RECRUITMENT


A bad reputation does make things tricky, but it doesn’t make it impossible. Sometimes being up front about past issues, how you’ve dealt with them and what you off er now can be attractive to the right person. We all like a challenge. The one mistake I see is employers not keeping up with


infl ation in terms of pay. Some companies are still off ering a starting salary that hasn’t changed since I started recruiting in the HVAC market, and that was 2010. They may not like it, but an engineer, salesperson, etc, costs more today than they did then. Likewise, off ering 20 days of holiday, which includes an enforced Christmas shutdown, turns prospective employees off very quickly.


What skills and qualifi cations are employ- ers particularly looking for? Most briefs require F-gas or an NVQ Level 2. In fact, qualifi cations are prioritised over hands-on experience, because without those, it’s hard to get essentials such as site access or work signed off . Another thing we are often briefed on is people needing


a strong digital experience. They need to be able to use a dashboard, for example, because just fi xing an AC unit is no longer just enough.


I think the most common mistake employers make is that There’s been a slight decline in contract roles, and


contractors have been asking to go permanent. Paperwork, taxes and the struggle of getting companies to pay have made a number of people want to go into a permanent role. Work-life balance comes up all the time with younger people. It doesn’t mean they are work-shy at all, but spending all week and all hours at work just isn’t appealing to them.


What do successful employers do to attract and retain skilled candidates? Good employers do the basics well – they have a clear strategy, they pay well, and they do what they say they are going to do. At the interview stage, they are crystal clear about what the job entails. The two main reasons job seekers come to us are that they are either underpaid or they’ve been mis-sold the job. In terms of attracting talent, having a clear process, strong marketing and a highly visible brand all help. In addition, Glassdoor, Google reviews, and word of mouth all massively help. Prospective employees often ask ex-employees what the company were like to work for, so there is no place to hide.


all they tend to think about is themselves. Often, you are given a brief made up of what they do and what experience the candidates need to have. Now, I understand businesses need to hire a certain skill base, but sometimes you have to understand you are hiring in a skill-short market, and to get the right person, you’ll need to make allowances. The other thing is time. If a good engineer or salesperson comes on the market, then you need to move quickly. The more fl exible you can be when hiring, the more chances you’ll have. Hire people with a good skill set who are keen to be coached


and trained. When we go back over past introductions with clients, the most successful placements are always with people who clearly demonstrated these attributes. Provide feedback to people you interview who aren’t successful. Even if you don’t want to hire that person, you want them to leave thinking you are a good company. A candidate’s experience with your company will be passed on to their friends, and there’s always the possibility that an unsuccessful candidate today could be the one you need tomorrow.


"It’ll come as no


surprise that heat pump engineers have


become the number one in demand. The growth has been un- precedented, and engineers haven’t been able to keep up.


Manufacturers could do far more in terms of training and the way they recruit. This could be a practical step to solving further


shortages of engineers in the future."


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