate.

   • If the role directly contributes to revenue (such as sales or business development), the company risks losing potential income.
   • Delays in service delivery or product development can result in missed business opportunities and dissatisfied customers.
   • To compensate for the vacancy, businesses may rely on temporary staff or pay overtime to existing employees, increasing payroll costs.

   According to research from the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC), the UK economy loses up to £39 billion annually due to unfilled vacancies.

   Declining Employee Morale and Increased Turnover

   An unfilled role often means additional pressure on the remaining workforce. If employees consistently have to take on extra responsibilities, it can lead to stress, burnout, and dissatisfaction. Over time, this may increase staff turnover, compounding the issue by creating further vacancies.

   In competitive industries where skilled workers are in high demand, delays in recruitment can also create a negative perception of the business, making it harder to attract and retain top employees.

   Damage to Customer Satisfaction and Brand Reputation

   In customer-facing industries, a lack of staff can mean longer response times, reduced service quality, and a drop in overall customer satisfaction. This can lead to negative reviews, lost clients, and a weakened brand reputation. According to a study by PwC, 32% of customers would stop doing business with a company after just one bad experience. Dissatisfied customers tend to share their stories and experience with others, which can lead to an even greater level of discontentment with customers who may not have even had a bad experience themselves.

   Opportunity Costs and Competitive Disadvantage

   Leaving a vacancy unfilled for too long can put a company at a competitive disadvantage. While competitors with fully staffed teams continue to innovate and grow, businesses struggling with talent gaps may fall behind. Strategic initiatives may be delayed, and the company may miss out on opportunities simply because they lack the personnel to execute them.

   How to Minimise the Impact of Vacant Roles

   While vacancies are sometimes unavoidable, businesses can take proactive steps to reduce the negative impact:

   • Get Ahead– Wherever possible try to keep ahead of any recruitment needs and have a prepared plan for recruiting.
   • Build a Strong Talent Pipeline– Engage with potential candidates before vacancies arise to ensure a faster hiring process. Treating all candidates with respect, timely feedback and leaving them with a positive experience can help to build your organisation’s employer reputation within your sector.
   • Leverage Recruitment Agencies– Build relationships and partnerships with specialist recruiters that can help fill roles faster and with better-quality candidates.
   • Offer Competitive Salaries and Benefits– A compelling remuneration package can attract top talent and reduce time-to-hire. Offering the current market rate may not be enough to engage the interest of top performers.
   • Focus on Employee Retention & Your Core Business – Reducing staff turnover minimises vacancies in the first place and recruitment is a specialist task. If you are stronger in other areas of your business, focus on that and work with people who can deliver a first class recruitment experience.

   The cost of leaving a role vacant can extend far beyond just losing a member of a team. It can stretch into declining productivity, lost revenue, increased staff turnover, slowed growth as well as reputational damage and a negative impact on customers. Organisations should take a proactive approach to recruitment, using the most suitable techniques to appoint strong candidates to ensure competitiveness, efficiency and customer satisfaction are maintained and enhanced.

   For more insights on effective recruitment strategies, visit Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC), explore industry reports from CIPD or contact Ocean Edge Executive Search, the recruiters dedicated to the social housing sector.

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2. Four Valuable Lessons I’ve Learned as a Recruiter

   February 29, 2024 3:27 pm

   I established my own search agency over 20 years ago and over the course of my career, I’ve encountered a multitude of experiences that have shaped my approach and taught me invaluable lessons. Here are four key takeaways that have significantly influenced my journey as a recruiter, that I hope will be of interest:

   1. Communication is Key

   One of the most fundamental lessons I’ve learned is the importance of effective communication throughout the recruitment process. From initial outreach to final negotiations, clear and timely communication is essential for fostering positive relationships with candidates and clients alike. Whether it’s providing feedback after interviews, managing expectations regarding job roles, or simply keeping candidates informed about the status of their application, transparent communication builds trust and credibility. Moreover, active listening plays a crucial role in understanding the needs and aspirations of both candidates and hiring managers. This allows you to tailor your approach accordingly and ensure alignment between all parties involved.

   2. Adapt but Focus

   The recruitment landscape is constantly evolving, driven by technological advancements, shifting market trends, and changing candidate expectations. As a recruiter, adaptability is not just a desirable trait but a necessity. Embracing new tools and methodologies, staying updated on industry best practices, and being willing to pivot strategies in response to emerging challenges are all critical aspects of staying ahead in the game. But be smart, not all new techniques and technologies are all they are cracked up to be and some may well have little impact on your ability to achieve your goals. Don’t always believe the hype – evaluate what will increase your effectivity and enable you to deliver better results. Don’t be afraid to dismiss products and new technology which will have little or no impact on your success.

   3. Build Meaningful Relationships

   Recruitment is not just about recruiting; it’s about connecting with people and making a positive impact on their lives and careers. Building meaningful relationships with candidates and clients goes beyond the transactional aspects of the job; it’s about understanding their goals, motivations, and aspirations on a deeper level. Taking the time to cultivate genuine connections will foster long-term partnerships built on mutual respect and trust. Commit to working with people that value you and what you do, and this will help you achieve a high success rate.

   Furthermore, maintaining a strong network of professionals within the industry not only expands opportunities for sourcing top talent but also facilitates knowledge-sharing and collaboration, enriching your own growth.

   Keep in mind that your relationships are with people and not necessarily with organisations. Always treat your candidates as customers – they could turn out to be your next client.

   4. Know your value and don’t be afraid to walk away

   There will be times when hiring managers or candidates don’t value you and what you do.  These are unlikely to be people you can help so it’s better to walk away.

   Don’t work on roles you are not confident that you can successfully appoint to. Why would you? It’s a waste of everybody’s time and effort and will ultimately damage your reputation and affect your ability to achieve a high success rate.

   Make sure you trust the client and ensure they are serious about the recruitment process. I’ve had the occasional experience of being asked to work on a role when it was obvious it wasn’t going to work; either because the client already had a candidate in mind or were struggling as an organisation and so would be difficult to work with as a recruiter.  Always ask yourself, is this is a suitable opportunity with a suitable organisation that I should recommend to my candidates?

   Stay true to your principles and focus on how you can increase your success rate getting as close to 100% as you can.

3. Social Media, Personal Brand and Your Next Job

   April 14, 2022 8:28 am

   

   Social media is an important tool in recruitment – both by candidates looking for a new job and employers searching for new staff and researching potential candidates. So it’s crucial that your various profiles on social media give the best impression of your ‘personal brand’; reflecting your personal values and professional skills.

   Your personal brand needs to be consistent across all your social media platforms including the ones you use in your personal and professional life. Remember anything that you create, share or react to online is visible, so how you conduct yourself online is just as important as your behaviour offline. Even if you don’t use Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for work, you still need to be conscious of what you are posting if you want to create a positive, professional image of yourself.

   If you are considering applying for a new role or have been turned down for a job and are unsure why, it’s probably a good idea to conduct a personal brand audit. Here’s how:

   Check your social media profiles are projecting the right personal brand

   Delete any old accounts you no longer use and then adjust your privacy settings on current social media accounts. Remember some information including your profile picture may still be able to be seen publicly so chose an image that is consistent with the personal brand you want to promote. Think about what you’re posting. Ask yourself what impression would your post have on a potential employer. Use common sense!

   Optimise your LinkedIn profile

   This is one of the most useful online tools you have as a job candidate so use it to the best of your ability. Include a professional profile picture and spend time crafting a compelling headline to summarise what you do and specialise in; not just your job title. Provide lots of detail in the personal profile and skills sections to really sell yourself, your skills and experiences. This will help potential employers find you when they search LinkedIn for people with particular talents. Recruiters and talent acquisition experts will use streams of key terms to search LinkedIn profiles. It is important for you to appear in the search results for the roles you would like to be considered for so put some thought into what key words, qualifications and experiences recruiters will be searching for and drop these in your profile. It is also worth putting in full terms as well as abbreviations to optimise search results for recruiters. You also need to check your spelling. If a recruiter is searching for key words and your profile includes misspelt words you may be missed. A common example is Programme and Program.

   When you’re happy with your profile connect with people you know and ask your contacts for endorsements. Develop your profile by posting about the projects you are working on, news within your industry, and resources that you think would be useful to others. And when your followers respond positively to your posts think about how you can build on this with similar content or repurpose something to re-engage. Don’t forget to engage with other people’s posts as a way to connect with others and build your network. Search for and join LinkedIn groups related to your industry and career interests to help make useful connections that could turn out to be your next job opportunity!

   Promote yourself on a blog

   Promoting your area of expertise and positioning yourself as an expert is a great way to develop your professional brand. You might not think of yourself as a writer, but blogging is an accessible way for everyone to share their expertise and promote themselves online – and there is lots of useful, free advice on the internet on how to write and post a blog. Share your skills, successes and experiences gained from your studies and career that may be of interest to others. You can post articles from your LinkedIn profile and use a blogging platform like Medium which is both easy and free to use.

   Take your career to the next level

   With over 20 years’ experience of executive search Ocean Edge are in the perfect position to help you with your personal brand. If you need any assistance please get in touch.

   You might also find our blog posts on CV writing, interview skills and finding the perfect job helpful.

   Contact us for a confidential chat by calling 023 8000 1153 or email us at info@oceanedge.biz.

    

4. Has 2020 sparked an employer-led job market?

   October 23, 2020 11:25 am

   If you are a business in the position to recruit in 2020 then the job market is considerably different to last year. Many highly qualified individuals have been laid off through no fault of their own and are now seeking new opportunities.

   So are we now in an employer-led job market where businesses can expect a swathe of applications from the very best candidates?

   Recruitment in 2020

   According to the Office of National Statistics redundancies are the highest they have been since 2009 and unemployment is on the increase. The job market is flooded with people looking to get back into work.

   As an employer looking to recruit this may make you feel like you have the advantage with a wider body of people from which to choose. However, we would caution against feeling this false sense of security.

   The people applying for jobs now may not be the best fit for the role you have on offer or for your organisation.

   The number of top candidates also hasn’t changed, so it’s just as important to identify them fast before they are picked up by another employer. And with a lot more applicants to sift through the challenge of finding your perfect candidate is more difficult than ever.

   Only an executive search that takes a holistic view of your business, the opportunity and the candidates will find the best person to add value to your organisation.

   How to secure the best candidates

   At Ocean Edge we can help you find the ideal match from candidates who are actively searching for new opportunities and people who may not even be looking for a new job.

   We identify people with the skills you need and ensure they are perfect for your company. We also take the time to discuss their needs to make sure the match fits.

   This approach of a targeted search and advertising enables us to attract the most suitable candidates and avoids having to re-advertise a role.

   Find out more about our services for clients looking to recruit in the affordable housing sector.

5. How to recruit staff effectively first time

   September 11, 2020 9:38 am

   How hard can it be to recruit employees? It’s a question many business managers ask themselves when they are in the thick of a recruitment process, especially when they have decided to take on the task themselves.

   Finding the right candidates can be complex as the best people for a role are often not actively searching for new opportunities. Fail to find the right candidate and you have to start all over again, which is a drain on resources and your time.

   So how do you recruit staff effectively and avoid that costly second round of interviews?

   An effective recruitment strategy

   A mix of advertising and head hunting is the best way to create a shortlist of people who meet the requirements of your vacant post and, importantly, who are a good fit for your organisation.

   As a specialist in recruitment for the social housing sector our tried and tested process includes:

   • Producing and placing recruitment adverts
   • Production of professional recruitment packs
   • A dedicated website advertising the role
   • Candidate response handling and management
   • A full head hunt of qualified individuals who have the skills and attributes needed
   • Longlisting and shortlisting of candidates
   • Organising psychometric testing and assessment, if required
   • Management of the interview process
   • Acting as a member of the interview panel, if required
   • Management of the offer process.

   As you can see, there are multiple steps to effective employee recruitment and all of this can take a considerable amount of organisation. However, being thorough ensures success, which in turn means you don’t have to re-advertise.

   A recruitment consultancy for the affordable housing sector

   The easiest way to recruit employees is to bring in a specialist recruitment consultancy. Ocean Edge has more than 20 years experience in finding the right people for the job.

   Notably, the majority of our clients are repeat customers because they have seen the benefits of working with us instead of trying to recruit themselves. This is because we:

   • focus on achieving a 100% success rate
   • are a small, highly skilled and dedicated team who are passionate about placing the right people in the right roles
   • and we keep our fees lower than other search firms because we are driven by success, so we don’t need to charge higher to cover failed recruitment processes.

   If you work in a social housing organisation and want to build a strong executive team and board talk to us about how we can deliver effective recruitment and executive search services for you.

   Find out more by getting in touch with our teams based in London and Southampton. Call 023 8000 1153 or email info@oceanedge.biz.