How do you get the Truth from Leavers?

I read recently about an organisation spending 600 HR hours a year on face to face exit interviews.  The end result, however, was that they had no hard data and really didn’t know accurately why people were leaving. 

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Level playing field

The CIPD’s annual Recruitment, Retention and Turnover Survey (2008) reports a number of key findings.

“Appointing people who have the potential to grow but who currently don’t have all that’s required is the most frequently used initiative to overcome difficulties”. Three quarters of respondents said this was their biggest challenge.

Some candidates seem attractive because they come across well in the interview, have leadership qualities or are particularly articulate. Read more

Take me to your…

Leadership is a skill in short supply.  This has a number of implications:
• it leads to poor succession planning, a particular problem for UK industry, and may be wiping £2bn a year from the FTSE 350 according to Investors in People;

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4 Ways to ride out the Credit Crunch

Obviously the credit crunch and downturn are key issues at for anyone planning future investment – particularly if they’re were thinking of expanding their business and workforce. I’ve heard people complaining about the media and other pundits talking up the recession. There may be some truth in this accusation. Nonetheless there is enough to worry about and, in these matters, perception is everything.

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You’re hired!

Lee McQueen lied on his cv and still won The Apprentice.  That’s a strong argument for not taking The Apprentice too seriously  - most of us rarely get the chance to assess candidates for nearly three months and make up our minds on, seemingly, instinct.  Read more

Searching for top talent?

When it comes to finding new employees in the hospitality industry, there’s a pervasive opinion — good people are extraordinarily difficult to find. But once you do find and hire the right person, retaining them becomes even more challenging.

Hotelier Magazine talks to The McQuaig Institute and The Holst Group client, Marriott International, to find out why hotels should concentrate on finding the right people to increase staff retention.

Download the article here.

Do we have to be a big company to use tests?

Not anymore. Once upon a time the costs of training in, then buying the materials seemed prohibitive. The internet, centralised testing centres and the number of trained consultants available to run sessions means even the smallest company can get the benefits.
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How Can I Tell a High Quality Test From a “Quiz”?

There are thousands of tests on the market. It’s a real growth area and, as with any product or service, it’s sometimes difficult to work out the cowboys from the cavalry.
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What are the business benefits of testing?

Psychometric tests sound rather academic but they’re actually ways of making hard-headed business decisions. They will increase your bottom line. They’ll decrease staff turnover, identify talent, create a more efficient organisation.
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I use interviews and other methods; why should I replace them with tests?

You shouldn’t! Tests provide part of the picture; interviews, for instance, provide information tests can’t reach.

But research shows that interviews, references and application forms are very bad at predicting whether people will succeed. Interviews are particularly dangerous because you will be hugely influenced by your prejudices, likes and dislikes without realising it.
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