This week I am going a bit techie as the Customer Management team has just agreed to become the official recruitment partner for an exciting new website Call Centre Search.

is a social networking platform specifically for the Call Centre and Outsourcing sectors. The site offers many fantastic features such as:

*  Unlimited Free use of the Job Vacancies board to apply for Job Vacancies
*  Free Profile pages for CV and Career history
*  Free Career Options page
*  Free to use Events Calendar
*  Free to use Group discussion board
*  Listing in the business directory for BPO’s and CallCentre’s – with no obligations
*  On-Line data cleansing and improvement service

Call Centre Search originated on Linked In to bring together Contact Centre’s and Outsource providers and now has over 24,000 members. Call Centre Search approached Engage to form a partnership due to our already established presence on Linked In. The Customer Management team was one of the first recruitment organisations to form groups on Linked In and now proudly own and manage three main groups with over 20,000 members world wide.

These groups are:

BPO Executives: (15,000 members world wide)
http://www.linkedin.com/groupRegistration?gid=65152

Contact Centre Executives: (4,000 members world wide)
http://www.linkedin.com/groupRegistration?gid=65154

Contact Centre Consultants: (2,000 members world wide)
http://www.linkedin.com/groupRegistration?gid=65153

These groups offer a valuable forum for the Customer Management and BPO community to share best practice, network and conduct business. If you feel that this could be of interest to you or your organisation; get in touch. Ros, Alex and I are always happy to answer any queries and point you in the right direction.

Have a great Easter weekend.

Darren

Having been an agent myself at First Direct in Leeds, I have been through the assessment centre process and after moving into recruitment, have had the opportunity to see some good and some bad assessment centres.

Over the next few weeks I am going to talk about assessment centres from the point of view of the candidate; what challenges candidates face when attending assessment centres and from the point of view of the client; what can be improved to ensure they identify and hire suitable individuals.

Throughout the forthcoming blogs, there are a number of areas to cover;

I personally believe candidates should be prepared for assessment centres and know what to expect for the following reasons:-

*  Preparation for the assessment centre
*  Role plays and objection handling
*  Culturally assessing candidates
*  How to improve the candidate experience
*  What makes an assessment centre work

Why should candidates be prepared for the assessment centre?

1)  If the candidate is willing to take the time out to fully prepare for an interview and go above and beyond what is expected from them, then surely this is the type of person that you want to work for your company?
2)  When attending any interview, candidates may be nervous. However, I have found that when candidates can prepare and go into the interview knowing what to expect they will perform better.
3)  You don’t have to give away to much information! Just knowing the process, what competencies will be assessed, what the role play is focused on and if the assessment will be a group exercise or 1 to 1 assessment is enough.

Proving an applicant with the opportunity to understand both the process and assessment centre format, but also the key competencies you are qualifying, will save time, give applicants focus and also get them to really think if they possess the necessary skills.

Preparation from both client and candidate, can make the process very smooth and provide the applicant with a beneficial experience.

Alex

Hi, Ros here again,

Last week I got on my soap box and ranted about the importance of creating a great Candidate Experience throughout your recruitment process. Following on from this, here are a few top tips that will help create a great impression when hiring.

GET THE BASICS RIGHT

Too often companies underestimate the impact that the smaller basic details can have on their brand as an employer. Headhunted and passive candidates need to be incentivised to enter a recruitment process; establishing a positive brand perception from the outset is absolutely essential. Creating a professional and slick perception can be easily achieved by getting a few simple basics right.

• Job Description – must be clear and comprehensive. Include any behavioral competencies that candidates’ will be assessed against. A passive candidate will not be enticed by a vague opportunity with unclear accountabilities.
• Timescales – have dates set aside for each stage of the process, CV selection, 1^st stage, 2^nd stage and offer etc, and stick to them! Failing to do so can create the impression that the role is not business critical, and when processes drag they lose momentum and ultimately candidate interest.
• Communicate effectively - manage candidate’s expectations in terms of the time-scales and the recruitment process. If you are running an assessment centre, issue a candidate information pack outlining the processes and methods of assessment – this will create the perception of your business as well organised and professional. As an extra-added bonus this will also dramatically increase your assessment centre attendance rates!

TWO WAY PROCESS

An appreciation that a recruitment process is a two way assessment process is key. Over the last couple of years I have seen a lot of employers forget this and not sell their brand effectively within interview processes.  It is absolutely essential that proactive steps are taken to engage top performing candidates to your brand and vision.

• Within your process give a presentation on the brand and strategic objectives / goals of the organisation. If your company has an exciting message to deliver, make sure this is communicated in a dynamic way. Candidates can often return from intense assessment centres, with little additional knowledge of the business. In effect, businesses are missing an excellent sales opportunity here and it is important that you take every opportunity to communicate your exciting brand message to increase the probability of a passive candidate ultimately joining.
• Another key candidate gripe, which I hear often, is that interviewing Line Managers have made little effort to engage and build rapport with the interviewee. A headhunted candidate is highly unlikely to leave their current role unless they feel they have a connection and can work well with the person they will be reporting into.

This is a non-exhaustive list and just a few tips on how businesses can be doing this better. It sounds really simple but it is surprising how few businesses are actually getting this right!

Ros