Recruiting the best people for your team is an ever-present challenge in contact centres. The tenure of the average agent is less than a year (whether through promotion or leaving the business). Many centres have seasonal recruiting needs so it can feel like you’re constantly recruiting for your team. Finding the right people is difficult. So, here are the top mistakes you’re likely making, and how you can avoid them: 1. Boring careers page Ok, so we’re often taught to ignore name calling and rise above any poor comments that come our way. However, your reputation as an employer speaks volume. Indeed, a poor employer reputation can be the biggest turn off amongst applicants. Having a poor careers page on your website is an immediate no-no. Go and check yours out now. Is it inviting, engaging and, importantly, is it mobile friendly? That is, does it adapt to screen size so can you see and read it easily on a mobile device? Most applicants at least start their job search on a tablet or phone so your careers page needs to accommodate this. It should be vibrant and interactive too, with plenty of images and if you can and perhaps a video. These will bring to life what it’s like to work in your team. 2. The only one at the party So, you’ve got your careers page ready and the job’s advertised. Where are you promoting this? Are you hanging out in the right place? You need to be present where potential candidates are likely to see and hear about you. Have a strong social media presence and perhaps use a referral scheme. 3. Blending in with the background In many major towns, there are several contact centres jostling for space. You might find yourselves competing against them for the best applicants. We’re in a world now where candidates ask ‘why you’ of their potential employer. If they are skilled enough, they can cherry pick where they work. So you need to stand out and be appealing. Think of novel recruitment campaigns you can run. Get the team involved. Employer branding has been a big topic in the last couple of years and is only continuing to grow in popularity. Spend some time thinking about your brand, and how you will communicate that so you’re noticed for all the right reasons. 4. Sticks and stones Not only do people talk, but they also put their opinions out there for the world to see online. Glassdoor is the Tripadvisor of employers. Staff and applicants will go to this review website and rate your company, the boss and what the application and interview process was like. Younger applicants are savvy to this and will do their homework before even considering applying to you. Bad reviews = fewer applications. Fewer applications = lower standards. You really don’t want to find yourself in a position where you’re simply grateful to anyone who applies. 5. Testing 1-2-3 Getting the balance right of how and what you are assessing potential new recruits for. As we also know, finding suitable candidates who seem to fit the right experience, qualifications and skillset can be hard enough, never mind getting them through the door for an interview. However, even then, how do we really know if we’re hiring the right person for the job? So, perhaps their references check out and they tick all of the boxes (so to speak) as far as the job spec goes, but recruitment is about more than that. It’s about ensuring you have the ‘right fit of candidate’ for the business too. Will they last? Will they fit in with the team? The list goes on… So, as you know there are lots to consider when hiring a new team member. If you haven’t tried skills testing before then it’s certainly worth considering now. With an ever-growing choice of tests on the market, it’s no longer just about data entry or Excel tests, but also about the dynamic elements of how a new employee will fit into your existing work environment. Why not check out our personality test as an example to see for yourself just how much skills testing has evolved. For further information, please feel free to contact us! ***** ISV.Online is the leading supplier of skills testing software and services to the UK Recruitment Industry. Used by 9 of the top 10 UK agencies, by number of offices, and 7 of the top 10, by revenue, ISV.Online offers candidate skills assessment and evaluation software and online training tools, allowing agencies and in-house HR/recruitment teams to validate the skills of potential candidates and existing employees across a wide range of areas.
