Barden was privileged to win the award for ‘Best in Practice in Accountancy & Finance’ at the 2019 National Recruitment Awards at The Shelbourne Hotel, last Friday, 29^th November, for the second year in a row!

A fabulous night was had by all and a special shout out and thanks to all those at NRF who were involved in organising such a tremendous celebration of the recruitment profession.

“To be recognised by your peers is one of the greatest privileges in business. It was a really special privilege to be recognised as the Best In Accountancy & Finance recruitment 2019 by the National Recruitment Federation on Friday night. I’m thrilled not for Barden the business but for the people in Barden – the people that made this happen through every phone call, every email and every meeting in 2019. From our first day in business we were on a mission to change what people expected from recruitment and to shift the curve in our profession. Hopefully, we’ve moved the dial a little bit. Lots done, lots lots more to do.” Ed Heffernan | Managing Partner | Barden

There was great competition within our category so to be officially recognised for this by the NRF really means so much.

A massive congrats to all those who were shortlisted, and of course the winners across the other 17 categories.

A special mention too to Anne Heraty, Cpl Recruitment, who was recognised for her great contribution to the recruitment sector and who on the night received the James Kilbane award.

Already looking forward to next year!

There’s no doubt that things have changed significantly over the past few weeks. And what lies ahead is still unclear…but then no one was ever able to predict the future, no matter what the circumstances were!

In Barden we are regularly being asked, by employers and candidates alike, about what the market is actually like right now, and if there is more than just doom and gloom out there.

To help us answer this question we sat down with Jonathan Olden, Partner, Barden Cork to get his insights on the market, and in particular the Cork market.

The Market

 “Well it would be a lie to say we are as busy as ever, but we are quite positive about the Cork market long term. The long term is our focus.  It’s pretty clear that the impact has been quite different across sectors. Yes, we are seeing some businesses who have been adversely impacted but we are also seeing many who have been to a much lesser degree, or not at all.”

“The Cork market is different to other locations across Ireland. That sounds like a very Cork thing to say (Ha!) but we are still working with a number of different employers who are actively recruiting, in particular in specific pockets of business. Some companies are in the next phase of growth establishing functions that were planned pre Covid and that were part of their global strategic plans for increased efficiencies. Some of our SME clients have parked hiring plans in an effort to weather the storm, with their focus shifting to trying to keep their teams intact and look after current employees.”

 The Hiring Process

 “When it comes to hiring for many it’s business as usual, the main thing changing is the way in which the interviews are taking place. For example, previously where most screenings and interviews took place face to face, they now take place via phone or video. Those employers who are proactively embracing the technologies enabling these types of interviews are really reaping the rewards and securing the top talent they want and need.”

 “Another key change we’re seeing relates to the offer stage. Before it was extremely rare that someone would be offered a job without having met the hiring manager in person. Now it’s becoming a new norm.”

 Ensuring You Have a Competitive Advantage

“If you are an employer and have temporarily put a pause to your recruitment activities it’s important to note that those who continue to at least consider pipelining talent in preparation for a post-Covid world will have a significant competitive advantage over the coming months. Some of the areas of improvement you have already identified In your function will remain post Covid.”

 Candidates’ Mentality

 “I do believe that people have become more grounded, and perhaps even more realistic (being realistic is good but it shouldn’t hold you back from pushing your boundaries).”

 “Some candidates have shelved their ‘this is the year for my big move’ plans, instead opting for security. Others remain active and determined not to let opportunities pass them by and to change the status quo. To be fair both are entirely logical responses to Covid. I would encourage candidates to use the time to refocus. Do things they haven’t done before, reflect on their own goals and areas for development. If they feel it’s too much to tackle alone there are plenty of fantastic coaches and mentors out there who can help and support. Don’t let the time slip by without doing a little check in with yourself as what you want to do next….this goes for employers and hiring managers too.”

 That’s all for now. We’ll continue to be curious out there and we’ll continue to share with you our experiences and or observations and advice on how to navigate through the coming months and make sure your team comes out of this time stronger for the future. If you’ve got something you’d like us to share please drop a note to jolden@barden.ie.  Stay safe in the meantime.

Over the last few weeks, we’ve been out there trying to figure out what recruitment strategies and tactics different employers are using in light of the current situation. Here’s what we’ve learned so far:

Some hiring market headlines to get us started:

• Companies not immediately adversely impacted have kept the majority of their roles open and continue to recruit, albeit employing different practices.  These include the obvious areas of healthcare/food retail/food/pharma/medical device manufacture/supply chain and IT software as well as less obvious areas such as companies exclusively supplying products and services to these industries.
• Companies adversely impacted have put all but business-critical roles on hold.  The nature of business-critical roles differs from company to company but will often include finance, payroll and customer support functions.
• Companies severely impacted have put all roles on hold, have deferred some start dates for new hires in April to May/June and have, in some instances, rescinded existing offers, effectively letting people go before they have started.  See our blog on some of the tricky situations we’ve seen here >>>

Some of the consequences of the above include:

• A dramatic drop in the number of permanent roles.
• A marginal increase in the number of contract roles (short term solutions to business-critical roles, continued hiring for maternity leave cover and some hiring for short term illness cover).
• A number of people being left between jobs.
• An increase in the temporary lay off or reduced working hours for Accounts Payable and similar finance staff.

Here are some of the hiring tactics we’re seeing:

• The majority of companies are now using the following process for early-stage screening – 1st interview by phone, 2nd interview by Zoom or equivalent.
• An increasing number of companies are moving towards a final interview by Zoom and then making a hire based entirely on a virtual recruitment process.
• A significant number of companies are bringing their candidate of choice to a final virtual interview, making the hiring decision on the back of that meeting but deferring issuing an offer until they have the chance to meet the candidate in person in the future. TOP TIP.
• A small number of companies, where they can deem the position is business-critical and related to the provision of an essential service, are conducting face to face meetings, observing and documenting all HSE guidelines.  These are being held in the office or in a public place observing social distancing.
• Only a handful of companies are properly prepared for virtual on-boarding.  More on that in a future blog.

Here’s some of our observations/advice:

• Candidates have fewer options = a temporary shift to a hiring manager driven market = more choice for hiring managers = slight downward pressure on salaries.
• Candidates, in general, are a little more reluctant to apply for jobs in the current market; better the devil you know, loyalty to their current employer to see them through this, fear factor around health issues and an array of other factors are impacting candidate supply.  This drop in supply will impact the economics of supply and demand cited above – too early to tell how.  (It will be interesting to see how this plays out over the coming weeks, especially for those companies that are hiring directly, rather than through a 3rd party, in the current market.)
• Companies employing blanket recruitment freezes will be at a competitive disadvantage in the near future v’s those that employ virtual processes to identify talent to be hired in the near future.  Companies that recognise that there is a difference between identifying a candidate of choice and making an actual offer will bounce back faster than those who do not.  (For example: Company A has 6 people fully screened and will be ready to offer those 6 people on May 1st depending on the situation at that stage.  Company B has 6 open roles and will only begin the recruitment process on May 1st.  Which one of these companies is making the smart play?)

In summary, companies that continue to pipeline talent in preparation for a post-Covid world will have a significant competitive advantage over the coming months. As restrictions are lifted there will be a flurry of recruitment activity as companies reorganise and restructure themselves for the post-Covid world. First mover advantage applies to talent as much as it does to technology. There is a big difference between identifying a candidate of choice and offering someone a job. The companies that recognise and embrace these two things will win the war for talent in Q3 and beyond.

That’s all for now. We’ll continue to be curious out there and we’ll continue to share with you our experiences and or observations and advice on how to navigate through the coming months and make sure your team comes out of this time stronger for the future. If you’ve got something you’d like us to share please drop a note to edheffernan@barden.ie.  Stay safe in the meantime.

Working from home is our new world, and with how things are it looks like we’ll be here for a while. Adapting to our new environment, being productive and keeping motivated can be challenging. As a team leader the responsibility is now on you to learn a new skill of ‘remote motivation’.

To help we asked our partner John Slattery, of Inspo, for his best tips on motivating your team when they are working remotely.

Here’s what he had to say…

Remote Motivation

Here are three pieces of advice I’d like to offer create a unifying culture of motivation across your remote/virtual team:

1. Create Goals Specific to this Time

The majority of business set goals and objectives for 2020. And now the landscape has completely changed. So, the question is, do your goals need to change with it? I see huge merit in creating specific goals for the team to work towards to get through this period.

Create a mentality where it’s all in. Every shoulder to the wheel. As much as the country needs to fight the pandemic, create a narrative where we as a team need to fight to make these goals a reality to allow us to be able to come out the other side the way we want to. People enjoy fighting for a cause, working with a purpose. Create that for them through good team goal setting for this time.

2. This Time is Ripe for Development

Amy Wrezniewski and Jane Dutton coined a psychological concept called ‘Job Crafting’ in 2003. In it they identified five ways to maximise the sense of meaning and enjoyment you get from your role.

One is developmental crafting. This is where an employee carries out training, further development, education etc. specific to where they want to grow into in their career. If you have a scenario where team members have idle time, challenge them to find either paid for or free online training/tutorials on an area they recognise as important for their development as a professional.

Get them to share with you what the developmental area is, what success looks like in terms of what development they want to achieve and explore with them the best option to make the development a reality. We may never get such an opportunity to focus on development in work time again.

3. Make Team Morale Everyone’s Responsibility

Let’s face it, this is a challenging time. You as a team leader are feeling it. Your team is feeling it. All your families are feeling it. I suggest the job of keeping morale up belongs to everyone in the team right now. Or if it’s not, I suggest it should be.

This is an area where everyone can be become a leader. Someone doing something that lifts the mood of the team is as good as a sale just now. Encourage that leadership within the team in your own subtle way. Every smile is one smile closer to the finish line.

This is a difficult time. I wish everyone stays safe and well. This time shall pass. These three things may just help to make this time pass in a more productive, motivated, focussed and enjoyable way.

Inspo’s Offering for Barden’s Community During this Time

The ability to be resilient is at its high point of importance. It’s arguably the area that needs the greatest investment for as long as we are where we are. Our partner, John Slattery of Inspo is delivering a one-hour online resilience session to companies across the country. It’s providing that lift in resilience at a critical time for employees.

The ability to stay grounded in your thoughts and your breath is key too given the volume of information out there that can cause both to run wild on us. Inspo’s 6-week Mindfulness Course is helping employees in Ireland to create an anchor for their thoughts and breath during this turbulent time.

If you’d like to explore either as a brilliant investment in your staff, please contact John Slattery at john@inspo.ie.

The way companies are conducting interviews is changing and you can expect phone and video interviews to be a part of the future.

At the moment, while some in person interviews are happening, many are switching to phone and video interviews, especially for the earlier stages of the recruitment process.

In Barden we expect, and are prepared for, much more of this over the coming weeks. As a hiring manager you should be too.

It goes without saying that the usual interview prep tips still apply (see below for more on these), but there are a few other things you need to keep in mind when preparing for a phone or video interview.

1. Dress as if you were heading to the interview in person. Why? It helps to get you in the right mindset and brings an air of professionalism.
2. Prepare your interview space…avoid slouching on the couch! Set up a quiet, comfortable space where there will be no interruptions. And have a glass of water at hand.
3. Background noise might be an issue…especially if others are at home too. Make sure to try and eliminate any background noise…pick a quiet room, close the door (sounds obvious but something that could be easily forgotten) and wear earphones or ear pods.
4. Switch off all notifications on your phone, and laptop (if you’re using one).
5. Have your CV, pen and paper handy if you wish to make notes.
6. Another obvious one but…make sure you’re not eating or chewing gum during the interview…remember the sound will travel!
7. SMILE…smiles can be heard so make sure to smile as you talk.
8. Make sure to PREPARE…using our usual interview prep tips below…

Usual Interview Prep Tips

• Develop an interview framework that will really help you find out what you need to know. It’s about digging deeper – way beyond skills, academics and job titles to really establish how, in simple terms, this person will perform in conducting the work you need them to do.
• Employer brand and an interesting role/culture are all great, but ultimately it’s your personal brand that will make the difference. People work with people, not companies.
• Remember that interviews are not “normal” situations. It’s your responsibly to make the person you’re interviewing feel at ease and get the most out of your time talking. Try using a person’s hobbies or interests as an ice-breaker.
• Explain the format of the interview and while you sometimes need to ask the hard questions, do so in a way that avoids confrontation and allows for the best, most honest response. This will allow you to see the candidate’s full potential.
• Try to understand the person and not just the experience. Attitude can’t be taught; technical skills can.
• Manage expectations about feedback and if you set an expectation (such as “we’ll be back to you tomorrow”), stick to it. Nothing damages a personal and employer brand more in the interview process than mismatched expectations. If in doubt, it’s better to pleasantly surprise than to marginally disappoint when it comes to setting expectations on turnaround time for feedback or a decision.
• Don’t leave people behind. After a first interview, it can be very easy to move on with your shortlist and forget about giving feedback to the people that have been unsuccessful. You never know who they know, so protect your personal and employer brand by running a tight process.
• Remember to include some ‘eye-opener’ questions, which will require the person you’re interviewing to dig deep and give you something less scripted than your standard questions…
  • What would your boss say about you if I met with them for a coffee?
  • What element of your job do you dislike the most?
  • What would you do in [blank] situation?
• Above all, keep it focused. This is even more important when you are doing the interview over the phone or via video. Don’t be tempted to use stock standard interview questions that you’ve googled at the last minute. Taking ownership for your interviewing strategy will reap rewards in future years, not to mention time in the short run.

We’re delighted to announce that Tara Higgins has been promoted to Team Lead | AP/AR/Payroll & Part Qualified Accountants with Barden Accounting & Tax.

Tara is leading our team in Cork that specialises in supporting those that aren’t necessarily qualified accountants across junior, mid-level and senior roles. These are mainly across AP, AR, OTC, Payroll & the space where Finance and IT overlap. Tara helps people in these areas from Associate up to Director level.

A UCC grad, Tara started her career in finance before moving into recruitment in 2015.  Since then Tara has been building her reputation and her expertise working within this broad space in finance recruitment in Cork. She joined Barden Cork in April 2018.

“Tara has had a huge impact on Barden since joining us in 2018. Her thirst for knowledge means she really gets to understand the intricacies of every opportunity she works on. (A rare skill in recruitment!). This combined with her desire to put the interests of her candidates first means that when candidates meet Tara they feel that they are working with someone who really can help them map the next stages of their career. Her enthusiasm, humour and energy is infectious and Tara is someone we all rely on and trust to represent what Barden stands for.” – Jonathan Olden | Managing Partner | Barden Cork

“I moved to Barden Cork at a very exciting time when the Cork office was in true start-up mode. Over the past year and a bit more than a half, I have supported Jonathan Olden, Ed Heffernan, Elaine Brady and the Barden team to grow this hugely varied area of the Cork business. Having the opportunity to help people, at all levels and across many different pillars of finance, to find their next step in their careers is what I love about working in this area of finance recruitment – no day is ever the same.

 I have really enjoyed working with such a collaborative team and seeing the teams around me in Cork grow. I’ve really enjoyed being part of this growth, and to have established my place in Barden. I look forward to continuing to build on this foundation in this new role” – Tara Higgins | Team Lead | AP/AR/Payroll & Part Qualified Accountants | Barden

Well done Tara from all your Barden buddies.

We’re delighted to announce that Marissa Maher has been promoted to Senior Associate with Barden.

Marissa is part of our Recently Qualified Accountant team in Cork, and specialises in supporting the recently qualified accounting and finance market for those seeking accounting roles in Cork.

She is both QFA and CIPD qualified, since 2010. With this and her experience working within financial services she has a unique insight into finance, accounting and professional service markets.

“Marissa joining in December 2017 was a game-changer for Barden Cork. Marissa epitomises professionalism and her good-natured approach allows candidates to interact with her at a pace that suits them. She has very quickly become someone a lot of people go to for guidance. I must admit I’ve gone there myself and the guidance I’ve received has always been sound! Her heart is very much in the right place and she will be a superb mentor for people both internally and externally throughout her career.” – Jonathan Olden | Managing Partner | Barden Cork 

“I feel privileged each day getting to work with some excellent people, both candidates and clients, and essentially helping people to build great teams and to navigate their professional futures. Since joining Barden in 2017 I’ve worked with all kinds of newly qualified accountants, from those wishing to make their first move into industry, right up to those who have around 5 years post qualification experience. The Cork market is thriving and there are lots of great opportunities. It’s a really exciting time, especially for newly qualified accountants and I’m excited to help take the Barden newly qualified team in Cork, to the next level.“ – Marissa Maher | Senior Associate | Barden

Well done Marissa from all your Barden buddies.

Diversity is a big topic right now, and certainly something we can’t ignore when it comes to our professional careers or building successful teams. We asked John Slattery, from our Partner Firm INSPO, to write a blog for us on the topic. Here’s what he had to say…

Your Workplace is Better With Diversity

It’s with a little trepidation that I agreed to write this blog. Mainly because I am not an expert in diversity. I agreed to write the blog however as no expertise is required to know that the world is better with diversity. Your workplace is better with diversity.

I spoke to a fellow self-employed individual recently. They spoke of a desire to have someone working with them. To have a different perspective that they could bounce things off to come up with the best way forward. I agree with them. Inspo will be better when there is more than me. A group of diverse thinkers creating brilliant ideas. I sincerely hope that this point will indeed come soon.

For those of you who have a team of staff and/or are working in a team already, here are three ideas I’d like to offer to allow diversity to shine in your workplace:

Diversify the Voice

I cycle everywhere around Dublin. I have a habit I need to eliminate when cycling. On occasion while cycling, I sit back in the saddle to allow my back to be upright for a moment. To do this I need to take my hands off the handlebar. This is not a safe practice. Last Saturday, I did so en route to Seapoint. A boy, maybe six or seven, shouted from the footpath, ‘put your hands on the handlebar!’.

All week the boy’s words have been, positively, in my voice. In that moment, the boy was an unexpected leader and advisor to me.

There’s leaders and advisors all over your team. Irrespective of grade, seniority or hair colour.

Make sure to diversify the voice being heard in your workplace to ensure that leadership and advice shines a light in your business.

Embrace Difference

A couple of research studies stand out from my study during the Higher Diploma in Psychology I (eventually) completed. One was a study that showed Spanish and German speakers appeared to be influenced in how they described a picture of a bridge they were shown by the fact that the word bridge is masculine in Spanish and feminine in German.

A few years on, this study still highlights to me that we all think in our own unique way, based on who we are, where we have come from, the language we speak and our life experiences.

A workplace, a team, that embraces that difference within each of us is the one that will allow that uniqueness to be brought to bear in the best possible way.

One Label, Lots to Offer

You could label me as being a Corkonian. You could label me as someone from the Garden County. What’s certain is that you can label me as Irish. If you’d like, you can label me as over 35 (let’s not go into specifics though). You can, with pleasure, label me as a reasonable singer.

The most important label that you can attach to me though is John. And the most important thing you need to know about me is that I feel I have lots to offer.

Society and the workplace have created labels. Some are helpful, some less so.

Some facilitate diversity in the workplace, some less so.

To allow diversity to shine in your workplace it might be helpful to always come home to the fact that arguably the most important label for any staff member is their name. And the most important fact to come home to is that each person has lots to offer in your workplace.

If you can, create an environment that allows it to shine.

Want More Insights and Support in Leading Your Teams?

Barden and Inspo have a common drive. Barden helps companies build great teams and Inspo helps teams to be great, together. Simple.

If you’d like to hear more about this work feel free to contact Ed Heffernan in Barden, or John Slattery in INSPO.

Read about Barden and INSPO’s partnership here.

For more great insights on leading your team visit our blog section here.

A company is only as good as the sum of its people – fact.  In an era of close to full professional employment, attracting and retaining real talent has never been so important; nor has it ever been so difficult.  In this article, recently published in Accountancy Plus, Ed Heffernan, Managing Partner with Barden explores why this is happening and how small and medium sized companies in Ireland can be competitive.

Why is it so competitive for talent in Ireland?

With a record 2.3 million people employed in Ireland we in the midst of war for talent in almost all parts of the labour market – particularly within our specialist area of accounting & tax.  Employers are competing with each other to attract and retain the best and brightest at a level never seen before in Ireland.  From graduate recruitment (this year saw what was possibly the biggest ever intake by the Big 4 firms) through to mid-level/experienced management roles there is far more demand than supply; inflating wages and frustrating hiring managers in what firmly is a candidate driven market.

Conversely, the very senior end of the market (CFO/FD) remains reasonably challenged with an oversupply of high calibre people and an undersupply of relevant roles at the top of the finance organisation; causing slight salary deflation and frustrating senior finance professionals in what still remains a hiring manager driven market.  The tipping point between these two extremes is at circa the 110/120K mark in larger companies and at FC/FD level in SME businesses.

The take away here for small to medium sized business in that it might actually be easier to find a Finance Director than perhaps a recently qualified or part qualified accountant.  It’s counter intuitive but it is the real consequence of supply and demand for finance talent in Ireland today; or what we like to call recruitment economics.

What has driven this change?

Demand has been primarily driven by the creation of new roles in challenger Irish companies, larger Irish multinationals, FDI and by service innovation in larger practice firms (consulting, advisory and related areas).  FDI has resulted in an increased proliferation of international finance hubs (and the nature/geographical scope of their services to internal customers) and the establishment of strategic business units with finance, commercial and technology teams to serve European customers.  People taking up these “new jobs” will often create a gap in the company they are leaving.  This creates a “domino” effect that can result in a succession of similar opportunities arising from the creation of just one new role.

The SME space in Ireland has seen reasonably consistent growth in recent years but the oversupply of senior finance people in this area (the hangover from the recession) has dampened the feeling of competition for finance talent in the SME space.

In tandem with these increases in demand there has been a significant shift in part of the supply curve.  Minimal graduate intakes into the accounting profession from 2009 to 2011 resulted in a decline in the number of qualified accountants entering the market from 2012 to 2014/15. Add to this the fact that large numbers of accountants move overseas after qualifying, for longer periods of time and, cumulatively, you have some serious supply issues at a certain level of PQE.   This experience “bubble” is here to stay and while supply has been increased at intake levels since circa 2012/3 the aforementioned gap will stay with us for many years to come.

A swathe of global tax changes and the heightened media/political scrutiny around tax cases like Apple, has put tax high on the agenda of many corporates, leading to an increase in the demand for tax professionals at all levels.

How can SME employers compete in this new reality?

When companies like Google have almost infinite resources to attract finance talent, at any level, it can be hard for smaller companies, with limited resources, to attract talent in the first place and to then retain that talent for a meaningful period of time.  We’ve prepared some tips that we hope will help you with both sides of this tricky challenge

ATTRACTING TALENT:

There is no point in trying to compete with the employer branding and advertising budgets of bigger companies.  Instead, it’s about trying to out think them.  There is no one way to do this but here are a few things that you definitely can do that, cumulatively can create a tipping point in your favour:

1. Control your first impressions: You will be judged by your website, both it’s content and user experience.  You will be judged by your hiring managers LinkedIn profile and how it represents both their and your employer brand.  You will be judged by your Glassdoor reviews.  You will be judged by your companies profile on LinkedIn and other social media.  It does not take a lot of money and it does not take a lot of time to get these things right, but it does take effort.  Making sure that you cover these basics is your first step.
2. Showcase your people: People join people and people leave people.  Use the more human friendly social media platforms to showcase your people inside and outside of work.  Sharing the odd photo of a company event or activity can do wonders for your employer brand.  As long as you do it consistently, over time, you will build up a simple online history of how it feels to work in your business.  Never underestimate the importance of simple consistent effort in this area.
3. Write job specs for external, not internal use: Too many companies create job descriptions that list duties, contain internal acronyms, talk to tasks and demand experience.  People do not apply for jobs because the tasks involved were so well detailed.  They apply for jobs because there is something about the company and the role that appeals to them.  They apply to jobs because of how they feel.  Write the job descriptions to appeal to your audience.   Invite them in.  Include quotes from the hiring manager or an existing member of the team.  Talk to general task but speak to the activity and the opportunity.  Speak to how it feels to work in your business.  Simple tweaks like this can make a big difference.  You won’t have as many roles as the bigger companies so make sure to put the effort into the roles that you do have.  It can make all the difference.
4. The personal touch from day 1: These days if you think it’s OK to email applicants to set up interviews you’re wrong.  If someone looks good then the hiring manager, or someone capable of engaging with the person in a meaningful way, should take the time to pick up the phone.  This personal touch can really go a long way.  Accommodate their diary, invite them in to “meet the team” rather than interview, make them feel wanted and feel important. Most importantly keep control of the process – they can choose not to email you back but if you get them on the phone they are much more likely to engage and participate.
5. Develop Your Unique Value Proposition: Contrary to popular belief, the interview process should not be a candidate interrogation. Yes, of course, it is your opportunity to evaluate an individual’s skills, competencies and achievements, but just remember, they are also evaluating you and your business, to decide whether this proposition is going to give them the opportunity they are looking for. When you’re dealing with top talent, it’s absolutely vital to remember that they won’t just be interviewing for one job, they are likely interviewing for 5-10 other opportunities, and could achieve up to 50% conversion to job offer. If this is the case, you have a fight on your hands, and this should be fought from the first time you shake hands, not at the end of the process.
6. WIIFM (what’s in it for me): We’ve all heard of this acronym. Understanding your audience’s priorities is key to negotiating, and closing, a mutually beneficial deal. If your strategy is to attract and secure top talent, you must take time to consider the drivers of aspirational and talented finance professionals. It’s absolutely critical to develop a real and engaging value proposition for why your leadership, this role and the wider company is right for them. Providing a full briefing on company vision, a clear role direction and a demonstrable career path for future development is pivotal. Consider bringing in peers, previous holders of this position and company success stories to talk through their experience and support your case.
7. You Are Your Company Brand: What you, and your interviewing partners, say and do throughout the interview process will create an impression of what it is like to work in your team. Put yourself in their shoes. If you were in an interview process, what would you be looking for in a new boss? Vision, integrity, the feeling that you would be valued? Most likely all of the above. Beyond interacting meaningfully in an interview to bring them into your world, it is absolutely essential to manage expectations fully. Demonstrating indecisiveness, not giving feedback on time, or worse, not giving feedback at all is a sure-fire way to cause irrevocable damage to not only a potential offer acceptance, but also your reputation as a hiring employer in the market.
8. It’s not all about the base but salary is important: Today base salary is very much a hygiene factor – paying the right salary or above is not a motivating factor but paying even €1K less than expected is highly demotivating.  Don’t play games with salary.  Be clear as to your range at the very beginning, clarify expectations as you go through a process and when you do make an offer make it in person, explain your reasoning and at the same time pain a future vision for how you will help the person increase their learning and earning into the future.

There is one thing that is more important than any of the above.  The thing that SMEs have and multinationals can never have.  With SMEs it’s personal.  People in SMEs have far higher connectivity with what the business does, with customers and with each other.  People in SMEs have broader roles and more exposure than in multinationals; often enjoying a wider variety of activity and the ability to get involved outside of their department.  Never underestimate the value that variety and a personal touch can have for prospective employees.

RETAINING TALENT

This is about living the reasons that the person joined your business in the first place.  Reflecting how the interview process felt in how it feels in the office on a Monday morning.  There are loads of different things you can put in place to increase talent retention but you can’t expect any magic bullet.  You also need to mean the things you put in place and your leaders need to live it.  Some simple things that we know work include:

1. Flexibility: every salary survey in the last three years has pointed to flexibility being key.  Flexibility to start a little earlier/later, to work from home from time to time maybe even to finish at 4pm on a Friday.  Small, simple things like this empower people and encourage them to build a life around work.  The more integrated life and work are the less likely someone is to leave.
2. Learning: build small, regular learning opportunities into the working week and your people will feel invested in.  It does not have to cost anything but time.  Supporting study (leave, fees and encouragement) is also very powerful.  Offering opportunities for people to take on new duties can develop them horizontally (rather than vertically) and solve lots of problems for you at the same time.  Learning is key to keeping your team together.
3. Wellness & Mindfulness: There’s lots of literature out there on this and it’s worth spending a little time and picking one or two things that make practical sense for you to implement.  Small gestures in this space can be the glue that keeps people together.
4. Random Acts of Kindness: These are the most powerful things an SME owner can do.  Getting in ahead of an expected salary review and offering the raise before it is asked for; telling someone to finish up early of a Friday as you know they have put the hours in this week already; being cognisant of life events and thinking of ways to make them feel important to you too.  Random acts of kindness build loyalty like nothing else.  

Implementing some of these simple, low cost, approaches to talent attraction and retention can creating lasting value for you and for your people.  Get the mix right for you and you’ll win the war for talent in the long run.

Source: Accountancy Plus 

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Barden was privileged to win the award for ‘Best in Practice in Accountancy & Finance’ at the 2019 National Recruitment Awards at The Shelbourne Hotel, last Friday, 29^th November, for the second year in a row!

A fabulous night was had by all and a special shout out and thanks to all those at NRF who were involved in organising such a tremendous celebration of the recruitment profession.

“To be recognised by your peers is one of the greatest privileges in business. It was a really special privilege to be recognised as the Best In Accountancy & Finance recruitment 2019 by the National Recruitment Federation on Friday night. I’m thrilled not for Barden the business but for the people in Barden – the people that made this happen through every phone call, every email and every meeting in 2019. From our first day in business we were on a mission to change what people expected from recruitment and to shift the curve in our profession. Hopefully, we’ve moved the dial a little bit. Lots done, lots lots more to do.” Ed Heffernan | Managing Partner | Barden

There was great competition within our category so to be officially recognised for this by the NRF really means so much.

A massive congrats to all those who were shortlisted, and of course the winners across the other 17 categories.

A special mention too to Anne Heraty, Cpl Recruitment, who was recognised for her great contribution to the recruitment sector and who on the night received the James Kilbane award.

Already looking forward to next year!