FOUR TIPS TO HELP YOU RECRUIT THE RIGHT YOUNG STARS OF THE FUTURE - NOT THE SABOTEURS

We all know that motivating people is hard and the most up to date research from Gallup confirms it. Their report shows that in the UK, only around 15% of the workforce are stars, which leaves the remaining 85% either sleepwalking through their days or actively becoming saboteurs (our terminology not theirs!).

taking on a sleep walker or saboteur is much more detrimental to the small businesses that make up % of the UK economy.
And if it’s your business, as we know ourselves only too well from past experience, then the consequences of making a wrong decision are felt all the more keenly. The wrong decision also affects the new hire adversely too.
So what can you do to mitigate the risk when you are hiring fresh recruits to the world of work? Well the Gallup report provides a useful steer. Here are our top tips to help you hire successfully.

1. Check out their passion and tenacity
You want to identify someone who is emotionally and intellectually invested in working for you, and not just going through the motions. These are the people who will go the extra mile to ensure your success and its evident in their achievements. Be aware that not everyone has the best start in life which makes what they have achieved all the more remarkable. We’ve found that if you spend time reading between the lines of their application and listen to their stories you will find diamonds in the rough that you can help to shape for future success.

  2. Hire diverse talent
We all have unconscious biases, and these can be dangerous when recruiting as they can lead to inaccurate assumptions which can backfire. There are a number of key biases to be aware of:

• the halo effect where you are drawn to a potential recruit based on them having a similar accent, appearance, or similar schooling;
• the horn effect where you make judgements based on accent, their physical appearance and clothing;
• the like me effect, where you are inadvertently seeking to recruit someone who is exactly like you. Given we are all unique that can lead to big disappointments and unfair expectations. Our job is to help people become their best versions of themselves so they can maximise their potential, not become a mini me;
• cultural judgements, where background and social capital may be act as a barrier to understanding strengths, talents and skills.
• bias against any of the nine protected characteristics and especially gender and disability stereotyping which could lead you to breaches of the Equality Act

3. Use language young people understand
As established professionals, we use the shorthand language of CVs, skills, and employability to explain what we mean, but this puts the focus on the process of getting in and not the meaning of getting on. The language itself acts as a barrier and doesn’t inspire young people any more that it does you or I.

4. Hire on purpose
I don’t know about you, but it’s passion for what I do and not developing my employability skills that gets me out of bed in the morning. So the easiest way to make sure you recruit effectively is to recruit on purpose.

I don’t mean just intentionally here. Let me give you an example. I was invited to attend the Creative and Cultural Skills conference recently. They are a charity who give young people opportunities to work and learn in the creative industries.

In the final session of the day, we listened to a group of young apprentices talking about their experiences. One of them stood out to me as she talked about her experiences. Her apprenticeship was in the theatre and the longer it went on, the more her love for the theatre grew each day. What she witnessed every day was saw the impact of her contribution in the smiling faces of those who came to see the performances. Her words made it clear that she had found a deeply meaningful purpose which meant she was happy to go the extra mile because she saw the value of it and her own contribution to others through it.

So, by all means ask about skills and direction of travel, but above all focus on the individual’s why and how what they want to do is meaningful to them. That way you will recruit yourself a star in the making.

Career Alchemy’s research proven framework helps people of all ages to create purpose-drive careers and is available in a format to help SMEs develop their talent sustainably.

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