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4 ways to give valuable feedback after an interview
Job seekers are looking to find the right company that will fit them just as much as employers are seeking candidates that will fill their role and fit company culture. With this in mind, you should always where possible provide feedback to the candidate once you have let them know they have been unsuccessful. Here are our top tips on how to give your candidates valuable feedback after an interview! #1 – Don’t be overly harsh and critical Being overly critical is something you should definitely try to avoid. You should include both constructive criticism and praise. Try to give some form praise once before providing constructive criticism and once after, this can give the candidate a sense of confidence and a goal to aim for their next interview. #2 – Aim to help! Feedback should be meaningful – avoid listing off negative things about the candidate. Focus on one or two things that are specific to the job and the culture fit. #3 – Be precise, not personal To ensure your feedback is effective you will need to explain the situation not the person. For example you could say “We noticed you was late to the interview – maybe you could try to manage your time a bit better” instead of “you was late, that’s not good enough”. #4 – Tell the truth All candidates deserve honesty. Telling them that they were great in the interview (when you both know they wasn’t) won’t earn their respect and it will leave them confused as to why you won’t hire them even though you’re saying they were great! If you’re reading this it must mean you’re interviewing to grow your team! Click here to see what our recruiters could do for you!
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Familiar faces who were HGV Drivers
Have you ever wondered about how some of the worlds most recognised faces started out before their claim to fame? We have done some digging and put together a list of celebrities who were HGV Drivers before their big break! Charles Bronson A famous actor who can be seen in films such as The Magnificent Seven and The Dirty Dozen. Prior to his acting career he was a HGV Driver and also took pilot training too! This then led him to winning multiple awards for acting. Elvis Presley Yes, it’s true! The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll was a HGV Driver! He took up the career after his graduation! He underwent electrician courses and began driving a truck for Crown Electric. Liam Neeson ‘Taken’ star and well known actor Liam Neeson was involved in HGV Driving before he stepped into the acting game! Neeson drove a Forklift Truck and a lorry for Guinness! James Cameron Avatar and The Terminator director was in the Driving industry before his claim to fame. As a HGV Driver, he would spend the time on the road thinking of screenplay ideas. If he stumbled upon a really great idea, he’d pull over and write it down… where could he have thought up Avatar? Sean Connery The former 007 with the irreplaceable Scottish accent used to spend his days long distance driving. It’s hard to believe the 7X James Bond was led to acting because of his driving career! Stephen Rogers And last, but certainly not least – Swanstaff’s CEO! Back when Swanstaff was just a dream, Steve was an HGV Driver! It was his own personal struggle with agencies with poor customer service that made him want to offer a better experience for today’s agency workers. Crazy, right?! If you’re looking for HGV work in the UK then click here to see what we could offer you!
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Exit interviews and their impact on employee retention
In most companies, the Human Resource Manager conducts a brief interview with the departing employee to gather feedback. Though it’s completely voluntary to conduct an exit interview, it is extremely helpful in shedding light on departmental issues that may have been unaddressed. They’re often more informative than regular check-ins. This may be because the departing employees can answer the questions in all honesty since they have little to lose. Types of Exit Interviews If the organisation is serious about retaining their employee then an online exit survey works great. Here are a few reasons why a company should get an online survey tool to create online exit feedback; Taking feedback online removes the possibility of interviewer bias. Online exit surveys convey the answers as they are to a more authoritative professional in the organisation. In most cases, employees fill the feedback forms easily when not confronted since they no longer feel the need to sugar coat their tone or the nature of their answers. There’s no requirement of manual entry since the survey stores the exact data entered by the employee. What the departing employee writes in the survey is exactly what is interpreted. Face-to-Face Interviews Planning a face-to-face interview works great if you’re certain that there will be no bias. Here are a few tips to make a face-to-face exit interview impactful – Schedule the interview and inform the employee about the scheduled date beforehand. This will give enough time to the departing employee to be prepared and share their answers in all honesty. Make it private and give the employee the freedom of being honest and candid. Promise the content of the interview will be confidential. Why Exit Interviews? Highlight toxic management practices – Exit interviews give insight into the problems in the organisation since the issues may be more than what meets the eye. Here are a few problems that can be identified with an effective exit interview – Managers may be mentally absent and forcing the staff members to take managerial decisions. They may be unaware of the toxic dynamic developing in the team which often leads to disputes within the team members. Managers or team leaders may not be able to resolve conflicts if they lack interest in team activities. As a result, the staff members may suppress their frustration which not only affects their performance but can also push them to a point where they feel that resigning is the only option. Identify if the Work Environment is Hostile – Exit interviews help identify feuds in the work environment that may not have been reported to the management or HR. Work environment conflicts may include harassment, racism, discrimination, etc. And departing employees speak up without any fear which can help the organisation take the required action. Reduce Employee Turnover – Apart from the hostile environment, employees may be facing difficulties such as inadequate paid leaves, impractical job requirements, and others where you may be coming up short. Hence, identifying problems in the workplace helps employers take actions that can reduce employee turnover. Exit Interview Questions Ask the right questions that would help you understand if the business practices need to be changed. For example – What didn’t you like about the organization? Do you have suggestions for improvement? What could we have done to stop you from quitting? How is your new employer better than us? Did your supervisor treat you fairly? Would you let us know as you gain new skills and experience? Would you like us to contact you for future opportunities? Never retaliate for a good faith complaint in the exit interview. Focus on what should be improved in the workplace and understand the employee behavior from time to time. Employers can do this using a pulse survey and get real-time employee feedback. Also, never retaliate for a good faith complaint in the exit interview to maintain the reputation of your company and be respected. Have something you would like to share with us about exit interviews? Let us know in the comment section below. Author Bio: Bhavika Sharma is a survey designer at SurveySparrow, where she designs surveys that work by making them more conversational and engaging, fetching 40% more responses. When she isn’t designing killer surveys, she loves to travel in search of adventure and to meet new people. Her travel experiences have taught her the importance of conversation and that is what she brings to the table while creating surveys or content for her readers.
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4 ways to use Twitter to recruit the best candidates
13 years and around 260 million active users later - Twitter has become one of the biggest social hubs in the world. This also means it is a huge and powerful recruitment tool that any recruiter can take advantage of! So to help you out we have put together 4 top tips to using Twitter to find the best candidates to fill your roles! #1 Grow your followers The first thing to do is to make people aware of your Twitter presence by spreading the word. It’s a good idea to separate your main company page and set up a new account for your recruitment. To gain followers you should regularly tweet from your main page directing your existing followers to your recruitment page. You could also follow relevant Twitter hours and seek out candidates that are job searching. #2 Display your company culture Not everything you post has to be about recruitment. It is becoming more and more popular for candidates to go for a job because they are attracted to the company’s culture. Therefore post about things that show your company’s day to day life! This can be anything from pictures from your last Christmas party, a team member’s birthday or even a team night out. #3 Be active Being active and showing you are active will attract candidates as they will know that they can ask questions and they will be answered in a short space of time. You should also interact with and thank the accounts that retweet you! If you’re going to have a Twitter page (especially a recruitment page), you need to be present and active. If potential candidates are messaging you and not getting a response then they won’t feel engaged. The more active you are the more followers you’ll gain and the more talent you will attract. #4 Use hashtags Hashtags are one of the best ways to generate candidates on Twitter and get your job opportunities seen by more people. You have to be using the right hashtags per post. Always remember to not add more than a few tags per post otherwise it can look very spammy, so chose the most relevant 3 or 4 tags! You may also want to look at what hashtags other recruitment pages are using and what works well for them. Hopefully by now you are setting up your Twitter account and are implementing our top tips! Are you looking for your next hire? If you’re struggling then let us take the hard work out your hands and find your next recruit. Use the following link (link to recruiters page) to see what our recruiters can do for you!
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The role of a Mental Health Nurse
Mental Health Awareness week has got us thinking about all the different kinds of roles Nurses play and what different roles there are out there and how every single one plays a part in impacting the lives of their patients. We have put together some information on everything you need to know about being a Mental Health Nurse which can prepare you on your journey to joining this respected profession. Overview A mental Health Nurse is responsible for planning and providing support and medical care to people with Mental Health problems. On average, a band 5 (newly qualified) Mental Health Nurse will earn a salary of £22,128 to £28,746 per year. As you progress, you'll work up through the bands. The most experienced Nurses work at Band 6 or 7 with salaries ranging from £26,565 to £41,787. The daily duties of a Mental Health Nurse… Assessing and planning nursing care requirements Visiting patients at their homes Building relationships with patients Reassuring, listening and talking to patients and their loved ones Combating stigma and helping patients and families deal with situations Administrating medication Writing and updating patient records Liaising with doctors, social workers and other health and social care professionals Typical employers of Mental Health Nurses… The NHS General, psychiatric and secure hospitals Residential and nursing homes Community and rehabilitation units Special units within prison services Qualifications… The main qualification you need is a Mental Health Nursing degree; however it is also desired that you have the following qualities… Qualities desired… Good health and fitness The ability to empathise with people Good understanding of the theories of mental health Excellent team work skills Resilience Stamina Observation skills Communication skills Ability to stay calm and think quickly in challenging situations Skilled in decision making Typical interview questions… What experience do you have? What are the key tasks you think will be entailed with this job? What are the biggest risks of Mental Health Nursing? Why do you want this job? Why do you want to work for us? How would you handle complaints made by patients? How would you improve the quality of care provided? What’s the best approach to dealing with challenging patients and situations? Now you have an understanding on how you can pursue a career as a Mental Health Nurse, Do you think this is the next step for you? Or are you still unsure on what role you want to play in the Healthcare industry? For advice and guidance on other roles take a look at our other blogs The role of a Healthcare Assistant and The role of a Support Worker and remember Swanstaff are always recruiting dedicated Healthcare professionals across the UK so consider us for your future employment.
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How to avoid gender bias in recruitment
It’s 2019, the society we live in is constantly changing for the better. Don't you agree we should scrap gender bias in recruitment? First impressions and gut feelings count for so much during interviews. But avoiding unconscious bias is essential, as it can lead to unfair/inaccurate judgments, overlooked talent, or even worse, discrimination. Gender Bias can be avoided by writing gender neutral job adverts, de-identifying CVs, being aware of unconscious bias in an interview and using a diverse interview panel! Now let us explain… Now you know how to avoid gender bias in your recruitment process, why not take a look at our 'meet the team' page to see what our consultants can do for you!
