Category: Blog

killer interview questions

The best ways to tackle those dreaded ‘killer questions’ in an interview

Posted on | by Editorial Team

Despite today’s candidate driven market, thorough interview preparation remains vital for prospective employees. Our Director of Grocery Retail Recruitment, Nikki Murran, advises how to answer classic ‘killer questions’ with ease  

Last week I got a call rejecting my candidate from a role he had interviewed for, and I was perplexed. He had done a similar role, was in the right location, right salary range, and was actually a great guy and perfect culture fit! What could have gone wrong?

Then I got the feedback from the interviewer and immediately understood. When the candidate was asked what he liked about the brand, he admitted he hadn’t visited any stores or done much research. The candidate really wanted this job. I had recommended to him that he visit a couple of stores beforehand and I had sent him plenty of information, but he was busy in his current role and never found the time. So, he never got the job!

In this candidate-driven market, one could be forgiven for thinking the same level of preparation as in previous years is no longer required in interviews. But as I witnessed last week, this is absolutely not the case. With higher salaries on offer and more benefits available than ever before, employers want to see candidates present themselves in the best light possible to warrant these ever-improving packages!

With that in mind, below are some questions, which, when prepared well, can make all the difference in landing that dream job:

Why us?

One of the most common questions in an interview – and one of the easiest to answer – is “why do you want this job”. This is an opportunity for you to be honest with what motivates you and to make sure this is what is in line with what your potential new employer is offering. It is also a great opportunity for the interviewer to determine how well you have researched and understood their vacancy and their business. I always recommend visiting the store and its competition in the local area beforehand, speaking to people who work within the brand and can tell you more about the culture, and to have a good trawl through Google to see what you can find out. Not only will you come across as more engaged, but you will have a much better idea if this is the right role for you!

Talk me through your experience or tell me about yourself

This is my favourite interview question. This is not the moment for you to tell the interviewer how you enjoy long walks, and once won a chicken wing eating contest, but rather an opportunity for you to highlight your successes in your career to date. Do this by chatting through each role you have held, and more importantly, about the achievements you have had in each of these roles, include stats and figures to back it up where you can. Think of it as a highlight reel rather than a CV summary! This question often comes up early in an interview and if you have prepared a couple of points of your career successes it can be a great way to settle into your interview, while also using the time to tell the interviewer how great a candidate you are!

What would you say is your weakness?

Everyone hates this question. To be fair, it is an awful question, and for that reason, I never really recommend answering it. Rather, when asked about what your weakness is, I would suggest sharing a weakness you used to have, and an example of how it is now one of your strongest points! For example, “I used to be somewhat disorganised, however, a couple of years ago I started a system where I prioritize my tasks each evening for the next day and now, I would say organisation is one of my top strengths!” I know it’s a bit of a politician’s answer – but as I said – it’s an awful question!

Teamwork

Most roles involve either managing teams or working within a team. So, it’s realistic to expect a question on this in any interview. Whilst you can’t prepare an answer for every potential question, I would always recommend having a couple of examples of your management skills, leadership style and team development at the front of your mind before the interview. This means you are ready to discuss them when the topic arises.  Developing the team around you so that they are empowered, motivated, and progressing is no easy feat – so if you have been doing this successfully be ready with stories to share about how you are achieving it.

Listen and stop talking!

Whilst this is not technically a question – it is good advice nonetheless, so I have included it! Many candidates rush to answer questions in interviews. In doing so they end up not understanding the question or worse, jumping into an ill-thought-out answer that runs off on a tangent that they can’t claw back from. Take a couple of seconds after the question is asked to make sure you heard it correctly and, to decide on your answer before launching into it. No one ever lost a job because they took a couple of seconds to put their answer together! If anything, it shows that you are thoughtful and deliberate.

Next – stop talking! The aim of the interview is absolutely not to fill all the silence, or have the interviewer need to interrupt you to ask their next question. Once you have answered the question – stop talking! Be quiet and wait for the next question. Often, interviewers need to cover certain topics in order to assess your suitability. If you don’t give them the opportunity to control the interview you are taking the risk that you won’t cover what is needed to decide if you are the right fit for them.

Other than that – be yourself and good luck!

You can check out all our live jobs here. For more information call us on 01 814 8747 or email info@excelrecruitment.com

Public Sector Recruitment

Why Choose Excel For Public Sector Recruitment and Selection?

Posted on | by Excel Recruitment

Excel’s Public Sector Recruitment division provides a wide range of solutions for our clients and are trained in the CPSA Codes of Practice. As a company, we are delighted to be recognised as a CPSA (Commission of Public Service Appointments) approved recruitment agency. This means that our staff are fully trained in accordance with CPSA standards and can help you recruit for or apply to a number of jobs for permanent, temporary, and contract recruitment within the public sector.

What does being a CPSA approved recruitment agency mean for our clients?

The Commission is Ireland’s regulator for public service recruitment which links public sector organisations who have open or ongoing vacancies with approved recruitment agencies in order to fill these vacancies. The Commission also outlines five codes of practice that must be followed when hiring for public sector jobs and therefore, all of Excel’s internal recruitment processes for recruiting civil service and public service roles are built around these standards.

Why choose Excel Recruitment for public sector recruitment?

As a CPSA approved recruitment agency, Excel Recruitment provides the same wide range of recruitment solutions to our public sector clients that we do for all our clients across permanent, temporary, and contract recruitment.

We work with public sector agencies providing temporary, permanent, and contract recruitment solutions aswell as end to end or part management of recruitment campaigns including design or information booklets and job descriptions, advertising of posts on PAS, all major job boards & social media, point of contract, management, and shortlisting of all applicants, design of shortlisting and interview questions and matrix’s, provision of aptitude and psychometric testing, provision of independent panel members and note-takers, and providing detailed feedback to candidates in line with CPSA code of Practice.

Our island wide footprint, coupled with our experience and understanding of the requirements of state agencies, non-profit organisations & government agencies means that we are strategically placed to fill public service roles efficiently, and most importantly; successfully.

The CPSA Codes of Practice are embedded in our working processes and our team is made up of qualified and experienced public sector recruitment specialists

To discuss your recruitments needs, contact our Director of Commercial Recruitment Ciara Connolly on: 045 397142 or email her at  ciara@excelrecruitment.

To view a list of our current live jobs, click here

To learn more about the CPSA and their guidelines, in their own words… click here.

Staff Retention

Ensuring Staff Retention – Nikki Murran, Director | Grocery Retail

Posted on | by Editorial Team

At a time when staff retention is firmly under the spotlight in Ireland’s retail industry, our Director of Grocery Retail Recruitment, Nikki Murran, analyses candidate feedback to give her thoughts on how to cultivate long-term employee loyalty. 

I recently marked 10 years with Excel Recruitment, and I was amazed by how many people were surprised by this. The recruitment industry can be notorious for high staff turnover, but I always thought we were lucky as we have great staff retention.

But is it luck? Or is there a roadmap, a set of instructions other companies can mirror, which leads to the holy grail of staff longevity?

A hot topic amongst retailers in recent months has been staff retention. One of the most frustrating parts of being an employer or indeed manager is when you invest months in onboarding and training new people, only for them to move on within their first year. It often feels like time entirely wasted – you are only starting to get a return on your investment on the hours of training and they are gone! But why are they going?

Looking at feedback from candidates who have declared themselves “ready to move on” there are some interesting observations that might answer this:

Whilst most retailers indicate the one thing they are doing to retain their people is to increase their salary, it’s very often the last motivation cited by candidates looking for a move. Now don’t get me wrong – if someone feels they are undervalued or underpaid – it’s a top priority! But for the most part, retailers are paying their teams fairly to attract them in the first place. So, whilst salary increases may keep them from leaving – it won’t actually get them to stay if the other factors aren’t right.

Work-life balance is the number one reason candidates go to the trouble of typing out a CV. Since the pandemic there has been a huge shift toward finding a better work-life balance. I don’t think that’s news to anyone. Most of the larger retailers have reduced their management’s contracted hours and many candidates are actively seeking out roles with these businesses. But it’s not all about the contracted hours. Something as simple as a fair distribution of evening and weekend shifts can be one of the best tools to retain staff.

Flexibility is probably the perk we hear most from candidates who decline a job move. In fact, I’m sure it’s part of what got me to the 10-year mark with Excel! With small kids, mornings can be hectic – actually, anytime is hectic – but a little flexibility in my working week means I can balance interviews, meetings, bedtime stories, and school drop-offs. In a store setting, it definitely takes a bit more rota planning and tweaking – but I’m sure many would opt for this rather than doing yet another interview or induction!

The little things go a long way also. While candidates don’t explicitly say it – it’s the small things that add up and ultimately form the culture of the company. They say things like – “I like it here”, “I’m happy where I am”, or “It would take a lot to make me move”. These things don’t cost retailers a lot – it’s showing kindness and gratitude for work done. Small tokens for staff on certain days and staff lunches or parties don’t often seem like a big deal but for such small gestures, these things come up more often than you might think when we ask candidates to tell us about their current jobs.

Another subject that comes up time and again is the annual leave quota. I was surprised initially by the strength of this one, but I have had ever-increasing numbers of candidates turning down job offers as they didn’t want to lose their extra annual leave days. Often these extra days come with length of service. So many retailers don’t offer any additional days past statutory but take my word, the ones that do – have a better grip on their staff. When you think about it, it’s the ideal benefit, as you are giving those days to your most experienced people, the ones you really don’t want to lose. The more experienced and valuable they are – the more days they accrue – the harder it is to walk away from them! (and you!)

I was probably only with Excel for six months when I knew that this was somewhere I could stay long-term. I had gone to my CEO with an idea about a flyer and his nearly immediate response, was “if you think it’s a good idea, do it!” That sort of empowerment may seem unimportant, but to me it was pivotal. I felt valued. As the years have gone on and I’ve brought plenty more ideas his way (some better than others and some truly awful) I’ve always felt heard, I’ve always felt valued, and I’ve always felt like my opinion mattered. It’s hard to walk away from that.

For more information or expert advice please email info@excelrecruitment.com or call 01 814 8747. To view our available roles click here

Quiet Thriving Nikki Murran

Quiet Thriving- Nikki Murran, Director | Grocery Retail

Posted on | by Editorial Team

For the last two years, we have heard across many media platforms, stories of “quiet quitting.” This idea that you coast along, doing the bare minimum, never going above and beyond, well it never sat well with me.

Quiet quitting suggests that you are not emotionally or intellectually involved in your job, but rather you are just doing as little as possible to receive a paycheck so you can go and live your real life outside of work.

What I never understood – is whom is this benefiting? Are people happy just waiting to pass time and clock out? That seems so sad to me. Say you spend on average 40 hours a week at work, say that’s the number of hours you need to clock up to afford your life. That’s basically one-third of your waking hours. Look at that across your life.. who is happy to be unhappy for a third of their waking life? Wishing the hours, and their life away?

With two small kids, an “iron-man wannabe” husband, and a pretty busy career, I absolutely am not one to advocate for doing more hours – but surely, making the best of the hours you are in work is a better option?

Making those 40 hours the happiest they can be makes so much more sense to me.

I have been lucky to have experienced two industries in my career – with the first 10 or so years in retail and the last 10 in recruitment. Neither of these environments lent to “quiet quitting.” If for no other reason than it would have meant letting people down – my co-workers, my team, my customers, my clients, my candidates (oh, and my boss). Leaving them aside for a minute, that feeling of letting others down, it would have made ME miserable.

But perhaps these “quiet quitters” don’t feel the same? I’m not sure. But what I am sure about, positive in fact, is that when you find the right job, the right culture fit, the right balance, you can make those 40 hours a week, much more enjoyable.

I speak to countless candidates each week. Many reach out to me because they are unhappy with their job. What’s interesting to me is how often retailers, with many years of experience suggest that this is no longer the industry for them. For my side, I hate seeing good people leave this industry and so I often encourage them to list what it is they dislike, what is making them unhappy, and what they would like from a new role. 99% of the time we can find all or most of these things in the same industry, just with a different employer. The amazing part? Once I hear back from these once disgruntled retailers, their joy is back. It wasn’t the industry that was bringing them down, just that job.

Seeing this change time and time again makes me think, these quiet quitters? Have they just not found the right role for them yet? The one where they can find joy for themselves in these 40 working hours – where they get to feel challenged, and appreciated, enjoy the comradery of their co-workers, and a belly laugh with a client or customer. Me, I love seeing some candidates progress and come back to me as a client. I love seeing my team advance and grow and be promoted. I don’t think this makes me a sucker. I think it means I am finding as much joy as I can in every hour that I live, including those spent at my desk. And I don’t know about everyone else, but for me, that seems the best way to spend my days!

Which brings me on to this. I read something by Lesley Alderman in the Washington post recently – about “Quiet thriving” and it spoke to me! But it’s not as catchy a phrase as “quiet quitting” – so perhaps it won’t become the new buzzword or phrase. But for me, I definitely think it’s worth a look.

Quiet thriving is taking actions and making a mental shift to help you feel more engaged. Her ideas range from looking for the positive to finding a work buddy, setting goals for yourself to setting boundaries with your boss.

I like all these ideas and love the concept, but ultimately what I took from it is this – It’s up to you – and that’s what appealed to me most. I am a firm believer, that, for the most part – your happiness is in your hands, no one else’s.

In this overheated, employee-led market so many employers come to me asking about how they can retain their staff. Now is the time to speak up – if you have an idea or suggestion that will improve your workplace and bring more joy. Most employers will welcome anything that leads to a happy workforce! (within reason – although I was able to bring my dog into our office which led to more joy than you can shake a stick at!)

And, at the end of all this, if your employer is shutting you down, if you can’t find your work tribe to connect with, then maybe, it’s just the wrong job. Maybe it’s time to call me (unapologetic plug here, lol), maybe a move to a shiny new job will be the thing that brings you your work joy this year??

You can search our jobs list by clicking HERE.

Source: Lesley Alderman Article

CV mistakes to avoid

Don’t make these CV mistakes: Part 3

Posted on | by Editorial Team

In the final installment of his three-part series our CEO, Barry Whelan, outlines eight more errors to avoid so that your CV doesn’t speedily land in a recruiter’s rejection pile.

Excel Recruitment is 20 years old this year, so we have been recruiting for quite some time and over those years, we must have seen every CV mistake there could be! When it comes to CVs, first impressions last and whether it is a candidate or employer’s market, a large part of our jobs as recruiters is to filter CVs. On average, each recruiter only spends seven seconds scanning a CV to make the decision on whether to delve deeper or not. It is vital to avoid the mistakes that could mean the difference between acceptance and rejection.

Here are our final eight major errors to avoid:

Not filling in gaps

All the jobs you’ve listed on your CV need accurate dates, and you should avoid leaving any gaps unexplained as this is an immediate red flag for recruiters (I always ask, somewhat dryly, was the gap a spell in prison?). Gaps can signal that you’re unreliable, lazy or not detail-orientated. If gaps exist, explain them. Whether you took the time out for travelling, illness, maternity leave, a gap year, or just for some time to yourself, make sure you explain this clearly and honestly. If you were to make it to the interview stage, it’s very unlikely that the employer would ask you about it anyway.

Leaving out helpful information

While you don’t want to include a whole load of irrelevant information in your CV, you also want to make sure you don’t leave out anything that could potentially help with your application. Many people think it’s not a good idea to add the jobs they had while at university, for example. However, these types of jobs are often great for gaining soft skills such as teamwork and empathy. All our recruiters consider soft skills highly important, and these jobs also demonstrate work ethic.

Making it too technical

This is not industry or role specific. You should keep in mind that the person who gives your CV its initial read through may not necessarily have knowledge in your specific job area or be familiar with complicated industry terms. Therefore, you should try to make sure that you avoid using too much technical jargon. When listing your previous work experience, it may also be helpful to explain who each company is. They may be well known to your contemporaries, but a recruiter might not know why working for them is impressive.

Including a headshot

While including a headshot on your CV is standard in some parts of the world, in Ireland it’s not needed. Unless you’re an actor, it’s best to leave out the headshot, otherwise it will just make potential employers think you are egotistical or don’t have a good grasp of workplace professionalism.

Using an unprofessional email address

How many times have we seen these! Ticklytoes99@… You know who you are! (Honestly!). Some of us have made a quirky email address at some point, but it’s not a good idea to use it for work purposes. Your potential employers are unlikely to care that your email address is super-original or funny; they’ll be more interested in seeing that you understand the importance of professionalism.

Poor choice of file name

Please don’t just ‘save as’ and end up with a CV called ‘CV template’ or ‘CV first draft’! When the time comes to send your CV, be sure to use a polished and positive file name. Your potential employer will be able to see the file name in the attachments, so show how you are detail-orientated enough to have given the file a suitable and professional-looking name.

Not being cautious with social media

We advise including your social media links as a way to add another layer of depth to your application, providing more transparency in allowing potential employers to get to know you. However, if you do choose to add these links, make sure there’s nothing that portrays you in a bad light. Take the time to go through your pages and ensure there’s nothing embarrassing and if need be, change your privacy settings.

Not sending a cover letter

Always, if possible, send a cover letter. While you should aim to make your CV as complete as possible, you still need to add a cover letter for each application. It may seem like wasted effort, but avoiding it is a mistake. It’s your chance to go into more depth about your skills and experiences, and to show a little more of the ‘real’ you.

Please email info@excelrecruitment.com for more information or call 01 871 7676. You can check out all of our live jobs here.

Blog-pic-CV-Excel

Don’t make these CV mistakes: Part 2

Posted on | by Editorial Team

Our CEO, Barry Whelan, featured in the June edition of ShelfLife Magazine to continue his segment on the top CV mistakes that candidates must avoid. Check out what he had to say below:

In the second instalment of a new three-part series, Excel Recruitment’s Barry Whelan outlines more CV mistakes to avoid if you don’t want your CV headed straight to a recruiter’s ‘no pile’.

Excel Recruitment was 20 years old last month, so we have been recruiting for quite some time and over those years, we must have seen every CV mistake there could be! When it comes to CV’s, first impressions last and whether it is a candidate or employer’s market, a large part of a recruiter’s job is to filter through the large volume of applications received. On average, each recruiter spends seven seconds scanning a CV to make the decision on whether to delve deeper or not. Here is another batch of CV mistakes to avoid!

No personal profile

While you want to keep your CV under two pages and avoid any rambling, you should always include a personal summary. This paragraph gives you the chance to really sell your skills and achievements, as well as tailoring your application to the specific job you are applying for. It can also help to give your potential new employers a little taste of your personality and gives you the opportunity to stand out from other candidates.

Including a generic personal profile

We have already advised that including a personal summary is essential, but it’s also important to think carefully about what to put in it. Of course, you want to sell yourself and make sure you show that you’re a fit for the role, but don’t make it unoriginal. Try to avoid clichéd phrases that every other candidate will use such as ‘self-motivated’ and ‘results-driven’, and instead focus on being genuine and talking about what you can offer and what you’re looking for. Use this space wisely to give a personal touch!

Writing in the third person

Writing in the third person may seem like a creative way to make your CV stand out, but it’s not a good idea. To be honest, it comes across as either weird or egotistical. Your CV is your opportunity to communicate with potential employers, so writing in the third person makes it hard to really connect with them. It can also give them the wrong impression of who you are as a person.

Outdated information

Having stale information is a good way to ensure you leave recruiters unimpressed. You should read through your CV every time you apply for a job, just to check that everything is up-to-date. This is particularly important when it comes to things like your most recent job or work experience and any qualifications you have recently achieved. Contact details are another vital thing to keep up-to-date, especially to make it as easy as possible for recruiters to get in touch.

Not customising for each position

If you are applying for several jobs, it might be tempting to just send off the same CV to all of them. However, it’ll give you a much better chance of securing an interview if you customise your CV each time. 83% of our recruiters said this is something they definitely want from job candidates in an internal survey. Today, many companies perform an initial electronic CV review, through their ATS (applicant tracking system), so it’s important to go through the job description and ensure you have included any keywords mentioned.

Not telling the truth

All our recruiters have found a lie on a CV. Missing position, exaggerated job titles, incorrect dates of employment, unqualified qualifications; the list goes on. However, while it may be common, it’s a mistake to avoid. Not only is it unethical, but if you get caught out it will undoubtedly hinder your chances of making it to interview. And if you were to get the position and the company finds out you weren’t being truthful it could ultimately cost you your new job.

Exaggerated skills

Describing yourself as the ‘best store manager in Mayo’ or something similar is never a good addition to your CV. These sorts of statements not only make you seem rather arrogant or lack integrity, they’re also just a bit embarrassing and a sure way to convince recruiters to add you to the ‘no’ pile. Instead, use real examples, that can be backed up, to impress your potential employer.

Not mentioning specific results

When you are writing about your previous experience, the more specific you are the better. Employers want to see exactly what you have achieved in order to assess you potential. Instead of simply listing off your job responsibilities, aim to provide quantifiable results that you were solely or partly responsible for. This might include things like percentage sales increase or number of new customers, efficiency savings or any awards or accolades.

Including the wrong interests/hobbies

If you have hobbies and interests listed in your CV, you should ensure that they’re not likely to offend or alienate potential employers. Avoid including generic interests that are plain or almost everyone has. This section is a good chance to show your personality, don’t waste it! Less common, quirky interests not only show that you’re a well-rounded and interesting person, but they can also endear you to the recruiter if you have something in common.

If you would like to read the full ShelfLife Magazine June 2022 Issue, you can do so by clicking here.

CV mistakes to avoid

Don’t make these CV mistakes: Part 1

Posted on | by Editorial Team

Our CEO, Barry Whelan, featured in this month’s edition of ShelfLife magazine discussing the most common CV mistakes that candidates need to avoid. See what he had to say below:

In the first part of a new three-piece series, Excel Recruitment’s Barry Whelan outlines the CV mistakes to avoid if you don’t want to scupper your chances of securing a great new job before you’ve even set foot in the building.

Excel Recruitment is 20 years old this month, so we have been recruiting for quite some time and over those years, we must have seen every CV mistake there could be! When it comes to CV’s, first impressions last and whether it is a candidate or employer’s market, a large part of a recruiter’s job is to filter through the large volume of applications received. On average, each recruiter spends seven seconds scanning a CV to make the decision on whether to delve deeper or not. It is therefore vital to avoid the mistakes that could mean the difference between CV acceptance and rejection.

In this three-part series, I will outline the top 25 common errors we find regularly on the CVs we receive.

It’s too long!

Given the short amount of time that a recruiter has to look over your CV, it’s a good idea to keep it to the point. Most HR professionals suggest keeping it under two pages to ensure it gets a proper scan. If you have enjoyed a long career this might sound challenging, however, it’s helpful as it allows you to make sure that every sentence counts, helping to sell you to potential employers.

It’s not long enough

Similarly, having a CV that is too short and doesn’t contain enough information isn’t a good idea either. While a one-page resume is often seen as being ideal, we opt for CVs in Ireland as opposed to the one-page resume. You don’t want to start trimming off important bits of information to squeeze everything onto one page. This could mean missing out on the chance to tell your prospective employer about relevant achievements. While you might be able to impress them with this information in an interview, you have to make it to that stage first.

Picking the wrong design

We often see this with candidates going for creative jobs such as graphic designers, marketing candidates or fashion candidates. It’s a good idea to make sure that your CV is designed in a way that reflects the type of job you’re applying for. For example, if you’re applying for a position in graphic design or the creative arts, it could work against you if your CV is dull and uninspiring. However, the difficulty is that Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) used by all large recruitment companies, cannot import your CV into their system or work with it easily. Creative design is good, but only within the traditional CV format.

Strange font choices

The font you choose for your CV can also have an impact on your chances of scoring a job interview. Extravagant font options look unprofessional and make it difficult for recruiters to scan through your writing. There are some fonts that resonate particularly well. A recent study found that people associate Times New Roman and Arial with stability, while Courier New and Georgia represented maturity and Segou UI was the most persuasive font!

Poor formatting

You want recruiters to be able to read through your CV with ease, so using the right formatting is essential. A CV with large blocks of text is very visually unappealing and to be honest, time stealing. This may result in busy employers not being willing to look through it all. Make sure your CV is tidy, with short paragraphs and enough spacing between them. Bullet points can also be helpful when listing things like qualifications or results.

Poor use of colour

Adding a splash of colour to your CV won’t hurt if you’re applying to jobs in the creative sector or less conventional companies. However, you should be controlled in your use of colour. Only use colours in headings and avoid garish or hard-to-read colours such as yellow. If you’re looking for jobs in more traditional firms or industries such as banking and finance, it’s a good idea to stick to black and white.

Grammatical or spelling errors and typos

If I had a euro for every time I read a store manger CV as opposed to manager… Well, I would have a spare 10 grand! While this is an obvious one, it’s so important. A CV that’s littered with typos and spelling mistakes essentially tells a recruiter that you haven’t taken the time to proofread your writing and therefore you don’t really care about the job. Always go over your text and check for errors and use spell check or free tools such as Grammarly to look for grammatical mistakes. It may also be a good idea to get someone else to read over your writing to make sure you haven’t missed anything.

If you wish to read the full ShelfLife Magazine May 2022 Issue, you can do so by clicking here.

 

Grocery Retail Recruitment Q&A

Grocery Retail Recruitment Q&A

Posted on | by Editorial Team

Our Director of Grocery Retail, Nikki Murran, featured in a recent edition of ShelfLife magazine’s Recruitment Q&A to answer some of the most prevalent questions within the grocery retail sector.

Q: In today’s competitive marketplace, retailers are finding it difficult to secure experienced staff. What would you say are the main factors behind this and how significant is this issue currently within Ireland’s grocery industry?

A: There is any number of factors contributing to the staffing crisis, but I feel the most obvious issues are as follows:

Supply has decreased: We started the pandemic from a place of near perfect unemployment but the pandemic unemployment payment (PUP) allowed candidates to opt out of the workforce for an extended period of time. This caused a proportion of the retail sector to return home to other European countries during the pandemic and the last two years has seen a number of candidates leave the retail industry to pursue roles in other sectors.
Demand has increased: 2020 saw an additional €2 billion in grocery sales and still, to date, we are seeing an additional €200 per household per quarter being spent in the grocery sector. The DIY retail trade has also seen a substantial increase in many stores with no slowdown in sight and reports of pent-up demand still in play from 2020/21.

Q: How can your knowledge and experience within the FMCG industry help retailers to circumvent the current recruitment challenges?

A: Excel Recruitment has been recruiting for and supporting the Irish retail sector for the past 20 years. When it comes to retail recruitment, no other company has more experience in the Irish market. We are a team of retailers, recruiting for retailers. With over 85% of our business coming from repeat customers, we know we’re providing an excellent service. We take the time to understand the needs of each store by thoroughly screening the candidates from our extensive database and our team also provides honest feedback to clients and candidates throughout the recruiting process to ensure the perfect match for the role.

Q: What advice would you give retailers to ensure their employment packages stand out from competitors and can attract the best talent available?

A: Some of the key factors to take into account are as follows:
Tailor each package depending on the role / candidate
This is where we’ve seen the best successes in the market. It’s important to understand what each potential candidate is looking for in their next career move. Time and again, clients are tempted to offer more money to candidates. However, by understanding a candidate’s motivations – you may find that additional annual leave, healthcare discounts or reduced hours are more likely to secure your preferred hire.

Think outside the box
Small benefits like discounts on local gyms, canteen discounts, extra days of annual leave for birthdays, free tea, coffee and newspapers go a lot further than you may think! These small inexpensive perks are a great way to attract candidates. Be sure to list all your perks – no matter how small and include them with every job that you are looking to hire for.

Profit share
With basic salaries going up, this can be an ideal option by putting in place bonuses linked to a store’s profitability. You can offer outstanding on-target earnings without impacting your store’s wage budget.

Q: From the job candidate’s perspective, how will you help them to prepare for their best interview performance?

A: We tailor our candidate preparation depending on each individual, and the role that they are going for. By getting to know each candidate and by understanding their past experience/future ambitions, we’re positioning ourselves to support the candidate through each step of the hiring process. This can be anything from helping them to phrase answers, giving them the company background, suggesting the best stores for them to visit beforehand or teaching them how to conduct a virtual interview. And sometimes, we’re just simply a sounding board for a candidate to voice their concerns.

Q: It has become increasingly common for employers to hold multiple interviews. What specific advice would you give candidates when embarking on the second or third round of interviews?

A: I would recommend to clients to get all decision makers to sit in on the first interview so that you can conduct a thorough first round. This allows us to move at a faster pace in this overheated market and leaves no need for subsequent rounds. However, if you are a candidate who is called back for additional rounds:

  • Treat it like the first round! You may be meeting a new interviewer – and it is imperative you come across as well prepared, professional, interested and engaged as you did in the first round.
  • Don’t worry about repeating information from the first round – often the previous interviewer is anxious for the new interviewer to hear what you had to say.
  • Prepare and recap on your preparation for round one. Think about any questions you would like to have asked and prepare answers for any questions you felt you underperformed on during the previous rounds.
  • They liked you in round one, so relax, be yourself and enjoy!

Q: As we tentatively emerge from the Covid-19 crisis, do you believe that staff shortages will significantly lessen in the next 12 months?

A: No, looking forward, I can’t see any factors in play that will dramatically increase supply or decrease demand so it’s hard to see how these shortages will cease in the near future. Having said that, I do believe there are still great people available in the retail industry, if you know where to look. It’s essential to have a strong recruitment partner now more than ever to recruit talent for your business, and we will continue to help our clients and candidates in whatever way we can.

You can check out all our live retail jobs here. For more information you can contact Nikki on 01 814 8747 or email nikki@excelrecruitment.com.

 

Cost of replacing employees

The True Cost of Replacing an Employee

Posted on | by Editorial Team

Our CEO, Barry Whelan, featured in the April edition of ShelfLife magazine to discuss the true cost associated with replacing employee’s. Check out what he had to say below:

Encouraging an employee to reconsider their decision to resign from a company, can help save a great deal of time and money further down the line, writes Excel Recruitment’s Barry Whelan.

Ireland is in the midst of the “Great Resignation” with employers witnessing a higher churn in employees then most can recall. We know there is a staff crisis in hospitality, but there is also a looming crisis for labour in the retail, industrial, warehousing, transport, and health sectors. Workers are leaving their jobs in record numbers and new roles, due to demand with the re-opening of society, are being registered at a faster rate than we have ever witnessed in Excel. This is leaving businesses scrambling to replace employees, often at a major cost to the business.

Job postings consistently rising

The trajectory of job postings for the retail sector is on a consistent upward trend, having more than doubled from 1,578 in February 2021 to 4,258 in February 2022 (data courtesy of Indeed). Retail will be the next sector to be faced with a serious and damaging staffing crisis, akin to that currently being suffered in hospitality.

The industry data paints a stark picture – between 2019 and 2021, the number of retail job seekers per retail job vacancy had been increasing year on year. However, since then it has dipped significantly and in February 2022 there were 39 job seekers per job, down from 78 job seekers per job in February 2021. What’s more, the number of employers with active retail job vacancies has now nearly tripled in the 12 months to February 2022 when it stood at 1,360 employers – up from 488 employers in February 2021.

Re-evaluating priorities

Over the course of the pandemic many people were out of work and/or on reduced hours – they had more time on their hands to really look at their careers and their life, and what they want from both. As a result, we’ve seen thousands of workers change careers, upskill in their current industry, and/or just make the decision to strive for a better work-life balance.

That dynamic, combined with the fact that the industry has also missed out on approximately two years of new candidate intakes – due to workers either leaving the sector during Covid because of lockdowns and working restrictions, or indeed leaving the country – has left supply as a major issue, which continues to deteriorate.

The true cost

Depending on the complexity and seniority of a role, the actual or real cost of employee turnover can be estimated to be between 33% to a whopping 200% the employee’s annual salary.

Before allowing an employee to resign without any effort to get them to reconsider, employers should be aware of all the possible costs of replacing an employee.

The more obvious costs such as advertising, the recruitment process, executive and human resource professionals’ time spent interviewing, recruitment agency costs, background or reference checks, rejection of unsuccessful applicants or indeed interim temporary workers hired to plug a hole, all add up to a considerable number of man hours and burn rate interviewing.

But these are not the only costs; you must consider lost productivity, lost sales, lost turnover, lost knowledge, and new hire learning errors along with training time. These are the hidden costs of losing good employees.

Whiplash changes

The talent market has undergone whiplash-like change in the last 18 months, with companies shedding their workforce last spring and then spinning into a hiring frenzy this summer. It’s no surprise that many employees are looking for new opportunities or at least revaluating their career priorities.

Oftentimes, when an employee looks to leave, they should not be retained, as fresh talent can often add unmeasurably to a business. However, management need to understand the total cost of ownership in employee disengagement and attrition before making a decision not to try to retain talent.

‘Stay’ interviews

There are two recent trends that are worth looking at. The first is the ‘stay’ Interview. Here, instead of the usual six-monthly appraisal, companies engage with employees asking them why they continue to work for them and what they need to continue to do so.

Intercom, the Irish-founded tech communications platform with more than 800 employees, is a great example of this, with managers holding special meetings with each of their team members encouraging them to stay.

Boomerang employees

The second trend is boomerang employees: employees who return after leaving a company. A new LinkedIn Workforce Insights survey shows that this keeps rising.

Boomerang recruits amounted to 4.3% of all job switches last year, up from less than 2% in 2010, according to LinkedIn data. Fully trained, culturally compatible employees returning to their employer can’t be a bad thing!

If you would like to check out the full April edition of ShelfLife magazine you can do so by clicking here.

Temporary Staff

Looking For Temporary Summer Staff? We Can Help You!

Posted on | by Editorial Team

Summer is just around the corner and being able to handle increased customer volume during peak season can be difficult. Using Temporary Summer Staff can help with this.

The influx of more people coming in and out of the country creates a lot more demand for staff, and your current employees will be taking well deserved annual leave to relax and unwind. This coupled with greater levels of employment in the marketplace can make it very challenging to find the right number of employees to do various types of jobs.

Work expectations can easily be managed if you prepare your business in advance. This is why many businesses are opting to use temporary or seasonal workers to help cover the shortfall of permanent staff during the holiday season.

How Can Our Temporary Staff Support Your Business?

All types of businesses rely on summer workers to help reduce the overall workload. As an employer, you may be reluctant to use workers on a short-term basis, but contrary to what people may think, temporary workers can offer a plethora of benefits.

More Skills & More Staff

During busy months, companies of all sizes often find themselves overwhelmed and understaffed. By looking for temporary summer staff and hiring them, with a niche skillset, the individual can hit the ground running and get stuck into work with little delay. This is especially true when you use Excel Recruitment’s staff who are efficient, professionally trained, and willing to work well with your current full-time employees.

A New Or Differing Perspective On Projects

Not only can temporary workers help teams get back on track, but they usually have plenty of experience working in different ways and in different positions for many organisations. As a result, many temporary workers have great ideas and can often introduce better ways of working which can boost productivity long after they move on to their next temping position.

Preventing Staff Burnout

Summer employees give your full-time workers a break so that your regular employees come back refreshed after holidays and ready to jump back into work.

We’re Here to Help You

If you are looking for temporary summer staff or wish to have a confidential chat, Excel Recruitment can help you. We carefully screen all of our employees, and we always try to match companies with temporary staff who are professional and knowledgeable within the industry. If you would like more information, you can email Ciara Connolly by clicking here.