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The need for change – our seniors back on stage

It has been an important theme in general, but these last few months, we have been bombarded with our new government's measures to keep its citizens professionally active for a few more years. There are people who were looking forward to leave the work force soon. What a shock, when suddenly they find out that they will become the first 'victims', as they define themselves. From one day to another, they will have to postpone their long-planned world trip or their calmer lives around their children and grand-children. We all felt this shock when those so-called victims and their supporters decided to go on strike.

But, because of all this negativity, we tend to forget that there are vast numbers of people who do like to stay on the job market. They want to keep sharing their skills and expertise while learning from the newcomers that will one day replace them. Why are they not given the chance to prove everyone wrong?

By 'everyone', I mean company owners, the government, young current and future employees and us as HR professionals. In our work, we all come across job seekers with brilliant career paths that started as long as 30 years ago. When asking them why they are looking for a new opportunity, reorganisation is the top answer. This term, as conversations continue, can be explained in many ways. Whether it is a change in the management team, or several business units that are merged into one, any reason is now good enough to sack the most paid party.

The difficult economic period we have been going through for the last few years, has unfortunately given the opportunity to company owners to let these high potentials go. Next to every official reason not to keep older employees, there are other explanations that we'd rather not hear: too expensive, too slow, too conservative, waiting for their retirement. How about shifting these thoughts into something positive? Company owners should realize that employees over 50 have their long career plus their life experience to refer to. Performing well does not only mean doing a job perfectly. It also means building excellent interpersonal skills. Being assertive, able to coach and share a passion for a job, only comes gradually, and needs time to transform itself into something fruitful and long-lasting. Tradition may not be forgotten, but change obviously is required to keep businesses alive. Why not work on inter-generational collaboration to implement change in a controlled way?

As for the government, we read many articles that stress the measures taken to cut costs. They have people working longer and even sanction companies who do not follow certain rules to keep their older potentials. It all seems rather threatening and full of pressure. How about motivating all stakeholders to work together to take on this interesting challenge, opening opportunities for knowledge-sharing. The government will play an important role in making sure that older workers are not perceived as a burden. At the same time, work should not be perceived as a burden to older workers. The latter could be achieved, for instance, by making sure employees get to spend time for themselves in the middle of their career. This can refer to raising their children, following training that will broaden their skills, re-orientate their careers or other personal projects. This does not necessarily need to start after retiring.

Such steps will also keep our younger generations open to older colleagues. They should have the chance to see that drive, enthusiasm and passion does not decrease with age, but is directly linked to the professional environment in general. Our young enthusiasts should not forget that the companies they (will) work for have a certain tradition and would not exist without the efforts of their older co-workers. Over the years, many possibilities on the educational front have been offered. They have given young graduates the chance to start their career on a higher level than might have been the case in previous times. However, nothing can be compared to real experience 'in the field' and it should be respected.

What is, in this entire story, the role of recruiters like us? We can only support a change of mindset if we start with ourselves. How many times do we think that a candidate might not be accepted by a client because of age? We might want to start screening on other, more important criteria first. We should not hide ourselves behind the excuse that clients do not want older employees and start taking our own share of responsibilities. If a candidate is interested in a certain position and fulfils all criteria, let us talk and find out their motivation, even when the position asks for more junior candidates. Let's face it, in many cases, with age comes a higher salary package that companies are reluctant to pay. Is our senior candidate willing to give up a part of their salary to get the job of their dreams in return? If so, let's go for it and make a change!

If you are what you say you are … a Superstar

As we all know, the war for talent has been a hot topic the last few years. Ever since then, employers have been looking for ways to find and retain their high potentials. As a consequence, a magic word has popped up: employer branding. This appears to be a key ingredient to face many challenges. According to a recent study of the Hogeschool-Universiteit Brussel, only 30% of the Belgian employees want to work for an unknown company. In addition, 83% of the employees indicate that they are happy at their current employer. If they would change, they want a company with world class products, thrilling work content, top of the league salary packages, fantastic working hours and last but not least: decent employer values. Actually, they want a Superstar Employer.

As a consequence, companies are seeking to meet these expectations, but they still have some growing to do. For example, when it comes to their job description, some of them assume they already are “just great”. Imagine that an unknown company is looking for their new high potential. They post a job description and describe how incredibly dynamic, energetic, driven and progressive they are. So the candidate thinks: “ah well, I might not know the company but it sounds interesting”. He gets his hopes up, he visits the website and big surprise: it dulls him out in about 3 seconds. Result: exit for this so called dynamic company.

Does this mean that a known company is per definition better off? You might want to think again. Whether it is a known or unknown company, it is all about “walking the talk”. The management might want to paint a certain picture of their company. However, their front page marketing is probably already taken care of by a bunch of critical employees and applicants, who might tell something totally different. Of course, some companies have more credit than others. They have built up their status with their products and their big marketing campaigns. Their applicants know the company and they want the company to know them too. Their employees feel like they have a certain status by working there. But all these reasons don’t have much to do with employer branding. The popularity of the company is merely a consequence of their product. What if their product would lose its status? In addition, these companies might offer great salaries, but how many employers stress that the motivation of their applicants can not only be a good salary. If salary as such is seen as a bad reason for employees to want to work somewhere, how could it be a good enough reason for employers to attract and retain employees?

Thus, employer branding means more than a great salary or a good product. But, there is no straight answer to the question of how to become a Superstar Employer. Companies can find lots of ways to improve their image and it wouldn’t make sense to copy the strategy of a specific company to do more of the same. Actually, each company should figure out what they want to stand for in their specific region, sector or product category. In addition, not all employees want the same thing. There are differences in age, sex, life stage, specialisation, education and so on. Of course, salary, work life balance, location and growth opportunities will always be important triggers for employees. But if they no longer agree with the employer values, would they really say no to the “the challenging opportunity” another company is offering them?

It might seem that employer branding takes a lot of time, energy and budget. But does it actually hurt to think about it? Start by thinking about your own employees: why are they working for you? Why are they happy? If you know what makes them stay, apart from the evident things, you’ll find your unique Superstar Employer qualities. Maybe you already have an excellent employer branding strategy and you feel safe. But then again, are you really sure?

So, take a step back, wonder about how and why your company came to existence? Do you like what your company stands for in the present? How do you want to paint your company in the future? In what ways can you improve? How will you make this happen? Don’t be afraid to try new things, to be creative, to change or to fail from time to time, because this is how we all come a little step closer to being the best we can be.

 

The trend “New World of Work” in job descriptions

Everybody being active in the recruitment world knows the expression “war for talent”. Perhaps it is time to adjust our focus and bring recruitment to a higher level. Well overthought and performed recruitment actions should be considered as a real craft. Let's just look at the most basic elements of the recruitment process, the job description. Job profiles are not about copy and paste anymore. It means creating a customized document showcasing all advantages of the company and the unique selling points of the role. Within one page you have to engage your target group and make them want to be part of your success story. Indeed, to write a good one is a real craft. Attracting the right people through a single document can be defined as a creative work of art. Therefore companies are constantly looking for new ways how to be more desirable in the eyes of the jobseeker.

New trends and ideas are entering the recruitment scene. For example “The New World of Work” term which has been used in many job descriptions lately. But do we all know what these new trends mean? Most of the companies only mention this term without any explanation. However jobseekers are not always familiar with these fancy trends even though this particular one can provide them more work life balance. To draw their attention you have to bring a clear message rather than just using unknown terms.

The idea came from the Netherlands and emphasizes the change of three areas: ICT, workplaces and people & organization. The infrastructure of the company should allow work and collaboration of the employees anytime and anywhere. Virtual workspaces, video conferencing and instant messaging are just a few examples. The second pillar, the workplace, has to be adapted to support work activities via spaces for concentration, brainstorming, team work and relaxation. The third focus lies on transforming the organization to an open, trustful and stimulating environment. Managers are representing a supporter role providing employees more authority. Microsoft and Orbit One are some of the proud believers of the New World of Work. Whether you are looking from a company’s or employee’s point of view, this trend can bring a lot of advantages. More productivity, shortened communication lines with less e-mails and more chat communication, home office possibility, decrease of ICT costs and less expenses for business trips are just a few to mention. On the other hand this is not a suit that can fit everyone. Home office possibility is not an option for all professions. Making changes in your infrastructure means a lot of investment. Therefore each company has to analyze and decide whether applying this trend could bring them and their employees an added value. And in case you decide to implement this new trend, make sure that you include a clear explanation in your job descriptions.

The most important thing when creating a job description is that your target audience understands the message. Do not forget that the aim is to catch the attention of the candidates through one job description. Do not take their time for searching the internet for your fancy terms as you might lose them in the process.

 

New vocabulary, new rules

It is all around us and yet we don’t even notice it; the birth of new- not necessarily better- vocabulary (not even pronounced properly, but I leave that to the experts). There is even a contest to find the vaguest word of the year (if you are interested, you can join it on following website www.vaagtaal.nl).

And now, the whole subject has hit the recruitment world. It shouldn’t surprise us though, we expect people to apply for a job using microblogging (Twitter for example), where you describe yourself in no less than 140 characters. Nowadays it is even possible to show interest in a job by using a simple text message. No wonder people start making up words.

We all know employers look for the whole package in their future employees. Obviously, in Belgium you need to be trilingual. Although, a little tip, if you’re going to study languages, you’d better take up 2 or 3 more, so why not consider Arabic, English, Portuguese and Chinese to put on your resume, very useful to know, and not at all difficult to learn, right? Moreover, nowadays you have to be a team player that can work independently, a dynamic person not afraid to show initiative, and so on. But don’t flatter yourself, according to recent studies, everyone has those abilities.

Therefore, employers should be more specific in writing a job description. That way, employees know what to expect and more importantly, how to apply. As an employer, you should keep in mind that your future employees can’t have it all; especially not when you want them to have two opposite character fees. Who will believe a flexible perfectionist anyway?

As for the employees, consider that nowadays, it is all about the art of presenting oneself. If you really want to impress your future boss; keep following tips in mind when writing a resume or motivational letter. First of all, you should always be direct, try to present yourself properly without seeming arrogant (of course you’re proud of your accomplishments, but leave some mystery to talk about during an interview). Secondly, try to look up the company you are applying for, flatter them, but don’t become a suck up. It shouldn’t be a surprise that honesty is the best policy; after all, you won’t be able to hide your strengths or weaknesses on the work floor once you have been hired. And most of all, don’t make up words, it is hard enough as it is.

 

Colleagues night out

Most people like to take the easy route. Lie back, take it easy and just wait for hard times to pass. The Executive Research team is nothing like that. When there is a problem, we see it as a challenge. When it seems that it cannot be solved, we work twice as hard to prove the contrary. Of course, we need to have this personality to do a good job. You can only fill in challenging vacancies, when you have a positive mindset and the hunger of a hunter. This personality shines through in our work, but also in our private life and team activities. Therefore, for our last team evening out, we decided not to go for dinner, but to go for a cooking initiation. A workshop where we have to do all the work ourselves, surrounded by strange ingredients and sharp knives. As said before, we like to take the difficult route.

Our introduction to cooking (for some of us it really was an introduction to cooking), took place in a cosy house (14 Smaken van de Midi) in Berchem. We started as we meant to go on; with a glass of wine by our side. After cutting and cleaning the vegetables, the real work started. Mixing ingredients, cooking, baking and, of course, tasting our work! Afterwards, we could finally enjoy a meal with our own recipes. During the 3.5 hours workshop we made several tapenades, pestos, taboulé, thoïonade, etc . So I think we can say that we are proud of ourselves. (Especially because we didn’t break anything and no one got hurt.) And what’s most important; it was a fun night out with colleagues!

Crossing the border of the digital revolution

Your first birthday. Your first test.
If you can walk on your own on this day, you pass.
If not, you fail. 

Parents start getting worried. Grandparents have a list of recommendations ready to help mom and dad. Doctors sum up numbers of possible explanations and neighbors start asking questions. Is this child slower? Does it need more time to learn things? Or will it just turn out to be a lazy person?

When you look critically at this learning process and keep in mind Lean, Six Sigma and other process improvement methodologies, you will realize that these slower babies might be the smartest. Instead of using the ‘trial and error’ approach, they sit, observe, analyze and learn. They watch their peers trying to get up, falling on the ground, hear the crying and the incentives of the parents, and learn from it. They analyze their movements closely until the day that they gathered enough information to get up their selves. They will stand up, take their first steps with great caution of all the surrounding elements that made the other children fall and they will succeed. Under great enthusiasm and shouting of their beloved ones, they will take their first steps without falling and faster than all the ‘quick ones’ who had already passed the test.

They observed, they analyzed, they learned and they succeeded.
And that is what we did.

Instead of jumping on the high-speed train of social media, we waited in the station. We saw others try and fail, we read theories and opinions, we did requirement analyses and feasibilities studies. Not because we were scared, not because we did not believe in it or showed no interest. We just want to perform on a high level.

Indeed, these last months we have been biding our time. Now we are taking the driver’s seat because we are revved up and ready to go. We do not want just to be part of the digital revolution, we want to play a leading role in it.


In the upcoming weeks you will discover more actions on