“Talent management is the most important aspect of managing any organisation. Those you hire and retain impact every aspect of business including performance, productivity and most importantly profitability. Investing time in budgeting and planning your talent acquisition and retention is key to building stronger, longer-lasting teams and ultimately to the success of your organisation.” Ed Heffernan | Managing Partner | Barden Leinster
Recruiting and retaining great people, and building super teams, isn’t rocket science but trying to do so without the latest insights on salaries, benefits and what’s important to those looking for new opportunities could be classed as madness!
To make sure you’re armed to set the right budgets to attract and retain the cream of the crop check out the Chartered Accountants Ireland Leinster Society Salary Survey, in partnership with Barden.
The Salary Survey results are sure to help you in building your world class accounting and finance teams. Including market rates and a list of the most common fringe benefits this guide is sure to effectively help your budgeting and planning.
In Barden we can give you close to 100% accuracy on salaries right up to about 3 years PQE. From there it gets tricky as a myriad of variables begin to come into play. For many of our customers we provide bespoke salary advice for finance professionals at all levels depending on their unique set of circumstances. If you want bespoke salary advice for you or for your team drop us a line and we’ll put some time aside to make sure you’re armed with the right numbers. When it comes to salary advice, like everything in Barden, it’s personal.
About Elaine…
Elaine Brady is Managing Partner with Barden Leinster. Following an undergrad in business with Trinity, Elaine joined the recruitment profession in 2004 and held a number of leadership roles with key recruitment firms before founding Barden in 2014. Working with a team of 15 experts Elaine advises leadership teams across Leinster on their talent attraction and retention strategy and is a regular speaker at institute events. Contact Elaine at elaine.brady@barden.ie or via LinkedIn.
Barden Cork is proud to announce the appointment of Michelle Geary as Support Specialist with our team in Cork.
“Very excited to welcome Michelle to Barden – working out of Cork but for our business nationally Michelle’s appointment is a key tactical move for Barden in terms of evolving what we do and how we do it. With her background in leadership roles across entertainment, hospitality and retail Michelle brings an incredible mix of talent, pace, and process to our support specialist team, and, with her help, we’re going to evolve how it feels to work in and to work with, the recruitment profession. No pressure Michelle! Welcome to the team!” – Ed Heffernan | Managing Partner | Barden Munster
Before joining Barden Michelle worked as complex manager and duty manager with Press Up Hospitality Group, and Assistant Manager with 3Arena. In 2010 she completed a BA Arts in Politics and History with University College Cork.
“Delighted to welcome Michelle to the Barden team. Her experience, practical approach and super attitude will no doubt ensure future success not only for Michelle’s professional career but also the team here in Barden. I am excited and looking forward to working with Michelle, and to further supporting the excellent team here in Barden to take things to the next level.” – Elaine Hickey | Research Associate | Barden
“I was very set on joining the team after I saw the job advertised and this was only cemented further when I met the Elaines, Ed and Jonathan. It was clear from the outset that Barden strives to do things differently whilst effortlessly maintaining the human factor in all areas. It’s great to be part of a team that consistently goes above and beyond but also likes to have a bit of craic. I’m very excited for the coming months as I get stuck in and work directly with so many passionate recruiters helping to change people’s lives each day.“ – Michelle Geary | Support Specialist | Barden
In her new role Michelle will work with and support the Barden recruitment team across the various expert areas including accounting and tax, financial services, IT and legal. Her core activities will include support administration and operation for the consultant and leadership teams.
Welcome to Barden Michelle!
We hear the term ‘growth mindset’ more and more often when it comes to interviews and it has even become part of some mission statements. But what exactly is a growth mindset and why is it important?
Tara Higgins Associate Director – Recruitment Partner with Barden Cork, and expert in Operational Finance, Business Support and Data Analytics recruitment and careers, helps to demystify what a growth mindset is, will give you some tips on ways to demonstrate that you have a growth mindset in interviews.
What is a growth mindset and where did it come from?
Having a growth mindset is often confused as being something that’s inherent – something you’re born with or that’s part of you and that you’ve either got it or you don’t.
A lot of people believe that if you are positive, flexible, openminded and enthusiastic that you are showing that you naturally have a growth mindset.
The reality is that a growth mindset means something entirely different. This is good news for those who thought they might not have it as it is something that can be learned, taught and trained.
Let’s look a little closer at the term:
The psychologist Dr Carol Dweck developed the term growth mindset and she popularised it in her book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.
Dweck 2015 writes of the growth mindset definition:
“In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work — brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment.”
She describes the core of the growth mindset as:
“The passion for stretching yourself and sticking to it, even (or especially) when it’s not going well, is the hallmark of the growth mindset. This is the mindset that allows people to thrive during some of the most challenging times in their lives.”
Why is a growth mindset so important?
It’s helpful to look at the opposite of a growth mindset – a fixed mindset, to understand why having a growth mindset is so important, not just for an individual but for any organisation.
A fixed mindset is where you believe that your talent and intelligence is fixed, that we are born with a certain level of ability and that we are unable to improve our levels over time.
I think most people will be able to understand why a fixed mindset might not be ideal in a professional environment and why more and more companies are developing a ‘growth mindset culture’.
Workplaces that cultivate a growth mindset culture are often more innovative, inspired, and efficient and have a more positive culture as they encourage new ideas, employees trying new things and growing throughout their careers.
How to show you have a growth mindset in interviews:
- Give examples of learning something from scratch, be it a new language, how to build a macro on excel, etc.
- Highlight how you accomplished a new task that you had never done before despite initially feeling a little insecure or out of your comfort zone.
- Demonstrating examples of times, you were resilient and kept problem solving when something challenging came up at work.
- Show your commitment to continuous learning/ CPD/upskilling/education/training.
- Highlight how you set goals for yourself and how you’re motivated to achieve them.
- Highlight any failures, shortcomings and what you would do differently in the future.
- Show how you embrace feedback and how you view this as an opportunity to learn.
- Ask strong, well-formed questions to show you are inquisitive and curious and eager to learn more.
Hopefully this article has shed some light on and has given some clarity on what a growth mindset is and will be a useful resource when preparing to showcase your growth mindset for future interviews.
About Tara
Tara Higgins is Associate Director – Recruitment Partner with Barden. She is part of our team in Cork, and is an expert in Operational Finance, Business Support and Data Analytics recruitment and careers.
A core part of Tara’s role is working directly with professionals in the areas of operational finance, business support and data analytics, helping them to identify and map out their future career path, and secure their ideal roles. Tara will also partner with clients to build world class teams in these, and other, areas of business.
Get in touch with Tara via email tara.higgins@barden.ie or LinkedIn.
Barden’s Accounting & Tax practice is proud to announce the appointment of Caroline Frawley as Expert in Mid-Senior Accounting Careers with our team in Cork.
“It’s a privilege for me to welcome Caroline Frawley to our team here in Barden Cork. Caroline’s extensive PQE across industry and financial services will be invaluable when it comes to advising and supporting the accounting community in Munster; but it’s really her smarts, drive and passion for helping others that will set her up for success with us over the coming years. Welcome to Barden Caroline – looking forward to changing what people expect from recruitment with you!” – Jonathan Olden | Managing Partner | Barden Munster
Caroline will work directly with the team to continue to support mid-senior accounting professionals in Cork and Munster. Before joining Barden Caroline held the role of Financial Controller with Hennessy Hair & Beauty. Prior to this she held senior and managerial roles in Westpac (Australia) and JPA Benson Lawlor (Dublin). Caroline holds a bachelor of commerce European (Spanish) from University College Cork (UCC).
“I am so excited to be joining the Barden team as an expert in the mid to senior accounting space. I first heard about Barden whilst working abroad in Australia and making the move back to Ireland, I was told they do things “a little differently” and that certainly has lived up to expectations since returning home. So much so that I recently decided to make the move from finance into recruitment. I am proud to be joining a group of like-minded professionals in Barden with a strong focus on doing the right thing by the people we interact with.” – Caroline Frawley | Associate | Barden
Welcome to Barden Caroline!
Jonathan Olden is Managing Partner of Barden Munster He began his career in the legal sector, spending the first 6 years with James Riordan and Partners, one of Cork’s largest legal firms. During his time there he qualified as a solicitor and gained experience advising and representing a range of clients.
In 2010 Jonathan moved to the recruitment sector specialising in the legal, accounting and finance space. In 2017, together with Ed Heffernan and Elaine Brady, he established Barden Cork and a number of other Barden Practices. He now works with a team of 18 experts covering accounting & tax, financial services, IT and legal recruitment.
We chatted to Jonathan recently to find out a little bit more about him…
Where are you from and where did you study?
I am from Cork, Inniscarra to be exact and I studied at UCC. I chose to study law in college, not really knowing what I wanted to do, but it seemed like good advice from my career guidance teacher at the time as she felt it was a good broad qualification.
What are your best memories from your time in UCC?
I met some really good friends during my time in UCC and have some great memories. Many of them involved playing hurling and football with UCC, and the bus trips home from matches. We underachieved but talked a great game!
What was your first job and what age were you?
I started working at 16. My first job was in Morley’s dress hire and Black Tie. Even though I am colour blind the lads trusted me to pick out suits for people’s weddings, graduations etc! They had to keep an eye on me for obvious reasons! I gained some great experience and I loved it there.
Can you tell us a bit about your professional background?
After my studies I worked with a very good legal firm based here in Cork, James Riordan and Partners. They are great people and they did their best to mould me. I’ve very fond memories of the firm, and my time there, but I knew long term that law wasn’t for me. I didn’t love the content enough to become a real expert in the space. Therefore, I began wondering as to whether there might be other careers out there that I would really love.
So, how did you get into recruitment?
As I was trying to ‘find myself’ I spoke to a number of different people. In particular I spoke with David Burke, Ronan Hill and Bryan Hyland (in Morgan McKinley), and during that chat they asked had I considered recruitment. To be honest at the time I’d no idea what recruitment was but I did some more investigation, I liked who I met and decided to give it a go.
At that stage I had been a solicitor for 6 years, and at the age of 30 I decided to make what seemed like a radical move and started my career in recruitment.
What’s your role in Barden?
My role is to lead the business in Munster. We really have a great team so I give them a hand when they need it. I also love trying to help senior candidates with their careers, and to provide solutions and retention strategies to our clients.
Can you tell us what kind of professionals you work with?
I work predominantly with senior finance professionals, legal and IT professionals and others who may need a steer from time to time. If I think we can help someone I find the right expert within our business to meet their requirements.
What should professionals be aware of when starting to look for a new role?
Be very self-aware. Know what your strengths are but most importantly know the areas where you need to improve. It’s very easy to help people who are self-aware. Dream big, but it’s really important to acknowledge the reality from where you are starting. (It’s always good to ask for feedback too.)
Has that changed during your time in recruitment?
No, despite technology etc. I think it’s just human behaviour, if there’s things you need to work on it’s important to know what these are. None of us are perfect.
What makes Barden different?
I think it’s the calibre of people we have in the business. We aim to make it as easy as possible for the professionals who deal with us and we try not to complicate things. We like to figure out how people would like us to interact with them and we aim to tailor our approach according to what people need from us. We’re very much a work in progress and we are constantly trying to improve both what we do as a business and also improve ourselves as individuals. Hopefully we will get there eventually!!
What has been the biggest challenge and biggest lesson from starting the business in Cork?
Biggest challenge… Building a reputation in a very competitive space. It took time. Like everything success doesn’t happen overnight, it takes consistency, ongoing self-reflection and a lot of hard work.
Biggest lesson…You’re only as good as your last game! The necessity to be consistent is vital. We don’t take shortcuts; we are constantly aiming to be consistent in what we deliver. I think that’s why we work well together as a team. We all have similar values and these values have become part of our culture…it’s a way of being and of working.
When we get positive feedback its incredibly rewarding……we live off that……for a while!
Is there an achievement or contribution that you are most proud of?
The Barden team. We really enjoy working together. Sure, we all have our own quirks and faults but everyone is united in a common goal and it’s always good craic. When you’re having a tough day it’s really nice to come back to an office of colleagues that you really like.
What three words best describe you?
Work in progress.
Glass half full or half empty?
Glass half full.
Outside of work what are your interests?
I love sport, cheesy music, and spending time with family and friends.
Do you have a role model, or someone who inspires you?
My parents.
You often refer to the 1% difference…can you tell us a bit more about that?
Everybody can improve, but you can’t do it overnight. You need to do it in little phases (1%’s)…you have to bite off small chunks of the elephant if you’re doing something big.
Sometimes it’s as simple as taking a step back to examine what you have, and see where you can improve it that little bit. Over time you get there. However, “the Why ” must be compelling enough!
Need help achieving your ambitions?
Are you a professional looking for help in achieving your ambitions? Or a professional looking to build a world class team? If so get in touch with Jonathan at jonathan.olden@barden.ie, and he’ll take it from there. Simple.
Barden’s Accounting & Tax practice is proud to announce the appointment of Bernie Duffy ACA as Associate with our Recently Qualified Accounting team in Dublin.
“Really delighted to be welcoming Bernie Duffy to our team here in Barden Dublin. Trained and qualified through EY, Bernie recently completed her training contract and is now embarking on her next chapter, working with our recently qualified accountant recruitment team in Leinster. Bernie’s exceptional work ethic, easy disposition, sense of humour and genuine drive to help people combine to make her such a natural fit with our team – it’s like it was meant to be! Welcome to Barden Bernie – looking forward to making history together!” – Elaine Brady | Managing Partner | Barden Dublin
Bernie will work directly with the team to continue to support recently qualified accounting professionals. She successfully qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2021 having completed her training contract with the ICT Assurance and Audit teams in EY.
Prior to this Bernie completed a BA in Accounting & Finance in Dublin City University (DCU) followed by a Master’s Degree in Accounting, also in DCU.
“Being a newly qualified accountant myself after completing my training contract in Big 4 audit, I understand the daunting task of making your next move with so many options out there. That’s why I am excited to join the Barden team and work alongside Ed, Elaine and the rest of the recently qualified team here at Barden to do what I can to make that process easier.” – Bernie Duffy ACA | Associate | Barden
Welcome to Barden Bernie!
Kate Flanagan is a Partner with Barden Dublin and expert in tax and treasury careers. With over 11 years’ experience of advising tax and treasury professionals on career and industry trends Kate has contributed first hand to the careers of many tax and treasury professionals in Ireland.
She also happens to be a Chartered Tax Consultant (AITI CTA) and before her career in recruitment, worked in the Big 4 firms and industry, both nationally and internationally.
We recently caught up with Kate to find out a little bit more about her…
Where are you from?
Born in Dublin, my early childhood days were spent in Trim, Co Meath and my later child hood and teen years in Ferrybank, Waterford. Thankfully my family decided to settle here for good and I can say I’m a proud Waterford woman.
Where did you study?
I completed a Bachelor of Business & Law Degree in UCD and went on to PwC to complete my professional qualification in tax (AITI CTA).
What did you enjoy most about your time studying?
To be honest I didn’t really enjoy my study days. I loved the friends I made along the way but unfortunately, I choose the wrong profession for me and hence never enjoyed the studying part!
How old were you when you had your first paying job?
My first real paying job was in the cash desk in the arcades in Tramore when I was 14. I got paid £10 a day and worked 7 days a week. Looking back, it was definitely child labour but I didn’t care! I remember loving the independence I gained and getting paid for working hard but ultimately having fun!
Where did you work before joining Barden?
I started my career with PwC as a tax trainee and spent almost 7 years working in tax including a couple of years in London & Sydney. I joined a recruitment agency when I moved home from Oz in 2010 – the height of the recession.
Tax was never for me long term and this was the opportunity I had been waiting for. Friends and family thought I was absolutely crazy leaving a steady job for an unpredictable industry, and at the height of a recession. But my gut was telling me I could be good at this recruitment thing and 11 years on, I think I have proved them wrong!
Is there an achievement or contribution that you are most proud of?
Hands down – building a successful personal brand in the tax market. I set out to be the go-to person for tax professionals to trust their careers with and whilst it’s always work in progress with so much more to do, I’m proud of what I have built so far.
And also on a personal note, being a mother to my beautiful baby girl Fiadh is without doubt, the greatest achievement of my life. They say motherhood is the greatest thing and the hardest thing – so true !
What made you decide to move into the world of recruitment?
As above, I knew there was something else out there that would play to my strengths. I have a balanced view on most things with a lot of empathy. In our industry, you need the ability to step Into another person’s shoes and recognise and appreciate how other people feel. It involves being able to articulate your understanding of another’s perspective so it was a good match to my innate personality.
I’m also a grafter and recruitment is an industry that rewards hard work, the more you put in, the more you get out – it’s that simple.
Why did you choose to work with Barden?
I remember the moment I decided I wanted to work in Barden – I came across a career guide they had just published for qualified accountants, a guide dedicated to providing the best advice to newly qualified accountants on their career.
It wasn’t about jobs or how Barden could help them, it was an unbiased, factual guide which if I had gotten a copy of when I was in training, I wouldn’t have made half the mistakes I did.
My way of working has always been consultative and I never believed that recruitment is just a sales job – we’re dealing with people and their careers, not selling them something, so doing the right thing for the person should always be first and foremast. I felt my values perfectly aligned with Barden values and was excited to be part of growing the business. Plus as I had worked previously with the founding partners – Ed and Elaine, I knew I could trust what they were saying.
What’s the best thing about working here?
Hands down the people, it’s the most used answer but it really is. The calibre of professionals we have on the team and the genuine caring environment we have fostered over the last 7 years, makes it a special and unique place to work. Covid has put a bit of a spanner in the works as we were excellent at social events but I’ve no doubt we’ll make up for lost time, soon!
What was most surprising to you about Barden?
The level of autonomy we give to people to allow them the space to essentially run their own business. It’s refreshing but to be honest not for everyone, sometimes a highly KPI driven organisation can be a better fit for people. But I guess that’s why we’re selective on who works here.
What three words best describe you?
Grounded, Independent, Generous
Have you a favourite saying or quote?
80% of success is about showing up. I came across that quote when I was going through a tough time in my personal life, and when I felt like just giving up. As you get older, you realise life isn’t fair but it’s still good! If you can get up out of the bed, get dressed and get into work with a smile when you’re feeling at your lowest, then you’ve been successful. Everything else will follow.
Glass half full or half empty?
Definitely half empty! But only because I’m a worrier, not because I’m a negative person. I worry that there won’t be a glass, never mind anything in it!!
Where in the world would you most like to visit?
The deep South in America. I’d love to experience the New Orleans/Memphis and Nashville triangle.
And finally, who would win a fight between Spiderman, Batman or Wonderwoman?
Wonderwoman of course!
Building Your Team or Considering Your Career Options?
Kate Flanagan is a Partner with Barden Dublin and expert in tax and treasury careers. With over 11 years’ experience of advising tax and treasury professionals on career and industry trends Kate has contributed first hand to the careers of many tax and treasury professionals in Ireland.
She is the go to person when it comes to tax recruitment and building tax teams. Reach out to Kate to see how she, and her team, can help you.
Contact Kate at kate.flanagan@barden.ie or via LinkedIn.
With December finally here, and the Christmas countdown officially started, we wanted to do something a little different this year to celebrate the festive season.
Well, some of you might call it celebration, others may call it madness!!
Starting today, the 1st December 2021, the team in Barden have decided to do the “25 Swims of Christmas”.
In other words, at least one of the Bardees will undertake to get into the sea for a quick dip every day in the run up to Christmas Day.
For those who can’t quite handle a dip in the depths of winter, we’re making a special exception and just this once allowing an old-school seaside paddle!
Supporting Barretstown
As part of the “25 Swims of Christmas” the Barden team are fundraising for the amazing children’s charity Barretstown. The charity runs residential camps for children with a serious illness, offering a range of adventurous and challenging activities and supported behind the scenes by safe, medical attention and care – always for free. Since opening in 1994 they have brought the magic of Barretstown to over 70,000 campers. Read more about Barretstown below.
Get Involved…
Of course, we’d be delighted for any of our Barden friends to get involved too and support this amazing charity.
So, if you’d like to take part get in touch with Nicole Carroll at nicole.carroll@barden.ie, or if you can’t handle dip at this time of year please help our fundraising efforts to which you can donate through our GoFundMe page.
All you need to do is:
- Choose a day to do your swim.
- Grab your finest budgie smugglers.
- Quick dip…easy peasy.
- Take a picture or video before/during/after and share on your own LinkedIn/social media tagging Barden, Barretstown & sharing the GoFundMe page.
- Tag and nominate other people to do a swim…if you want!!
Thanks, from the team at Barden!
About Barretstown
Barretstown offers free, specially designed camps and programmes for children and their families living with a serious illness – supported behind the scenes by 24 hour on site medical and nursing care.
All of the children and families come to Barretstown free of charge. Everything, including accommodation, food and medical assistance are provided at no cost to the family.
Barretstown is supported by donations and the fundraising efforts of corporate supporters, individuals and community groups.
Barretstown is recognised as a centre of excellence in childhood cancer care and other serious illnesses. Children are referred to Barretstown based on their medical needs.
Since we first opened our gates in 1994 we have brought the magic of Barretstown to over 70,000 campers.
Read more about the impact this wonderful organisation has had here.
Barden’s Accounting & Tax practice is proud to announce the appointment of Niall O’Keeffe ACA as Associate with our Recently Qualified Accounting team in Dublin.
“It’s a real pleasure for us to welcome talent like Niall into our growing team here in Barden. After completing a training contract with Deloitte, Niall wanted to use his experience and qualifications to create value for people in a different way…recruitment with Barden was just a natural fit. It’s promising for our future, and indeed the future of the recruitment profession ,that people of Niall’s calibre and character are choosing to build their careers in recruitment. Very much looking forward to working with Niall and seeing him flourish with us over the coming years” – Elaine Brady | Managing Partner | Barden Dublin
Niall will work directly with the team to continue to support recently qualified accounting professionals. He successfully qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2020 having completed his training contract with the Audit team in Deloitte Ireland. Prior to this Niall completed an accounting degree and masters in University College Cork.
“I am delighted to be joining Barden’s RQ Team, in the Accounting and Tax practice, working alongside Elaine, Ed and the rest of the team. Barden’s ethos, where we lead with advice first and genuinely look after each individual’s best interests in terms of their career aspirations, resonated with me immensely. I am looking forward to using my ACA background to advise others as they take the first steps of their burgeoning post-qualification careers and thereby, contribute positively towards changing people’s lives. I cannot wait to get started!” – Niall O’Keeffe ACA | Associate | Barden
Welcome to Barden Niall!
We’ve all known for a long time that to get the best talent, you’ve got to make sure you have a top hiring strategy.
Unfortunately, that’s not enough anymore. Focusing on the ‘top’, but forgetting ‘everyone else’ can lead to some disastrous consequences, and quickly too. Great employer brands can be made through great recruitment campaigns that are managed with transparency and respect for all participants, and in the same way, just one mismanaged round can destroy your name in the market. And what ‘top’ talent wants to work for someone with a bad name in the market?
Millennials expect seamless experiences
Millennials, Gen Y, are used to seamless service experiences. Think about online shopping as a case in point. Next day, even same day delivery, and incredible speeds of service responsiveness/issue resolution. Now contrast that to your average recruitment process – apply online, maybe receive an acknowledgement email, hope to hear back a week later, might hear back in two, invited to an interview and then perhaps, hear feedback – and probably only if you’re being progressed to the next stage. Placing yourself in the shoes of your target market, and you can see where frustrations may creep in, even if your process ‘isn’t that bad’.
They want to use their phones, too
Many job sites, and indeed, recruiter sites, are mobile enabled. But if you’re a direct recruiter, you need to make sure your recruitment process is mobile friendly. And this includes your HR process – no good advertising on a mobile enabled job site if this then directs your applicants to an archaic talent management platform with a convoluted application process that can’t be used on your average smart phone. Again, thinking about your own customer experience when online shopping – if something can’t be done, or done quickly, on a mobile or tablet, the temptation is just to move on. It’s also a reflection on your company – Millennials seek to work with technology-savvy companies. A difficult process may turn them off.
Bad experiences spread quickly
People don’t get jobs, every day. And yes, they are disappointed. But there is a massive difference between a well-handled rejection, and a poorly handled one. Nobody likes giving bad news, but the reality is, given quickly and with respect will soften the blow. Delaying rejections – or avoiding it altogether and hoping they’ll get the hint or find another job in the interim – will make it so much worse. Not to mention ruining any sort of relationship you may have with the candidate into the future. What’s worse is that online platforms make it very easy to share this sort of experience. And then there’s the power of word-of-mouth across various target talent pools, like NQAs for example.
It’s not about giving them everything they want, it’s just about process and transparency
Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t about lowering your focus, or not maintaining high standards in your selection process. This is about experience – candidate experience. Which in many ways, should be viewed in exactly the same way as your customer experience. You want anyone who interacts with your business, to go away with a good impression, even if the product or service wasn’t right for them. It’s a simple strategy of treating every individual that shows an interest, with the respect you would a customer, or for that matter, any person. Make sure you have a process that gives people the news they need, quickly, and across all touch points of the recruitment lifecycle. And more than anything else, make sure it is transparent. If it’s going to take two weeks to issue feedback because of annual leave/internal process, that’s fine – if you manage expectations. Prioritise your communications, to everyone, and the rest will fall into place.
Building Your Team?
Bernardo Pina is Partner with Barden’s legal practice. He is an expert in legal careers and specialises in the legal, company secretarial and data protection market, partnering with organisations and professionals across all industries both in the private and public sector.
Reach out to Bernardo to see how he, and his team, can help you build and retain truly world class teams.
Contact Bernardo at bernardo.pina@barden.ie or via LinkedIn.
